The next morning Luo He woke entangled in a complete mess of limbs.
Su Kim had wrapped herself around him during the night like a creeping vine surrounding the trunk of a tree, she refused to let go of.
One arm rested across his chest while the other remained trapped beneath his neck. Even her legs had somehow found their way over his waist during their barely three hours of sleep.
Despite the exhaustion lingering in his body, Luo He still opened his eyes before sunrise. He had a mission to complete.
Sneaking away would have been difficult anyway considering how thoroughly she had imprisoned him in her sleep.
Besides if Su Kim woke up early with him, the day would begin in a considerably better mood. So naturally Luo He chose the least honorable method possible.
His hand slowly drifted downward before landing against her lower waist and hip, then her soft ass. He lazily enjoyed the soft curves beneath his fingers.
A few light taps followed afterward. No reaction. Luo He sighed dramatically.
"Unbelievable," he muttered softly.
"Sleeping like a dead person after acting so fierce last night." He said to him self. Another few good taps finally earned results.
Su Kim stirred slightly against him before her eyes slowly opened. For several seconds she simply stared blankly upward, still half asleep.
Then she suddenly realized how tightly she had wrapped herself around him.
Even her feet were resting atop him without shame.
Her face immediately warmed. Almost instinctively she pulled her hands back first, trying to regain some dignity.
Then last night's memories came flooding back all at once. The teasing.
The warmth. The promises. The quiet goodbye hidden beneath everything else.
Her embarrassed expression softened almost immediately afterward. Without another word she leaned back toward him again and grabbed his head affectionately.
Then pulling him close against her chest while letting out a tired sigh. "So cruel," she murmured softly. "Waking me up after barely letting me sleep." She added.
Yet despite the complaint her arms only tightened around him further like the creeper vine from before refusing to release its support no matter how the morning sun tried to separate them.
After some time Luo He had finally managed to escape Su Kim's grasp.
Though judging by the expression on his face, the method he used to escape had likely cost him several complaints and at least one attempted recapture before success.
By then he was already fully dressed and standing outside the tent beneath the cold early morning sky. The camp remained unusually quiet.
Technically it was already late morning.
But after the previous night's celebration, drinking, and endless feasting, nearly the entire army still slept like corpses beneath blankets and tents scattered across the shoreline.
The soldiers needed that release badly. Weeks of tension, disease, death, and uncertainty will soon be upon them, and by then this happy night will be all what is left for them.
Soon afterward Su Kim finally emerged from the commander's tent as well, now fully dressed once more.
Her dark blue robes had been restored neatly into place, though faint traces of exhaustion still lingered beneath her eyes after the very short night they had shared.
The moment she approached, Luo He smacked her on her backside ever so gently.
The soft sound echoed clearly enough to make Su Kim freeze for half a second before warmth rushed instantly across her face and ears.
Luo He looked completely shameless afterward. "You seem exhausted," he mocked calmly. Su Kim immediately glared at him. Luo He only smiled wider.
"Do you remember our first night together?" he continued softly. "You nearly drained me dry, like I was a wild dog." He added with a little wink.
He leaned in slightly closer afterward, lowering his voice just enough, only for her to hear. "Consider this payback." He said coldly.
The wickedness hidden behind that grin suppressed Su Kim completely for a brief moment. Honestly for a second she almost questioned whether she was imagining things again.
Because that dangerous playful side of him always affected her far more deeply than she wanted to admit. Especially when he acted rough in small harmless ways like giving her a good spank.
It sent heat rushing through her body embarrassingly fast. And unfortunately she liked it far too much. Su Kim lowered her gaze briefly while trying to recover her composure.
"What woman wouldn't lose her mind a little from that?" She thought bitterly to herself.
Before she could sink deeper into the thought however, Luo He's voice pulled her back immediately.
Without another word he wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her lightly closer against his side before speaking calmly once more.
"Inform everyone I left early." He said calmly. Su Kim nodded obediently almost on instinct. The teasing expression on her face softened afterward.
For a brief moment she simply leaned quietly against him while the early morning wind passed through the still sleeping camp around them.
Then from within the tent behind them, the Black Cloud Shuttle silently floated outward like a shadow emerging from darkness itself.
To outsiders it appeared mysterious. Almost divine. Yet in reality the object itself was nothing extraordinary. Merely a wooden board.
The true source of flight was Luo He himself. His power directly manipulated and accelerated the shuttle through spiritual force.
Effectively turning an ordinary platform into something capable of crossing entire regions at impossible speeds.
Luo He stepped aboard calmly with only his sword at his side. Then the shuttle shot upward into the skies before vanishing toward the inner islands.
This time Luo He traveled alone. No soldiers. No escorts. No unnecessary burdens. Only speed and stealth.
The deeper regions of the island cluster quickly became visible beneath him. At first glance the terrain itself explained why Xu Mun's army had suffered so heavily.
The islands were nightmares for organized warfare. Dense forests. Wetlands. Narrow rivers. Natural cliffs.
Fog-covered waterways and small hidden villages alike. Countless elevated tree lined the hills. Every advantage belonged to defenders familiar with the environment.
Large armies became liabilities there.
Formation warfare collapsed. Supply lines stretched thin. Disease spread rapidly due to humidity and insects.
Heavy armor exhausted soldiers. Meanwhile the locals moved freely through terrain that outsiders could barely cross.
Luo He lowered altitude afterward and performed several low fly-bys above the islands while carefully observing the civilization below.
Then eventually he hid the Black Cloud Shuttle high atop a massive tree before continuing entirely on foot. Or more accurately through the trees themselves.
His movements became nearly invisible afterward. The armor's cloaking system activated silently, bending light around his body while his skill silent step hid all traces of spiritual fluctuations simultaneously.
The camouflage did not create true invisibility. Rather it distorted perception itself, by bending light around him.
Observers unconsciously overlooked him unless directly focused on his exact position.
Combined with Luo He's already terrifying control over movement and breathing, he became little more than a shadow drifting between branches far above the villages.
Below him the people appeared surprisingly simple. Some hunted. Some farmed. Some repaired fishing nets. Others carved wood or processed animal hides.
The villages themselves lacked advanced architecture. Most structures were primitive wooden buildings reinforced using bone, rope, stone, and thick hides from beasts hunted within the forests.
Metal weapons appeared extremely rare.
Most men carried crude spears, axes, bows, or heavy knives. Armor barely existed. Animal fur and thick leather served as their primary protection.
Yet despite their primitive appearance Luo He immediately realized these people were dangerous. Not because of technology. But because of adaptability.
Every movement they made felt natural to the terrain. Children climbed trees effortlessly. Hunters crossed unstable swamp ground without hesitation.
Even elderly villagers carried themselves with hardened physical conditioning far beyond ordinary civilians. This was not a weak civilization.
It was simply one specialized entirely around survival. Then Luo He noticed him. The leader. Even seated casually among three women, the man dominated attention instantly.