Wei Ji stood in the middle of the ruined clearing, the smell of scorched earth and torn roots still drifting in the air like smoke after a long storm. The two elders lay slumped on the ground, their bodies shaking from exhaustion. Their breaths came in rough bursts, and their eyes twitched every time the wind brushed across their skin. They had already lost every bit of pride they carried earlier. Now they only looked like two tired old men who had been pushed far past what their bodies could bear.
Wei Ji looked down at them with calm eyes. His clothes were torn and covered with faint traces of dust, but he stood as if he had just taken a casual walk through a garden.
"You two can get up now," he said in a simple, clear voice.
The Sword Shandian Sect elder lifted his head first. His face was pale, but he still forced his shaking hands against the ground. His voice came out thin. "You… you did not kill us."
