The further Li Mu ascended, the wilder and more treacherous the mountain became. The manicured paths of the Azure Sect gave way to dense, overgrown forest. The air grew colder, and the faint, familiar sounds of the sect were replaced by the rustling of unseen creatures and the eerie, echoing call of mountain raptors. He was a boy of the coast, unfamiliar with the deep mountains. Every snapping twig made him jump. The jade in his tunic remained silent now, having expended its energy in the burst against Hong. It felt heavy, a cold weight of consequence. He decided the deep woods offered better cover than the path and pushed into the dense undergrowth. It was a mistake. Within minutes, his tattered clothes were torn further, his exposed skin scraped by thorns and brambles. He lost his sense of direction entirely, wandering in circles until dawn broke, painting the sky a pale, unforgiving gray. Exhausted, hungry, and shivering, he stumbled upon a small clearing with a trickling stream. He collapsed by the water's edge, drinking greedily from his cupped hands. He caught his reflection in the water: a gaunt boy with ash-stained skin and wild, frightened eyes. He needed food and shelter. He saw movement in the corner of his eye. A rabbit, large and plump, was nibbling on moss a few yards away. In the village, he was a decent shot with a sling, but here, he had nothing but his hands. He crept forward, trying to be silent, but the dry leaves crackled under his foot. The rabbit froze, its nose twitching. It wasn't a normal rabbit; its fur had a faint, silvery sheen, indicating a trace of spiritual energy. It stared at him with intelligent eyes before bolting like a streak of light into a rock fissure. Li Mu sighed in frustration. Even the animals in the mountain were stronger than him. He was about to return to the stream when a low growl echoed from the trees behind him. He spun around. A beast emerged from the shadows. It was a large, grey wolf, but far from ordinary. Its eyes glowed a malevolent yellow, and its canine teeth were long, curved like daggers, coated in foam. It was a low-level spirit beast, the kind the Sect disciples hunted for sport and internal organs. The wolf crouched, a low, guttural growl vibrating in its chest. It was hungry, and Li Mu was an easy meal. Li Mu's heart hammered against his ribs. He backed away slowly, his foot feeling for the iron shovel he had dropped somewhere along his frantic flight. It was gone. He had nothing. The wolf leaped. Instinct took over. Li Mu threw himself to the side, rolling into the stream. The wolf landed where he had been a moment before. Li Mu scrambled backward through the water, looking for a weapon, a large rock, anything. The wolf snarled, wading into the stream, undeterred by the water. He reached the bank and grabbed a heavy tree branch, thick as his arm. He raised it like a club, his entire body tense. The wolf rushed him again. He swung wildly, connecting with the beast's shoulder. The wolf yelped in pain, its momentum carrying it past him. It turned quickly, its yellow eyes filled with rage. This time, it moved with speed he couldn't match. It pounced, jaws open. Li Mu squeezed his eyes shut and instinctively threw his hands up to protect his face. The green jade, which he still clutched in his right hand, collided with the wolf's snout. The jade pulsed with a blinding flash of green energy. The sound was like thunder. The wolf was blown backward, crashing into the base of a massive oak tree. It whimpered, stunned and bleeding from the nose, its yellow eyes dimming. It staggered to its feet and, deciding the meal wasn't worth the trouble, fled into the depths of the forest. Li Mu stood frozen, the branch falling from his hand. His palm tingled where the jade had pulsed. The small pool of Qi he had managed to cultivate the night before hadn't been enough to power the blast; the energy had come from the stone itself, feeding off some internal reserve. He looked at the jade, a mix of awe and terror filling him. This stone was his only defense in this hostile world. It was a dangerous lifeline, and he was clinging to it with everything he had. He couldn't stay by the stream. The blast might attract other, more powerful spirit beasts. He needed to find a safe place to hide, to think, and maybe to figure out the secret of the green jade. He turned his back on the stream and plunged deeper into the silent, treacherous heart of Mount Cinnab.
