On this bright and peaceful forest road, neither Zhang Wei nor Mei Yan expected danger lurking in the shadows. After all, this path was used daily by villagers—any threats should have been cleared out long ago.
Zhang Wei was walking casually when he heard something rustle behind the tree line. The sound was faint, but his trained senses caught it immediately. When he looked up, his suspicions proved correct.
A man with wild, messy hair and a dagger clutched in his trembling hand burst from the undergrowth, rushing toward them like a rabid animal. His clothes were torn and dirty, his eyes filled with desperate madness.
Zhang Wei didn't recognize this attacker, but the intent was clear—this man wanted to hurt them. That made him an enemy.
Taking a step forward to shield Mei Yan, Zhang Wei raised his right arm. Wind began swirling around his hand, invisible but sharp as any blade. Even without his sword, he was far from helpless.
Buzz!
Power flowed through his shoulders and arms, veins standing out slightly against his muscles as magical energy coursed through his body.
"Die!" both fighters shouted at the same moment.
A bright yellow light flared around Mei Yan like a protective barrier, while Zhou Jin's face twisted with murderous rage.
The bandit felt a sudden rush of wind slash across his face, followed by an overwhelming sense of danger that made his skin crawl. From the corner of his eye, he saw the weaponless boy he'd dismissed raising his arm and bringing it down like an executioner's blade.
The attack hadn't even landed yet, but Zhou Jin could already feel the razor-sharp wind cutting at his exposed skin.
This boy... he wants to take my head off?!
"You're looking for death!" Zhou Jin roared, his voice cracking with fury.
Suddenly, his arms began to swell and grow. Coarse hair sprouted across his skin as his fingernails extended into sharp, curved claws. His human hands transformed into something far more dangerous.
"Wolf Transformation," he snarled through gritted teeth.
This was a magical technique taught to him by a traveler years ago in exchange for a simple cup of water. It was also the reason he'd managed to reach the adept realm and terrorize the countryside for so long.
The technique allowed the user to transform parts of their body into that of a wolf at will. It was easy to learn and quick to master—you simply had to eat raw meat during each full moon. The only drawback was that the user's power was cut in half during daylight hours.
But even with that limitation, it had given him the strength to become a bandit leader. It was also why he'd been collecting protection money from villages—he needed the gold to buy fresh meat to fuel his dark cultivation.
"I'll crush every bone in your body!" Zhou Jin's eyes gleamed with evil madness as he glared at the young man protecting the girl.
His legs began to change as well, muscles swelling and hair sprouting as they took on bestial proportions. The dagger shifted in his now-inhuman grip, redirecting toward Zhang Wei's heart.
"Since you want to die so badly, I'll grant your wish!"
The transformed bandit lunged forward, his beast-like claws wrapped around the dagger's handle, aiming straight for Zhang Wei's chest.
From above came Zhang Wei's hand in a chopping motion, wind swirling around it like water breaking around a diving fish. From below rose Zhou Jin's sinister, hairy claw, reaching up like a demon's hand emerging from the depths of hell.
He wants to trade injuries with me? Zhang Wei's eyes narrowed as he analyzed the attack pattern.
"Not a chance. I'm nobility—why would I exchange wounds with scum like you?"
Though he spoke with confidence, Zhang Wei had no intention of retreating. The reason was simple: he didn't need to.
Because...
...I'm faster.
More wind gathered behind his hand, and additional currents wrapped around his entire body, making his movements swift and fluid. The air itself seemed to part before him, reducing resistance and increasing his speed.
Swish!
In a flash that left Zhou Jin's shocked eyes wide with disbelief, Zhang Wei's hand fell before he could even react.
What?! Impossible!
In desperation, Zhou Jin tried to grow thick wolf fur and tough hide around his neck as protection while simultaneously twisting his body to dodge. His right leg pushed against the ground, trying to throw him sideways.
But it was already too late.
"No!" he screamed.
With the roar of splitting wind, Zhang Wei's hand descended like divine judgment.
Slash!
Crack!
In less than a second, skin folded and tore, cut cleanly in half along with the bone hidden beneath. The wolf transformation offered no protection against such precise, magically enhanced force.
"Gkkk!" Zhou Jin's final sound escaped his throat as he collapsed to the forest floor.
Boom!
The earth within five meters trembled slightly from the impact, and dust rose in a small cloud around the fallen body.
"Cough... cough... is he dead?" Mei Yan emerged from behind her protective barrier, golden light still flickering around her entire form. She held a large rock in her hands, positioned as if she'd been ready to hurl it at the attacker.
"He should be," Zhang Wei replied, flexing his hand. A similar golden light surrounded his figure—apparently Mei Yan had extended her protection to cover him just before his final strike landed.
As the dust settled, the gruesome scene became clear. In the center lay a headless figure, and where the neck should have been, the ground was scarred with a gouge at least three inches deep and ten inches long. The force of the wind blade had carved into the earth itself.
Zhang Wei spotted something round lying in the grass nearby and looked away quickly.
"He's definitely dead now," he said with certainty.
Mei Yan lowered the rock with shaking hands, her face pale but determined. "I've never seen him before," she whispered. "But... he was trying to kill us, wasn't he? The way he looked at me..." She shuddered.
"It seems you offended this guy in the past. "
"What did he say earlier?... A gang? Now that I think about it... this is the gang leader of those thugs!"
The golden light around both of them began to fade as Mei Yan's protective magic dissipated. Birds that had fallen silent during the brief battle began chirping again, as if nature itself was sighing in relief.
"We should head back to the village," Zhang Wei suggested. "The villagers need to know about this, and someone should collect the bounty."
Mei Yan nodded, still staring at the aftermath. "You're right."
As they turned to leave the scene behind, Mei Yan's voice was quiet but resolved. "I'm glad you were here, Ethan. If I'd been alone..."
"But you weren't alone," he replied firmly. "And that protective barrier you cast—it was perfectly timed. We make a good team."
Despite the violence they'd just witnessed, Mei Yan found herself smiling slightly at the compliment. The spring could wait for another day. Right now, they had a village to warn and a story to tell.
"Oh wait… how about Ela?"
"…Since that guy is already dead, and as the leader, then no one should come here anymore. Let's continue towards the spring and go back to the village after a while."
Their chatter drifted through the forest, light and unbothered, as though the brutal fight moments ago had never taken place.