Night settled slowly across the forest. The last streaks of orange faded behind the hills, leaving only the pale glow of the moon. Liang Yue and Mo Chen stood at the edge of the hollow where they had hidden all day. The air was still. The insects had begun their steady sound again.
"It's time," Liang Yue said softly.
Mo Chen nodded. "We move north until the stars shift."
She checked the cloth covering her burned cheek, making sure it was tied tightly. Then she slung the small bundle of food over her shoulder. Mo Chen lifted the walking stick and the knife he kept tucked at his waist.
They stepped back onto the road.
The air felt different tonight—heavier. Liang Yue sensed something close by. Her pendant gave a faint pulse beneath her clothes, like a warning.
Mo Chen noticed her expression. "What is it?"
"Someone is near," she said.
"How many?"
"I don't know," she said. "But we must stay alert."
The forest on either side of the road was dark. Trees rose close together, their branches thick, blocking most of the moonlight. The path turned slightly ahead, disappearing around a slope.
They walked quietly, their footsteps soft in the dirt. The silence stretched too long. No birds. No small animals.
Mo Chen's voice was low. "The forest is too quiet."
"Yes," Liang Yue murmured. "Something is wrong."
A faint sound drifted from behind them—leaves shifting, steps trying to be silent.
Mo Chen reached out and touched her arm, signaling her to stop. He turned his head a little, listening.
Then they heard it clearly.
Soft footfalls. Multiple.
Liang Yue's heartbeat quickened. "They've found our trail."
Mo Chen stepped in front of her. "Keep walking. When I tell you to run… run."
She clenched her fists. "I won't leave you."
"You won't," he said. "But if they surround us while we stand here, we'll die."
He glanced over his shoulder. "Move. Slowly."
They continued walking, but the footsteps behind them grew louder.
Liang Yue whispered, "Three… no, four."
"I counted four too," Mo Chen said quietly.
The moon passed behind a cloud, dimming the path. When it came out again, the shapes appeared—four men in dark armor, moving down the road with controlled steps.
Each wore the Liang Clan emblem on their chest.
One of them raised a hand. "Stop."
Liang Yue and Mo Chen did not turn around.
Another man spoke, louder this time. "You two. Stop walking."
Mo Chen exhaled. "So it begins."
They stopped.
Liang Yue slowly turned her head. The four men spread out in a line. The one in front looked like the patrol captain—tall, stern, with a thin scar running from his forehead to his jaw. He scanned them from a short distance, his eyes sharp. When he saw Liang Yue's face covering, his expression changed.
"It's her," he said quietly.
The others straightened.
Liang Yue raised her voice calmly. "What business do you have with us?"
The captain stepped forward. "Liang Yue, daughter of the Liang Clan. You were ordered to remain in the valley until your death. You fled. You are now a criminal of the clan."
"I was thrown out to die," Liang Yue said. "Not given orders."
"Same thing," the captain said bluntly. "The clan master wants your head."
Mo Chen's fists tightened.
A younger guard spat on the ground. "And the fool next to you? The clan master said to kill him first. Says seeing his face makes him angry."
Mo Chen did not speak, but a dangerous calm settled over him.
Liang Yue stepped forward. "If the clan master wants to kill us so badly, let him come himself."
The captain laughed once. "Bold words for a burned girl who can't cultivate."
Liang Yue looked straight into his eyes. "Come closer. Say it again."
The captain frowned. "Tie her."
The two guards moved forward.
Mo Chen moved at the same time.
He didn't shout. He didn't hesitate. He stepped in front of Liang Yue and planted his feet firmly on the ground.
"You touch her," he said quietly, "you lose your hands."
The men froze.
The captain raised a brow. "The fool speaks strangely today."
Another guard sneered. "And he thinks he can fight."
Mo Chen met their eyes without fear. "I don't think. I know."
The first guard lunged.
Mo Chen moved like his body had been waiting for this moment. He stepped sideways, grabbed the guard's wrist, and twisted sharply. A cracking sound cut through the night.
The man screamed.
Before he hit the ground, Mo Chen shifted his grip, turned his body, and slammed the man's shoulder into the dirt.
The other guards stared in shock.
"That wasn't normal strength," one whispered.
The captain's eyes narrowed. "Kill him."
Two guards rushed forward together.
Mo Chen didn't step back. He stepped into them. His movements were faster than anything Liang Yue had seen from him before—sharp, precise, almost controlled by instinct.
He caught the first man's arm, elbowed his throat, spun, and kicked the second in the stomach. Both fell back, wheezing.
Liang Yue's heart pounded. She sensed something opening inside Mo Chen—something long buried.
The captain drew his sword.
Mo Chen's eyes darkened. "Liang Yue. Step back."
She didn't. "I won't leave your side."
"You won't," he said. "Just stay out of the blade's reach."
The captain charged.
Mo Chen dodged the first slash, but the second caught the side of his sleeve. The fabric tore. He moved back, breathing hard.
The captain smirked. "Not bad for trash."
Liang Yue lifted her pendant. "Enough."
The light inside her was shaking—frightened, but ready.
The captain turned toward her. "What will you do? Pray at us?"
Liang Yue stepped forward. Her voice was steady. "No. I will protect what is mine."
She placed a hand over her heart.
The warmth answered.
A bright circle of white light formed around her palm. The air shifted. Even the guards seemed to sense something change.
Mo Chen recognized the glow. "Liang Yue…"
"I'm fine," she said. "Just keep them away from me."
The captain lunged toward her.
Mo Chen blocked him with his entire body. Their weapons clashed. Even unarmed, Mo Chen held the sword back with one hand.
"How is he that strong?" the captain hissed.
"Ask your master," Mo Chen said quietly. "Ask him why he tortured me until my mind broke."
The captain's eyes widened. "The boy… you're the boy from the concubine—"
Mo Chen punched him in the jaw.
The captain stumbled.
The remaining guards rushed forward again.
Liang Yue lifted her glowing hand. "Move aside!"
Mo Chen stepped away at once.
Liang Yue pressed her palms together. The light within her core expanded, surging upward. A white pulse burst from her hands, shooting straight toward the two incoming guards.
They braced for impact.
The light hit them with a force that knocked them off their feet. They crashed into the dirt, rolling until they hit the roots of a tree.
Both screamed as the divine light burned through their bodies—not scorching them, but cleansing them violently. Their skin reddened, and they gasped in pain.
"What is this—?!"
"Light—burning—stop it—!"
Liang Yue lowered her hand. Her chest felt tight. Her vision blurred slightly.
Mo Chen caught her arm. "Careful."
"I can still fight," she said.
The captain spat blood and stumbled to his feet. "You… both of you… are abominations."
"No," Liang Yue said. "We are what you made."
He drew in a shaky breath, raised his sword, and charged again—toward Liang Yue this time.
Mo Chen moved faster.
He stepped between them. The captain swung the sword. Mo Chen caught the blade with his bare hand. Blood dripped instantly from his palm.
Liang Yue gasped. "Mo Chen—!"
But he didn't let go.
He stared at the captain with cold, steady eyes.
"You hurt her," he said. "You tried to burn her. You called her cursed. You threw her away."
He tightened his grip around the blade until the metal bent under his strength.
"And you hurt me," he continued, voice calm. "You beat me every day until I forgot my own name."
The captain trembled. "Y-you were meant to die—"
Mo Chen stepped forward and punched the captain in the chest.
The impact threw the man several meters back. He hit a tree trunk and collapsed, coughing blood.
The other two guards scrambled up and tried to run.
Liang Yue raised her glowing hand again. "Stop."
Her voice hit them like a command.
The divine light formed a circle on the ground beneath their feet. They froze, unable to move. Their bodies shook violently as the energy held them in place.
Mo Chen walked up to them slowly. His knife gleamed under the moonlight.
Liang Yue swallowed hard. "Mo Chen…"
He stopped. The anger in his eyes dimmed slightly as he looked at her. "Yes?"
"We don't kill them all," she said. "One must live."
"Why?" he asked quietly.
"So he can tell the clan the truth," she said. "So they know we're not weak anymore."
He nodded. "Then choose one."
Liang Yue pointed at the younger guard—the one who had mocked Mo Chen earlier.
"That one," she said. "He has the loosest tongue."
Mo Chen's grip tightened on the knife. "And the others?"
Liang Yue looked at the men struggling against the divine circle.
"They came to kill us," she said. "They made their choice."
Mo Chen stepped toward the first guard.
The man screamed. "Wait! Wait—"
But Mo Chen did not wait.
He moved quickly, ending the fight with the cold efficiency of someone who had once been trained to kill. The forest grew quiet again.
Only the younger guard remained, trembling, unable to stand.
Liang Yue lowered the divine circle. The light faded. The man collapsed to his knees.
Mo Chen stared at him. "Tell your clan master we are alive. Tell him we are not afraid."
The man's eyes widened with terror. "H-how did you… the light… his strength—what are you two?"
Liang Yue stepped closer. "We are who you abandoned."
"Leave," Mo Chen said. "While you still can."
The man scrambled to his feet and ran, stumbling down the road, desperate to escape.
When he was gone, silence settled again.
Liang Yue slowly sank to her knees. The divine power had drained too much strength. Mo Chen knelt beside her at once. He cupped her face gently, ignoring the blood still dripping from his palm.
"You're hurt," he said.
She smiled weakly. "So are you."
He looked at his hand as if he had only just noticed the deep cut. "It doesn't hurt."
"It should," she murmured. "Hold still."
She lifted her pendant and placed her glowing hand over his wound. Warmth flowed again. The bleeding stopped. The skin closed slowly. His breath softened as the pain left his body.
When she finished, she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "We need to move. Others will come."
Mo Chen shook his head. "Not yet. You can barely stand."
"I'll recover quickly," she said. "Just give me a moment."
He sat beside her and let her lean against his shoulder. His voice was low. "That light… you used it like a weapon."
"I didn't know I could," she whispered. "But when they moved to kill us… my heart reacted."
Mo Chen turned his head slightly. "Your heart?"
"Yes," she said. "The light is not from this world. It follows my will."
He took a slow breath. "Then we are no longer prey."
"No," she said softly. "We are no longer prey."
They sat in silence for a long moment.
Then Liang Yue whispered, "Mo Chen."
"Yes?"
"When you bent that sword with your hand… how did you do that?"
He stared at his palm. "I don't know. My body moved on its own."
She looked at him carefully. "Your strength… your speed… the way you fought… that is not ordinary. Not even for cultivators."
"I felt… something," he said quietly. "Like a door opening in my head. Like memories trying to return."
"Did you remember anything?" she asked.
"Not clearly," he said. "But I felt a voice. A man teaching me. Telling me to hold the blade, not fear it."
"A master?" she whispered.
He nodded slowly. "Maybe."
Liang Yue exhaled. "Then you were never a fool. They tortured you until your mind broke."
Mo Chen lowered his eyes. "Yes."
She reached out and touched his cheek—the uninjured side. "But you are healing now."
He looked up at her. "Because of you."
"No," she said softly. "Because of us."
He didn't look away.
The moonlight fell on their faces, and the night around them felt strangely calm.
But the quiet did not last.
A sudden horn sounded far in the distance—sharp and long.
Liang Yue's eyes widened. "That's a patrol horn."
Mo Chen stood instantly. "The guard reached them."
"They will send a larger group," she said. "More than four this time."
Mo Chen helped her to her feet. "Then we run. Farther north."
"Yes," she said. "We cannot let them surround us."
He lifted their bundle. She steadied her breathing and held her pendant tightly.
Together, they stepped back onto the road.
Mo Chen turned to her. "Liang Yue."
"Yes?"
"No more running because we're weak," he said. "Only running to prepare for the day we kill them all."
She stared at him, her heartbeat steadying. "Yes. One day, we return."
He nodded. "Then let's survive until that day."
They ran into the night, leaving behind the bodies of the first patrol—
and the message they wanted the world to see.
End of Chapter 8 — Night Followers