They Are Hungry

"Uh... my mistake." Caught off guard, An Jing did not quite know what to say and could only apologize, receiving a soft "Mm" in return from Bai Qinghan. Bai Qinghan was certainly not stupid. On the contrary, she was exceptionally intelligent—perhaps the most talented of the one hundred and eight youths aside from An Jing. Why would she ever reveal such secrets to anyone else? Had An Jing not also seen through the nature of the Demon Sect, she would not have uttered a single word. The reason Bai Qinghan had thanked An Jing before was that she had sensed an effortless ease in his movements and demeanor. *He has absolute confidence he can subdue me without hurting me.* *In combat, killing is not the only option.* After An Jing knocked her flat with three solid, grounding punches, Bai Qinghan had felt an unprecedented sense of relief. Her instinctive lethal strikes before had been driven entirely by fear. She was terrified that if she did not kill others, she would be killed by them. That shuddering terror had made it impossible for her to control herself. Instead, being defeated by a peer like An Jing had finally shaken her awake from that nightmare of killing and being killed, allowing her to face her sparring partners with a calm, normal mindset. From then on, Bai Qinghan often came to chat with An Jing. Most of the time, she asked about martial arts and the techniques for pulling punches and holding back strength. She was intensely curious about non-lethal martial arts, much like someone who had eaten only rice her whole life and, suddenly tasting a dumpling, became intrigued by a different staple. Because only An Jing could keep Bai Qinghan in check, and no one else dared spar with her, the others thought nothing of their conversations and sudden sparring matches. They merely marveled at how truly worthy An Jing was of the title Eldest Senior Brother, admiring both his skill and his sense of responsibility. Except for Gu Yeqi. "Be careful, Brother An! Who knows what nasty tricks that girl has up her sleeve!" Gu Yeqi remained deeply wary of Bai Qinghan, always suspecting this dangerous, brooding girl harbored ill intentions toward An Jing. In truth, that was how most of the children viewed Bai Qinghan anyway, assuming she clung to An Jing only to find an opening and avenge her defeat. They were overthinking it entirely. An Jing was not about to lose! And so, whenever Bai Qinghan had free time, she would come over to chat with An Jing and the others, and even joined in their training. Though they were not in the same squad, they frequently moved together. Eventually, even Gu Yeqi tacitly accepted Bai Qinghan's presence. She still often complained that this "gloomy," "taciturn," "porcelain doll" of a girl was "two-faced" and harboring hidden motives, but once Bai Qinghan began letting Gu Yeqi braid and play with her long, straight black hair, the relationship between the two girls warmed considerably. A rare stretch of peaceful days slipped swiftly by. Throughout this time, An Jing continually sought an opportunity to slip away to Suspended Fate Valley to search for the Sword Spirit's second fragment. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the security at Suspended Fate Manor had tightened drastically. Walking around inside the manor was fine, but slipping outside was utterly impossible. An Jing and the Sword Spirit suspected there might be turmoil out in Great Chen. Over this recent period, supplies to Suspended Fate Manor had dwindled considerably. Even An Jing's meal rations had shrunk slightly—not out of malice, but because provisions were genuinely running low. That might well be an opportunity. An Jing continued his rigorous training. He had to be prepared, accumulating strength to unleash it all at the critical moment. An Jing knew very well that he could not save every disciple who called him Eldest Senior Brother. Many had already stepped onto the demonic path, their bodies possessed by wicked fiends, the madness in their eyes plain to see. Before meeting the Sword Spirit, he might have been able only to look out for himself. With the Sword Spirit, he might be able to save Cang Linzu, Gu Yeqi, and perhaps a few more. Yet facing dozens of instructors at the Inner Breath realm and Deputy Envoy Yao at the Inner Strengthening realm, saving everyone was impossible. It was no longer a question of strength, but of miracles. Still... An Jing would do everything within his power. He would strain every nerve to save anyone he could. Even if it were just one more, he would save that one. The final days drew near with alarming speed. One day. Bai Qinghan once again approached An Jing while he was practicing coordinated assault techniques with his squad. "Hey, Qinghan! Can't you see we're practicing? Are you trying to spy on our tactics?" Gu Yeqi stepped in front of An Jing with an annoyed pout. That was what most of the youngsters assumed. Since Suspended Fate Manor was teaching them formation coordination, there was bound to be an assessment. To prepare for any future contests, each squad was driving itself relentlessly, stepping up their training. The instructors knew the youths were overthinking things, but since it spurred them to train hard without needing supervision, why bother disillusioning them? Thus, with the instructors' tacit encouragement, an undercurrent of rivalry had quietly taken hold among the twelve squads. Bai Qinghan was the leader of the third squad, Juzi. In contrast to her sparring, as a leader she gave her squad mates a strong sense of security. After all, who wouldn't want a captain fearless enough to lead the charge? Knowing this full well was why Gu Yeqi blocked Bai Qinghan with irritation. It was fine to hang out during free time, but the captain of Squad Three kept showing up during drills—she had to be trying to spy on Squad One's tactics! "I only came to see Eldest Senior Brother." Bai Qinghan merely shook her head at Gu Yeqi, walked right past the bewildered, braided girl, and looked calmly at the solemn-faced An Jing. "They are hungry." "Eldest Senior Brother, they are all hungry." "Now?" Unlike the baffled members of Squad One, An Jing's brow furrowed gravely the moment he heard those words. He nodded to Bai Qinghan. "I understand." After Bai Qinghan left, An Jing turned cautiously, casting a glance toward the pavilion flanking the drill ground. "Back to practice!" Exhaling a long breath, An Jing pitched his voice low and gestured for his squad to fall into step. "Stay focused! Give it your all!" *** Inside the Medicine Pavilion. "The quality of this batch... is far better than the last." On the top floor of the Medicine Pavilion, Deputy Envoy Yao and Instructor Li looked down at the drill ground below. The drill ground appeared ordinary at first glance, like simple rammed earth, but its construction was remarkably deliberate. It was laid out in five alternating layers: earth, crushed stone, earth, sand, and earth again, compacted into what was called five-fold earth. Such a ground was exceptionally sturdy and durable, and less likely to injure beginners who took falls. To clear such a manor deep in the ancient mountains and build a drill ground like this, the Tianyi Sect had spared no effort. Watching dozens of youths in padded cotton armor shouting as they sparred, Deputy Envoy Yao, whose face was usually as pale and lifeless as a corpse, could not help but show a faint smile. "I wonder how many 'brethren' will emerge from these materials." "We gathered all one hundred and eight youths of the Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends, completing the Twelve Celestial Stations and Nine Luminaries. That is vastly superior to the previous batches that had only the Heavenly Spirits, the Earthly Fiends, or the Sixty Heavenly Cycles. What's more, these are all survivors of disasters, not low-grade dregs bought from gangs." Standing behind him, the one-eyed Instructor Li swept his gaze across the grounds, his voice absolute with certainty. "Setting aside the minor and strange destinies, this batch will yield at least one true Star Destiny or Baleful Destiny. "Coupled with the five formal disciples who had already awakened their Destiny Patterns when they were found... Hehe, the Northern Circuit Envoy will surely be pleased!"