Chapter 25: Shadows in the Valley
Ashen moved at dawn. The road leading toward Misty River Valley was quiet, covered in thin fog. For him, this was perfect. Quiet places made it easier to stay hidden. He didn't release any Qi. He didn't make any sound bigger than a soft step. His presence was reduced until he felt like a ghost drifting through the trees.
His body had fully recovered from the fight days ago. Wounds closed. Muscles steady. His breathing calm. Now, everything was focused on one goal: getting closer to the Divine Doctor's trail… even if that trail was fading.
The closer he got to the valley, the more people he saw. Not normal travelers. Not merchants.
Cultivators.
Most of them looked rough and dangerous. Torn robes. Dirty weapons. Greedy eyes that scanned everything around them.
Rogue Cultivators.
The kind who would kill for money, herbs, or even rumors. Ashen didn't like them. Not because they were strong—but because they were unpredictable.
But Ashen wasn't afraid.
He simply didn't want attention.
He stepped into his presence-hiding technique. His aura vanished. His footsteps softened even more. The Qi around his body wrapped tightly, turning him invisible to spiritual senses. Unless someone stared directly at him, they wouldn't notice he existed.
This was a technique he learned long ago. In his past life, he used it during assassinations. Now, he used it to avoid trouble.
As he walked past the first group of rogue cultivators, they didn't turn their heads. Not even a glance.
Good.
Ashen continued down the narrow forest road. The trees became thicker. The air was more humid. A faint mist rolled between the branches. Birds were quiet. The valley ahead was known for two things:
Herbs so rare people would kill for them.
And people desperate enough to kill for those herbs.
Ashen stayed alert, listening more than he walked.
Up ahead, three rogue cultivators sat around a small campfire. They were arguing loudly.
"You hear the rumor?" the first one asked. "They say the Divine Doctor passed through the valley years ago."
"Years ago," the second man scoffed. "How does that help us now? He's gone. Missing. Probably dead."
The third man leaned forward. "Not dead. Someone saw a shadow carrying a sick person deeper into the valley last month. Some say it was him."
Ashen paused behind a tree, listening.
The first man snorted. "You believe that? Every sick beggar in the valley gets dragged around. Ghosts, shadows, whatever. People just use the Divine Doctor's name to trick idiots."
The second man laughed. "True. But if he is alive, imagine the price we could sell him for."
Ashen's jaw tightened slightly.
These men weren't looking for help. They were looking for money. If the Divine Doctor was alive, people like them would make things worse.
Ashen kept walking once their voices faded. He didn't step on leaves. He didn't disturb branches. His technique made him blend with the forest.
He reached a cliffside trail. Sharp rocks. Thin ledges. One wrong step and someone could fall. Several rogue cultivators were searching around the rocks, digging for herbs. Two were fighting over a small purple plant. One man got stabbed for it.
Ashen didn't stop. He simply passed behind them, unseen. This valley wasn't a place to act heroic. Helping people here would only attract attention. And attention would slow him down.
He followed the path deeper until he reached an old stone pillar half-covered by vines. It marked the real entrance to the valley.
More voices echoed from inside.
Ashen moved in silence. His technique wrapped tighter.
Inside the valley, he saw many rogue cultivators moving around. Some searched the ground. Some climbed trees. Some argued. Some followed maps.
Everyone was searching for something.
Herbs? Treasures? Rumors?
Or the Divine Doctor.
Ashen stopped behind a broken boulder when he heard another conversation.
Two women in brown robes spoke quietly while looking at a torn map.
"The Divine Doctor's old shelter should be somewhere near the inner spring," the first said.
"Should be," the second replied. "But that was years ago. And there's no guarantee he's still alive."
"What about that story of the poisoned boy? The one who was brought here half-dead?"
"Rumor. Nothing confirmed. Everything in this place is rumors."
Ashen memorized the direction they pointed—north, deeper into the valley.
The inner spring.
Another clue.
Maybe real.
Maybe fake.
But he had nothing better.
Ashen started walking that way but slowed down when he noticed a group of five rogue cultivators blocking the path ahead. They were armed with spears and swords. Their clothes looked cleaner than the others. Their eyes sharper. Probably a small group under a single leader.
Ashen hid behind a thick tree and listened.
One of them said, "If we find the Divine Doctor first, we can auction him at the Southern Capital. The big sects will throw mountains of gold at us."
Another laughed. "If he's even alive."
Their captain spoke, voice flat. "Alive or dead, we search the valley. No stopping until we check every cave near the inner spring."
Ashen frowned.
This wasn't good.
If the Divine Doctor really was somewhere in these mountains, these people would cause trouble. And if he wasn't here… they would just end up blocking Ashen's way.
Ashen waited for them to move on. Once they left, he followed their trail from far behind—not because he wanted the same goal, but because they were heading toward the inner spring anyway.
Two hours passed.
Ashen stayed hidden the entire time.
No one sensed him.
No one saw him.
No one felt his presence.
Finally, the sound of flowing water reached his ears. A cold mist drifted between the trees. The air felt heavier but cleaner. He had reached the inner spring area.
There were more abandoned camps around. Torn tents. Broken bottles. Scattered herbs. Signs of people searching for something for a long time.
Ashen checked an empty campfire and noticed something:
Burn marks on the rocks.
Fresh.
Only a day old.
Someone had stayed here recently.
It could be anyone…
or it could be someone connected to the Divine Doctor.
He moved forward, past the spring, and saw a small wooden board hanging from a tree. Old, weathered, scratched. Words barely visible.
"Do not search deeper."
Ashen stared at it.
Warnings usually meant danger.
But they also meant secrets.
He touched the sign lightly.
It broke.
Rotted from age.
Meaning this warning wasn't recent. Someone left it years ago. Maybe longer.
Ashen looked deeper into the forest ahead. The path narrowed into a dark gap between boulders.
Something was there.
Maybe a clue.
Maybe a dead end.
Maybe a trap.
But Ashen didn't turn away.
He tightened his cloak.
He lowered his breathing.
He vanished into his presence-hiding technique fully.
Then he stepped into the darkness.
A new trail.
A new chance.
A new piece of hope—fake or real, he didn't care.
He would follow it.
Ashen continued deeper into the narrow path, following the cold air that came from the stone gap. The forest around him grew quieter. Too quiet. Even his careful footsteps sounded louder than before.
He walked for several minutes.
Then twenty minutes.
Then longer.
But something felt wrong.
He stopped and frowned.
The broken tree.
The flat stone.
The curve of the roots.
He had passed this spot before.
Ashen touched the stone with his foot. The dirt under it had the same shape as earlier. He knelt and checked a broken branch on the ground. He remembered stepping over it.
He wasn't moving in circles.
He was being guided in circles.
A formation.
An illusion array.
Someone placed it here.
Someone wanted intruders to get lost.
Ashen exhaled slowly. He strengthened his presence-hiding technique and took another step—
And the world flickered.
Just for a moment.
Like a ripple in water.
The trees shifted. The air twisted. The stones changed shape. Ashen narrowed his eyes. This wasn't a normal illusion. The array grabbed thoughts, memories, emotions—then used them to trap the target.
He took a careful step backward.
As soon as he did—
A voice came from behind him.
Not loud.
Not angry.
Just clear.
"...What are you doing."
Ashen froze.
A voice he once know.
His heartbeat skipped.
Slowly, he turned around—
And his breath caught in his chest.
Standing a few meters away were people he thought he would never see again. People from his past life. People he once fought beside. People he once protected. People he once failed.
Faces he believed he had forgotten.
Faces he had buried deep for years.
Yet here they were—clear, alive, real.
His hands trembled for the first time in a long while.
He knew it was an illusion.
He knew they weren't real.
He knew they couldn't be here.
But even so…
"You guys…?" Ashen whispered without finishing.
The illusion formation around him pulsed with faint light.
The figures looked at him with the same expressions they once had long ago—warm, trusting, hopeful.
Ashen's chest tightened.
His heart felt heavy.
His throat felt dry.
He never wanted to see this.
He never expected to see it again.
He didn't even remember when he started forgetting their faces… until the array forced them back into his mind.
The voice spoke again.
"Long time no see."
Ashen's eyes widened—
—And the chapter ends.