The sun hung lazily in the sky, casting golden rays down upon a winding mountain path.
A row of horse-drawn carriages snaked its way along the narrow trail, each belonging to the esteemed Sect, their banners fluttering with pride and prestige.
Inside the lead carriage, Hei Long sat cross-legged, one hand casually resting on the window sill, while his other arm was being clung to—by not just one, but three of his sectmates.
On his right was Bai Luoluo, pretending to polish her mechanical crossbow while sneakily glancing at him every five seconds.
On his left was Ji Yao, her shoulder gently brushing his as she quietly "rested" her head, acting like it was an accident for the third time.
"...So this is my life now," Hei Long muttered to himself.
"You were saying something?" Bai Luoluo asked sharply.
"Nothing, just... contemplating the rise of power and the fall of privacy."
Suddenly, the curtain of their carriage swung open.
"Hahahaha! Behold!"
Lin Fan's voice echoed proudly.
He stood atop his carriage like a self-declared warlord, arms outstretched in a "cool" pose... until the horse stumbled, the carriage jolted, and Lin Fan screamed, doing a perfect backflip and crashing face-first into a pile of manure by the road.
The guards reined in their laughter.
Bai Luoluo blinked.
Ji Yao winced. The Master cackled.
Hei Long didn't even look.
"...Five seconds," he muttered. "A new record."
"Don't worry, I'm fine!!" Lin Fan yelled as he pulled himself out, only to slip again, this time falling flat on his back.
His chicken beast, who was perched on the top of the carriage, cawed and flapped down, landing on his chest.
The chicken pooped on him.
The convoy had made decent progress until the road turned into a narrow pass flanked by forest. Suddenly—
BOOM!
A tree collapsed ahead, blocking the path.
Bandits?
No. Something worse.
Spirit Beasts.
A group of Razor-Scaled Boars—massive, tusked beasts that loved attacking traveling sects—emerged from the woods with grunts and growls.
The elders leaped down to defend, but Mu Qianxue, who was on top of her own carriage (and already half drunk), waved her bottle.
"Let the disciples take care of it! Consider it... training!"
The beasts charged.
Hei Long stepped out, cracking his knuckles.
"Let's make this quick—"
"I got this!" Lin Fan interrupted, vaulting off his seat and sprinting ahead.
"My moment to shine!"
He ran up to the largest boar, shouting, "I've learned secret martial arts in solitude! Prepare to witness greatness!!"
He launched a palm strike at the boar's head.
Thud.
Nothing.
The boar blinked.
Then it sneezed, launching Lin Fan through a bush, into a pond, and face-first into a lily pad.
"...I-I meant to do that!" he coughed.
Meanwhile...
Hei Long yawned and called his beast: a powerful, elegant Black Ember Tiger Cub.
"Go."
It vanished in a blink, reappeared behind the lead boar, and kicked it into the air, where it spun three times and crashed into its friends like bowling pins.
The rest of the beasts fled in terror.
Ji Yao clapped quietly.
Bai Luoluo rolled her eyes but was clearly impressed.
Mu Qianxue whistled from her perch. "That's my disciple!"
Lin Fan emerged, soaking wet. "I–I distracted them so Hei Long could strike! See?! Teamwork!"
"Sure," Bai Luoluo muttered.
"Of course," Ji Yao added.
"...Don't talk to me," Mu Qianxue snarled.
The chicken cawed and pecked Lin Fan on the head.
As the sun set, the disciples and elders set up camp near a hot spring.
Hei Long's tent, of course, was unusually luxurious thanks to the obsession, while Lin Fan's looked like it was made of leaves and prayers.
Inside Hei Long's tent, the girls gathered around him again.
Ji Yao was pouring tea, Bai Luoluo was fixing one of his gauntlets, and Mu Qianxue was gently massaging his shoulders while humming.
Outside, Lin Fan stared at them through the tent flap.
"...I hate my life," he muttered.
His chicken flapped onto his head.
"Not now," he grumbled. "I need to focus... Tomorrow, I'll prove I'm the real chosen one!"
Just then, the chicken pecked him again, this time right in the eye.
"AGH!"
.
.
.
The stars twinkled overhead, the fire crackled warmly, and the once-lively camp had fallen into a quiet lull.
Most of the disciples were curled up in their tents, resting before the last leg of their journey to Ocean City.
The guards rotated shifts, standing vigil on the outer rim of the camp.
Hei Long rested against a tree near the edge of the flames, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded in silent meditation.
His Black Ember Tiger Cub lay coiled by his feet, watching the night like a little demon cat.
Bai Luoluo had stubbornly chosen a spot across from him, fiddling with her tools under the guise of maintenance, but every now and then she'd peek up at him.
Ji Yao lay inside her small, neat tent... her eyes open.
She glanced at Hei Long's silhouette through the thin fabric, a faint warmth rising to her cheeks.
Meanwhile, Lin Fan had made his tent in the back—far from the others.
He was still sulking about the day's humiliation.
"Tomorrow will be different..." he whispered, hugging his pillow.
"I'll get stronger... they'll see."
Then—CRACK!
A twig snapped in the woods.
Another one.
And then—
"AAAAAAAH!"
A scream from one of the outer guards.
Everyone sat up in an instant.
From the forest emerged a dozen figures, dressed in black cloaks, faces covered with crude masks, their weapons glinting in the moonlight.
Rusted sabers, jagged spears, and short swords—these weren't spirit cultivators.
They were real-world cutthroats, hardened bandits used to robbing weak sects on the road.
"Alright, boys," one growled. "Bind 'em all up! Take the girls first—"
He didn't get to finish his sentence.
CRUNCH.
Hei Long's boot drove straight into his face, shattering his mask—and half his jaw—with one kick.
Everyone froze.
"...You done talking?" Hei Long asked coldly.
The bandits looked around.
One screamed. "He's just one guy, kill him!!"
Big mistake.
Hei Long vanished in a blur—reappearing in the middle of the group.
His elbow crashed into the chest of one bandit, sending him flying into a tree with a crunch.
Another swung a rusty blade—only for Hei Long to twist his wrist, rip the sword from his hand, and stab him in the foot with his own weapon.
A third tried to flee.
Hei Long threw a rock.
BOOM. Skull cracked.
The rest were screaming now, running in circles.
Bai Luoluo and Ji Yao stepped out of their tents to the sound of groaning men.
Ji Yao blinked.
"...Is it over already?"
Hei Long stood amid the broken bodies of the bandits, tossing one aside like garbage.
Blood stained the grass. His tiger cub casually pounced on a groaning man trying to crawl away.
"Amateurs," Hei Long muttered.
Then—
"W-Wait for me!!" Lin Fan stumbled out of the bushes, dragging his chicken beast along, and gripping a wooden sword.
He stopped in place as he saw the battlefield.
One of the bandits was moaning, reaching for a knife.
Lin Fan screamed.
"AHH! BACK, FOUL DEMON!"
He threw the wooden sword.
It bonked the bandit harmlessly on the head.
The man didn't even flinch.
Hei Long raised a brow.
"You hid during the attack?"
"I–I was scouting the area for a sneak attack! That's why I wasn't here!" Lin Fan shouted.
"Sure," Bai Luoluo said, disgusted.
"Brave of you to show up after everyone's unconscious," Ji Yao added with a sigh.
Lin Fan looked around, suddenly realizing all the girls were staring at him like he was a pathetic worm.
The chicken beast cawed in agreement.
Hei Long turned to him and said, "You should've stayed in the tent. At least then you wouldn't have embarrassed yourself more."
"Y-You all think I'm useless..." Lin Fan said, fists shaking.
"You said it. Not us," Hei Long replied, casually wiping the blood off his knuckles with a bandit's shirt.
Lin Fan turned and stormed off, muttering curses under his breath.
Once he was gone, Bai Luoluo muttered, "At least the bandits had weapons. What's his excuse?"
Hei Long chuckled and sat down on the nearest rock.
"Try to get some rest," he said to the group.
"We move at dawn."
"Are you not even tired?" Ji Yao asked softly.
"Nope. That was like a midnight snack," Hei Long replied.
The two girls sat nearby—just a bit closer than before—while Lin Fan, in the shadows, sobbed into his pillow again, whispering, "I'll get stronger... I'll get stronger..."
His chicken pooped on his head again.