Perceived/Perceiving

The girl trembled from fear, the emotion apparent to Re'Kha in her perception, for she could see the lines forming the girl's body shiver despite the interference. "Insurgent?"

Re'Kha realised the target of their hunt was her by the conversation. Thanks to the Wind Qi perception, she could listen in on their voices without trouble, as if they were speaking right beside her.

She watched the girl enter the settlement through the open gate—that had been opened when the populace rushed out in a hurry to escape the pursuit of the beasts and animals—and walk about a fair distance when she screamed in fright.

The pouch in her hands dropped to the floor while her hands proceeded towards her eyes, digging them out. She dropped her two eyeballs to the floor and slowly walked towards a nearby house's entrance, unable to escape from the control of the Kalhas.

Re'Kha dared not watch further, afraid she would gaze at the Kalhas, muttering in helplessness, "Sorry, I'm not in a position to save others."

The moment they heard her scream, one of the men on horseback dropped another rucksack to the ground, opening the cover to reveal another girl. He looked at her, speaking in a cold tone, showing a pouch to her, "There is a pouch similar to his thrown a bit beyond the entrance. Only gaze at the ground while you walk, don't look anywhere else. Bring back the pouch and we would set you free, this I vow on my honour."

The girl was convinced as she headed into the settlement through the west gate, found the pouch, dared not look anywhere else, and slowly returned. Since it was still raining, the Kalhas hadn't moved, thereby not generating any sounds to affect her. The rain also washed away all sorts of smells, making it a relatively safer journey for her.

The girl returned the pouch and was set free. Her gait showed that she hadn't been expecting it, soon breaking into a sprint to run in a direction she deemed safe. On seeing that the girl was proceeding east, Re'Kha heaved a sigh of relief, "At least, if she doesn't come across any danger, there is a small chance she would make it to one of the settlements."

The man then summoned his Pranic Avatar, holding the pouch before it. The Nerou touched the pouch with its tongue, seemingly sensing something. The man who had summoned it commented, "She hasn't approached this gate."

"That's a Nerou," Re'Kha screamed in shock, "What are people from a major clan doing here? No, even if I was a Martial Master, I am still unworthy of being their target."

"Or…" She muttered, "Were they nurtured in a different Clan after being kidnapped by birth? Through generations, they were nurtured into loyal underlings of the concerned Clan and kept hidden?"

Both the possibilities spelled disaster for her. If it was the former, it meant the background of the people that targeted her were beyond what she could handle. Using their power and network, reaping her life was easy. The strength of a Harmoniser wasn't that powerful to dominate a group of people.

With enough skill, even a normal person could kill a Harmoniser.

If it was the latter, it meant the Clan had enough foundation to dare kidnap a member of such a powerful Clan and cultivate them in secret until forming a group using them. Moreover, the group in pursuit of her were twenty people, twenty Harmonisers experts in the field of tracking individuals.

"Even if I escape now, they could pursue my traces easily. And, even if I return to the safety of my Clan, considering the power struggle happening in it, there is a chance I would have to move out of the Clan to perform some mission. They would have more than enough opportunities to kill me then." Re'Kha frowned.

Her expression hardened, tinged with killing intent, "I guess, the only option to free myself is to kill them. But, how do I kill them? I don't know any Pranic Arts in the wind and wood elements. And, I cannot use my water element Pranic Arts while keeping my Wind Qi perception active."

She sulked, sensing the Qi in her, "I have only managed to recover three units of Qi, which are only enough to unleash three palm projections. I need 6 units of Qi to unleash my hand projection and 10 units of Qi to summon my Pranic Avatar."

A meal, after digestion, would generate a unit worth of Qi in her. After consuming medicines and stuffing herself full whenever possible and at regular intervals, she had only managed to recover three units of Qi. Her maximum capacity was 12 units of Qi.

"They all seem like powerful individuals. So, their Qi capacity should vary between 15-30 units. Their leader might even have around 40 units of Qi or beyond. And, they can all summon their Pranic Avatars to boot." She sighed, recalling something as she focused on the breach.

As they finished their investigation, all the people on horseback converged as the leader gazed at the sky, "So, she is within this settlement, either dead or under the control of the Kalhas."

He then motioned for them to move, "We'll retreat and return when it starts to rain again."

As their group began to retreat, Re'Kha noted down their direction, noticing that the rain was about to stop. The leader's words had given her an idea. Unwilling to waste her time, Re'Kha retracted her perception, stopping at the spot before the entrance of the house she had taken refugee within.

Her perception trailed over the body of the serpent, moving further and further up, slow in its passage, careful, unwilling to act with haste. Re'Kha crouched, placing most of her head within the space swirling with Water Qi, only leaving a tiny portion peeking outside. It was through where she extender her Wind Qi perception.

As her perception moved forward, optic nerves similar to fibrous roots appeared, scattered over the serpent's skin. Re'Kha gulped as her heart thumped with tension, her limbs unconsciously shivering as her mind felt weak. She gritted her teeth, mustering every ounce of courage in her as she moved her perception slightly forward, watching the figure of a Kalha come into view.

Its eyeball moved; the moment she perceived it, it perceived her in return, gazing at her as its optic nerves flailed about.