Cold air enveloped the mouth of the cave. The torches that the bandits had stuck into the walls flickered in the night wind, their light dancing faintly, illuminating the pale faces of the two bandits who were now walking behind Raven.
None of them dared to speak. Only the rustling of the wind and the sound of footsteps on damp ground could be heard. Every time Raven took a step, an invisible pressure seemed to accompany him, making the two bandits feel as if they were walking with the angel of death.
After traveling a considerable distance from the cave, they arrived at a part of the forest illuminated by moonlight. The trees towered high, their shadows stretched long on the ground. Raven stopped in front of an old fallen tree trunk, then sat calmly on it.
The moonlight fell on his face, emphasizing his sharp, cold gaze. He stuck the sword in his left hand into the ground, its blade still stained with blood that had turned black under the moonlight. He placed a small axe beside his feet, still glistening with red stains. His hands were folded on the sword hilt, his body standing tall like a king judging two servants.
Seeing this, the two bandits could not help themselves. They knelt, heads bowed low, breathing heavily. Their hearts were beating wildly, as if every second could be the last of their lives.
"Now..." Raven's voice finally sounded. It was heavy and flat but contained a pressure that made the hairs on the back of one's neck stand up.
"Tell me... who is your leader?"
The atmosphere became even more tense. The two bandits looked at each other, hesitant, before one of them finally dared to answer in a trembling voice.
"W-we... we have three leaders in our hideout," he stammered.
"They are all powerful... martial arts masters, to be precise, at the Lesser Master level."
He swallowed, then continued breathlessly. "They are known for their weapons... each one... because of their special skills."
The large bandit added quickly, his voice hoarse. "T-those weapons are spears, arrows, and axes... the axe that... that is in your hand right now..."
Raven narrowed his eyes. He had suspected this from the beginning. In the previous battle, he had sensed their strength, and in the village he had heard rumors from the residents. This information only reinforced his certainty.
"So that's how it is..." he muttered softly. The corners of his lips curved slightly, a smile that carried no warmth whatsoever.
Cold sweat began to flow down the temples of the two bandits. They could feel a chill creeping into their spine. The large bandit, his voice almost hoarse, dared to ask a question.
"Um... if I may ask, sir... why... why is one of our leaders' weapons in your possession?"
Raven bowed his head slightly, his black hair covering part of his face. His gaze seemed to pierce the darkness, piercing their hearts. Then he replied casually, without the slightest tremor, as if the sentence were merely a trivial fact.
"Well... they died by my hand."
The two bandits stiffened, their eyes widened, their faces turning even paler. The answer that came out of Raven's mouth was so simple, yet it sounded more terrifying than a death scream.
There was a moment of silence, only the night wind rustling softly among the trees. But for the two bandits, the silence felt like an abyss of death ready to swallow them at any moment.
Raven sighed slowly. His gaze turned cold, as sharp as a sword blade that had taken many lives.
"All right," he said flatly. His voice did not rise, but it contained a pressure that made the air around them seem to thin.
"I don't want to beat around the bush. I'm just going to ask a few questions. And depending on your answers..."
His fingers tapped the hilt of his sword slowly, creating a small sound that echoed like the tolling of death in the ears of the two bandits.
"I will decide," Raven continued expressionlessly,
"whether you two will live... or die here too."
The two bandits immediately felt their hearts beating fast, as if they could explode at any moment. Their breathing was heavy and labored, their chests rising and falling rapidly. Each of Raven's words felt like a hammer striking their veins, haunting their choice of life and death.
"First question..." Raven lowered his face slightly. His voice dropped a tone, heavy, deep as if coming from the depths of darkness.
"One of your leaders escaped me. He did manage to get away... but with his right eye missing."
Raven's gaze sharpened, piercing the two bandits in front of him.
"Tell me. Is that archer at your headquarters now? And your attack earlier... was it on his orders?"
The two bandits' eyes widened, their bodies tensing reflexively. The statement shocked them both to death that one of their leaders had managed to escape, but was now disabled by the man sitting in front of them.
One of them, who was quite thin, swallowed hard. His lips trembled, his voice breaking as he replied.
"S-Sir... we... we really don't know... Our leader... he hasn't even returned to headquarters yet..."
The large bandit, who had felt Raven's telepathic voice penetrate his head, quickly added, his voice stuttering, full of fear.
"That's right... and we were only moving because we were looking for the rest of the group—"
His words were cut off abruptly. A cold, sharp chill pierced his heart as soon as he mentioned "Raven's group." The bandit fell silent, his body shaking violently. Raven's gaze pierced him, cold, flat, but clearly threatening. That look alone was enough to make it clear: don't say that word.
The bandit clamped his mouth shut, his body almost falling to the ground. His breath caught, as if he had just escaped execution.
"So," Raven finally said, his voice soft but clearly audible amid the rustling of the forest wind.
"He hasn't returned?"
The two bandits immediately nodded quickly, almost simultaneously. Their movements were like those of frightened dogs trying to show complete obedience so as not to be beheaded by their master.
"Then... the second question," Raven tilted his head slightly, staring straight into the eyes of the big bandit.
"What is your group's connection to the Ash Serpent Union and what kind of group are they?"
Once again, the two bandits looked at each other nervously. Their throats moved up and down as they swallowed, as if trying to decide which one would be brave enough to speak first.
Finally, the smaller bandit plucked up the courage to speak. His voice was hoarse and raspy, as if it had been forced out.
"That... we're just pawns. We were given this territory to spy on trade routes. Our leaders are the ones who deal directly with the Union. We... we just carry out orders to hunt down anyone who enters this territory without permission!"
The larger bandit sighed heavily, then added in a deeper voice that sounded more confident, though still full of fear.
"That group... the Ash Serpent Union... is one of the largest factions in the unorthodox. Its members are mostly bandits, robbers, and hired assassins. They are led by one of the Five Calamities. His name is Bai Shehun."
Raven narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The Five Calamities?" he asked softly, his tone remaining flat.
"Yes... they are five masters whose power reaches the peak of vice master. Some are even said to have reached supreme master," replied the large bandit, his hands clenched tightly so as not to appear shaky.
"Their achievements are filled with blood... massacres of both orthodox and unorthodox martial artists. That is why they are called walking disasters."
Raven was silent for a moment, as if weighing the words.
Then a slight smile appeared on the corner of his lips. It was not a reassuring smile. The air around him felt even colder.
"Interesting..." he muttered softly. There was a flash of battle hunger behind his gaze.
He took half a step closer.
"Then who are the other four besides Bai Shehun?"
The large bandit swallowed hard. His throat felt dry, but he forced himself to answer.
"There is Master Fan Guryang, nicknamed Nine Fang Wolf, from the Hao Sect. Master Hei Longxian or Black Dragon Fang, from the Black Azure Dragon Sect. Master Yin Wugong, Thousand Wraiths Monarch, from the Ghost Demon Sect. And finally... Master Mo Tianlu, Heaven Shattering Demon, from the Evil Heaven Sect."
He bowed his head deeply.
"Those are the other four of the Five Calamities that I know of."
Silence fell again, heavier than before.
Raven did not respond immediately. His gaze softened slightly, turning into something deeper and more distant.
"Sects that are even unfamiliar to my ears..." he muttered slowly.
He had thought that these big names might just be new faces of old sects he had known. But none of them sounded familiar.
"Have the old sects disappeared... or just changed their names?" he whispered almost inaudibly.
His gaze turned to the night sky, empty yet full of questions.
"How much has the Murim changed… since my era?" For the first time, the glint in Raven's eyes wasn't just a thirst for battle. It was the shadow of the past slowly rising again.