the encounter

The third day of survival wasn't much different from the previous two in terms of the struggle to find food and shelter, but something had shifted in the air. Kai, as he sat silently in the shadows, remained cold and calculating. He had learned long ago to suppress any unnecessary emotions—fear, joy, empathy. They were distractions. They blurred the clarity he had honed over years of training.

His mind, however, kept circling back to the strange situation he had found himself in. Was he kidnapped? Some kind of prank? The possibility that he had been transported to another world seemed absurd, but what other explanation was there? It was clear he wasn't on Earth anymore. The animals he had hunted over the past two days were abnormal—stronger, fiercer, though not enough to challenge him. His martial arts had seen to that.

What frustrated him more was the absence of something—an element he had been sensing but couldn't grasp. Something in the air felt... strange. Kai couldn't define it yet, but it made him restless.

Today, that restlessness grew sharper.

His eyes narrowed as he silently tracked the escort group moving through the forest. There were five guards, a young man, and a woman of striking beauty, all moving with practiced ease, their hands never far from their weapons. Their clothing, the armor, their movements—they were warriors. That much was obvious. But more than that, there was something different about them, a subtle presence he could feel in the way they moved.

Kai's mind sharpened. He was no fool; he didn't let curiosity cloud his judgment. If these people were dangerous, he would need to assess them thoroughly. There was no point in revealing himself. They were nothing more than tools—sources of information that could be used to understand this world better.

From his hidden vantage point, Kai observed them silently, his face devoid of emotion. He wasn't interested in making contact with them, not yet. They were beneath his concern, unless they provided him with something useful.

He blended into the shadows as they continued their journey, following them at a distance. His movements were swift but deliberate, keeping himself hidden. His every step was calculated to ensure he wouldn't draw attention. If these people could sense his presence, they hadn't shown it yet.

But then, something caught his eye—a shadow, moving in the distance, much like his own. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it was there. His gaze fixed on it. This was no ordinary ambush.

---

Wu Tian, the young man leading the group, leaned closer to Lady Lan, his voice barely audible. "Someone is following us."

Lady Lan, her face as cold as her name implied, didn't react beyond a slight narrowing of her eyes. "An ordinary mortal," she said, her tone dismissive. "Ignore it."

Wu Tian hesitated but nodded, deferring to her judgment.

Kai, hidden in the dense foliage, heard every word. A mortal, they called him. His lips curled slightly, though not quite a smile. They were dismissing him as insignificant, a typical mistake of those who believed themselves superior. He wasn't insulted—he felt nothing. Instead, he filed the information away, observing their carelessness.

Just as the escort group was about to move again, the forest suddenly shifted. Kai felt it first—a change in the air, an unsettling stillness. The shadow he had noticed earlier began to move with a purpose, closing in on the group.

He didn't react outwardly. Panic wasn't in his nature, nor was heroism. These people, though curious, were not his concern. Yet he knew an attack was imminent, and he had no desire to be caught up in the crossfire. Cold as ice, Kai considered his options. He wouldn't act out of compassion, but for his own self-preservation. If the ambush was executed poorly, it could throw everything into chaos and put him at risk.

The decision came swiftly.

Instead of running or intervening directly, Kai moved further to the side, positioning himself in a place where he could continue observing. Let the bandits do their worst. He could learn much from how this group fought. The mysterious energy he sensed would surely be revealed in the heat of battle.

The bandits struck swiftly—ten of them, all armed with crude weapons but dangerous enough for the unprepared. The escort group reacted quickly, though, drawing their swords with precision.

Wu Tian fought fiercely, his swordsmanship disciplined but not without flaws. Lady Lan, on the other hand, remained stationary, her sword still sheathed as the battle raged. Kai watched her closely. She was waiting, her eyes scanning the chaos with a calmness that suggested she saw no threat worth her attention.

She was arrogant, but perhaps not without reason.

The guards struggled against the bandits' ferocity, and for a moment, the outcome seemed uncertain. One guard fell to the ground, his armor pierced by a bandit's blade, and another was forced back, overwhelmed by two attackers at once.

"Lady Lan," Wu Tian called out, desperation creeping into his voice as he fended off another bandit. "We need your help!"

Finally, she moved.

With an almost bored expression, Lady Lan unsheathed her sword in one smooth motion. The air around her grew cold, a sharp contrast to the humid heat of the forest. She stepped forward, her sword cutting through the nearest bandit with terrifying speed. Her movements were elegant, efficient—like a dancer performing a practiced routine. Within moments, three more bandits lay dead at her feet.

Kai's eyes narrowed. He had expected something more from her, but this was no ordinary swordsmanship. There was power behind her strikes, something beyond technique. It wasn't until he saw the faint shimmer around her blade that he understood.

Qi.

So this world had it after all.

A small part of him was satisfied to have his suspicions confirmed, but he didn't linger on the thought. Instead, he continued to watch the battle unfold, detached and emotionless. The outcome was inevitable now. Lady Lan and the guards would win, though not without some effort.

As the last bandit fell, Kai remained hidden, his mind already working. This power—this 'qi'—was the key to everything. If he was going to survive in this world, he would need to understand it. No, more than that. He would need to master it.

And these people, with their arrogance and their superiority, would be useful tools to help him along that path.