Zhang Tie carried Su Ling'er into the main hall like she was made of glass. He laid her on a cleaned-off section of floor. The girl was shaking, her good hand gripping her broken arm.
Li Fan knelt beside her. The arm was bad. Broken bone maybe. She was also starving, her spirit energy so weak it was almost gone.
[Diagnosis: Fractured radius and ulna. Minor spiritual drain due to meridian damage. Recommended action: Basic immobilization, nutritional support, then spiritual stabilization.]
Right. He wasn't a doctor. But he could do basic things.
"Zhang Tie," Li Fan said, his voice calm. "Get a bucket of clean water. And tear a strip of cloth from the cleanest robe we have."
"Yes, Master!" Zhang Tie rushed out.
Li Fan looked at the girl. "My name is Li Fan. I'm the master here. This is the Heavenly Dao Sect. No one will hurt you here. Can you tell me who is after you?"
The girl, Su Ling'er, bit her lip. Her eyes were sharp, even through the pain. "Fierce… Tiger…" she whispered. "They… they came to our village. Looking for people with sword talent. I have none. They broke my practice sword. Told me I was trash. I ran. They chased. I fell."
Her voice was full of shame and anger.
Zhang Tie came back with water and cloth. Li Fan cleaned the dirt from her arm as gently as he could. She winced but didn't cry out. Tough kid.
[Secondary Mission Activated: Healer's Duty.]
[Goal: Stabilize the injured talent.]
[Reward: 'Spirit-Knitting Poultice' recipe, 3 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.]
[Failure: Target's meridians may collapse. Potential loss of cultivation.]
Li Fan used two straight pieces of wood and the cloth to make a simple splint, tying it tight. It wasn't perfect, but it would hold the bone still.
"She needs energy," Li Fan said, thinking out loud. The spirit potatoes had some. But it wasn't enough.
[Proposal: Use 1 Low-Grade Spirit Stone. Crush it into water. It will provide immediate spiritual nutrition. It is wasteful, but effective.]
Wasteful. But he had five stones. He took one out. It glowed in his hand. He put it on the floor, took another stone, and smashed it. The spirit stone cracked into powder that shimmered like glitter. He mixed it into the water bucket.
"Drink," he said, offering her a cup.
She looked at the glowing water, then at him. She drank it all. Color came back to her face almost immediately. Her breathing eased.
"Thank you," she said, her voice stronger.
[Target stabilized. Mission Complete.]
[Reward received. 'Spirit-Knitting Poultice' recipe now available. Requires common herbs: Blue Root, Sun Grass.]
"Rest here," Li Fan told her. "You are safe." He stood up and turned to Zhang Tie. "Come. We need to check the perimeter."
They left Su Ling'er in the hall and went outside. The moon was bright. The mountain was too quiet.
"Master," Zhang Tie whispered. "Will they come tonight?"
"Maybe. They were chasing her. They might follow her trail."
They walked to the edge of the clearing, near the first 'Whispering Stick' alarm. Li Fan listened. Crickets. Wind.
Then, a low hum.
One of the sticks was vibrating. A soft, steady pulse of sound.
[Alarm triggered. Foreign spiritual energy detected 200 meters down the path. Quantity: Three signatures. Cultivation: Two at Qi Condensation Layer 5. One at Qi Condensation Layer 7.]
Three of them. All stronger than Zhang Tie in raw cultivation level. But not by a huge amount.
"They're here," Li Fan said quietly. "Remember the plan. We don't fight on their terms. We use the ground."
Zhang Tie nodded, his big hands curling into fists. "I am ready, Master."
"Go to the big rock on the left side of the path. Wait. When I shout 'now,' you push it. Not before."
Zhang Tie ran to his position, disappearing into the shadows.
Li Fan moved to the other side. He stood near the trip wire vine. He could hear them now. Voices.
" stupid cripple girl can't have gone far."
"The trail leads up this trash mountain.There's some broken-down sect here, I heard."
"Probably dead already.Let's check and go back. This place gives me the creeps."
Three figures came into view. They wore rough brown robes with a clumsy tiger head sewn on the chest. The leader, the Layer 7, had a mean face. They walked carelessly, not looking down.
The first one hit the trip wire.
He yelped as his feet went out from under him. He fell hard on the narrow, stony path.
"What the—?"
CRASH.
The second one, right behind, stumbled over his friend. They became a pile of limbs and curses.
"Now, Zhang Tie!" Li Fan yelled.
From the darkness, Zhang Tie grunted. There was a scraping sound, then a deep rumble. The big rock they had balanced earlier rolled right into the path, blocking it behind the three men.
The leader, the only one still standing, spun around. "An ambush! Who's there? Show yourself!"
Li Fan stepped out of the shadows. He stood in the moonlight, his simple robes clean. He looked calm. "You are trespassing on the territory of the Heavenly Dao Sect."
The leader looked him up and down and sneered. "Heavenly Dao? This trash heap? I'm Feng Ju of the Fierce Tiger Sect. We're looking for a thief. A girl. Hand her over, and we might only break your legs."
The other two got to their feet, angry and embarrassed.
"There is no thief here," Li Fan said. "Only a new disciple under my protection. You will leave. Now."
Feng Ju laughed. "You? A Late Stage Foundation Establishment? Big deal. I can feel your energy. It's weak. Hollow. Boys, teach this hermit some manners."
The two Layer 5 cultivators stepped forward. Their hands glowed with a ugly yellow light—a basic Tiger Claw technique.
Li Fan didn't move. "Zhang Tie. They insult our sect."
From behind the big rock, Zhang Tie roared. He charged. He didn't use any technique. He just used his whole body, like a rolling boulder.
He slammed into the two disciples before they could react. It was like a bull hitting fence posts. They flew back, crashing into trees. They didn't get up.
Feng Ju's eyes went wide. "You brute! I'll kill you!" He turned his claws on Zhang Tie, moving faster.
Zhang Tie was strong, but he was slow. Feng Ju's claw swiped his arm, tearing his robe and drawing blood. Zhang Tie growled in pain.
Li Fan moved. He didn't use a fancy technique either. He used the 'Unbreaking Hold.' As Feng Ju lunged past him for another strike at Zhang Tie, Li Fan's hand shot out. It glowed blue. He didn't grab Feng Ju's arm. He grabbed the spiritual energy around it, the claw technique itself.
He squeezed.
There was a sound like cracking ice. The yellow claw light around Feng Ju's hand shattered into sparks.
Feng Ju screamed, clutching his hand like it was broken. "My technique! What did you do?!"
"I told you to leave," Li Fan said, his voice cold. "Now you can't say I didn't warn you. Zhang Tie."
"Yes, Master!"
"Throw them off our mountain."
Zhang Tie grinned. He picked up one unconscious disciple in each hand. He walked to the edge of the path and tossed them down the slope. They rolled into the dark with thuds and groans.
He turned to Feng Ju.
"No! Wait! I'm going!" Feng Ju scrambled back, fear on his face. He turned and ran, half-falling down the path after his friends.
Silence returned.
Li Fan let out a breath. His heart was pounding. That was close.
[First Defense: Successful. Host utilized terrain and disciple effectively. Minimal force applied. Fierce Tiger Sect reputation with host: Hostile. Estimated time until larger retaliation: 24-48 hours.]
Zhang Tie looked at his bleeding arm. "It's just a scratch, Master."
"Clean it.Then sleep. Tomorrow we train harder. And we find those herbs for the poultice. Our new disciple needs it."
They walked back to the hall. Su Ling'er was sitting up, her eyes wide. She had heard everything.
"You fought them for me?" she whispered.
"They fought the Heavenly Dao Sect,"Li Fan corrected her. "You are part of it now, if you want to be. Even with a broken arm. Especially with a broken arm. We fix broken things here."
She looked at him, then at the loyal Zhang Tie, then at the simple, solid hall. For the first time, the fear in her eyes was mixed with something else. A tiny spark of hope.
She bowed her head, as much as she could. "This one… wishes to learn."
[Second Disciple Recruited: Su Ling'er.]
[Sect Population: 3.]
[Warning: Counter-attack inbound. Prepare.]