The wind howled like a wounded beast.
Wen's horse slowed to a stop at the edge of the barren mountain range, its hooves grinding against pale, cracked earth. The sky above Qiluo Mountain churned with heavy clouds, swirling like a bruise spreading across the heavens.
Ji'an pulled his cloak tighter, exhaling a long, uneven breath.
"Damn… it really does look cursed."
Wen didn't reply.
His gaze was fixed on the mountain ahead — an enormous, skeletal silhouette cutting against the dying daylight. The trees here were lifeless, pale trunks twisted into unnatural shapes as if they had been choking on their own roots. The soil was gray, brittle like ash. Even the air tasted stale.
Two steps into Qiluo territory, and the world already felt wrong.
Wen reached into his sleeve, fingers brushing the small, wooden box — the very thing those kidnappers demanded. Its weight felt heavier with each passing hour.
Ji'an noticed. "You okay?" he asked quietly.
Wen didn't look at him. His voice was low, almost detached.
"I won't leave without him."
Ji'an swallowed hard, nodding.
"I know."
He glanced at Wen again — and the change in him was unmistakable. Wen's usual controlled calm had been stripped away, replaced by something rawer, sharper. His eyes, normally steady and disciplined, were burning like embers in the dark.
A man ready to walk through fire.
And kill, if needed.
---
They stepped deeper into the mountain's shadow. Each step seemed to echo unnaturally loud, swallowed by the oppressive quiet.
No birds.
No insects.
Not even the whisper of leaves.
Just silence — heavy, suffocating, watching.
Ji'an forced a laugh, though it came out thin. "This place gives me goosebumps. Can't believe the kidnappers chose this location."
Wen's jaw tightened.
"They're confident. And prepared."
The ground suddenly dipped — a narrow, sunken path lined with old stone pillars. Many were broken, half-buried in dirt, covered in strange carvings. Wen knelt near one and brushed the moss aside.
A symbol emerged.
Ji'an's eyes widened. "That's… the same mark from the assassins back then."
Wen's voice was cold.
"Which means this wasn't random. They've been watching us for months."
Ji'an clicked his tongue. "And we didn't notice. They're good."
Wen stood. "Not good enough to escape now."
His words didn't rise in volume, yet they seemed to slice through the air like steel.But he wouldn't had thought that what awaited him, however, was something he could never have imagined.
---
As they continued, Ji'an's gaze drifted ahead. "Do you think… Li Rong is somewhere in there?"
Wen's grip tightened around his reins.
"Alive," he said firmly. "He's alive. I would know if he weren't."
Ji'an didn't argue.
He remembered the way Wen had reacted upon reading the ransom note. The ink had barely dried when Wen's hands began to shake — the first crack in his composure Ji'an had ever seen.
He'd whispered only one thing:
"Rong… I'm coming."
Even now, the memory of it sank like a stone in Ji'an's chest.
---
After nearly an hour of climbing the mountain path, Ji'an suddenly halted.
"Wen. Look."
On the jagged stone wall, a fresh streak of red glistened under the faint light. Blood.
Wen stepped forward instantly. The smear was small, but unmistakably recent.
He touched it — still warm.
"Blood?" Ji'an whispered.
Wen's throat tightened. "Fresh one on that "
He followed the trail upward, but it abruptly stopped after only a few meters.
Cut off.
Wiped.
Ji'an breathed out shakily. "They're watching us. They want us to know we're close… but not too close."
Wen's expression darkened. "Then we'll make them regret showing mercy."
---
They continued deeper into the forest. The air grew colder, the mist thickening into a ghostly shroud. Ji'an walked with one hand hovering near the blade strapped to his waist.
A sudden branch snapped behind them.
Wen spun, eyes sharp.
"Who's there?"
The silence stretched.
Then—
A rustle.
A flicker of movement between the dead trees.
Ji'an hissed. "We're not alone."
Wen took a step forward, his voice icy-calm.
"Show yourselves."
No answer.
But the presence was real — a cold pressure at the back of their necks, like invisible eyes watching from every direction.
Wen exhaled slowly.
"They're herding us. They want us to reach a specific point."
"And if we don't follow the path?" Ji'an whispered.
Wen looked straight ahead.
"They'll attack."
Ji'an groaned. "Great. Love being treated like cattle."
---
At the foot of the mountain's inner ridge, the path widened into a clearing.
Small torches burned in a perfect circle — too perfect, too deliberate.
Wen and Ji'an exchanged a look.
"This is it," Ji'an muttered.
Wen stepped forward. "Stay close."
The flames crackled softly. As Wen approached, the shadows between the torches shifted… moved… formed silhouettes.
Then a dozen masked figures stepped out as one.
Clad in dark robes.
Faces covered.
Silent.
Ji'an froze.
"Tsk. Really? Dramatic idiots."
Wen's eyes swept over them — steady, calculating.
One figure stepped forward. His mask was silver, his posture commanding.
"You brought the box," the man said, his voice smooth but empty of warmth.
Wen didn't react. "Where is Li Rong?"
The silver mask tilted. "Safe… for now."
Ji'an muttered, "I swear, if they hurt even one hair—"
Wen raised a hand, silencing him.
The masked man continued, "Show us the box."
Wen took one step closer, every muscle in his body wound like a bowstring.
"I'll show it," he said softly, dangerously.
"When I see him."
A beat of silence.
Then the masked man chuckled — a cold, amused sound.
"You negotiate well, General Wen. But today, you are not the one in control."
He snapped his fingers.
From the shadows behind them, the sound of chains being dragged echoed through the clearing.
Ji'an's breath hitched. Wen's heart slammed against his ribs.
Footsteps approached.
Slow. Heavy. Cruel.
Out of the mist came two men pulling someone between them — wrists bound, head bowed, clothes torn.
Li Rong.
Ji'an's shout died in his throat. Wen's breath froze.
Li Rong's hair was disheveled, his lip split, his eyes half-open and glazed with exhaustion. A chain clinked with every step he struggled to take.
Wen's hands trembled — not with fear, but with something far worse.
Rage.
Desperation.
And a pain so deep it nearly brought him to his knees.
"Rong…" The name tore out of him like a prayer.
Li Rong lifted his head weakly. His gaze found Wen — and for a moment, warmth flickered through those tired eyes.
"…Wen…" he breathed, voice barely audible.
That single word shattered Wen's restraint.
He stepped forward instantly — but the silver-masked man raised a hand sharply.
"Another step," he warned,
"and he dies."
Wen stopped.
But his eyes… his eyes were burning with a promise that could reduce the entire mountain to dust.
---
The masked man gestured lightly.
"The box. Now."
Wen slowly opened his cloak and pulled out the wooden box.
Ji'an sucked in a breath as the air seemed to shift — even the masked men stiffened slightly from the aura the box was emitting.
The silver mask leaned forward.
"So it truly exists."
Wen's voice was steady, but the fury beneath it was unmistakable.
"Release him first."
"No," the leader said. "Give us the box, and he lives."
Ji'an snapped,
"You think we'll believe that—?"
But Wen interrupted, eyes never leaving Li Rong.
"Shut up."
Ji'an froze.
Because Wen's voice… wasn't Wen's voice.
This wasn't the calm general, the steady strategist.
This was a man willing to bargain with his own life — and the world — for one person.
Wen held the box out slightly, making sure they saw it.
"You get this," Wen whispered, deadly calm,
"And I get him."
Li Rong shook his head weakly, voice hoarse.
"Wen… don't… don't give them—"
"Quiet," the masked man snapped, jerking his chain.
Wen's vision went red.
But he forced himself still.
---
The air grew thick.
Everyone stood still.
One wrong move, and everything would shatter.
The masked leader raised his hand as a signal—
But before he could speak, something shifted.
Wen felt it first — a wrongness in the air, a subtle vibration beneath his feet.
Ji'an whispered,
"…Wen… something's off."
And then—
A distant boom echoed from deeper within the mountain.
The masked men stiffened.
.....