The sun crested high above the Qianlong wilderness, its radiant heat rolling across the encampment like a silk sheet set afire. Beneath its golden gaze, the morning haze burned away, leaving the earth dry and firm underfoot. The scent of oil, sharpened steel, and medicinal herbs hung thick in the air. Cicadas shrilled among the sparse trees. ~
Within the canvas bounds of the outer tents, Li Wuji stood with his arms crossed, gazing toward the forest's edge as if seeking something beyond mortal sight. His bowl of broth, long emptied and scrubbed clean, rested upon a flat stone behind him.
He was silent, but his spirit surged like a furnace behind calm eyes.
Power. It was not glory he sought, nor prestige in any sect's eyes. What he desired was substance—unyielding sinew, a body forged to match the tides of Qi that coursed through him. His cultivation was already formidable, yes—but the flesh remained mortal. Weak. Breakable.
"That beast core… It will push me into the ranks of Body Refinement. One star. Enough to begin."
A flash of irritation darkened his brow as he recalled how close he had come to seizing it once already.
Among cultivators, Body Refinement stood apart from the path of pure Qi. The common ranks were known, whispered even among the lowborn:
[Body Refinement Beginner]
[Body Refinement Novice]
[Body Refinement Master]
[Body Refinement General]
[Body Refinement Lord]
[Body Refinement Sage]
Each title a fortress. Each star is a stone in that fortress. Most cultivators never passed the Beginner rank.
Yet I, Li Wuji… have not yet begun. A disgrace… but one soon remedied.
He had tempered his body with pain, with strain, with fire and cold—but none of it compared to the alchemy of beast essence. The core of a White Wolf would carry him in one leap past the threshold. It was not just the next step. It was an ascension.
As if summoned by his thought, Chi Tang reappeared—sweeping into view with a handful of armed men in his wake. The air shifted as they neared, the scent of lacquered leather and steel growing strong.
"Li Wuji," Chi Tang called, bowing slightly, "these are the men at your disposal. I took the liberty of preparing all the items you requested, including rations sufficient for several days' march."
Behind him, warriors stood tall and silent, their blades sheathed, their eyes uncertain. Rucksacks clanked faintly with tools, charms, and supplies. ~
"I believe you can set out immediately—unless, of course, there is something else?"
Li Wuji's eyes narrowed. He stepped forward, the sun drawing a sheen across his hair and shoulders. "I don't need anything else," he said briskly. Then, after a pause, he added, "Although… that woman from yesterday. She could be useful."
Chi Tang blinked. "Yuan Yi?"
The name passed his lips before he could hide his surprise. He had not taken Li Wuji for a man distracted by feminine presence. He folded his arms, glancing toward the tents. "And what would you want with her?"
Li Wuji offered only a faint smirk.
Chi Tang stared, but did not press. He keeps his thoughts hidden, like a dagger behind silk, the young noble thought. Best not to pry. Pressing too hard might make this alliance brittle.
"If that is your will, I shall send word," Chi Tang said at last, adopting a placating tone. "I will instruct her to be swift, discreet, and loyal to your commands."
Li Wuji gave a curt nod.
Within the hour, he stood at the front of the caravan, a dozen warriors arrayed behind him. The dense foliage of the Qianlong wilderness loomed ahead like a yawning maw of green. Yet his thoughts were not on beasts or forest.
Chi Tang... he smiles like a brother, but plots like a rat in a wine cellar.
Li Wuji's eyes scanned the men behind him. They believe I shall perish in the woods—how convenient for them, should I fail to return. But let them watch and wait. My death is not so easily bought.
He felt the familiar weight of his blade at his hip and exhaled once.
Yuan Yi appeared just beyond the cart, arriving in measured steps. Her robes had been changed—fitted for movement, with fewer trappings. She walked with poise, but her eyes sought him.
Li Wuji approached. "Apologies for the delay," he said, voice quiet but direct. "I've taken steps to ensure I won't slow you down."
Yuan Yi inclined her head. "I require no protection," she said softly. "But I appreciate the consideration."
Li Wuji motioned forward, and the warriors stirred. The expedition was at hand.
The path twisted beneath their feet—damp with moss, hemmed by ferns and thick brush. Shafts of sunlight pierced through the canopy in narrow beams, lighting the dust motes in the air like gold. The chirp of unseen creatures echoed from all sides. ~
"Brother Shao," one of the younger warriors murmured as they pressed deeper into the brush, "I don't trust this Li Wuji."
Shao, a silent, heavyset man with grim eyes, did not look away from the path. "I agree. Keep your blade loose in the sheath."
The younger man nodded, hand drifting to his weapon. "We follow him into the unknown, and he doesn't even look back."
Their suspicions were not lost on Li Wuji. He had trained himself to hear whispers as clearly as orders.
Let them fret. I do not need their loyalty. Only their feet—and perhaps their corpses, should the beasts come early.
Without warning, he surged forward, feet barely brushing the soil. His form blurred through the thick brush, disturbing not even a leaf. ~
The warriors gasped. Yuan Yi's eyes widened, then narrowed with determination. "Keep up!" she shouted, leaping into motion.
Branches whipped past her as she chased Li Wuji's vanishing figure. Behind her, the others stumbled and cursed.
"Is he an ox spirit!?" the younger warrior cried, nearly tripping on a root. "His legs are unholy!"
"Don't fall behind!" Yuan Yi called back, even as her lungs began to burn.
She darted around boulders and leapt over roots, eyes fixed on the flicker of black and silver far ahead. Her legs ached, her breath short—but she would not relent.
Li Wuji halted abruptly in a small clearing, the light breaking over his shoulders like a blessing. He turned with a grin. "Come. We're close now."
Yuan Yi slowed, chest heaving. Sweat clung to her brow. Still, her eyes stayed sharp.
I shall not yield.
He watched her with new curiosity. Interesting… She did not fall behind. The men were still crashing through the woods, panting like dogs. But Yuan Yi—her form had kept. Her speed was lesser, yes, but her endurance, her control…
Her foundation is solid, he realized. More so than the brutes gasping in our shadow.
True strength was not mere brawn. It was flexible. Endurance. Resolve. Yuan Yi, though smaller and less seasoned, held a core of tempered steel.
"I must keep her alive," he thought, not out of sentiment, but strategy. She is moldable. Guide her correctly, and she will become a blade as sharp as any I've known.
She was driven. She was hungry. And in this world, hunger—true hunger—was rarer than jade.