Chapter 10: Shadows of the Night

"So," Xiao Long paused as he adjusted his huge baggage in his arms, in addition to the one he had slung across his back. "We are on a run because the both of you hung Mayor Jiu on a tree?"

"No, it's because Xuan Yi hung Mayor Jiu on a tree." Lin He reiterated as he glared at the girl in front of him walking in a hurry. "Why didn't you mention that part to me the other day?"

Xuan Yi stopped in her steps abruptly, causing the two men trailing behind to bump into her. "Hey, it's not my fault that he was an asshole." She snapped, rolling her eyes. "Whatever it is, let's not argue over this. We have to leave before they find us or our heads are going to roll on the floor."

With that said, the trio hurriedly got out of the town by one of its side gates connected to the woods. According to the inn's boss, this path will lead them up to a ruin - once a small city - that no one ever visits. Some traders would use it occasionally to deliver goods to the villages or towns further upwards, but most wouldn't take this path because of the eerie vibes coming from the abandoned city. It's a pathway that no one really knows unless they were citizens of this town, so Lin He was certain that they would be safe if they headed that way.

They hurried through the woods, following a small path in hopes that the thugs hadn't caught their trails.

But they were wrong.

Before them stood a few big men and when they turned around, behind were another group of men. The trio huddled close with their backs facing each other, each facing a direction where the thugs were.

They were completely surrounded.

A smaller framed man walked through the thugs, a grin plastered across his face as he looked at them. "Ah… Nothing some money can't do to set up a trap for you." Wen Xu said as he tossed a coin pouch up in the air before catching it.

The inn's boss betrayed them.

Xiao Long groaned loudly, upset with the betrayal. "We stayed there for so many days and gave him so much money. I even tipped him sometimes!"

"Looks like someone's next on the list to be hung up on a tree." Xuan Yi said as she placed her hand on her sword's hilt, getting ready to fight. "This time I'll make sure they are not coming down."

Xiao Long threw his bag on the floor angrily and drew out his sword, "Bring me along as well."

"I have something to say before we do anything." Lin He whispered, his eyes fixed on the thugs before him. "I can't kill a mortal."

"What? You're supposed to be the strongest among the three of us!" Xuan Yi hissed, a frown etched on her face.

Xiao Long nudged Xuan Yi, urging her to watch her tone. "Don't be disrespectful to my Shifu. I'll protect him."

"You don't have to be worried about me. Just fight." Lin He said as he held onto his scabbard. "Don't get injured. Both of you."

The Lan Sect disciples gave a quick nod as they wrapped their hands around their swords firmly, getting into a fighting stance. The thugs were not thinking of backing down either as they held their weapons - sabers, swords and staffs - tightly in their hands.

Wen Xu smirked at the trio's defence, feeling confident that he would be able to take all both of their heads, along with an extra one, back to Mayor Jiu to claim credits. He had brought along over ten huge thugs, greatly overpowering the trio in strength and power before him.

"Mayor Jiu wants their heads. Kill them!" He ordered before taking a step behind, disappearing behind the tall men.

Sounds of metal clashing against each other rang through the air as they put up an intense fight against the huge men. Lin He, on the other hand, was dodging their attacks with swift steps as the thugs lunged towards him at full force. He couldn't run his sword through them or he'll risk getting another few hundred years added to his sentence. So he used the scabbard to throw a few hard hits on their body, making a few of them crying in pain.

Although he could afford to 'die' - he would just be sent back to the Heavens and he could just come back down again. But would he want to experience the pain of getting his head chopped off?

Nah, he would rather stay alive.

Using his scabbard to block a sword coming down on him, he quickly swept a glance at the Lan Sect disciples, hoping that they were alright. Especially Xuan Yi, since he had witnessed her swordsmanship beforehand and he would say that she's lacking a little in techniques.

Lin He pushed off his attacker with all his might and gave the thug a rough kick in his abdomen before running over to Xuan Yi's side. Xiao Long was doing perfectly fine on his own, defending and attacking at the perfect timing while examining his environment. He had already taken down a few men in minutes with a few strikes and kicks. Xuan Yi was too focused on her opponent in front of her that she would nearly miss someone coming from behind her.

"Watch out." Lin He said as he leaned his back against hers, deflecting off another sword coming his way.

Xuan Yi spun around and slashed at the thug that was bothering Lin He, "You watch, I'll attack."

Within the sea of groans and metal clashing, there came a piercing scream of distress.

Almost everyone stopped their movements and looked over in the direction of the sound, wondering what had happened. A sword fight shouldn't sound like this.

Their eyes were fixated on the moving bushes where the sound came from as they stared curiously. Then, a bloody head was thrown out from the bushes.

It was Wen Xu's.

Everyone's muscles tensed as they kept their gaze fixed on what was behind the bush. Whatever it was, it was clearly far more dangerous than their opponents' swords.

A low growl was heard and a pair of emerald eyes shone through the darkness behind the bushes. The pair of emerald eyes grew in numbers instantly as the growls intensified, sending some of the thugs tumbling and falling as they backed away in fear from the mysterious creatures.

Lin He could tell that this was no ordinary animal, it was a wolf - no, it was a demon wolf pack.

They were being hunted.

Before they could react, behind them came another scream. One of the demon wolves had started attacking, tearing the man into shreds as it devoured the flesh of the human. Soon after, the other demon wolves started pouncing on unsuspecting victims from the dark, shredding them into pieces with their sharp canines instantly.

Screams filled the night skies as the attacks continued from all directions. As if the demon wolves were one with the darkness, no one could predict where they were coming from next. Lin He crouched down with Xuan Yi and quickly scanned the surroundings for Xiao Long, who was a distance away from him earlier. They have to leave before they get eaten up as well. Demon wolves were one of the hardest demons to deal with, especially in the night when they blend in perfectly with the shadows as they hunt for their prey.

However, this was just a part of his worries. His bigger worry was that these demons were after him. If that was the case, he's putting both Xiao Long and Xuan Yi in danger and they have to leave immediately before the demon wolves catch sight of him.

He couldn't let any more innocent lives be lost because of him again

"Shifu!" Xiao Long called out from behind Lin He, almost giving him a scare. "We have to leave now, the wolves are increasing in numbers."

Lin He pushed Xuan Yi towards Xiao Long, "The both of you go first, I'll catch up to you guys later."

Xuan Yi grabbed him by his wrist, pulling him towards her and frowned, "Are you crazy? What if these demons are hunting you down like that Vine creep?"

Xuan Yi was worried that Lin He would be in greater danger if he was alone, especially after knowing that there were demons out there hunting him down.

He had saved her more than once, the least she could do was to protect him from being captured by the demons seeking for his life.

On top of that, he still owed her a demon!

"Ah, you remembered." Lin He said with a forced chuckle. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm a god, right? Let's meet up at the ruins in the morning. Okay?" He added quickly and patted her cheeks gently to assure her.

Lin He shot a glance at Xiao Long and the younger male quickly took the cue. Without any delay, Xiao Long quickly pulled Xuan Yi away and into the woods. Lin He took one last glance at them before disappearing in the other direction.