Kazan took the northward route toward Kasen. At a traveler’s pace, with the detour ahead, the journey could take a month.He considered buying a horse. The adult saddles he had seen did not fit his short legs; for now, he kept walking.Yukai was the next village on his route, beyond a long stretch of road. An ordinary traveler would need a day and a night without rest, or as much as two days with stops.“What a coincidence—there’s a small shop on a quiet road like this. I’ll stop by for a moment to buy some dried food!” said Kazan.He counted the White Grapes in his bundle: five. He closed it again and went to buy food that would spare them.Kazan entered the roadside stall and found many adults eating there, including several from the Fengrui Kingdom.Only one other child sat among the adults: a girl of about nine, wearing Fengrui clothes.“That little girl’s face looks familiar to me! But who is she?” Kazan muttered as the little girl looked at him with a sweet smile.He studied her

“Haoyue! We’ll bury you and your daughter here!” A red-robed Yingwei stepped into the firelight.“Oh, I see. So that was just a decoy to draw my Yingwei away! Who sent you here?” asked Haoyue.“You only need to know that you’ll die tonight.” The Yingwei drew a small bell.“So you’re a Yingwei from the Lin Tribe!” Haoyue immediately recognized the Yingwei.Lin and Cao were among the remote tribes that trained Fengrui’s Yingwei.Their villages lay deep in the kingdom’s interior, far from its noble households.From there, talented recruits sought service as a Yuzhu’s shadow troops.Skill won them a place in a clan’s service; failure could leave them without a patron.The bell in this man’s hand made Haoyue watch the shadows rather than the blade at his belt. The Lin Tribe’s illusions were as dangerous as its weapons.“Do you know the name of my tribe? Yes, I’m from the Lin Tribe,” replied the Yingwei.“In that case, the one who sent you to kill me must be Lei Zhen, right? Very well, since

“Trying to run? Don’t even think about it!” Zhain said, then attacked the red-clad Yingwei with his sword.Steel clashed as Zhain pressed him back. Stage Four sword mastery kept the intruder’s surviving short sword occupied.“Now!” Kazan sprang toward the opening, but the Yingwei saw him coming.“The Demon King of Hell’s Footstep!”Kazan struck toward his chest. The man twisted aside and cut back at the boy’s flank.The edge scraped across Kazan’s red skin without opening it.Zhain didn’t want to be left out either; he slashed toward the red-clad Yingwei’s neck, but the man blocked it with his short sword.Kazan felt the transformation falter. “I can’t hold it much longer.”The Demon King’s Body had lasted longer than he expected, but his skin was beginning to lose its hardness. The next blade might draw blood.“There’s one form left.” Kazan withdrew from the exchange, sat cross-legged, and pressed his hands together.He drew on the Killer Aura within him. Heat climbed through his ches

“So, is she inside?” asked one of them. The man peering through the window nodded in response.The climber drew a bamboo tube about three handspans long and prepared the sedative. His companions spread along the ledge below the other guest-room windows.They worked along the shutters, dosing the occupied rooms before gathering outside Haoyue’s. The man inserted his tube through the window crack and blew the powder inside.Kazan caught the medicinal smell below him and held his breath as he crept down. The men were watching the shutters, not the roof above them.“Let’s wait a few moments until the sedative takes effect!” said the man with the bamboo.The four counted off the wait on their fingers.Kazan eased onto the ledge behind them without a sound.“It’s time—let’s go in!” the man with the rope said, and one of his companions began prying open the shutters.“What are you doing, prying open Mr. Haoyue’s window?”All four recoiled from the voice behind them. Their heels left the narro

“Are you sure this is the boy you’re talking about?” Amjin asked the guard who had reported Kazan.“Y-yes!”“Your answer sounds doubtful.” Amjin looked at Kazan.“What’s the matter, sir? Do you want something from me?” Kazan asked, feigning ignorance.“Young man, is it true that you killed my four men?”“Me? Kill them? No—this must be a misunderstanding!”The other two Knights approached Amjin and stood beside him, both looking confused.“I’m not mistaken—I’m certain you’re the culprit!” The informant pointed at Kazan’s face.Kazan kept his hands at his sides and looked from the informant to Amjin.“You say I’m the culprit? Do you have any proof?”“Um… w-well…” The informant stammered, struggling to find the words.“Here’s the thing, son: last night he saw you fighting my men, and the description matches you—you were wearing a covering over half your face!” Amjin explained.“Sir, I’m not the only one in this village who wears a face covering. Many other children cover their faces just