Heaven's Only Men Cultivator

Chapter 11 - The Hero Behind the Scenes

The violet sphere of poison shrieked as it tore through the air, a concentrated ball of death aimed directly at Li Feng’s chest. He didn't flinch. He felt the Ancient Yang Core spinning at a frenetic pace, screaming for release. As the orb collided with his golden shield, the forest was plunged into a strobe-light nightmare of competing colors.

"Feng, move!" Zhao’s scream was barely audible over the roar of energy.

Li Feng ignored her. He stepped into the impact, his feet grinding into the mud. He felt the poison trying to eat through his light, but the Yang energy was too pure. It didn't just block; it cauterized. He reached out, his hand glowing like a miniature star, and punched straight into the heart of the violet orb.

The sphere shattered.

Li Feng surged forward, his speed catching the panther off guard. Before the beast could recover, he drove his glowing fist into the creature’s chest, right where its dark heart beat. A surge of white-gold light erupted from his knuckles, pouring directly into the beast's core.

The Shadow-Crag Panther let out one final, gurgling roar before its body began to disintegrate from the inside out. Golden cracks appeared along its obsidian skin, and within seconds, the creature exploded into a cloud of harmless, sparkling ash.

Silence returned to the clearing, broken only by the heavy breathing of the survivors. Li Feng stood in the center, his hand still steaming. He felt the power receding, the golden glow dimming back into his skin. He realized instantly that he had shown too much.

I have to hide it. Now.

He quickly knelt in the dirt, fumbling with a scorched piece of parchment he had kept in his pocket—a useless scrap of paper he’d picked up in the tomb. He squeezed it tight, letting a final spark of Yang energy char the edges.

"Is... is it dead?" Mira asked, her voice trembling as she crawled toward the group.

"It’s gone," Zhao said, her voice filled with disbelief. She walked toward Li Feng, her broadsword still drawn. "Feng? What the hell was that?"

Li Feng looked up, forcing his face into a mask of terrified exhaustion. He held up the blackened scrap of paper, his hands shaking for effect. "The talisman... I used the talisman."

Zhao stopped, her amber eyes narrowing. "A talisman?"

"I found it in the cave," Li Feng stammered, his slave instincts helping him sound convincing. "In the tomb where the doors broke. I didn't know what it was. The voice in the dark told me to use it only if I was going to die. I just... I threw it and prayed."

Ying Yue stepped forward, her violet eyes scanning the scorched earth where the panther had stood. She looked at the blackened parchment in Li Feng’s hand, then back at his face. Her expression was unreadable, a mixture of suspicion and something deeper.

"A Sun-Burst Talisman?" Lin Yue whispered, leaning on her staff as she approached. She looked at the charred paper. "Those are ancient artifacts. Rare even among the Great Sects. To think a slave would find one in a mountain tomb..."

"I didn't know," Li Feng repeated, dropping his head. "I just wanted the beast to stop. I’m sorry if I wasted it."

"Wasted it?" Mira laughed, a hysterical edge to her voice. "You saved our lives, you idiot! If you hadn't thrown that thing, we'd be panther fodder by now."

Zhao sheathed her sword, though she didn't stop staring at him. "A Sun-Burst Talisman. That explains the light and the heat. I’ve heard of those. They’re designed to mimic the Yang energy of the old world."

"It was so bright," another mercenary said, her eyes wide with newfound respect. "I’ve never seen a man move that fast to throw something."

"He was protecting the lilies," Ying Yue said quietly. Her voice was flat, devoid of its usual sharp edge. "He stood between us and a Grade Two beast."

"Gather the flowers," Zhao commanded, though her gaze stayed on Li Feng. "Mira, help the Saintess. We need to move. The explosion probably alerted every monster within ten miles."

The group moved with a frantic energy. Mira and the others harvested the Moon-Shadow Lilies, their hands shaking as they tucked the glowing silver petals into velvet pouches. Lin Yue took one immediately, crushing it against her chest. A soft, pale glow spread through her, and the deathly gray tint in her skin began to fade.

"Thank you, Feng," Lin Yue said, her voice soft. She looked at him with a strange, searching gaze. "The Heavens work in mysterious ways. To find such a treasure in the hands of a commoner... it's a sign."

"It was just luck, Saintess," Li Feng muttered, keeping his eyes on the ground.

Stay humble. Stay invisible. If they think it was me and not the talisman, I’m dead.

They marched through the night, the poison mist receding as they climbed toward the higher ridges of the forest. By the time the first hint of gray light touched the horizon, they had reached a hidden cave near the tree line.

"We camp here," Zhao announced, her voice heavy with fatigue. "Mira, you’re on first watch. The rest of you, get some sleep. We cross the mountain passes at dusk."

The mercenaries collapsed onto their bedrolls, their usual rowdy banter replaced by a subdued, respectful silence. Li Feng sat in the corner of the cave, leaning against the cold stone. He felt the exhaustion finally catching up to him. The Yang Core was dormant, but the memory of its power still thrummed in his veins.

"Hey, Feng."

He looked up. Mira was standing over him, holding a piece of dried meat and a flask of water. She didn't look at him with the usual disgust. There was a faint blush on her scarred cheeks.

"Take this," she said, shoving the food into his hand. "You did good back there. For a man... you’ve got more guts than half the recruits in Azure Port."

"I just threw a paper, Mira," Li Feng said softly.

"You stood your ground," she countered. "Most men would have run. Thanks."

She turned and walked away before he could respond. Li Feng watched her, a strange warmth blooming in his chest. It wasn't the heat of the Core; it was the feeling of being seen as a person.

"Don't let it go to your head," a voice whispered from the shadows.

Ying Yue was leaning against the opposite wall, her arms crossed. She waited until the others had drifted off into a deep, exhausted sleep before she moved. She crossed the cave with the silent grace of a cat, kneeling directly in front of Li Feng.

"The talisman story was good," she said, her voice so low it was almost a breath. "Zhao bought it. Even the Saintess, in her desperation, wanted to believe it."

Li Feng felt a cold sweat break out on his neck. "It’s the truth, Ying Yue."

"Is it?" she asked. She reached out, her fingers catching his chin and forcing him to look at her. Her violet eyes were like twin moons, piercing through his lies. "I was three feet away from you, Li Feng. I felt the pulse."

"It was the artifact," he insisted, his voice cracking.

"Artifacts don't bleed gold," she whispered. She grabbed his hand, the one he had used to punch the beast. She turned it over, revealing a tiny, glowing golden scratch on his palm that hadn't fully healed yet. "And artifacts don't make a man’s blood sing like a choir of suns."

Li Feng tried to pull his hand away, but her grip was like iron. "What do you want, Ying Yue?"

"I want to know if I'm protecting a man or a god," she said, her eyes shimmering with a sudden, raw emotion. "Because if the Holy Light finds out that talisman was a lie... if they realize the sun is actually inside you... there won't be enough mist in the world to hide us."

Li Feng stared at her, the silence of the cave pressing in around them. He saw the fear in her eyes, but he also saw a desperate, dangerous hunger.

"I’m just a slave," he whispered.

"You’re a liar," she countered. 

She leaned in closer, her lips inches from his. "But you're a liar who saved me twice. So here is the deal, little sun. You keep your secret from them. But from this moment on, you don't keep a single spark from me. Do you understand?"

Before he could answer, a low, guttural horn blast echoed from the valley below. It wasn't the sound of a beast. It was the war-horn of the Holy Light High Executioners.

They weren't just searching anymore. They were closing in.

Ying Yue let go of his chin, her hand flying to her sword. "They’re here."

***