Consciousness returned to Su Yan in slow, reluctant pieces, and the first thing it carried with it was pain.
Not the dull soreness of training, not a passing headache—this was sharp, bone-deep, the kind that made him aware of every breath.
He pried his eyes open and stared up at a familiar ceiling.
…My old room?
Carefully, he pushed himself upright. The motion sent a spike of pain through his skull and a wave of nausea rolling up his throat. His skin felt cold and sweat-damp, and his limbs were heavy.
He looked around again, and recognition settled in. It was his room.
Outside the window, the sky had long since darkened. Lanternlight glowed in scattered houses, and festive decorations still hung where they always did for New Year—but the streets below were empty. No laughter. No shouting. No children running between doors.
Just quiet.
Beneath the stillness of the room, a low murmur drifted up from downstairs—voices, tight and urgent. Su Yan pushed the covers aside and swung his legs over the bed. His head throbbed as he crossed to the door and eased it open. The words sharpened immediately.
"We need to get word to Spirit Hall as soon as we can. Moving first thing in the morning will be our best chance," Su Yan heard Zhao Wei say.
"With the injuries they suffered, the pack will still be licking their wounds. They won't have time to stop us."
"And if you're wrong and they come back, we don't have Su Yan. We'll be wiped out," Zhao Ning said quietly.
Silence hung in the air after that—until the faint creak of footsteps on the stairs.
When Su Yan came into view, Liu Fenglin was on his feet immediately, chair scraping as he hurried over to steady him.
"Are you okay?" he asked, voice tight. "Su Yan… you gave me quite the scare. These two showed up in a panic with you knocked out, asking for help."
Su Yan directed his gaze at the two of them. Zhao Wei and Zhao Ning both looked away, suddenly finding the table far more interesting than his eyes, a little sheepish.
"Right… I'm okay. Just a throbbing headache, and everything feels heavy," Su Yan said as he sat down at the table.
"Can you two tell me what happened after I passed out?"
"When you went down, everyone panicked," Zhao Ning said. "We grabbed you and the injured and rushed straight to Maple Leaf Village. Then we carried you to the village chief's house…"
Her ears reddened slightly. "We just—didn't know he was your dad as well."
"The others…" Su Yan swallowed. "No one died, right?"
Zhao Wei's expression softened into a small, relieved smile.
"No one died. That's thanks to you," he said. "Without you… I don't think any of us would've made it."
Su Yan let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding.
"That's good. I'm glad no one died." He rubbed at his temple. "What's our next move? I heard you talking about going to Spirit Hall as soon as possible… but I also heard you disagreeing as I came down."
"I usually would agree with my brother—that a wolf pack would be too busy nursing its wounds to bother with us, and it would be safer to leave first thing," Zhao Ning said. "But those were Wind Spirit Wolves."
She paused, waiting for him to understand. When Su Yan only gave her a questioning look, she pressed on.
"Wind Spirit Wolves don't usually retreat. They normally fight until either they're dead, or their prey is. If they'd been ordinary wolves, I'd say my brother's plan is right. But with Wind Spirit Wolves acting like that… I'm not so sure it'll be so easy."
Zhao Ning leaned back in her chair.
"Especially that leader of theirs… it was wrong."
"We've dealt with Wind Spirit Wolf packs before, and none of the alphas were anywhere near that size." Her eyes narrowed. "And none of them ever had a horn."
"And the way it fought—hanging back, picking targets instead of rushing in…" She shook her head. "That wasn't normal. I think it's a mutated Soul Beast. And not a simple mutation either."
"I suggest we wait until you've recovered enough to travel," Zhao Ning added. "Then we go back to the city together. Uncle Yao has already agreed to cancel the rest of the trip anyway, so it's not like we have a schedule to keep anymore."
"How long do you think you'll need before you're ready to go?" Zhao Wei asked.
Su Yan frowned, thinking. He tried to move his Spirit Power—and while he could, it only made the pain flare sharper.
He grimaced.
"Not for at least a couple of days."
Zhao Wei considered it, then nodded.
"I think that'll be fine. We've told everyone to stay indoors, and Uncle Yao's already given out the perishable wares meant for trade—better they're used than left to rot."
After that, the plan was simple: wait.
Over the next two days, the atmosphere stayed tense. From his room, Su Yan still saw people moving about—quick trips between houses, doors shut fast behind them—but what should've been a lively holiday had turned quiet and wary.
Moments like this reminded him, with brutal clarity, how weak he still was. If he had more strength, the wolf pack would have been slain, and everyone would be celebrating now.
If he had more strength, he wouldn't have had to fight so desperately before.
And he certainly wouldn't be sitting here now, feeling so helpless.
He truly regretted not bringing Nihilister.
On the day Su Yan felt he could move his Spirit Power properly again—and use Soul Skills—he went to find the two siblings. The rest of the caravan had been taken in by the villagers, spread across multiple homes, but Zhao Wei and Zhao Ning were staying at his house, so finding them was easy enough.
Su Yan waved goodbye to Liu Fenglin from the back of the cart as the caravan rolled out of the village, a parting that felt too soon for his liking.
Focusing back on the caravan, he saw the toll the ambush had taken. The guards wore bruises, cuts, and bandages—some limping, some with arms wrapped tight.
The whole group moved in near-silence. Eyes stayed sharp, heads turning at every creak of a wheel or rustle in the trees.
For a time, they were unharassed. As the road began to edge closer to more travelled routes, a howl rose in the distance.
Everyone tensed, weapons coming up—only for the answering rustle in the undergrowth to drift away rather than closer.
Su Yan scanned the trees, refusing to let relief settle too quickly. A feint? A lure?
Then he saw it.
Far behind them, at the edge of the road, the horned alpha stood half in the open, staring. Not at the caravan—at him. Its eyes burned with contained rage.
For a long heartbeat it didn't move. Then it turned and slipped back into the forest, the foliage swallowing it like it had never been there.
The group let out a collective breath and urged the carts onward, faster now, as if speed alone could keep the wolf from changing its mind.
When they reached Nuoding City, Su Yan left the caravan with the Zhao siblings and headed straight for Spirit Hall. As they entered the Nuoding branch, the noise of the city died the moment the doors shut behind them. In its place came the soft rustle of paper and the low murmur of quiet voices.
Su Yan spotted Su Yuntao at the desk and approached without hesitation.
"Brother Tao, I've come to report a Soul Beast attack."
Su Yuntao's expression turned serious. He grabbed ink and paper.
"Tell me the details. Leave nothing out."
Su Yan, with the Zhao siblings, described everything—the ambush, the horned alpha's unusual features, and the pack's overall odd behaviour.
"What do you think, Brother Tao?"
Su Yuntao frowned as he wrote. "From what you've described, it most likely is a mutated Wind Spirit Wolf—though there's a chance it could be something else." He tapped the paper with the brush. "Either way, a coordinated pack behaving like that is far more dangerous than the stray attacks we usually see."
"We'll dispatch people to investigate immediately," he continued. "And I'll have someone posted near Maple Leaf Village until we're sure the threat is gone."
His eyes drifted—just briefly—to Sisi working off to the side. A flicker of inspiration crossed his face. Then, as if his mind was already made up, he turned back to Su Yan with renewed seriousness.
"I, Su Yuntao, will go personally to ensure your village is protected. Considering how unusual this is, I'll bring Sisi along as support."
Su Yan saw it immediately—the glance, the decision, the rehearsed seriousness that followed.
But results were results. Two Spirit Masters assigned to the village meant fewer chances for tragedy.
He bowed formally. "Thank you, Brother Tao. Maple Leaf Village will be in your care."
"It's what I should do," Su Yuntao said.
Leaving the Spirit Hall branch, Su Yan felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He was still deciding where to go next when a tap on his shoulder stole his attention.
He turned. Zhao Ning stood close behind him.
"We still have to report back to the rest of the escorts," she said. "Even with Spirit Hall on the case, it doesn't hurt to be extra careful." She hesitated for a breath. "But… one more thing before we go."
Before Su Yan could reply, Zhao Ning stepped in and wrapped him in a quick, tight hug.
"Thank you, Su Yan," she murmured. "For saving me."
Then she let go as quickly as she'd grabbed him, cheeks faintly warm, and headed off after her brother.
Su Yan stood still for a heartbeat after she left, the warmth of the gesture lingering.
When he started walking again, there was a faint spring in his step.
He made his way to Teacher Lin's home.
When he pushed the door open, he found the courtyard almost unchanged—Teacher Lin lounging as if the last few days hadn't happened at all, with Nihilister nearby.
"Su Yan, you're back already?" Teacher Lin asked.
"Yeah." Su Yan stepped inside and let the door shut behind him. "I'm back… and it's been a very eventful few days."