Chapter 24: Fading Trails
It had been another day since Ashen started following the merchant's route. He stayed hidden, keeping a large distance, watching from the shadows. He didn't do anything flashy or suspicious. He didn't release Qi. He didn't rush. Every step was controlled. Quiet.
He didn't want trouble. Not now. Not when he was chasing the weakest thread of hope he had—finding the Divine Doctor.
Early in the morning, Ashen reached a crossroads where several roads met. Wagons passed, travelers talked, guards inspected paperwork. Ashen moved through them silently, hood covering his face. He wasn't here to attract attention. He wasn't here to fight. He was here for answers.
His body had recovered enough that he could walk normally. The soreness remained, but nothing he couldn't handle. The real weight was inside his chest—the fear that everything he was chasing might be a lie.
He found a small inn near the road. It wasn't crowded, just a few travelers eating and resting. Ashen sat in the most quiet corner and listened. He wasn't listening for trouble. He was listening for information.
And finally, he heard something.
Two men at the next table spoke in low voices.
"I heard the Divine Doctor hasn't been seen in months."
"Months? Some say years. Who knows if he's even alive?"
Ashen froze.
The men continued.
"Anyway, the Misty River Valley lead is cold. No one there has seen him. Some say he went deeper into the mountains. Some say he's gone missing. Even high-level cultivators are searching for him and still found nothing."
Ashen looked down at his hands. His heartbeat was steady, but something in him tightened. He didn't react. He didn't interrupt. He just listened.
False hope. He could feel it creeping in.
Another traveler spoke from the other side of the room. "All I know is, if someone wants a cure for rare poisons… good luck. Without the Divine Doctor, you're basically finished."
Ashen's eyes lowered.
Raizen.
His friend. His brother in everything except blood. The one who had taken the poison meant for Ashen. The one who had fallen to his knees that day, unable to walk again. The poison had locked his legs and attacked his Qi roots. Doctors had tried to heal him. Nothing worked. Raizen could barely move now.
And Ashen… Ashen couldn't forget his face. The pain. The helplessness. The fear.
That was why Ashen was here. That was why he walked quietly, trained day and night, pushed his body until it broke and healed again.
Not for glory.
Not for power.
For Raizen.
Ashen clenched his fist under the table. The thought of the Divine Doctor being gone, missing, maybe dead… It made his chest heavy. But he didn't lose control. He stayed calm.
He left the inn quietly and continued following the merchant's route. The sun was already high, the road warm beneath his feet. The merchant was still ahead of him, walking slowly with his cart. Ashen kept a safe distance as always, making sure he wasn't seen.
As the road opened into a larger settlement, Ashen noticed more shops and more travelers. This place was bigger than the previous town. More people meant more information. More rumors. More chances to hear even a small clue.
Ashen entered a large herbal shop. It was filled with jars, herbs hanging from the ceiling, and powders in baskets. The smell was strong. The shopkeeper was a middle-aged woman grinding something with a stone tool.
Ashen approached her calmly.
"I want information," he said. His voice was quiet, but steady. "About poisons. And about the Divine Doctor."
The woman stopped grinding and looked up at him. "Again? You're not the first in the last week. Many are looking for him."
Ashen didn't show emotion. "Why?"
"He disappeared," she said. "Completely. No one knows where he went. Some think he was kidnapped. Some think he was killed. Some think he went into seclusion. The truth is… nobody knows."
Ashen nodded slowly. "Then what about poisons? Rare ones. Ones that cripple the body and Qi roots."
The woman's face changed. "That kind of poison… there are only a few who can create it. And even fewer who can cure it. Do you know its name?"
"Nightmarrow Poison," Ashen said.
The woman froze.
Then she whispered, "That one… only one person was known to treat it. The Divine Doctor."
Ashen's jaw tightened slightly.
No one else?
The woman continued, "Nightmarrow Poison destroys the connection between body and Qi. It collapses the energy flow in the legs and slowly spreads upward. Once it does, it's over."
Ashen's stomach felt cold. He didn't let the emotion show on his face. "So there is no other cure?"
"There might be," she said. "But it's not confirmed. There's talk of an ancient herb. Ghost Spine Root. But it grows only in extremely dangerous places. And some say it doesn't work unless prepared by someone with deep knowledge."
"Meaning," Ashen said quietly, "I still need the Divine Doctor."
"Yes," the woman said. "But be careful chasing rumors. Some people lie for money. Some lure others into traps by using his name."
Ashen thanked her and left, keeping everything she said in his mind.
He spent the rest of the day searching the settlement, speaking to old travelers, herbalists, shopkeepers, beggars, and caravan guards. Every answer was the same: the Divine Doctor was missing. No confirmed sightings. No solid leads. He was like a shadow that vanished.
But there was one thing that caught Ashen's attention—a pattern.
Everyone who talked about the Divine Doctor mentioned two places:
The Misty River Valley
and
the Southern Capital
One was natural and wild. The other was political and dangerous.
Ashen didn't know which one to follow. He only knew one thing: he didn't have time. If Raizen's poison spread too far, Raizen might never walk again. Worse, he might die.
As night fell, Ashen went to the river behind the settlement. The water reflected the moonlight. The wind was cold but calm. He sat on a rock, staring at the flowing water.
His thoughts were heavy. He wasn't scared of beasts or enemies. What scared him was losing someone he cared about.
He remembered the last time he saw Raizen. Raizen tried to stand, fell, and tried again. Each fall made Ashen's heart ache. But Raizen kept smiling, trying to act strong so Ashen wouldn't worry.
Ashen hated that smile. It wasn't real.
Ashen took a deep breath, steadying himself. He couldn't panic. Panic led to mistakes. Mistakes led to death.
He thought about the mysterious master he met before—a strange, powerful man who seemed to know everything. Even that master was searching for the Divine Doctor. But Ashen didn't know who he could trust. And the master…Ashen didn't know if the man's words could be trusted either.
False hope.
Everything Ashen was chasing might be a lie.
But stopping now was worse.
If he stopped… Raizen would stay crippled forever.
Ashen looked at his hands.
"I'll find him," he whispered. "Even if it's the last thing I do."
He stood up, walked back to the settlement, and rented a room. He didn't sleep deeply. He only rested enough to keep moving. Every hour counted.
The next morning, Ashen left early. He continued following the merchant, but now he watched every path, every direction the cart moved. He memorized the route. He understood the landmarks. If the merchant had truly met the Divine Doctor before, then maybe—just maybe—his path would lead Ashen closer.
Hours passed.
Ashen finally approached the merchant's resting spot. He didn't make contact. He only listened from a distance.
The merchant talked to another traveler.
"Divine Doctor? I haven't seen him since that day years ago. Don't know if he's alive. But if someone wants to find him, Misty River Valley is the only place I'd check. Even though it's full of wild beasts."
Ashen closed his eyes for a second.
So the rumors were true. Or maybe they weren't. Maybe it was all just stories. But it didn't matter. Ashen didn't have many choices.
Even if it was a false hope… it was hope.
And Ashen had nothing else to chase.
He watched the sun set in the distance. The sky turned orange, then dark. He didn't stop walking. His steps were silent, but heavy with determination.
Raizen's face filled his mind again. His friend didn't deserve that fate. Ashen made a promise that day—to save him no matter what.
And Ashen was not someone who broke promises.
He kept walking.
The Divine Doctor might be missing. He might be dead. Or maybe he never existed in the first place.
But Ashen would search anyway.
He would search every valley, every city, every dangerous path.
He would search even if the world told him it was useless.
Because he didn't fight for glory. He didn't chase power for fun.
He fought for the people he cared about.
And Ashen would not stop until he found the answer—even if he had to tear the world apart to get it.
This was the beginning of a different journey.
Not a battle of fists or claws.
A battle against time…. and fear.
Ashen tightened his cloak and walked into the darkness.
Tomorrow, he would head toward Misty River Valley.
And he would not turn back.