"Termites will always be termites," Choin muttered to himself.
He spun around, using the weight of his still-sheathed sword to slam into the chest of one of his opponents. The impact was so violent that the man was hurled against a stone wall, coughing up blood.
The last assassin realized their target was no ordinary man. He tried to retreat, leaping back toward the rooftops to signal for help.
"I won't let you send in this 'audit report'," Choin hissed.
He pulled a large iron nail leftover material from Old Man Oh's workshop from his robe's pocket and flicked it forward with a burst of internal Qi.
Whoosh!
The nail pierced the assassin's calf while he was still airborne. The man crashed heavily onto a stack of empty vegetable baskets. Choin immediately closed the distance, immobilizing him by pressing a nerve point on his shoulder.
"Who sent you?" Choin asked, his voice low yet menacing.
"And why are you looking for cultivation pills in this village?"
The man tried to bite down on a poison pill hidden in his teeth, but Choin had already clamped his hand around the man's jaw, dislocating the joint.
"Don't try to find an easy way out," Choin said.
"I can make every inch of your body feel like wood being gnawed by termites if you don't talk."
After several minutes of calculated psychological and physical pressure, the man finally spoke, his voice trembling.
"We... we were ordered to monopolize the entire supply of Red Crystal Pills in this region. So that... so that the target at Evernight Gate couldn't restore their energy... and so we could lure them out to the Valley of Mist."
"The Valley of Mist?" Choin narrowed his eyes.
"There... there is an exiled healer who holds the last stock of those pills. We knew the target would come looking for them..."
Choin released his grip. He stood up and gazed toward the mountains north of the village, which were shrouded in eternal mist. So, Lady Wei hadn't just sent assassins; she had also enforced a blockade on medical supplies.
Choin returned to the workshop. Old Man Oh was waiting for him, looking anxious and clutching a small dagger.
"You're still alive, young man?"
"Just a few small tears in my robe," Choin replied.
"Old man, do you know about the healer living in the Valley of Mist?"
Old Man Oh's face went pale in the dim light of the oil lamp.
"You mean the Mad Healer, Yao-In? Don't go there. He dislikes humans. But... it is true, he is the only one capable of refining Mastery-rank pills without the aid of a major sect's laboratory. But the price isn't just gold, young man."
Choin looked at his black sword.
"I have no choice. If I want to level up before their main force arrives, I must conduct an audit of that madman's laboratory."
"Wait!" Elder Oh handed him a small box made of black sandalwood.
"Take this. It is acid-resistant steel that I buried ten years ago. Use it as a bargaining chip. He is obsessed with medical instruments that won't corrode from his toxic fluids."
Choin accepted the box and nodded. He walked out of the village heading North, vanishing into the evening mist.
In the distance, atop the roof of a tall, ancient watchtower, the figure of Jo-Sun (Shiri's aide) mysteriously appeared. He carried no magical communication device; instead, he simply let out a soft, high-pitched whistle.
A Shadow Hawk a small, trained bird of prey with jet-black plumage landed on his arm. Jo-Sun quickly fastened a small scroll of paper to the bird's leg.
"Young Master is heading to the Valley of Mist. As predicted, he is choosing the most difficult path. Should we interfere with the supplies?" read the message on the paper.
Jo-Sun released the hawk back into the sky. He gazed at Choin's receding figure.
"Young Master Moen... you are truly an unpredictable pillar. Let us see if that mad physician can break the integrity of your structure."
The journey to the Valley of Mist had just begun. There, not only poisonous plants awaited, but also the first trial for Yoe Choin to transcend his physical limits and reach the true realm of Mastery.