After the first day of training, Jian Zhi, the women, and Captain Zhào returned to the safe house in the village. Lin Wei had been waiting outside for them. Her long wait was rewarded when she saw the giant, blurred silhouettes approaching in the distance. She stood up and called for Xia and the others.

  Jian Zhi and the group returned with the help of the mountain elephants, carrying enormous vegetables and fruits. Lin Wei’s curiosity sparked. “Brother, where did you find such giant food? And how did you befriend these elephants?”

  Her pure innocence made Jian Zhi smile. “They were grown in my farm. And these elephants are our friends. Would you like to touch them? Come.”

  He brought Lin Wei and Xia to the elephants and helped them climb onto the broad, gentle backs. Soon, other women and children joined, laughing as they took their first elephant ride.

  Jian Zhi called everyone to gather. “The resources from the mountain will sustain us for months. Use them well. If there are carpenters here—or if you know any in other villages—bring them here. We need to build houses for those who have none. The timber is already here.”

  The people looked at one another, then bowed deeply in unison. “Thank you, General. We have nothing to repay your kindness. Since you arrived, you’ve asked for nothing, yet you’ve given us everything.” Tears of happiness welled in their eyes. “We are not worthy of such grace.”

  Jian Zhi raised a hand. “Enough. You owe me nothing. I do this because it is how my mother raised me. Do not see yourselves as burdens. Accept this gift.”

  His words moved them, painting a faint image of the woman who had raised such a man. What kind of angel must she have been?

  One villager lifted his share of the rations and stared in shock. “How can I even carry this? These potatoes and tomatoes are as big as my head! And this rice—each grain is long and thick. We’ll have to chop it after cooking!”

  Though he marveled at the near-magical size, his heart swelled with relief and joy. That night, the village echoed with laughter and full stomachs.

  At dawn the next day, everyone—including Captain Zhào and Jian Zhi—returned to the mountain to train.

  While observing the women practice, Jian Zhi noticed a flaw in Lian’s form. “Lian, come with me.”

  Without hesitation, she followed him into the forest.

  “Lian,” he said, “try to catch falling leaves as quickly as you can. Keep your form clean. Close your eyes. Watch me, then imitate.”

  Lian widened her eyes, focusing completely on her master.

  Jian Zhi settled into stance, closed his eyes, and became one with the wind. In his mind, he simulated the entire scene—the whisper of the breeze, the rustle of leaves, the distant call of birds. He stood so still he could hear his own heartbeat.

  A leaf drifted down. In a motion too swift to clearly see, he snatched it from the air.

  “This is how it is done. Train properly, and you will become the close-quarters combat instructor for the next group.”

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  Lian smiled, honored by his trust, and nodded firmly before beginning her training.

  In the archery field, Jian Zhi approached Mei Lin. She paused her practice to greet him.

  “Mei Lin,” he said, “the regular bow is good, but we need precision and rapid fire. This is a new hand bow—a different design. I call it The Devil’s Whisper (魔语弓 - Mó Yǔ Gōng).”

  The weapon was unlike any bow found in the empire. Its body was crafted from a single, hardened segment of ancient iron-bamboo, hollowed out and polished until it shone with a faint, oily gleam. Along its length, a deep, spiraled groove had been meticulously carved, guiding the projectile with unnatural precision.

  Instead of a bowstring, it was drawn by a cord woven from Steel Spider Silk—a material both elastic and strong as steel cable, pulled taut against a hidden trigger mechanism.

  The projectiles themselves were not arrows, but sharpened spines carved from the bones of mountain predators, each one spiraled to match the groove in the bamboo. They were short, heavy, and sat in a carved channel.

  At the weapon's front, a sighting tube was mounted, capped with a lens of ground crystal that made distant targets appear startlingly close.

  When fired, it did not thrum like a bow. Instead, it released a faint, cutting whisper—the sound of the bone projectile spiraling through the air faster than the eye could follow, leaving a trail of cold air in its wake.

  Mei Lin pulled the trigger. The arrow flew faster than a blink, whistling as it pierced cleanly through two trees. A crystal-mounted scope brought distant targets into clear view.

  “Practice with this,” Jian Zhi said. “Master long-range precision. You will play a key role soon.”

  Grateful and determined, Mei Lin devoted herself to mastering the new weapon.

  Jian Zhi next sought out Captain Zhào. “You must become the conductor on the battlefield with that blade. Master the Soul Scratcher quickly. The hunt begins soon.” He paused. “You have intelligence on Jiǔ Tù. Tell me everything.”

  Zhào stopped training and sat. “He was a genius in alchemy—truly brilliant. Jiǔ Tù’s genius was most famously demonstrated in his metallurgical breakthrough; a revolutionary alloy of iron, copper, and carbon that resisted all rust and staining, a discovery that had shaken the foundations of traditional smithing. But greed consumed him. He began selling addictive liquors, trapping people in cycles of dependency. He is one of the magistrate’s main sources of income.”

  Jian Zhi considered this. A twisted genius… if he had such talent, he likely had other inventions. Perhaps his knowledge could be put to use—after he’d faced judgment.

  “Is there anyone else working with him?”

  “A Veridian doctor—Kaelen. I know little, but he forces women to ‘pay’ for treatments with their bodies. He preys on the vulnerable.”

  Jian Zhi nodded, his expression darkening.

  As everyone honed their skills, Jian Zhi began plotting the hunt.

  For three weeks, Magistrate Lǐ Wěi gathered soldiers and generals from nearby districts—Blackrock Vale (黑石谷 - Hēi Shí Gǔ) and Silent Creek (静溪镇 - Jìng Xī Zhèn)—and launched attacks on the villages of Liánhuā District.

  But the villages were protected by fearsome bears and demonic wolves. The soldiers could not break through. those beasts' howls and taunting death stares made the soldiers to run away. The demonic wolves hunted down few soldiers while they tried to ran away.

  Now, Jian Zhi made his move.

  He slipped into Jiǔ Tù’s house like a shadow—an uninvited guest waiting in the dim light. He scanned the alchemist’s books, finding designs for futuristic weapons and formulas that hinted at terrifying potential.

  The door creaked open. Jiǔ Tù entered, unaware of what lurked inside.

  The Devil had begun his hunt.