Wu Chen exhaled slowly, his breath stirring the mist-laden air. "This is just a respite, for now" he cautioned, his gaze scanning the treeline's where the creatures came from. "But this might not be over."
The villagers exchanged uneasy glances. Mothers clutched children tighter, while hunters gripped their makeshift weapons with whitened knuckles.
They knew he was right. The creatures had been relentless, and there was no guarantee that was all of them.
Li Jian stepped forward from the crowd, his battle-worn face etched with grim determination. "Stay with us," he said, his voice a little heavy with desperation. "At least for a while. If they come back, we'll need your strength."
Wu Chen studied the veteran warrior, then the sea of hopeful faces beyond. His pause stretched just long enough to make the villagers hold their collective breath before he finally inclined his head.
"I'll remain. But answers are my price." His voice dropped to a dangerous timbre. "What spawned these creatures? How is this village connected to Trinity Palace?"
Then the crowd parted again this time Old Man Zhang stepped forward his staff thudded against the bloodied earth, it seems he has already dropped the sickle he wield during the battle and replaced it with his dear staff. The sound cutting through the murmurs like a funeral drum. "Such tales require proper telling young man," the elder rasped, his milky eyes reflecting lifetimes of guarded secrets. "But for now, let us tend to the wounded and prepare for what may come. We will answer your questions with time."
Wu Chen's shoulders relaxed slightly, The elder's suggestion suited him perfectly. Because Beneath the adrenaline and energy thrumming through his veins, his body quietly protested
His Stomach clenched with days-old hunger. Even though Wu Chen is used to hunger but it's still not a pleasant feeling.
Also his Skin is caked in layers of blood and grime, and not to mention the exhaustion.
Because after the first trial without given rest he was dropped in this nightmare.
So although his increasing cultivation could sustain him, but even warriors needed to eat. And killers needed to wash away the blood.
So he agreed with their request.
And the villagers quickly set to work. They move with purposeful haste, their earlier terror transformed into determined energy.
Hunters dragged demon corpses into pyres, the flames casting dancing shadows.
And the few humans that died, what remains of their corpse were set aside to be given a proper Burial
Women boiled water with medicinal herbs, the steam carrying the scent of pine and bitterroot
Children (under watchful eyes) gathered unbroken weapons, their small hands trembling.
leaning against a splintered post, Wu Chen watched them work, with different feelings of emotions in his heart. If he hadn't arrived on time this people would have been dead.
The weight of their hopeful glances pressed against him—not just gratitude, but expectation.
It seems the villagers see him as a protector now.
And Wu Chen doesn't know why, But the thought sat strangely in his chest.
As the night wore on, Wu Chen was staring at the wooden beams overhead, while lying down on a feather-stuffed mattress, the first real bed he can remember laying on in his life.
The villagers had treated him like a returning war-god
The treatment he received is just... too much, the respect , admiration and many other things.
Bathing water scented with rare herbs
A feast fit for a king (his stomach still ached from the third helping)
The way they look at him Their eyes, wide with something between reverence and fear .
He flexed his fingers, watching moonlight glide over his newly-scrubbed skin. No blood. No grime. Just… clean.
It felt wrong.
Or maybe he was wrong—A poor rat suddenly thrust into comfort.
Never would he have thought he Will ever be treated like that in his life, it felt quite like a dream.
Then he heard a knock at the door.
Wu Chen Answered giving the person permission in.
"Honored One" A girl's voice—She was the one he Saved in the forest and who together used the door which brought them here.
"We've brought tea to… to help you sleep." She said
Wu Chen exhaled through his nose.
'Honored One?.'
The title still felt foreign on his ears.
Wu Chen had given them his name a simple thing, unadorned, the same one he'd carried through blood and solitude. But the villagers had clung to reverence
He remembered because of how worried and cautious he was in the forest he forgot to ask the girl her name, But he has already introduced himself to the village.
It's just that she chose to address him how the rest of the villagers address him.
The girl—no, Li Mei, he'd learned—stood before him, her fingers holding a tray with a jug and cups in it.
The tray hit the floor with a soft clatter—
Not from clumsiness, but from the controlled grace of a practiced gesture. Li Mei knelt smoothly, her injured leg barely trembling as she gathered the scattered cups.
Wu Chen's lips quirked. She moved better than she had yesterday.
"How is your leg now?" he asked, his voice low but caring.
She glanced up, her dark eyes reflecting the flickering lamplight. "Better, Honored One," she murmured, fingers brushing the bandages beneath her trousers. "The healer's salve... it works quickly."
A pause. Then, almost too quiet to catch, she added
"Though Not as quickly as yours."
Wu Chen's smile deepened.
The girl is smart and observant it seems she noticed how unnaturally fast his injuries get healed in the Forest.
So after a little chat, she left the room to allow Wu Chen rest.
So with time on his hands before sleep embrace him, Wu Chen decided to check his experiment, he closed his eyes, turning his focus inward—and there it was. A pulsing notification, lingering at the edge of his awareness like an unread message.
One core remained.
Somewhere in the darkness beyond his window, a Level 3 demon's corpse still held its stolen power.