Desert Night

The sun had nearly disappeared beyond the horizon. The last red light of day spilled across the Sand Scorpion corpses around the stone platform, making their glossy black shells look as though they had been coated in dried blood.

The temperature dropped quickly as well. Only a short while earlier, the sand had still burned beneath their feet, yet once darkness began to settle over the Western Wastes, cold wind from deeper within the desert was already seeping through their clothes.

Tieu Lan finished treating the last wound, then took out several small packets of medicine and handed them around.

"This is antidote powder made from Clear Heart Grass and Mystic Sand Flower. For the next half a canh, do not circulate your cultivation too aggressively. If any wound starts going numb again, tell me at once."

Luu Hoa accepted his portion, his earlier joking mood gone.

"We really owe you this time."

Lam Tuyet also gave a small nod.

"Thank you."

Tieu Lan simply nodded back and continued gathering the bottles she had used. Compared with when their training had begun three days earlier, her movements were noticeably calmer now.

Trieu Phong finally rose. He did not fully release the Earth affinity technique beneath them. Instead, he allowed the elevated stone platform to settle gradually while preserving a hardened layer that connected the black rock slabs around their resting area.

"We stay here tonight. No large fires. We rotate watches, and no one leaves the stone before dawn without permission."

Hao Nhien glanced at the darkening sky.

"I'll take first watch."

Quan Nha opened her eyes.

"I'll join you."

He turned toward her.

"If demonic beasts come close enough, my Charm affinity can still disrupt them before they reach us. Two people on watch are safer than one."

Hao Nhien did not object.

Trieu Phong placed one hand against the stone beneath him.

"I'll keep sensing movement underground for another canh. After that, Lam Phong and Lam Tuyet can take over."

Tieu Van was about to speak when Tieu Lan looked at his freshly bandaged shoulder.

"You should rest first."

He opened his mouth, glanced at the wound, then reluctantly sat back down.

Lam Phong set his round shield beside him and laughed.

"Looks like Miss Tieu Lan is harder to argue with than the squad leader."

Tieu Lan flushed faintly and lowered her head to finish sorting the medicine.

Watching them, Hao Nhien felt some of the tension that had built up through the afternoon finally ease.

By the time night fully descended, the Western Wastes seemed to have become another world.

A small fire burned low between several stones, enough to warm their hands without casting light too far into the darkness. The Sand Scorpion corpses had already been dragged outside the resting perimeter. Night wind swept continuously across the dunes, carrying the smell of demonic beast blood, venom, and the cold dryness unique to the desert.

Hao Nhien stood at the edge of the hardened stone, looking into the vast darkness beyond.

Quan Nha remained several steps away. Her robes stirred in the cold wind, but her gaze stayed fixed on the sand ahead.

Behind them, Tieu Lan was checking her medicine bottles once more. Trieu Phong sat cross-legged with one hand on the ground, monitoring vibrations beneath the stone. Lam Phong rested beside his round shield, while Tieu Van sat nearby with his twin short sabers within easy reach. Luu Hoa quietly regulated his breathing, and Lam Tuyet maintained a thin layer of moisture around the camp's perimeter so unusual currents of air or poisonous dust carried by the wind would be easier to notice.

Hao Nhien drew in a slow breath.

After only one day outside the city, he had already gained a much clearer sense of how harsh the Western Wastes truly were. During the day, the heat forced them to constantly resist burning sand and scorching wind. At night came biting cold, while demonic beasts could hide beneath their feet, poison could mix into the air, and darkness made every concealed danger harder to detect.

Only now did Leng Huyen's warnings in the stone chamber begin to carry their full weight.

Hao Nhien stared into the distance and spoke quietly.

"Back in the city, I thought watching out for demonic beasts would be enough."

Quan Nha glanced at him.

"And now?"

"This place alone is enough to kill someone."

She was silent for a moment.

"Tomorrow we'll be more accustomed to it."

Hao Nhien nodded.

Behind them, Trieu Phong did not open his eyes.

"No need to get used to it too quickly. Survive long enough and you naturally will."

Hao Nhien gave a quiet laugh.

That sounded like something only the Western Wastes could teach.

About half a canh later, as the small fire began to weaken, a faint scraping sound slipped into the wind. It was subtle enough that, had they not survived the afternoon ambush, most of them might have dismissed it as sand shifting in the dark.

Trieu Phong opened his eyes and pressed his palm fully against the stone.

Hao Nhien raised his head.

"Movement?"

Trieu Phong concentrated for several breaths.

"Yes. Fewer than this afternoon, but they're coming closer."

Nothing more needed to be said.

Lam Phong picked up his round shield and rose. Tieu Van drew his twin short sabers without a trace of joking this time. Luu Hoa kept a small flame hovering overhead, dim enough to illuminate only the nearby area. Lam Tuyet widened the thin veil of moisture around the stone perimeter, while Tieu Lan moved back into the center with her medicine pouch.

Quan Nha stepped closer to Hao Nhien.

His gaze flicked toward Tieu Lan once.

She only nodded.

She did not stop him or tell him to be careful. That single gesture was enough to tell him she was ready in her own position.

Hao Nhien turned back toward the darkness.

He released his spiritual awareness just far enough to cover the area around them, while also focusing on changes in the air near the stone platform. Since reaching Foundation Establishment, his perception of spiritual qi and his Wind affinity had become much sharper. He could not know exactly what was moving beyond the darkness, but when something large enough disturbed the airflow, the change still gave him a rough sense of direction.

The wind to his right suddenly broke.

"Right side."

The words had barely left his mouth when the sand there burst upward.

A Sand Scorpion lunged out, its massive pincer snapping toward the edge of their defenses.

Lam Phong stepped forward and brought his round shield across.

Clang!

The pincer smashed into the shield hard enough to shake his entire arm, but Earth affinity spread from the shield through his stance, helping him hold his ground.

Hao Nhien moved in from the flank.

It was only an ordinary Sand Scorpion, making it a suitable target for continuing to refine the coordination between his movement and the Body Soul Fist Art. Wind affinity spiritual power gathered around his feet, allowing him to shift angles faster. His fist struck precisely at the pincer joint that Lam Phong had already forced aside, not with overwhelming strength, but with all the force concentrated into one point.

A small crack sounded.

The joint bent sharply.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The scorpion's venomous tail swept toward him.

Rather than meet it head-on, Hao Nhien stepped back half a pace with the flow of the wind, letting the stinger pass before twisting into a second strike aimed at a gap in the armor beneath its abdomen.

The demonic beast lost balance and rolled sideways.

Tieu Van was already waiting.

His twin short sabers flashed. One blade caught the remaining pincer while the other stabbed deep into the softer gap beneath the body. The Sand Scorpion convulsed several times before going still.

Tieu Van returned to position without pursuing farther.

"Left."

At Lam Phong's warning, he shifted aside.

A venomous stinger pierced the space where Tieu Van had just stood.

Lam Tuyet swept out a hand, sending cold qi over the tail joint of the newly emerged Sand Scorpion. Luu Hoa did not release a large fireball. Instead, he shot a narrow line of flame into the section of armor that had contracted under the sudden cold.

The opposing forces made the joint crack.

Lam Phong pressed forward with his shield to stop the creature's next rush, while Tieu Van slipped around the shield's edge and cut both short sabers into the newly exposed gap.

The entire exchange lasted only a few breaths.

No one strayed too far from position. Whoever saw an opening filled it, and whenever someone was forced back, another person stepped in to cover.

There were only around eight Sand Scorpions this time, far fewer than the swarm from the afternoon. Yet they did not attack all at once. Two or three would approach the defensive edge, forcing the formation to react, then withdraw beneath the sand before they could be surrounded.

Hao Nhien noticed the pattern quickly.

They were testing them.

When another scorpion appeared near the edge of the stone, he stepped forward with his fists instead of drawing his sword. The darkness made this a useful opportunity to refine control over his strength, movement, and reactions when his vision was less reliable than during the day.

After several exchanges, another detail began to stand out.

The Sand Scorpions were not advancing and retreating at random. There were brief pauses between each approach.

Too regular.

Before Hao Nhien could concentrate further, one of the creatures suddenly burrowed down and circled toward the rear.

Lam Phong turned too sharply. One foot reached the edge of the soft sand and sank.

Trieu Phong moved at once.

Earth affinity spiritual power rose beneath the stone, hardening the ground around Lam Phong's foot. At nearly the same moment, Lam Phong drove his own Earth affinity into the round shield and planted its edge against the ground for leverage, pulling himself free.

The coordination between them took only a single beat.

Tieu Van was already in front of them, twin sabers raised against the Sand Scorpion that had surfaced nearby.

From the center, Tieu Lan tossed Lam Phong a small medicine packet.

"Lam Phong, poisonous sand got onto your left leg. Don't circulate too much spiritual power through it."

He caught the packet.

"Understood. Thank you."

Her voice was still slightly tense, but there was no panic in it.

At that moment, Quan Nha suddenly turned toward the southwest.

"Hao Nhien."

He looked over at once.

"What is it?"

She did not answer right away, watching for several more breaths.

"Something over there still hasn't entered the fight."

Hao Nhien followed her gaze.

The area lay beyond the weak circle of light around the camp, leaving only darkness spread across the sand. He focused his spiritual awareness and attention on the wind.

At first, nothing seemed unusual.

Then, beneath the constant hiss of sand being dragged across the dunes, he began to notice a faint sound arriving at nearly equal intervals.

Tok.

A while later, another.

Tok.

It was not loud, but it was far more regular than the chaotic scraping around the camp.

Hao Nhien watched the Sand Scorpions near the perimeter. Each time that sound came, there seemed to be a subtle change in the rhythm of their advance and retreat.

He lowered his voice.

"There may be one coordinating them."

Quan Nha gave a slight nod.

"I think so too."

Hao Nhien turned toward the squad leader.

"Trieu Phong."

Trieu Phong had heard most of their exchange. He pressed his hand against the stone once more, sensed the ground for several breaths, then looked southwest.

"I can feel a stationary source of vibration out there too."

His decision came quickly.

"If it really is keeping the rhythm, kill it."

Hao Nhien nodded.

Trieu Phong looked toward Lam Phong.

"Help me hold the path."

"Got it."

Both circulated their Earth affinity.

Trieu Phong extended a narrow strip of hardened ground southwest from the stone platform, while Lam Phong took position at the connection point. He pressed the round shield into the earth to reinforce the beginning of the path and stop any Sand Scorpions attempting to cut across it.

The strip was narrow, only wide enough for one person to move quickly.

Trieu Phong spoke in a low voice.

"I can hold it for a few breaths. No more."

"That's enough."

Hao Nhien drew the Tieu Dao Sword.

He had no intention of using the encounter as fist training anymore.

If their guess was correct, the target had to be eliminated as quickly as possible.

Quan Nha stepped forward half a pace.

"If they block you, I'll slow them for one beat."

Hao Nhien nodded and activated the Spirit Wings.

A pair of translucent wings appeared behind him, faint against the darkness. Rather than sustaining them, he pushed spiritual power through the wings for only a brief burst.

His speed surged.

He swept along the hardened path Trieu Phong had created, much faster than his ordinary movement technique.

Three Sand Scorpions burst from the sand to block him.

Quan Nha activated the Charm Eyes for an instant.

She could not truly control the demonic beasts, but the brief disruption was enough to throw off their sense of direction. All three hesitated, opening a gap just wide enough.

Hao Nhien passed through.

To the southwest, he finally saw the target.

It was larger than the others, most of its body concealed behind the corpse of another Sand Scorpion. It did not join the attack. Instead, its left pincer remained close to the sand.

The pincer dropped.

Tok.

A small vibration traveled through the ground.

Hao Nhien no longer doubted it.

The larger scorpion sensed him and arched its venomous tail, thrusting the stinger straight toward his chest.

The Spirit Wings had already faded.

Rather than relying on another burst of speed, Hao Nhien shifted with his movement technique, letting the stinger pass close to his shoulder. The Tieu Dao Sword turned with his wrist as Wind affinity spiritual power flowed along the blade.

The sword strike was not violent, nor did he try to overpower the creature's hard shell. He simply followed the opening that appeared and cut into the joint between two sections of the tail.

A sharp metallic sound rang out.

The tail twisted aside, the joint deeply split.

Hao Nhien stepped forward half a pace.

His second strike drove straight into the gap between the head and body.

The blade flashed fast.

Its tip pierced through.

The Sand Scorpion froze.

Its left pincer had just begun to rise for another strike against the sand, but it only made it halfway before dropping.

At almost the same moment, the scraping around the camp became disordered.

Hao Nhien did not stay to examine the corpse.

He withdrew the sword and turned back along the hardened path.

Another Sand Scorpion lunged from the side. He activated the Spirit Wings for one more brief burst, the translucent wings flashing into existence and fading again as he slipped past the pincer and reached the edge of the stone just before the earthen path began to collapse.

Trieu Phong exhaled heavily.

"Just in time."

The remaining Sand Scorpions had indeed lost their previous coordination. Two still attempted to attack, but Luu Hoa and Lam Tuyet forced them back while the others quickly disappeared beneath the sand.

Before long, the scraping faded into the distance.

No one relaxed at once.

The entire squad held position for quite some time. Trieu Phong continued checking vibrations underground while Hao Nhien kept his spiritual awareness spread across the surrounding area.

Only after confirming that nothing else was approaching did Trieu Phong signal for everyone to lower their guard.

Tieu Van sat down beside one of the black rocks.

"I'm starting to hate scorpions."

Lam Phong set his round shield beside him.

"I thought you already hated them this afternoon."

"I hate them more now."

Luu Hoa withdrew the small flame. His face was slightly pale, but he still managed a smile.

"At least no one lost formation this time."

Lam Tuyet nodded.

"And now we know what they were doing."

Quan Nha looked southwest, toward where the larger Sand Scorpion had fallen.

"Not every swarm will necessarily work the same way."

Hao Nhien nodded.

"We'll need to see more before we know. But at least this one had a mature individual coordinating through vibrations."

Trieu Phong did not rush to a conclusion either.

"Record it for now. We verify it if we meet another swarm."

Hao Nhien agreed with that approach.

One observation was not enough to become a rule.

He sat down at the edge of the stone platform and laid the Tieu Dao Sword across his knees. A trace of dark purple venom still clung to the blade.

Tieu Lan walked over, took out a clean cloth, and sprinkled a little medicinal powder onto it.

"Young Master, are you hurt?"

Hao Nhien shook his head.

"No."

Her eyes still moved over him once from head to toe before she finally exhaled.

"Then clean your sword. Sand Scorpion venom should not be left on it for too long."

She handed him the cloth.

Hao Nhien accepted it.

"All right."

As he wiped the venom from the Tieu Dao Sword, his thoughts returned to the exchange outside the camp.

What stayed with him most was not the fact that he had killed the larger Sand Scorpion.

It was the way he had used the abilities he already possessed.

His Wind affinity made him more sensitive to disturbances in the air. Foundation Establishment had given his spiritual awareness greater stability, while the Spirit Wings did not need to be maintained for long flights or constant acceleration. Activated at the right moment, even a brief burst was enough to change position, cross an opening, and withdraw before consuming too much spiritual power.

That was probably the better way to use the Spirit Wings within a squad.

Not to race ahead alone, but to reach the place where he was needed and return before the formation was left behind.

Trieu Phong inspected the defensive perimeter once more.

"Tomorrow we adjust our night watch. Lam Phong and I will handle sensing and reinforcing the ground. Hao Nhien watches changes in the wind. Lam Tuyet monitors moisture and poisonous mist. Everyone else keeps their eyes on their assigned sectors and maintains position."

He looked around.

"In darkness, don't rely on only one sense."

No one disagreed.

Tieu Van rubbed his shoulder.

"I learned one thing."

Lam Phong looked over.

"What?"

"Never sleep too deeply in the Western Wastes."

Luu Hoa laughed first.

Even Lam Tuyet's lips curved faintly.

Only then did the remaining tension finally fade.

For a squad that had just survived its first full day outside the city, that was enough.

Over the following days, the Wind and Cloud Squad continued making short field excursions within the controlled areas near Third City.

They encountered Sand Scorpion Demons several more times. With each meeting, the suspicion from that first night gained more support. Larger swarms often had a mature individual positioned farther away, coordinating their advance and retreat through rhythmic vibrations or repeated impacts against the sand. Not every swarm behaved exactly the same way, but whenever the squad detected an unusually steady pattern of vibration, they knew where to focus their attention.

The way the eight of them worked together also began to change.

Trieu Phong and Lam Phong used their Earth affinity to stabilize the ground and secure the defensive axis. Luu Hoa forced creatures hiding beneath the sand to reveal themselves with low flames, while Lam Tuyet restricted movement with cold qi and moisture. Tieu Van used his twin short sabers to exploit openings around the edge of the formation. Quan Nha only activated the Charm Eyes at critical moments, while Tieu Lan remained in the center with antidotes prepared in advance.

Hao Nhien still preferred to use his fists when the situation allowed.

For him, fighting Sand Scorpions was an excellent way to refine force control, movement, and reactions on unstable terrain. But whenever an important target had to be broken quickly or a fight needed to end without delay, the Tieu Dao Sword would leave its sheath.

He also became more restrained in his use of the Spirit Wings. Instead of sustaining them for long periods, he opened them only for short bursts to change position, cross a gap, or return to formation. This reduced the drain on his spiritual power and prevented his speed from becoming the very thing that separated him from his companions.

After several excursions, the hand signals that had once felt awkward in the western valley became instinctive. There were even encounters where the squad barely needed to shout more than a few words.

By the afternoon of the fifth day, the Wind and Cloud Squad had just returned to the gate of Third City when they saw an armored soldier waiting inside.

The man looked over the eight of them.

"Wind and Cloud Squad?"

Trieu Phong stepped forward.

"Yes."

The soldier took out a jade command token.

"Deputy City Lord Leng Huyen has summoned you."

Trieu Phong accepted it, his expression shifting slightly.

"What happened?"

The soldier shook his head.

"I don't know. I only know this is not an ordinary field training assignment."

Hao Nhien looked at the jade token in Trieu Phong's hand.

It seemed their days of familiarization were over.