The forest was quiet now, eerily so. Lu Haotian lay sprawled on the ground, every muscle screaming, his chest heaving. Beside him, Mei Nan clung to his side, trembling, too small and terrified to do anything but watch. The traffickers—those brutish adults—had been brutal. Their words about coins and silver still echoed faintly in his mind: five spirit stones for him, thirty silver for Mei Nan.
A rustle in the trees made him freeze. From the shadows stepped a woman—tall, composed, no more than her mid-twenties. Her presence pressed down on the forest itself.
One of the men stiffened, eyes darting into the darkness. "W-Who is that…?"
She moved before anyone could answer. Shadows flashed, blood bloomed, and screams were cut short almost as soon as they began. When the air finally stilled, the traffickers lay scattered across the ground, lifeless eyes staring skyward
Silence fell abruptly.
Not the calm kind—but the kind that came after violence had finished speaking.
Lu Haotian remained where he had collapsed, one knee pressed into the dirt, his chest rising and falling hard. Mei Nan clung to his sleeve, fingers trembling, her eyes wide and unfocused.
Around them, the traffickers' bodies lay where they had dropped.
Blood seeped into the forest floor, dark and slow. Broken branches hung askew, leaves still shivering from the disturbance. A corpse lay only a few steps away, eyes frozen open, mouth twisted mid-scream.
No one moved.
The woman stood among the dead as if she belonged there, tall and composed, her robes unstained despite the carnage. Moonlight filtered through the canopy and brushed against her figure, lending her an almost unreal presence.
Lu Haotian forced himself to breathe steadily.
Only moments ago, these men had been shouting, laughing, talking about prices.
Now, they were silent.
The contrast made his stomach twist.
Mei Nan buried her face against his arm, shaking.
The woman's gaze swept the scene once—cold, precise—before settling on them. There was no urgency in her movements, no sign of fatigue. To her, this outcome had been inevitable.
The forest remained still.
Lu Haotian and Mei Nan stared in disbelief. The woman's presence radiated a strange calm authority. Not a word, not a motion wasted.
She crouched beside Lu Haotian and placed a small, gleaming pill in his hand. "Take this," she said softly, her voice gentle but firm.
Lu Haotian hesitated for barely a second before popping it into his mouth. Almost immediately, warmth spread through his body, easing the pain, replenishing his strength. The bruises didn't vanish, but his energy—his qi—flowed back into his limbs as though a small reservoir had been refilled.
Mei Nan peeked up at the woman, eyes wide. "Who… who are you?"
The woman didn't answer. She only gave a faint nod, almost imperceptible, before standing. Her long, dark robes swayed with her movement, and her presence seemed to push the shadows back.
Lu Haotian, still recovering, glanced down at Mei Nan. Her small face was pale, but her eyes held a flicker of awe and trust. He straightened, feeling a strange gratitude he couldn't yet name.
The woman looked them silently, effortlessly navigating the forest as if she had walked this path countless times. Lu Haotian stayed close behind, careful not to fall, not to ask questions. For now, all that mattered was safety—and this stranger had provided it.
As they moved deeper into the forest, Lu Haotian's mind churned. Who was she? Why had she helped them? And why did it feel… as though she had expected them all along?
The forest's quiet stretched, broken only by their footsteps and the distant hum of unseen life. But for the first time that night, Lu Haotian allowed himself to breathe.
They were alive. And someone had saved them.
The forest was calm now, the chaos of the ambush replaced by an uneasy quiet. The woman stopped beside a small clearing and turned to face Lu Haotian and Mei Nan.
"What are your names?" she asked, her voice firm but not unkind. "And how did you two end up in this forest?"
Lu Haotian swallowed, still wary but relieved to be alive. He straightened his posture, brushing dirt off his clothes. "I'm Lu Haotian," he said carefully. "And this is Mei Nan, my maid."
Mei Nan gave a small nod, her hands gripping the hem of her simple dress.
"The forest… we were attacked," Lu Haotian continued, his tone steady. "By traffickers. They—" He told her everything, remembering the bruises and the roughness of the fight, "they tried to capture us. I… I tried to fight them, but they were too strong. Then you came."
The woman listened without interruption, her dark eyes calm and sharp. She gave a slight nod. "I see. That explains the state you're in."
She paused for a moment, then extended her hand, and her inner eye—subtle, faintly glowing—swept over them. Lu Haotian felt a gentle pressure on his mind, as if she was reading the surface of his soul, scanning his essence, noting everything.
Her lips curved into a faint, rueful sigh. "Mixed roots…" she murmured. "It's rare to see such a combination at your age. But also difficult to cultivate." Her eyes lingered on him a moment longer before she turned her gaze to Mei Nan.
Lu Haotian noticed her expression change, from curiosity to intrigue. "Interesting," she whispered, almost to herself. "And you… you might have something hidden. A physique that hasn't fully manifested yet."
Mei Nan blinked, confused. "Hidden… what?"
The woman's eyes softened as she regarded her. "A rare one. The Crescent Lotus Physique. A feminine, water-affinity constitution that is… graceful, almost ethereal. Like a lotus blooming under a crescent moon reflected on still water."
Mei Nan looked down at herself, uncertain, while Lu Haotian's brow furrowed. "Physique?" he asked cautiously.
The woman nodded. "It's not something that can be seen easily at first. But I can sense it, hidden beneath your youth and your current strength. With proper care and guidance… it could be very useful."
She paused, her eyes scanning the surrounding forest again as though confirming the emptiness of their immediate surroundings.
"My name is Lian Yue… I am an elder from Jade Lake Sect. I was passing through this area, returning from a mission, when I came across you."
Lu Haotian and Mei Nan exchanged glances. They didn't ask further, sensing that for now, she would reveal no more than she wished.
The forest fell quiet again. Lu Haotian's mind churned—not just with questions about the woman, but with a new curiosity about Mei Nan's hidden potential.