The Old One

Luu Tan walked very slowly.

The closer he came to the central cluster of houses, the lower his head seemed to sink. When he saw the tall banner pole still standing in the wind without the Fire Qilin banner that had once flown from its top, his steps faltered. As he passed the forge that had split from its mouth all the way down to its base, one hand rose unconsciously as though he wanted to point at it, only to fall quietly back to his side.

The soft singing of the woman repairing beast hide drifted over with the wind. Luu Tan's lips moved faintly as though he wanted to follow a familiar line, but no sound came out.

The people around the fire gradually noticed him.

The silver-haired old woman lifted her head from the pot of porridge. The old man with the walking stick narrowed his eyes and stared for a long time, while the middle-aged woman immediately drew her young daughter closer. The children who had been sitting around the courtyard also fell silent and instinctively pressed closer to the adults.

It had been a very long time since a healthy young man had returned to this part of the settlement from outside. Yet as the face beneath the dust-covered cloak gradually became clear, the surprise on those aged faces quickly turned into wariness.

The old man stared for several more breaths before speaking in a hoarse voice.

"Luu Tan... is that really you?"

Someone stepped out from a nearby house to look. A moment later, an angry voice rang out.

"He still dares to come back?"

Luu Tan stopped several steps from the fire. He did not dare meet anyone's eyes, only lowering his head and cupping his hands respectfully.

"Grandfather, Grandmother... everyone. I know I no longer have the face to say this, but I have returned."

The silver-haired old woman immediately rose to her feet. The arm holding the wooden ladle trembled from both age and anger, but her gaze was sharper than the small flame beneath the porridge pot.

"You still know the way back? Back then, you followed Duong Long and Duong Quang without caring whether those who stayed behind lived or died. What have you come back for now?"

The old man with the walking stick slowly stood as well, driving the end of his staff heavily into the sand.

"Or did you come to lead Heavenly Eye here and see how many more people are left for them to take away?"

The middle-aged woman held her daughter even tighter. She did not raise her voice, but the coldness in her eyes was enough to keep Luu Tan from lifting his head.

"You chose to go with them."

The boy of about eight clenched the stone in his hand. He did not understand everything that had happened years ago, but he had clearly heard too many stories about people being taken away from the tribe.

"You went with the bad people. They're the ones who took Fire Qilin people away."

Luu Tan slowly sank to his knees.

His knees touched the sand, but he did not immediately defend himself. His gaze rested only on the small stones the little girl had arranged into the shape of a flame beside her feet.

After a long while, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice.

"I was wrong. Back then, I only wanted to prove that leaving this place could lead to a better life, for myself and for everyone else. But I chose the wrong path."

Once he finished, Luu Tan offered no further explanation. He lowered his head and remained seated on the sand while the cold gazes around him continued to fall upon him.

The old woman stared at him for a long time, the anger in her eyes undiminished.

"What use is understanding that now?"

Luu Tan did not argue.

He looked at the partially collapsed houses, the cold forge, and the thin porridge simmering over the fire before lowering his head again.

No one came forward to help him up.

But the accusations gradually stopped.

The courtyard fell quiet until only the faint crackling of wood in the fire and the wind passing over the old rooftops remained.

Luu Tan had already been inside the settlement longer than expected. Before long, steady footsteps came from the main road outside, and three figures appeared one after another beneath the morning sunlight.

All three wore black cloaks with desert scarves wrapped around their heads, and each carried a weapon close at hand. The man in front was large and dark-skinned, with a thick beard and several small scars across his face. The aura surrounding him was steady and controlled.

The moment they reached the edge of the central houses, they spotted Luu Tan kneeling on the ground.

All three stopped. The leader's gaze swept over the houses, the abandoned forge, and the narrow paths leading off to either side before finally settling on the people gathered around the fire.

His voice was filled with caution when he spoke.

"Luu Tan?"

"Why are you here?"

His gaze flicked quickly behind Luu Tan.

"Where are the others?"

Luu Tan did not raise his head. He answered only in a slightly hoarse voice.

"They're still at the rear route."

The leader narrowed his eyes.

"Then why are you here?"

Luu Tan fell silent for a moment before looking around at the old houses.

"I haven't been back in many years. Since I was already here... I wanted to see my home again."

The silver-haired old woman immediately replied coldly,

"This is no longer your home."

Luu Tan stiffened.

He did not argue and did not look at her, only lowering his head even farther.

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The three black-cloaked men exchanged glances.

The wariness in the leader's eyes did not disappear completely, but it clearly eased a little. Luu Tan had originally been a member of the Fire Qilin Tribe. Returning to his old homeland after so many years only to be cursed by the people who remained did not sound particularly strange.

The mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator standing on the left laughed.

"So your own people kicked you out."

He looked Luu Tan up and down, his voice full of mockery.

"And you're still sitting there crying like a child."

Only after scanning the courtyard once more did the leader turn back.

"At least Luu Tan knew how to choose a road that would keep him alive. What about the rest of you?"

His eyes passed over the thin porridge.

"The forges are cold, and there are hardly any able-bodied people left. Lord Duong Quang already gave you the chance to enter the Forward City, where there is water, work, and a place to live, yet you still insist on clinging to these ruins."

The old man with the walking stick slowly rose.

"These ruins are still our home."

The leader turned toward him.

The old man stared directly at him, his voice hoarse but clear.

"Better than following that traitor Duong Quang and forgetting who we are."

The smile on the leader's face faded.

The early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator behind him immediately stepped forward.

"Old man, watch your mouth."

The old man did not retreat.

"I've lived here my entire life. Since when do I need your permission to decide how I speak?"

The man's expression turned cold as he strode directly toward him. His hand left the hilt of his weapon, but spiritual power had already begun gathering around his arm. He was clearly preparing to teach the old man a lesson.

At that exact moment, the leader suddenly sensed that something behind him was wrong.

He had only just turned his head when a surge of Fire spiritual power erupted.

Lanh Hoa emerged from the shadowed space between two houses behind them, his ancient Fire-aligned sword already descending toward the leader.

Almost at the same instant, Hao Nhien rushed out from the opposite side.

The two had waited precisely for the moment when all three black-cloaked men focused their attention on Luu Tan and the Fire Qilin tribesmen.

The mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator on Hao Nhien's side reacted quickly. The instant he sensed the fluctuation of spiritual power behind him, he spun around, drawing his sword with one hand while the other reached toward his waist.

Hao Nhien immediately saw what he was trying to take out.

A communication token.

Inside Hao Nhien's Sea of Consciousness, the Spirit Sword activated, sending an invisible Divine Soul interference straight into the man's mind and causing him to freeze for a fraction of a breath.

Hao Nhien's Spirit Wings opened for only an instant, suddenly accelerating his body. The distance of several zhang between them nearly vanished in the blink of an eye.

The man recovered almost immediately, but the Fire Spirit Sword was already upon him.

He had no choice but to abandon the communication token and raise his sword to block.

"Clang!"

The collision sent a violent tremor through his arm.

He had only begun to retreat and create some distance when the Tieu Dao Sword swept in from a low angle.

The mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator's expression changed.

Hao Nhien gave him no more time.

Silver light flashed, and the flying sword pierced through his neck.

His body stiffened. The hand still near the communication token fell away, and a moment later he collapsed heavily onto the sand.

Only a few breaths had passed from the moment Hao Nhien appeared to the moment the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator fell.

On the other side, Lanh Hoa had already locked down the leader.

This man was clearly stronger than his companion. The instant the ancient sword came down, he managed to draw his longsword and block before shifting sideways, refusing to let Lanh Hoa force him into the narrow space between the houses.

Their swords collided again and again.

Lanh Hoa was in no hurry to finish the fight.

His task was to keep this man from escaping.

The ancient sword moved only within the space necessary, each collision carrying Fire spiritual power compressed tightly along the blade. Whenever the leader tried to break left, Lanh Hoa cut him off. When he shifted right, Lanh Hoa pressed the sword forward again, steadily narrowing the space around him.

The longer the fight continued, the more uneasy the leader became.

He had already heard his companion fall behind him.

But he could not turn around.

A single moment of distraction would allow the ancient sword before him to break straight through his defense.

Only then did the early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator fully react.

He had been advancing toward the old man when the sounds of battle behind him made him whirl around.

His mid-stage companion was already lying on the ground.

Hao Nhien stood beside the corpse.

The man's expression changed immediately.

He had no intention of rushing forward to help. The difference revealed in that brief exchange was already too obvious. If he stayed, he would only become the next one to die.

Almost instinctively, he retreated sharply and reached his left hand straight toward his waist.

The communication token.

Hao Nhien saw the movement and immediately changed direction.

But several zhang still separated them. Even with Spirit Wings helping him accelerate for a brief burst, the man needed only another instant to activate the token.

At that moment, Luu Tan, who had been sitting on the sand behind him, suddenly shot to his feet.

The sword in his hand drove straight into the early-stage cultivator's side.

The blade pierced flesh, and the hand reaching for the communication token froze.

The man stared wide-eyed and twisted his head around.

"You trai..."

He never finished the words.

The Fire Spirit Sword was already there.

Using Spirit Wings for one final burst of acceleration, Hao Nhien closed the remaining distance and thrust straight forward. The thick blade pierced through the defense that had not yet fully formed, and Fire spiritual power erupted inside the wound.

The early-stage cultivator's eyes opened wide. His hand was still resting on the communication token, but he no longer had the strength to activate it.

His body stiffened before collapsing onto the sand.

Luu Tan pulled his sword from the man's side, breathing heavily. His hands still trembled, but he no longer retreated as he had before.

Hao Nhien looked at him only once.

There was no need to ask anything else.

That single strike had already proven Luu Tan's choice.

The leader was still alive. Lanh Hoa had already forced him some distance away from the residential area.

After repeated collisions, the longsword in his hand had grown hot, with several small cracks appearing along its edge. He kept trying to break free of Lanh Hoa's sword pressure, but every change of direction was blocked.

When he saw Hao Nhien approaching, his expression changed completely.

Both of his companions were dead.

Luu Tan had also chosen the other side.

He immediately understood that he could not win this fight.

Grinding his teeth, he suddenly pushed his aura to its limit.

Then he slashed.

There was no longer any attempt to conserve strength or probe for an opening. He poured everything into that single attack, clearly intending to smash through Lanh Hoa's sword line and carve out a path of escape.

Lanh Hoa did not retreat.

As Hao Nhien approached, he saw the muscles in Lanh Hoa's sword arm tighten. The Fire spiritual power that had been compressed close to the ancient blade suddenly gathered more densely along its edge, but Lanh Hoa still waited another half-beat, until the opponent's attack had fully committed and could no longer change direction.

Only then did he strike.

The two swords collided head-on.

"Clang!"

The metallic impact exploded through the cluster of houses.

The leader's sword, already covered in fine cracks, shook violently.

"Crack!"

The blade snapped.

Lanh Hoa's ancient sword continued downward.

The leader's eyes widened. He tried to retreat, but his previous attack had already dragged his entire center of gravity forward, leaving him no time to evade.

The dark-red blade tore down in front of him before stopping abruptly.

Its tip hovered less than an inch from his throat. The heat radiating from the blade immediately reddened the skin at his neck.

The leader froze.

His left hand, which had just started moving toward his waist, also stopped halfway.

Lanh Hoa looked at him, his voice cold as stone.

"Move again and you die."

Only then did Hao Nhien step forward. He removed the communication token from the man's waist and quickly searched the rest of his body.

Once he was certain there was nothing else the man could use to send an immediate warning, Hao Nhien said,

"Tie him up."

Luu Tan immediately stepped forward.

The leader no longer resisted.

The entire ambush ended so quickly that the Fire Qilin tribesmen around the fire had still not fully understood what had just happened.

Hao Nhien recalled the Tieu Dao Sword and looked around.

The old woman still held the boy beside her. The middle-aged woman had pulled her daughter behind her, while the old man with the walking stick remained motionless a short distance away.

But his eyes were no longer on Luu Tan.

Nor were they on Hao Nhien.

He was staring at Lanh Hoa.

Lanh Hoa had just wiped the blood from the ancient sword when he turned around.

Their eyes met.

The old man narrowed his eyes and stared for a long time, as though trying to match the weathered face before him with someone who had vanished from the tribe many years ago.

The hand holding his walking stick gradually began to tremble.

At last, the staff slipped from his hand and fell into the sand.

"You..."

His voice turned hoarse.

"Lanh Hoa?"

For the first time since returning to the Fire Qilin Tribe, the coldness on Lanh Hoa's face shifted.