The night of the Full Moon was quick approaching, and Red needed to make preparations. First, he needed a proper, isolated place to cultivate.

In the past, the youth went to the edge of the forest where the shining Moonstone Energy wouldn’t catch anyone’s attention. This was getting harder as the town expanded, and Red was forced to keep searching for places where he could cultivate in peace.

He didn’t want to go too deep into the forest, as that might catch the attention of the necromancer or the Curse Breakers. However, he didn’t know what would happen next with this plan of his, and with so much happening in town, staying close to the settlement wasn’t necessarily a safer option, either.

‘I need a proper hideout.’

This was Red’s first idea. However, this was more easily said than done.

The problem wasn’t finding an isolated place in the forest, but rather finding an isolated place where the convergence of Moonstone Energy wouldn’t draw the attention of individuals from miles away. A cave, or something of the sort, was preferable, as the lunar gaze could still reach him even if he was dozens of meters beneath the earth.

However, caves weren’t too common in this forest.

‘Well, that’s not necessarily true.’

There was still the underground cave network the hawk spirit had dug for the trial. It should still be there, even if the entrances were now collapsed. With some effort, Red could find it, but that brought about another question.

Was it wise to wander that place by himself? What if there were still imperial agents down there? It was likely the necromancer was living there, too. It was too risky, much more so since Red wasn’t sure he would be able to defend himself.

‘Perhaps there’s another place I don’t know about.’

Red knew the forest very well, but there was still someone that knew the place better than him. A hunter who spent decades of his life exploring and hunting in this region.

Red decided to ask for his help.

…

“Why do you want to hide?” Rog asked with a frown.

The hunter was in the process of butchering a boar’s carcass with his knife on a table in the courtyard, but he stopped what he was doing and looked over at Red.

“I don’t want to be found.” Red said.

Rog just stared at him in silence.

Red sighed. “I need to do something that might bring a lot of attention to me, so I need some place to hide.”

“Can’t you do it here? No one’s going to bother you here.“

“Maybe a few years ago that would have been the case, but now… We both know it’s not that simple.”

With someone spying Hector, how would Red dare to cause a big ruckus and draw attention to himself?

Rog continued to frown. “You know the forest well.”

Red nodded. “Not as well as you, though.”

“You should still be able to find a good hiding place.”

“In normal case, I might have been able to. However, what I’m going to do will probably cause quite a commotion.”

“… What kind of commotion?”

“Bright flashing lights against the night sky.”

“Can’t you just find a dark cave for cover, then?”

Red shook his head. “It won’t help.”

There was an extended silence as Rog seemed to consider his words.

Rog grunted. “If these lights can’t be blocked, then there’s no hiding it, is there?”

“Maybe, but there are ways to make my location harder to discern and to give me a better escape route if someone does try to find me through these lights.” Red said. “That’s what I’m looking for.”

“Hm…” Rog scratched his beard. “There is a place like that. A small valley nearly bordering the Great Serpent Canyon. People tend to avoid that area because some monsters from the Canyon may wander there sometimes, but other than that, it’s very out of the way and isolated. A perfect place for hiding, if you don’t mind the danger.”

“… How far?”

“Three days travelling day and night.”

Red sighed. “I don’t suppose you will lead me there, will you?”

“You think I can just up and disappear from the sect for an entire week?” Rog shook his head. “I have responsibilities too.”

“Like what?”

“Like hunting and uh… Other stuff.” Rog shook his head. “Either way, if you really need my help, I can lead you there, I suppose. Hector won’t be too happy about it, though.”

Red hesitated. “… Just point the area to me on a map. It’s better if I do this alone, in any case.”

Rog shrugged. “If you say so.”

The hunter did as he promised and drew the rough location of this valley on a map for Red. It was to the northeast of the town, probably no more than a few kilometers away from the Great Serpent Canyon.

Generally, there was a hundred kilometer radius around the canyon where almost no human settlements existed. This was due to the fact there was not much of value in the area, and also because it wasn’t rare for the canyon monsters to wander around the area.

The town proper had some involvement in the mining operations at the borders of the canyon, but these were made in a joint operation with kingdom forces and other rogue cultivators. These people rarely visited their town, and mostly traveled directly to the kingdom’s capital if they ever wanted to leave the Canyon.

This meant that this strip of forest land right outside the canyon was almost uninhabited, and very few people wandered there. Red wondered how Rog had come across this valley he told him about, but the man just shrugged.

“I went exploring when I was younger and a lot stupider. I ended up getting chased by a giant albatross and found this valley I could hide in.”

Red didn’t press the hunter for any more details.

Once he was done gathering the information, he decided to speak to Hector and Domeron.

The three of them gathered in the meeting hall at night and sat around the table.

Hector was staring at Red with a suspicious gaze, while Domeron too seemed surprised.

“What did you do this time, kid?” Hector asked. “You never ask to speak with us unless you screwed something up.”

“It’s not the case this time.” Red shook his head. “I want to ask for a week’s leave.”

“Hm, a leave?” Hector seemed surprised. “For what?”

“I need to open one final acupoint.” Red said. “It’s inconvenient to do this here in town.”

The elder frowned. “Is there a need to go that far away from town for it, though?”

Red nodded. “If I want to be safe, then it’s for the best.”

There was a silence as the elder reflected on his words in silence.

Domeron was the one to speak up. “You know this is not a safe time to make lengthy trips out of town, Red.”

“I know, but it’s not like I have a choice.” the youth said, before turning around to look at Hector. “Is your friend still around?”

Red’s words had a deeper meaning, and judging by the elder’s sudden worsening in expression, he caught onto it.

Hector nodded with an ugly look. “Seems so. They are very stubborn, and don’t seem concerned at all about hiding their presence. Every time I walk outside, I can feel them staring at me.”

Red frowned. “You still can’t find them?”

The elder grunted. “If I could, would we still be having these problems? They are taunting me, and there’s nothing I can do about it!”

Red sighed. “At least they aren’t making a move.”

The presence of this stalker had been ongoing for a long while, but at the very least, they never attacked any members of the sect. Hector also told his sect members to not worry about being eavesdropped, as the elder had a way to stop anyone from listening to their conversations without his notice. Red wasn’t sure how he could keep his watch up the entire day, but Hector never once complained about fatigue, so the youth let the matter go.

“Either way, this is all the more reason why it’s a dumb idea to go out right now.” Hector said. “I can keep an eye on you and provide assistance while you’re in town, or even close by in the forest, but once you go too far, there’s nothing I can do against assassins or spies.”

Red nodded. “I understand, but as I said, this is not something I have a choice on.”

The youth was not a reckless individual, and his insistence on going ahead with this matter despite the risks obviously left Hector and Domeron troubled.

“You want to go alone?” Domeron asked.

“It’s for the best.” Red nodded.

This way, not only would he put only his own person at risk, but he would also be able to move about unnoticed. When it came to sneaking about, there was no one in the sect who was better than Red.

Not to mention, he had his crimson sense to help him, too.

Hector sighed. “If someone can risk going out there and surviving, it’s definitely you. However, you are not invincible. If you notice you’re being followed or see anything out of the ordinary, then you need to return to town at once. Whatever it is you’re doing is not worth more than your own life.”

Red nodded. “I will do my best.”

The youth was pleasantly surprised that there was not more resistance on Hector’s part, but then again, he had proven his capabilities in the past before. This trust placed in Red was earned over many years of effort and successful missions.

He excused himself from the meeting room and returned to his room.

Red made his preparations through the night, gathering a handful of talismans and his weapons. He planned to only carry a few items on his person, and as such, he had no plans to bring a travelling bag or any kind of supplies.

Someone who had opened all their veins could definitely last a week without water or food, but even that was pushing the limits of their improved body. Red, however, had more than just his spiritual veins to help him through fasting, and as he had tested in the past, he should be able to last a week without eating or drinking and still maintain close to full strength.

This was all thanks to the improved endurance he gained from the crimson mist, of course.

It was good as well, because Red didn’t plan to stop for even a second before he arrived at his destination. It was the only way he could assure no one would get on his trail while also shaking off any potential pursuers.

With all his preparations done, Red wore his cloak and walked out of room, wandering off like a ghost into the night.