Jin Yu’s grip on the reins loosened just enough to free one hand.

  The next second, he vanished from his saddle.

  Boom!

  He appeared right in front of the masked man, fist already halfway through a punch that could shatter stone.

  The man didn’t even flinch.

  At the last second, Jin Yu twisted his wrist and stopped the punch just shy of the man’s face. The wind from it blew back the man's silver-white hair.

  A strand drifted lazily down.

  “Still smiling?” Jin Yu asked coldly, his fist frozen inches from the man’s mask.

  The white horse pawed the ground once, uneasy, but the man merely tilted his head.

  "Didn’t expect anything less,” he said softly. “You’re the type who doesn’t trust anyone... even someone offering help.”

  Jin Yu’s eyes narrowed further. “You knew I’d test you?”

  “I hoped,” the man said with a small shrug. “Curiosity is more honest than silence, after all.”

  Still, Jin Yu didn’t lower his hand. “You're not scared?"

  A flicker of something, admiration maybe, passed through the man’s gaze.

  “I’m not your enemy, Nameless,” he said, voice suddenly quieter. “If I were, you’d already know it.”

  A long, tense moment passed.

  Then, Jin Yu dropped his arm and phased back.

  The man smiled again, brushing the edge of his mask. “Good. Now that we’ve gotten that over with, shall we go see what your map unlocks?”

  He turned with a swish of his white cloak, already riding ahead, as if the near-punch had been a passing breeze.

  Jin Yu stood still for a moment longer, eyes narrowed on the man’s back.

  That reaction… or lack of one... he’s either a fool or something else entirely.

  Either way, Jin Yu grabbed his reins again and followed, warily.

  They rode in silence, hooves thudding softly against the earth as they descended a narrow trail behind the village. The wind carried the faint scent of moss and damp leaves. Thick trees loomed ahead, the forest casting long shadows that deepened the further they went.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Jin Yu kept his eyes on the man’s back, alert for any sudden movements, but the masked rider didn’t speak. He merely guided his white horse with an effortless ease, as if he’d been here before.

  After a while, the path thinned into uneven ground, and the trees parted slightly to reveal a quiet stream.

  The man halted.

  “This is it.” he said, dismounting.

  Jin Yu followed, stepping off his horse. The sound of running water was gentle, almost melodic.

  Then he saw it.

  By the edge of the stream, a single blue flower swayed gently in the breeze, its color vivid against the dull greens and browns of the forest floor.

  Blue flower… by a stream…

  Jin Yu froze.

  His mind flashed back to the sketchbook he’d found in that ruined home.

  One of the drawings, innocent and childish, had shown this exact flower, in this very spot.

  But it couldn’t be… could it?

  He glanced at the masked man.

  “You brought me here... to this?”

  The man said nothing at first. He only turned toward the stream, crouched near the flower, and dipped his hand into the water.

  The air shimmered faintly.

  Then he looked back at Jin Yu and smiled under the mask.

  “You’re the one with the key,” he said, his voice low. “I just knew where to knock.”

  Jin Yu studied the man in silence, then turned his gaze to the blue flower swaying gently by the stream. His voice was steady, but laced with suspicion.

  “If the map really unlocks a formation… then why did it lead me to those houses?”

  The masked man didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he wiped invisible dust from his hands with meticulous care, as though the question required some kind of ritual.

  “Well…” he finally said, rising to his feet and brushing off his robe. “…that is your answer.”

  He lifted a hand and casually pointed at the stream. “Right there.”

  Hmph.

  Jin Yu scoffed. “Then how about giving me answers to this instead.”

  In one smooth motion, his sword flashed into his grip. With a flick of his wrist, he sliced diagonally through the air—

  BAM!

  CRACK!

  BOOM!

  An arc of pure force erupted from his blade, ripping through the forest in a violent burst. Trees within a ten-meter radius exploded into splinters, the ground quaking from the shockwave.

  Grunts. Gurgles. Thuds.

  Pained cries echoed through the woods as hidden figures were blasted from their cover. Bodies hit the earth with wet thumps, unmoving.

  From the smoke and shattered timber, black-robed figures emerged in dozens, no, hundreds, flooding out like a swarm.

  They surrounded the clearing, forming a tight ring around Jin Yu and the masked man.

  Their robes fluttered as they landed, and for a breath, the entire forest seemed to hold still.

  Jin Yu didn’t so much as flinch. His blade hummed lowly in his grip, gleaming with raw power.

  The masked man raised his hands in surrender, stepping back just enough to signal his neutrality. “Just to be clear… they're not with me.”

  Jin Yu didn’t reply. His eyes scanned the figures closing in. Their matching black robes bore no crest, but their movements were precise, silent and professional.

  Then—shing!

  Multiple blades unsheathed at once.

  “Go!” someone hissed from the line.

  Fwoosh!

  A dozen palm-sized bombs flew from their sleeves, bursting midair into thick clouds of gray smoke. The haze spread fast, too fast, and in moments, the entire clearing was choked with it.

  Smoke again?

  Jin Yu's vision blurred, then vanished.

  But his instincts didn’t.

  Clang!

  He twisted, blocking a dagger aimed at his throat. The moment the blade hit his, its wielder vanished into smoke.

  Another strike from above!

  He leapt sideways, rolling low as a curved blade sliced through where his head had been. Before he could recover, three more assassins burst from the smoke in perfect sync, blades flashing silver.

  Clang! Clang! Clang!

  He deflected all three, his sword dancing in a blur.

  “Cowards,” he muttered, voice low. “You think hiding will save you?”

  He closed his eyes.

  And listened.

  A shift in the wind.

  A sharp intake of breath.

  The faint flutter of cloth—

  Step. Slice. Splash!

  Jin Yu pivoted and cleaved through a shadow, blood spraying into the smoke.

  One down.

  More figures emerged in five, six, ten, darting in and out like phantoms, never staying long enough for a direct clash. Smoke rose from their skin like mist, cloaking their bodies, distorting their forms.

  Illusions? No… not just illusions. A technique to thin their presence, like threads in the fog.

  Still, it didn’t matter.

  “Let’s end this.”

  Jin Yu stabbed his sword into the ground.

  Sanctum Sword Technique came to life.

  BOOM!

  A violent shockwave pulsed outward, clearing a ten-meter ring of smoke in every direction. The air roared, revealing assassins mid-step, caught off-guard.

  Their eyes widened—

  Too late.

  Shunk!

  Jin Yu surged forward, cutting down two before they even had time to scream.

  “Get him!” someone commanded.

  They closed in again, this time all at once in a deadly dance of blades and smoke.

  But Jin Yu was already moving.