Chapter 19 - MISUNDERSTANDING

The road to Mount Hua grew narrower and busier the closer they came to Huayin. Traders, pilgrims, and wandering martial artists moved along the mountain paths in loose clusters, their chatter filling the cool morning air. Abraham walked in the middle of the road, cloak dusty, expression calm. At his side moved the bodyguard—towering, silent, armor dark as stormclouds, crimson qi faintly pulsing like a heartbeat under steel.From a distance, they looked nothing like master and disciple.They looked like a demon general escorting his prisoner.A group of travelers ahead slowed, then stopped altogether. A child peered from behind his mother's sleeve, eyes wide at the sight of the armored figure. A young swordsman stepped forward, hand on his hilt, throat bobbing nervously."Did you see that aura? That's demonic qi," someone whispered."No orthodox cultivator walks with that thing and lives," another muttered. "That boy must be a hostage."Abraham felt the weight of their stares settle on him like invisible chains. He kept walking, boots thudding softly against the packed earth. The bodyguard did not even glance at them, gaze fixed straight ahead, as if the world around him was beneath notice.A trio of wanderers in faded sect robes blocked the road, faces tense."Hold," the tallest one said, raising a hand. "Young man, if you are being forced, say the word. We will help you."Abraham blinked. Forced?The bodyguard halted one step ahead of him, the ground giving a faint crack under his heel. His presence thickened the air with pressure, like a storm about to break. The wanderers flinched but held their ground, fingers trembling on hilts."You misunderstand," Abraham said, lifting his hands slightly to show he held no drawn weapon. "He is with me."That only made their expressions darker."Demonic possession," one hissed. "Of course he'd say that."A few more martial artists drew near, drawn by the tension—some from curiosity, others from the thrill of a possible righteous battle. Words buzzed through the crowd."Heard there's a relic-bearer heading to Mount Hua.""Look at the armor. Looks like a massacre waiting to happen.""Poor kid. Dragged along as a blood sacrifice."Abraham felt annoyance prick under his skin, but beneath it, a thin thread of unease. This was what the master had warned him about—power always came with rumor, fear, and labels he did not choose."Step away from him, boy," the tall wanderer said, emboldened by the gathering crowd. "We won't let a demonic beast walk freely on the path to Mount Hua."For the first time, the bodyguard tilted his head, slowly, like a predator acknowledging gnats. His eyes slid over the group, cold and uninterested, before finally resting on Abraham—as if waiting for permission.Abraham met that gaze and saw it clearly: the bodyguard could end this in a heartbeat. A single move, and the road would be painted red.No."Enough," Abraham said quietly.His voice did not rise, but qi threaded through it, calm and steady. Those closest to him felt it—a pressure not wild and murderous like demonic aura, but deep and heavy, like the weight of a sealed gate."You want to help me?" he asked the wanderers. "Then listen. I walk by choice. He is my guardian, not my captor. If he drew his blade, none of you would be left to argue about it."A murmur went through the onlookers. Some stepped back despite themselves.One of the younger swordsmen, face flushed with pride and fear, scowled. "You threaten us for his sake? You'd side with a monster over your own people?"Abraham's jaw tightened. In their eyes, he realized, there were only two roles available: victim to be saved, or fool to be judged."I owe you no explanation," he said, gaze steady. "But I'll give you one. The enemies coming for me won't be stopped by your good intentions. You see one man and call him demon. I see what he can do to those who want the relic I carry."The tall wanderer faltered at the word relic. Greed, fear, and wary respect flickered across his features."Relic-bearer…" someone whispered. The rumor snapped into place. Now they weren't just seeing a boy and a demon. They were seeing a walking disaster—luck, fate, and calamity bound in one road-weary figure.The bodyguard's gauntlet shifted lightly at his side. That tiny sound—a faint creak of leather and metal—was somehow louder than the murmurs. Every hand on every hilt tensed."Move," Abraham said, not harshly, but with a finality that left little room for argument. "If you truly care about keeping this path safe, then don't start a fight you cannot finish."For a heartbeat, no one moved. Dust hung in the air. A crow called from a distant tree, as if mocking the frozen tableau.Then, slowly, the tall wanderer lowered his hand."Remember this," he said, voice tight. "When you reach Mount Hua, they won't look kindly on what walks at your side."Abraham inclined his head slightly. "They can judge me there. Until then, we share the road."The crowd parted grudgingly, like a wound torn open to let poison pass through. Some glared, some watched in uneasy silence, and a few looked at Abraham with something almost like pity.As they walked on, the bodyguard's heavy steps matched Abraham's lighter ones, their shadows stretching long on the mountain road."You could have silenced them," Abraham muttered under his breath.The bodyguard did not respond. He didn't need to. The answer was obvious: yes, easily.Abraham let out a slow breath. "Try not to look like you're about to murder the sky next time."There was the faintest shift, almost a snort—if a war god could be amused, it sounded like that. No words, but something eased in the silence between them.Ahead, Mount Hua's peaks rose higher, sharper, like swords pointed at the heavens.Behind them, rumor and misunderstanding trailed like ghosts.On this road, to everyone else, Abraham was either a fool under demonic control or a calamity walking with his own executioner. Only he knew the truth:He needed the monster at his side.And that might be the most frightening part of all.