Chapter 11: The Decision

Rou Shui and Mo Yun stood with trembling bodies before the bandits. Ten pairs of hateful eyes stared at them intently ten cultivators with a tense aura that made the air feel heavy with the pressure of qi coming out of their bodies.

Bai Houchan, the leader of the bandit group, stood at the front with a haughty demeanor. His upper-level Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation made the atmosphere around him extremely tense. His men, despite only being at the early and middle Qi Condensation Realm stages, still exuded a power far beyond ordinary humans.

"Give me all your money or I'll burn down the hut and kill you," hissed one of Bai Houchan's men, his voice low and threatening.

Cold sweat ran down Mo Yun's temples. His heart was racing, each beat painful in his chest. Beside him, Rou Shui gripped Mo Yun's arm with trembling fingers. The girl's eyes were glazed over with not only fear, but also despair. Fighting back was not an option for those who could not even use martial arts to survive.

With heavy steps and trembling hands, Mo Yun moved to the corner of their hut. Every step felt like a long journey to death. He opened the worn wooden chest where all his years of hard work and sacrifice were stored.

"P-please, this is all we have... don't hurt us..." Mo Yun's voice was barely audible, more like a pained whisper carried on the wind.

Bai Houchan chuckled, his eyes flashing with mockery. In his view, these two weak humans were no more valuable than insects that could be stepped on at any time.

"Hah! Only this much? You think this is enough to keep us satisfied?" He tossed the money bag to one of his men with a condescending gesture. "Check the contents."

The bandit looked at the contents of the bag, his expression changing slightly. "Captain, it's quite a lot... probably more than we thought."

For a moment, satisfaction could be seen on Bai Houchan's face. However, that satisfaction was soon replaced with the cruel grin of a predator who had just found new prey to toy with.

"Good." That little nod from him felt like a death sentence. "But I changed my mind. This money is not enough for the price of your lives."

Mo Yun's face instantly turned deathly pale. A cold feeling ran from his toes to the nape of his neck. "B-but... I've already given everything I have..."

Bai Houchan drew his sword in a deliberately slow motion savoring the fear radiating from the faces of the two humans before him. The cold tip of the sword was now aimed at Mo Yun's neck, so close that the old man could feel the cold metal touching his skin.

"Maybe I can take something more valuable..." his eyes turned towards Rou Shui, filled with desire and brutality. "This girl, for example."

With a speed that ordinary eyes could not follow, Bai Houchan's hand grabbed Rou Shui, pulling him roughly. The girl's screams filled the air, her body struggling weakly against the bandit leader's iron grip. Her every move of resistance only made the grip stronger, and more painful.

"No! Let her go!" Mo Yun advanced desperately, the urge to protect Rou Shui overpowering his own fear.

However, the kick of one of the bandits directly hit his stomach hard. Mo Yun slammed to the ground with a loud noise, fresh blood flowing from the corner of his lips. The pain spread like fire throughout his body, making his breathing intermittent.

Rou Shui cried out in fear, his face now full of pure terror. "Please... please don't..."

The laughter of the bandits echoed through the air, a laughter full of satisfaction at the suffering of two helpless humans. However, amidst the euphoria of their cruelty, a cold voice broke the silence.

"Forcing a helpless girl and robbing the poor... what a disgusting behavior."

Sudden silence. All heads turned simultaneously in the direction of the voice.

From behind the shadow of the trees, a young man stepped slowly. The moonlight shone on his slightly pale face, and his eyes... There was something in those eyes that made the air seem to freeze. A presence so cold, so gripping, that it instinctively made the hairs stand up.

Bai Houchan squinted, trying to hide the feeling of uneasiness that suddenly appeared in his chest. "Who are you?"

The young man didn't answer. He just stood there, his hands empty without a weapon. But his aura... his aura was different. It carried a dense darkness, as if death itself had just set foot on the ground.

One of the bandits swallowed hard. His heart was racing with an inexplicable feeling. "Captain... I feel that something is wrong with this young man..."

Bai Houchan snorted, trying to maintain his authority. "Don't talk nonsense! He's only one person, while we're many!"

But right after those words were spoken, the young man moved.

In the blink of an eye, as if stepping through time and space, he was already in front of one of the bandits. His hand gripped the bandit's face with coldness and perfect precision. Then...

CRACK!

The sound of a shattered skull echoed horribly in the stillness of the night. Blood gushed like a fountain from the now shapeless head. The bandit's body collapsed without a fight. life had left him even before his body hit the ground.

Horror enveloped the place. The air was frozen, time seemed to have stopped. Even the leaves on the trees seemed to dare not move.

Bai Houchan took half a step back, his instincts screaming danger. Cold sweat ran down her back, a primal fear she had never felt before now gripped her heart. "K-you... who are you exactly...?"

The young man, Bai Xieye, let out a cold smile a smile that did not reach his eyes. His eyes remained empty, like a bottomless pit. "Me? I'm just someone who happened to pass by..." pausing for a moment, his smile widened slightly. "And all of you, are corpses that can still speak."

The next bandit Bai Xieye grabbed by the jaw screamed in pain, but his voice was muffled by the iron grip that seemed like it could crush his bones at any moment. His eyes widened wide, absolute terror radiating from within. His hands clawed desperately at Bai Xieye's wrists, but in vain.

Bai Xieye stared at the bandit expressionlessly, emotionlessly, as if he was observing an insect about to be exterminated. Then, with a little added pressure...

CRACK!

The sound of bones shattering filled the air again. The bandit's jaw broke instantly, leaving him floundering helplessly like a fish on land. Blood mixed with saliva flowed from his now shapeless mouth, his body shaking violently with unbearable pain.

An eerie silence returned. The remaining bandits stared at Bai Xieye with shock that slowly turned into pure fear. Bai Houchan, who was previously full of confidence, now felt cold sweat running down his back.

"Who are you, boy?" his voice was still trying to sound threatening, yet the subtle tremor in it betrayed his fear.

Bai Xieye remained silent. His steps were slow yet certain as he advanced. In his mind, the cold analysis was quick and efficient.

'Their leader is in the top-tier Foundation Establishment, the rest are in the early and middle Qi Condensation...'

He had just comprehended the contents of the scroll in his sea of consciousness, and now it was time to test the results of his comprehension. Every move was an opportunity to measure his new abilities.

Bai Houchan gritted his teeth, panic starting to take over his mind. "Kill him!"

Two bandits advanced simultaneously with swords drawn, lunging at Bai Xieye from two different directions in a strategy that was usually effective. However, before they could get close...

Swiish!

Bai Xieye's hands moved with deadly elegance, his two fingers sticking out like spears-a simple technique yet executed with perfect precision. The movement was so fast that ordinary eyes were unable to follow it.

PUK!

The two fingers pierced through the eye of one of the bandits, sinking deep into his skull. The bandit did not even have time to scream before his life was taken. His body fell with a thud, blood flowing from the hole in his now empty and hollow face.

The second bandit gasped, the shock making his reflexes slow down-a fatal mistake that paid with his life.

Bai Xieye kicked the ground, his body darting out like an invisible shadow, then-

BUGH!

Bai Xieye's fist slammed into the bandit's abdomen with terrifying force. The bandit's body arched inward, the sound of ribs breaking sounding clear and terrifying. His body was then flung backwards for several meters before falling down heavily motionless again.

Absolute fear now enveloped the remaining bandits. They were no longer facing humans, but demons in human form.

Bai Houchan, who witnessed the entire incident with his own eyes, felt a chill run along his spine. "B-This boy... is no ordinary person..."

Bai Xieye stood up straight, his gaze sharp and cold-the gaze of an experienced killer. "You have two choices. Die... or run."

For a moment, there was complete silence. No one moved, as if the entire world was holding its breath. Then...

"DAMN IT! WE'RE RUNNING AWAY!" One of the bandits shouted in panic before running as fast as his legs could take him. The others soon followed, scampering like rats being chased by a predator.

Bai Houchan clenched his fists tightly, his face filled with an intense mixture of anger and fear. His prestige was wounded, but his instinct for survival was much stronger. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he turned and fled with his remaining men.

Bai Xieye made no move to pursue. His cold eyes only stared at their retreating backs, lost in the darkness of the forest. In his mind, killing them all was just a matter of time and efficiency-not about ability.

Meanwhile, Mo Yun was still sitting weakly on the ground, his breathing ragged. Rou Shui knelt beside him, his wet eyes staring at Bai Xieye with a strange mixture of shock, fear, and admiration.

"Y-You... you're awake, son...?" Mo Yun's voice trembled, a mixture of relief and fear reflected in his tone.

Bai Xieye turned to look at them, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean I'm awake?" she asked again, real confusion implicit in her voice that remained flat.

Mo Yun, after a moment of catching his breath, shook his head slowly. His expression showed that this was not the right place for an important conversation. "We should go inside the hut first," he said in a low voice. "It's not safe outside."

Before long, the three of them were seated inside the simple hut. Bai Xieye sat cross-legged on the worn wooden floor, his back straight, his eyes alert. Mo Yun sat opposite him, while Rou Shui was busy lighting candles for illumination.

Mo Yun took a deep breath, his expression turning serious. "When Rou Shui and I were looking for firewood in the forest, we passed by a river and saw something that looked like a dead animal." His voice was low but clear. "We thought it was the carcass of a wild beast, but after Rou Shui got closer, he found you in a very bad condition. You lost a lot of blood, and some of your wounds were already infected, oozing pus."

Bai Xieye listened with a flat, unreadable expression. His hands folded across his chest, his sharp eyes alternated between looking at Mo Yun and Rou Shui-analyzing every movement, every expression, looking for signs of lies or hidden intentions.

Rou Shui, the young girl, looked uncomfortable under his piercing gaze. She bit her lower lip nervously, occasionally stealing glances at Bai Xieye before returning her gaze to the floor-a mixture of fear and curiosity radiating from her eyes.

"We decided to take you in and treat you," Mo Yun continued, his hands moving slowly as he spoke. "If we hadn't done so, you might have died there."

Silence fell over the room after those words. Bai Xieye remained silent, mulling over the information he had just received. In his mind, fragments of memories before his loss of consciousness began to emerge-the fight with the strange monk, the decision to flee, then total darkness.

"How long have I been unconscious and in this place?" he asked finally, his voice remaining calm even though the question was very important to him.

Mo Yun let out a short breath, like he was preparing to deliver shocking news. "About a year."

Bai Xieye was silent. A year-a very long time to be in unconsciousness. Yet his body had now fully recovered, even feeling stronger than before. An extraordinary regeneration ability, or perhaps there was another factor that he did not know about.

Rou Shui, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "B-brother..." her voice was soft, almost like a whisper. "Are you okay now?"

Bai Xieye turned his head towards her. Her expression remained flat, yet there was something-a very subtle change in the look in her eyes. He realized the sincerity in this girl's concern.

"I'm fine," she replied simply.

Rou Shui nodded slowly, then fell back into silence, but relief was evident on his face.

Mo Yun let out a long breath before speaking again. "We don't know who you are, where you're from, or what happened to you, but..." a pause, "...now that you're awake. What are your plans next?"

A pragmatic question that demanded a decision. Bai Xieye stared at the old man intently, assessing his character and motivation. After a moment, he replied firmly, "I have to leave immediately."

Mo Yun seemed a little surprised by the direct answer, but he only nodded slowly-acceptingly. "I understand, but if you want to leave, at least eat first. You still need energy to continue your journey."

Bai Xieye stared at Mo Yun for a few seconds, weighing the offer. There was no reason to refuse, and it was true that he needed energy. "Alright."

Mo Yun smiled faintly and began moving to prepare the simple meal they had. Rou Shui also rose quickly to assist him, their movements showing a familiar routine.

While the two were busy, Bai Xieye sat in silence, contemplating his next steps. The cultivation world was dangerous terrain, and he had to move with a well-thought-out strategy.

"You were asleep for quite a while," Mo Yun spoke again while preparing the food. "We didn't know if you would wake up or not. I even thought you were dead."

The words hung in the air, carrying the weight of deep truth. A year in unconsciousness was not trivialthere was a mystery surrounding the recovery of his body, a mystery that needed to be solved.