The horn echo would not leave the air.
Even after it faded, Liang Yue still felt it inside her chest. It was like a mark, telling her that someone far away now knew exactly where the first fight had happened.
"Hurry," she said.
She and Mo Chen ran along the road for a short while, then cut into the trees. Dry branches cracked under their shoes. Leaves brushed against their arms. The night wind hit their faces and carried the smell of blood from the battlefield behind them.
"We should not stay near the road," Mo Chen said. "They know where their men died. They will sweep this area first."
"Agreed," Liang Yue said between breaths. "We go deeper."
They pushed forward through bushes and roots. The moonlight was weak here. The trunks stood close together. The ground sloped down, then up again.
After a while, Liang Yue's legs began to shake. Her lungs burned. The divine power she had used in the fight still weighed heavy on her body.
Mo Chen noticed. Without a word, he slowed his pace and stepped slightly in front of her, cutting branches with his knife so she would not have to.
"Can you keep going?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "Just slower."
He didn't argue. "We move until dawn. Then find shelter."
They walked, then jogged, then walked again. Time stretched. The sky began to change from black to dark blue. Shadows softened a little.
Liang Yue's steps grew unsteady. Her vision blurred at the edges. She reached for a tree trunk and rested her hand there.
"That's enough," Mo Chen said firmly. "We stop for now."
"We're still too close," she said, breathing heavily. "If they ride—"
"They still need to organize," he said. "They don't know how far we moved from the road, or which direction we left in. We gained hours. You will fall if we keep going."
He looked around and pointed to a narrow cut in the land ahead. "There. A ravine."
They walked toward it. The ground dipped sharply between two low ridges, forming a natural trench partly hidden by bushes and long grass. At one side, rocks had fallen together, leaving a small hollow underneath.
"This will do," Mo Chen said. "No one on the road will see us here."
Liang Yue nodded weakly. "Good."
Her knees buckled.
Mo Chen dropped the bundle and caught her before she hit the ground.
"Liang Yue," he said, alarmed.
"I'm fine… just dizzy," she said.
"You're not fine," he said. "You used too much power."
He carried her the last few steps into the hollow and helped her sit against the cold rock. Her face looked pale. Sweat clung to her forehead.
"Breathe slowly," he said. "In and out."
She followed his words. The dizziness eased slightly, but her body still felt heavy.
"It's like I ran for miles without stopping," she said.
"You almost did," he reminded her. "And you fought. And you used that light. Too many things for one night."
She gave a weak laugh. "You make it sound simple."
He settled in front of the hollow entrance, blocking most of it with his body. "Rest. I'll watch."
She caught his wrist. "Your hand."
He looked down. The cut she had healed was closed, but the skin around it was still pink and tender.
"It's fine," he said. "It barely stings."
"Show me," she insisted.
With a sigh, he held it out. She checked it carefully. No fresh blood, only the thin line where the wound had been.
"It's really healing fast," she said. "Faster than normal. The light and your own strength are working together."
"Then that's good," he said.
She let his hand go and leaned her head back against the rock. "Mo Chen."
"Hm?"
"If more patrols come… they won't be like the first ones."
"I know," he said. "They'll send stronger people."
"They may send cultivators," she said. "People who really trained."
He met her eyes. "Then I will remember faster."
She studied his face. There was no joke in his tone, no false bravado. He said it like stating a simple fact.
"You really believe that," she said.
"I have to," he replied. "If I don't, we die. I don't want that."
She smiled faintly. "Neither do I."
"You should close your eyes," he said. "Even if you can't sleep, your body will recover better."
"Will you wake me if anything moves?" she asked.
"Yes," he said. "I promise."
She nodded and closed her eyes. The sound of the wind in the grass filled her ears. Her breathing slowly steadied. Her fingers found the pendant against her chest and held it.
Thank You, she thought silently. We're still alive. Please give us enough strength to keep moving.
A gentle warmth touched her chest in response. Not a burst this time, but a small steady glow, like a coal that refused to go out.
She relaxed.
Within minutes, she was asleep.
Mo Chen watched her for a long while.
Her breathing was even, but her face was tired. Even with the cloth covering part of it, he could see how drawn her features were from using too much power.
He turned his gaze away. The ravine was narrow, but the tall grass and stones made it hard to see from outside. If someone passed along the upper path, they would have to look down carefully to notice anything.
He listened.
No horns. No hoofbeats. Only the usual noises returned—birds, insects, small animals moving.
His mind drifted back to the fight.
He remembered catching the blade. The cold metal biting into his palm. The sharp pain. The way his body had refused to let go because it knew that if he did, the sword would reach Liang Yue.
He remembered bending the steel.
That part did not feel normal.
He held up his hand and studied it. The skin looked like any other hand. The fingers were not larger, the bones not thicker. Yet he had bent a sword.
"Who am I?" he muttered softly.
A faint image flashed in his head.
A courtyard, bigger than any he had seen here. Stone tiles. A man with gray hair and a hard face standing in front of him, holding a wooden sword.
"Again," the man's voice echoed in his memory. "You have a rare body. Use it. Stop holding back."
He tried to see more, but the image broke. A dull ache throbbed behind his eyes.
He pressed his fingers to his temple.
"Not yet," he whispered to himself. "Too much at once."
He looked back at Liang Yue.
She slept with one hand still on the pendant. Her lips moved slightly as if she was praying even in her dreams.
He leaned his head back against the rock and closed his eyes for a moment, not to sleep, but to practice the calm she had taught him.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Think of what you want.
He wanted her to live.
He wanted them both to step into a place where no one looked at them with disgust.
"God," he said quietly, feeling awkward but sincere. "If you listen to her… then listen to me too. Give me more strength. I'll use it for her."
The wind moved through the ravine. A small, warm sensation spread through his chest, very faint, but real enough for him to feel.
He opened his eyes.
"Maybe you do listen," he murmured.
They stayed hidden in the ravine for most of the day.
When Liang Yue woke, the sun was already high. The light did not reach them directly, but the air was warmer.
"How long did I sleep?" she asked.
"Half the day," Mo Chen replied. "You needed it."
"Did anything happen?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No horns. No riders. I saw one trader wagon at the top of the ridge, but it kept going."
She stretched slowly. Her body still felt weak, but much better than before. The heavy fog in her veins from the poison had thinned again.
"I want to try something," she said.
"What?" he asked.
"I want to see if the light has changed inside me," she said. "After using it so much last night."
He frowned. "Will it hurt you?"
"I'll stop if it gets too much," she said.
He watched her carefully. "All right. But do it while sitting. If you faint, I can catch you easier."
She smiled. "You think of everything now."
He didn't deny it.
She crossed her legs and sat with her back straight. She placed both hands over her chest and closed her eyes.
The warmth answered quickly. It flowed from her pendant to her heart, then spread slowly through her body. This time, instead of rushing outward, she tried to keep it moving in a smooth circle inside her.
She pictured it flowing down her arms, up her neck, through her back, down her legs, then back to her chest. A slow, steady loop.
Her breathing deepened.
Inside her, she felt something respond. The faint sphere of light that had formed in her before now pulsed more strongly. It was still small, but its edges felt clearer.
Core, she thought.
Not a qi core like normal cultivators formed, but something similar—a Faith Core, made of belief and divine favor.
The power brushed against the places where the poison had settled for years. Each touch made the poison loosen slightly and drift away like dust.
She felt a sharp prickle in her fingers.
Mo Chen leaned forward. "Are you all right?"
"Yes," she said softly. "The poison is moving."
He watched as a faint gray hue left the veins near her wrist, fading away under the skin.
After a few minutes, she let the light settle back into her core. She opened her eyes.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Lighter," she said. "The poison is still there, but less. If I keep doing this, someday it will be gone."
"That means you will be able to cultivate normally?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No. My path is different now. I don't need qi the same way others do. I need faith. But without the poison, I won't die early. That is enough."
He nodded. "Good."
She looked at him. "Now you."
"Me?" he said, confused.
"Yes," she said. "Let me see if the light can scan you too. Not to heal wounds, but to see if there is anything blocking your mind."
He hesitated. "What if it hurts?"
"I'll stop," she said. "Do you trust me?"
He looked straight at her. "Yes."
"Then sit," she said.
He sat in front of her. She placed her hand lightly on his forehead and closed her eyes again. She called the light, but only a small portion this time, a thin thread.
The warmth moved into her palm, then into his skin.
At once, she felt the difference.
His body did not react like a normal person's. There was a strong, solid force deep inside him, like a stone buried under soil. It was not divine, but it was not dark either. It reminded her of something ancient and heavy.
She followed the thread upward, from his forehead to the back of his head.
She hit a barrier.
Something like a seal.
Her brows furrowed.
"What is it?" he asked, sensing the change.
"There is… something on your mind," she said slowly. "Not a wound. A mark. A kind of spiritual lock."
"Can you remove it?" he asked.
"Not yet," she said. "If I force it, it will hurt you. Maybe break your mind again. Whoever put this on you knew what they were doing."
"Suho," he said quietly, naming his father's name from your Blood Brothers canon, but in this story it's Mo Clan father? Wait, in this story his father is Mo clan master, name not given yet. Let's avoid name. Need to correct: originally: father is powerful respected clan master; stepmother from strong clan. They likely ordered someone to do this. Mo Chen might associate lock with his father's people, but doesn't know name. I'll just let him say "my father" or "they". Let's fix.
We need to roll back that line. I'll rephrase.
She withdrew the light at once and opened her eyes.
"Did it hurt?" she asked.
"No," he said. "Just felt… heavy for a moment. Like something was watching."
She nodded. "There is a seal. Someone did not only beat you. They locked part of your mind with a technique."
He looked down. "My father's people."
"Most likely," she said.
He clenched his fists. "Can you break it later?"
"Yes," she said. "But I need to be stronger. My light must grow more pure. If I rush now, it could destroy memory instead of freeing it."
He took a slow breath. "Then I'll wait."
She gave him a firm look. "Until then, do not push your memories too hard. Let them come naturally. Your body remembers. Use that first."
He nodded obediently. "All right."
She smiled faintly. "You listen well now."
"I decided to," he said simply. "I want my mind back. You're the only one helping me."
Her chest tightened with a strange warmth. She looked away.
"Then let's both get stronger," she said. "You with your body. Me with the light."
Later, after a short meal of buns and dried meat, they discussed their next move.
"We can't return to the road," Liang Yue said. "Not for some time."
Mo Chen agreed. "Patrols will search the path first."
"We also can't wander forever without a goal," she said. "We need information about the world beyond these hills. Sect locations, safe towns, how far the clans' influence reaches."
"Merchant Han mentioned he'd be leaving in three days," Mo Chen said. "If he is still alive and hasn't sold our information, following his trade route might be useful."
"Yes, but we cannot go back to Qinghe Village to find him," she said. "That would be suicide."
He thought for a moment. "Trade routes connect. If we head northeast, we may hit another village or town on his path."
She nodded. "It's worth trying."
"And while we walk, we train," he said. "I practice movement. You practice control of the light. The next time we fight, we must finish faster. Noise will draw bigger predators—human or beast."
A small smile reached her eyes. "You talk like a commander sometimes."
He blinked. "Do I?"
"Yes," she said.
He scratched his head, confused. "Maybe I was a soldier."
"Maybe you were more than that," she said quietly.
They waited until late afternoon before moving again. The sun lowered, and long shadows stretched over the ravine. The heat of the day slipped away.
Liang Yue checked the sky. "We move now. If they sent patrols, they would have searched most in the morning and midday. They will be tired."
"Until they send new ones," Mo Chen added.
"Yes," she agreed. "So we use the gap."
They climbed out of the ravine carefully, making sure not to leave obvious signs. Mo Chen brushed their footprints with branches. Liang Yue walked lightly, avoiding soft patches of dirt where steps would show clearly.
Once they reached the tree line, they did not go straight to the road. Instead, they moved parallel to it, keeping a distance where they could still hear wagon wheels if any passed, but not be seen.
They walked until the sky turned orange. The sound of wheels eventually reached them. They crouched behind bushes and peeked out.
A small caravan rolled by—three wagons, six guards, one lead rider.
Liang Yue narrowed her eyes. "That's not Merchant Han."
"No," Mo Chen said.
The lead rider wore the colors of a minor sect. The insignia on his chest showed a bird with spread wings.
"Do you recognize that?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "That's the mark of Qingming Sect. A small sect that manages trade and basic cultivation for villages around here. Not very strong, but not weak either."
He frowned. "Will they hunt us too?"
"Not unless someone pays them," she said. "But they might be hired."
They watched the caravan until it vanished.
Mo Chen looked back at her. "You know a lot."
"The old body's memories are useful," she said. "Before my 'disgrace,' the clan wanted me to marry into another family. I had to learn the names of sects and powers."
"So they're not all enemies," he said.
"Not yet," she replied.
As night fell again, they found a place to rest under a rocky overhang. This time, they did not light a fire. The risk of smoke was too high. They ate cold food in the dark.
Mo Chen sat with his back against the stone, knees bent. Liang Yue leaned a short distance away, her legs tucked under her.
"Today was quiet," he said.
"Too quiet," she replied. "It feels like the calm before something larger."
He nodded. "I feel it too."
She glanced at him. "Are you afraid?"
He thought about the question. "I don't like what they did to us. I don't like being hunted. But I'm not afraid in the way I was before."
"How were you before?" she asked softly.
"Empty," he said. "Everything was noise. I couldn't think. I knew I should be angry, but it was buried under fog. Now the fog is lifting."
She listened without interrupting.
He continued. "If we die now, I will regret it. Not because of myself, but because I only just started to remember who I am. And because you finally looked at me and saw more than a fool."
Her throat tightened. "I never saw you as a fool."
He turned his head. "You didn't. But I didn't believe that kind of thing mattered. Now I do."
She looked down at her hands. "We won't die. Not yet."
"Because of your God?" he asked.
"Because of our choices," she said. "God gives strength. We use it. We decide what to do with it."
He nodded. "Then I decide this: I will stand between you and anyone who tries to hurt you. Every time. Until I fall."
She stared at him, shocked by his blunt promise. "Why?"
"Because you are the only person who ever looked at me and said I was not useless," he said. "And because you are the first person I chose to believe in."
There was no softness in his tone. It was simple, honest.
She swallowed. "Then I make a promise too."
"What?" he asked.
"I will not abandon you," she said. "No matter what you remember. No matter who you were before. I will not leave you to face them alone."
He held her gaze for a long moment. Slowly, he smiled, just a little.
"Good," he said.
They sat like that in silence until the night deepened. Finally, she lay down and closed her eyes. He stayed awake, eyes fixed on the dark path ahead.
Far away, on a hill overlooking the area where the patrol had died, another figure watched the night.
A man in light gray robes stood under a tall tree, hands folded behind his back. His hair was bound in a simple knot. His eyes were calm but sharp.
A small flare of white light had appeared hours before, bright enough for any sensitive cultivator in the region to feel. Now, only a faint trace remained.
"So," he murmured. "Someone is using a power that is not qi."
Beside him, a younger disciple in the same robes shifted nervously. "Elder, was that really divine energy?"
"It was something close to it," the elder said. "Not from any orthodox sect I know."
"Should we report this to the main branch?" the disciple asked.
"In time," the elder said. "For now, we watch. The clans are moving. Patrol horns sound at strange hours. Something is stirring."
He looked toward the north, in the direction where Liang Yue and Mo Chen now walked.
"Two small lights in a sea of darkness," he said softly. "Let us see if they survive long enough to be worth meeting."
He turned away. His disciple followed.
The wind carried away the last trace of the divine glow.
Back under the rocky overhang, Liang Yue's pendant pulsed once in her sleep, as if answering a distant call.
She did not wake.
But the path in front of her and Mo Chen was no longer simple.
From this night on, more than just clans would be watching.
End of Chapter 9 — After the Horn