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The road from the Seven Valley Sect curved like a ribbon down the mountainside, winding through ancient pine groves, rocky cliffs, and valleys cloaked in morning mist. Su Yang walked at a steady pace, his robes fluttering in the breeze. Max padded quietly at his side, ears twitching and nose raised to catch every scent that drifted past.
Su Yang kept his senses open. Though it was the outer territory of the sect, it bordered lands that were less orderly—regions where rogue cultivators, spirit beasts, and, more importantly, bandit forces still roamed free.
> "Amberlight City… a border settlement with a weak barrier, low-tier cultivators, and a City Lord barely at Vein Tempering Peak," he thought. "And yet, it's been attacked multiple times… and the bandits always vanish."
He tapped the jade scroll Mei Yuling had given him—now safely tucked into the folds of his robe.
> "There's more to this than a simple protection mission. There's corruption involved… I need to find it."
---
The first two days of travel were uneventful.
Su Yang walked from dawn to dusk, stopping only to meditate or refine his control over the Karma Fire. The road was largely empty. A few merchant caravans passed him, and once, a group of passing rogue cultivators eyed him curiously but kept their distance when they sensed the Seven Valley insignia on his sleeve.
He made camp each night under the cover of trees, planting one of Jin Hao's Spirit Vine Seeds near the fire. The vines grew rapidly in the moonlight, their faint energy shielding his presence. Max, ever alert, curled beside him with one ear always up.
On the third morning, the winds shifted.
Max stood up and growled low.
Su Yang's eyes snapped open.
> "Trouble."
---
He rose quietly and crept toward the ridge overlooking the road.
Below, a small caravan of three wagons had stopped. Two guards lay unconscious on the ground, while four masked figures surrounded a young woman holding a sword defensively in front of an injured elder.
"Spirit crystals. Now," one of the attackers growled.
The woman spat blood and raised her blade. "Over my dead body."
One of the attackers moved to strike—
But fire flashed across the ridge.
A golden flame exploded between the attackers and the girl, sending them stumbling backward. Su Yang stepped down calmly from the ridge, eyes cold.
"I believe she said no."
The bandits turned sharply. "Who the hell are you?"
Su Yang didn't answer.
With a flick of his wrist, Karma Fire ignited around his arm like a coiling serpent. The heat bent the air. His expression remained calm.
The first bandit charged.
Su Yang stepped aside and struck with a flat palm—fire surged and knocked the man ten feet back, smoke rising from his robes.
Two more lunged together.
Su Yang exhaled.
> "Heavenly True Fire Art — Flame Ripple."
A circle of fire erupted from his feet, forcing the men to stagger. He moved like flowing water—calm, fluid, but with devastating precision. Another was knocked unconscious. The last dropped his weapon and tried to run—
Only for Max to appear in a flash of golden light and sink his teeth into the man's sleeve, dragging him down.
The fight was over in moments.
---
The girl stared at Su Yang, still breathing hard.
"You… you're from the Seven Valley Sect?"
Su Yang nodded.
"Then… you're the one sent to Amberlight?"
Su Yang raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"
She pointed to the injured elder behind her. "My uncle is the city's herbal master. He was traveling to request help when we were ambushed."
The elder, conscious but pale, nodded weakly. "You're Su Yang?"
"I am."
"Then… the city may still stand."
---
Su Yang helped bind the wounded and reset the wagons. The girl—Luo Mei—introduced herself formally and offered to escort him the rest of the way. They set off together, and as they traveled, she explained what had happened.
"The attacks started two months ago. At first, small raids. Then more organized strikes. Always at night. Always vanishing before the guards could arrive."
Su Yang nodded. "How strong are their fighters?"
"Some are Bone Tempering. A few, we believe, are Vein Tempering. They hide their presence well."
"And you think someone in the city is feeding them information?"
She hesitated, then lowered her voice. "The City Lord has a good heart… but some of his councilors come from families that once ruled Amberlight. They don't like his reforms. Some say they're working with the bandits to weaken him."
Su Yang's eyes narrowed.
> "Internal traitors. Classic strategy."
---
By sunset, the road ended at the foot of a large plateau.
Amberlight City appeared before them—its outer walls built of gray stone and mountain timber, its guard towers marked with fading spirit symbols. Smoke rose gently from chimneys, and the clang of blacksmiths echoed faintly. But even from a distance, Su Yang could feel it—
Tension.
Too quiet. Too still.
No patrols beyond the gates. No scouts watching the road.
Su Yang frowned.
"Something's wrong."
Luo Mei looked at him. "They might already know you're coming."
Max growled, fur raised.
Su Yang touched the jade scroll beneath his robe and exhaled slowly.
> "Then let them know. I didn't come to hide."
He stepped forward, his figure silhouetted by the dying sun, walking toward the city gates like a flame approaching dry leaves.
---