A Mysterious Encounter

East Village was tucked into a peaceful valley at the foot of Mount Hua, flanked by dense woods on the other side. Rice terraces stretched all over the rolling hills, laden with their heavy harvest, stirring in the breeze like a golden sea as we made our way to the village elder's house.

I had only been off Mount Hua a handful of times over the past five years, and most of them were for herb gathering in remote mountains. A commoner's life seemed like a faraway memory for me, frozen into the past since I was thirteen, and it felt good to see such scenery that reminded me of my old home. Bai Ye was right—this was a wonderful change.

Contrary to my lightened mood, the village elder greeted us with a tightly knitted brow. "I would welcome all of you with a feast, as is the tradition here …" he croaked, "but few hunters are braving the woods these days with the demons lurking around. My deepest apologies."

"We appreciate the thought, Elder," Xie Lun replied with a bow. "Though we are here to help, not to be received with formalities. Has the situation worsened since last week?"

The elder sighed, and his brow knitted further. "The beasts returned as soon as the immortal cultivator left last time. Stronger, hungrier. More of them. We are fortunate that they seem to stay within the forest so far, but if their appetite grows bigger …" He closed his eyes, as if afraid to imagine the worst possibilities.

"Does anyone know what they are drawn to?" Xie Lun asked. "Any particular location or animals?"

The elder shook his head. "Our hunters have seen dead wolves and bears scattered all over the woods. Fully grown bears and wolves larger than a person. These demons are savage … And they don't discriminate."

Everyone exchanged looks between one another. Non-targeted attacks like this were unusual. "We should probably check out the forest," Qi Lian suggested.

"Please be cautious," the elder warned. "I wish I could send a guide along with you … but no one dares venture there anymore. All I can say is to stay along the creek on the west side, and you should soon see what's left of a small pack of wolves from last week."

"Thank you for your advice, Elder," Xie Lun said. "Please rest assured that we will find a solution to this matter."

~ ~

The woods were vast. We heeded the elder's advice and followed the creek, but two hours passed, and there was still no sign of either demons or their damages.

"Should we break off and search in different directions?" Zhou Ziyang finally broke his silence and asked. "It shouldn't take this long to find those dead wolves. Maybe the elder remembered it wrong."

"And I don't sense anything unusual in this area," Qi Lian added. "No fluctuations in spiritual power, no disturbances in yin-yang, or—"

He quieted at a rustle behind us. We all turned, our hands reaching for our swords.

A villager's figure emerged from behind a big oak tree overgrown with vines. He carried a large bow and a full quiver, dressed in a dark brown that blended in with the tree trunk. "E-Easy, easy …" he said as he raised both arms in a submissive gesture at the sight of us. "I'm just a hunter, swordsmen."

"You are from East Village?" Xie Lun asked, keeping his hand on the sword hilt. We all understood the meaning behind his question: we were already two hours away from the village, and the elder had told us that few ventured into the forest these days. It didn't seem natural to run into a hunter so deep in the dangerous woods.

"I live here," the hunter replied. "In the woods. I have a cabin that I built in the glades for myself, though I do sell hides at East Village every market day."

Xie Lun's skeptical gaze swept the hunter up and down. "If you live in the woods … Have you encountered anything peculiar here in the past few weeks?"

"You mean the demons that the villagers are talking about?" The hunter shook his head. "I've seen more dead wolves than usual in the past weeks, yes, but that's just the way of the wild. I don't believe in demons. If those things exist around here, I would've been long dead."

I watched the hunter carefully as he spoke. His words all made sense, and his story fit the circumstances. But something seemed off about him, something that I couldn't put my finger on.

"You've seen those dead wolves?" Xie Lun asked. "Do you remember where they were?"

"The most recent ones aren't far from here," the hunter said. "If you'd like to see them, I can lead the way."

Xie Lun was hesitant. His caution wasn't without good reason—certain high-level demons were known to be able to transform into human figures, and if this was one of them trying to lure us to its den …

I studied the hunter again. He was waiting for our response quietly, arms crossed, eyes level on Xie Lun. I finally realized what it was that alarmed me: even though I didn't sense any malice from the hunter, his air didn't match that of a villager. He was too poised, showing not a hint of unease discussing demons with five sword-bearing strangers. The way he regarded us was too casual, lacking the usual awe and slight fear that commoners typically treated cultivators with.

And the way he carried himself was too proper. Too … graceful.

That thought suddenly shocked me. It couldn't be …

As if he heard my suspicions, the hunter darted a glance my way. When our eyes met, I caught a glimpse of the look in his dark pupils that I couldn't be more familiar with.

It was Bai Ye.