Chapter 108 - 80 : Undercurrents (1)

Chapter 108: Chapter 80 : Undercurrents (1)

Over the next few days, the story spread through the region, but rarely in the same form twice. One group insisted an Early Qi Refining cultivator had been killed. Another had only heard that seven people were dead.

Somewhere along the way, someone claimed Blood Demon was actually at Mid Qi Refining, only to have the claim dismissed by someone else who pointed out that the only man who could confirm it had fled before the fight was over. Yet the survivor himself became difficult to dismiss. He had returned alive when the others had not, and that alone gave his words more weight than the usual tavern speculation. More importantly, people began connecting his account with the groups that had disappeared before his own. What had once been separate incidents were now being discussed together, and the longer the list became, the harder it was to call each disappearance bad luck.

The notice offering one hundred and fifty spirit stones remained where it was, but the conversations around it changed. A cultivator who had once considered taking the bounty alone might now ask who else was interested. Someone else might argue that another tracking talisman was worth the cost, while a more experienced rogue cultivator would want to know the exact route and whether anyone had confirmed Blood Demon’s current location.

Not everyone was discouraged; some saw the growing danger as proof that the reward was worth fighting for, while others decided that a bounty was useless if claiming it meant becoming another name on the list of the missing. The reward had not lost its value. If anything, the growing uncertainty had made it something people were less willing to pursue blindly.

A week had passed since his performance with the last group that came after him. He had stopped counting the days by the number of people who tried to kill him.

There had been none.

He couldn’t say he missed being attacked, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t miss what came with it. The people who came after him had brought more than trouble.

Their resources had steadily added to his own, and the blood of cultivators, already carrying refined Qi had given him an easy source of nourishment for his Living Blood. Each encounter had left him with something new, whether it was a resource, a bit of experience, or another surprise from the path he was walking.

For all the danger they brought, it had almost felt as though the world itself had been helping him cultivate. Now, with the attacks gone quiet, Ethan found himself missing that strange rhythm more than he expected.

He walked along a narrow road cut between low hills, the morning air cool against his face. The dark-gray robe he had bought in the trade city moved lightly around his legs with each step, its formations keeping dust and loose dirt from settling into the fabric. His storage pouch rested at his waist, and the short dao hung within easy reach.

He still kept his guard up, his eyes moving naturally between the road ahead and the slopes around him as he walked. A week without trouble had done little to erase the habit of expecting someone to come after him, and even the quietness of the road did not make him careless. He extended his Blood Perception, allowing the familiar sensation to spread outward as he checked the surrounding area.

He reached outward with Blood Perception, letting it brush across the wilderness around him. The response came back clean and steady, carrying the faint stirrings of life from the surrounding trees and distant road. Nothing stood out. No unfamiliar presence lingered nearby, no cluster of cultivators moved through the area, and nothing in the quiet rhythm of the wilderness suggested danger.

Ethan let the perception recede and continued down the road.

The road bent around a rocky slope, winding between two ridges before opening toward the east. Lunar Echo territory lay somewhere beyond them.

Ethan continued along the road, occasionally checking the map in his storage pouch to keep his direction. The journey was still long, but with each passing day, the distance felt less daunting.

His fingers brushed the pouch once before falling back to his side, and he kept walking.

A faint rustle came from somewhere beyond the trees.

His pace remained unchanged as Blood Perception spread through the wooded slope. Four distinct traces of vitality came back to him from a distance. None was particularly strong.

Rogue cultivators, most likely. Their vitality was moving steadily through the trees, following a path that would eventually bring them toward the same stretch of road.

He kept walking, his attention remaining on the surroundings as he stayed ready to retrieve his dao from his storage pouch the moment he sensed anything wrong. There was no need to act yet, but Ethan did not let that stop him from remaining alert. The attacks had gone quiet in the days since he let the survivor escape, yet that did not mean everyone who followed him would fight the same way.

A cultivator did not need to come within reach of his blade to attack, and Ethan had no idea what kind of techniques these people might possess. If they wanted to strike from a distance, he would rather notice it before they made their move.

The group came closer, though not quickly. They maintained their distance as they followed along the wooded slope, and Ethan continued down the road without changing his pace.

A few moments later, one of the traces stopped.

Then another.

The remaining two followed.

Ethan’s gaze shifted slightly toward a rocky rise partly hidden behind thick bushes. He did not turn his head enough to make it obvious that he was looking, but Blood Perception told him exactly where they had stopped.

They were watching him.

He walked another hundred steps, keeping his movements steady while his attention remained on the four traces behind him. Still nothing. No movement from the rocks. No attack from the trees. No sudden surge of Qi.

He kept going.

Only after several more moments did the four traces begin to retreat, slowly moving back through the trees.

Ethan did not turn around to watch them leave. He simply continued along the road, maintaining the same pace until the distance between them had grown large enough that he finally allowed some of the tension in his shoulders to ease.

Interesting.

He had expected more.

For the past few days, every encounter had followed the same pattern. Someone noticed him, became interested, and eventually decided the reward was worth the risk. This time, they had only watched him before turning away and leaving.

Ethan walked on, his expression thoughtful. It could only be because of the survivor he had deliberately allowed to escape from the ravine. If the man had told others what happened there, then the sudden change made sense.

The corner of Ethan’s mouth lifted slightly.

At least people were learning.

The road remained quiet for several hours. Ethan welcomed it, using the uninterrupted journey to settle into his thoughts and focus on the road ahead. It was not that he believed the danger had disappeared, but after days of being watched and attacked, having some time without anyone coming after him was useful. He could finally travel without having to constantly wonder when the next confrontation would begin, and Ethan made good use of the opportunity.

By midday, the road had narrowed into a rough trail climbing gradually along the side of a hill. Ethan left it when he found a sheltered stretch beneath a line of trees overlooking the valley below.

The position was not perfect, but it gave him a clear view of the surrounding slopes and several ways out if anyone approached. Ethan extended his Blood Perception through the area, checking the slopes and trees around him until he was satisfied that nothing was nearby. He settled beneath the trees, reached into his storage pouch, and took out the map.

He had already traveled farther east than he had originally planned. Looking at the distance he had covered, Ethan felt a faint weariness settle over him. Since arriving in this world, he had spent most of his time moving from one place to another, never staying anywhere long enough to build the kind of steady life he had wanted. He had wanted somewhere quiet, enough resources to cultivate, and the freedom to live without constantly wondering who might come looking for him next.

But the road kept reminding him that such a life would not simply be given to him. If he wanted things to change, he needed more than strength. He needed to be more careful about the way he moved, less predictable, and more deliberate about what he allowed others to learn about him. Strength could keep him alive when trouble found him, but caution could keep trouble from finding him so easily in the first place.

His eyes returned to the map.

The main route continued toward a larger settlement, while another curved south before joining a smaller road. The third was little more than a rough trail cutting through the hills.

Ethan studied the routes for a moment, then followed the smaller one with his finger.

The main road would get him there faster, but it was also the easiest one to follow. Anyone watching his movements would know which way he had gone, and anyone waiting farther ahead could make a reasonable guess about where he would eventually appear.

The smaller road was slower, with more turns and rougher ground between the hills. That also made his movements harder to read.

His finger followed the southern route for a moment before shifting to the smaller road.

He stopped there.

It would take longer, but Ethan had no reason to make his path any easier to predict than it already is.