As we ran I kept glancing at my side to control Basheera and avoid that he ran away from me with Yao on his back. The animosity between us had been appeased to some extent, but I still felt that the panther had a chip on its shoulder that didn't seem to go away for however we laughed or joked with each other.

After we had run for a while along the hilled forest on to the other side of the mountain we had descended from, we started to hear a big commotion coming from the mines. Basheera and I traded a knowing glance in the darkness and hurried our feet to leave the area, meanwhile, I kept forming grim scenarios in my mind where I played Yao going to the Azure mountain, getting caught and being mistreated by the guards and every one of them being worse than the last.

I didn't know why, but I felt I was slowly morphing, changing, but it wasn't physical but psychological. I hadn't thought about it until now, but I was not the same person as the 'me' that came here to this new world and I was starting to realize that in the small things. My desperate attempt to save Yao, my open mentality at having a gigantic panther as a companion and most of all my ever-changing feelings about this world.

I was turning into my host or my implemented memories about Li were turning me into him, slowly but surely I was losing my individuality to become an entangled mess without a form and that scared me.

Chills ran down my spine as I speed up my march as if running away from my thoughts and from my past, but the fearsome thoughts caught up to me no matter how much I ran.

'I need to calm down and focus on escaping, I can think about this dilemma later.'

Steading my breathing I continued to have a watchful eye on the panther while calming my spirit.

*********

Out of radius and almost at the peak of the mountain I collapsed on the ground while heavily gasping for air. Looking at Basheera who was currently dropping an unconscious Yao Chen on the ground, I slowly recovered my stamina and while at the same time wishing for something to distract my weary mind.

'He sleeps, you recover some and we leave...'

"Yes, yes, hey...I-I hum thin-"

'Do not speak, they look for us and I am not interested in your words.'

Taken aback by the panther's rudeness I steady my thoughts while small anger surfaces at the dry reply, but as quickly as my temper flared it deflated as I looked at Basheera's frowned eyes. What surprised me was not the annoyed look but what was behind it, on top of annoyance the big beast was also feeling, worry for me?

Shaking my head I lift myself up from my sitting position and head towards the dark and dense forest. As I was about to leave the two, I locked my feet on the ground and without turning back I said.

"S-Sorry, I will go grab some firewood." And whispering I added. "Thank you."

*********

Everything went as expected, I tried to treat Yao with some medicine I had found while gathering wood but he didn't wake up, and as so, we continued traveling for a couple of days until one afternoon while I was debating our next move with the stubborn big cat that only wanted to mindlessly flee, he woke up.

Confused and hurt Yao had only one thing to say, and that was asking for food. Without even batting an eye Basheera went hunting while muttering about debts and being too friendly for his own good. Since that night our relationship had improved to a level where he rarely insisted about fighting and was more concerned about getting us out of the forest alive.

While he hunted Yao Chen expressed his concern about Basheera and asked why I was there in the first place, but I shot down any questioning to only after we had eaten.

After he returned with a small rabbit-like creature that had definitely mutated -or mated- with a rat, I used one of its very sharp and long claws to take the dirty grey pelt and rudimentary cut the meat to roast it. Having done everything in my power to make it eatable I presented the meat to Yao and he received it while eating it whole.

After eating, the panther had left us, partially to hunt for itself and partially to give us some privacy, while I questioned the reckless decision of stealing from both the Yue sect and our former sect.

Then he started to talk about how Elder Ming of the quest hall had given him a "secret" spot to mine Azure crystals, Yao had accepted without even thinking twice. The elder had previously made him offers and Yao Chen had taken full advantage of them earning him quite the loot.

"So...what happened, Yao, why did you end up beaten half to death and imprisoned by the guards?"

With a sorrowful face, Yao looked at me like a child that had been caught stealing cookies and said.

"Brother Li, I traveled by foot and took my time to get to the mines. As I traveled I hid from any monster l-like y-your friend and continued my journey for about a week and a half until I reached my destination. What I didn't know Brother was that there were too many guards, so much so, that I didn't have the confidence to bypass them and reach the little cave Elder talked about. As I racked my brain for any openings on the clearing I dismissed my chances and was about to head back to the sect, when out of the corner of my eyes I saw a demon beast of the wolf kind, possibly a young blood moon wolf.

T-This beast wasn't big as a mature blood moon wolf but it was still at the foundation stage, so I panicked. Grabbing my dimensional sachel I tried to flee and I did so for about a week, but the beast was relentless and ended up cornering me while I hid in an old Bragrat nest.

And so I waited. I had some extra food for emergencies and at the third week of my stay in the forest I went against all my instincts and left the cave while being chased. I knew I couldn't go as far as to reach the sect so I headed to the mines where I was captured while the wolf fleed from the powerful cultivator's auras. Being captured I went through interrogation techniques that made me speak the truth about my intention, and the rest you already know I suppose."

"I see..." Looking at my feet to hide my face from Yao, I responded in a half-hearted manner.

Taking in the massive lack of luck that Yao Chen had while on his journey, I pondered on the simple story, to simple to be true but almost believable, almost. Basheera returned to the make-shift camp with a wolf in his massive jaws and I almost broke down in laughter at the coincidence.

'Not funny, my dinner, do not bother me or we fight...'

With the wolf on its mouth and then the addition of low feline like growls Yao shifted uncomfortably in his seat, cursing while whispering at his own luck and frightened at the surreal situation of his former best friend's pet'?' and his former friend own's demeanor.

Without resisting Yao finally asked me the much-awaited question.

"So...I-I, I mean why did you save me, how did you save me and most importantly who is this oblivion leopard?"

Chuckling at Yao's words I prepared to fill him in on everything except for me not being the real Li.