Campfires were now ringed with ash circles infused with insect-repelling herbs prepared by the alchemy disciples. Even Han Yu had set up a lot of the circles, as he had been unaffected for the most part unlike the others.
Despite all this, no one was allowed to sleep alone.
The marsh was wearing them down.
And they still had weeks to go.
As the sun dipped behind a curtain of misty trees that day, Han Yu found himself staring at the water again—silent, reflective, and menacing.
There were no signs of the owl.
But ever since that encounter, he had begun to see this world differently. Not everything followed the rules of cultivation, of rank and realm. Some dangers could not be overcome with power alone.
He remembered the owl's voice, cold and clear in his mind.
"There are more malevolent things in this forest than your sect fears."
Han Yu believed it now.
The beasts were only the beginning.
