The night breeze carried a faint chill as Liang Yue and Mo Chen made their way through the thick line of trees. The rocky overhang they had used for shelter was now far behind them. Between the leaves up above, the moon looked dim and pale, as if hiding behind thin clouds.
They had slept only a few hours. When Liang Yue woke, she felt stronger, but the heaviness in her limbs told her she still wasn't fully recovered. Even so, she insisted they move. The clans wouldn't wait.
Mo Chen walked beside her, alert. His hand never left the knife at his hip. His eyes scanned every shadow and movement.
"Your steps are steadier now," he said quietly.
"Yes," Liang Yue answered. "The dizziness is gone. The core has stabilized."
They walked a little farther before Mo Chen asked, "What changed?"
She took a slow breath. "Yesterday, the divine energy settled in a new way. Before, it was a scattered light… warm, healing, gentle. But during the fight… it formed something with structure. Something that stays in place."
"A core," Mo Chen said.
"Yes," she replied. "A small one. But real."
He nodded, satisfied. "That means your power will grow faster now."
She smiled faintly. "Faster, but still slow. It's not like cultivating qi. Faith grows from will, belief, clarity. Not meditation alone."
"Then we'll strengthen your will," he said simply. "Step by step."
His confidence in her still surprised her. No one in her old life had ever spoken to her that way.
After a moment, he added, "And I think your power helps me too."
"How?"
He hesitated, searching for the right words. "After you healed me… after you used the light on me… the fog in my mind thinned again. More than before. Like something heavy moved aside."
She turned to him sharply. "Your seal reacted to my power?"
"I don't know," he said. "But when I fought the patrol, my head felt clear. My body knew what to do. That wasn't happening before."
She looked at him with concern. "A seal that reacts to divine energy is rare. If it weakens with my touch, that means—"
Suddenly, Mo Chen stopped walking.
His hand shot out, stopping her by the arm.
"Move back," he whispered.
Liang Yue froze. "What is it?"
Mo Chen pointed ahead with two fingers. Between the trees, footprints dotted a patch of soft earth. Fresh footprints. Several of them. The toe direction pointed their way.
"They're close," he said.
Her breath tightened. "Another patrol?"
"Maybe," he said. "Or something else."
Liang Yue stepped closer to inspect them. The prints were deep. Heavy. Not from light-robed clan patrols.
"Whoever this is," she whispered, "they're carrying weight."
Mo Chen crouched down and lowered his ear to the soil.
"What are you doing?" she asked softly.
"Listening," he said.
Liang Yue watched him. His eyes narrowed as he concentrated.
Then he stood slowly. "Three of them. Not fast. They passed maybe half an hour ago."
Liang Yue blinked. "You can hear movement through the ground?"
He shrugged slightly. "My body remembers strange things."
She stared at him longer than she meant to. Slowly, she exhaled. "Then we follow. Carefully."
Mo Chen nodded. "Stay behind me. And don't use the light unless you must. Its glow travels far."
They moved through the trees, stepping lightly. The forest floor was damp with dew. The morning was young, barely stretching into color. Liang Yue pushed branches aside while Mo Chen led the way effortlessly, finding the safest path.
After a few minutes, Liang Yue whispered, "Do you think they're from the clan?"
Mo Chen didn't answer immediately.
When he did, his voice was low. "No."
"Why not?"
"Their footsteps are wider apart," he said. "Stronger men. They are not moving like patrols. Patrols march evenly. These three move separately, in triangle formation."
"Triangle formation?" Liang Yue repeated. "Does that mean…?"
"Professionals," he said. "Hunters. Not soldiers."
Liang Yue's stomach tightened.
"If that's true," she whispered, "why would hunters be here at all?"
Mo Chen didn't answer.
Because the answer was obvious.
Someone else was looking for them.
Not the clan.
Not the patrol.
Not travelers.
Someone with money.
Someone with influence.
Someone who wanted them found before the clan did.
Her father?
Possibly. Or worse—someone with a connection to Mo Chen's past.
She swallowed. "We need to see who they are."
Mo Chen agreed.
They followed silently until they heard faint voices up ahead. They stopped behind a tree and listened.
"…the tracks go this way."
"No bodies found yet?"
"Not yet. But the elders said to bring back anything useful. If they fled, they might be hurt."
"And the clan said the girl might have divine energy. That's worth more than killing her."
Liang Yue stiffened.
Mo Chen's jaw tightened. "So it's true."
"They're hunting the divine energy," she whispered.
"We should go around," Mo Chen said.
But Liang Yue stared forward, thinking quickly. "No. If they find our tracks first, we'll be hunted again tonight. And they'll keep spreading out."
"So what do we do?" Mo Chen asked.
"We find out where they came from and who sent them," she said.
Mo Chen nodded. "Then we watch them without being seen."
They moved around the voices, staying silent. After a short climb onto a low ridge, they finally saw them.
Three men. Dark green cloaks. Not clan colors. Not sect robes. Their boots were thick, meant for travel in harsh terrain. Each carried a long spear slung over his back, and one had a scroll in his hand.
Liang Yue whispered, "That scroll."
Mo Chen nodded. "Could be a bounty notice."
Liang Yue clenched her fists. "If someone placed a bounty already…"
Mo Chen watched them quietly. "Then our lives have changed again."
The men kept moving.
Liang Yue took a slow breath. "Let's follow for a while. They might lead us to information. Or—"
She froze as she sensed something else.
A ripple.
A faint breeze that didn't come from the wind.
Something brushed her senses—gentle, but knowing.
Mo Chen felt it too. He turned sharply. His eyes scanned the treetops.
"What was that?" he whispered.
Liang Yue didn't answer.
Because she felt it clearly.
Someone was watching them.
Not the hunters.
Not the clan.
Someone far more dangerous.
Her pendant warmed against her chest—not threateningly, but like it was alert.
Mo Chen pulled her gently by the wrist. "Back. Someone else is here."
They stepped behind a tree.
A shadow flickered across the upper branches. Too smooth. Too fast.
Liang Yue's heartbeat hammered. "Is it a beast?"
"No," Mo Chen said. "Beasts smell different. This… this is human."
Liang Yue grabbed his sleeve. "Then we retreat deeper. We can't fight two threats at once."
Mo Chen nodded, and they moved away silently.
But the presence followed.
Not close.
Not loud.
Just there.
Watching.
Watching him.