Ishin lifted his head to dare a look around once the violent blast of wind had passed. He’d been knocked onto the sandy beach and had just prayed that none of the dislodged logs and sticks that used to comprise the fort’s walls were blown into him. A fine layer of sand covered his back, and once he was able to examine his surroundings, Ishin found that everyone else had been knocked off their feet too.

  Is it over?

  Whatever that violent gust of wind was had lasted only a few dozen seconds, but its sheer destructive power was undeniable.

  “Is everyone alright?” Rhee asked in between coughs.

  “Just a bit dirty,” Lei said jovially. He rose to his feet, sand falling from his body.

  “That wasn’t normal wind,” Tan Chen commented as she brushed sand off her robes. “It felt like a cyclone.”

  It did.

  Ishin surveyed the remains of the fort’s eastern wall. It had been blown away, the logs scattered across the coast. The sound of crashing timber echoed through the open beach, and Ishin turned to see the western portion of the wall collapse as well.

  The second wall fell too.

  “Why?” Wen Mei bemoaned. She stomped around the area that had been her home for months on the hellish island. “First my friends and now even the fort is gone.” She pulled at her loose hair laden with sand. Her once neatly kept bun had been ruined by the force of the gale.

  “We can’t stay here now,” Wei Long said, voice calm. He peered up toward the grey Heavens. Not even the sun could penetrate the clouds now. “It looks like it’ll rain soon. At least in the forest there will be cover.”

  “Is now really the time?” Rhee asked. She looked sympathetically toward Wen Mei.

  “Better now than after it’s too late.”

  Rhee frowned but didn’t belabor the point any further.

  “Do you all see the rest of the trees?” Tan Chen asked, her gaze eastward.

  Ishin turned his attention toward the eastern coast and found that nearby trees had been coated with sand and the trunks were bent westward.

  Even the forest didn’t go unscathed.

  The sound of rolling thunder came from overhead.

  “We need to move inland,” Wei Long insisted. “Now.”

  “Alright,” Rhee replied. “Alright.” Quietly, she asked, “Wen Mei, will you come?”

  Wen Mei just stared out at the black ocean. “I will.”

  The group departed back into the forest, eventually stopping when they came across a collection of trees with intersecting foliage. Wei Long determined that it was likely the best coverage they would find. Ishin found his determination excellent timing, as rain began to fall only a few minutes later.

  As Ishin sat on the dark, soaked earthen floor, the storm didn’t bother him. Compared to the fierce storms that occasionally plagued the Nine Striped Hills, this was only a mild inconvenience. Instead, what concerned Ishin was the lack of lightning qi despite the surrounding storm growing around him.

  How can there be no qi?

  He already knew that, for whatever reason, Desolate Island lacked ambient qi of any sort, but it was still annoying.

  Ishin rubbed at one eye before abandoning the futile effort.

  We really need to get those pills.

  Still stuck at only the fourth layer of the Initial Realm, he knew he’d need a lot of them to progress his cultivation. That assumed there were even lightning-aspected cultivation pills provided. If not, he might die on this island.

  Compared to the others, Ishin noticed that Rhee was faring the worst with the weather. She huddled against a tree that provided a modicum of cover, but it was impossible to avoid the rain entirely. Rubbing her arms for comfort, it was clear Rhee was miserable.

  Lei, in contrast, was using the rain as a makeshift opportunity to shower, freely exposing his normally top-knotted hair to rinse it. His bandages began to get soaked too, causing Ishin to worry about infection again. Ishin’s own wounded shoulder was starting to ache and smell… troublesome.

  He was about to seek out Tan Chen, who was discussing something with Wei Long beneath a wide tree branch, but Wen Mei surprisingly sat down next to him.

  “How is your shoulder faring?”

  Ishin arched a brow. “Worse, truthfully.”

  “I can tell.” Her attention pointedly focused on his shoulder. “Your bandages are starting to change color.”

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  Great. I’m going to die out here because of a wound.

  “I’ve seen this before. Someone gets bitten or cut and their wound becomes infected.”

  “It’s an unfortunate way to go.” Ishin scratched his ear. “Though there doesn’t appear to be anything to do about it.” He thought for a moment. “Are any of the pills provided from the Pill Drop medicinal?”

  The faint hope he had died as Wen Mei shook her head. “I’m afraid not.” Her expression turned more concerned. Without a word, she placed her hand on his forehead, briefly startling Ishin. “And you have a fever. Do you mind if I help?”

  “No,” Ishin replied awkwardly. He didn’t know what she could do, really. Perhaps she was just trying to be compassionate.

  Then he felt a chilling cold press against his skin. It brought with it a relief he hadn’t known he’d needed.

  Right. She’s an ice cultivator.

  Wen Mei left her hand over his forehead for almost a minute before withdrawing it. She then held out her hand; a vial containing amber-colored liquid appeared. Ishin’s eyes went wide at the display, and then he noticed the golden ring on her forefinger.

  “You have a storage ring.” How had he not noticed it before?

  “I do,” Wen Mei confirmed. She held out the vial. “Drink this. It’ll combat the infection. By tomorrow you should feel fine.”

  That was great! Ishin took the vial and prepared to drink it, but then paused. He looked at Lei, who was now drinking the rainwater as it fell.

  “I appreciate it, Wen Mei, but I think Lei might need it more than me.” He offered the vial back to her.

  “His wounds aren’t infected,” Wen Mei replied. “He’s very lucky.” She pushed the medicine back to Ishin. “You should drink it.”

  After a moment, Ishin responded, “Thank you.” The medicine was the best he’d ever had, tasting of honey and lavender.

  “Your shoulder,” Wen Mei said next. “Do you mind if I…?”

  It took Ishin a moment to understand what she was asking.

  Oh!

  “I don’t know if you want to. It’s quite… bloody.”

  Wen Mei’s hand moved to his shoulder regardless. “I’ve seen worse.”

  Another cool sensation spread across his shoulder, bringing with it merciful relief. Ishin couldn’t help but let out a pleased sigh. He noticed Rhee glance their way at the sound, but she quickly looked away when their eyes met.

  Once Wen Mei had finished, Ishin said, “Thank you.” His shoulder felt significantly better. Not healed, but far less aggravated. Even more remarkable, Ishin found that his bandages hadn’t been frozen solid, like he expected. They were just cool, providing more prolonged relief.

  Her qi control is remarkable.

  Rhee cleared her throat, causing Ishin to realize she was standing right beside the two. Ishin felt his cheeks suddenly go red, but it had nothing to do with his subsided fever.

  “If you two are done,” Rhee began, tone strained, “Wei Long and Chen want us to discuss our next plan.”

  “Right,” Ishin replied hoarsely, rising.

  He offered a hand to Wen Mei. “Thank you.” When he looked back, Ishin found that Rhee had already walked away.

  “The Pill Drop is in two days, right?” Wei Long asked Wen Mei.

  The seven remaining allies sat in a circle around a large tree with extending branches that offered a modicum of coverage from the rain. It was a futile attempt. Everyone was drenched by now.

  “That’s correct. But it’ll take us about a day to reach the crater in the center, and the Pill Drop occurs at first light.”

  “And everyone that’s been here for more than a week will know this,” Tan Chen mused. “No wonder Go Lan said a lot of people die fighting over the pills.”

  “That is the unfortunate challenge,” Wen Mei affirmed. “I suggest we don’t try to obtain the pills from the crater.”

  Ishin rubbed his chin. His spear rested on the muddy ground at his side. “We’ll have to take them from someone then as they leave.”

  “Clearly,” Rhee quipped. “The question is who?”

  “Not Bai Hao,” Wen Mei said quickly. “He’ll be there. He’ll take pills. And we should not try to steal from him.”

  She really fears this Bai Hao.

  Ishin wasn’t going to press the matter. He realized that he trusted Wen Mei, and if she said to not target Bai Hao then he wouldn’t.

  Rhee crossed her arms. “Is there anyone else we should avoid?”

  Wen Mei thought for a moment and said, “I still think we shouldn’t engage Isho Nel and his team either.”

  “The person who killed your friends?” Lei asked, troubled.

  “That’s him,” Six confirmed with a smile.

  “You don’t want revenge?” Lei asked Wen Mei.

  “I don’t want anyone else to die,” she answered softly.

  She really doesn’t.

  Ishin thought back to their fight against the Vampire Monkeys and the Vampire Ape. He recalled the powerful ice technique that Wen Mei unleashed after seeing Go Lan’s corpse. She wasn’t just a sixth-layer Initial Realm cultivator, she was strong. Aside from maybe Tan Chen and Rhee, Wen Mei was probably the strongest member of their group.

  He then recalled the efforts Wen Mei had made to first integrate their group into the Collective Liberation Alliance and then join them on the scouting assignment. Finally, Ishin realized that aside from Six and maybe Yoa Pen, Wen Mei had effectively lost all of her friends and comrades just a couple hours ago.

  She’s not afraid of fighting. She’s afraid of losing anyone else.

  “Will there be anyone else for us to rob?” Tan Chen asked.

  Wen Mei nodded. “I’m sure there will be others.” She rested a hand on the muddy ground. “I suggest we wait on the edge of the crater. We’ll see everyone who enters and leaves the crater, and then I’ll point out who a safe target is.”

  “I like the plan,” Wei Long said. “But why does it take a full day to reach the island’s center? Is it that far away?”

  “It’s far,” Wen Mei confirmed. “Though the real problem is running into other candidates or vampire monkeys along the way. We’ll have to watch out for others setting up their own ambushes. We should depart first thing in the morning to make sure we have enough time.”

  “I really hope we get enough pills to reach the Adept Realm,” Tan Chen bemoaned. “I’d love to get off this island.”

  Lei let out a deep laugh. “Wouldn’t we all!”

  “I support the plan as well,” Ishin seconded. “Are we all agreed?”

  There were a series of nods and affirmations from around the circle. It was decided. Tomorrow they would depart for the island’s crater.