As they walked further and further, they could see less and less sunlight passing through the tree branches, making the already dimly lit forest look darker and eerier.

Jian Li kept looking back at the dark forest behind her, feeling an unknown sense of dread slowly building within her. However, she did not allow it to overwhelm her as she pushed forward.

They eventually reached another small clearing that was covered in flowers.

It was filled with various colours and shapes of flowers of many varieties, all in different states of bloom. It was almost as if a rainbow had been captured in the meadow. The colours were so bright and vivid that it looked almost fake.

Jian Li reached down to pick a beautiful purple flower and smelled it. The aroma was sweet and strong. She closed her eyes and smiled.

"This place is amazing." She said happily.

Liu agreed with a smile. "Yes, it's very beautiful."

Abruptly, a loud cracking noise was heard as one of the large tree trunks exploded into a pile of splinters, revealing the monster behind it. A hideous beast roared as it leapt at them.

The beast looked like a massive brown bear covered in sharp black spikes and with claws longer than daggers. It let out a fierce growl before charging forward towards the pair with murderous intent in its eyes.

Liu quickly reacted, slapping her palms together.

"Moonlit Snow!"

Her hand formed an ethereal azure blade that quickly sliced the monster in half. She turned around and faced it as its body began to dissolve into black dust, disappearing without a trace.

She wiped some sweat from her brow and released a heavy sigh.

"That was close. If we'd gotten any closer..." Liu trailed off as she looked at Jian Li, who was still holding the flower.

She looked around warily. Things could get tricky if the beasts kept appearing like that throughout the entire night.

"Where did that lady go, though? It's been hours..."

Suddenly, a warm voice floated into her mind.

"Help her."

Jian Li jolted, feeling the wind caress her cheek, as though encouraging her.

"Help who?", Jian Li muttered. "Liu?"

As the wind died down, they heard the howls of monsters echoing in the distance, but also faint sobbing. The air was thick with anticipation, and the smell of blood lingered heavily upon their senses.

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Jian Li looked at Liu who was already alert and had her ethereal azure blade summoned at hand, eyes trained in the darkness.

"Li...", Liu whispered, tightening her grip on the blade. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes, it came from that direction." Jian Li gestured towards the right of the forest.

They slowly made their way forward, trying to see what was causing the noise.

However, before they could walk much farther, a shrill scream pierced the air.

"Ahhhhhh!!!" A young girl cried out in pain.

Liu and Jian Li ran towards where the scream originated.

"It's coming from up ahead." Jian Li said, pointing in front of them.

The girl screamed again, her voice growing louder as Jian Li and Liu approached.

Soon, Jian Li spotted movement ahead in the shadows of the trees.

It was a young girl lying on the ground, clutching her arm while being surrounded by strange-looking creatures with sharp teeth.

The creatures were about two meters tall and covered in shiny black scales. They had long claws that glistened with drool and sharp fangs dripping with saliva.

"Ahhhh! Help me! Please help me!" The girl screamed hysterically as she tried to crawl away from the beasts. Their beady red eyes stared hungrily at the girl who was crying pitifully as they inched closer towards her.

Jian Li immediately rushed over, summoning her soul weapon, a greatsword, from her inner world.

Liu followed closely behind with her blade ready to strike.

As they neared closer to the beasts, they noticed that these monsters had no eyes on their heads.

There was just a dark, empty space where eyes should've been.

"Help me... please... ", the girl whimpered, sobbing quietly.

The creatures looked up, snarling at the new pair, their claws extending menacingly. They were hungry and looking for their next meal.

The monsters immediately lunged towards them as if sensing their threat level.

Jian Li quickly stepped forward, slashing her greatsword across one of the creature's faces, slicing it in two pieces. Blood splattered across her face as she pulled her sword back.

Liu followed suit, repeatedly stabbing the other monster through its chest. The beast howled in pain and fell to the ground lifelessly as the misty blade dissipated, disappearing without a trace.

Their bodies dissolved into dark dust and disappeared, leaving the two girls breathing heavily as they caught their breath. Although the battle lasted a short time, both of the girls had barely rested.

After recovering from the fight, Jian Li turned towards the girl who was now curled up on the ground sobbing uncontrollably.

"Are you okay?" Jian Li asked.

"Y..yes..." the girl replied as she looked up at Jian Li with tear-filled eyes.

She had long, blue hair that fell past her shoulders. Her skin was pale white and smooth like porcelain. She wore a white, tattered dress which exposed her frail figure. But, her most prominent feature were her long and pointy ears poking out from her hair.

Liu gasped as she immediately recognized the girl's appearance.

"Y..you're a..." Liu stammered, not finishing her sentence.

Jian Li raised an eyebrow, noticing Liu's surprise.

"A Hin." Liu finished her sentence, her voice barely audible.

"You can tell?" The girl asked.

Jian Li was still puzzled by their conversation since she had no clue what the word "Hin" meant. She turned to Liu for clarification.

"Li, this is a Hin," Liu explained. "The Hin are a secretive race that resides in forests and communes, seldom seen by people and live isolated in nature."

"I... see..." Jian Li trailed off. Clearly they weren't that secretive if Liu knew about them. But then again, Liu was quite secretive herself...