A silver snake of an arrow hissed down from the ridge, its passage so swift it was nearly indecipherable.
[Projectile Detected — Distance: 46 meters. Speed: 52 m/s [about to hit the estimated surface]]
Lin Xuan didn't think. He shifted half a step and the shaft sailed through the space his head had just been in. It had landed with a sickening, vicious thunk, which meant it was buried somewhat in the dirt.
The following burst of three arrows came with a cadence — one low, one high, one through the middle of his chest.
[Skill Detection: Triple Point Volley — Intermediate Archery Technique. Acquire?] "Yes."
Angles, rhythm, that timing on the draw — it all seared through his brain. Lin Xuan's physical reaction took place before his consciousness could respond, bending his waist so that the high shaft cut past his ear; raising one leg and twisting so that the low arrow passed by not far from it; turning his body around so that the last strike barely brushed across.
Perfect triangle cut-out into the ground by shafts.
The Enemy Appears
Six dark figures darted over the ridge before them — legates in their street grays, gray leather travel gear, hoods drawn tight so that only eyes and cheeks could be seen. Short weapons with black-limbed bows, made for fighting at close-quarters.
A tall man with a scar like a claw mark across his jaw, who led by raising one hand. The rest of them fanned out almost casually, as if they had drilled together for years.
[Threat Assessment: Group discipline — High. Fighting style: ranged suppression with melee finishing. Cultivation range: Qi Gathering — Qi Cultivation (Mid-High)]
Yun Ruo had stopped beside him, sharp eyes fixed on the formation in front of her. "Not bandits."
"No," Lin Xuan agreed. "Too clean. Too coordinated."
The First Push
Meanwhile, two gray-clad archers pulled back and fired in unison — a suppression tactic to keep them from moving. The other four pulled knives and moved in a broken line.
[Broken Crescent Formation] (Low-grade group tactic. Acquire?) "Yes."
It took him a moment to understand the weakness of this new formation, but when he did it was immediately obvious — they were too close together, and as soon as their allies engaged in melee combat with their enemies, the gaps between soldiers formed into narrow blind spots where one archer could not reach his enemy while another had his line to the same foe blocked by an exposed back.
"Get in the archers' blind spots," Lin Xuan responded, moving up towards a melee fighter. Yun Ruo's brow twitched a little at his tone, but she still followed.
Steel in the Open
The first melee, a low-croucher with a curved blade in hand.
[Crescent Fang Slash (Low): Skill Activated Acquire?] "Yes."
The man gave a cry of surprise and swung the blade, but Xuan caught his wrist and deftly twisted into the crook of his arm, sending him tumbling towards his other ally. The second fighter cursed, surrendered ground, and cut again — but Yun Ruo was there, batting away the blade with only her bare palm.
Every motion of hers was on point and minimal — no wasted movements, no superfluous gestures. She kept allowing Lin Xuan to dominate.
Countering the Archers
An arrow whistled by, close enough to ruffle his hair.
[System Prompt: Suggest buy — Snap Deflection (Mid-grade archery counter). Yes.]
Bending, he picked up one of the arrows that had fallen and used the same motion for his whip-fast flick. The shaft intercepted the oncoming arrow in mid-flight, knocking it off into the scrub.
The leader's eyes narrowed. "Kill him first," he barked.
From that yellow square of light, three archers focused their attention on Lin Xuan.
Close-Quarters Chaos
He sprinted, Flowing Reed Step carrying him away from their rhythm. Arrows thunking into dirt and pine trunks around him, one set a puff of smoke to his sleeve; another caught him hard enough in the shoulder for the shot to sting.
The first archer closest to Lin Xuan had only just holstered his bow for one of the short swords on his hip before the commanding general crashed into him.
[Skill Identified: Short Sword Rush (Low)] Acquire?) "Yes."
Short exchange — block, step in with palm to the jaw, knee kick. The man went down hard.
When the second archer tried to go back, Yun Ruo appeared with a flash of movement and snapped the man to his temple. He crumpled like wet paper.
The Leader Moves
Now, the scar-jawed leader forwent his bow — sheathing twin hook blades with contours that caught what little light it passed.
[Skill Detected: Twin Hook Reaper Style (Mid-grade) Acquire?] "Yes."
It was meant to be a disabling, hooking tool that would yank an adversary into the arc of the second blade. But dangerous — if you knew the breaks.
It was a quick clash, as the hooked arrow leaped toward Lin Xuan's wrist. He let the first slide off of his vambrace, caught the second with his own blade, and turned the man's own pull into a side-step that threw him off balance.
Unfortunately, the leader was fast and rebounded, wheeling around in a counter hook that barely missed Lin Xuan's ankle.
Yun Ruo's Test
She was still withholding — observing, evaluating. Occasionally she looked long enough to notice a twist or turn in Lin Xuan's footwork, his well-timed reactions as the moves flowed just perfectly.
"Ten breaths, you have." She said it flatly. "PROVE IT BEFORE I WAN DEAD." — That guy
No pressure, then.
Breaking the Formation
[System Prompt: Group Coordination 63% Left. Suggest priority — leader disabled to break morale.]
Lin Xuan faked high, then used a low kick to strike at the leader's shin. He stepped inside the hooks on the hook that opened, twisting one blade away with Net-Knot Slip grip work and getting the other hooked under his arm as the man staggered. Then the man's head was wrenched back by an upward elbow.
The remaining fighters hesitated. Beneath her, Yun Ruo advanced and with an even tone not once did she yell or scream. "Get out. Or none of you do."
The wounded men all paled at the tone of her voice. One of the others put an arrow into that scared, loud leader who made a vain charge but which of them got this other one they must have known.
The Message Left Behind
Lin Xuan stooped to retrieve one of the arrows that lay there. It boasted black-dyed hawk fletching and was tipped with a minuscule etched crest on the shaft, in no way carved into an intricate raven.
Crest of the Black Talon Syndicate – multiple province active. [Database Match] [No stranger to assassination etc., tiered bounties, very ranged suppression oriented.]
Someone had paid for this.
Yun Ruo's gaze was sharp. "They weren't here for me."
"No," Lin Xuan said. "They were here for me."
Then she met his gaze in brief prostration. "Now whoever they are, whoever they wanted you to gain would know you were leaving. Remember that, we are on our way to the sect — the second you display talents, someone is already planning how to cut it off."
They went under the Stone Arch. The road ahead snaked off into the hills, the air turning cooler and tighter. Everything was perfectly calm against the ridge, not even a whisper of bird calls or leaves rustling.
[System Alert: Secondary pursuit detected. Estimated intercept in 3 hours. Unknown numbers.]
Lin Xuan glanced at Yun Ruo. She didn't look surprised.
"Still want to come?" she asked.
He smiled faintly. "Now I really want to see what's ahead."
Neither of them looked back as they continued, walking away from their past while the shadow cast by the ridgeline grew long across the tarmac.