Guilt arose in the depths of Yao Ruolan’s heart as they left a stranger to fend for himself against the foe they couldn't contend with. Rationally speaking, she knew this was their best chance of survival, considering her senior brother had already been injured in the ambush they had encountered as he protected them both.

Yet she couldn't shake the thought that this was wrong. She looked upon the two men beside her, torn between thoughts of survival and the guilt that would always remain if she were to do so. She couldn't help but grit her teeth while her small hand paled as she gripped her slender sword even tighter, stopping her feet from fleeing.

She remained motionless while the two men stopped dead in their tracks, looking back at her with incomprehension in their eyes.

“Ruolan! What are you doing? Let's leave before the sandworm eats him and comes after us!" one of the men said but was interrupted as the man he supported put a hand on his shoulder.

“Junior sister, I know your thoughts as I feel the same." the injured man said through ragged breath. "It's all my fault, and I can only blame my own powerlessness. I promised to protect you all and have already failed in my vows. Please do not make me hate myself even more..."

Yao Ruolan's bright eyes grew resolute, and her expression became calmer than a still sea. She relaxed the grip of her sword, letting the blood flow back as she smiled slightly.

"This isn't who we are," she replied, her voice gentle yet firm. "The Moonlight Sword Palace doesn't acknowledge cowards. Remember what the Palace Master once said? 'Only the brightest of swords can drive away the unending night!' I wish to stand by those words and never let my sword dim."

She turned and faced the wave of sand coming their way, her feet steady and her heart at peace.

"Senior brother, thank you for all you've done. Please take this chance to run away," she added. "I'll try to buy you as much time as possible."

While the senior brother showed reluctance, the other man couldn’t help but panic at the sight, fear evident on his face.

“I’ll stay...” the injured man said. “I can’t let you face it alone...”

However, without even being able to finish his words, the man who had supported him pushed him away, letting the man's injured body fall upon the desert sand; a slight trace of blood appeared on his lips from the impact.

“Think about the state you are in!" the other man said, panicked. He then turned and ran away alone, shouting as he did so. "If you want to die, do it alone! I want no part of this folly!"

The remaining two were stunned at their fellow disciple's exodus yet couldn't resent him for it as the beast was almost upon the unfortunate stranger and would soon be upon them. They had no time to lose. Yao Ruolan raised her sword and sought to run toward the beast, hoping for one brave last stand.

Qin Yun clearly heard the conversation behind him and couldn't help but shake his head.

Humans will act as humans do, he thought with a slight smile. Nothing is ever black or white. Every time I come to be disappointed in humanity, there are always a few who prove me wrong.

With the sand wave just a few metres before him, Qin Yun showed no signs of resistance or panic. He casually raised his sword before letting it fall into the emptiness of space, entirely missing the creature as he had swung much too soon.

The tip of his blade reached the sand but only gently rested upon it, leaving just a small indent that was soon covered up by the arid breeze. As if his work was done, Qin Yun turned around, feeling completely uninterested in the result, as he began to walk nonchalantly toward the duo.

“What are you doing?” Yao Ruolan exclaimed, panic in her eyes. “Behind you!”

Just as the words left her mouth, a massive sandworm emerged from the dune, its mouth a giant abyss ready to engulf anything that crossed its path. Countless rows of serrated teeth gleamed in the sunlight as the creature ran straight into Qin Yun's back.

However, just as they were about to collide, a shimmer could be seen in its path, barely visible in the desert's heat. The beast ran straight into it, and the most miraculous thing happened. Yao Ruolan's eyes grew wide at the sight, and her mouth hung slightly open.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

It all started with a slight vertical line appearing on the worm's head before it busted open. Dark green blood flowed from the wound as inertia carried it forward. The worm's body was severed along its whole length, its two halves falling on each of Qin Yun's sides as its innards dyed the desert's sand.

A scent of putrefaction assaulted all present parties as death and decay became synonymous with this scene of carnage. Remains of the sandworm's previous prey were also ejected from its gastric system as it was severed in two, the wound clean and pristine as if a molecular blade dissecting a still-specimen.

While some of those remains were human in nature—their clothes sporting different emblems and not just those of the Moonlight Sword Palace—some were also those of the fauna that inhabited this harsh environment.

Qin Yun took notice of these corpses as he glanced to the side, yet he didn't think much of it. The number of people— mortal or cultivators—that became lost to these sands was almost uncountable. The name Land of the Dead stuck for a reason.

"How long are you going to gawk?" Qin Yun asked, raising a single eyebrow before pointing to the injured man. "Shouldn't you stop the bleeding?"

Yao Ruolan immediately snapped out of it, her thin brows furrowed as her expression became stern.

"Senior Brother?" she said as she turned to the injured man, only to see him sprawled on the ground, unresponsive. She approached him, only to see him much too pale, looking nothing more than a corpse. However, albeit only slightly, she could feel a pulse as she pressed two fingers to his neck.

"Wake up!" she added as she shook him, if ever so slightly, as panic set in her heart. "Talk to me!"

Qin Yun unhurriedly walked to the fallen man, ignoring the sea of green blood that drenched the sand all around him, only to shove the young girl out of the way before gazing upon the man's clothes. They were ragged and bloody; multiple lacerations were visible on the man's flesh, much too jagged to have been done by a bladed weapon. Obviously, the result of those serrated teeth.

However, one thing jumped to Qin Yun's attention: a small hole in the side of his neck, almost like a mosquito bite. While benign in and of itself, Qin Yun could put it out of his mind. Still, there were more urgent things to do.

Qin Yun carefully removed the man's clothes, yet flesh and blood clung to them as they coagulated upon their surface. He almost had to pry it off the man's skin, prompting a grimace from the young lady who watched it all. Her complexion was white as snow as she feared for the worst while also trying her very best not to hurl.

Impressive, Qin Yun thought as he examined the wound, peeling away layers of clothes to reveal the laceration beneath. Not succumbing to such wounds at a mere early foundation building realm requires quite the will to live. If anything, staying conscious must have been excruciating. Furthermore, it's not only external wounds but also internal ones. He must have pushed himself beyond his limits to accrue so many injuries. Honestly, it's a miracle he's even alive.

"Can you help him?" Yao Ruolan said, her voice as quiet as a mouse. She knew her request was much too shameless, considering what they had done. Yet, she would rather be seen as such than watch her senior brother breathe his last.

“This will cost you; can you pay the price?” Qin Yun replied, his voice devoid of emotion as if the tearful scene of a junior sister caring for her senior brother couldn’t imprint itself upon his heart.

Those words chilled her to the bone, yet she couldn't help but resolve herself to her fate. Her deep brown eyes glistened under the sun as tears welled in their corner, yet her gaze was firm and steady as she nodded in consent.

“If you can help him, the Moonlight Sword Palace will owe you a life-saving favour,” she said. “I can swear on my master’s honour.”

Qin Yun abruptly stopped, thinking back to her exact words, yet he couldn’t help but burst out laughing, stunning the woman in the process. He turned to face her, his gaze seemingly boring straight through her.

Her complexion turned a deep red as shame assaulted her. She lowered her gaze, unable to meet Qin Yun's. Yet, just as she was about to say something else, Qin Yun shook his head and proceeded to give first aid to the fallen man.

Yao Ruolan remained speechless as she watched Qin Yun expertly stop the bleeding using only a simple needle and thread; she had never seen such a technique. Usually, in the case of injury, her sect would use pills to activate the body's regenerative abilities or infuse qi within. To use a mortal technique to treat such severe injuries couldn't help but fill her with doubt.

On the other hand, Qin Yun couldn't be bothered to explain the process. The man's injuries were much too grave for a simple pill to take effect. Furthermore, his internal ones were so severe that it was as if his meridians were all but severed. Even if he were to administer a healing pill, none of its properties could travel through his whole body with his meridians in this state.

His best bet was to staunch the bleeding, all the while infusing his own qi into him, reconnecting the man’s meridians almost the same way he had done with his wife. Still, his new influx of tribulation qi made the whole process much less of a hassle.

It took Qin Yun over an hour for the man's situation to stabilize. The blood had stopped flowing, yet his body was still a mess. Qin Yun exhaled as he closed his eyes, regulating his own qi. Still, even after such an overuse of something he wasn't that familiar with, his qi showed no signs of instability.

Suddenly, Qin Yun’s eyes jolted open as his left hand rose sharply, catching a thin wrist in his iron grip. Caught by surprise, Yao Ruolan shook but didn't panic. Qin Yun turned to her, his eyes slightly narrowed, yet he couldn't help but relent when he noticed the handkerchief in her hand.

“I just wanted to wipe the sweat and blood from your forehead...” She said, her voice barely audible.

Qin Yun sighed before letting go of her wrist, his expression becoming slightly more gentle as he took the piece of cloth from her hand. He then wiped his face and hands clean with a bottle of water he kept in his storage.

“How is he?” she asked after he was done as she gently caressed the sleeping man’s face.

“He’ll pull through,” Qin Yun replied. “Whether he can still cultivate after all this remains to be seen. After all, his internal injuries were much worse than his external ones.”

“Why would you help us? We...”

“You came back,” Qin Yun stated dryly.

“We couldn't do anything..." Her big eyes looked at him, confusion evident in them.

"You did more than most would have," he replied. "As far as I have experienced, how the other man acted is the norm."

Yao Ruolan hung her head, gazing upon the sleeping man before she raised it once again.

"I'm Yao Ruolan, Third Generation Disciple of the Moonlight Sword Palace, and this is our senior brother," she said as she held the man's hand. "Can I ask for your name?"

"You can just call me Yun."