They did not camp where they met Ying Yue.
Wang Lin understood the reason before Mei Niu explained it. Predators did not linger where curiosity peaked. They watched. They circled. And if they chose to follow, they did so on their own terms.
Ying Yue walked ahead without asking, long strides eating distance with effortless grace. She did not look back to check if they followed. She assumed they would.
Mei Niu stayed close to Wang Lin, her pace slower but steady. The cloak hid her features well enough from a distance, but up close, the tension in her shoulders was unmistakable.
"She is testing us," Mei Niu murmured.
"Yes," Wang Lin replied. "By leading."
"And by watching how we react," Mei Niu added.
The path Ying Yue chose was not a road. It was a suggestion of one. Broken ground, scattered stones, places where the forest thinned into scrub and then thickened again without warning. She avoided open stretches and high ground, favoring routes that twisted just enough to break sightlines.
Experienced.
They traveled until dusk painted the sky a dull red. Only then did Ying Yue slow and stop near a cluster of leaning stones that formed a natural windbreak.
"We rest here," she said.
It was not a request.
Wang Lin nodded and began setting a low camp without lighting a fire. Mei Niu settled against one of the stones, shoulders easing slightly as she sat. Ying Yue remained standing, arms folded, eyes scanning the surroundings.
"You do not smell like hunters," Ying Yue said after a moment. "They are loud. You are not."
Wang Lin finished arranging their packs. "They announce themselves through fear."
Ying Yue snorted softly. "They announce themselves through arrogance."
She crouched and pressed her palm to the ground, eyes closing briefly. When she rose again, her expression was unreadable.
"Nothing close," she said. "But that will change."
Mei Niu looked at her. "You are followed as well."
"Yes," Ying Yue replied without hesitation. "By those who remember my pack."
Wang Lin glanced up. "And they are not friendly."
"No," Ying Yue said. "They are patient."
Silence settled.
Night crept in fully, cool and quiet. The forest shifted around them, nocturnal life taking cautious steps into sound. Wang Lin felt it all more clearly now. Not as threats, but as a presence. Movement. Attention.
Ying Yue noticed his focus.
"You are listening," she said.
"I am learning," Wang Lin replied.
She studied him for a long moment, then nodded once.
"Good," she said. "Listening keeps you alive longer than strength."
They ate quietly.
The food was simple and unremarkable, but Mei Niu finished her portion without the hesitation she once had. That alone told Wang Lin how much she had recovered.
After a time, Ying Yue spoke again.
"You do not bind her," she said, eyes on Mei Niu. "But she is yours."
Mei Niu stiffened.
Wang Lin answered before she could. "She is not mine."
Ying Yue's ears twitched. "Then why does she stay."
"Because she chooses to," Wang Lin said.
The wolf woman's gaze sharpened.
"You use words carefully," she said. "That matters."
Mei Niu exhaled slowly. "He gave me a choice," she said quietly. "When others never did."
Ying Yue's eyes flicked between them.
"Choice," she repeated. "That is a dangerous thing to offer."
"Yes," Wang Lin agreed. "But it is the only one I have."
Ying Yue considered that, then gave a short, sharp laugh.
"You are either very foolish," she said, "or very rare."
"Possibly both," Wang Lin replied.
That earned him a brief, genuine smile.
They slept in shifts.
Ying Yue took the first watch without discussion, perching atop one of the stones where she could see and hear in every direction. Wang Lin took the second. Mei Niu rested between them, breathing slow and even.
During his watch, Wang Lin focused inward.
The bond with Mei Niu was stable, present like a quiet current. It did not pull at him unless he reached for it. When he did, he felt her calm, her warmth, her awareness of the night.
Something else brushed his senses as well.
Ying Yue.
Not a bond. Not a thread. Just proximity. Her presence was sharp, defined, like a blade resting nearby. It did not intrude. It observed.
She noticed his attention.
"You feel differently," she said softly from the stone above. "Than humans."
"Yes," Wang Lin replied. "I am told that often."
She huffed quietly. "You are empty."
"So I have heard."
"No," Ying Yue said. "Empty in a way that allows things to pass through without being claimed."
He considered that.
"Does that bother you," he asked.
She was silent for a long moment.
"No," she said finally. "It is why I stayed."
That made him look up.
She met his gaze steadily.
"I have seen men who wanted to own us," she continued. "And men who wanted to save us so they could feel righteous. You are neither."
"What do I want?" Wang Lin asked.
Ying Yue's eyes narrowed. "You want to survive. And you want those with you to survive as well."
He nodded. "Yes."
"That is enough," she said.
Dawn came quietly.
They broke camp quickly and moved on, keeping the same measured pace. Ying Yue led again, but this time she adjusted her stride to match theirs without comment.
As the sun climbed, the terrain changed. The forest thinned into rolling ground dotted with low trees and exposed stone. Wind moved more freely here, carrying scent farther.
Mei Niu slowed slightly, her hand brushing Wang Lin's arm.
"Something is wrong," she murmured.
He felt it too.
Not danger yet. Awareness. A tightening along his skin, as if the world itself were paying closer attention.
Ying Yue stopped abruptly.
She crouched and pressed her fingers to a faint mark in the dirt. Her expression hardened.
"They passed through this morning," she said. "Hunters."
"How many?" Wang Lin asked.
"Three," Ying Yue replied. "At least one skilled."
Mei Niu's shoulders tensed.
"They are looking for us," Wang Lin said.
"Yes," Ying Yue replied. "And now they know the direction."
She stood and looked at him.
"You cannot outrun them like this."
"I know," Wang Lin said.
Ying Yue's gaze sharpened. "Then you must mislead them."
He thought of the alcove. Of the way his presence had smoothed rather than erased.
"I can try," he said.
"You will," Ying Yue replied.
They moved deliberately, altering their path, crossing rocky ground where tracks broke easily, then doubling back briefly before splitting off again. Wang Lin focused on his steps, on the awareness along his skin, on the way his presence interacted with the world.
He did not hide.
He redirected.
When they stopped again, Mei Niu sagged slightly, breath unsteady. Wang Lin steadied her without thinking.
Ying Yue watched closely.
"She is tired," she said.
"Yes," Wang Lin replied.
"She will need another session soon," Ying Yue said bluntly.
Mei Niu stiffened, but did not deny it.
Wang Lin met Ying Yue's gaze evenly. "She will decide when."
The wolf woman held his gaze, testing, then nodded once.
"Good," she said. "Then you truly are different."
They reached a narrow pass by late afternoon, stone walls rising on either side, wind funneling through with a low, constant howl. It was defensible. Dangerous. Necessary.
Ying Yue stopped at the entrance.
"If we go through," she said, "they will know we chose it."
"And if we do not," Wang Lin replied, "they will herd us."
She smiled faintly. "You learn quickly."
They entered the pass.
The sound swallowed them.
Stone scraped underfoot. Wind tugged at cloaks and hair. Wang Lin felt the world tighten around them, pressure and focus sharpening his senses further.
Halfway through, he felt it.
A gaze.
Not nearby. Not distant.
Watching.
He slowed.
Mei Niu felt it too, her grip tightening on his sleeve.
"Someone else," she whispered.
Ying Yue's ears flattened. "Not hunters."
Wang Lin focused, extending his awareness outward without pushing. The emptiness within him responded, opening just enough to let sensation pass through.
Beast.
Powerful.
Still.
Waiting.
Ying Yue inhaled sharply.
"Alpha," she said.
Wang Lin's pulse quickened. "Yours."
"Yes," she replied. "Or what remains of her."
They stood at the heart of the pass, wind roaring around them, danger pressing in from multiple directions.
Ying Yue turned to face Wang Lin fully.
"If you are what I think you are," she said, "then this meeting will change everything."
"And if I am not," Wang Lin replied.
"Then we will all die here," Ying Yue said calmly.
She stepped aside, gesturing toward the narrowing stone ahead.
"Come," she said. "Let her see you."
Wang Lin tightened his grip on Mei Niu's hand and stepped forward into the wind.
Behind them, unseen, hunters adjusted their course.
Ahead, something ancient and watchful stirred.
The road had narrowed.
And there was no turning back.