When it rains, it pours.

Huang Ying and Li Jun finished their deal, Huang Ying casting one more glance at the bloody tufts of brown hair hidden away within the bush in front of him. He stood up from his seated position and looked down the animal trail that ran down the right side of the triangular mountain, logically speaking, it was in this direction that he was most likely to find whoever left behind these tufts of hair.

And since the blood on them smelled so familiar to him there was no way he could just ignore it, it would gnaw at his mind without end. He gave Hei Ya's head a few more soft strokes, tapping Hong Yi on the head when she started complaining about the difference in treatment.

"Let's head down here, make sure to remain fully vigilant."

Hong Yi responded by chirping while jumping around and Hei Ya gave a low growl, his nose lowering until it nearly touched the ground as he gave it a few sniffs. Li Jun remained silent and didn't try to stop Huang Ying from moving down the path, Hei Ya and Hong Yi right at his side. The group followed the surprisingly wide animal trail that ran practically adjacent to the mountain, a few more torn off branches covered in blood-soaked leaves swiftly entering his perception.

He followed the path for a bit more and then found an item that caused his brows to furrow slightly, a severed toe. The toe had a jagged stump that made it clear that it wasn't cut off but rather torn off by force, the edge of the stump had already started to dry up so it seemed to be at least a few hours old already. The toe was drenched in the same familiar scent as the blood, a slight sense of unease starting to creep into Huang Ying's heart and causing him to speed up. He saw Hei Ya sniffing at the toe and open his mouth to snatch it away so Huang Ying tapped his snout to stop him while giving him a stern warning.

"No, we only eat those that we know we can eat."

Hei Ya quickly closed his mouth and lowered his head in obedience and understanding, leaving the severed toe alone and following Huang Ying closely. The group quickly spotted the end of the animal trail, it opened up into what looked to be a rather large half-circle-shaped clearing right beside the other end of the mountain.

The shape of the clearing and the fact that it turned into an animal trail almost made the path resemble a funnel, a somewhat peculiar sight. Huang Ying and his two beast companions entered the clearing, Huang Ying's expression immediately sinking as a particular tree to his right entered his perception, a somewhat bitter laughter escaping his lips.

"Really, when it rains it pours, huh? What a fucked up place this world can be."

Huang Ying turned his head and locked his gaze onto the tree, onto the person that was nailed to it about two meters above the ground. A head full of dark brown hair that was missing a few tufts, skin that was somewhat dark and eyes that were a light green. Who could it be but Langye, the girl who had been following Huang Ying around in hopes of learning from him?

Her tall body had been nailed to the three via four large nails pierced through her shoulders, two in each shoulder. Her robes had been completely removed so that her muscular body was on full display, several small cuts covering her entire body, some shallow while others were deep. Demonic beasts had clearly already gotten to her before, her legs had been nibbled and torn at, her left foot entire gone while most of the toes on her right foot had been torn off.

But even so, despite the fact that she was dripping with blood and had stained both the tree and the ground beneath her, she still lived. She still drew breath and her eyes were still glaring in defiance, her teeth biting down on her lips so that she wouldn't let out a sound. Her gaze was strong but her eyes were somewhat blurry, it seemed like she wasn't able to see properly any longer. Seeing her gruesome state, a soft sight couldn't help but slip out of Huang Ying's mouth.

"Really, the cultivation world is such a bitch, tearing at and ruining those living in it."

They might only have spent about a month together, but Langye had always kept an eye out for Huang Ying. She always made sure to tell him when she learned something new about the Burning Cloud or Silver Cloud factions, always made sure that he knew what they were planning against him, always made sure to warn him and to check that he was okay. She might not have her gaze set as high as him, but she was nonetheless still someone that he considered a friend.

And looking at her hanging there, his thoughts couldn't help but drift slightly. This was clearly not done by a Demonic beast but rather a human, most likely one of the students that had joined them here. If they were capable of doing this to her, what about Song Yi or Chen Hong, or even Huang Ying's adoptive sister, Xing Tang? Would the cultivation world eventually sink its claws into them as well and leave them like this, would it rob him and everyone else of everything without any remorse?

Huang Ying raised his foot and started walking towards Langye, who quickly noticed him thanks to his footsteps. Her blurry and unfocused eyes landed on him and glared relentlessly, her mouth forming a weak sneer as she spat a thick glob of nearly dried blood and snot at him.

"Hnnngh...Hmmngh...HNNNN!"

Her words were ineligible, her tongue seemed to have been cut out already. But her voice was still exceptionally hoarse and weak, blood spilling out of her mouth each time she opened it. Huang Ying sent his perception into her body and gave her insides a quick inspection, his expression sinking further. The wounds on the surface were actually rather delicate and precise, just deep enough that she remained bleeding but not so deep that she died too fast. But the problem was that she seemed to have already hung here for a while, she had lost far too much blood already, her organs were already starting to shut down. Huang Ying's voice was a bit low and icy cold as he plainly stated the facts.

"You're dying."

He contacted Li Jun swiftly, but he received the feared response, there was nothing Li Jun could do. He specialized in killing and maiming, none of the techniques he ever learned could be used for healing. Langye's eyes shot open wide when she heard Huang Ying's voice and recognized it, her mouth quickly opening and trying to utter a few words. But without a tongue, she was unable to make any sounds, Huang Ying's gaze remaining locked onto her unyielding eyes for a bit before he spoke up.

"It's like I said back then, you've already showcased your determination, there's no point in following me around in hopes of learning anything. I think... that you might not have ended up like this if you hadn't followed me."

Langye didn't have any enemies in the academy, at least none that she herself had made. But Huang Ying on the other hand, he had made plenty of enemies in his short time at the academy. And from the looks of it, those enemies didn't seem the least bit shy about going for those around him. He really only had one thing to say to acts like that, it was the same thing he had called them several times already, utterly pathetic.

Langye simply smiled at Huang Ying's words, not an ounce of regret on her face. Huang Ying might not have noticed or thought anything about it, but only she knew that her mind had gotten stronger after following him, otherwise she wouldn't be as composed as she was now. She opened her mouth and continued to speak her ineligible words, her expression constantly morphing between vengeful and worried.

Hei Ya and Hong Yi noticed that things weren't all that good and thus chose to remain silent, sticking close to Huang Ying's leg to provide with whatever companionship they could. Huang Ying nodded his head after Langye stopped speaking, he hadn't understood her actual words but he understood her intentions and thoughts, they burned within her eyes. He took a step closer and placed his right hand on her abdomen, speaking in a low voice as he did his best to put on a comforting tone.

"Don't worry, a determination is like a dream, it doesn't die, it just gets picked up by someone else and gets carried forward. Langye, I respect your determination and grit from the bottom of my heart. I will carry on your determination and vengeance, so please sleep and rest easy, I relieve you of your burdens."

Langye sent one last weak smile at Huang Ying, sludge-like darkness covered in eyes and maws bursting forth from the palm placed against her stomach. The law of devouring spread out and covered her entire body, but all she felt was the warmth of comfort and peace.