"It's almost evening. How about you rest here first?" said Uncle Jack, gazing at the sky as it began to fill with twinkling stars.
"No, I have to join the combined forces for tomorrow's journey. Meanwhile, Yuntao will wait near the gate of the Spirit Hunting Forest tomorrow. Or you could come with us now," Su Jin replied, then offered Arthur the chance to return to Nuoding City.
"No, I'll stay here. But how about Yuntao stays too? I want to see his abilities before we actually enter the Spirit Hunting Forest," Arthur answered.
After weighing the options, Su Jin gave his permission. "Alright, but don't overdo it. Also, Yuntao, don't cause any trouble at someone else's house," Su Jin warned, patting Su Yuntao on the shoulder.
"Big brother, why didn't you ask for my opinion first? Hey, listen to me!" Yuntao shouted, but Arthur quickly held him back from chasing after his brother. Su Jin just waved at his younger brother and left with his horse-drawn carriage, unaware of what would happen in the future.
After watching his brother ride off into the distance, Yuntao felt something different than usual. Even though he was often left behind for missions, this time there was a strange feeling he couldn't explain. Arthur quickly snapped him out of his daze and invited him to head to the mountain peak to gauge his combat skills and instincts.
Meanwhile, Arthur asked Jing Liu to gather the young people and adults with Uncle Jack's help, in order to come up with a plan to build a fence out of tree trunks. Although in the original story, the village was never said to be attacked, perhaps it was because Tang Hao—who lived in the village—was secretly protecting it from outside threats. Despite being portrayed as an irresponsible drunkard, he surely wouldn't just stand by and watch the people who gave him a place to live and helped take care of his son.
On the other side, Arthur and Yuntao walked along a path that was beginning to grow dark, heading toward the mountain peak. Arthur intended to see how Yuntao would react in unexpected situations.
Suddenly, he stopped.
Silence. Only the sound of the night wind sweeping through dry leaves. Then—crack—the sound of a snapping twig came from the bushes on the left.
Yuntao froze instantly. His eyes widened, his body stiffening like a startled cat. His hand quickly moved to his waist—then hesitated for a moment, as if forgetting what to do. With quick reflexes, he pulled Arthur to hide behind the nearest tree. His voice rose, nearly a whisper, "A-Arthur, it's okay... I'll protect you!"
He looked left and right rapidly, one after the other. His breathing started to grow ragged, even though there was no real danger yet. It wasn't an overreaction—this was the result of the past year of training. It's just that his mind hadn't yet learned to manage that sense of alertness calmly.
Arthur glanced at Yuntao and saw that he reacted fairly well. Then he said the sound was just him accidentally kicking a stone into a branch. Yuntao was silent for a moment, but he still held tightly onto Arthur's arm, his eyes continuing to scan the surroundings. Only after making sure the situation was safe did he let out a relieved sigh, then scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Sorry... things lately have kept me on edge. But that's exactly what they taught me back in the Spirit Hall, when out in the wild," Su Yuntao said softly, his voice almost drowned out by the cold night wind.
TO BE CONTINUED...