The red shard of glass caught the faint light, gleaming like a blade stained with blood. Minho's grip tightened for a moment, her muscles tense, ready to defend herself. Her breath was shallow, her mind racing. Then a voice broke through the haze of fear and suspicion.

“Xiao Minho... is that you?”

The voice was weak but familiar. Emerging from the shadows was Brother Shun, his face pale, his body battered and covered in wounds. His clothes were torn, and he was limping, struggling to stay upright. He clutched a few boxes in his arms, but when he saw her, they slipped from his grasp, tumbling to the ground. His face, despite the pain, lit up with recognition and relief.

He limped toward her, his steps uneven and faltering, but Minho was already running. The piece of glass fell from her hand, forgotten, as she threw herself into his arms. His strong, wounded arms wrapped around her, lifting her up despite his injuries. He patted her head gently, comforting her like an older brother would. The dam of emotions Minho had been holding back burst open, and her dried-up eyes began to water again.

“Brother Shun... what happened?” she managed to choke out, her voice trembling.

Before Shun could answer, another voice broke through. “Brother Shun! What's going on?”

Minho turned to see Gu rushing toward them, sword in hand, his face a mixture of relief and concern. His eyes landed on Minho, and without hesitation, he joined the embrace, wrapping his arms around her and Shun.

“You little brat, I knew you survived!” Gu said, his voice full of warmth and teasing, though his eyes showed the same relief that had filled Shun’s. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Minho felt a glimmer of safety, of warmth. She clung to them both, her trembling hands finding a moment of peace in their embrace.

As she tightened her grip on them, Minho glanced over Brother Shun’s shoulder and noticed a figure standing a few paces back. Tao, with her bow in hand, watched over them with a protective smile. She stood alert, her eyes scanning their surroundings, keeping guard even though she clearly longed to join the reunion.

Minho tried to pull herself up to walk toward Tao, but her legs betrayed her, buckling beneath her weight. Exhaustion both emotional and physical finally caught up with her. She collapsed back into Brother Shun’s arms.

Without hesitation, despite his own injured leg, Shun scooped her up once more. His expression was determined as he carried her over to Tao, ignoring the pain that twisted his face with each step. Tao, her eyes softening, finally allowed herself to lower her guard. She smiled and embraced Minho tightly.

“Minho, you little brat,” Tao murmured, her voice shaky but filled with affection. “It’s good that you had an argument and ran... or else...” Her words trailed off, but the meaning was clear. If Minho had stayed, she might have been among the dead.

Minho buried her face into Tao’s shoulder, but the relief was short-lived. Shun’s voice pierced the fragile peace.

“What about Sister Yang? She went looking for you. She must have made it out, right?”

The question hit Minho like a punch to the gut. Her breath caught in her throat, and memories of Sister Yang’s lifeless body rushed back—how she had found her violated, discarded like nothing in the woods. Worse still, the memory of their last argument gnawed at her. They had parted on bad terms, with harsh words exchanged. Now, Sister Yang was gone, and Minho would never have the chance to apologize.

“S-Sister Yang…” Minho stammered, her voice breaking. She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

The hesitation and the grief in her voice told them everything. Tao’s expression darkened, and Gu stepped forward, his face hardening. He didn’t ask for details; they all knew enough.

“We need to move,” Gu said firmly, cutting through the heavy silence. “Shun, grab whatever you can find that’s useful. The Greenwood Bandits might be back soon, and we can’t stay here. They know where our base is now.”

Shun nodded grimly, handing Minho over to Gu, who lifted her onto his back without a second thought. Her weight was light, but the burden of everything they had lost hung heavy on them all. While Shun began gathering supplies, Tao kept her bow at the ready, her sharp eyes scanning the treeline for any sign of danger.

Minho rested her head against Gu’s shoulder, her body too exhausted to resist. She watched through half-lidded eyes as Shun moved quickly through the remains of the village, picking through what was left, gathering anything that hadn’t been destroyed or stolen. After a few minutes, he returned with a handful of items—miscellaneous tools, food rations, and a few books he had salvaged from Senior Brother Minfe’s hut.

Without a word, Gu gave a small nod, and the group turned away from the village, leaving behind the corpses of their fallen brothers and sisters. There was no time to give them proper burials, no time for final goodbyes. The only thing they could do now was survive, and make sure that the Greenwood Brotherhood and all those responsible for this tragedy paid for what they had done.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

The village, once full of life, laughter, and camaraderie, now lay in ruins, consumed by smoke and silence. Minho, clinging to Gu’s back, closed her eyes as they made their way into the forest.

Once they entered the cool, dense forest, Gu led the way with Shun and Tao following closely behind. The tension in the air was palpable. Even though they had managed to escape the wreckage of their home, danger was still very much present. Shun and Tao remained alert, eyes darting from tree to tree, every rustle of the leaves sending their hands instinctively to their weapons.

Gu, who had always been the laid-back, carefree member of the Thunder Sky Brotherhood, seemed a different person now. The easy-going attitude he was known for had evaporated, replaced by a seriousness that was unusual for him. He had often left the burdens of leadership to Brother Yuan and the others, preferring to avoid responsibility, but now there was no one else. With only four of them left, and Gu being the eldest, the others naturally looked to him for guidance.

After a few minutes of walking through the thick underbrush, Gu suddenly stopped. He gently lowered Minho to the ground and sat down, wiping the sweat from his brow. His face was twisted in frustration.

“Damn it,” he muttered, staring into the distance. “Every single hidden stash location we had... they’re all compromised. That bastard Minfe knows them all.”

He punched the ground in anger. Minho, resting against a tree, watched him quietly. Tao and Shun exchanged grim nods. They knew it was true—just the night before, Brother Yuan had explained all their secret stash places to Minfe, trusting him as a brother. Now, with Minfe’s betrayal, it was safe to assume he’d given all their hiding spots to the Greenwood Brotherhood, making them useless as refuges.

Shun sighed, his expression darkening. “There’s nowhere safe for us to go. Minfe probably sold us out completely.”

Tao frowned, pacing back and forth with her bow in hand. “We can’t stay here for long, either. It’s only a matter of time before they come looking.”

For a moment, silence fell over the group as the weight of their situation sank in. It seemed like all options had been stripped away, leaving them trapped with nowhere to run. But then, Minho, still leaning against the tree, spoke up, her voice quiet but steady.

“I... I know a place,” she said, her exhaustion evident, but there was a hint of determination in her tone.

Shun looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “What kind of place?”

Minho swallowed, gathering her strength. “It’s where I hid last night. They didn’t find me there.”

Gu’s face softened as he listened to her, his gaze shifting from her to the others. Without a word, he stood and walked over to Minho, lifting her up gently once more. “Alright,” he said, his voice firm but kind. “Show us the way.”

Tao and Shun exchanged glances before falling into step behind Gu, who was now carrying Minho on his back again. The weight of responsibility hung heavily on his shoulders, but he bore it without complaint, determined to lead his remaining brothers and sisters to safety.

Meanwhile, deep within the heart of the Greenwood Brotherhood’s makeshift fortress nestled in the rugged Jing Mountains, a heated argument echoed through the stone walls of Yu Ryang’s chamber.

“What do you mean you couldn’t kill the Second Prince?” Liu Bei’s voice, sharp with frustration, cut through the air like a blade. His face, usually calm and composed, was twisted in anger. “Everything went according to plan! We sent a hundred bandits to raze that village! We’ve been planning this for a decade, and you had control of the entire area!”

Minfe, seated calmly at the table next to Liu Bei, was the target of his fury, though he remained unshaken. His expression was one of cold calculation. “Do you think I wanted to let him escape?” Minfe replied evenly. “I built the Thunder Sky Brotherhood over the last ten years specifically for this day, on Her Majesty’s orders. I didn’t sacrifice everything to willingly fail at the last moment.”

Minfe’s calm demeanor only seemed to inflame Liu Bei’s temper further, but before he could interrupt, Minfe continued, “What I didn’t expect was Dao. He was an undercover agent sent by the Frost Kingdom. His mission was to ensure the Second Prince's safe passage through the Jing Mountains.”

Liu Bei slammed his fist on the table, his eyes blazing. “Yeah, well, now that 'undercover agent' has successfully smuggled the Second Prince out of our grasp! Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to get close to him, to provide Her Majesty with real-time information about his movements? Now he’s heading back to his kingdom, and our window of opportunity has closed. Her Majesty will have to rewrite her plans to account for this disaster.”

The tension between the two men was palpable. Their mission had failed, and the consequences would reach all the way back to the capital, where the Empress herself waited for their report.

Sitting across from them at the head of the table, Yu Ryang, the grizzled leader of the Greenwood Brotherhood, leaned back in his chair, a smirk curling his lips. He had been watching the exchange with amusement but now decided to intervene. “Now, now, you imperial types can bicker and blame each other all you want,” he said, his gravelly voice cutting through the tension. “But first, you’ll need to settle my reward, and then you can get the hell out of my territory.”

Both Minfe and Liu Bei turned their gazes toward him. Minfe sighed, clearly eager to be done with the whole affair. “Give it to him,” he said to Liu Bei, gesturing impatiently. “I want to finally return to the capital and report to Her Majesty in person. The sooner we’re finished here, the better. I don’t want to stay in this forsaken place any longer”

Reluctantly, Liu Bei reached into his robe and pulled out a letter stamped with the imperial seal of the Central Plains. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it onto the table in front of Yu Ryang. “This is your reward,” Liu Bei muttered, his tone filled with disdain.

Yu Ryang picked up the letter, breaking the wax seal with a crooked grin. He unfolded the document, his eyes scanning the contents. “Ah, the Empress’s own seal. So, this is from Empress Momo Zhou, Head of the Imperial Pavilion of Law and Order, herself.” He chuckled as he read further. “This agreement states that for the next four years, there will be no imperial patrols or military intervention in the Jing Mountains.”

His laughter deepened as he continued to study the letter. “I see… So, no imperial soldiers, but no mention of the sects or private armies being forbidden from entering these mountains.” Yu Ryang’s eyes gleamed with amusement as he looked up from the letter. “As expected, you imperial folks are as slippery as snakes. You leave yourselves a loophole so you can stab me in the back if it suits your purpose.”

Minfe and Liu Bei remained unfazed by Yu Ryang’s taunts. Minfe, ever the pragmatist, simply shrugged. “That’s the way of imperial business. We always leave ourselves a way out.”

Yu Ryang chuckled again, folding the letter and tucking it into his robe. “It doesn’t matter to me,” he said, his grin widening. “With this document in hand, I can take full control of the Jing Mountains. I’ll crush any authority here, gather or slaughter all the bandit brotherhoods, and claim every village and town under my banner. I’ll carve out my own kingdom in these mountains. Ha!”

Minfe, uninterested in further conversation, stood to leave, his robes swishing around him. Liu Bei followed suit but paused at the door, turning back to Yu Ryang with a final warning. “Remember, Yu Ryang—no witnesses. If word gets out that the Imperial Pavilion has dealings with a bandit group, even we won’t be able to save you.”

Yu Ryang waved his hand dismissively, as if brushing away a fly. “Don’t worry. I’ll deal with any stragglers. The survivors of the Thunder Sky Brotherhood are nothing more than a small inconvenience. I’ll make sure they’re dealt with.”

With that, Minfe and Liu Bei left, their footsteps fading down the stone corridor. Yu Ryang remained seated, a sly grin on his face as he leaned back in his chair, the document from the Empress tucked safely inside his robe. He had gotten what he wanted—the Jing Mountains were his to command, and with no imperial interference for four years, he had all the time he needed to build his power base.

In his mind, the Thunder Sky Brotherhood, along with anyone who resisted him, would soon be a distant memory. Little did he know that Minho, Gu, Tao, and Shun still lived—and they were not about to give up the fight so easily.