Dawn burned in tones of fire.
Jiutian adjusted his robe, hiding his medallion beneath layers of plain cloth. Xiao Huli, still in her fox form, dozed in a small travel basket reinforced with spiritual concealment symbols. Her fur, though soft, emitted a faint lunar glow that was difficult to hide.
The Silent Moon Temple was three days away, across valleys sealed by ancient spiritual formations and passes where sunlight barely touched the ground.
They couldn't take common routes.
—We'll keep a low profile —Jiutian murmured, though his heart told him otherwise.
No sooner had they left the village of Jade Land than a strange presence began trailing them. Not along the ground… but from within the shadows of the forest. The mist that usually faded at dawn clung stubbornly to the path.
Jiutian tightened his grip on the hilt of his broken sword.
It didn't take long.
When they reached the Lotus Echo Bridge, a hooded figure stood waiting in the middle of the crossing.
—Beautiful morning, young cultivator —the figure said softly—. And a beautiful cargo you carry.
Jiutian didn't respond.
—That creature… do you even know what you're carrying in that basket?
—And do you know what you're chasing? —Jiutian shot back without breaking stride.
The figure let out a low laugh.
—I didn't come to fight. Only to warn you. Many eyes saw the lunar light. The balance is shifting. The great sects… the hidden clans… they won't allow a fragment of the Lunar Clan to awaken beyond their control.
Jiutian stopped walking.
—And you? Which clan do you serve?
—None… and all. —The figure raised a hand. On his palm was tattooed a three-winged butterfly: the emblem of the Silent Blood Mercenaries, hunters of sacred beasts and unique artifacts.
The man's Qi shifted. It became sharp, focused, like an invisible spear.
—Let me take the creature. You can go your way. I'll even pay you in celestial-grade spirit stones.
Jiutian didn't reply.
Instead, he moved the basket behind him. His eyes glowed with a golden aura. His Qi might have been incomplete, but his resolve was not.
—If you want to pass, you'll have to kill me.
—I don't need to kill you —the man said—. Just distract you.
And at that moment, three other figures emerged from the forest, hurling dark seals toward Xiao Huli.
But just as the seals touched the basket…
a silver explosion burst from within.
The attackers were thrown back by a wave of lunar energy.
From inside, Xiao Huli rose, still in her fox form, but with her eyes completely white and her fur flowing in the air like a flame of solid light. Her Qi surged instinctively. It wasn't conscious power; it was an ancestral defense embedded deep within her soul.
The symbols on the basket disintegrated.
The little fox floated a few inches above the ground.
The lunar marks beneath her fur ignited.
—Retreat! —one of the attackers shouted, already wounded by the radiance.
The four fled into the trees, leaving behind fragments of their seals and traces of cursed Qi.
Jiutian lowered his sword. His eyes, still alight from the clash, locked onto Xiao Huli with astonishment.
She descended slowly, her paws touching the earth, her body still bathed in a soft glow. She looked at him… and smiled with her eyes before staggering and collapsing.
He caught her in his arms.
—Thank you, Huli'er —he murmured—. But don't use that power again. Not yet. Not until you're ready.
He held her close against his chest.
And, for the first time, the name he had given her… ached deep in his heart.