007 Midnight Intruder/s

007 Midnight Intruder/s

I was sharing a quiet dinner with Xing Ning that evening. Tonight I decided to eat meat, something that had appeared among the latest pile of tributes left beneath the tree. A few predators I had helped in the past must have contributed it. I told myself it was only the respectful thing to do. After all, they had offered it freely.

I have to eat this meat.

It should be fine, right?

After all, it was a tribute.

I salivated at the sight of the sizzling strips roasting over the campfire. The aroma made my stomach rumble in anticipation.

While we ate, I made small talk with Xing Ning. “By the way, you mentioned teleportation arrays before. Why couldn’t your sect simply use one to retrieve you? It would save everyone a lot of time.”

Xing Ning chewed thoughtfully before answering. “Teleportation arrays are lost technology, Senior. Very few remain intact, and those that still function are extremely rare and heavily guarded. Even major sects find it difficult to activate them without risking collapse or spatial backlash. Traveling by foot or spirit beast is still the most common method.”

I nodded and took my first bite of the meat. For some reason it tasted strangely off, almost gamey in a way that did not quite match the rich smell. Meh, it probably just needed more salt. Maybe we should buy some condiments from the village next time.

The Hidden Village of Leaf was the closest patch of civilization, something I had learned from the endless gossip of the forest animals.

Hopefully, they wouldn’t mind me buying seasoning from them.

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[POV: Li Qing]

Night had fallen over the Hidden Village of Leaf.

Li Qing stood in the modest wooden hall, voice rising with frustration as she argued with her grandmother. “You are selling me off to the Serenity Cliff Sect. Do not pretend otherwise.”

Li Ming, her grandmother, shook her head firmly. “That is not the case at all. I only wish to marry you into the sect. It is the only way for you to sever your ties with this village and have a real chance at life of your own.”

“I want this life,” Li Qing shot back, fists clenched at her sides. “Let me stay here.”

Her grandmother’s expression hardened with weary patience. “You underestimate the responsibilities that come with staying. I only wish the best for you, child.”

“This is unfair!” Li Qing screamed, her voice cracking.

She had thought her grandmother would finally relent, but the older woman only grew more stubborn. Even though Li Qing had reached the seventh stage of Qi Condensation far quicker than any of her peers, her grandmother still insisted on sending her away.

Li Qing drew herself up and recited the village law with sharp precision. “A villager must reach the fourth stage of Qi Condensation by the age of nineteen years old before they are allowed to stay in the village permanently. I am already at the seventh stage. The law is on my side.”

Her grandmother raised her voice in return. “You will marry into the Guo family and become the wife of Young Master Guo Yuti. That decision is final.”

“So what am I? Just a precious flower to be traded away?”

Tears burned in Li Qing’s eyes. She turned and ran, slamming the sliding door behind her with a loud rattle. She wiped her tears away angrily as she stepped onto the balcony. When her crying finally subsided, the unfairness of it all settled heavily on her chest. Her grandmother had never once praised her rapid progress in cultivation. Instead she often gave Li Qing that same disappointed look, as if nothing she did was ever enough. What was wrong with her?

Suddenly, heated voices drifted up from the garden below. It was the Guo brothers, Guo Yuti the eldest and Guo Yimu the youngest.

Guo Yimu’s voice carried clear anger. “You stole her from me, brother. Li Qing should have been mine.”

Guo Yuti laughed coldly. “It was Grandfather’s decision. Stop acting like a child.”

“I was the first one to find her,” Guo Yimu insisted, voice rising. “It is unfair that you get everything just because you were born first.”

Guo Yuti’s mocking chuckle echoed through the night air. “Perhaps Grandfather would have considered giving you the girl’s hand if you had not been so eager to challenge that certain someone to a duel. Instead, you ended up humiliating the entire sect’s name when you dragged that strange silver-haired man into the matter. Truly a brilliant display of talent, little brother.”

Guo Yimu exploded in anger and embarrassment, his face flushing red even in the dim lantern light. “I was only doing it for the honor of the sect!” he shouted, voice cracking with indignation. “That foreigner, that Xing Ning bastard, should have known his place. He had no right to boast about his swordsmanship right in front of Li Qing. He provoked me first. I could not simply stand there and let an outsider show off like that.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Guo Yuti snorted in disbelief. “Provoked you? He simply demonstrated a few forms and you immediately drew your sword like a hot-headed fool. Now the whole sect is whispering about how the young master of the Guo family was effortlessly tied up by vines and lectured by a silver-haired stranger who does not even seem to possess a sliver of cultivation. Congratulations. You have made us the laughingstock of the outer disciples.”

“I did what any true cultivator would do,” Guo Yimu protested pathetically, though his voice had grown smaller and more defensive. “He insulted our sect by acting superior. Someone had to put him in his place.”

“Someone had to put him in his place?” Guo Yuti repeated, amusement dripping from every word. “And that someone ended up dangling from roots like a common thief while the girl you claim to want watched the entire embarrassing spectacle. Brilliant strategy, truly.”

Li Qing could no longer stand the bickering below. She leaned over the balcony railing and called out sharply. “You two should take your conversation elsewhere. Some of us are trying to sleep.”

The brothers froze and stared up at her with wide eyes, faces flushed with embarrassment. The village was a special place, yet these people were going too far, arguing loudly in the dead of night.

Guo Yuti recovered first and forced a charming smile. “Young Miss Li Qing, we did not mean to disturb you. My foolish little brother was simply being emotional again.”

Guo Yimu immediately stepped forward, puffing out his chest in an attempt to save face. “Do not listen to him, Li Qing. I was only defending your honor. This matter concerns your future happiness, after all.”

Truly pathetic.

Before Li Qing could reply, Guo Yuti’s head suddenly exploded in a spray of blood and bone. She stared in horror, mouth agape. A split second later, Guo Yimu’s head also burst apart with a wet crunch. His fearful expression froze on what remained of his face before he collapsed.

The village alarm bell rang out urgently, its deep tone echoing through the night. Sound transmissions scattered across the Hidden Village of Leaf, carrying frantic words of warning. “The village is under attack. All disciples to arms. Protect the core area.”

Grandmother burst from the room behind Li Qing and shot into the sky on her flying sword. A dark-robed assassin pursued her closely, blade gleaming with killing intent.

“Grandmother.” Li Qing’s voice cracked with fear as she called out.