Elder Yang approached Richard, his expression softening. “You did well, protecting my grandson and his friends,” he said, placing a hand on Richard’s shoulder. “I am indebted to you”

Richard nodded, still catching his breath. “Thank you, Elder Yang. I didn’t think I’d be able to hold them off much longer.”

“Rest now,” Elder Yang said. “You’ve done more than enough. Leave the rest to us.”

As Richard leaned back and closed his eyes, he felt a sense of relief wash over him. The battle had been fierce, and they had suffered losses, but they had also won a hard-fought victory. With Elder Yang and the reinforcements here, the threat had been neutralized, and they could begin to heal and rebuild.

After an hour in Medical Hall in the Upper Sect of Mount Hua

The medical hall of Mount Hua was renowned for its ability to treat even the most severe injuries inflicted during martial arts combat. However, tonight the reality was far grimmer. Physicians were scrambling to save those who were still breathing, while others somberly carried in the lifeless bodies of those who had fallen in battle.

The demonic sect invaders had used a dark qi technique that made it incredibly difficult to heal the survivors with traditional methods such as acupuncture and qi transfer. Chen Feng Ling, Elder Yang's wife, sat next to her grandson, Lu Shun, who was in critical condition. He had lost too much blood, and his qi was completely depleted from the fighting, causing his heart to struggle to keep up. The physician attending to him worked tirelessly, but the dark qi was preventing him from transferring his own qi to give Lu Shun life support or to heal his internal injuries.

Hours of intense, manual healing ensued. The physician methodically expelled the dark qi little by little, using every ounce of his skill and patience. He carefully stitched Lu Shun’s wounds by hand, a painstaking process that seemed to stretch on forever. Chen Feng Ling assisted, her face etched with worry but her hands steady as she channeled small doses of pure qi into her grandson, supplementing the physician's efforts. The air was thick with tension and the scent of medicinal herbs, mingled with the metallic tang of blood.

In a corner of the room, Richard sat, observing the somber atmosphere. He himself was in poor shape, his mana nearly depleted from the battle. As he rested and slowly recovered, an odd question formed in his mind: why had the detection spell he had cast around the entire upper sect not responded?

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The whole reason he was here was that the imperial court annually hired mages from the Leon Empire to secure their borders by casting detection spells. Richard had finished doing just that earlier today, yet the invaders had not been detected. It was an odd and troubling inconsistency.

There were only two possibilities that could explain this. The first was that a more skilled mage than himself had neutralized the detection spell for the invaders. This was unlikely, as mages were already rare in the Eastern Continent, and if the demonic sect had access to someone of such power, it should be reported back to the Leon Empire. However, Richard had not sensed any mana from the invaders—only dark qi. It was possible that a powerful mage had merely dispelled the spell and left, but this made little sense. If they had a mage more powerful than a sequence 4, why wouldn’t they use them in an invasion against a sect full of martial artists who had no proper counter for magic?

The second possibility was more sinister and made Richard shiver to think about it. The only other way the detection spell wouldn’t work was if the sect itself had allowed the intruders to enter. The sect had the gravestone connected to the detection spell Richard had given them; using that, they could permit anyone to enter without being detected by the spell. This meant that he had stumbled upon a political scheme he shouldn’t be aware of, and as a foreigner, he had already done enough to stain diplomatic relations.

Elder Yang entered the medical hall, his eyes scanning the room before settling on his grandson, who was struggling to survive. A brief flash of fury crossed his face, but he quickly composed himself and walked over to Richard, sitting down next to him.

Richard gave him a small nod, making space for the elder. After a few moments of silence, Richard spoke. “Elder Yang, did the demonic sect invaders escape?”

Elder Yang looked at him and replied, “Some dispersed into the mountain terrain, but worry not. We have dealt with every single one of them. Mister Rin, the matter of you helping us protect the participants will not be known by anyone. As far as I am concerned, you acted in self-defense.”

Richard understood the implication. If the demonic sect invaders had survived, news of Richard's involvement would have spread to the demonic sect, potentially causing a diplomatic problem between the Demonic Sect and the Leon Empire. But since none survived, Mount Hua could control the narrative and assert that Richard had only acted in self-defense.

“Thank you, Elder Yang,” Richard said. Elder Yang nodded, his expression still distressed as he glanced at his struggling grandson. “You protected my grandson, Mister Rin. I am indebted to you. This is the least I can do.”

Finally, Lu Shun stopped struggling. The physician, who had been working tirelessly, said, “He will need rest. I was able to bring his body out of immediate danger for now. His body needs to recover and replenish its qi naturally. We can’t say what will happen, but the chances of him surviving aren’t low now.”

The physician's work was far from over, as he moved on to another injured patient. The room was filled with a mixture of relief and anxiety. The battle had been fierce, and the toll it took on everyone present was evident. Richard watched as the medical staff continued their efforts, his own exhaustion weighing heavily on him.