The One Behind Them

Lanh Hoa remained in front of Hao Nhien, his curved saber still unsheathed. His eyes swept over the dunes and the dark base of the cliffs until the last sounds of the fleeing beasts disappeared into the wind. Only then did he slowly turn back.

He studied Hao Nhien’s right arm for a moment before asking, “Clan Head, what was that secret art you just used called?”

“Berserk.”

Lanh Hoa silently committed the name to memory, his gaze briefly resting on the flame-shaped mark fading between Hao Nhien’s brows.

“Can you still fight?”

Hao Nhien tried to circulate his spiritual power. Only a tiny amount responded from within his dantian, and he abandoned the attempt at once.

“Barely.”

Lanh Hoa nodded without asking anything further.

“Then we should find somewhere for you to rest first.”

Hao Nhien looked toward the group they had just rescued. They were gathering the wounded around the campfire, checking on those who had survived, and collecting weapons scattered across the sand. The silver-bearded man had already been helped into a sitting position, while the young woman remained close beside him. From time to time, she glanced toward Hao Nhien and the other two, but she made no attempt to approach.

Hao Nhien had no intention of speaking with them yet either.

“Luu Thanh.”

“Yes.”

“Go find out who they are, where they came from, and where they are headed. There is no need to tell them our real purpose.”

Luu Thanh nodded.

“Understood.”

Hao Nhien turned to Lanh Hoa.

“Find somewhere sheltered from the wind, preferably with only one entrance. I need time to recover.”

Lanh Hoa studied his complexion and answered without hesitation.

“There should be a few rock caves around this part of the valley. I’ll look.”

He had only taken a step when Hao Nhien glanced toward the Sand Fox King’s corpse.

“If it has a beast core, take it out first.”

Lanh Hoa stopped.

“For you?”

“You keep it.”

Lanh Hoa frowned.

“You were the one who killed the King.”

Hao Nhien shook his head.

“This was not my victory alone.”

He paused before continuing.

“I need the people beside me to become stronger. A beast core sitting inside a storage bag is worth far less than one turned into actual strength.”

Lanh Hoa remained silent for several breaths.

“All right.”

He said nothing else and turned toward the Sand Fox King’s body.

Hao Nhien sat down beside the cliff wall. Only then did he fully notice the emptiness inside his dantian. His right arm still felt heavy and sore, but the near-total depletion of his spiritual power was far more uncomfortable.

He did not rush to guess what Berserk had done to his body. This had been his first time using it, and any real conclusion would have to wait until he could calmly examine himself from within. For now, only one thing was certain. The ability was extraordinarily powerful, but after using it, he had almost no strength left to continue fighting.

Lanh Hoa returned a short while later.

“I found a rock cave higher up.”

“Let’s go.”

Hao Nhien pushed himself upright with his left hand. His legs were still somewhat weak from spiritual power depletion, so when Lanh Hoa reached out to steady him, he did not refuse.

The two followed a narrow rocky path up the side of the valley.

The cave entrance was hidden behind a protruding slab of stone and barely wide enough for one person to pass through sideways. The interior was not large, but it was dry, sheltered from the wind, and had only a single entrance, making it easy to defend.

Hao Nhien looked around.

“I’ll recover here. Unless something serious happens, don’t let anyone come inside.”

“All right.”

Lanh Hoa remained outside the entrance.

Hao Nhien walked into the darkest part of the cave and made sure no one outside could see him. Only then did he close his eyes and move his will.

The Cosmic Ark manifested in its Cave Dwelling form.

Hao Nhien stepped inside, and dense spiritual qi immediately surrounded him.

Wood-attributed spiritual qi had always been especially abundant within the Ark. The medicinal herbs growing there year after year had accumulated a gentle vitality of their own, leaving a faint herbal fragrance throughout the space. When Hao Nhien sat down, that mild current of qi slowly seeped through his meridians, easing the burning ache in his right arm and soothing some of the dryness left behind by the battle.

After examining himself internally, he found that his condition was not as serious as it had initially felt. His right arm had been badly overworked, the muscles were sore, and the meridians had endured considerable strain, but there was no damage that appeared difficult to recover from. Rest and time should be enough for his body to gradually return to normal.

The real problem was still his spiritual power.

Only an extremely thin layer of liquid spiritual power remained inside his dantian. It was almost completely exhausted.

Hao Nhien began circulating his cultivation method.

With each cycle, the Wood-attributed spiritual qi of the Cosmic Ark entered his meridians. Only after being refined did it gradually become his own spiritual power. His recovery was clearly faster here than it would have been in the Western Wastes, but the deficit was too great to make up in a short time.

After many circulation cycles, Hao Nhien began to grasp part of how Berserk worked. The secret art did not raise his cultivation realm. Instead, it forced the spiritual power already within him to erupt over an extremely short period while triggering a localized physical transformation through the Fire Qilin inheritance.

At his current level, only a few breaths of Berserk had nearly emptied him. As for the true limits of the ability, one use was nowhere near enough for him to draw any firm conclusion.

He continued cultivating until the hollow feeling inside his dantian had eased somewhat.

By the time his consciousness left the Cosmic Ark and returned to the rock cave, an entire night and nearly a full day had passed outside.

Hao Nhien opened his eyes.

The fatigue in his body had eased considerably. His right arm still hurt whenever he tried to exert too much force, but ordinary movement no longer caused much difficulty. A portion of the spiritual power in his dantian had also returned, enough for him to use some basic methods if absolutely necessary.

Even so, he estimated that he would need roughly two more days to return to his peak condition.

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Hao Nhien stepped out of the cave.

Lanh Hoa stood several paces from the entrance.

He was not sitting or leaning against the rock. He simply stood there with his curved saber in hand, watching the path that led down into the valley.

Hao Nhien looked at him.

“Have you been here the whole time?”

“I switched watches with Luu Thanh.”

That answer reassured Hao Nhien somewhat. At least Lanh Hoa had not stood motionless for an entire day and night simply to prove his loyalty.

“How are things outside?”

Lanh Hoa turned toward him.

“There is something.”

Hao Nhien saw the seriousness in his expression.

“Tell me.”

Lanh Hoa pointed down toward the valley.

“The Sand Foxes have not all left.”

Hao Nhien frowned slightly.

“I saw them three times on the opposite slope last night,” Lanh Hoa said. “They never came close. They only watched. The one we killed really was the King of the pack that attacked us, but there is a good chance that pack still serves something stronger.”

“One that rules several packs?”

“It’s possible. A Sand Fox that lives long enough can control a very large territory. Lesser Kings may still maintain their own packs, but they can submit to the strongest one in the region.”

“How strong could it be?”

Lanh Hoa shook his head.

“I don’t know. Strong enough to make that King submit.”

Hao Nhien’s expression grew more serious. In his current state, if such a creature actually appeared, the three of them would have great difficulty facing it head-on.

“Have they come any closer?”

“No. They are only watching.”

Lanh Hoa looked toward the far end of the valley, his expression heavier than before.

“If they continue following us, I can lead them somewhere else.”

Hao Nhien turned to him.

Lanh Hoa spoke calmly.

“I know the terrain better. I only need to leave enough scent behind, draw the Sand Foxes away from our route, then circle back afterward.”

Hao Nhien shook his head at once.

“No.”

“Clan Head...”

“There is nothing more to discuss.”

His voice was quiet, but there was no room for argument.

“If the one behind them really is stronger than the King we killed, going alone would not be leading it away. You would be delivering yourself straight into its jaws.”

Lanh Hoa fell silent.

Hao Nhien looked into the darkness beyond the valley. He understood why Lanh Hoa had suggested it. Given the man’s nature, if the choice was between putting himself in danger or allowing a weakened Hao Nhien to be hunted, he would not hesitate.

Hao Nhien had no intention of accepting that choice.

Escaping the Sand Foxes did not necessarily mean outrunning them. It was enough to make the place they pursued them into somewhere the beasts should never have entered.

The moment that thought formed, Hao Nhien looked back at Lanh Hoa.

“Is there any terrain near our route dangerous enough that even a powerful spirit beast would have to be cautious?”

Lanh Hoa thought for a long while.

“Nothing within a day’s travel. But about two and a half days to the southwest, away from our planned route, there is a very large region of sinking sand.”

Hao Nhien fell silent.

Taking that direction would force them several days away from the original Fire Qilin route. It was far from ideal, but compared with allowing an unknown King to trail them from behind, the delay was acceptable.

“Then that will do.”

Lanh Hoa looked at him, apparently understanding his intention.

“You want to lure the Sand Foxes there?”

Hao Nhien glanced toward the dead Sand Fox King.

“First, we let them believe we are continuing along our original route. Use Sand Fox blood and fur to carry our scent and leave several false stretches of tracks. Once we get close to the sinking sands, we decide the rest.”

“What if it does not take the bait?”

“Then we learn how intelligent it really is.”

Hao Nhien looked at Lanh Hoa.

“If it refuses to enter, we lose nothing except a few days. If it follows us in, then at the very least, the battlefield will no longer belong entirely to it.”

Lanh Hoa considered the plan for a moment before nodding.

“It can be done.”

Hao Nhien looked toward the far end of the valley, where darkness had swallowed every trace of the Sand Fox pack.

Whatever was hiding behind them might be stronger.

But stronger did not mean impossible to kill.

Before making a move, he simply needed to choose the right place.

Hao Nhien was about to ask about the people they had rescued when footsteps came from farther down the rocky slope.

Luu Thanh appeared soon after, brushing sand from his sleeves as he walked. His familiar smile was still there, but the moment he reached Hao Nhien, his expression became more serious.

“Clan Head, you seem to be recovering quickly.”

“Only partly.”

Hao Nhien moved his right shoulder a little.

“I’ll need about two more days to recover completely.”

Luu Thanh nodded.

Hao Nhien looked toward the group below.

“Did you learn anything?”

“Quite a lot.”

Luu Thanh stepped closer.

“They are from the Cat Loi Tribe, a group that lives near the outer edge of the Western Wastes. They are not one of the great tribes, but they are not especially weak either.”

He pointed toward the silver-bearded man.

“That man is Cat Dang. The young woman they were protecting is Tieu Nhan.”

Hao Nhien looked down.

Tieu Nhan was sitting near the campfire with one shoulder wrapped in bandages, her hair still somewhat disheveled from the battle. She seemed to be listening to something Cat Dang was saying, though her eyes occasionally drifted toward the rocky slope.

“Why were they protecting her so carefully?”

“This journey is related to an alliance between two tribes.”

Luu Thanh paused.

“The Cat Loi Tribe wants to form an alliance with another tribe through marriage. Tieu Nhan is the one being taken there to meet the other side.”

Hao Nhien frowned slightly but made no comment.

Luu Thanh continued.

“They want to thank you in person. Tieu Nhan asked me several times who the person who saved them was, but I only told her we were cultivators passing through the Western Wastes.”

“Good.”

Hao Nhien paid no further attention to the young woman’s glances.

“What about the situation in the Western Wastes?”

Luu Thanh’s smile faded.

“More complicated than I expected.”

He looked toward Lanh Hoa.

“Uncle Lanh should probably hear this as well.”

Lanh Hoa stepped closer.

Luu Thanh lowered his voice.

“According to Cat Dang, Heavenly Eye has already drawn nearly half of the western tribes and clans to its side. They are not relying on force alone. They control food, water sources, marriage arrangements, and resource trade. Tribes that cooperate are promised stable settlements, protection from spirit beasts, and the opportunity to move into the city Heavenly Eye is building.”

Hao Nhien looked at him.

“A city?”

“There is a large new city under construction near the western frontier. The people here call it Heavenly Eye Forward City.”

Luu Thanh continued.

“Cat Dang says nearly half the walls are already complete. There are defensive formations, wells containing spirit water, markets, and places where resources can be exchanged. Heavenly Eye is also promising that tribes who move inside will no longer have to chase water sources or relocate whenever the storm season comes.”

Hao Nhien listened in silence.

He understood why such a promise would be attractive.

To someone who had spent an entire life inside a city, a well or a wall might seem too ordinary to deserve much thought. But in the Western Wastes, where the loss of a water source could force an entire tribe to abandon its land, and where spirit beasts and sandstorms could claim lives at any time, such things were enough to change the choices of many people.

“The Cat Loi Tribe refuses to move into the city?”

“They do.”

Luu Thanh shook his head.

“They believe that once they enter, they will eventually be forced to provide people, resources, and obedience to Heavenly Eye. That is why the Cat Loi Tribe is trying to form alliances with other groups so they can maintain their own route of survival.”

Hao Nhien looked at Tieu Nhan below.

So this marriage journey was not merely a family matter. It was part of the balance between the tribes.

Luu Thanh paused before continuing.

“There is something else related to the Fire Qilin Tribe.”

Lanh Hoa turned his head at once.

Hao Nhien asked, “What?”

“Cat Dang says a significant number of Fire Qilin Tribe members are currently living in Heavenly Eye Forward City.”

The atmosphere among the three subtly changed.

Luu Thanh continued.

“They are not simply living there. Some have become part of the force Heavenly Eye uses to pressure tribes that refuse to submit, especially groups that once had ties to the old faction of the Fire Qilin Tribe.”

Lanh Hoa said nothing, but his grip on the hilt of his saber tightened slightly.

Hao Nhien asked, “Who is leading them?”

“Cat Dang mentioned two names.”

Luu Thanh glanced at Lanh Hoa before answering.

“Duong Long and Duong Quang.”

Lanh Hoa frowned.

“Duong Long...”

He thought for a moment.

“I know that name. Before I left the tribe, he already held a fairly high position.”

“What about Duong Quang?”

Luu Thanh shook his head first.

“I have no impression of him.”

Lanh Hoa remained silent for several breaths before saying,

“Neither do I.”

Luu Thanh explained,

“Cat Dang says Duong Quang is Duong Long’s son and has been appearing frequently in Heavenly Eye Forward City. But Uncle Lanh and I left the Fire Qilin Tribe too long ago. We know almost nothing about what has happened inside the tribe in recent years.”

Hao Nhien looked at them.

“What is Duong Long doing now?”

“That is unclear as well,” Luu Thanh replied. “Cat Dang only knows that the Fire Qilin people in the Forward City have ties to the father and son. As an outsider, he cannot know much more with any certainty.”

Hao Nhien preferred that answer to a claim made with unjustified confidence.

What Cat Dang had provided was only a lead, not the complete truth.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the Fire Qilin Jade released a faint trace of warmth before settling again.

Hao Nhien did not use that reaction to draw any conclusion.

He looked down into the valley.

Only a few days ago, the Western Wastes had seemed to him like little more than endless sand, spirit beasts, military routes, and scattered traces left behind by the ancient war.

Now the picture was beginning to change.

There were tribes competing over water, groups being forced to choose between independence and the security of a city, marriages used to secure alliances, and even the people of the Fire Qilin Tribe had been drawn into the struggle.

Behind all those pieces, Heavenly Eye seemed to appear again and again.

Much like the stronger Sand Fox King that might be hiding somewhere behind the lesser packs.

The most dangerous enemy was not always the one standing in plain sight.

At that moment, Cat Dang rose to his feet below.

His injuries still left his complexion pale, but the middle-aged man refused further support. He said something to Tieu Nhan, then began walking with her toward the rocky path leading up to the cave.

Luu Thanh looked down before turning back to Hao Nhien.

“It seems they do not want to wait any longer.”

Hao Nhien watched the two approach. He had originally intended to wait until more of his spiritual power returned before meeting them, but what he had just learned changed the situation.

The Cat Loi Tribe was traveling toward a marriage meant to secure an alliance.

Behind them, a Sand Fox pack had still not withdrawn.

And the true ruler behind those beasts might still be hidden somewhere in the darkness.

If the two groups were going to travel together for any length of time, there were things that needed to be made clear before night fell again.

Hao Nhien placed one hand against the cliff wall and rose.

“Let’s go.”

Luu Thanh looked slightly surprised.

“Where?”

Hao Nhien looked down at Cat Dang and Tieu Nhan climbing toward them.

“To meet them.”

He paused.

“If we want to draw the Sand Fox behind them into a trap, we first need to know how far these people can travel with us.”