With Yao Ruolan’s senior brother out of immediate danger, Qin Yun brought the two of them to a rock formation he had found some time earlier if only to stay out of the harsh sun, giving the man a chance to recover. However, this brought them further from their destination.

"Shouldn't we try to reach the city?" Yao Ruolan asked, her senior brother's cold hand resting on hers as they rested beneath a small stone alcove, sheltering them from the heat. His complexion was pale, and his lips were bluish while sweat covered his body.

“What if we are attacked on the way?” Qin Yun replied as a piece of sandworm flesh was skewered on the tip of his sword and stood over the burning flame of a makeshift campfire he made from wood he had accumulated along the way. “I don’t think he’ll survive the journey, but you are welcome to try.”

Stunned by his words, Yao Ruolan lowered her head, feeling slightly ashamed at how brash her thoughts were. She took a deep breath and composed herself.

"I'm sorry... I wasn't thinking clearly enough," she said as she raised her head. Her eyes showed no shame, but Qin Yun could glean a slight hint of doubt.

Even after all this, she doesn’t seem to trust me, Qin Yun thought, showing a slight hint of a smile. Good... Of course, she shouldn’t. If she did, I might have thought something was wrong with her.

“I happened upon the remains of your party,” Qin Yun said as he turned the meat over; pools of fat fell onto the flames, making them flare up, spreading an aroma in its surroundings—an aroma that had no business being so attractive. "Sandworms aren't usually the types to hunt in groups. Do you remember anything that could have led to this ending? Did anyone have something to gain from your demise?"

“Are you thinking of foul play?" she replied, then sighed. "While I can't discount anything, don't you think this is far-fetched? They are just beasts hunting for prey. We were just unlucky. Besides, our group wasn't just made of disciples from the Moonlight Sword Palace but also of three other local sects. Plotting against us would be akin to making them all their enemies. Unless..."

"I heard those who live at world's end have been more active in recent years," Qin Yun said as he took the meat from the flame before cutting a piece and offering it to Yao Ruolan. She only showed a look of disgust, prompting Qin Yun to shrug before eating it himself. While the texture was chewy, the taste made up for it, yet something seemed missing.

“Needs more salt," Qin Yun murmured before addressing Yao Ruolan. "Isn't this the reason why you are even in this place to begin with? Isn't it you local sects' job to keep them in check?"

“That’s just the four major sects pushing this duty unto us,” Yao Ruolan said as she frowned deeply. “If not for them outnumbering us ten to one, do you think we would do their dirty work?”

“The strong prosper and the weak perish,” Qin Yun replied as he looked into her eyes, seeing them gleam with an uncanny fury. “But you already knew that. Just as the meat in my hand is used to nourish me, small sects are used to nourish bigger ones. If you do not want to be the prey, your only choice is to become the predator.”

“A world where the strong bully the weak... Is that what you wish for?” she replied, a slight trace of anger in her tone.

“What I want is irrelevant; only reality matters. If it were up to me, I'd like the world to be a little more peaceful, but obviously, these are the ravings of an idealist. We all know who made it that way, even if some choose to ignore it..."

“You are talking of those in the central regions?" she asked, her pupils growing slightly larger.

“Those?” Qin Yun replied, uttering a slight chuckle. “Although they are called immortals, they are humans just like the rest of us. Even they cannot escape their fate, much less this world, however much they want to. They can only hide away in the central regions, awaiting their inevitable ends.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, her head swimming in uncertain thoughts. She couldn’t help but feel that the man before her was slightly mad, talking of those who had reached the apex of cultivation so casually, yet she also couldn’t dismiss his words that easily.

“No matter who may proclaim himself master of his own fate, even emperors or immortals, there is only one person who's truly in charge."

Qin Yun pointed a finger towards the sky, prompting Yao Ruolan to raise her head, only to be blinded by the sun. Yet, to her stupefaction, the sky began to darken as black clouds began to gather, blotting the sun's light. She could even feel a hint of oppression descend upon her heart, even while it didn't seem to be aimed at her but at the man before her.

“Would you knock it off with the threats?” Qin Yun spoke calmly, not even bothering to raise his head. “If you want me to do this, you better let me do it my way.”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Hearing his words, the clouds began to disperse, not before a bolt fell, striking the meat hanging on the tip of his sword and reducing it to ash. Yao Ruolan couldn't help but recoil as she rose to her feet, cold sweat pouring out of her pores and drenching her back.

"Was that necessary?" Qin Yun asked, shaking his head, before gazing at the remains of his meal being carried away by the breeze, feeling slightly sorrowful at this waste of time and effort.

“What was that?” Yao Ruolan blurted out, panic setting in her eyes, yet Qin Yun barely acknowledged her emotions.

“What else could it be but this world’s will, what most cultivators call the Heavenly Dao? Were you never present when your seniors broke through to higher realms?”

“I obviously know what the Heavenly Dao is!" she replied, her tone becoming harsher. "However, I didn't know mere words could trigger a reaction this swiftly... Who the hell are you?"

She grabbed her sword and stood before her fallen senior brother, shielding him from Qin Yun. Qin Yun couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this reaction yet paid no attention to her outburst. He preferred to skewer another piece of worm meat onto his sword before putting it over the flames.

“Can we just say we go way back and leave it at that?" Qin Yun replied before he turned his gaze toward her, bringing a shiver to her spine. "You should put that sword down before you hurt someone... mostly yourself."

Although reluctant, Yao Ruolan did so before sitting back down, if only because she knew she couldn't win. While the man before her was only at the peak of the Qi Refining realm, and she wasn't that far from it, considering the strike he used against the massive sandworm, she could not prevail against him. She took a deep breath before sheathing her sword and sitting back down, yet she didn't lower her vigilance in the slightest.

“Wise decision,” Qin Yun added. “I may be somewhat of a pacifist, but that doesn’t mean I can tolerate everything. Do remember how we met.”

Yao Ruolan lowered her gaze once again. This time, however, she felt shame, as her reaction had been unwarranted. This man had been good to them, yet she had threatened him for almost no reason. While she still couldn't trust him, this was no reason to be ungrateful.

“Were you headed toward the frontier?" she asked. "It's rare to see cultivators outside the four local sects going this far toward the edge. Without someone to vouch for you, I doubt you'll be able to enter the city. Is this why you chose to save us?"

“Partially,” Qin Yun replied, watching the flame sear another piece of monster meat. “The city isn’t my end goal; just a stop along the way.”

Yao Ruolan’s eyes narrowed.

"Are you thinking of entering their territories?" she asked. "You may be strong, but only at the Qi Refining stage. These barbarians kill on sight!"

“I didn’t think you’d care about my well-being,” Qin Yun replied as he turned toward her. “I have some business over there. If they choose to impede my goal, then that would be their loss.”

“The city official won’t approve your entry.”

"That's not up to them," he replied, calm but sharp.

"You're a fool..." she said with a hint of dismissal, yet she could clearly sense Qin Yun's intent. His words weren't said in jest.

Suddenly, Yao Ruolan felt the hand resting on hers twitch, if ever so slightly. She turned to her side and almost couldn't stop tears from falling. The man sleeping on the ground opened his eyes and offered a weak smile as he gazed upward.

"Junior sister... It seems we are safe..."

His voice was weak and hoarse as if it had been denied moisture for far too long. He tried to rise but fell back almost immediately, the back of his head crashing down onto the pile of clothes that served as a pillow.

"We are..." she replied, choking through her tears as they fell. Never had she seen her senior brother so frail, yet he was alive against all odds.

"You shouldn't try to get up so soon," Qin Yun said as he flipped his meat, the fat sizzling as it touched the flame. "You've lost a lot of blood, and your meridians are a mess. Trying to push yourself would only exacerbate your issues.”

The man turned his head to the side, spotting Qin Yun, yet his vision was blurry at best.

“What happened? Who are you?” he asked.

“Why don’t I give you some time?” Qin Yun said as he slammed the butt of his sword straight into the rock, making it stand upright over the flame, then rose. “Your junior sister can fill you in on what you’ve missed.”

The duo watched Qin Yun leave, feeling slightly stunned.

“Can we trust him after what we did to him?” the man asked as he turned back to his junior sister.

"I don't know..." she said as she shook her head and dried her tears. "I only know that, without him, you'd be dead. We owe him."

The man remained silent as he pondered. But then, a violent cough assaulted him, prompting him to expel some blood from his mouth. However, the cough soon subsided, leaving most of his face bloody. With worry in her eyes, Yao Ruolan brought a damp handkerchief to clean his face, but the man caught her thin wrist instead.

"Whether that man can be trusted isn't that important right now," he said, his voice slightly unstable. "We need to report to the sect. The creatures in this desert have been much more active than usual. It seems something is afoot. I'm afraid those outsiders are involved in some way." He remained silent for a while, a slight worry in his eyes, but then sighed. "We also need to report our failure. The sects may want to pin this on me. After all, too many people died."

“That’s not your fault!” she blurted out, yet the man only gently held her hand.

“That doesn’t matter,” he replied gently. “Someone needs to be held accountable for this. If not me, who else?”

“I...”

"Don't even think about it!" his firm tone brought another round of coughing. As it eased slightly, he added, "My body is a wreck. I may not even be able to cultivate anymore. If it means alleviating the blame the sect would have to bear for my failures, it's the least I can do."

Yao Ruolan's expression grew dark, and she squeezed the man's hand, unable to find the right words. She could only stay silent.

Not far away, yet out of ear’s reach, Qin Yun stood on top of a rock formation, scanning his surroundings for any signs of life. Still, despite the distance that separated them, he heard the conversation carried by the breeze as if he stood right next to them. Somehow, he felt a slight trace of admiration for the man. Not many would own up to their mistakes, especially if it could result in the punishment Qin Yun knew was coming.

It might be worth stopping at the Frontier for a while...