The sun had dipped low, painting Hei Yan City in shades of gold and orange. Lu Haotian walked beside Mei Nan, the small bundle of herbs from the market resting on his back.
"Young master," Mei Nan said suddenly, pointing at a street stall crowded with fruits and dried snacks. "I want that hawthorn?"
Lu Haotian glanced. A pile of bright red hawthorn berries glimmered in the fading sunlight.
"Can… can we get some? Just a little?" Her eyes were wide and hopeful.
He chuckled softly. "You've been good today. Alright." He handed the pouch on his back to a nearby vendor and bought a small bag of hawthorn, the sweet-sour smell drifting to his nose.
"Thank you, young master!" Mei Nan's smile was radiant.
He grinned. "Don't thank me too much or I might start expecting payment next time."
He moved towards Hawthorn stall.
By the time he turned back, however, his smile froze. Mei Nan was gone.
"Mei Nan?" he called softly, scanning the street. The hawthorn bag slipped from his hands, falling onto the cobblestones. No answer.
Then, from a narrow alley a few streets away, he caught a glimpse of movement: a figure sprinting, a sack slung over their back, weaving through shadows and corners with astonishing speed.
Instinct took over. Lu Haotian's legs moved before his mind had fully caught up. He darted after the figure, the city streets blurring past him.
The person was fast—faster than any mortal he had seen. They twisted down alleyways, vaulting over carts and low walls, never slowing, always moving forward. Lu Haotian's breath came in short bursts, but he did not falter. His mind worked as fast as his legs, tracing the path and anticipating turns.
"Who… could that be?" he muttered to himself as he ran.
The chase carried him beyond the city proper, past the outer walls, where houses gave way to open fields and finally, the rough terrain of the mountains' outskirts. The figure's speed never wavered, and the sack on their back bounced rhythmically.
By the time the dense forest of the mountains loomed ahead, Lu Haotian slowed slightly, surveying the shadows between the trees. The alleyways and streets were gone. Only the crickets' evening song and the rustle of leaves remained.
He could still see the distant flash of movement among the trunks—the figure had not stopped.
Lu Haotian continued to chase the person. His sharp eyes studied the figure. Whoever they were, they were not just running for fun.
The forest swallowed the figure, and Lu Haotian followed, careful, silent, determined.
The forest grew darker, the branches closing in as Lu Haotian sprinted. His small legs pumped furiously, and his heart hammered in his chest. Ahead, he saw a shadow dart through the trees with a sack over their back. Without thinking, he charged forward.
"Stop!" he shouted, fists raised.
The shadow disappeared into a small clearing—and immediately, five adults emerged from behind the trees. Broad-shouldered, strong, and moving with practiced precision. Four of them were clearly at Qi Condensation third layer, the fifth, taller and more muscular, was a fourth-layer cultivator.
Lu Haotian didn't hesitate. He lunged forward with everything he had, fists flying, aiming for the nearest one.
The man blocked him with one hand like swatting a fly. The force sent him skidding across the ground, crashing into roots and rocks. Pain exploded across his ribs and knees. He scrambled up, only to be kicked down again.
"You've got guts for a kid," the leader said with a smirk, stepping closer. "Third layer, huh? Not much of a fighter, but feisty. This one will definitely worth a lot, little qi you did well this time."
Lu Haotian staggered to his feet again, his fists swinging wildly. But every punch was effortlessly blocked. Every kick was countered. Each moment left him weaker, breath ragged, blood trickling from a split lip. His body ached in ways he had never experienced.
The other four laughed, moving like shadows to keep him cornered.
One of them bent down, peering at Mei Nan, who had been pulled behind him. "And this little one… can't be more than nine or ten. Looks like she'll fetch a pretty sum. Maybe… thirty silver?"
The leader nodded. "And him? Just a scrappy little boy. Five spirit stones should cover him. Big money, but someone will pay."
Lu Haotian's face flushed with a mix of fury and desperation. He tried to push forward. "How much… how much do you want? I'll—"
The leader laughed, the sound echoing through the trees. "You? Offer? Ha! What can a runt like you possibly give? Five thousand gold taels?" He shook his head with mock sympathy. "Keep dreaming, kid."
The others chuckled as they circled him, ropes and chains ready, watching him struggle like a trapped animal.
Lu Haotian's chest heaved. He had tried to fight—tried with every ounce of courage and strength he had—but it was useless. The adults barely needed to move, and each strike they delivered sent him flying or slammed him into the ground. Pain was all that remained.
The leader crouched slightly, smiling coldly. "Small, weak… and yet so stubborn.
Lu Haotian gritted his teeth, his fists still raised, eyes burning. Mei Nan clutched his sleeve tightly, her tiny hands trembling.
The forest, once a place of fleeting hope, had become a cage. The five adults stood around them, calm, collected, and ready to profit from two children who didn't even know the value of their own lives.