Lin Yun stood beside the narrow bed in the dimly lit inn room, his figure half-hidden in the flickering glow of the oil lamp. Outside, the night wind brushed against the wooden shutters, carrying distant sounds of restless footsteps and murmuring voices from the city streets.
His expression was calm, but his eyes held a quiet firmness.
"I think we should leave this place tonight."
Madam Li blinked in surprise, still catching her breath from their sudden closeness. Her fingers were unconsciously gripping the front of his robe, as if she had forgotten to let go.
"Why?" she asked, her voice still slightly unsteady. "So soon?"
Lin Yun looked toward the window, listening to the faint clatter of armored boots somewhere far away.
"The news of the city lord's death will spread very soon," he replied evenly. "Once it does, the entire city will be locked down. Patrols will increase, and every gate will be watched. If we stay, leaving later will become much harder."
He paused, then added awkwardly, "…And could you stop hugging me?"
Madam Li froze.
Only then did she realize she was still clinging tightly to him.
Her cheeks instantly flushed red, and she stepped back as if burned, quickly smoothing her robes to hide her embarrassment. The proud general who once commanded thousands now looked unusually flustered.
Lin Yun cleared his throat, pretending not to notice her reaction.
"Pack your things," he said, turning toward the door. "We leave tonight."
Not long after, the two slipped silently through the sleeping city.
The night was deep, and the moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale silver light over the quiet streets. Most shops were closed, their wooden signs swaying slightly in the cold breeze. Occasionally, a distant lantern flickered as a patrol passed by an intersection.
Madam Li walked beside Lin Yun, her steps light but cautious. Every sound made her instinctively tense—a habit from years on the battlefield.
Soon, they reached the towering city walls.
The gates ahead loomed like dark giants, firmly shut and guarded by rows of armored soldiers. Torches burned brightly along the walls, casting long shadows that danced like restless spirits.
Madam Li looked up nervously.
"But how will we get out?" she whispered. "The gates are sealed at midnight."
Lin Yun didn't answer immediately.
Instead, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Before she could react, he suddenly stepped forward and lifted her into his arms.
Madam Li's eyes widened in shock.
The next moment—
The ground vanished beneath them.
A powerful surge of spiritual energy erupted from Lin Yun's body, and he leapt upward with explosive force. The wind roared past her ears as the city wall rushed beneath them like a passing shadow.
For a brief instant, Madam Li saw the entire city spread out below—rooftops, lanterns, narrow alleys glowing faintly in the night. Her heart pounded violently, not from fear, but from sheer disbelief.
So this… is the power of a cultivator…
Then they landed smoothly outside the walls.
Lin Yun gently set her down.
"I think you sometimes forget," he said with a small smug smile, "that I'm a cultivator."
Madam Li steadied herself, her heartbeat still racing. She straightened her robes, though a faint blush lingered on her face.
"…Point taken," she admitted, letting out a small, helpless laugh.
They walked for a long while afterward.
Behind them, the city lights gradually faded into the distance, swallowed by the vast darkness of the wilderness. The night air grew colder, and the sounds of civilization were replaced by the rustling of trees and the chirping of distant insects.
For a time, neither spoke.
Then Madam Li's expression slowly turned serious.
"Now," she said quietly, "you should tell me the truth."
Lin Yun glanced at her.
"About what?"
She crossed her arms, her posture straightening instinctively. In that moment, the dignified aura of a battlefield general resurfaced.
"You think I'm stupid?" she said, her eyes sharp. "I became the youngest general in the imperial army through my own ability. Do you really think I can't see when you're hiding something?"
Lin Yun sighed softly.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"The city lord… was directly appointed by a sect."
Madam Li's eyes widened.
"How do you know that?"
"When I was searching for you, I interrogated several guards," he explained. "They told me the previous city lord had been replaced recently. Strangely, none of them even knew the new lord's name."
He paused, organizing his thoughts.
"That meant he wasn't from the imperial court. Nor from any noble family. Yet he still became city lord. There's only one force capable of doing that… a cultivation sect."
Madam Li's gaze grew darker.
Lin Yun continued, "And recently, they've been searching for unknown cultivators. The city lord himself was one—though weak. Only at the second level of Qi Refining."
Inside, Lin Yun's thoughts churned.
I can't tell her he was a disciple of the Azure Stone Gate… or that I learned this in the Mysterious Land.
Madam Li studied him carefully.
She could sense he was still holding something back. His explanation felt too smooth, too carefully constructed.
But after a moment, she looked away.
"…Fine," she said quietly. "But next time, don't hide things from me."
Lin Yun didn't reply.
His mind was already drifting back to the memory of the dead city lord.
Second level of Qi Refining… sent to search for cultivators…
But why?
He walked absentmindedly, lost in deep thought.
Suddenly—
"Ow!"
Madam Li had pinched his waist.
Lin Yun snapped back instantly.
"I think that's enough daydreaming for tonight," she said, raising an eyebrow. "So what exactly are you thinking about?"
"Nothing," Lin Yun replied, rubbing his side. "I was just considering where we should go next."
"So?"
"I think we should go to the imperial city."
Madam Li stopped walking.
"Are you insane?" she said sharply. "They're hunting you there."
"That's exactly why," Lin Yun replied calmly. "They'll search everywhere else first. No one expects their target to walk straight into their territory."
Madam Li frowned, thinking carefully.
After a while, she nodded slowly.
"…It might actually work."
Lin Yun asked, "How far is it?"
She snorted.
"Even for us, it will take more than ten days."
"That far…"
Lin Yun fell silent, then nodded thoughtfully.
"Then we should travel slowly," he said. "We can visit different places along the way."
Madam Li sighed.
"First, we need somewhere to stay tonight."
Lin Yun hesitated.
Then suddenly, a memory surfaced.
The dark cave.
The half-human beast.
The battle that nearly cost him his life.
"I know a place," he said.
They walked through the forest for some time.
The moonlight filtered through the trees, casting shifting shadows on the ground. The deeper they went, the quieter the world became, until only the sound of their footsteps remained.
Soon, the outline of a familiar cave appeared ahead.
Lin Yun suddenly raised his hand, stopping Madam Li.
His eyes narrowed.
"Shh."