The road out of Stonepath City didn't look dangerous.
That was the problem.
Wide, well-packed earth. Caravan tracks worn smooth by years of trade. Even the surrounding hills looked tame—green slopes, scattered trees, nothing that screamed death awaits.
I stretched my arms behind my head. "This is disappointing."
Lin Xueyi glanced at me. "You're disappointed we're not being attacked?"
"Obviously."
She sighed. "You're incorrigible."
Three hours later, the road proved me right.
A scream echoed from ahead.
High. Short. Cut off too cleanly.
Xueyi stopped instantly, sword half-drawn.
"Ambush," she said.
"Sloppy one," I replied. "They didn't mask the sound."
We moved forward without hiding.
Sometimes fear worked better when announced.
The scene was textbook.
A merchant caravan—five wagons. Broken formation. Guards dead or dying. Bandits in mismatched armor circling like wolves who thought they'd found a lamb.
Except…
I frowned.
"These aren't bandits."
Xueyi's eyes narrowed. "You noticed too."
Their footwork was trained. Their breathing synchronized. Their Qi circulation disciplined.
They wore rags on purpose.
One of them spotted us and barked an order.
Instant response.
Formation snapped closed.
Too fast.
I grinned.
"Ah. Sect dogs playing outlaw."
The leader stepped forward, scar across his cheek, cultivation carefully suppressed to Late Foundation.
"Travelers," he called. "Move along. This doesn't concern—"
I flicked a pebble.
It crossed thirty meters and shattered his kneecap.
He collapsed screaming.
I winced. "You were saying?"
Chaos erupted.
Five rushed Xueyi.
Four rushed me.
Bad math.
I stepped forward and watched.
The first man's saber technique—Rolling Cloud Slash—was flashy but wasted motion.
I shifted half a step, let the blade pass, and mirrored the stance.
Then corrected it.
My counter cut landed before his eyes finished widening.
He dropped.
Two more attacked together.
Paired technique. Complementary Qi flow.
Not terrible.
I combined their rhythm, reversed the breath cycle, and struck through the gap neither had noticed.
They fell almost politely.
The last man hesitated.
Smart.
I smiled at him. "Run."
He ran.
Good instincts deserved survival.
Behind me, Xueyi moved like cold water.
No wasted motion. No mercy.
Her blade sang once.
Silence followed.
We stood amid bodies and broken wagons.
The merchants stared at us like we were calamities.
I crouched by the fallen leader, now unconscious.
His inner robe bore a faint emblem.
Iron Banner Sect.
I clicked my tongue.
"Third-rate sect," I muttered. "But ambitious."
Xueyi's voice was cold. "They were testing you."
"Of course they were."
I stood.
"They wanted to see if the bounty was worth escalating."
The road fell quiet again.
But the silence had teeth now.
We helped the surviving merchants regroup.
They offered spirit stones. Protection contracts. Eternal gratitude.
I refused all of it.
Instead, I asked one question.
"Who else has been disappearing on this road?"
The oldest merchant swallowed.
"Martial artists," he said. "Talented ones."
Xueyi stiffened. "Captured?"
He nodded.
"For recruitment," he whispered. "Or refinement."
My smile vanished.
That night, we camped off the road.
I stared into the fire.
"Looks like someone's farming geniuses," I said.
Xueyi met my gaze. "Sect or clan?"
"Both," I replied. "Or something pretending to be neither."
I cracked my neck.
"Well," I said lightly, "can't let that stand."
A faint system prompt shimmered.
[New Route Detected — Predatory Network]
Threat Level: Escalating
Reward: Principle Assimilation Opportunity
I laughed softly.
"The road really does breed monsters," I said.
Xueyi's blade rested across her knees.
"So do we."