Yun Zhen adjusted his grip on the dull dagger as he followed the curve of the forest path, moving with light steps. The deeper parts of the woods felt thicker than before. The air pressed down on him like a wet blanket, and every breath stung his broken meridians. He ignored it and watched the shadows instead.
Behind him, Mei Ling crept close, moving with quiet steps now that the charm and teasing were gone. Her fox ears stayed low, twitching at every distant sound. Her silver tail stayed straight, showing how alert she was.
She muttered, "That roar wasn't cute. I hate that roar."
"You think anything dangerous is cute?" Yun Zhen asked, raising an eyebrow.
She flicked his arm with her tail. "Only when I can handle it."
"And can you handle this one?"
She hesitated just long enough for him to notice. "I can handle most things. But that roar… was a problem."
He crouched down and touched the dirt with two fingers. The vibration still lingered. Something heavy had moved through the forest, and not slowly.
"That wasn't one beast," Yun Zhen said.
"Obviously," she answered with a scoff, but her voice lowered a little. "How many of them?"
"Three," he replied.
Mei Ling blinked. "You're just guessing."
"No," he said calmly. "One large, two smaller. They're moving together."
She stared at him with those wide pink fox eyes like he'd grown another head. "…How did you know that?"
Yun Zhen stood up and dusted his hands. "Sound was too layered for one creature."
She shook her head, muttering under her breath. "Great. He's handsome, impossible to charm, and apparently part beast."
He glanced back at her. "I'm not a beast."
"You should be," she grumbled.
Before he could answer, the bushes to their left exploded.
An Elementary Spirit Realm Stage 3 beast lunged out—huge, wolf-shaped, covered in dark fur with bone-like ridges across its back. Mei Ling jumped back, flipping once in the air, her silver hair slicing through the air like a streak of light. But the moment she landed, a second beast shot out on her right.
"Left, under the branch—move now!" Yun Zhen shouted.
Mei Ling reacted without thinking. She dove under the low branch of an old tree just as the beast snapped at where her arm had been a heartbeat ago.
Her eyes widened. "You got lucky!"
"I don't believe in luck," he muttered.
The first beast charged at Yun Zhen. He shifted into a defensive stance, but his meridians burned at the movement. The pain climbed up his spine like fire, but he gritted his teeth and moved anyway.
He sidestepped, guiding the beast's momentum past him with a push of his palm. It wasn't strength—it was timing. The creature stumbled forward.
Mei Ling saw it and gasped. "That's a technique. A real technique. There is no way an Elementary Spirit Realm Stage 1 does that. That's impossible."
Yun Zhen didn't answer. His breathing turned shallow, but he raised the dagger again.
The woods erupted into chaos.
Mei Ling dashed toward the second beast, her body twisting in a graceful arc. Her fox ears flattened. Her tail streamed behind her like a silver ribbon. She spread her fingers, and sharp pink qi formed around her nails.
She slashed across the beast's snout. It howled and stumbled back.
Yun Zhen called out, "Don't turn your back on it. It will recover fast."
"Stop telling me things!" she yelled as she ducked under another swipe.
"Then stop making mistakes."
She shot him a glare. "You're insufferable!"
"And because of that, you're still alive," he said.
She hesitated for half a second, then snorted. "Fine. Keep talking."
She shifted her feet according to the rhythm of his calls. When he said move right, she moved right. When he said jump, she jumped. It annoyed her. He saw it in the way her tail twitched. But she followed anyway.
"Your footwork is off," he said.
"Don't judge my footwork!" she snapped, cheeks flushing.
"Fix it or die."
"I'm fixing it!"
Another beast lunged at him from the side. Yun Zhen twisted his torso, avoiding the claws by a hair. Pain shot through his ribs. His body wasn't ready for high-level movement, but he kept going.
His inner voice groaned. 'My body is trash right now... but I can't stop.'
Mei Ling slashed the second beast again, driving it back.
Then everything froze for a single heartbeat.
A heavier roar blasted through the trees. Leaves shook. The ground trembled. Even the air seemed to curl inward.
Mei Ling's fox ears shot straight up.
"…No," she whispered.
The larger beast stepped through the trees. Elementary Spirit Realm 4. Huge shoulders, hide like stone, red eyes glowing with hunger. Its breath steamed in the air.
Yun Zhen exhaled. "It's targeting me."
Mei Ling snapped her head toward him. "Why?! I'm the stronger one!"
"Because of my broken meridians," Yun Zhen answered. "Predators always sense weakness."
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," she muttered, but her voice shook.
The beast charged at him. Yun Zhen didn't dodge. He waited. Measured the timing. Counted the creature's steps. When the claws came down, he slid under the strike. His body screamed, but he made it.
Mei Ling shouted, "You're insane!"
"Move left," he called.
She obeyed instantly.
The beast swiped at her second strike, but missed because she reacted at the exact moment he predicted. She hated it. He saw it in the way her ears twitched violently.
"Stop reading everything!" she shouted.
"Stop being readable."
"I can't!"
Another beast tried to flank her. Yun Zhen grabbed a broken branch from the ground and threw it with precise aim. It struck the beast's eye, buying them a second.
Mei Ling stared at him in disbelief. "Who throws a branch like that?!"
"Someone who doesn't want you dead."
Her face went red. "D-Don't say it like that!"
The Elementary Spirit Realm Stage 4 beast charged again. Yun Zhen moved the instant it tensed. Every strike it made became slower to him, every movement easier to predict. His past-life instincts guided him, but his weak body kept dragging behind.
He slipped under another claw and shouted, "Now! Jump!"
Mei Ling didn't hesitate this time. She leaped up and over the beast's shoulder. Her silver hair flashed like falling snow. Her fox tail arched behind her.
She spread her fingers. "I'll hit it!"
Yun Zhen yelled, "Neck! Behind the joint!"
She slashed down. Her charm-infused qi cut through the thick hide. A deep gash tore open along the beast's neck.
It staggered, roaring in pain.
She landed beside Yun Zhen, panting. "I'll say it once. You're terrifying."
He answered, "Well, I try."
She stared at him, stunned. "That wasn't a joke."
Another roar rose behind them. The second beast wasn't dead. Yun Zhen grabbed Mei Ling's arm and pulled her back just in time as claws ripped through the air where she'd been standing.
Her chest bumped into his arm. She froze. "W-Wait— don't pull so suddenly."
"Don't stand in front of claws."
"You keep saying things like that!" she complained.
A weak laugh escaped him. "Sorry."
"You're not sorry," she muttered.
The Elementary Spirit Realm Stage 3 beasts limped. The Elementary Spirit Realm Elementary Spirit Realm Stage 4 beast staggered from blood loss. Mei Ling's illusions flickered around her pink eyes again. She released another wave of charm qi, confusing the damaged beasts just long enough.
Yun Zhen pushed forward, forcing his technique through his broken meridians. Pain cracked through his ribs like a whip. He almost fell.
Mei Ling grabbed his arm, steadying him. "Don't you dare collapse on me now."
"Don't worry, I won't," he muttered, though his vision blurred for a second.
Together, they advanced.
Yun Zhen shouted, "Its left leg—target the wound!"
Mei Ling rushed in, her tail flaring. She leaped high and drove her claws into the exposed flesh. The beast roared and fell to its side. She slashed again, this time clean through its throat.
The forest fell quiet.
Mei Ling landed next to him, breathing hard. She wiped a smear of blood from her cheek and pushed her hair back.
Her fox ears twitched nervously. "Are you alright?"
"Well, I'm still alive."
"That's not what I asked."
"I'm fine," he said.
"You're lying," she whispered.
She stepped closer, examining his face. Her hands slid down his arm, checking the tension in his muscles. Her chest pressed lightly against his shoulder. Her tail brushed against his thigh without meaning to.
He flinched slightly. She didn't.
"Stay still," she said. "Let me check your conditions."
"I don't need—"
"You helped me," she cut in. "Let me do something back."
Yun Zhen sighed and let her inspect him. Her fingers were warm despite her charm's cool scent.
Mei Ling frowned. "Your body is a mess."
"I know that."
"You shouldn't fight like that."
"Then I should've died?"
"No!" she snapped. Her tail puffed again. "Just… don't break yourself while I'm watching."
He blinked. "While you're watching?"
She paused, realized what she said, then turned away with a small blush. "Forget it. You're annoying."
A deeper roar echoed through the trees.
Mei Ling froze. "That wasn't the same beast."
Yun Zhen tightened his grip on the dagger. "I know."
She shifted closer to him, tail stiff. "That was the scouting pack. The real ones… they're coming now."
"Then we move."
"Yeah," she said quietly. "Let's go."
They stood shoulder to shoulder as the forest trembled again.
End Of Chapter 9