Sand Foxes

After discovering the hoofprints that had been almost completely covered by sand, Lanh Hoa did not lead the group to change direction right away. He dismounted, crouched beside one of the clearer tracks, and used the tip of his curved saber to brush aside the thin layer of sand around it. Then he moved nearly ten zhang off to one side. A short while later, he found several more hoofprints and two sets of footprints blurred by the wind.

Hao Nhien watched beside him for a while before asking,

"Can you tell anything from them?"

Lanh Hoa followed the trail with his eyes as it stretched toward the southwest.

"A little over ten people, all from the same group. They were not in a hurry, and they did not push their horses hard. There are several places where they stopped for quite a while, probably to rest or check their direction."

Luu Thanh dismounted as well and examined the marks that had nearly been erased from the sand.

"They covered their tracks on purpose?"

"Mm."

Lanh Hoa stood and used his foot to smooth the sand he had brushed aside.

"But there is nothing unusual about that. In the Western Wastes, merchant caravans, tribal people, hunters, or cultivators traveling deep into the desert may all erase their tracks to avoid being followed."

Hao Nhien looked ahead.

"Any sign that they were trying to avoid us?"

"No." Lanh Hoa answered without hesitation. "They are at least half a day ahead. If they were trying to ambush or monitor someone, the tracks would look different."

Hao Nhien nodded.

"Then we just keep it in mind."

Luu Thanh slung his bow back over his shoulder and smiled.

"If they are not moving fast, we might even pass them tomorrow."

Lanh Hoa only replied,

"Possible."

The three did not discuss it further. The tracks were not enough to justify changing their route, but once they mounted again, Lanh Hoa clearly paid more attention to what lay ahead, while Luu Thanh occasionally glanced back to check behind them. Hao Nhien also committed the other group's direction of travel to memory.

In the Western Wastes, caution did not mean treating every footprint as the trail of an enemy. But overlooking small details like these could sometimes cost a person their life.

Night came quickly.

Unlike the Eastern Plains, where darkness still carried the sounds of insects, rustling leaves, flowing water, and wind moving through the forest canopy, the Western Wastes seemed to swallow almost every sound. Only a few shichen after the sun sank beneath the horizon, the scorching heat of the day had already given way to dry, biting winds that carried fine sand against their faces and robes, leaving exposed skin numb and stinging.

The three stopped beside a low rocky mound. The place could not be called completely safe, but several large stones blocked much of the wind, while the slightly elevated ground offered a wide view of the surrounding area. If spirit beasts or unfamiliar cultivators approached, they would at least have some warning before anyone came too close.

Lanh Hoa chose the campsite. Luu Thanh went to gather some dry roots buried beneath the sand, while Hao Nhien circled the area once, using his spiritual awareness to inspect the cracks between the rocks, the lower patches of sand, and any lingering traces nearby. Only after confirming that there were no remnants of formations or signs of an ambush did he return.

Before long, a fire was burning between several stones. Orange-red flames flickered in the desert night, creating a small pocket of warmth against the cold.

Lanh Hoa sat beside the fire with one knee raised, using his curved saber to skewer a large piece of meat roasting slowly over the flames. It came from a second-rank Sand Fox they had hunted not long before sunset. The spirit beast was extremely good at hiding beneath the sand and was fast on its feet, but with Lanh Hoa's tracking ability and Luu Thanh's skill with a bow, the hunt had not lasted long.

Lanh Hoa turned the meat again. Fat dripped onto the glowing coals with a soft hiss, and the smell of roasting meat gradually spread around the fire, masking the cold scent of sand and horsehide.

"Sand Foxes rarely travel alone," he said.

Hao Nhien looked up.

"What about the one we found this afternoon?"

"It may have been separated from its pack, or it may have wandered farther out in search of food. They are more active at night and have extremely sharp noses. Blood, food, and even the spiritual power of cultivators can draw them from quite a distance."

Luu Thanh was leaning against a rock. Hearing this, he looked at the roasting meat.

"So roasting one of their kind in the middle of the desert is basically inviting the whole family over for dinner?"

Lanh Hoa did not look up.

"If there is a pack nearby, they could smell us even if we did not roast it."

Luu Thanh laughed.

"Even better. We already have the meat. If guests arrive, we will deal with them then."

Lanh Hoa only said,

"You usually say things like that before trouble finds us."

Luu Thanh coughed.

"Uncle Lanh, a man still needs a little enjoyment in life."

With that, he removed the wine flask from his waist and pulled out the stopper. A sweet and sour plum fragrance drifted out, completely different from Lieu Thien Van's Cold Cloud Wine. This wine carried little spiritual qi and was not particularly valuable. It smelled of ripe fruit, held a faint spicy edge, and carried a trace of smoke, as though it had been aged for a long time in clay jars buried beneath warm sand.

Luu Thanh then took out three small porcelain cups.

Hao Nhien looked at them and could not help asking,

"You even brought cups into the Western Wastes?"

"You can go without plenty of things, but drinking without cups takes away half the pleasure."

Luu Thanh said it as though it were perfectly natural, then filled all three cups. He handed one to Hao Nhien, pushed another toward Lanh Hoa, and raised his own.

"Red Sand Plum Wine. Not expensive, but good enough to warm the stomach."

Lanh Hoa accepted the cup without comment.

At that moment, the Sand Fox meat was ready as well. The outside had browned, and a thin layer of fat gleamed beneath the firelight. Lanh Hoa used his saber to cut off the largest portion and handed it to Hao Nhien before dividing the rest between himself and Luu Thanh.

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Hao Nhien accepted the meat. The heat passing into his hand eased much of the chill from the desert night.

After a long day riding beneath a burning sun, a piece of hot meat, a small cup of wine, and a little peace in the middle of the Western Wastes were already rare luxuries.

Hao Nhien raised his cup.

"You two worked hard today. Thank you."

Lanh Hoa looked at him once, then lifted his cup as well. Luu Thanh's smile widened.

"Clan Head, you are being too formal. We are already traveling together. There is no need to thank us."

The three porcelain cups touched lightly.

The wine passed down Hao Nhien's throat, its sweet and sour taste mixed with a faint sharpness that quickly turned into warmth in his stomach. It was nowhere near as strong as spirit wine, but there was something pleasantly simple about it.

Luu Thanh let out a satisfied breath.

"This kind of wine tastes best outdoors. Drinking it in the military camp is never the same."

Lanh Hoa drained his cup, set it down, and went back to cutting the meat.

Hao Nhien tried a piece of Sand Fox. The meat was slightly tough but carried no unpleasant smell. A little spiritual qi still remained within it, bringing a mild warmth through his body after he swallowed.

Luu Thanh spoke between bites.

"Clan Head, if we really restore the Fire Qilin Tribe one day, I suggest making this one of the main dishes at the grand feast."

Lanh Hoa replied calmly,

"Live long enough to see that day first."

Luu Thanh nodded.

"Right. Survive first, eat later."

Hao Nhien laughed. The way these two interacted was genuinely strange. Lanh Hoa spoke so little that every sentence seemed measured against whether it was truly necessary, while Luu Thanh would find something to talk about whenever silence lasted too long. Yet placed together, their personalities did not clash. Instead, they made the journey feel far less oppressive.

The flask was small and did not last long.

Luu Thanh shook it a few times before sighing.

"Empty. Next time we pass a tribe that sells wine, I am definitely buying more."

He had barely finished speaking when Lanh Hoa stopped moving.

Hao Nhien also sensed that something was wrong.

The wind still passed through the cracks between the rocks, and the fire continued burning steadily, yet the faint rustling sounds that had occasionally come from beyond the light had disappeared. It was not ordinary silence. It felt more like the small creatures nearby had all withdrawn after sensing something approaching.

Luu Thanh set the empty flask aside. The smile on his face slowly faded.

Beyond the reach of the firelight, a pair of green eyes appeared first. Then several more emerged from behind low dunes and gaps in the rocks. Within moments, pale green points of light had spread into a loose ring around the campsite.

The fire illuminated just enough to reveal low, elongated bodies, slightly curved backs, pointed muzzles, and large bushy tails.

Sand Foxes.

Luu Thanh rose to his feet. Somehow his bow was already in his hand, with several arrows held between his fingers, though he had not yet drawn the string.

Lanh Hoa remained seated, but he placed his curved saber beside him and rested his right hand on the hilt.

After observing the pack for a moment, he said,

"Around forty."

Luu Thanh scanned the darkness.

"Is there a leader?"

"Yes."

Following Lanh Hoa's gaze, Hao Nhien spotted a Sand Fox nearly a full size larger than the others standing at the edge of the firelight. It did not advance. Its body remained low as its cold green eyes studied the three men.

"They are weighing their chances," Lanh Hoa said. "Sand Foxes hunt in packs, but they are not stupid. If they think the prey is too dangerous, they will leave. If they think there is an opening, they will wait."

Luu Thanh asked,

"For the fire to weaken, or for us to get tired?"

"Either."

None of them were particularly tense. For three Foundation Establishment cultivators, a pack made up mostly of first- and second-rank Sand Foxes was not enough to pose a deadly threat. But fighting in the middle of the night could easily panic the Black Horses, while the noise of battle and smell of blood might attract other spirit beasts.

If there was no need to fight, it was better not to.

Hao Nhien watched the pack for a while longer and gradually noticed something unusual. Most of the Sand Foxes at the front were paying more attention to him than to the other two. Whenever he shifted position, several pairs of eyes followed him. One fox farther back even took half a step away before stopping.

Hao Nhien frowned slightly.

"Lanh Hoa."

"Mm?"

"They seem wary of me."

Lanh Hoa turned toward him. Luu Thanh also looked over, puzzled.

"Clan Head?"

Hao Nhien did not answer at once.

Ever since the Fire Qilin Jade entered his Sea of Consciousness, his body had gradually undergone certain changes. The Fire influence within his spiritual power was only the most obvious part. The mark between his brows, his sensitivity to Fire affinity, and the strange warmth accompanying the Fire Qilin Jade were all changing little by little.

He still did not know where those changes would eventually lead.

But the reaction of the Sand Foxes before him was too obvious to ignore.

Hao Nhien circulated a trace of spiritual power, allowing the flame-shaped mark between his brows to become faintly visible. At the same time, a thread of heat spread from the Fire Qilin Jade in his Sea of Consciousness and flowed through his body.

He did not activate Berserk, nor did he deliberately release any pressure. He merely allowed a small amount of that aura to leak outward.

The largest Sand Fox at the front changed posture at once.

Its body lowered further, both ears flattened backward, and the fur along its spine rose. A low growl came from its throat, but it did not move forward.

The foxes behind it also grew uneasy. Some retreated, others turned toward the leader, and several still bared their teeth, yet none dared approach any closer.

Hao Nhien watched their reactions carefully.

They were afraid.

More precisely, their instincts were warning them that there was something dangerous about the aura before them, something they should not approach carelessly.

Luu Thanh lowered his voice.

"They are really afraid of you?"

"I do not know." Hao Nhien kept his eyes on the leader. "Perhaps they are only afraid of this aura."

Lanh Hoa said nothing. His gaze lingered on the flame mark between Hao Nhien's brows before returning to the pack.

The leader stood motionless for a long time.

Eventually, it stepped back once, then again.

It was not fleeing, nor did it show any sign of submission. It had simply made the choice of a spirit beast that wanted to survive: the prey before it was not worth the risk.

A short cry came from its throat. The others began to move, and the entire pack slowly dispersed from around the rocky mound before withdrawing into the darkness.

Before long, the green eyes had thinned out and finally disappeared completely beyond the dunes.

Hao Nhien withdrew his spiritual power. The flame mark between his brows faded, while the heat from the Fire Qilin Jade within his Sea of Consciousness gradually settled as well.

Luu Thanh was still staring toward where the pack had vanished.

"I have lived in the Western Wastes all these years, and this is the first time I have seen an entire pack surround someone and then decide to leave on its own."

Lanh Hoa replied,

"They did not flee."

Luu Thanh turned toward him.

"Is there a difference?"

"There is." Lanh Hoa looked at Hao Nhien. "They simply did not want to fight."

Hao Nhien nodded. That was exactly how it had felt to him.

Lanh Hoa studied the place where the flame mark had disappeared from Hao Nhien's brow for another moment before speaking.

"Clan Head, the fusion between you and the Fire Qilin Jade is deeper than I expected."

Hao Nhien asked,

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

"No." Lanh Hoa shook his head. "I only heard some of the elders in the tribe say that certain Fire Qilin inheritances could make spirit beasts that had lived in the Western Wastes for generations uneasy. No one ever explained whether it came from bloodline, cultivation methods, or something else."

Luu Thanh asked curiously,

"Then which one was that just now?"

"I do not know."

Lanh Hoa's answer was so concise that even Luu Thanh could find nothing else to ask.

Hao Nhien remained silent in thought.

He did not know whether the pack's reaction came from the Fire Qilin Jade, the mark between his brows, or some deeper change taking place within his body. But at least one thing was becoming clear: the Fire Qilin Jade carried far more than a simple Fire inheritance, and he had only begun to touch its surface.

Luu Thanh looked around and let out a breath.

"Then at least we can sleep a little easier tonight."

Lanh Hoa lifted his saber.

"Do not lower your guard. Sand Foxes are not the only things in the desert. I will take the first watch. You take the middle watch. Clan Head rests first."

Luu Thanh looked as though he wanted to object, but in the end he simply nodded.

"Fine."

Hao Nhien did not argue either. Lanh Hoa understood the Western Wastes far better than he did, and in matters like this, it was better to listen to experience.

He remained beside the fire for a while longer, his gaze unconsciously drifting toward the southwest. The group of more than ten travelers was still somewhere along the same route ahead, but there was currently no sign that they posed any danger or had anything to do with Hao Nhien's group.

They might simply be merchants, hunters, or members of some tribe.

If the two groups eventually met, they could judge the situation then.

The night wind gradually strengthened again. The fire flickered between the rocks, brightening and dimming with the gusts, but it still maintained a small circle of warmth around the three travelers.

Hao Nhien extended a hand toward the flames.

The Fire Qilin Jade in his Sea of Consciousness had already fallen quiet again, but the reaction of the Sand Fox pack remained in his thoughts.

They had not accepted him as their master, nor did the Fire Qilin inheritance somehow force spirit beasts to bow before him. They had simply sensed something that made their instincts choose distance over risk, while Hao Nhien himself still did not fully understand what that something was.

The realization only made it clearer how little he truly knew about the Fire Qilin Jade.

The road ahead did not lead only toward the Fire Qilin Tribe.

Step by step, it was also leading him closer to the secrets hidden within the inheritance he had only just received.