Taking a huge breath, the bandit ran with all his strength.
He glanced behind him again and again.
Is he there? Or did he go after someone else?
There was no one in sight.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
It looks like he went after the others.
Greed filled his chest.
If I deliver this information… I'll become rich.
Thinking about that, he ran even faster, excitement burning through his veins. In his greed, he forgot one thing—
He was being hunted by a martial artist.
Suddenly, a memory struck him.
He looked back into the darkness.
Two eyes were locked onto him.
Eyes filled with only one thought.
Kill.
Fear crushed his chest.
He screamed and ran faster and faster.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"
Ming didn't even glance at him.
He simply swung his sword.
One strike.
The bandit fell, lifeless.
Ming looked at the corpse, then turned his gaze toward another direction.
"One down," he said calmly. "Two left."
After saying that, he vanished once more.
After that, Ming found the remaining two and killed both of them without delay.
He searched their bodies carefully and found an antidote pill. Without wasting time, he returned to Jinhai and fed it to him.
As the medicine dissolved, the paralysis slowly broke.
Jinhai sat up, breathing heavily, though his legs still wouldn't respond. For now, he couldn't walk.
He looked at Ming and asked,
"Where did Wrath go?"
Ming glanced toward the distance and replied calmly,
"She's cleaning up."
Wrath finished killing one bandit and immediately turned her gaze in another direction.
"Only one left," she muttered.
She burst forward at full speed.
Ahead of her, a young man was running with everything he had. He kept looking back again and again.
The moment his eyes met Wrath's, he knew.
I'm going to die.
Fear pushed him to run even faster, but Wrath was closing the distance effortlessly.
Suddenly, he looked forward—
A cliff.
At the bottom, a river flowed violently.
Wrath saw it too. She slowed her pace slightly.
He had nowhere left to run.
The man stood at the edge, chest heaving. He looked down into the abyss… then back at Wrath.
He had only a split second to decide.
If I'm going to die… then I'll take a risk.
He jumped.
Wrath's eyes widened.
She clenched her teeth and threw her ice sword.
It flew faster than the wind.
The blade pierced straight through his stomach midair, pinning his body as it fell into the deep abyss below. A moment later, a splash echoed as he disappeared into the river.
Wrath stood at the edge of the cliff, staring down.
She waited.
No movement.
After a while, she turned away and left.
Ming sat down, waiting for Wrath to return.
After a moment, he looked at Jinhai and asked,
"Are your legs working properly?"
Jinhai smiled brightly.
"Yes! They are."
To prove it, he jumped in place.
Ming nodded, but his expression didn't change.
Then he spoke in a serious tone.
Jinhai.
Jinhai felt it immediately—something was wrong.
He looked at Ming and said,
"Yes, my lord?"
Ming met his eyes.
"From now on, you are not permitted to follow us."
Jinhai froze.
"What?" he asked in shock. "Why? What did I do wrong?"
"You did nothing wrong," Ming replied calmly.
Jinhai clenched his fists.
"Then why?"
Ming took a slow breath.
"You already know where we're going next," he said. "We're going to see my subordinate and they are fighting the Empire as rebels."
Jinhai's eyes widened.
"The Murim Alliance will interfere," Ming continued. "And on top of that, I'm now wanted for being part of the Blood Cult."
"That is a lie," he said coldly. "But we have no proof to show my innocence."
Ming's voice grew heavier.
"If you come with us, your path will be filled with hardship and suffering. You are weak."
Jinhai flinched.
"If you follow us," Ming said, not looking away, "you will die."
Jinhai clenched his fists tightly.
Weak…
He had heard that word his entire life.
"Yes," he thought bitterly. I am weak.
He raised his head and shouted, his voice shaking with emotion,
"I want revenge for my brother—on the Black Serpent Sect!"
His eyes burned.
"I want to become strong! Strong enough that no one can ever look down on me again! Even if I have to walk the path of hell—I will become strong!"
Ming stared at him quietly.
Then he spoke.
His words were calm, but each one struck like a blade.
"If you truly believe you can walk the path of hell," Ming said, "then answer me this."
Jinhai swallowed.
"Can you kill a man who has a family waiting for him at home?"
Jinhai froze.
"Even if you know that by killing him," Ming continued, "his child might starve to death… because the one who fed him died by your hand?"
Silence fell.
"If you can carry that guilt," Ming said slowly, "and still keep walking… then you may come with me."
Jinhai's breath trembled.
"And if you do," Ming added, his eyes sharp, "I promise you this—you will become stronger than you ever imagined."
Then his voice hardened.
"But if you do not have the courage to bear that guilt, then bow your head and live your life peacefully."
Ming turned slightly away.
"Because in this world," he said coldly, "if you kill others… others will come to kill you."