Fang Zheng knelt beside Chi Shui's body, making a show of checking the wounds even though the outcome was inevitable.
The forearm was destroyed beyond any hope of healing. The leg wasn't much better. Even if they had access to the clan's best medical Gu Masters, even if they could teleport Chi Shui back to the village right now, the damage was catastrophic.
Add in the electrical burns, the blood loss, the shock to his system...
"His pulse is weak," Fang Zheng said quietly. "Breathing's getting shallower."
Yao Tu said nothing. He sat against the cave wall, staring at nothing, his hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles had gone white.
Fang Zheng continued his examination with clinical detachment. "The bleeding has slowed, but that's only because he doesn't have much blood left to lose. Even if we had a Reincarnated Blood Gu, it would just prolong the inevitable."
Interesting how I'm already thinking in terms of blood-path Gu worms, Lu Yu Fang noted distantly. The recipes from three days ago are already becoming second nature.
"We should try to wake him," Yao Tu said suddenly, desperately. "Let him—he deserves to—"
"He's beyond pain," Fang Zheng interrupted gently. "That's a mercy, at least."
Another silence. Longer this time.
Outside, one of the wolves howled. The sound was plaintive, almost mournful. Hungry.
"How long until dark?" Yao Tu asked finally, his voice hollow.
Fang Zheng glanced at the light filtering through the cave entrance. "Two hours. Maybe three."
"And you said more wolves come out at night."
"Yes. The wolf tide intensifies after sunset. We'd be facing dozens instead of three."
Yao Tu nodded slowly, mechanically. "So we need to leave before then."
"Yes."
"But the wolves won't let us leave. Not without..."
He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
Fang Zheng said nothing. Sometimes silence was more persuasive than words.
More minutes passed. Fang Zheng could almost see the wheels turning in Yao Tu's mind—justifications, rationalizations, the slow erosion of moral boundaries under the weight of survival instinct.
This was the real test of a person, Fang Zheng reflected. Not how they acted when choices were easy, but how they responded when every option was terrible and hesitation meant death.
The original Fang Zheng would have refused. Would have stayed in the cave, hoping for rescue, clinging to righteousness even as the wolves tore them apart.
Fang Yuan would have made the calculation instantly, without hesitation or regret.
Lu Yu Fang fell somewhere between—he'd made his decision hours ago, but he understood the value of letting others think they'd made their own choices. People were easier to work with when they believed they were autonomous.
"He's already dead," Yao Tu said suddenly. "Isn't he? Everything that made him Chi Shui is already gone. What's left is just... meat."
Fang Zheng didn't respond. Let Yao Tu convince himself.
"And if we stay here, we die too. The wolves will wait us out or call for reinforcements, and then all three of us will be meat. All three deaths, completely meaningless."
"That's one way to see it," Fang Zheng said carefully.
"But if two of us survive..." Yao Tu's voice was gaining strength, conviction built on desperate logic. "If we get back to report what happened, if we can warn the clan about the mighty wolves hunting in organized packs... then Chi Shui's death means something. We turn tragedy into tactical intelligence."
There it is, Fang Zheng thought. The story he'll tell himself later. The justification that lets him sleep at night.
"We'd be honoring his sacrifice," Yao Tu continued, speaking faster now. "Making sure he didn't die for nothing. Isn't that what matters? The meaning we create from loss?"
"Perhaps," Fang Zheng said noncommittally.
Yao Tu stood abruptly, pacing the small cave. "You were right before. We need to think practically. This isn't about what we want or what feels right—it's about what the situation demands. The clan needs us alive more than they need all three of us dead."
Fang Zheng remained silent, letting Yao Tu work through the mental gymnastics on his own.
"The wolves are hungry," Yao Tu said, voice now flat, almost clinical. "If we give them food, they'll focus on that instead of hunting us. Basic beast behavior—they'll prioritize the immediate meal over potential prey."
"That's the theory," Fang Zheng agreed.
Yao Tu stopped pacing and stared down at Chi Shui's unconscious form. His face was a mask of conflicting emotions—horror, guilt, determination, revulsion.
"I'll do it," he said quietly. "You shouldn't have to—you're Grade A aptitude, the clan's future. I'll carry this burden."
Perfect, Fang Zheng thought. He's even taking ownership of it. Making it his decision, his responsibility.
"Are you sure?" Fang Zheng asked, injecting just the right amount of reluctance into his voice. "There might be another way. We could try fighting through—"
"No." Yao Tu's voice was firm now, resolved. "You said it yourself—we'd die trying. This is the only option that makes sense."
He knelt beside Chi Shui, hands trembling slightly as they hovered over the unconscious man's body.
"He's already gone," Yao Tu whispered, more to himself than to Fang Zheng. "This isn't murder. It's just... acknowledging reality."
Fang Zheng watched with carefully hidden interest as Yao Tu made his final preparations. The internal struggle was fascinating—watching someone's moral framework collapse in real-time, rebuild itself into something that could accommodate the unthinkable.
Humans were remarkably adaptable creatures. Given the right pressure, the right circumstances, almost anyone could be pushed past their boundaries.
The original Gu Yue Fang Zheng had proven that wrong by refusing to adapt, clinging to ideals while the world crushed him. But Lu Yu Fang understood—survival required flexibility. Required being willing to do what others couldn't.
"I'll go check the wolves' positions one more time," Fang Zheng said, standing. "Make sure we know the timing."
Yao Tu nodded absently, still staring at Chi Shui.
Fang Zheng moved to the cave entrance, carefully shifting stones to create a viewing gap. The three mighty wolves were still there, patient as death itself. One was lying down, conserving energy. The other two paced slowly, yellow eyes occasionally flicking toward the cave.
They knew their prey was trapped. They could afford to wait.
Behind him, Fang Zheng heard Yao Tu moving. A soft sound of cloth tearing. A wet, heavy noise that he didn't need to turn around to identify.
His expression remained neutral, clinical. This was just resource management. Practical thinking in an impractical world.
"It's done," Yao Tu said after a few minutes, his voice thick with something between horror and resignation.
Fang Zheng turned. Chi Shui's body was now wrapped in torn cloth, positioned near the cave entrance. The wounds had been... enlarged. Made more obvious. More enticing to hungry beasts.
Yao Tu's hands were covered in blood up to his elbows. His face was pale, expression hollow.
"The wolves will need time to feed," Fang Zheng said matter-of-factly. "Once they start, their attention will be completely on the meal. That's our window. We run toward the thickest trees—harder for them to follow through dense vegetation. We don't stop, we don't look back, we just run until we reach the village perimeter."
Yao Tu nodded mechanically.
"We'll need to time this perfectly," Fang Zheng continued. "I'll move the stones away from the entrance and push... the distraction... outside. You'll be ready to sprint the moment I give the signal. Understood?"
"Understood."
Fang Zheng moved to the entrance, beginning to carefully remove the stones they'd used as a barrier. He worked slowly, quietly, not wanting to alert the wolves until they were ready.
When the opening was wide enough, he positioned himself to push Chi Shui's body out.
"On three," he whispered. "One... two... three."
He shoved hard, and the cloth-wrapped bundle rolled out of the cave, tumbling down the rocky slope toward where the wolves waited.
For a moment, nothing happened. The wolves stared at the unexpected offering, suspicious, uncertain.
Then the scent hit them.
Fresh blood. Warm meat. Everything their starving bodies craved.
The first wolf moved cautiously, approaching the bundle with predatory wariness. Then it lowered its head and began to feed.
The other two wolves immediately converged, growling at each other, fighting for position. Within seconds, all three were completely focused on the meal, tearing into it with desperate hunger.
"Now!" Fang Zheng hissed.
He and Yao Tu burst from the cave, running perpendicular to the wolves' position, sprinting toward the tree line. Behind them, the sounds of feeding continued—snarling, tearing, the wet crunch of bones breaking.
Fang Zheng forced himself to focus forward. The trees were fifty yards away. Forty. Thirty.
One of the wolves noticed their movement, let out a roar of frustration, started to give chase.
But the other two wolves were still feeding, and the lone pursuer quickly had to choose between the guaranteed meal and the fleeing prey.
It chose the meal.
Fang Zheng and Yao Tu crashed into the forest, branches whipping at their faces, roots threatening to trip them. They ran for what felt like hours, their depleted primeval essence making every step feel like wading through mud.
Finally, when they could run no more, when their lungs burned and their legs threatened to give out, they collapsed against a massive tree trunk.
For long minutes, neither spoke. Both gasping for air, hearts hammering, the adrenaline slowly fading to leave only exhaustion and the weight of what they'd done.
"We made it," Yao Tu finally said, his voice distant. Empty.
"Yes."
"Chi Shui... he saved us. His sacrifice saved us."
Fang Zheng noted the shift in language. Already rewriting the narrative. Sacrifice instead of we fed him to wolves. Saved us instead of we killed him.
"Yes," Fang Zheng agreed. "He did."
Yao Tu started to laugh—a broken, slightly hysterical sound that bordered on sobbing. "We're alive. We survived. We..."
He trailed off, the laughter dying as quickly as it had started.
They sat in silence for a while longer, recovering their strength, letting the reality sink in.
"What do we tell the clan?" Yao Tu asked eventually.
Fang Zheng had already prepared this answer. "The truth. We were ambushed by mighty wolves. Chi Shui was injured during the fight. We got separated in the chaos—he went one direction, we went another. We tried to find him but couldn't. The wolves must have..."
He let the implication hang.
Yao Tu nodded slowly. "Simple. Believable. These things happen during the wolf tide."
"They do," Fang Zheng agreed.
"People die. Good people. Friends." Yao Tu's voice cracked slightly. "It's tragic, but it's war. We can't save everyone."
"No. We can't."
Another long silence.
"We still have the Gu worms from the first three wolves," Fang Zheng said, deliberately shifting the conversation. "And the contributions from the earlier packs. Once we report in, we'll have enough to make this mission worthwhile."
Yao Tu flinched at the word "worthwhile," but nodded.
They began the long walk back to the village, neither speaking much. The sun was setting, painting the mountain slopes in shades of red and gold that seemed inappropriately beautiful given the circumstances.
Fang Zheng's mind was already moving forward, planning. The Gu worms they'd collected—two Rank 2 Thunderball Gu, one Wolf Power Gu, plus the earlier Leaping Gu and Wolf Shadow Gu—were valuable. The contribution points from the wolves they'd killed would translate to primeval stones and materials.
Resources to fund his blood-path Gu refinement project. Capital to accelerate his cultivation toward Rank 3.
All bought with Chi Shui's life.
A good investment, Lu Yu Fang thought coldly. One life traded for resources that might save many more. Practical. Efficient.
But then he caught himself, recognized the rationalization for what it was.
This was what Fang Yuan would think. Pure calculation, pure efficiency, no room for sentiment or regret.
And Lu Yu Fang had just proven he could think the same way.
Am I becoming him? he wondered. Becoming the demon protagonist I read about? Or was I always like this, and it just took desperation to reveal it?
He didn't have an answer. Wasn't sure he wanted one.
"Fang Zheng," Yao Tu said suddenly. "What we did back there..."
"Was necessary," Fang Zheng finished. "Was survival. Was the only choice available to us."
"Will you tell anyone? The truth?"
Fang Zheng met his gaze steadily. "What truth? We got separated during a wolf ambush. Tragic, but these things happen in war. That's the truth, as far as I'm concerned."
Yao Tu nodded, relief evident in his expression. "Thank you."
"We're clanmates," Fang Zheng said. "We survived together. That creates bonds. I won't betray that."
The words were sincere, in their way. Lu Yu Fang valued useful allies, and Yao Tu was now deeply indebted to him. The secret they shared was leverage, insurance, a bond stronger than friendship.
And if Yao Tu suffered nightmares, if guilt ate at him over the coming weeks and months, well—that just made him easier to control.
Fang Zheng felt no guilt himself. Chi Shui had been dead the moment that electricity hit him. Everything after was just... optimizing the outcome. Making sure his death served a purpose rather than being meaningless.
I'm rationalizing, he admitted to himself. Just like Yao Tu. Creating narratives to justify what I allowed to happen.
But unlike Yao Tu, Fang Zheng recognized his rationalizations for what they were. And he accepted them anyway.
Because in this world, the alternative to cold calculation was ending up like the original Fang Zheng—dead and forgotten, a footnote in someone else's story.
They reached the village as full dark fell, torches lighting the gates, guards checking returning hunting parties. Fang Zheng and Yao Tu reported to the patrol coordinator, gave their sanitized version of events, turned in their wolf trophies for contribution points.
The coordinator accepted their story without question. Three-person hunting parties had higher casualty rates. Everyone knew that. It was tragic about Chi Shui, a promising young Gu Master, but these things happened.
War had a way of making death routine.
They were each credited with their shares of contributions—enough for Fang Zheng to purchase the materials he needed, enough to feel like the mission had succeeded despite its cost.
As they parted ways, Yao Tu grabbed Fang Zheng's arm. "Thank you," he said quietly. "For... for helping me through that. For understanding."
"We're survivors," Fang Zheng replied. "That's all that matters in the end."
Yao Tu nodded and walked away, his shoulders hunched, carrying the weight of his choice.
Fang Zheng watched him go, then turned toward his own lodgings. His mind was already cataloging what he'd gained:
Significant contribution points Multiple valuable Gu worms An ally who now owed him silence and loyalty Practical experience in crisis decision-making Confirmation that he could do what needed to be done, regardless of cost
All in all, a successful mission.
Chi Shui would be mourned. His family would grieve. But life would continue.
And Fang Zheng would be stronger for it.
He arrived at his quarters and immediately began meditation, channeling primeval essence through his aperture. The stone-film walls hummed with energy, his cultivation base solid and growing.
Sixty days to reach Rank 3. A goal that had seemed impossible was now feeling achievable.
All because he'd been willing to make the hard choices.
This is what it means to survive in this world, Fang Zheng thought as he cultivated. Not heroism. Not righteousness. Just cold, practical thinking and the willingness to use every resource available.
Even if those resources used to be people.
His cultivation continued through the night, primeval essence cycling through his meridians, slowly strengthening, slowly advancing.
And if Chi Shui's face occasionally appeared in his mind's eye, accusing and betrayed, Fang Zheng simply acknowledged it and continued meditating.
Guilt was just another emotion to be managed. Another obstacle to overcome.
In a world ruled by strength, sentiment was the ultimate luxury.
And Lu Yu Fang could no longer afford luxuries.