The scent of iron and ozone, a lingering ghost of the brutal fight, still clung to Shi Yao's hands as he moved silently through the dense forest. The mangled remains of the Foundation Establishment wolf he had so recently slain were already far behind him, swallowed by the undergrowth.
His steps were now steady and purposeful, each footfall sure on the uneven terrain. His gaze scanned the path ahead, calm and focused, his senses sharpened by the recent life-or-death struggle.
From deeper within the woods, the tranquil silence was broken by the distinct sound of creaking wooden wheels and the slow, rhythmic beat of hoofbeats on the packed earth.
Rounding a sharp bend in the narrow trail, Shi Yao spotted a horse-drawn carriage parked haphazardly across the path, effectively blocking it. Several rough-looking men lounged around the vehicle, their postures relaxed but their eyes betraying a coiled tension. Their weapons crude swords, rusty axes, and a few ill-maintained spears rested within easy reach, but the sharp, searching looks in their eyes spoke of a vigilance born of their dangerous profession. Bandits.
One of them, a short and wiry man with a crooked, opportunistic smile that revealed stained teeth, stepped forward to block Shi Yao's path. "Well now, look what we have here," he said in a low, gravelly tone that hinted at a life spent shouting and drinking. "You're a brave one, walking alone in a lawless place like this, boy. Come on now, be reasonable. Why don't you come with us? We'll keep you safe from all the nasty things lurking in these woods. Just a small protection fee, you understand, right? For our trouble, of course."
Shi Yao stopped in his tracks and looked directly at the bandit leader, his expression initially neutral, assessing the threat before him. Then, his brow furrowed slightly in mild confusion, as if he genuinely wasn't sure he had heard the man correctly. "What are you even talking about?" he asked, his tone genuinely perplexed.
The bandit blinked, taken aback by the unexpected response. Shi Yao continued, his tone now laced with a dry amusement, "So, let me get this straight.
You accost innocent people traveling through the forest and charge them a fee to not get beat up by you and your… associates? Alright, I understand your business model. Then, allow me to propose a counter-offer. I'll charge you a protection fee. Same idea, really. Except in this scenario, the outcome will be significantly better for me."
The relaxed postures of the bandits instantly vanished, replaced by a palpable tension that crackled in the air. A heavy-set bald man, his scalp gleaming in the dappled sunlight, stepped forward from the side of the carriage, his movements slow and deliberate.
He casually cracked his knuckles, the sound surprisingly loud in the sudden silence, and the thick muscles rippled across his massive forearms, a clear display of his brute strength.
"Looks like this little whelp has gone and done it now,"
one of the other bandits muttered under his breath, his hand instinctively moving closer to the hilt of his rusty sword.
"Go on then, Lu Li. You handle him. Teach him some manners." Another bandit chimed in with a cruel grin,
"Yeah, Lu Li. Go on and break something important for us, will you?"
Lu Li, the bald giant, said nothing. He simply rolled his thick neck, the movement making his head look like a bowling ball on a barrel, and began to walk toward Shi Yao with heavy, deliberate steps that shook the very ground. Shi Yao watched his approach with an air of detached boredom, as if he were a slightly impatient customer waiting for his tea to be served in a quiet shop. "How about you come and try your luck then, big guy?" he said, his voice deceptively calm, with just a hint of a challenge lacing the words. Lu Li didn't bother with words.
He lunged forward with surprising speed for his size, his massive fist swinging in a wide arc towards Shi Yao's chest, clearly intending to deliver a devastating blow. Shi Yao merely raised one hand, his movements economical and precise. With a small, almost insignificant flick of his index finger a motion so subtle it was almost missed
Crack.
A sharp, explosive boom, like a sudden clap of thunder, echoed through the trees, momentarily silencing the forest. Lu Li's hulking body shot backwards with an unnatural force, hurtling through the trees like a heavy stone skipping across the still surface of a lake. Branches snapped and cracked under the unexpected impact, bark shattered and flew through the air like wood shavings, and then, just as suddenly as it began, there was a profound and unsettling silence. The remaining bandits froze, their eyes wide with disbelief and dawning terror as they stared at the path Lu Li had carved through the forest.
Shi Yao stepped forward slowly, his gaze unwavering as it swept across the stunned faces of the remaining bandits. "Drop everything you're carrying that isn't essential for moving," he said, his voice now firm and carrying an unmistakable tone of command, "or you'll be joining your friend in his arboreal adventure. And trust me, he looked quite uncomfortable."
Panic spread through the group with astonishing speed. Weapons were the first to hit the ground, clattering against the dirt and stones. Then came bags filled with ill-gotten gains, ragged clothing, and a few pieces of cheap jewelry. One particularly nervous man hesitantly offered up a tarnished silver ring, his hand trembling as he held it out.
Shi Yao caught it effortlessly without even looking down. He studied the ring in his fingers, turning it over under the filtered light of the forest canopy. It felt strangely too cold for a piece of jewelry, and its weight was unnervingly dense for its size. "You," he said, pointing with his free hand to the man who had offered the ring. The bandit immediately fell to his knees, his face pale with fear. The others quickly followed suit, prostrating themselves on the dusty path.
"W-what is this, honorable sir?"
the man stammered, his voice barely a whisper."S-Storage ring!" he choked out, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and desperation. "You can store things inside it using your spiritual sense! We took it from a merchant cultivator a few weeks back. We didn't really know how to use it properly, just that it seemed… valuable."
Shi Yao closed his eyes for a moment, focusing his nascent spiritual sense. He carefully pressed a tentative thread of it into the cool metal of the ring. Instantly, rows upon rows of items appeared in his mind's eye, a mental inventory of the ring's contents. He saw an assortment of crude weapons, various mundane supplies, a few glittering scraps of what might have been treasure, and a surprisingly large number of coins. Over ten thousand gleaming gold pieces, enough to live comfortably for quite some time. He let out a quiet breath, a hint of a smile touching his lips despite the grim circumstances. "You've certainly been busy little bees, haven't you?" he said, his tone conversational but carrying an underlying edge of menace.
He slipped the ring onto his finger, the cool metal settling against his skin. "And those boots you're wearing," he added, glancing down at their worn footwear. "Take them off. Now." The bandits hesitated for only a fraction of a moment, their survival instincts overriding any lingering pride, before scrambling to remove their sturdy leather boots, leaving them barefoot on the rough ground. When Shi Yao finally walked away, leaving the trembling bandits behind, he was wearing a clean, simple gray robe he had taken from their ill-gotten gains, a comfortable pair of sturdy leather boots, and a valuable storage ring on his finger, its contents promising a much-needed improvement to his current situation. Behind him, the group of barefoot men remained huddled in the dirt, too terrified to even consider moving until the menacing figure had completely vanished from their sight.
The familiar sight of his small village came into view just as the sun began its slow descent below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple. The modest homes stood in the evening light, a sense of quietude settling over the familiar surroundings. Shi Yao approached the simple wooden house he shared with his younger sister, Li Rong, and stepped quietly inside. He stopped just inside the doorway, his senses immediately picking up on a presence within.
Li Rong sat curled into a tight ball on the worn wooden floor, her head buried in her knees. Her small frame trembled with silent sobs, the thin fabric of her simple clothes rustling with each shuddering breath. She looked up as the door creaked open, her eyes swollen and red from prolonged crying. For a fleeting heartbeat, she stared at him in utter disbelief, her tear-streaked face a mask of shock.
Then, with a choked cry, she launched herself towards him. "Brother…" she sobbed, the single word filled with a raw mixture of relief and lingering fear. She crashed into him, her small arms wrapping tightly around his waist, her face pressing against his chest, her body shaking uncontrollably.
"Don't go," she whispered, her voice muffled by his robes, each word a desperate plea. "Please… don't go again." Shi Yao didn't answer immediately. He simply stood still for a moment, absorbing the intensity of her embrace, then slowly returned the hug, resting a hand gently on the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her simple, dark hair. He could feel the tremor that wracked her small body. "Why are you crying, Rong'er?" he asked quietly, his voice filled with a tenderness he rarely showed. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she tried to speak, but the words came out broken and interspersed with sobs.
"A week ago… Li Wuji came back… He was hurt… Badly hurt… He said… you were gone… Said you fell from the mountain… and there was blood… So much blood…" Shi Yao closed his eyes, the raw fear and grief in her voice cutting deeper than he had anticipated.
She had truly grieved him, mourned him as if she had lost everything precious to her all over again. And she wasn't even his real blood sister, their bond forged through shared hardship rather than genetics. But her arms around him were real, her tears were real, and the love in her small heart was undeniably real.
He held her closer, tightening his embrace. "I'm here now, Rong'er," he said softly, his voice a low rumble against her ear. "So don't cry anymore. I'm not going anywhere." Her sobs gradually began to slow, the violent shaking of her body subsiding. Her grip on his waist loosened slightly, replaced by a clinging weariness. Sleep, brought on by exhaustion and the release of overwhelming emotion, began to creep in.
He gently picked her up in his arms, her small body surprisingly light, and carried her over to her simple bed, laying her down with the utmost care. The thin blanket rose and fell gently with her slow, even breaths as she finally found a measure of peace in slumber.
Later that night, Shi Yao lay on his own simple mat on the floor, the familiar sounds of the quiet village filtering through the thin walls. Moonlight streamed through the cracks in the weathered wooden walls, drawing faint, ethereal white lines across the dusty floor of their humble home.
He stared up at the ceiling in silence, his thoughts a complex tapestry of the day's harrowing events and the unexpected reunion with his sister.
"This world," he whispered into the stillness, the words barely audible. He closed his eyes, the image of Li Rong's tear-streaked face imprinted on his mind. "It's starting to feel… real."
For once, he didn't fight the weariness that tugged at the edges of his consciousness. He let go of the day's burdens and allowed himself to drift into the quiet embrace of sleep, a sense of weary contentment settling over him.