“Ah, looks like trouble has found us,” I muttered to Xinran as I can watched the young master sauntering with his minions.

She glanced at the approaching group and frowned. “You know them, savior?”

“Unfortunately,” I replied with a resigned sigh, cocking my head at the young master. “That's Yun Ren, the Young Master of the Cloudy Wheat Sect.”

“Cloudy what?” Xinran blinked.

I shrugged. Yun Ren approached us with a haughty grin, his lackeys trailing behind him like obedient hounds. “Well, well, if it isn’t the commoner and his new friend. Isn’t she a beauty? She shall honor this young master by warming his bed tonight when I’m done with this commoner.”

I rolled my eyes, unimpressed by his theatrics, while Xinran’s eyes hardened cold. “Yun Ren, I have no quarrel with you. Leave us be.” I said, deciding to not appear as some rash guy.

He laughed, the sound grating on my nerves. “You think I’ll let you off the hook that easily? You embarrassed me in front of everyone.” He ground his teeth, “Now, I'm going to teach you a lesson!”

Xinran stepped forward, her voice icy cold. “We don't want trouble. Just walk away. Otherwise, don’t blame this senior for treating you unkindly.”

Yun Ren’s gaze shifted to her, and a malicious grin crept onto his face as he looked her up and down.

I placed a hand on Xinran’s shoulder, a silent signal for her to stand down.

Yun Ren’s laughter echoed yet again, “Beat him!” he ordered, growling.

As Yun Ren’s lackeys formed a circle around us, I felt Xinran’s presence beside me shift, no doubt ready to push them to the side. However, I couldn’t let her.

I swiftly used [Trinket Of The Fallen].

Teaching these guys a lesson was something that should be done by me alone. Lest they come for Xinran later instead of me, for no reason at all. I planned on returning back home through this route and if I beat them up, when it was time for me to return they’d be ready with their senior brother, uncle, or whatever. I just needed to make an example of said person, and done. The reason I was doing this was simply put, to get benefits out of them, or rip them off, get them under me due to fear of getting annihilated because I was technically still a sect elder.

I couldn't just saunter in and take them under my control. Elder or not. That would have only worked if I still had immense strength.

So, I wanted to use this guy and have an excuse later. This kid couldn't recognize me, didn't mean no one from his sect would.

Fear was the best way to get them under me for the time being, I would make up for it with the benefits they get anyway.

As I used the trinket, everything happened just as I’d expected.

A heavy pressure bore on the surroundings, suffocating everything. However, the focus of said pressure was none other than Yun Ren and his lackeys.

“Wh—?!” Yun Ren tried to say, eyes bulging. He was crushed; they couldn't even say a word as their bodies were crushed under the weight.

They stumbled, their faces contorted in utter horror, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably. With a collective whimper, they fell on their knees as their faces paled, terror overtaking them.

The once defiant expressions filled with arrogance and haughtiness turned into sheer dread.

A disgusting stench filled the air and a quick glance down, I noticed they’d pissed themselves. That was enough to tell me that I’d gone overboard. I sighed and pulled the trinket’s effects before walking toward the capital’s direction, without sparing them a single glance.

Xinran followed behind me silently, and I knew what she was thinking.

It only prompted me to hide a grin.

***

- Yue Xinran -

The campfire flickered and the shadows shifted about alongside it. She sat as silent as ever, her mind still drifting back to what had happened. It had turned out to be unexpected. When her savior had run away from her back then, she’d thought he was a weakling. She couldn’t even see his depth so that also meant that he might not even be a cultivator.

However, now, after witnessing his overwhelming intent, she was left shocked and trembling. Had he been hiding his power all along? Was he some kind of a hidden master, perhaps? She couldn’t even come close to seeing his depths, did that mean he was so strong she couldn’t even fathom it?

She was truly stumped.

No wonder the healer had said they’d risk that person’s wrath; she meant savior Ryujin when she’d said it. Xinran understood too well now. As they both sat around the campfire in the night, she refrained from asking anything.

He was a hidden master—he had to be—and she would rather not provoke him by speaking about his show of intent earlier. If he wanted to stay hidden she’d pretend she didn’t see anything!

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She could still recall how foolishly she’d offered anything for repayment. He was kind enough to let that slide… Otherwise, she knew what could’ve happened if it was someone else.

What was worse, she wouldn’t have been able to deny it given how she was the one offering anything in the first place.

The fire reflecting in her eyes sent her back in time, to a particular night with her mother. Then, the memory ripples away like a stone had been dropped on water.

Her childhood marked by rigorous training and unyielding expectations set on her by others of her own family, she’d learned to harness the darkness within her—the Gu—and so much more, under the watchful eyes of her elders, molding it into a weapon that could dance like a whisper and strike like a storm on their command.

She’d done everything, yet… amidst the training and discipline, there was a longing in her heart for something more—a world beyond the confines of her family and elders’ expectations.

She wanted them to understand she was not in this world merely to help them realize their wishes and dreams. Ones they could not accomplish when they were young—and now they practically stole her childhood to fulfill said dreams.

Now that she finally had some nerve to get out of her family to see the world due to some unforeseen circumstances, she was attacked by assassins after assassins. It was a surprise she’d survived so long. That last attack on her could have been deadly if she hadn’t stumbled into savior.

As she wondered about all that, the crackling of the campfire seemed to fill the quiet night air, and Xinran glanced over at the man sitting beside her. Her savior, Wu Ryujin, seemed lost in thought, his gaze fixed on the dancing flames. She had so many questions swirling in her mind, but she hesitated to disturb the tranquility of the moment her savior found himself in. Still, her curiosity got the better of her.

“So, um,” she started, her voice hesitant. “You were incredible back there. I mean, I had no idea you were that strong.” She said, mentioning his intent that had been way stronger than her.

Her savior turned his gaze toward her, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Strength can be deceiving,” he replied cryptically. “Appearances often hide more than they reveal.”

She nodded, taking in his words. There was something mysterious about him, something she couldn’t quite grasp. Her eyes suddenly sparkled, “I'm on a journey to find worthy opponents,” she revealed abruptly, she knew not why, but she knew where to take this conversation and what she wanted from it. “Those who can push me to become better—more specifically, those who I can defeat.” she stared at him, making her intent clear.

His smile widened just a fraction, and he inclined his head, shrugging, “Perhaps, when the time is right. Someday we could. Right now though, you are weak. And weakness disgusts me.”

Her heart dropped as he stared at her like he was looking at an ant. He was too strong, of course, how could she even dream of defeating him?

Her thoughts got interrupted by a sudden rustling from the bushes. A wounded and hissing snake-like creature emerged, its scales shimmering in the firelight. Xinran’s eyes widened in surprise and anger flared inside her as the injured creature approached them, its hisses growing weaker. She got up, grabbing her sword, intent on relieving it of its agony as well as satisfying her own desire to kill anything-snake due to that snake bastard—that Lytharian—that had given that ugly gash to her.

Without hesitation, her savior moved before she could, his movements gentle as he reached out to calm the creature.

Instantly, the creature’s hisses turned weak before it settled in his arm, getting into his sleeve, and drifted off to sleep. Her eyes twitched wide but she refrained from saying or doing anything.

***

- Wu Ryujin -

Well, I didn’t expect this to arrive suddenly, more like, hadn’t expected.

A Quest Has Been Generated.

[Save The Snake By Making It A Disciple.]

Status: Complete

A newly awakened injured spirit beast detected nearby, you could take it as your Disciple and the system would help it heal.

Success: Another Disciple, what more do you need. Failure: Eventual Death of the creature.

I hummed as the small snake coiled around my arm. That was unexpected, to say the least. The snake’s body was adorably petite—I know I sound crazy, but it really was adorable—with blue and white scales on its body. It was fairly small, probably a newborn.

My only concern was that it would bite me or something, but if it was my “disciple” already and the system had vouched somewhat, I could trust it a little perhaps.

I let it—more precisely, her—rest around my arm as I thought of a name for a bit before dumping it at the back of my mind for later.

The night went by and morning came. I noticed Xinran could use her cultivation bullshit again though not as well yet. Shame, I wanted to ride her sword and get to the capital quickly.

We ventured forth toward our destination with another companion in hand.

Soon, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel as Xinran recovered completely as far as she told me.

“You want to ride with me?” she asked with uncertainty.

“Yes, on your sword, I want to ride with you and go to the capital faster.”

“But…” she looked down, chewing on her lower lip as blood rushed to her cheeks. What? I frowned as she muttered something but it went unnoticed by me.

“I… I—I am afraid of heights.” she completed in a mosquito voice, trying her best impression of a tomato by the way her whole body seemed to have turned red, her ears twitching.

“What?” I deadpanned and she buried her head in her hands.

“I’m afraid of heights!”

“Ah, I see. That’s totally alright. I was afraid too when I started.” With that said, a possible panic attack or embarrassment attack—was that even a thing—was averted. Maybe the way I tried to be “relatable” was not-so-relatable and she found it weird but she didn’t voice anything and simply nodded.

“So, savior, can I ride on your sword instead?” she asked with blinking hopeful eyes.