Huǒ Shuchang stalked the forest, branches crunching under his feet. The dense foliage was so thick he could barely see a few chih in any direction. He was glad that his phoenix blood granted him immunity to heat, but sadly, it did nothing against the humidity. This sweltering forest had several sources of water and all of them were hot. Steam rose from their surface like smoke from a fire, and the moisture heavy atmosphere caused his clothes to cling to his skin.

Let’s see… what do I have… I’ve got some fungi, fire crystalized minerals, and lava fish… that should be enough, I think.

Most people who’d never set foot in the Realm of Sacred Flames probably couldn’t imagine there’d be a forest with edible plants and animals. Even he was somewhat surprised and he had been told about it by people who’d been inside before. The verdant forest was filled with colorful flora and several animals darted to and fro. Sounds filled the air, chirps, croaks, and the distant roars of magical beasts.

As he continued trekking through the forest, he felt hostile intent aimed at him, but he just kept walking. A sound like a sibilant hiss echoed in his ear. He tried to pinpoint the source. Above? No. Behind? No. He was soon forced to stop walking and closed his eyes, focusing only on what he could hear.

It’s coming from over there!

Just as he pinpointed the source, a snake sprang from the trees to his left. He dodged the strike. The snake struck another tree, coiled around it, and tried to slither back into the safety of the canopy, but Huǒ Shuchang wouldn’t let it.

[Flame Shot - Piercing Arrow]

He held two fingers together and aimed it at the snake. An arrow of compressed flames shot from his hand and stabbed the creature through the head, melting its brain and killing it instantly. This technique was a modified version of the basic technique taught to all Phoenix Clansmen. Since he had no talent for the other aspects of the Phoenix Clan’s cultivation method, all he could do was modify the techniques he currently knew.

He grabbed the snake corpse and tossed it into his storage ring, then continued on his way, eventually reaching a hill with a massive boulder in front of it. He looked around once, twice, then a third time for a good measure. No one had followed him. He couldn’t sense another presence either. With a sigh, he went over to the boulder and pushed, arms straining as the boulder slid slightly upward, revealing an entrance.

Huǒ Shuchang slipped through the entrance, then let the boulder fall closed behind him. The interior of this cave was much cooler, but more importantly, it was a lot dryer. He almost gasped in relief as a rush of dry, cool air hit him. Then he shivered. The wetness combined with the cold sent a chill through his bones.

He continued on, walking down a slight decline, until the cavern opened up to reveal a large room. This place had belonged to some kind of magical beast. He didn’t know what kind, but it was clear from the marks on the walls, floor, and ceiling that this cave had been dug out by a creature with claws. The beast was gone, fortunately, so they had claimed it for themselves.

Two people were inside of this cave--three if he included the cat. Huǒ Yulie lay inert on the ground. She was covered in a thick blanket and her head was being kept elevated by a pair of thighs. If he didn’t know any better, he would have said she was dead, her face was so much paler than it should have been. Sitting beside her was Jian Wu. He was conscious, at least, but he could barely move a muscle. While he let Huǒ Yulie rest with her head on his lap, he was leaning against the sleeping Youmei.

“I’m back,” Huǒ Shuchang announced. “How’s my sis?”

“Same as before you left,” Jian Wu glanced at the girl whose head rested on his legs. “She’s still out cold. This is my first time seeing someone suffer extreme chi exhaustion.”

Chi exhaustion went by several names, though chi depletion was the most common. The primary cause of chi exhaustion was overexertion of one’s chi, either during intense training or combat. This happened most often when a cultivator pushed their body to the limit to achieve a breakthrough or defeat a powerful foe.

A person’s chi was essentially their life force. All people had chi, though only a small portion of the population could harness it. People who could use it were called cultivators, and chi was the essence of their energy, vitality, and power. That was why chi exhaustion was so debilitating. Huǒ Yulie’s chi exhaustion had led to her currently comatose state. Her chi had been depleted so much that her body had all but shut down to maintain its vital functions.

Jian Wu had already done what he could to help by feeding the girl a pill that recovered chi, but it was going to be a slow process since she wasn’t conscious to properly absorb the chi released by the pill. Most of that pill’s contents were going to waste.

“How many more of those pills do you have?”

“Enough that I can feed her one a day for an entire week.”

“So seven. Will that be enough?”

“Should be? Chi exhaustion is serious, but so long as she recovers enough of it, she’ll wake up.”

While they talked, Huǒ Shuchang prepared the food. He took a spit and all the ingredients he gathered from his storage ring, then skewered the fish, snake, and fungi and let them roast over the open fire. He turned the spit continuously so the meat would cook evenly.

“Sniff sniff! Does Youmei smell food?!”

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The giant panther lifted her head barely a second after he began cooking. Her heterochromatic eyes locked onto the meat slowly roasting over the spit.

“Of course, you choose now to wake up,” Huǒ Shuchang sighed. This magical beast was a true glutton. “Don’t worry. I got enough for you too.”

“Yay! Youmei is hungry!”

Once he had determined the food was ready, he divided them into three portions--with the largest going to Youmei. The rest he put on a pair of skewers. He handed one to Jian Wu.

“Get any meat juice on my sister and I’ll break every bone in your body.”

“You’re welcome to try.”

“Don’t push me, cripple.”

“We’ll see who’s a cripple once I recover.”

They tossed the occasional quip as they ate, mostly as a means of staving off boredom. There was nothing to do while Huǒ Yulie was unconscious and Jian Wu recovering. That was why they had found this place to hide out. It would be bad if a magical beast discovered them right now.

“I’m still shocked by your power. I had no idea you could teleport us like that.”

“I honestly can’t… as you can see, I injured myself trying. Well, at least I didn’t lose an arm this time. All I suffered from was exhaustion. I suppose that’s an improvement.”

“You lost your arm last time You tried?! But wait! It’s still attached!”

“My friend, Zhou Lihua, was able to reattach it with alchemy.”

“So she’s an alchemist. Is she the one who made those Spiritual Recovery Pills?”

“That’s right.”

While talking to Jian Wu like this reminded him of those times they had journeyed together, it also made Huǒ Shuchang aware of how little he knew about his friend. He’d always had the sense that Jian Wu was keeping many secrets from him. This didn’t bother Huǒ Shuchang too much. Everyone had secrets they wanted to keep, and he was certain his friend had a good reason for keeping his. He still hoped the young man would one day trust him with those secrets.

“How long do you think it will take you to recover?” he asked.

“Hmmm.” Jian Wu raised his hands and clenched them into fists, as though testing their strength. “It’ll probably take a few days at least. Even short-range teleportation requires a lot of chi to use, and I forced myself to use a form of it that I shouldn’t be able to do. The overdraft isn’t bad and I can recover with rest, but it will take a while.”

“Guess we’ll be stuck here for a few more days then.”

“We can’t move while Huǒ Yulie is unconscious anyway.”

“That’s true…”

There was no telling when Huǒ Yulie would wake up. Recovering from chi exhaustion required time and rest. This could be sped up with pills meant to recover chi, meditation, or finding something like a chi pool--a pool of concentrated chi. Such natural treasures were typically pools of water that were sitting over a dragon vein. Some chi pools were also created when the corpse of a powerful cultivator or magical beast decomposed and created a reservoir filled with water. Sadly, they could not go out and search for something like that right now.

“Master, someone is coming,” Youmei suddenly said.

Huǒ Shuchang narrowed his eyes as Jian Wu stiffened.

“How many?” asked Jian Wu.

“Just two.”

Huǒ Shuchang narrowed his eyes. “Do you think it’s…?”

“Yes. I have no doubt it’s them.”

Wu Jian shifted to climb out from underneath Huǒ Yulie, lifted her into his arms, and set her in a corner of the cave. He covered her entire body with the blanket so no one would see her. The blanket was a dark color and naturally blended into the cavern wall. With her chi being as depleted as it was, there was no chance of someone finding her immediately.

Huǒ Shuchang and Jian Wu stood to their feet. Youmei also stood up. Jian Wu retrieved a pill from his storage ring and popped it into his mouth. It was a pill that temporarily boosted a person’s chi, but it came at the price of exhausting them further. Already suffering from chi exhaustion, this would likely injure him further and may even leave a sequela, but Huǒ Shuchang said nothing. Better to be injured and alive than dead.

“I finally found you,” said someone, their voice echoing all around.

Two people walked into the cavern. One of them was a plain-looking man with no notable features. He had the kind of face that could easily blend into the crowd. His clothes were likewise plain, simple pants and a long-sleeved shirt in neutral colors. The shirt was cinched with a cord. If you saw him on the street, you wouldn’t even look twice, but that was a deadly mistake.

The other person looked like he had seen better days. His face was pale and drawn as though it had been drained of blood, his eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep, and he wore the expression of a man haunted by something. Even his once pristine clothes had become ragged and threadbare. It was like his feelings on the inside were reflected by his clothing. Yet behind his exhausted appearance, a fire burned behind his eyes.

“You don’t know how much trouble it was to find you four--hmm. Where is the Phoenix Clan’s little princess?”

Shen Yunhai looked around like a predator seeking prey. Huǒ Shuchang knew better than to give any indication he knew where Huǒ Yulie was hiding. This man was the sort who would use an unconscious person as a hostage to force people into compliance, then kill the hostage after the person they forced to obey did what he asked of them.

“Like we’d tell you,” Jian Wu said, stepping forward. Behind him growled Youmei, who looked ready for combat.

Shen Yunhai grinned. “You look a lot worse for wear than last time. Chi exhaustion, is it? You must have gone up against something truly formidable to force you into such a sorry state. The world really is a big place, huh. Is that why the little princess isn’t here? Were you perhaps unable to save her and she died as a result… no, that’s not it. She’s injured and you’re hiding her, aren’t you? She is in this cave, isn’t she? You can’t hide this from me. I can see it in your eyes.”

Damn this man.

Shen Yunhai was truly dangerous. Nobody else he knew could read a person so easily.

“Jian Wu…”

“I’ll do my best to stall Shen Yunhai, so you quickly take care of your brother and come help me.”

Huǒ Shuchang wanted to tell his friend how bad of an idea that was, but he couldn’t. There was no other option. Wu Jian was too weak to truly fight against someone and that pill would only provide a temporary boost. Their best bet was for Huǒ Shuchang to defeat his brother and help Wu Jian after.

Just whether he could beat his brother was up in the air.

“… Right. Don’t die on me.”

“I should be the one saying that to you.”