C31 - The Hunter Reveals Himself
Mist Valley had become unnaturally silent.
Ye Chen did not slow his pace. The instinct that had saved his life once before now urged him onward with increasing urgency. Lu Jian, Su Wan, and Qin Hu followed closely behind, no longer questioning his decision. The abandoned deer's corpse, the false claw marks, and the fleeting silhouette in the mist had erased any illusion that this was an ordinary gathering mission.
A sharp whistle suddenly echoed through the valley.
It was followed by another.
Then a third.
They came from different directions.
"We're surrounded," Qin Hu said quietly, tightening his grip on his wooden practice sword.
Ye Chen shook his head.
"No."
"They're trying to make us believe that."
He looked around carefully. The sounds were too evenly spaced, almost deliberate. Whoever was watching wanted them to panic and scatter.
"We stay together."
The four disciples formed a tight group and continued toward the valley entrance.
A single arrow struck the ground several paces ahead.
It had not been aimed to kill.
It had been aimed to stop them.
A man dressed in black stepped onto the trail. His face was hidden behind a dark cloth, and a silver wolf insignia gleamed on his sleeve.
"So..."
His voice was calm.
"The farmer's son has grown."
Ye Chen's eyes narrowed.
"You know me."
The masked man chuckled.
"I know more about you than you realize."
He drew a narrow blade.
"Your village."
"Your father."
"The fire."
Each word landed like a hammer.
"You were there."
The man's silence was answer enough.
Rage surged through Ye Chen, but months of discipline held it in check. The physician's teachings echoed within him.
Anger clouds the eyes before it strengthens the hands.
He inhaled slowly.
Then, instead of charging forward, he quietly asked,
"Why?"
The masked man seemed almost amused.
"In the martial world, very few people die because they deserve it."
"They die because someone stronger decides they should."
The answer chilled all four disciples.
To the man before them, lives held no meaning beyond usefulness.
Without warning, he moved.
His speed exceeded anything the outer disciples had ever witnessed.
The blade flashed.
Qin Hu barely managed to raise his weapon before the force of the strike hurled him backward several meters. His wooden sword shattered instantly.
The gap between ordinary disciples and a true martial artist was terrifying.
The masked man did not pursue.
He simply watched.
"Run."
It sounded less like mercy than mockery.
"I want to see how long hope survives."
Ye Chen immediately understood.
The man was not here to complete a mission.
He was here to test them.
"Retreat in pairs," Ye Chen said calmly. "Don't bunch together. Use the trees."
No one argued.
The four scattered only enough to avoid becoming a single target while remaining within sight of one another.
As they disappeared into the mist, the masked man smiled beneath his veil.
"Interesting."
Most children ran blindly when confronted with overwhelming strength.
Ye Chen had begun organizing his companions instead.
The hunt had become slightly more entertaining.
Far above the valley, hidden upon a cliff, Zhao Feng observed everything without intervening.
His expression remained unreadable.
This mission had never truly been about gathering herbs.
It was the first lesson every disciple had to learn.
The martial world was beautiful from a distance.
Up close...
It always smelled of blood.