The feeling of being watched did not fade.
Even after they moved deeper into the trees and the voices of the three hunters grew faint, Liang Yue could still sense it. It felt like a pair of eyes resting on the back of her neck, calm and patient.
"Don't look around too much," Mo Chen said quietly. "If they see we've sensed them, they may act."
"I know," she said. "But they're not hiding their presence entirely. That means they are confident."
"Or testing us," Mo Chen said.
They walked for several minutes in silence, just far enough from the hunters that their words could not reach them. Liang Yue's senses stayed sharp. Her pendant was warm, but not burning.
She whispered, "It doesn't feel hostile."
Mo Chen frowned. "Watching without moving closer is not friendly either."
"True," she said. "But if they wanted to attack, they had many chances. That means they're… evaluating."
Mo Chen glanced up at the trees again. "I don't like being evaluated."
"Neither do I," she said.
They found a small rise in the ground where the trees were thicker and stopped there. From this spot, they could still hear faint pieces of the hunters' conversation below, but they were out of sight.
One of the men's voices carried up through the branches.
"…bounty said 'alive if possible, dead if not.' Double pay if the divine power is confirmed."
"Who placed it?" another asked.
"Doesn't say clearly. Passed through the usual brokers," the first man answered. "But there's a mark from the Liang Clan on the back."
"So the clan is backing it," the second said. "And someone else is paying more behind them."
Liang Yue's hands clenched at her sides. Her teeth pressed together.
"A bounty," Mo Chen said quietly.
"Alive if possible," Liang Yue repeated in a flat voice. "So they want to use me."
"Or sell you," he said.
The third hunter spoke then, his tone cautious. "You saw the patrol bodies. That was not normal. Four men dead in one place, one of them with his chest caved in, the others marked by light burns. That's not a weak girl with no cultivation."
"The bounty is high for a reason," the first man said. "We take them alive if we can. If not, we kill and bring proof."
"And the boy?" the second asked.
"The notice says he's a fool," the first replied. "But the patrol captain had a broken jaw. Someone did that. I don't care if he drools and stares at the ground—use caution."
They kept walking farther along the slope.
Mo Chen's jaw was tight. "They really enjoy that word."
"Let them," Liang Yue said. "The more they underestimate us, the better. But we need to know how far this bounty has spread."
"Hunters from outside the clan already know," Mo Chen said. "That means the news is traveling fast."
She nodded slowly. "Then we cannot think of ourselves as simple runaways anymore. We're targets now."
Mo Chen looked at her. "What do we do?"
Liang Yue thought for a long moment. The sound of the hunters faded. The forest grew quieter.
She said slowly, "We can't just react to them forever. Running from each new threat, hiding in each new forest. We'll eventually make a mistake. Someone will corner us."
"I agree," Mo Chen said.
"We need a goal," she said. "Something that pulls us forward instead of pushing us back."
He watched her, waiting.
She continued, "We have three main problems. First, my poison and the divine power that people want to use. Second, your sealed mind and unknown past. Third, the clans and whoever placed this bounty."
"You think we can solve all three?" he asked.
"Not at once," she said. "But we can choose which to pursue first. That will decide where we go."
Mo Chen fell silent, thinking. "What do you think should come first?"
She looked down at her hands. The faint light under her skin had become more stable, like it had roots now.
She said, "I think… we should focus on your seal."
He looked surprised. "Mine?"
"Yes," she said. "The more your mind recovers, the more you will remember your training, your past, your enemies, and your worth. Right now, I can heal and defend with the light. That is enough to survive. But when stronger enemies come, I will need you at your full strength."
He stared at her. "You would put my problem before your poison and your clan?"
"My poison is already being cleaned," she said. "Slowly, but steadily. The clan will not disappear, but we have already proved we are not easy prey. Your seal is the one thing we can't ignore now. If someone locked your mind, they had a reason. That reason will find us no matter where we hide."
He lowered his head. "And if the reason is worse than we think?"
"Then we will face it," she said. "But better to know than to walk blind."
He didn't speak for a moment. Then he said quietly, "Thank you."
"For what?" she asked.
"For seeing me as worth saving," he said.
She looked away. "You're not the only one that seal affects. Whoever you were before… they might be part of why these people want us dead."
Mo Chen nodded slowly. "Then we find someone who can break it."
"Yes," she said. "We need someone who understands spiritual seals. A skilled healer or a cultivator who works with the mind and soul. Healing temples. Old shrines. Certain sects."
"Do you know any by name?" he asked.
She closed her eyes briefly, searching the old memories. "The original Liang Yue heard stories. There is a region farther north, past several small towns, where a wandering healer used to live. People said he could lift curses and seals. I don't know if he's still alive. But even rumors start somewhere."
Mo Chen considered that. "Then we head north with purpose."
"Yes," she said. "Not just to run away, but to look for that man. Or anyone like him."
He nodded once. "Then north it is."
The wind shifted.
Liang Yue's pendant warmed again. The feeling of being watched grew a little stronger. Not enough to suffocate, but enough to notice clearly.
She lifted her head and spoke in a normal voice. "We know you're there."
Silence.
Mo Chen's eyes sharpened. "Who are you talking to?"
"The one who has been following our steps since morning," she said. "If they are close enough to sense our discussion, they are close enough to hear this."
Mo Chen straightened, readying his stance.
The air above them moved.
A shadow dropped lightly from one of the higher branches of a tree and landed on a rock several paces away. The movement was smooth. No sound of boots on stone. No heavy breath.
The figure wore plain gray robes, travel-worn but clean. A hood covered most of their face. Only the mouth and chin were visible.
Mo Chen stepped in front of Liang Yue without thinking, shoulders squared, body tense. "Stay behind me."
She stayed close, but her eyes remained fixed on the stranger.
The person in gray raised both hands to show they were empty. Their voice was calm and even. "If I wanted to harm you, you would not have heard me at all. There is no need to be tense."
"No need?" Mo Chen said quietly. "You've been watching us like a hunter."
"I'm not a hunter," the person said. "At least, not in the way you mean."
Liang Yue studied them. "Then what are you?"
The stranger tilted their head slightly, as if thinking about how much to say. "Curious," they answered. "And… familiar with the kind of power you used."
Liang Yue's muscles tightened. "Power?"
"The light," the stranger said. "The divine-like energy you released last night. It was not subtle."
So they had seen. Or sensed.
Liang Yue asked, "Were you there when we fought the patrol?"
"No," the stranger said. "But I felt it. Many in this region did. Most do not know what they sensed. I have some guesses."
"And you followed us based on a guess?" Mo Chen said.
"Yes," the stranger replied. "And I also followed because of him."
Their covered head turned slightly toward Mo Chen.
Mo Chen's hand tightened on his knife. "Me?"
"Yes," the stranger said. "You bent a steel blade with your bare hand. You fought with a stance that belongs to an old style. A style that is supposed to be gone."
Mo Chen frowned. "You know my style."
"I know the echoes of it," the stranger said. "But I am not the one truly interested in you."
Liang Yue narrowed her eyes. "Then who is?"
The stranger chuckled softly. "You're direct. Good. You'll need that. Let's say… there are people who have waited a long time to see whether a certain bloodline still breathes."
Mo Chen's voice dropped. "Bloodline?"
"Yes," the stranger said. "You are not just some broken boy from a concubine. The strength in your body and the seal in your mind should have told you that."
Liang Yue stepped forward slightly. "Do you know who sealed him?"
The stranger paused. "I have some ideas. But if I name them without proof, you will only panic. That would be a waste."
"We're already being hunted," Liang Yue said. "Panic is not new."
"Even so," the stranger replied, "timing matters."
Mo Chen's eyes didn't leave the hood. "Why are you here?"
"To deliver two pieces of information," the stranger said. "One for you, girl with the light. One for you, boy with the broken memory."
Liang Yue's heart beat faster. "Then speak."
The stranger lifted a hand and pointed north. "First, for you both: if you continue on this path, you will eventually reach Shuiyun Town. It is small but sees many travelers. From there, if you follow the river road, you will find a shrine dedicated to no known god or sect. People simply call it the Silent Shrine. The healer you seek has been there in the past. Whether he is there now, I cannot promise. But it is your best direction."
Liang Yue absorbed the name. Shuiyun Town. Silent Shrine. The path gained shape in her mind.
"And the second?" she asked. "For him?"
The stranger turned fully to face Mo Chen. For the first time, they lowered the hood. Under it was an older man's face, lined from age but firm. His hair, tied back, had more gray than black. His eyes were sharp, dark, and hard to read.
He looked directly into Mo Chen's eyes.
"The second is this," the man said slowly. "You are not forgotten."
Mo Chen stiffened. "What?"
"Your father may have tried to erase you," the man continued. "Your clan may have hidden you. But not everyone agreed with what they did. Some of us have been watching from a distance. Waiting to see if you would live or die."
Mo Chen's voice grew rough. "Who are you?"
The man smiled slightly. "Once, I stood in the same courtyard where you held a wooden sword. You fell many times that day. But you always got up. Your master said to me, 'This boy has a body that refuses to stay down.'"
A sharp pain flashed through Mo Chen's head.
The courtyard.
The stone tiles.
The old man with gray hair.
The wooden sword in his hands.
A crash.
Hands gripping his shoulders.
Someone shouting, "Stand up again. Your bones are not normal. Don't waste them."
Mo Chen pressed his hand to his temple. His knees almost buckled. Liang Yue grabbed his arm.
"Mo Chen?"
He squeezed his eyes shut. "I… remember…"
The gray-robed man waited, expression calm. When Mo Chen finally lifted his head, there was confusion in his eyes, but also a spark of certainty.
"You were there," Mo Chen said to him. "In the courtyard. You spoke to my teacher."
"Yes," the man said. "I was not your teacher, but I saw your training."
"Who was he?" Mo Chen demanded. "Who was my master?"
The man's gaze sharpened. "You are not ready for his name yet."
Mo Chen's frustration burst. "Why not?"
"Because the moment you know it, you will become a beacon," the man said plainly. "His enemies will feel it. The seal on your mind will react. The hunters will double in number. Do you want that now, when you can barely control your strength?"
Mo Chen fell silent.
Liang Yue stepped in. "Then why tell him anything?"
"Because you both need to know you are not alone in this world," the man said. "You, girl, with the power not of this land. And you, boy, with the body that bends metal and the mind locked by cowards. You are not accidents. You are not random."
He looked at Liang Yue. "Your light is not an unknown thing. In older times, this world knew what it meant to draw strength from faith, not just from qi. The history was buried. You are bringing it back."
Liang Yue's throat felt tight. "Do you… also use this light?"
"No," he said. "My path is different. But I have seen records. I know enough to say this: you will be chased not only by clans, but by sects and beings that fear what you represent."
"Then why help us?" she asked.
The man considered her for a moment. "Because a stagnant world becomes rotten. Because powers that go unchallenged become cruel. And because some of us are tired of watching children pay the price for adults' fear."
Liang Yue and Mo Chen exchanged a look.
The man pulled his hood back up.
"I will not walk with you," he said. "If I do, your enemies will see it as my open endorsement, and they will escalate too quickly. For now, you are better seen as dangerous runaways than as pieces on a board."
"So you'll keep watching from the shadows," Mo Chen said.
"Yes," the man said. "For a while. And if you die… then that is the end. If you survive, then we will speak again on more equal ground."
Liang Yue swallowed. "Can you at least tell us your name?"
The man paused.
"You may call me Shen Elder," he said. "It is not my only name, but it will do."
"You know our names," Liang Yue said. "We deserve to know yours."
"You do," he agreed. "But some names are like doors. If I open them now, too many things will walk through."
He stepped back onto the rock.
"One last thing," he added. "When you reach Shuiyun Town, do not show your power openly. The bounty will reach there soon, if it hasn't already. Stay low. Watch the river. The shrine is not far from its source."
"How far?" Liang Yue asked.
"Seven days' travel with caution. Four if you rush and don't hide," Shen Elder said. "You, however, cannot afford to be careless."
He looked at Mo Chen one last time.
"Remember this: your bones are not normal. Your strength is not a gift from your father. It is something much older. Do not let their cruelty define how you see it."
Mo Chen's voice was quiet. "Will my master look for me?"
Shen Elder's expression softened for the first time. "If he is still alive, he will not stop."
Mo Chen's chest rose and fell quickly.
Shen Elder turned away. "Live long enough to find out. That is all I can say."
Then he stepped once to the side and vanished. Not with smoke or sound, but with a simple, silent movement that carried him into the higher trees and out of sight.
Only the rustle of leaves remained.
For a while, neither Liang Yue nor Mo Chen spoke.
The forest around them felt the same as before—trees, grass, light wind—but something had shifted. The path ahead no longer felt like a random line through the world. It felt like a road leading somewhere specific.
"Shuiyun Town," Liang Yue said at last. "The Silent Shrine."
Mo Chen stared at the space Shen Elder had stood in. "My master is real. He wasn't just a dream."
"No," Liang Yue said gently. "He was real. And so are the people who remember you."
Mo Chen looked at his hands, flexing his fingers slowly. "I was not just a burden."
"Never," Liang Yue said.
He turned to her. "You chose my seal first."
"Yes," she said.
He nodded. "Then I'll choose your path too."
Her brows drew together. "My path?"
"The path you bring into this world," he said. "The one with light that heals and burns. If the old powers fear it, then I'll stand beside it. Beside you."
Her heart beat faster. "Mo Chen…"
"But first," he said, drawing a slow breath, "we walk north. We find this Silent Shrine. We find anyone who can help break the seal without destroying me. And along the way, we survive every hunter and patrol that thinks we're easy prey."
She smiled, small but clear. "Good."
His gaze softened. "Are you afraid?"
"Yes," she answered honestly. "But I'm also tired of letting fear choose my steps."
"Then let's choose our own," he said.
They stood together for a moment, facing the direction Shen Elder had pointed to.
North.
Liang Yue lifted her pendant and closed her eyes.
"God," she whispered silently, "we now have a direction. Please let our feet be steady. Let our hearts stay strong. And if this man truly wants to help, give us the wisdom to know how far to trust him."
Warmth pulsed once against her fingers.
She lowered the pendant and opened her eyes.
Mo Chen picked up their bundle and adjusted the strap. "Ready?"
"Yes," she said.
They began to walk.
They did not go back to check on the three hunters. They did not look behind them to see if Shen Elder still watched. The road in front of them was uneven, unknown, and full of danger.
But it was theirs.
And somewhere far away, on a higher hill, Shen Elder watched them through the trees, arms folded.
"They chose the shrine," he murmured. "Good. Let us see if the Silent Shrine is still worthy of its old name."
Beside him, a faint, almost invisible spiritual thread drifted in the air, pointing in the same direction as Liang Yue's steps.
"Light and sealed bone," he said quietly. "If they live, the world will not stay the same."
The wind shifted. The thread vanished.
He turned and walked away.
End of Chapter 10 — The One Who Watches (Part 2/2)