If the rotund guard leaning against his spear thought it at all odd to see the panting Ruidian dressed so much like a legionnaire cultivator entering the West gate at near a sprint, his scowl turned to a please grin and a thoughtful rub of his goatee when Alex flipped the man a copper feather.

“I don’t suppose you can tell me if a group of Ruidian beast hunters came through here recently?”

The guard blinked and paled, smile fading when he gave Alex a more careful glance. But all he said was, “Beast hunters come through Erdushi regularly, lad. Lots of fine hunting just a few hours in any direction, and multiple caravans heading out every week to Yidushi, Baidushi, and other Sacred Cities besides. But the last band of jewel masters coming through here was two days ago, heading for the capital. Because everyone knows Yidushi’s the one place where your kind doesn’t want to be.”

Alex sighed and did his best to look as crestfallen as possible. “By WiFu’s tail, I guess I was too late after all.” He frowned, gazing at one of the assembling caravans, before turning to the guard. “You don’t think they’d be open to hiring on some added help, do you?”

The guard flashed an anxious smile, strong white teeth with just a single gap. “Only one way to find out.”

Alex flashed a cheerful grin. “Thank you, sir. I just might do that.”

“Good luck to you, boy.”

And Alex did his best to embrace the exuberant excitement that had filled his soul the very first time caught sight of Erdushi’s walls, back before he had ever known about Royal Phoenix Academy, until he was well out of sight of the guard; his cheerful, wide-eyed stroll turning to a ground-eating sprint as he headed to the largest grower’s market, where he was almost certain he’d find his friends and the rest of their group, haggling for all they were worth.

Yet of the original party to jump through the gate alongside him, he found no trace of a single one. And maybe it was just the tension he was feeling, but few seemed willing to help him, Alex receiving nothing but curt shakes of the head when he asked after his companions.

Alex felt a cold sweat coming over him. Why hadn’t he thought to form a group, at least with Yingpei and Zhu Bi?

He clenched his teeth and just shook his head, suddenly surging forward, whipping past the shoppers as he dashed through Erdushi’s central boulevard, doing his best to ignore the surprised glances burning into his backside, focused only on getting through the town as fast as he could, while revealing as little about himself as possible.

And when a trio of saturnine-featured nobles dressed in silken robes with the cold, calculating aristocratic eyes of Yidushian nobles demanded that he stop and kowtow before them when his armored frame clipped one of their robes, his furious pace easily outdistanced the pair of cultivators armored just as he was who immediately gave chase, cursing his shadow as he raced for the far gate.

Of course the nobles behind Alex roared for the gate to be closed, but the startled-looking gate guard Alex was rapidly approaching who hadn’t even been holding his spear just paled as Alex raced past him, only grunting once in odd relief when Alex’s silver flipped through the air.

And then he was darting through the trees, springing from branch to branch as his roaring anxiety was soothed by the arboreal awareness of the world at large, feeling the sway of every branch and crown as if it were an extension of his own movements, his own breathing, his own arboreal limbs helping him catapault from tree to tree.

Only then did he sense the faint signature of fifteen green dots just a half-mile away… and the swarm of reds scattered about the forest.

Alex choked back the sudden wave of cold dread he felt, castigating himself for not just racing back to Erdushi via Forest Flight in case his group had already left, instead of porting back to the trade town, thinking that would save him time. But by far his most egregious sin was to not make looking after his friends, his people—for he did indeed consider all those seeking shelter in his lands his people—his sole priority while he had been in town.

Instead, he had discovered a secret den of his enemies, embraced the card placed by his one divine ally, and made out like an absolute bandit.

And as he raced through the trees for all he was worth, he could only hope he hadn’t let the absolute fortune he had claimed in contraband come at the cost of his friends.

Especially not at the cost of a certain precious kitsune girl with a mischievous twinkle in her soft brown eyes he caught sight of as he slipped free of arboreal cover, with a chin so like Alex’s mother’s, even now leaning her head against the smiling merchant cultivator beside her. A girl who had been absolutely filled with fire and enthusiasm since the moment Alex had first seen her.

A girl that, by some remarkable twist of fate, might actually be his great great granddaughter, with a few more greats thrown in.

A girl Alex now loved as dearly as any of his favorite cousins from a lifetime ago, with the exact same mischievous expression when she was whispering secrets into her shocked boyfriend’s ear, the only real difference being the Han cast to her features and the soft, fur-covered ears now perking Alex’s way as he broke through the foliage and onto the trade road, making his presence known with a friendly wave, and earning a number of grunts and nods from hard-eyed cultivators radiating the spiritual pressure of Bronze and Silver.

Some of them were playing at the role of being settlers in truth, with the rough woolen changshan tunics and rope-belted pants of farmers. Of course, a few Silver Giants, standing tall and proud as arena champions in enchanted cultivator’s robes designed to flow perfectly with their movements, or custom fitted armor that seemed a collage of so many different styles, with jian or dao at their hips and polearms at their sides, were hardly playing the role of innocent farmers at all.

Guards at best, or as exactly what they were. Cultivators determined to take advantage of all the spiritual energies and resources that setting up their own private community in the wilds would allow.

And at least that element of things was totally in character as they all walked beside a pair of wagons purchased and filled with goods, with several score of goats, cattle, swine, and sheep following behind, the livestock carefully separated and being led by men who had obviously led agrarian lives before attending Risen Phoenix Academy.

And were this part of CuiJing province not absolutely flooded with reds from the neighboring nation of YanTu, Alex wouldn’t see any problem with it at all, having made the acquaintance of a few farming clans doing the best they could in the wilds who would have loved nothing more than to bring strong cultivators into the fold. Clans with many eligible daughters eager for mates that could protect and take care of them, strengthening their bloodlines and assuring that their tribe would prosper and flourish for decades to come, unlike so many clans who met their end while daring to farm these woods, for all that the spiritually enriched bounty grown over a world of unimaginable size fed countless billions.

But they really did all stick out like sore thumbs.

“Alex, we missed you. You were supposed to meet up with us!” Enthused Zhu Bi when Alex made his presence known, pouting only momentarily before charming Alex with her bright smile once more.

“Oh, you wouldn’t believe how much half those farmers were trying to overcharge us, thinking we were all wealthy cultivators swimming in spirit pearls without a lick of common sense. But Yingpei pulled the smile from their faces real quick when he started playing one merchant against the other. And when those breeders found out someone was actually willing to buy their entire lots at a set price, provided it was the best breedstock available, they were all over themselves pitching their beasts!”

Yingpei grinned at that. “It always pays to make sure competing interests know that they are in competition. Sometimes you hardly have to waste a breath negotiating for price and quality when your future friends do it all for you. Then it’s all smiles and nods without any of the unpleasantness that might otherwise ensue.”

Zhu Bi chuckled throatily. “You played them off against each other so brilliantly that they were beaming with your praise while looking like they wanted to tear each other’s throats out!”

“True. But a lucky handful made an absolute fortune in gold today. I’m just glad we have cultivators among our number who can tell one end of a cow from another.”

Zhu Bi nodded in agreement, turning to one of the plainly dressed cultivators, bald save for a topknot and blessed with features only a mother would call handsome, but his eyes were kind as he looked after the animals, dexterous hands adeptly catching one calf before it misstepped into thorny brambles.

“Chen Su’s father is a skilled breeder, so he knew just what to look for, especially when we were looking for cows and milk goats with wide hips, proper gait, and healthy-looking udders. And you should have seen his glare when one farmer tried to sell us his sickly ews!”

The musical tinkle of Zhu Bi’s laughter made Chen Su blush, and Alex grin. “I swear, I had never thought to see calm Chen Su’s killing aura, but that farmer just blanched and stumbled back before turning tale and howling for the guards. But the other breeders just laughed and called him an idiot, glad he was being put in his place, lest he give them all a bad name.”

The young kitsune then frowned, catching something in Alex’s gaze, her eyes widening and nose crinkling as she finally took in Alex’s state. “Grandfather, what’s wrong?”

Alex winced, pulled out of focus by at least a couple snickers, several cultivators now gazing their way with looks of bemusement or confusion, but graceful enough to leave it at that.

But he refused to let it distract him from what mattered.

Having thought he had detected the presence of something…

And then it was gone.

Zhu Bi paled with whatever it was she saw in Alex’s eyes. “Alex?”

It was then that Alex felt a soft breeze, before being confronted by dark intense eyes belonging to a compact man wearing a loose cloak over a mail shirt much like his own.

Rare in a world where hard yet flexible plates of bronze and steel were fashioned into the exquisitely flexible lamellar armor favored by ancient China and Golden Realms both.

But hauberks of carefully fitted loops of iron or steel were absolutely perfect for cultivators who favored deadly speed above all else, and didn’t walk a Body Cultivation path that left one’s skin as tough as spirit hide, and flesh as resilient as stone.

The flawlessly smooth features of the cultivator before him radiated an aura of Silver death, sending chills Alex’s spine. And the single edged slightly curved changdao at his hip with a wide hilt at his hip that a dexterous hand tapped the pommel of was the closest thing to an Odachi Alex had seen in this realm.

“You did a poor job of cleaning yourself, boy.”

Alex frowned, sparing only a quick glance for his perfectly clean and exquisitely sharp steel spear he had been prudent enough to switch for the bloodied fangtian ji before embracing his role as a hunter. Then all his focus went back on the cultivator glaring so intently at him, noting shifts in balance and posture, eyeing Alex as he might a threat or at best… a puzzle.

Taking a cautious sniff of the air.

“And I taste the tang of not one but several who must have felt the sting of your steel, clean and pretty as your weapon now is.” His cold smile grew. “Perhaps you had best explain what you were truly after in Erdushi while we were ankle deep in cow shit, listening to farmers blather on about the damned weather?”

Forest Sense detects no presences designated as Red. (Presence before you is blinking yellow.) Note. Spirit Panther Pride approaching.

Alex took a deep breath, frowning Zhu Bi’s way when she gave an anxious gasp. “Don’t worry, it’s fine,” and a flash of his fingers was all the tell he would give. Before answering the man’s question, modulating it just loud enough so that the giant cultivator kitted in steel lamellar reinforced by a few large chest and shoulder plates of hardened steel, who happened to be the nominal leader of their little group, and more than content to let the specialists do their thing, was also included in the de-facto interrogation as the frowning man lumbered over to them.

“I split up to do some trades. Looking for choice arms and armaments for the sake of myself and my two disciples. The arms purchases went well enough, but it turns out that the armor merchant had far closer ties to the Red Prince than was good for him, or, quite frankly, any of us.” He flashed a conciliatory smile. “That’s one reason why I rushed back this way as fast as I could. To give you all a heads up that a platoon of Dongfang Hong’s crack troops might be searching for us at this very moment.”

The cold-eyed cultivator before Alex smirked, his hand not leaving the hilt of his blade. “Really. Just the thing to say if you wished to placate your unwitting cover, because what does this crew fear more than the men who almost enslaved us?” His gaze hardened. “But all we know for sure is that you had trouble with a merchant, and the stains on your armor implies it was more than just harsh words.”

Alex winced at those words.

His armor. Of course! How could he be so stupid as to forget that little detail? It was all he could do not to give himself away, looking down at his own form.

The man before him flashed a cold smile. “And are you willing to give your cultivator’s oath that you took not one copper feather from the man after you managed to get his blood all over you?”

Alex slowly shook his head. “Of course not. Maybe we got in a fight, and I just punched him in the nose. Or maybe that bastard actually tried to kill me, and he paid the price. And whether I claimed a would-be murderer’s purse or just his blood on my armor from a simple fight, I hardly think that’s your concern, one way or another.”

His interrogator chuckled softly, turning to the frowning giant. “There you have it, Zha Shi. Motive, opportunity, and bloody armor the fool didn’t even bother cleaning. Theft, assault and possible murder in one tight little bundle.”

Zha Shi frowned. “Which would be kind of stupid to commit, Su Xiao, if you were planning on running back to your fellows without even cleaning the blood spatter off your armor.”

Su Xiao nodded. “Agreed. Which is why I called him a fool. Obviously a skilled enough fighter because I sense at least three… no, five men you came into contact with?” he furrowed his brow, nostrils flaring. “How many men did you assault during your smash and grab, boy?”

Alex winced, feeling his cheeks flush, wondering just how sangfroid he had gotten about fighting for his life, and how stupid he had been not thinking of appearances, that he hadn’t done a better job of cleaning himself up before entering Yidushi. But a flipped coin and a hunter’s question brought him a certain amount of grace from the guard more interested in catching what was in his hand than making trouble, and Alex had seemingly come from the forest. Most importantly, even if he had never gotten around to mastering bow or crossbow, his razor-sharp spear, excellent for killing spirit beasts, was exactly what one would expect a hunter to be wielding.

For all Alex knew, hunters came out looking a bit messy with evidence of skinning and cleaning their game spattered on their gear all the time. Or perhaps not. Especially without any horses, pack mules, or carts carrying the smoked meat or skins of their kills. But at least he had been racing nonstop, faster than most mortals could sprint, from the moment he had entered the extensive trade town of 60,000 or so souls, pretty near the size of a small city in a different era and world, for all that it wasn’t worth more than a second glance in a world where massive sacred cities with populations exceeding 10 million were to be found.

But the same as busy cities and towns everywhere, Alex was pretty sure that most folk had no interest in picking fights with powerfully built strangers who might or might not have been radiating such intensity trying to track down their friends that they had been giving off something of a killing aura.

All of which didn’t exactly help his case here.

“Does it matter how many people got involved in our little dispute? Let me put it this way. No innocent got more than a bloody nose in our argument, and if I’m guilty of murder like you halfway seem to be implying, I can promise you that the only people I’m looking to kill are the Red Prince’s soldiers who are eager for all our heads. So as long as said merchant and any onlookers weren’t Donfang Hong’s lapdogs, I’m guilty of nothing more than sharp trades and sharper knuckles. So how about we end this pointless interrogation and get back home?”

Alex frowned as he peered into the gloomy forest all around, the gentle patter of rain and the cool chill of damp air making at least a few of the animals restless. “I’m not too worried about myself, but not everyone has a knack for the woods, and the best quality livestock to be found in Erdushi is definitely going to make an extremely tempting prize for any predators that might be stalking us.”

More than a few a cultivators frowned at those words, clearly eager to get going, though a few others were glaring down at Alex with the same hard accusatory stares as the pair of interrogators before him.

The giant known as Zha Shi glared down at Alex, cracking his knuckles.

Alex took a deep breath, sensing the more fearsome threat, at least for Alex’s build, ever so subtly positioning himself behind him.

“I think you’re guilty of far more than arguing with a merchant. Or even breaking some fool’s nose.” The man gave a pointed look all around him. “And I see no trace of any predators, spirit beasts, or YanTu soldiers whatsoever.” Hard eyes locked with Alex’s own. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to strip yourself of all arms and armaments, Ruidian,” said the giant with a commander’s no-nonsense tone.

“Alex…” This from a nervous Yingpei.

Alex took a deep breath, wondering why the hell he had been in such a hurry to get here so fast, so readily expecting trouble, only to find trouble of a different sort.

“Now, Ruidian!”

Alex felt death kiss his gorget. The speed cultivator Su Xiao chuckled softly. “Will you look at that. Beast hide infused with so much potency, it’s as hard as steel wire. And an absolute fortune in spirit pearls entwined inside. I wonder where you stole this treasure from boy? Now quit stalling. Strip!”

“My cultivator’s oath that I killed no innocents today. And any fights I might have gotten into were with men exceedingly used to violence, who just might be serving as the eyes and ears of the Red Prince, eager to help him track down any unusual bands of cultivators in these woods. Men who would certainly want me out of the way before they ambushed you. So, if you want to accuse me of crimes because my armor isn’t pretty, fine. But let’s wait till we’re safely back home before we play any more guessing games!”

At least his words earned him some considering nods, despite the one comment about Ruidian’s not being true cultivators so their oaths meant nothing catching his ears.

Alex gave a frustrated shake of his head. “Fine. If you still doubt my word, by all means, accompany me to Elder Ru when I give him my full report,” he said.

Su Xiao snorted. “As if Master Ru will give a murderous Ruidian the time of day without you begging for an audience.”

“That’s not true! You’re not being fair, cousin! Do you really not recognize who you’re talking to?” Snapped Zhu Bi.

Alex could sense the deadly speed cultivator’s glare. “Know your place, pup. Best keep your ears flat and tail lowered when addressing your betters. And your mate better get ahold on his temper, or your kits will have no father.”

A furious Yingpei froze at that threat. Before his eyes widened in surprise.

Qi Perception in play. You sense all players on the field!

Adderstrike successfully channeled into elbow slash!

You have stunned your opponent!

Alex knew the deadly power of speed cultivators.

And he knew his own strength as well.

So too, he understood physics.

So when a stunned body was flying in the air, it was nothing for a master of Silver Swan and White Crane to spin around, bracing his spear such that the deadly sharp steel tip was at the man’s jugular all through his arc as he slammed to the ground.

The furious hate-filled eyes of a bested kitsune male glared into Alex’s own.

Su Xiao clearly understanding that even with Silver ranked speed, Alex, in the center of a howling maelstrom, would blast his fangtian ji spearhead through Xiao’s throat and into his brainpain before he so much as jerked his head.

“You will put down your weapon now, Ruidian!” Roared the giant whom Alex pegged a far more common strength cultivator, approaching with a massive stone staff obviously pulled from storage.

Alex flashed a cold smile as Zhu Bi whimpered.

“I’d think twice on that, Zha Shi. You and I both know your former second is dead the moment I twitch, if I sense one more lumbering step from the Rank 2 Silver Giant coming for my head.”

And for a one terrible moment Alex sensed the terrible precipice they all balanced precariously upon, knowing how close they were to utter chaos and bloodshed, tragedy that would cause all Alex’s foes and perhaps his mercurial master as well, to erupt in slaughter.

Alex glared down at Su Xiao. “I need your cultivator’s oath you won’t attempt to stab me in the back or otherwise strike out at me, Su Xiao. You as well, Zha Shi! Not unless Elder Ru himself says the action is warranted!” His gaze hardened. “And you sure as fuck don’t threaten my friends.”

Su Xiao’s glassy eyes focused into a hard snarl. Alex winced, realizing his blow had shattered the man’s jaw. And maybe that stunning blow was the real reason he had gotten even a momentary drop on the speed cultivator, blade kissing jugular so tenderaly that only a trickle of blood was running from the tip. And Alex could somehow taste the man’s sudden fear, Alex realizing then he had instinctively pierced the meshwork of protective spiritual energies radiating from the choker Su Xiao himself wore just above his armor, and perhaps the real reason why Alex’s Adderstrike hadn’t done far worse.

“I accept,” said Zha Shi, had measured words designed to carry and distract Alex from his killing gaze. “Provided you agree not to flee from us and present yourself before Elder Ru for judgement.”

Alex forced a nod. “So long as hunting is not considered fleeing, I agree.”

The man snorted, but let it pass. “Su Xiao. Our suspect in technically in our custody, willing to present himself before our commander. Give the nod signifying fair treatment. We’ve already wasted enough time.”

Alex internally smiled at how neatly the Silver Giant had worded things so his partner would save face.

A snarl and a jerked nod and Alex had leaped back in the blink of any eye.

And between one heartbeat and the next the kitsune male was before Alex, snarling in his face. “Another time and place, Ruidian.”

Alex cocked his head. “I’m sorry, what was that, Su Xiao? I couldn’t hear anything over the sound of your fucking broken jaw!”

Su Xiao fumed as multiple cultivators gazed down from the wagons with something close to horrified awe. Save for a pair of farmers who had never quite made it to Bronze along the Path of Perserverance, and thus had been relegated to servant’s roles, no matter their obvious talent as cultivators. They alone swallowed their smiles despite their twinkling eyes, while almost everyone else gazed at Alex as if he were some bizarre cross between a youling jester and a wild-eyed killer.

And then there were his friends, Zhu Bi and Yingpei, who were also staring at him with an odd mixture of pity and gratitude, his possible descendant’s flashing fingers making her feelings clear enough, for all that her reproving voice echoed through his soul as well.

“Wise Fool indeed, grandfather. Our god would be proud. But stop it. Seriously.”

Zha Shi gave a tired sigh. “Don’t be any more of an idiot than you already are, Ruidian. Come on, let’s go.”

Alex nodded his head, acknowledging that Zhu Bi was right, proceeding to walk in tandem with Zha Shi, as docile as one could want in a quasi-hostage still allowed to keep his armaments, for all that his posture was that of a man who wouldn’t dream of using them.

And then was the sight that filled almost everyone one with beaming smiles and sighs of relief and a snarl of “Prepare for justice, Ruidian!” From a certain bad-tempered broken-jawed kitsune, as the golden light of a certain welcoming gate could be seen twinkling just a short distance off the trade road, just as Alex had intended.

Zha Shi heaved an unexpected sigh of relief. “Finally, an end to this task. Let’s go through, and quickly, lest anyone see our passage.

Su Xiao scowled, swallowing back a groan as he sipped from a crimson flask radiating soothing spiritual energy. But at least his words were now a bit less garbled. “It’s sheer insanity having a gate flashing so brightly within sight of the trade road. Anyone can see it!”

“Actually they can’t, honored cousin,” said none other than Zhu Bi. “Only the Child of the Heaven’s chosen allies are permitted to see the gates to his land, and only those who swear to the binding oath we all have are permitted to cross.”

And with those words Su Xiao froze, his gaze becoming something truly cold and hostile. He exchanged a look with Zha Shi, who nodded grimly.

Alex felt a sudden cold chill, and slowly stepped back.

“That’s right. We did, didn’t we? And part of that oath was that we were forbidden to strike our fellow guests with anything approaching malice,” said Su Xiao, hand on the hilt of his changdao once more, and Alex wasn’t so foolish as to miss the shift in stance, posture, and hip alignment that spoke of an iado quick-draw specialist, able to unsheathe and cut in a single lightning fast lethal slash that in a speed cultivator would spell instant death.

Dark Qi Projection is now covering all limbs in their entirety. Moderate Qi expenditure in effect.

And maybe a few pairs of eyes widened at the sight of liquid darkness crawling up Alex’s limbs, but he no longer cared. His opponent’s build was the one best suited to kill him, and Alex would be a fool to leave his weakest links exposed.

“I have a question for you, Ruidian, and I will know if you’re lying.”

Alex flashed a cold smile. “Then ask away, kitsune. I know as well as anyone just how acute your senses are.”

This earned a scowl, and a cold glare Zhu Bi’s way.

“Not her fault. You sort of gave it away when you were sniffing my armor. And yes, I’ve known more than a few of your kind.”

This earned a fierce scowl. “Cutthroats and assassins, just like yourself?”

Alex smirked. “Pretty much. And good, loyal friends I’d kill to defend.”

Su Xiao grimaced. Alex could only imagine how much it hurt to speak with a clearly still broken jaw, healing potion sip aside, but Alex’s interface allowed perfect interpretation of the broken mumble, and no one else seemed to be having any problems either. “You’re not lying.”

“Nope,” agreed Alex. “I’m not.”

And then he asked the real question on everyone’s mind. “Did you take the oath, Ruidian, the same as the rest of us?”

A sudden tension one could cut with a knife hung on the air. Alex took a long slow breath, before he answered. “I think you already know the answer to that, though your oath demands I clarify the fact that I’m not actually a Ruidian. And before you fly into a rage, remember, your own oaths still hold. As do mine. Save for the hunt, I will not flee Elder Ru’s judgement.”

“Impossible!” hissed one cultivator. “He’s a Ruidian, through and through.

“He could be a member of the True People with unfortunate ancestry somewhere in his family tree. It’s not so rare as all that,” murmured another.

“Not looking that much like a Ruidian he isn’t!”

Alex truly did not like the fierce, white knuckled grip on the hilt of Su Xiao’s blade.

“Then answer me this, halfbreed. How did you get out of saying the oath? Are you the Red Prince’s agent? Speak or die!”

“Stop it!” Screamed a sudden panicked Zhu Bi. “Are you truly so stupid, cousin? Do you really not see what’s right in front of your face? Look at his hair. Look at his eyes!”

A pained Su Xiao spun around in the blink of an eye. “Kowtow before me and know your place, Zhu Bi!” Snarled the clearly pained cultivator, suddenly before a terrified looking Zhu Bi. And it said something to Yingpei’s credit that he dared to stand before his trembling girl, despite the fear he radiated in waves.

“Please back away,” Yingpei said, voice filled with bitter resolve and icy politeness none could find fault with, unless they were as incensed as Su Xiao appeared to be.

And it was Zha Shi effortlessly pulling his friend or perhaps partner back, slowly shaking his head. “You’re not thinking clearly, brother. It is your broken jaw that would have you beat a young Bronze, fearing for her friend. Not the righteous partner I know.”

Su Xiao froze with those words, glaring at his partner. “This chit…”

“I don’t fully understand the ways of your people, brother. But I’ve never known you to strike mouthy kitsune girls before.” His friend flashed a bemused smile. “Bed them, more like, but that’s your business, not mine.” His smile hardened. “What is my business is if my partner acts so stupid as to break his oath over asinine misunderstandings, and then we’re both denied sanctuary, because you sure as hell need someone watching your back if we have to flee these lands entirely with the Red Prince hungry for all our heads, and Wujen Spirit Qi magics honing for our whereabouts the whole time.”

Su Xiao took a deep, shuddering breath, then gave a single jerk of his head.

“Fine. That still doesn’t explain how this half-blood escaped his oath!”

And of course, that was the very moment the forest rang with multiple roars and the screams of dying livestock and wounded cultivators, an entire pride of Spirit Panthers choosing that moment to attack.