Millstone City woke slowly under a grey dawn, mist rising from the rooftops like tired ghosts. Chickens clucked, vendors set up stalls, children chased each other through narrow streets—normal, peaceful, unremarkable.
Yet beneath the ordinary rhythm, a second heartbeat pulsed.
A darker one.
A colder one.
One that did not belong to mortals.
昊无涯 (Hào Wúyá) felt it before he opened his eyes.
A faint tremor in the air.
A tightening of breath.
A shadow passing through the mist.
He sat up silently.
昊雪依 (Hào Xuěyī), curled under her blanket across the room, stirred.
"Wuya… you woke early again…"
He didn't answer.
Because he wasn't listening to her.
He was listening to the world.
Outside, in the far distance, he sensed:
Five rapid footsteps.
Two slow ones.
Three breaths carrying killing intent.
A blade still stained with old blood.
A low voice muttering incantations.
A faint ripple in the Qi of the air.
His eyes opened fully.
They were here.
---
The Broken Cultivator Crawls Back
At the city gates, a weak and trembling figure dragged himself across the dirt. His robe was torn, his sword broken, his left arm hanging limp.
It was the cultivator from Crescent Jade Sect—the one who questioned Wuya.
His eyes were bloodshot.
He stumbled inside the gate, collapsing near the guard post.
The guards yelled in panic.
"Someone get a healer!"
"This man is injured—badly!"
But the cultivator ignored them.
Every fragmented breath, every shuddering motion, every drop of blood was driven by a single thought whispering in his skull:
"Find the boy."
His hand pressed against the ground, trembling but determined.
"Find… that child…"
Then the shadows behind him twisted.
Two silhouettes emerged from the mist like ink bleeding across paper.
One tall and thin.
One short and stocky.
The hunters from yesterday.
The guards turned pale and reached for their spears—
—but the tall man raised one finger.
Everything froze.
The guards, the horses, even the falling dust in the air… stopped moving.
The world held its breath.
The tall man stepped over them without care.
"So this is Millstone City…"
His voice dripped with disdain.
"A filthy corner of mortals."
The short one sniffed.
"The boy's scent isn't strong here. He's hiding."
The tall man smiled.
"Then we will peel away this city until he appears."
The cultivator on the ground weakly raised his head.
"W-who… are you…"
The tall man placed a foot on his chest.
"You are still alive? Annoying."
He snapped the cultivator's remaining sword in half with his heel.
The cultivator spat blood.
"You… you won't… find him…"
The tall man leaned close.
"You think not?"
His smile twisted.
"Bring the boy to me, little city. Let's see how long you can hide him."
He stepped forward—
—leaving the cultivator broken, bleeding, but alive.
Barely.
---
Wuya Senses Death Approaching
Inside the courtyard, 昊无涯 (Hào Wúyá) stood motionless.
昊雪依 (Hào Xuěyī) approached him quietly.
"…You sensed something again."
He nodded.
"It's worse this time."
She drew closer.
"How many?"
"Two."
She swallowed hard.
"Powerful?"
He nodded slowly.
"Their presence is sharp. Like blades dipped in poison."
Xuěyī trembled.
Her Moonveil Seal pulsed faintly beneath her clothing.
Wuya noticed immediately.
"Your seal… reacts to danger."
She hugged his sleeve.
"It reacts when you are in danger."
He blinked.
"…Me?"
"Yes, YOU! Idiot!"
He tilted his head, confused.
昊天海 (Hào Tiānhǎi) emerged from the house then, face pale.
"You both felt it?"
Wuya nodded.
"They're already in the city."
Tianhai clenched his fists behind his robe.
His calm mortal disguise began to break.
"This is too soon…"
His voice trembled.
"They shouldn't be this close. They shouldn't even sense this city."
Wuya studied him.
"Uncle Tianhai."
He looked up.
"Who are they?"
Tianhai turned away.
"You shouldn't know."
"Why?"
"Because if you know who hunts you," Tianhai said softly, "you will carry fear."
Wuya shook his head.
"I won't fear."
Xueyi tugged his sleeve with a small whine.
"I will fear enough for both of us…"
Wuya offered her a faint smile.
"…Thank you?"
"NOT a compliment!"
---
Hunters Enter the Market
The two mysterious hunters walked through the city market casually, as if they were simply morning shoppers.
The tall one said:
"There is a trace here."
The short one sniffed.
"Smells like… peach blossoms."
The tall man's smile widened.
"Then the boy lives near a courtyard with a peach tree."
He raised a hand.
Three merchants froze mid-step.
Lantern flames halted mid-flicker.
The entire market went silent for a heartbeat.
Too much spiritual pressure in a mortal world.
Mortals collapsed unconscious.
The tall man frowned.
"Fragile creatures."
The short one grinned.
"One courtyard after another. We'll rip this place apart."
A young merchant boy whimpered behind a stall.
The short hunter's eyes snapped toward the sound.
He flicked a finger.
The merchant collapsed, breath broken, eyes wide.
Not dead—
but terrified into unconsciousness.
The tall man muttered:
"No killing. Not yet. The boy will sense it."
---
Wuya Can't Stay Still Anymore
Back in the courtyard, Wuya's eyes snapped open suddenly.
Xueyi grabbed his arm.
"Wuya?! What is it?!"
"They're close."
"How close—?"
"Two streets away."
Xueyi turned white.
Tianhai stepped forward.
"Wuya. You stay here. I will remove them—quietly."
Wuya shook his head.
"You can't."
Tianhai stiffened.
"…What do you mean?"
"They'll sense your cultivation the moment you act. They're searching for someone strong. If they feel you, they'll assume you're the target."
Tianhai's jaw tightened.
"That is exactly why you must not interfere."
Wuya shook his head again.
"If they don't find me… they'll kill this whole city."
Xueyi gasped.
"No—no, they won't—!"
"They will," Wuya said softly.
"Why?" she whispered.
Wuya looked toward the marketplace.
"Because they're not searching for a scroll."
He touched his chest.
"They're searching for me."
Xueyi hugged him tightly.
"You are not going out there!"
Wuya blinked.
"…I wasn't."
"Good."
Tianhai stepped forward.
"Wuya," he said quietly, "you must hide your presence. Do not open your senses further. The moment you try to perceive them, they will sense you."
Wuya closed his eyes.
"…I already sensed them."
Tianhai closed his eyes.
"Then it's too late."
---
The Hunters Feel It
At the marketplace—
The tall hunter stopped suddenly.
He smiled.
"Ah… finally."
The short one grinned, showing missing teeth.
"You felt it too?"
"Yes."
"A presence. Soft. Calm. Like a sleeping void."
"And faintly resonating with peach blossoms."
"Hidden… but not enough."
The tall man whispered:
"He's close."
"Where?"
The tall man lifted his gaze toward the eastern district.
"Three streets. White fence. Peach tree."
The short man cackled.
"He's trying to hide. How adorable."
They began walking toward Wuya's home.
Each step shook the city's spiritual senses, though mortals remained unaware.
Wuya felt each step like thunder in his chest.
---
The First Confrontation
The hunters arrived at the courtyard gate.
The tall one placed a hand on the wood.
"So this is it."
The short one sniffed.
"Three scents inside. Boy, girl, man."
"Kill the man last," the tall one whispered.
"He will be… interesting."
He pushed open the gate.
The door slid open silently.
Inside the courtyard—
Wuya stood beneath the peach tree.
Calm.
Silent.
Waiting.
Xueyi stood behind him, trembling but defiant.
Tianhai stood near the door, hands hidden under wide sleeves.
The tall hunter smiled.
"Well… isn't this a peaceful little nest."
The short hunter sneered.
"That the boy?"
The tall one nodded.
"Yes."
Wuya stared at them quietly.
The tall hunter stepped forward.
"Your presence is strange… calm… steady… but deep. Too deep for a mortal. Who are you, child?"
Wuya said nothing.
Xueyi squeezed his shirt.
"Wuya… don't talk to them…"
The tall man grinned.
"I can smell your bloodline. It's faint, but old. Older than this realm. Older than Heaven."
Tianhai stepped between them.
"That is enough."
The tall man arched an eyebrow.
"And who are you?"
"A shopkeeper."
The short man laughed so hard he bent over.
"A shopkeeper? With eyes like iron?"
Tianhai remained still.
The tall man approached Tianhai.
"You hide your Qi well… too well."
Tianhai lowered his head.
"I am a worthless mortal."
The tall man reached toward Tianhai's chest—
—and Tianhai moved.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
Just one step.
The next moment—
The hunter's hand hovered half an inch from Tianhai's heart but couldn't move forward.
"Interesting," the tall man whispered.
"You blocked my aura with mortal breath?"
Tianhai didn't reply.
The tall hunter stepped back.
"Enough."
He pointed one finger toward Wuya.
"You. Come here."
Xueyi screamed:
"NO!"
She threw herself between Wuya and the hunter—
—and the Moonveil Seal ignited beneath her robe.
A silver crescent burst across her skin.
The hunters froze.
Tianhai froze.
Wuya's breath caught.
The tall hunter's pupils shrank.
"…Moonveil Bloodline…"
The short one licked his lips.
"A celestial… how delicious."
Xueyi trembled.
"I'm not delicious!"
Wuya stepped in front of her instantly.
His expression did not change.
But something inside him shifted.
A calm—
cold—
and ancient pressure rose.
The tall hunter tilted his head.
"…Interesting."
Xueyi's eyes widened behind Wuya.
"Wuya… your eyes…"
They were deeper.
Darker.
Still.
Like the surface of a moonlit lake that hid an ocean beneath.
Wuya spoke softly.
"You will leave."
The courtyard trembled.
The wind froze.
The tall hunter blinked.
"…What was that?"
The short one frowned.
"Was that… killing intent?"
The tall hunter shook his head.
"No."
He stared deeply at Wuya.
"That was instinct."
He stepped forward.
"Boy… what are you?"
Wuya didn't answer.
He repeated:
"You will leave."
The tall hunter smiled.
"I don't take orders from mortals."
Tianhai stepped forward.
"You will obey him."
The tall hunter's smile dropped.
And the courtyard fell silent.