"Izaya! we could not find the intruder! what happened here?!"

Izaya studied the three rank two guards, one was a sweating fatass, another was thin pale unhealthy looking stick youngster, and a drunk old man arranging his pants. Must have been in the middle of his fun.

'Good with these three it'll be easier.'

Izaya gestured to the forest area speaking

"The slaves were supposed to wait here, but, that dead man said they tried

to run away through the forest."

'This much is enough, these accommodated people won't bother to think too much and will go along. When they confront whoever stole the slaves

I can take Ilise and get away. In the middle of the forest, I will have the advantage.'

The fat man laughed out loud."Let's Have some fun hunting those idiots haha! If a few die the masters won't care."

"I want to bring one home." the creepy thin Guard joined.

"I'll go inform the masters of what happened here." The old man just wanted to finish his business, so he stayed in the city. The other two laughed at him

"Izaya you came with us! we'll gather them and you bring them back. You can choose one of them for yourself, of course, only the old or men."The fat man saw Izaya still there. so he ordered him to lead the slaves back, this way they can come back earlier.

"Then I will take seniors offer" Izaya bowed his head. He'd been hiding his cultivation since the beginning, things are looking promising.

The three of them entered the forest.

----------

Zhun Xuying wearing heavy armor threw three slaves inside the carriage.

both Zhun Xuying and Zhun Rui, went out of the city on the carriage, after they got out of the sight of the guards Zhun Xuying and Zhi Rui entered ten meters into the forest and stationed there.

Zhun Xuying looked at the first slaves to reach here so soon, they were Beastman, the forest is their home so it's a given, after, the Young and strong will come. I only have to secure those, old and weak are optional.

Zhun Xuying thought she'd have to fight then capture them, but once again Zhi Rui impressed her.

Zhun Xuying looked at the small fire pits spread around the clearing as if inviting people to form a circle around it and warm themselves.

The slave's faces would overflow with tears of joy and relief as they saw it, They would walk into the clearing praising young lady aloud, only to fall unconscious after inhaling the air around a few times.

Just like the young lady said.

'The light at the end of the tunnel is an illusion created by hope.'

-----------

Zhi Rui was using the nighttime to hide on the crown of a leafy tree, the forest was hot and dry, not a single cool breeze, the smell of the wild was unpleasant in the least. But Zhi Rui had excitement in her eyes, she went thirty meters ahead of where the carriage stationed, so she can take the ran one pest out of the way.

Zhi Rui closed her eyes and concentrated.

The moth is a sensorial nocturnal beast, even with her eyes closed she can sense the air hitting the trees and boulders around her, The vibrations of the slaves and rank on masters, running on the ground gave their distance and numbers, together with her hearing she can almost form an image.

discerning the hunters from the hunted, Zhi Rui smiled, then jumped ahead.

-----------

"Do you all have a pile of shit as brain?! Some random person appears yelling about some heavenly sent Young lady is going to rescue you.

and you just bet everything on it?!"

A rank one guard screamed at 12 slaves that were on their knees

The slaves didn't answer. If they were sold as a slave their end would not be good either, might as well bet on hope.

While the guard was screaming about how he'll make their life miserable. Zhi Rui observed. There are twelve slaves here, and this one ranked guy keeping them in place, there must be at least one more, out capturing slaves.

the guard kept kicking and spitting at the slaves.

with the remaining energy, one of the slaves finally couldn't take it anymore. An old man run away from the crowd and screamed

"You pigs are gonna rot in hell! God will never accept people like you!"

The guard was startled, he looked at the old man dumbfounded.

"HAHA, so old man want some special attention I'll give it to you then!"

The guard walked to the old man grinning.

suddenly the slaves heard a weird noise

"ugh" The guard fell on his face.

The slaves couldn't understand until they saw a fist-sized rock impaled on the back of the guards head.

Before they could think of anything else they heard a voice

"Those who move will end up like the guard."

They trembled, the voice was soft and beautiful, but it only make their hair stand.

"Y-yes." they can fight against a monster if there's a chance to live, but when death is right beside you, you do what it says.

Zhi Rui made use of his attention to the old man and threw a rock, a due to her flame particles she blurred the sound of the rock cutting through the wind.

Zhi Rui observed all around, seeing nobody else she

went into the ground with the slaves

"If you want to live, do as I say."

--------------

Zhi Rui jumped on a tree again, the slaves told there were another two guards capturing slaves

Zhi Rui waited patiently, she couldn't know where they were, her sensory ability cover twenty-meter diameter. so if she stayed they would come back eventually to gather more slaves, and she would feel they coming with a twenty-meter advantage

the ground started to vibrate, Zhi Rui got ahold of a one-meter long spikeless mace she brought on her back.

She looked up and closed her eyes took a deep long breath.

the ground vibrated more and more, now she could hear the footsteps.

She looked at the ran one tall strong man coming in front with ten or so slaves behind him.

on top of the tree, she didn't move, from the tree to the ground was five-meter drop. She let him nearing when he reached three meters from the tree she screamed and threw the body of his companion right behind him

the middle-aged rank one guard heard the scream and felt something above behind him, he didn't think and threw a punch upwards.

smash he felt a soft sensation when he realized it was a defenseless body.

he knew it was too late, but still screamed "INTRUD-"

Zhi Rui jumped off the tree at the moment he punched the body behind him and swung her mace downwards in his head.

When she reached the ground she felt a gaze on her.

ten meter behind the dead man was a slim saber wielding man.

He looked at her coldly.

Zhi Rui spat on the dead man's corpse"annoying, you should die silently."

she was sneering, but her situation was not good, the man ahead of her obviously know martial arts, and the saber is one of the fastest.

unable to ambush him, the only option is to fight him head-on, but Zhi Rui still hadn't strengthened her body, she cannot follow his speed.

Zhi Rui stared as the man slowly walked in her direction wielding his saber horizontally at shoulder length, her heart rate went higher at each step.

suddenly she thought of something, grinning her excitement grew

the answer made her head lighter. against the Saberman's predictions.

Zhi Rui suddenly laughed upwards and burst forward in the man's direction with her mace. her green eyes become red, madness all over her face.

The man was cautious. He observed her speed and how much steps it would take to reach him. he stood on his defensive stance, staring at the mad woman running in his direction.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHH" Zhi Rui screamed when she reached him

The man also reacted, when she was in three steps range, he took a step of his own and swung his saber horizontally at her neck, everything calculated, the saber tip went exactly where it is supposed to be, the sound of flesh being cut the smell of blood everything was as planned.

except, the saber got stuck instead of cut through.

He blinked, then he saw the sky for a brief moment, as his vision went down again he saw, his saber struck from her shoulder to her forearm then he saw her heavy mace coming downwards with her other hand, then he saw nothing more.

"If a long fight will kill you, then you should bet everything on a single move"

Zhi Rui was sweating, if he wasn't influenced by her scream he would realize, what was a three-step distance was actually two.

with her illusion blue flame altering the light making him calculate the wrong distance was simple, but martial arts people are a different breed.

so she screamed to throw him off, then he took a step. now the distance between them was a mere step, which she used to block his attack with her arm and since the distance was different so was the strength, thus her bones were able to block the saber.

Zhi Rui took the saber off her arms, and her wounds started burning with the moth's blue flame slowly healing her arm.

Zhi Rui looked all around her and couldn't help but think,

'the night is just starting.'