"TAO!" Xuan moved without thinking. Desperation plastered on his face. He broke formation. Went to his friend.
The wolves capitalized. Pack tactics. Exploit weakness. Two went for Xuan while he was distracted.
Han intercepted. Barely. Spear moving in blur. Blocking both. But stretched thin. Can’t protect and attack. "FORMATION! MAINTAIN FORMATION!"
Too late. Formation broken. Tao down. Xuan exposed. Three wolves pressing. Three more incoming.
This was falling apart.
[LUNA] SHADOW CLONE AVAILABLE! (◕‿◕✿)
[LUNA] TECHNIQUE: READY TO USE
[LUNA] WARNING: YOUR SOUL IS STILL RECOVERING
[LUNA] LAST USAGE: 47% HEALED
[LUNA] USING NOW: HIGH RISK OF PERMANENT DAMAGE
[LUNA] ESTIMATED CONSEQUENCES: CULTIVATION CRIPPLING, SOUL FRACTURE, POSSIBLE DEATH
"So I can’t use it."
[LUNA] YOU CAN
[LUNA] JUST VERY INADVISABLE
[LUNA] BUT
[LUNA] YOUR DISCIPLE IS DYING
[LUNA] SO
[LUNA] YOUR CHOICE ♥
[LUNA] RISK YOUR SOUL OR WATCH HIM BLEED OUT
[LUNA] ITS SIMPLE (◕‿◕✿)
Hunter’s mind raced. Tao was dying. Blood pumping from his shoulder. C rank claws had hit deep. Maybe arterial. He had minutes. Maybe less.
Shadow Clone would save them. Extra fighters. Turn the tide imdiately. Win easily.
But his soul was barely half healed from last ti. Using it now could cripple his cultivation permanently. Could fracture his soul beyond repair. Could kill him.
Risk permanent damage or watch his disciple die. Simple choice. Terrible outco.
His killing intent flickered. Unstable. Uncertain. The world narrowing to impossible choices.
"How long does Tao have?" Hunter asked aloud. Voice tight.
Han glanced over. Combat awareness assessing. "Minutes. Maybe ten. Blood loss is severe."
"Can you get him out?"
"If you cover us. If you hold nine wolves alone." Han’s expression said everything. Suicidal. Impossible. But only option.
[LUNA] OR
[LUNA] ROB THE RCHANT
[LUNA] GET THE TECHNIQUE
[LUNA] WIN EASILY
[LUNA] NOBODY DIES
[LUNA] EXCEPT YOUR MORALS (◕‿◕✿)
Hunter looked at Tao. Nineteen years old. Disciple who’d sworn to his soul cult. Who’d fought beside him. Who’d almost died yesterday against Iron Wolves. Who was dying now because Hunter had insisted on the moral path.
Looked at Xuan desperately trying to stop the bleeding while dodging wolf attacks.
Looked at Lex trying to protect them both while terrified.
Looked at Han calculating whether they could even retreat successfully.
Five lives. One rchant. .
"Han. Get Tao out. Get everyone out. I’ll cover."
"That’s suicide."
"That’s an order." Hunter’s voice went flat. Final. "Go. Now."
Han hesitated. One second. Professional assessnt versus human concern. Then training won. "Moving. Thirty seconds to clear the ravine."
He grabbed Tao. Efficient. Quick. Started retreating. "Disciples! With ! Fighting retreat!"
Xuan and Lex followed. Scrambling. Carrying their bleeding friend. Moving fast.
The wolves turned. Prey escaping. Pack instinct saying chase.
Hunter Shadow Stepped into their path. Sword raised. Killing intent exploding outward. Raw. Uncontrolled. Absolute. "You want them? You go through first."
The wolves stopped. Felt the intent. Foundation Realm pressure. Genuine threat. Prey that might be predator.
The three reinforcents arrived. Nine wolves total now. Surrounding him. Hunter alone. Injured. Exhausted. Outnumbered.
This was the stupidest thing he’d ever done.
The wolves attacked together.
What followed wasn’t a fight. It was survival. Raw. Desperate. Ugly.
Hunter Shadow Stepped constantly. Appearing. Striking. Disappearing. Never staying still. Can’t let them coordinate. Can’t let them pin him. Just move. Keep moving. Never stop.
His sword found flesh. Drew blood. Wounded three. Killed one. Not enough. Not nearly enough.
Claws found him. Ripped his side. Tore his already injured shoulder. Bit his leg. Pain everywhere. Foundation Realm body keeping him alive but barely.
He killed a second wolf. Then a third. Four down. Six remaining. Blood loss making him dizzy. ridians screaming. Dantian burning. Everything hurting.
Shadow Step. Strike. Dodge. Repeat. chanical. Desperate. Slowly winning. Slowly dying.
Fifth wolf down. Sixth. Four remaining. Hunter could barely stand. Sword feeling impossibly heavy. Body held together by Foundation Realm healing and spite.
The alpha lunged. Final attack. Desperate. Hunter too slow. Too injured. Can’t dodge.
The claws ca at his throat.
His killing intent exploded. Pure survival instinct compressed into spiritual weight. Not refined. Not controlled. Just absolute refusal to die.
The alpha hesitated. One heartbeat. Fear response to genuine threat.
Hunter’s sword found its throat. Seventh kill.
Three wolves remained. Saw their alpha dead. Their pack destroyed. Prey that had beco predator. They broke. Fled. Survival instinct overriding pack loyalty.
Hunter let them go. Couldn’t chase. Could barely stand. Just breathing hurt. Everything hurt.
Seven wolves dead. Two escaped. Mission technically successful.
He was absolutely going to collapse now.
[LUNA] YOU’RE ALIVE! (◕‿◕✿)
[LUNA] IMPROBABLE BUT EXCELLENT
[LUNA] ALSO YOU’RE BLEEDING EVERYWHERE
[LUNA] THAT’S CONCERNING ♥
Hunter took one step. Then another. Walking through pure determination. Body screaming. Foundation Realm healing trying desperately to keep him functional.
Had to get back. Had to check on Tao. Had to make sure everyone survived.
One step. Another. The ravine exit visible. Thirty ters. Might as well be thirty miles.
He walked anyway.
Made it ten ters before his legs stopped working. Fell. Caught himself on his sword. Using it like a cane. Got up. Kept going.
Twenty ters. Body shutting down. Blood loss critical. Healing working but not fast enough. Vision going dark at the edges.
Thirty ters. The exit. Made it.
Collapsed imdiately.
Han appeared. Picked him up like he weighed nothing. "You insane bastard. You actually survived."
"Tao?" Hunter managed. Voice barely working.
"Alive. Bleeding stopped. Severe injury but alive." Han started moving. Carrying Hunter. "You saved him. Saved everyone. At cost of nearly dying yourself."
"Worth it."
"Debatable."
"Shut up. I’m bleeding."
"That’s my point."
They reached the waystation. People everywhere. Panic. Qiu shouting dical instructions. Teacher Bai helping with first aid. Mingzhu tearing cloth for bandages.
Tao lay on makeshift cot. Unconscious but breathing. Shoulder wrapped. Bleeding stopped. Alive.
Hunter saw that and let himself pass out.
His last thought was: We did it. Terrible cost. But we did it.
Then darkness.
Hunter woke up hours later. Maybe days. Ti was confusing.
His body felt like it had lost an argunt with a at grinder. Foundation Realm healing had kept him alive but recovery took ti. Lots of ti.
i sat beside him. Her doll clutched tight. "You ca back."
"Promised I would."
"You almost didn’t." Her voice was small. Scared. "Han said you fought nine wolves alone. That’s stupid."
"Yeah. Very stupid."
"Don’t do it again."
"I’ll try not to." She nodded. Seed satisfied. Then quietly: "Tao’s okay. Shoulder is bad but he’ll live. Han says it’ll take weeks to heal properly. Maybe months. But he’ll recover."
Weeks. Maybe months. Tao would be limited until then. Unable to fight. Unable to help. Cost of survival was ti and weakness, at least temporarily.
Hunter closed his eyes. Tried not to think about it.
[LUNA] MISSION RESULTS! (◕‿◕✿)
[LUNA] WOLVES KILLED: 7
[LUNA] WOLVES ESCAPED: 2
[LUNA] BEAST CORES ACQUIRED: 7 C RANK
[LUNA] VALUE: 350 SILVER
[LUNA] CASUALTIES: 1 SEVERE INJURY
[LUNA] YOUR STATUS: TERRIBLE BUT ALIVE
[LUNA] OVERALL: SUCCESS (TECHNICALLY) ♥
"How long was I out?"
"Six hours," i answered. "Han said your healing is working. Slowly. You need rest."
"Where’s Tao?"
"Sleeping. dicine helping with pain. He’ll be okay." She paused. Looked down at her doll. "Han said you could have used a special technique. Could have won easily. But you chose to fight alone instead."
"Who told you that?"
"I listen when people talk. They don’t notice ." Small smile. Clever child. "Why didn’t you use the technique?"
Maybe it might have crippled my cultivation permanently. Because risking my soul ans risking my ability to protect everyone long term. Because dying to save one person ans abandoning everyone else. Sotis the hard choice is the right choice even when it costs blood.
"Complicated reasons," Hunter said.
"Gerald says complicated reasons are usually about being stubborn."
"Gerald’s probably right."
She smiled. "He usually is."
Qiu appeared. Ledger in hand. Always taking notes. "You’re awake. Good. We need to discuss finances."
"Can it wait until I’m not actively dying?"
"You’re not dying. You’re recovering. There’s a difference." Qiu opened his ledger. rchant brain never stopping. "Seven C rank beast cores. Market value is fifty silver each. That’s three hundred fifty silver total."
Hunter’s brain did the calculation slowly. They’d spent one hundred fifty on supplies. Three hundred fifty earned. Net gain two hundred silver.
They were solvent. Actually solvent.
"That’s enough for repairs," Qiu continued. "And food. And basic supplies. We’re stable. For now."
For now. Always for now. Never permanent. Just buying ti until the next crisis.
"What did it cost?" Teacher Bai stood at the doorway. The scholar. The moral compass. "We have money. Tao will be recovering for months. You nearly died. Was it worth it?"
"We’re alive," Hunter said. "That makes it worth it."
"Does it?" Teacher Bai’s expression was complicated. Troubled. "You could have made different choices. Easier choices. Would have cost less blood."
"Would have cost other things instead."
"Would those things have been worse than this?"
Hunter didn’t answer. Because he didn’t know. Maybe robbing the rchant would have been better. Maybe compromising his morals early would have saved blood later. Maybe his principles were expensive and stupid and going to get everyone killed.
Or maybe holding onto them mattered. Maybe being different from other bandits required sacrifice. Maybe the cost was the point.
He honestly didn’t know anymore.
[LUNA] FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH (◕‿◕✿)
[LUNA] YOU MADE THE SMART CHOICE
[LUNA] FIGHTING ALONE WAS SAFER LONG TERM
[LUNA] USING SHADOW CLONE COULD HAVE KILLED YOU
[LUNA] THEN EVERYONE DIES ANYWAY
[LUNA] SO
[LUNA] GOOD DECISION (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
[LUNA] EVEN IF IT HURT ♥
"Is it?"
[LUNA] I DON’T KNOW
[LUNA] I’M A BANDIT SYSTEM
[LUNA] NOT A MORALITY SYSTEM
[LUNA] BUT YOU’RE ALIVE
[LUNA] THEY’RE ALIVE
[LUNA] THAT COUNTS (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
Maybe it did. Maybe surviving was enough. Maybe holding onto your humanity while covered in blood counted as victory.
Or maybe he was just making excuses for being stubborn and stupid.
Ti would tell.
"Get so rest," Qiu said. Practical as always. "We’ve got work tomorrow. Repairs. Building. Making this waystation functional. You need to recover."
Hunter nodded. Too tired to argue. His body was already pulling him back toward sleep. Healing sleep. Foundation Realm recovery doing its work.
i stayed beside him. Small guardian. Watching over him while he healed.
His daughter. His responsibility. His reason for trying so hard to be good even when it was stupid.
Sleep took him. Deep. Dreamless. Healing.
Tomorrow would bring new problems. New choices. New costs.
But today they’d survived. Paid in blood but survived.
And sotis that was all you could ask for.
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