Chapter 86 - 66 : Suspicion

Chapter 86: Chapter 66 : Suspicion

He kept walking as the lights behind him slowly disappeared between the trees as he followed the narrow road away from the settlement. The night was quiet again.

For a while, nothing happened.

Ethan stood quietly, getting used to the unfamiliar feel of the new robe against his skin. It was clean and darker than the one he had worn before, without the stains and damage that had marked him throughout the journey.

It was a small change, but enough to make him less recognizable at a glance.

Ethan kept walking.

The road passed through a few scattered trees before leading into a thicker forest ahead. Moonlight came through the branches in pale patches, while most of the road stayed dark.

He had not gone very far when Blood Perception brushed against several presences behind him. Ethan did not stop or change his pace. He continued walking, keeping his attention on the road ahead as one presence appeared behind him, then another, followed by more. Six in total.

Two of them carried the heavier presence of Qi Refining cultivators. The other four were Body Tempering cultivators.

Mixed among those six were several other presences. They were weaker and different from the ones belonging to the cultivators, but their vitality was far denser than that of an ordinary animal. Ethan could feel the steady life force moving with the group, though he paid little attention to it for now.

Ethan’s steps slowed slightly.

He did not turn around immediately. He simply kept walking, listening to the sounds behind him. What had first sounded like footsteps was clearer now, it was the steady rhythm of hooves striking the hard ground, followed by the occasional shift of weight and soft snort from the animals carrying the group.

The group slowed too.

Ethan noticed the change through the rhythm behind him. A moment earlier, the hooves had been striking the road at a steady pace. Now their sound had slowed, matching his own.

He walked a little farther.

The hooves followed.

Ethan could still feel the six cultivators through his Blood Perception, moving behind him at the same distance. The other presences moved with them, their stronger vitality marking them as something more than ordinary horses.

Ethan listened for a while, his eyes remaining on the road ahead.

He took a few more steps before slowing down again. The sound behind him changed with his pace, and a small doubt began to settle in his mind. He couldn’t tell yet if it was intentional or simply a coincidence, so he kept walking for a little longer.

The forest around remained quiet. Crickets chirped somewhere in the grass, while small insects moved through the trees and leaves rustled softly in the night breeze. Farther away, something called from deep within the forest before the sound faded again.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had slowed down several times now, and each time, the group behind him had done the same. Maybe they were simply traveling in the same direction, but there was an easy way to find out.

Ethan came to a stop.

The sound of hooves stopped as well.

For a moment, the forest returned to its usual night sounds, with crickets calling from the grass and leaves shifting overhead. Ethan remained where he was, listening.

Then Ethan turned around.

Several figures sat on spirit horses farther down the road, their silhouettes no longer hidden by the darkness.

Ethan’s gaze moved across them slowly.

The six cultivators had spread themselves across the road, with two riding slightly ahead while the other four followed behind. They looked relaxed, almost too relaxed for a group that had been following someone through the night.

Their clothes were worn and dusty, with loose belts and pouches hanging around their waists. One man had his robe partly open at the chest, while another rested an elbow casually against his horse’s neck. Their weapons were visible without any effort to hide them.

A few of them were grinning.

Not friendly smiles. The kind of smiles that made Ethan wonder what they were thinking.

The man riding at the front was the most noticeable. He was broad-shouldered, with a thick beard and a long blade hanging from his waist. He leaned slightly to one side in the saddle, looking Ethan over from head to toe with a faint grin on his face.

Beside him rode another man of similar age, thinner but no less relaxed. He had one hand loosely holding the reins while the other rested against his thigh. His eyes moved over Ethan with the slow interest of someone examining something he might want.

Ethan’s Blood Perception gave him a clearer picture.

Two Qi Refining cultivators.

The other four were still at the Body Tempering stage.

Beneath them, the spirit horses shifted their hooves against the road. They were large and sturdy, their bodies covered in a light sheen beneath the moonlight. Their steady breathing and powerful legs made it clear they were built for long travel.

Low-grade spirit horses.

Ethan’s gaze returned to the six cultivators.

The faint grins, the relaxed way they sat on their horses, and the way their eyes moved over him gave Ethan an uneasy feeling. There was something about the group that made him instinctively cautious.

He had seen enough people on the road to know that trouble did not always announce itself. But looking at these six, Ethan couldn’t help but feel that this time, trouble was not trying very hard to hide.

For several breaths, nobody spoke. Then one of the younger men behind the two Qi Refining cultivators leaned forward in his saddle, turning slightly toward the broad-shouldered man riding ahead.

"Boss."

The man glanced at him, his fingers idly brushing the reins as he followed the younger cultivator’s gaze. The younger cultivator nodded toward Ethan.

"Isn’t that the man?"

The leader looked Ethan over, his thumb slowly rubbing along the edge of the reins. His eyes moved from the hood covering most of Ethan’s face to the new robe he wore, then down toward his boots. For a moment, his gaze lingered there before he tilted his head slightly, as though trying to get a better look beneath the hood. He did not answer immediately.

"Looks like him," another man said, narrowing his eyes as he tried to see Ethan’s face beneath the hood. He leaned forward slightly in his saddle, then gave a small nod as though that was enough to settle the matter.

The leader rubbed his beard slowly, his eyes remaining on Ethan beneath the hood. A faint grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, and when he finally spoke, his voice was casual, almost careless.

"Maybe."

Ethan looked at them.

His expression remained calm, though his eyes moved from one cultivator to another, taking in their faces and weapons.

"Do I know you?"

"No." The answer came easily.

Another of the Body Tempering cultivator behind him gave a quiet chuckle and exchanged a glance with the others. The broad-shouldered man lifted his chin slightly.

"But you look familiar."

"Based on that, you decided to follow me?" Ethan asked, his voice carrying a hint of puzzlement.

The leader let out a faint chuckle. "Following you?"

Ethan said nothing. The man’s smile widened slightly, as though Ethan’s silence had amused him.

"We’re heading the same way. That’s all."

Ethan glanced at the road behind them, then back at the group

"Then you can continue."

The men looked at one another, as if they weren’t sure what to make of his answer. One of them snorted softly, while another shook his head.

The leader let out a short laugh.

"You’re a strange one."

Ethan shrugged slightly.

"If you say so."

The leader’s amusement faded. His voice was more direct when he spoke again.

"Take off your hood."

Ethan was silent for a moment.

"Why?" His voice was calm, but firmer than before.

"Just want to see your face."

Ethan glanced at the man for a moment before looking back at the others.

"You can see enough from there."

The leader’s faint smile faded a little as he pressed on with his words.

"There’s been trouble in this region."

Ethan’s voice remained calm.

"So?"

The leader’s eyes narrowed slightly. "People have gone missing."

Ethan gave a small shrug. "And how does that concern whether I keep my hood on?" He paused then continued "Besides, who are you guys again?"

The man shrugged as he ignored his second question.

"We’re curious."

"About me?"

"Maybe."

Ethan turned his gaze toward the road ahead.

"I have somewhere to be."

Ethan started walking.

The leader watched him for a moment before giving a slight nod. One of the Body Tempering cultivators immediately dismounted, swinging a leg over his spirit horse before dropping onto the road with a dull thud. He moved ahead and blocked Ethan’s path.

Ethan stopped.

The man grinned., resting one hand near the weapon at his waist.

"Not so fast."

Ethan looked at him. For a moment, he simply stared. A Body Tempering cultivator had stepped in front of him, one hand resting near his weapon, completely unbothered by the difference between their realms.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

What was this man relying on?