Morning came quietly.
Ajay opened his eyes.
Pain remained—
But lighter.
He sat up slowly.
No wasted movement.
Across from him—
Han Sen was already awake.
Still.
Watching.
Ajay stood.
"…Move?" he asked quietly.
She nodded.
No extra words.
Hunt
They moved through the grass.
A horned rabbit appeared.
Ajay stepped forward.
No hesitation.
The creature lunged—
Ajay sidestepped—
Struck—
SHHK!
Clean.
The creature dropped.
"Ordinary creature killed."
Ajay remained expressionless.
He dragged the body back.
"…Lucky," he said.
Short.
She watched him.
But said nothing.
Presence
Then—
A presence.
Both stopped.
At the same time.
From the grass—
A figure appeared.
Calm.
Confident.
Qin Xuan
Ajay lowered his gaze slightly.
Quiet.
No reaction.
She looked between them.
Two beginners.
One injured.
One calm.
"…New hunters," she said.
Han Sen replied:
"Yes."
Short.
Qin Xuan's eyes paused briefly on Ajay.
Not long.
Just enough to judge.
"…Injured and still hunting…"
A small pause.
"…Not bad."
But nothing more.
No interest.
No concern.
To her—
They were simply:
Minor figures.
Not worth attention.
Offer
"There's a better hunting area ahead," she said.
"You can follow."
Silence.
Ajay didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Han Sen shook her head slightly.
"No."
Simple.
Final.
Qin Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
But only slightly.
"…Your choice."
No argument.
No persuasion.
Because to her—
It didn't matter.
Whether they followed or not.
Qin Xuan's Thought
As she turned away—
Her thoughts were calm.
"Two beginners."
"A bit of talent."
"But nothing special."
"They'll either die…"
"…or grow."
Either way—
Not important.
She left.
Without looking back.
After
Silence returned.
Ajay exhaled quietly.
"…Better."
Han Sen didn't reply.
But she didn't disagree.
Separate Path
They turned.
Walked in the opposite direction.
Away from Qin Xuan.
Deeper into the wild.
Less safe.
But quieter.
Ajay walked slightly behind.
Silent.
Watching.
Learning.
Not speaking.
Because in this world—
The less you showed—
The longer you lived.
End
The grass swayed gently.
Two figures disappeared into it.
Unnoticed.
Unimportant.
For now.