5. The Lost Trail

(In the afternoon, forest in the wilderness)

Everywhere around a young kid are trees. Nothing but trees. Currently, Mu Tian is walking towards the general direction of Golden Prosperity City.

As he ventured through the wilderness, he noticed a lone rabbit trailing behind him at a cautious distance. It seemed ordinary enough, small, unassuming, and harmless. At first, he paid it no mind, continuing his journey through the dense underbrush. But as time passed, the creature's silent persistence began to gnaw at his patience.

Irritated, Mu Tian struck it down with a single attack, its body falling lifelessly to the forest floor. Without hesitation, he picked up the rabbit, intending to use it as rations. Yet, mere moments after he resumed his path, another rabbit appeared. This one, too, followed him, its beady eyes fixed unwaveringly on his every step.

Then came another. And another.

A slow, creeping unease settled in as the creatures multiplied. At first, they were just ordinary rabbits, but soon, larger ones with sharpened horns emerged from the thickets. They made no sound, no aggressive movement, only a relentless, eerie pursuit. Before Mu Tian realized it, their numbers had swelled, forming a silent, living wall around him. Their dull red eyes gleamed in the dim forest light, reflecting something beyond mere instinct.

The air grew thick with tension. Then, all at once, they struck.

The rabbits lunged with unnatural speed, their once-harmless bodies now lethal projectiles. He barely had time to react before he was forced into a desperate retreat, his movement arts flaring to life as he weaved through the gaps in their encirclement. Claws raked against his arms, sharp horns grazed his legs, each escape met with another ambush. It was no longer just a simple hunt; it was a siege.

By the time he finally broke free, his breathing was ragged, his clothes torn, and fresh wounds marred his body.

After several hours walking through the wilderness. Mu Tian has finally bandaged all the cuts and scratches on his body. Who would have thought that he across a herd of murderous rabbits. If it was the past, he could have easily cut them in two and skewered them to grill on a fireplace. However, it became painfully obvious to Mu Tian that he was too weak. If it was a mortal world, these would be normal rabbits and even civilians could easily hunt them. These murderous rabbits on the other hand have become monster equivalent of a third rate martial artist after the world upgraded.

Fortunately, he found a road in the wilderness. This means there are frequently merchant caravan with guards on this road. This scares the animals in the surrounding areas.

While walking, he comes across several caravans who pass by him as if he was non-existent. At this point he is used to be ignored and blames it on the fact that he is weak. In his past life, he would subconsciously ignore the weak too. He was always the strong one, so this was new for him. It is just the way things are in the martial arts world. But he was now in the situation where he was the weak one.

So Mu Tian started thinking about it. How would he be able to kill his old self, while in his current weak body. This broadened his perspective a little as he came to realize something important. Even the weakest of weak could kill you, the strong, as long as he is prepared. 

While he was thinking about his earlier encounter, a merchant caravan slowly approached from behind. These caravans would normally ignore a beggar like Mu Tian and drive further. Suddenly, Mu Tian heard a voice from behind.

"Hey you!"

Mu Tian ignored it because he thought nobody would scream to a beggar when they look for someone. But he realized he was wrong when he heard the next sentence.

"Hey you beggar!"

Mu Tian turned around and looked towards the carriage in the middle of the caravan, where the scream came from. He saw a young man clad in green robes looking at him with a bright smile and waving his hand. In response to the young man's enthusiasm, Mu Tian just nods in acknowledgement

The young merchant's eyes shine looking at this response and screams "Hey come here!"

Mu Tian looks at the merchant again. This time he is lightly amused and thinks about why a merchant would try to talk to a beggar on the road. Driven by his curiosity, he walks to the carriage of the merchant. The guards did not stop him as they had heard their young masters scream.

When Mu Tian neared the carriage, he saw the guards closely gripping their weapons as if they would kill him the moment he does something suspicious. "It appears the person in the carriage is someone rather important" thinks Mu Tian before putting it in the back of his mind since he arrived in front of the door of the carriage. The door swings open and sitting there was the young merchant who looks about 16 years, a stout middle-aged man and a small boy who looks about 10 years old. Coincidentally, they were all wearing green robes.

"Hey little beggar, what is your name?" Asks the young merchant

Mu Tian thinks for a little and decides to give a fake name since he is being pursued. Then says "My name is Tian Jue. What about you?" in a polite tone.

"My name is Zheng Xi, This is my father and he is called Zheng Renshu and this is my little brother Zheng Yuan" says the young merchant and proceeds to ask what he was curious about "What is Tian Jue doing on the road? Without martial art strength you will likely be eaten by the animals in the forest."

Mu Tian quickly gave a reply as he had a lie prepared in advance. "I heard that you can get rich in Golden Prosperity City. I wanted to try my luck so that my life gets turned around and I could possibly become the strongest martial artist there is." The lie was believable because he had the body of a ten year old. 

Mu Tian's reply excited Zheng Xi since he had never expected a beggar to have such a grand goal for himself. Normal beggars would do everything to survive and did not have any aspirations. He grabbed Mu Tian's hands who could not resist and looked at him with shining eyes.

He said "Then will you come with us to Golden Prosperity City? We were going there to sell our wares. Maybe we can help you find a job." Afterwards Zheng Xi looked at his father who gave him a small nod. Zheng Renshu called a guard and told him to prepare a place for Mu Tian. The conversation continued with Zheng Xi asking all sorts of questions to Mu Tian, who either lied or derailed the conversation to avoid answering the questions.

Slowly Mu Tian started to gain a bad feeling, but he could not put his finger on it. Every time he looks at Zheng Xi he could not help but feel that something was not right about him, but he put it in the back of his mind as they had just arrived at Golden Prosperity City. When they entered the city, Zheng Xi told him that he could stay with them as they had an inn in the city where he could sleep for the night. Without thinking much Mu Tian agreed.

 ---

(Meanwhile, back in White Lotus City)

In a dark basement somewhere in White Lotus City. There are 5 people in a room with an eerie ritual circle in the middle of the room. The old man Jian Feng was standing in front of a ritual circle. Using this ritual circle he would be able to find the vile spawn of the former miss of the Jian Family. That would remove the stain on their reputation.

Jian Feng asked one of the city guards "This ritual does not attract too much attention right? If City Lord Bai finds out we are using a suspicious ritual in secret, our heads are going to be separated from the rest of our body."

One of the guards replied "Yes sir, this ritual will only glow and then point towards the location where the freshest blood of the target is found on the map in the middle of the ritual."

Jian Feng nodded and said "Alright, Start the ritual. I want to have his head presented to the Jian family head as soon as possible."

The guard gave a solemn nod, his expression unreadable beneath the flickering torchlight. Without hesitation, the black-robed figure standing at the edge of the ritual circle raised a withered hand, muttering an incantation in a voice barely above a whisper.

The ritual circle trembled. A sickly crimson glow bled from the carved symbols, pulsing like the heartbeat of something ancient and hungry. The figure reached into the folds of his robe and withdrew a clotted mass of blood, thick and blackened with decay. With a slow, deliberate motion, he cast it into the circle.

The moment it entered, the blood did not splatter, it floated. Suspended in the air like an offering to some unseen force, it quivered, then twitched. A heartbeat passed. Then another.

Suddenly, the blood began to boil. Bubbles rose and burst soundlessly, releasing a faint, iron-scented mist into the air. The writhing mass twisted and shrank, reshaping itself with an unnatural fluidity. Slowly, painfully, it elongated, hardening into a jagged arrowhead of congealed essence.

The circle pulsed once more.

Without warning, the arrowhead snapped forward, pointing toward the aged map laid out before them.

With a solemn voice, Jian Feng said "He escaped towards Golden Prosperity City. Find him and kill him."

---

(An Hour later, Somewhere in Golden Prosperity City.)

The Drunken Crane Inn was lively, filled with merchants, travelers, and drunken warriors boasting of their victories. Zheng Xi strode inside with practiced ease, the very image of a self-made businessman. Behind him, Mo Tian followed, his steps slow, posture slouched, as if exhaustion still clung to him.

The innkeeper, a plump man with keen eyes, looked up. "Ah, Young Master Zheng! A room for you?"

"And a meal," Zheng Xi replied, tossing a silver ingot onto the counter. "For my… new investment."

The innkeeper glanced at Mo Tian, nose wrinkling at the sight. He opened his mouth to speak but caught Zheng Xi's gaze and quickly swallowed his words. "Of course. Right this way."

The room was modest but clean, with a single table and a bed that was leagues better than the frozen dirt roads. A small oil lamp flickered in the corner, casting long shadows on the walls.

Mo Tian stood silently in the doorway, unmoving.

Zheng Xi poured himself a cup of wine, watching him over the rim. "You're a quiet one," he mused. "No gratitude for my kindness?"

Mo Tian's lips twitched, almost a smirk. "I'll save it for later."

Zheng Xi laughed. "Smart. You'll need that wit where you're going." He leaned forward, setting his cup down. "The truth is, I don't pick up beggars out of charity. There's a buyer waiting in the next city. Strong bodies fetch a good price, you know."

Silence stretched between them. Zheng Xi expected resistance, perhaps a desperate plea, maybe even a foolish attempt at escape. Instead, Mo Tian simply met his gaze, unblinking.

"You're honest about it," Mo Tian finally said.

Zheng Xi smirked. "It's only fair. You should know your worth before you're sold."

Mo Tian's eyes flickered toward the door, toward the window, then back to Zheng Xi. He still didn't look afraid. If anything, he looked... amused.

Zheng Xi was sharp. Too sharp.

Mo Tian had spent enough time in the filth of the streets to recognize the type, a noble who played the merchant, a man who wore kindness like a mask. He had no doubt Zheng Xi had seen through his beggar's act. If the noble had truly wanted to sell him, he wouldn't have bothered speaking so much.

No, Zheng Xi was testing him.

Mo Tian smiled faintly, his posture relaxed. "Then let's see if I'm worth more dead or alive."

Zheng Xi's eyes flickered, searching for something in his expression. Then, instead of answering, he chuckled, lifting his cup. "That's the right attitude. A man who values himself always finds a way to rise, no matter how low he starts."

Mo Tian picked up his own bowl of rice, eating slowly. The food was plain, but after days without a proper meal, it was a welcome warmth in his stomach. The two men sat in silence, the air thick with unspoken thoughts.

Then, Zheng Xi leaned back, stretching lazily. "Get some rest. We'll be leaving at dawn."

Mo Tian nodded. He had played along with Zheng Xi's game, at least for now. If this noble wanted a friendship, Mo Tian would entertain the idea. After all, a merchant who traded in men could always be useful.

He stood and left the common area, making his way to the small room Zheng Xi had arranged for him.

The moment he stepped inside, exhaustion crashed over him like a wave.

His vision blurred. His limbs felt heavy. The flickering oil lamp twisted strangely before his eyes.

Poison? No, too mild. A sedative.

Mo Tian staggered toward the bed, gripping the wooden frame to keep himself steady. His mind raced. When? The food? The wine? He had been careful, but not careful enough. Zheng Xi's kindness had been bait, and he had taken it without hesitation.

His lips curled in dry amusement.

"Interesting…"

His body collapsed onto the bed. Darkness closed in. The last thing he heard before unconsciousness took him was the distant murmur of voices outside his door.