The fire crackled faintly, but the surrounding woods had gone silent.
Li Feng sat against a tree, still as stone. He hadn't closed his eyes once. The night didn't feel right.
A shift in the wind. A tremor beneath the soil.
He opened his eyes.
Without a word, he stood.
The ground burst open—two massive serpent beasts erupted from the earth, their black scales glinting like obsidian under the moonlight.
Li Feng moved before they could strike.
He was a blur—fluid, silent.
One serpent lunged toward the sleeping figure beside the fire.
Li Feng grabbed Jin Yue by the waist, dragging him backward in a single motion as fangs pierced the ground where he had been.
Jin Yue gasped, dazed. "Wh—what?"
Li Feng didn't answer.
His sword was already in hand.
The air changed.
Cold. Sharp. Heavy.
One serpent struck again—Li Feng dodged. One step. One slice.
Its jaw hit the ground with a thud.
The second beast hissed and coiled.
Jin Yue stumbled to his feet, wide-eyed.
Li Feng stepped in front of him, wordless.
The serpent lunged.
Li Feng didn't flinch.
Steel flashed. A single, clean arc.
The beast fell.
Blood soaked into the earth. Silence returned.
Li Feng sheathed his sword slowly, his face blank, unreadable.
Jin Yue stared at him. "You… you didn't even hesitate."
Li Feng turned slightly, expression indifferent.
"Next time," he said, voice low and cold, "don't sleep so carelessly."
He walked back to his place by the tree, never once looking back.
Jin Yue remained standing, staring at the twin corpses sprawled across the clearing. His heart raced—not from the battle, but from the man who had ended it.
Who is he really?
How many times has he done this before?
The fire hissed. Li Feng said nothing.
And above them, the forest held its breath.