Yun Qiang opened his eyes and sighed.
Even short rests don't work. Those dreams keep coming...
It had been three weeks since Yun Qiang started receiving dreams about the cultivation life of his counterpart. If this had only lasted two or three days, it wouldn't have been a big deal—Yun Qiang could have endured the lack of sleep and spent the weekend catching up. But three weeks had passed, and he still couldn't sleep without dreaming of his counterpart.
Yun Qiang rubbed his tired eyes. The dark circles beneath them were well-defined, making him look like a panda.
As he sat on the grass, Brook's voice came from beside him.
"Still sick?"
"No, I'm just tired," Yun Qiang turned towards Brook, who was fishing while sitting on a small rock. "Got anything?"
"Nah, it's been two weeks and I still can't catch anything. Something must have happened up the river," Brook's voice was filled with grievances. "It's rice again, guys."
"Qiang, you should go and see a medic," this time it was Sun who spoke. "You're always sleepy and—" he paused, "you should just see a doctor."
"And how can I pay him? I'm broke like everyone in our class, and I can't find a job because I'm always in class since our 'training' is mandatory."
Yun Qiang then added in his mind:
And what should I tell him? I'm having strange dreams and I can only sleep two or three hours every night? Everyone would think I'm mad or something similar.
Brook chimed in, "Fergusson had a similar problem. Maybe you can ask him when he gets back—his one-month sentence is almost over."
"Yeah... I will."
"He won't come back," Sun said flatly.
The others stared at him in silence.
"I found out yesterday," Sun continued. "Jin personally asked for an extension of Fergusson's punishment. The sect agreed."
"How long will he stay there?" Brook's voice was low, and the sound of the river almost covered it.
"Two years. And you know what the odds are of surviving two years in the Rainy Fortress..."
Brook let go of his fishing rod and stared at the river.
"I don't feel like fishing today. Let's go back to the sect." Brook sounded defeated—clearly, Sun had ruined his mood.
"Sorry..."
The group packed their things in silence and started traveling back toward the Skyward Pavilion.
Taro was leaning against a lush tree, his eyes fixed on the nearby road. The Sacred Moon Sect had given him detailed information about his target—almost too detailed. This intel contained everything: training regime, friendships, hobbies; even a picture of the target's family members was included.
Taro hesitated. Now that he was deep into enemy territory, he started doubting the validity of the intel. It was too precise, and the pay for the assignment was too good.
For a moment, dark thoughts surfaced in his mind: Was this a setup? Had the sect sent him to die?
He quickly dismissed the idea. The assignment was open to everyone in the quest hall. There was no way to know who would take it. On top of that, only Qi Gathering cultivators were allowed to accept it. If it were a trap, it would make more sense to go after someone stronger and richer than basic cultivators like him.
No, this wasn't a trap. Too elaborate. Too costly. And he was just a small fry. His enemies weren't rich, and none of them were stupid enough to spend this kind of effort to kill a Qi Gathering nobody.
After reading the intel again, his thoughts calmed, and a wicked smile formed on his freckled face.
I guess this mortal offended someone important. Well, that's better for me. I'll give him a quick death as a gift.
He drew his dagger and crouched low, slowly blending into the environment. The target was expected to arrive at dusk, so he took his time hiding and adjusting the surroundings to better conceal himself.
But when the sun was still high in the sky, Taro spotted a group of three people slowly making their way down the road.
Thanks to his intel, he easily recognized them as Brook, Sun, and the target, Yun Qiang. Just to be sure, he used a special technique to measure their cultivation. All three were mortals.
Taro smiled. If they were cultivators, maybe they could have sensed him with their heightened awareness. But mortals? Not a chance. Even with his hiding spot still unfinished, there was no way they'd notice him.
His grin widened. Too easy.
He wanted to strike right away but forced himself to stay put. This was a golden occasion to kill all of them, and he couldn't allow himself to mess up.
So he waited. And when they came within two meters of his hiding spot, he struck.
His strike was fast, and his movements were precise. His first target was Yun Qiang—he was the goal of the mission, so he had priority even if he was the furthest of the three. Suddenly, a hand came from the side and blocked the blade, slowing the attack and giving Yun Qiang enough time to dodge.
Taro knew his surprise attack had failed, so he stepped back to assess the situation. However, just as he stepped back, a spear came from the side, threatening to hit his vitals. Taro, being a cultivator, managed to dodge the fatal hit, only receiving a superficial injury instead.
As he made some distance from his prey, he finally managed to analyze the situation. Brook was on his knees, trying to stop the bleeding from his hand, while Sun was wielding a wooden stick fashioned into a spear. As for the target, he was standing still, seemingly in shock.
Taro stared at Sun. The man was clearly a mortal, but he had managed to hit him. Was he that fast? No. No mortal could be that fast. Then...
He predicted where I would land?
Taro didn't know how Sun had managed to predict his movements. But now he knew who to kill first.
What's the use of knowing my movements if you're slow?
Even if this mortal could predict his movements, it wasn't a big deal, since Taro could simply overwhelm him with speed. With this in mind, Taro launched a frontal attack toward Sun.
Taro was right. Sun could easily predict his attacks, but he couldn't react in time, forcing him to deflect the attacks and suffer some minor injuries.
Within seconds, Sun's body was covered in scratches, and he had slowed down enough for Taro to strike his vitals.
Taro grinned. But just as he was about to strike, a stick came from the side, attacking his head. Taro's grin widened—he knew something like this would happen; he had seen that Yun Qiang had picked up a stick and was circling him, trying to find an opening.
With grace, Taro's dagger swiftly changed target and was now aimed at Yun Qiang's vitals. However, something unthinkable happened: Yun Qiang dropped the base of the stick to the ground, blocking the dagger mid-swing. Using it as a pivot, he twisted his body and punched Taro in the gut.
Taro barely flinched. He hadn't cultivated his body yet, but weak punches like that were nothing. He pressed harder, splintering Yun Qiang's stick, and attacked Yun Qiang's vitals again.
He had already checked Sun's position, and he knew that his attack couldn't be stopped. This was the end.
Then a sharp, blinding pain shot through his spine. Taro collapsed.
As he fell, he turned his head to see his attacker.
It was Brook, he held a bloody kitchen knife in his unjured hand.
When Taro died, silence lingered among the group. Yun Qiang stared at the lifeless body, his mind filled with conflicting thoughts and emotions. He had helped kill a man.
He had already experienced killing and fighting, but only in his dreams, where his counterpart's emotions dominated and suppressed his own. But this time was different. This was the real world.
He didn't feel the calm or the sharpness that his counterpart had shown over and over again when killing, but he also didn't feel regret or sadness. The man had attacked them—it was either him or them. However, Yun Qiang felt lost.
What do we do now?
He looked to his companions, hoping for direction, for a plan—anything. When his gaze reached Sun, he saw that the man's face was unnaturally calm, his eyes steady and full of confidence. Sun was just about to speak when Brook suddenly collapsed to the ground.
The sound of Brook collapsing snapped Yun Qiang out of his confusion. Brook's face was pale, and his breathing was irregular and heavy. Beneath him, a small pool of blood was forming. Now the priority was clear. They had to save Brook.
Sun took the lead. He ignored the dead cultivator, grabbed Brook from the side, and spoke.
"Qiang, take the other side. We must get him to the sect."
Yun Qiang didn't hesitate and helped Sun.
"But to whom? We can't afford a doctor."
"You said that your friend is an alchemist, right? Maybe he has a healing pill. The blade was poisoned—doctors can't help." He looked at Brook while hastening his pace. "Our priority now is to save him. We can discuss the rest later."
During their trip to the sect, it was clear that Brook's condition was getting worse. His face grew paler with every step, and the blood from his hand kept flowing with no sign of stopping. Sun wasn't doing much better. His scratches still hadn't healed, and even though he kept a calm and focused look, his pace had started to slow down. The exhaustion was catching up to him.
It took them half an hour to reach the sect. By then, Brook was ghostly pale, and Sun's robe was soaked with blood, giving him a gruesome look. The only one who looked healthy was Yun Qiang, who hadn't been injured during the fight.
Surprisingly, the sect guards didn't bother or speak to them. They were totally indifferent to Brook's situation and didn't offer any kind of help. Nobody cared about them.
The duo didn't dare to delay, and without caring about courtesy or demeanor, they rushed to Wuji's house and barged inside, almost breaking the door.
Brook was now unconscious.
Luckily, Wuji was meditating at home, and they didn't have to search for him around the sect. Hurriedly, Yun Qiang started explaining the situation, condensing most of the facts into a single phrase:
"Wuji! We were assaulted and Brook was heavily injured—can you help him?" There was evident panic in his voice. "Do you have a healing pill for him? Please, I can pay you in the future! I'll do whatever you want—please help him!"
Wuji was startled by their intrusion, and his eyes widened when he saw Brook. Wuji stuttered.
"You can go and see a doctor. The sect won't let him—"
Wuji couldn't finish his words before Sun cut him off. The urgency in his tone was clear.
"The doctors won't help. The blade was laced with poison—I can feel it in my veins," he breathed heavily, his face starting to turn pale. "The alchemists won't use a pill on him. They won't even patch him up once they hear we don't have money."
A heavy silence hung in the room before Wuji finally spoke. His voice was uneasy, and his expression seemed sincere.
"I'm sorry. I don't have any pill."
Yun Qiang completely lost hope. Wuji was probably the only one in the sect who would help them. It seemed that Brook was doomed to die.
However, Sun didn't believe Wuji's words. Wuji seemed honest and sorry about their situation, but Sun had seen many people like him during his time in the sect. When he caught Wuji's quick glance toward the table, he knew—Wuji was lying.
Without a word, Sun started rummaging through a sack on a small table. Seeing this, Wuji's eyes widened in panic, and Yun Qiang opened his mouth to protest. But Sun was faster than both of them. He took out a small pinkish pill and announced,
"I found it."
Without waiting, he hurried over to Brook, who was now lying in the corner of the room.
Just as he was about to feed the pill to Brook, a cold voice came from behind them.
"Stealing is against sect rules... even if it's you."
Yun Qiang could barely see Bai Gui's face before an invisible force enveloped them, instantly knocking them out.
The last thing Yun Qiang saw before losing consciousness was the healing pill falling to the ground.