Smoke rose through the trees.
Thin. Controlled. Recent.
Lin Chen slowed immediately.
Fire meant people—and people meant variables he could not fully predict. Beasts followed instinct. Humans followed desire.
"Careful," the voice said.
"You are not ready for prolonged conflict."
"I know," Lin Chen replied. "That's why I'm not looking for one."
He circled wide, keeping the wind to his face, until the forest thinned enough for him to see the source.
A small campsite.
Three men sat around a low fire. Their clothes were rough but serviceable—leather armor patched in places, weapons worn but well-maintained. Not sect disciples.
Mercenaries. Or scavengers.
One of them laughed loudly, tossing a bone aside. "Told you the wolf meat would sell well. Injured or not, beasts from this region still fetch a decent price."
Another snorted. "If we don't get robbed before reaching town."
The third stayed quiet, eyes scanning the treeline.
The smart one.
Lin Chen watched from the shadows, expression calm.
He could avoid them.He should avoid them.
But he needed information. Food. A way into the outer regions without stumbling blindly into danger.
And this was a test.
"What do you want me to do if they attack?" Lin Chen asked silently.
The voice answered without hesitation.
"Kill only what you must."
Lin Chen nodded.
He stepped out of the trees.
The reaction was instant.
Steel scraped as blades were drawn. The quiet man stood, spear angled forward.
"Hold," he said. "It's just one."
Their eyes swept over Lin Chen quickly—torn clothes, dried blood, no visible qi fluctuation.
A cripple.
Tension eased slightly.
"Didn't hear you approach," the loud one said, frowning. "You lost?"
"No," Lin Chen replied evenly. "Just passing through."
The quiet man studied him longer than the others. "You alone?"
"Yes."
"Dangerous forest for that."
Lin Chen met his gaze. "So I've heard."
Silence fell.
Then the loud one laughed. "Relax. He's harmless. Probably got kicked out by a sect."
The words landed cleanly.
Lin Chen did not react.
"Sit if you want," the man added casually. "We won't bite."
Lin Chen approached slowly and sat near the edge of the fire's warmth—not too close. Close enough to hear. Far enough to move.
"You heading to Blackwood Town?" Lin Chen asked.
The quiet man's eyes flicked toward him again.
"That obvious?" he asked.
"I smelled salt on your packs," Lin Chen replied. "Preserved goods. Traders use that route."
The loud man blinked. "Huh."
The quiet one relaxed—just a little.
"Name's Han Wu," he said. "That's Fei and Qiao. We hunt, trade, survive."
"Lin Chen."
Fei grinned. "Never heard of you."
"Good," Lin Chen said.
They shared food. Simple. Functional. No questions asked at first.
Then Qiao spoke.
"You don't circulate qi," he said quietly.
Lin Chen froze—internally.
Outwardly, he shrugged. "I can't."
Fei laughed. "See? Cripple."
Han Wu didn't smile.
"How are you still alive?" he asked.
Lin Chen looked into the fire.
"I learned to be careful," he said.
Han Wu watched him for a long moment, then nodded once.
"That might be enough," he said. "For now."
The fire crackled.
Beyond the light, the forest waited.
And deep within Lin Chen's body, the cold energy stirred—silent, patient, calculating.