Lin Kai felt like he had been slapped.
The apathy he had felt earlier—the feeling of being 'above' the killing—shattered instantly.
He thought he was being merciful. But in reality, he had just been cruel. He had left a living thing to be tortured because he couldn't be bothered to finish the job.
"I..." Lin Kai stammered. The image of the terrified panther, looking at him with fear, flashed in his mind.
He realized he knew nothing about the wilderness. He knew nothing about the weight of life and death. He was just an arrogant boy playing at being strong.
His expression hardened. The coldness in his eyes returned, but this time, it wasn't apathy. It was resolve.
"Then what should I do?" Lin Kai asked, his voice low. "Go back and kill it now?"
The ghost shook her head gently.
"You have already broken its body. Do not break its fate."
She raised a translucent hand and pointed a slender finger toward a rocky outcrop further down the stream, hidden behind a cluster of thorny bushes.
"There is a balance in all things," she said. "You possess the power to wither, but the forest possesses the power to mend."
"Go there," she instructed. "Behind that grey rock. You will find a small plant with three leaves and bright orange tips. It is a Sun-Kissed Mendgrass. It is a Grade 2 healing herb."
"Feed it to the beast."
Lin Kai stared at the ghost for a few long seconds.
His mind raced. A Grade 2 herb? That was worth at least twenty Spirit Stones in the Clan. It was a treasure for someone at the Blood Awakening Realm. Consuming it himself could purify his blood or heal his own future injuries.
But the logic of the ghost was undeniable.
"Fine," Lin Kai decided.
He finally relaxed his stance. But there was a problem. The Phantom Strike he had been charging since the start of the conversation was reaching its critical limit. The Aether Qi, mixed with his Dark Affinity, was screaming to be released. If he simply let it go, the backlash would tear his meridians.
He looked down at the muddy ground.
"Hah!"
Lin Kai punched downward.
THUD.
His fist buried itself into the wet earth.
He didn't use the full explosive force; he used a dispersal technique, grounding the energy. The mud exploded outward in a small ring, and a heavy, corrosive ripple spread through the soil, turning the grass grey within a one-meter radius.
The ghost watched this action closely. Her gentle smile faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
She stared at the spot where he had punched. She saw not just the force, but the nature of his Qi—how it effortlessly devoured the vitality of the earth. It wasn't just Aether Qi. It was something heavier. Something ancient.
'A Dark Affinity... and something else,' she mused silently. 'He is not just a cultivator. He is a vessel.'
Lin Kai pulled his muddy hand out, shaking it off. He didn't notice her calculating gaze. He was too focused on his mistake.
"I'll get it," he grunted.
He looked into the ghost's eyes one last time, searching for deception. Was she luring him into a trap? Was there a stronger beast guarding the herb?
But in her gaze, he saw only a quiet, weary sincerity.
"Why help me?" Lin Kai asked.
"Because you can see me," she whispered. "And because the path of Darkness is lonely. If you start walking it with cruelty, you will lose yourself before you even begin."
Lin Kai clenched his jaw. He looked at Xiao Bai. The fox was watching the ghost curiously, not with aggression, but with interest.
"Let's go, Xiao Bai."
He turned and walked toward the direction she pointed.
He pushed through the thorny bushes, ignoring the scratches. Sure enough, tucked away in a crevice of the grey rock, basking in a single shaft of sunlight, was a small, vibrant plant. Its tips glowed with a warm, orange hue, radiating a gentle, vital energy.
It was exactly as she said.
Lin Kai carefully dug it out, making sure not to damage the roots. The energy coming from the herb felt warm against his skin, a stark contrast to the cold energy inside him.
"A Grade 2 herb..." he muttered, looking at the treasure in his dirty palm. "Good for me also."
He looked back at the willow tree. The ghost hadn't moved. She was still standing there, fading slightly in the changing light, watching him like a guardian spirit.
Lin Kai took a deep breath. He placed the herb in his pocket, picked up Xiao Bai, and placed her on his shoulder.
He didn't walk away from the forest. He turned back toward the blood-scented clearing where he had fought.
His steps were heavy, but purposeful. He wasn't walking as a predator anymore. He was walking as someone taking responsibility for his power.
Minutes later, he pushed through the foliage.
The panther was still there.
It was lying on its side under the oak tree. Its breathing was shallow and ragged. Flies were already beginning to buzz around the gruesome, grey-rotted wound on its hind leg.
When Lin Kai stepped into the clearing, the panther's ears twitched. It opened its eyes. The fear returned instantly. It tried to drag itself backward, letting out a pathetic, gurgling whimper, expecting the human to finally deliver the death blow.
Lin Kai stopped three meters away. He saw the flies. He saw the agony in the beast's eyes.
'She was right,' Lin Kai thought bitterly. 'This is torture.'
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Sun-Kissed Mendgrass. The orange glow of the herb seemed to cut through the gloom of the forest.
The panther sniffed. Its nostrils flared. It smelled the vitality. The fear in its eyes wavered, replaced by confusion.
Lin Kai crouched down slowly, holding the herb out.
"I broke it," Lin Kai said quietly to the beast, though he knew it couldn't understand his words. "So I'm fixing it."
He took a step forward, the orange-tipped leaves shimmering in his hand, offering life to the creature he had almost destroyed.