The waterfall cascaded down, white as a massive ribbon of silver silk hanging straight from the azure sky. The sound of water crashing against the stone slab echoed ceaselessly, creating a perfect curtain of sound that concealed all activity and enveloped the small cavern hidden behind it.
Inside the cavern, Tran Kien sat cross-legged on a perfectly flat stone. He had been here for a full day and night. The wound on his forearm, thanks to the effects of the Wound-Healing Powder, had stopped bleeding, and the edges of the gash were beginning to close. The Qi-Recuperation Pill had also taken effect; the warm current of Qi he circulated throughout his body according to the Iron Thrust mnemonic not only washed away his fatigue but also vigorously stimulated his blood and qi flow.
But Tran Kien was not merely resting. He was setting up a new chessboard in his mind. Every move of the enemy, every stream, every hill on Van Tam Thong's map was vividly reconstructed in his head.
He is very intelligent, Tran Kien analyzed. After losing the hounds, he knows that tracking my trail is an inferior strategy. He will change from "pursuing" to "intercepting." He will predict my most basic needs and lay traps in those places. The three major streams in this forest have undoubtedly become three tiger's maws waiting for me.
He opened his eyes, his gaze profound. "But Xich Vu, oh Xich Vu, you have made the fatal mistake of an arrogant fool. You believe you understand your prey thoroughly, but you do not realize that to a true hunter, this entire forest is a source of life."
He didn't need those large streams. Water could be drawn from this waterfall, from the morning dew resting on leaves, or from the stems of a water-storing creeper. Food could be fish in the stream, mushrooms in the forest, or the tubers he could identify. Xich Vu was using the mindset of a military commander to hunt a single man. As for Tran Kien, he was using the mindset of a child of the deep forest to survive.
He stood up, beginning preparations for his next move. He was not in a hurry. He knew that in this chess match, whoever lost their patience first would lose the game. Wielding his longblade, he chopped down some nearby thorny bamboo, carefully sharpening one end before roasting it over a fire to harden it. He crafted about twenty such bamboo stakes. Then, he found a type of plant with a glue-like, sticky sap and mixed it with crushed leaves that emitted a pungent odor. For the entire day, he did nothing but these tasks. Preparing, observing, and waiting.
Several miles away, on the banks of a crystal-clear stream, Xich Vu's patience was gradually wearing thin. He and his Black Panther Guards had been lying in ambush here for a full day and night. The deathly stillness of the ancient forest, combined with the hopeless waiting, was slowly gnawing away at his subordinates' morale.
"Commander," Blood Hand, the vice-captain in charge of the eastern flank, quietly appeared like a ghost. "There is still no movement from the other two directions. That little brat... seems to have evaporated into thin air."
Smack!
Without a word, Xich Vu swung his hand, delivering an earth-shattering slap to Blood Hand's face, sending the hulking vice-captain tumbling to the ground. Blood Hand's iron mask flew off, revealing a face crisscrossed with scars and a trail of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"Shut your mouth!" Xich Vu snarled, the chilling killing intent radiating from his body making even the surrounding leaves tremble. "Do you think he can just evaporate? He is only a mortal of flesh and blood! He is out there somewhere, perhaps trembling in fear, or already dead from exhaustion!"
He said this, but an indescribable sense of unease swelled in his heart. A day and a night had passed. How could a youth, having just gone through a fierce battle and sustained injuries, not need to drink water or find food? Tran Kien's silence was far more terrifying than any provocation. It made Xich Vu, a man who always believed he could grasp and control everything, feel for the first time that he had lost the initiative.
"Keep waiting!" he ordered through gritted teeth. "I refuse to believe he can play the turtle shrinking into its shell forever! Even if I have to turn this entire forest upside down, I will find him!"
He had lost the composure of a grandmaster playing chess. His wounded pride was transforming him from an old, scheming fox into a ravenous, savage tiger. And that was exactly what Tran Kien was waiting for.
When night fell once more, and Xich Vu and his subordinates were thoroughly exhausted from two days of waiting, Tran Kien finally made his move. He did not head towards the three streams, nor did he head towards the blockaded exits. He went in the opposite direction.
He silently returned to the valley where the three Black-veined Hounds had perished. Their carcasses had already begun to rot and stink. Tran Kien showed no signs of disgust. Wielding his longblade, he carved a long gash into the corpse of one of the Black-veined Hounds, allowing the pungent stench of blood to grow even heavier and spread further through the still night air.
Next, he took out the sharpened bamboo stakes, dipping them into the mixture of sticky sap and pungent leaves he had prepared earlier. He did not plant them in the ground. He threw them everywhere—onto branches, into the thickets surrounding the valley. This pungent scent would repel smaller carnivores but would incite the ferocity of certain specific demonic beasts.
Finally, he took out his spoil of war: the silver collar engraved with a centipede. He didn't take it with him. He hung it on a branch right at the entrance of the valley, in the most conspicuous spot, as a silent provocation.
Having finished everything, Tran Kien swiftly departed, finding a safe vantage point in the distance. He was not creating a trap to kill a man. He was setting a stage. A chaotic, blood-soaked stage, and he would be its sole audience member.
Half a shichen later, when the scent of fresh blood and the stimulating aroma had spread far enough, low guttural growls began to echo from deep within the ancient forest. Then, pairs of green and sallow-yellow eyes appeared one after another in the darkness. The demonic beasts of the forest, drawn by the scent of blood and the strange aroma, had begun to gather.
A massive Demonic Grey Wolf was the first to arrive. Seeing the carcasses of the three Black-veined Hounds, its greedy eyes lit up. But in the next instant, a Demonic Clouded Leopard darted out of a thicket with lightning speed, sinking its fangs into the wolf's neck. A bloody melee over the food erupted. More and more demonic beasts swarmed in—from iron-skinned Demonic Boars to packs of ferocious Demonic Macaques. The small valley was transformed into a chaotic cauldron of demonic monsters.
Perched on a high rocky outcropping, Tran Kien silently observed it all. The corners of his mouth curled into a cold smile.
"Xich Vu, you are waiting for me by the stream, aren't you? There is no need to wait any longer. The most sumptuous feast has already been prepared for you."
He turned around, his figure blending into the darkness of the night. He didn't head towards Thanh Chau City. He headed towards the nearest exit. That chaotic stage was the perfect smokescreen for his escape.
"In this chess match, it is time for checkmate."