One month passed.
The early routines of House Valerian settled into a rhythm.
Training began before sunrise. Circulation practice, weapon drills, sparring rotations. The courtyard filled with the sound of wood striking wood and instructors calling corrections.
Alex kept to the edges of the ground.
His cultivation progressed slowly. The damaged channels forced him to move with patience, guiding Qi through the same limited paths each day.
But control improved.
The Foundation Breathing Method stabilized the circulation. The root node responded without collapse. Several smaller channels that had resisted at the beginning now carried energy without breaking the cycle.
Strength came slowly.
Precision came faster.
Alex used the library only once more during the month.
Not for archives.
For techniques.
Two manuals remained on his desk most evenings.
The first described a basic illusion technique.
Not a battlefield art. More of a mental disturbance. It created brief sensory distortions when directed at an opponent whose concentration was unstable.
Most cultivators ignored it.
Alex did not.
The technique required extremely delicate Qi control. His damaged channels forced him to cultivate slowly, but the same limitation made fine manipulation easier.
He practiced the illusion method repeatedly.
Small distortions at first.
A shift in sound.
A momentary misjudgment of distance.
Nothing powerful.
But useful paired with his power over emotions.
The second manual described a single katana strike technique.
Clean draw.
Direct cut.
One motion.
The style favored speed and precision over strength.
Alex practiced it every evening on the outer training posts.
Draw. Step. Cut.
At the end of the month, Elder Rowan gathered the younger members of the house in the main courtyard.
The morning air carried the scent of steel and dust.
Rowan stood on the platform, hands folded behind his back.
"Your training period will now expand beyond the estate."
A quiet stir moved through the gathered trainees.
"House Valerian maintains several trade routes through the surrounding forest territories. Minor escort duties are occasionally assigned to younger members."
He paused briefly.
"These assignments provide practical experience."
An attendant stepped forward carrying a tablet of names.
Teams were announced one by one.
Most groups included two or three Valerian heirs accompanied by estate guards.
Then the final assignment came.
"Third young master Alex Valerian."
Several people turned.
"Escort duty. Merchant transport through the West Hollow route."
No cousins listed.
Only two contracted escorts from a branch of Hunter Union present in this dukedom.
Rowan gave no reaction.
"Departure this afternoon."
The assembly dismissed.
Alex reached the outer gate shortly before midday.
A narrow trade cart waited near the entrance, its wooden frame reinforced with iron corners. Crates of grain and cloth were tied down beneath thick rope.
The merchant responsible for the cargo paced beside it nervously.
Two escorts waited nearby.
The first was a tall young man leaning against the gatepost. His posture remained relaxed, but the sword at his side and the steadiness of his breathing marked him as a cultivator.
He straightened when Alex approached.
"You must be the Valerian escort."
"Alex."
The man nodded once.
"Kael."
His Qi presence felt controlled and balanced. Stronger than most trainees Alex had encountered in the estate.
The second escort stood near the rear of the cart.
A girl.
She kept her hands folded together and lowered her gaze politely when Alex approached.
"Lina," she said softly.
Her voice was quiet.
The merchant cleared his throat.
"If we're ready, young master, we should begin. The road grows difficult after sunset."
Alex mounted one of the horses.
Kael took another.
Lina climbed onto the rear seat beside the cart.
The estate gates opened.
They left the Valerian grounds behind.
The road narrowed once they entered the forest.
Tall trees crowded the path, their branches filtering the sunlight into long shifting shadows.
The cart wheels rolled steadily over packed soil.
Kael rode slightly ahead of the cart.
"You've done escort work before?" he asked.
"No."
Kael smiled faintly.
"You'll learn quickly."
The journey continued in quiet.
Several hours passed before the first disturbance appeared.
Movement in the brush.
Three creatures stepped onto the road.
Ironfang Wolves.
Lean bodies covered in coarse grey fur. Long limbs built for sudden bursts of speed. Their jaws carried rows of dark metallic fangs that caught the light like dull blades. Yellow eyes fixed on the cart as their claws scraped the dirt.
Low-tier monsters.
But dangerous in numbers.
Kael moved first.
His sword flashed once.
The nearest wolf collapsed before reaching the cart.
The others rushed forward.
Alex dismounted.
Qi circulated through the root node.
He stepped into the creature's path and struck.
The wooden practice blade cracked against the wolf's skull.
The second monster fell.
Kael finished the third.
The merchant exhaled loudly.
"That was quicker than expected."
Kael scanned the trees.
"Ironfangs rarely travel alone."
The warning proved accurate.
More shapes appeared between the trees.
Grey bodies slipped through the undergrowth.
A larger pack.
Kael drew his blade again.
"Stay behind the cart."
The wolves attacked together.
Alex moved first, intercepting the nearest one before it reached the merchant.
Qi circulated through the root node.
He stepped into the creature's charge and struck.
Bone cracked.
The wolf collapsed.
Another lunged from the side.
Alex turned and drove the wooden blade across its skull.
Behind him, Kael cut through a third creature with a clean horizontal strike.
More wolves rushed from the trees.
The pack surrounded the road.
Alex stepped forward to keep them away from the cart.
Claws scraped against his blade as he blocked another strike.
A second wolf leapt toward him.
He cut it down.
The battle spread across the narrow path.
Steel flashed.
Creatures snarled.
Kael moved quickly across the front line, cutting through two attackers before they could reach the merchant.
Behind Alex, Lina stood near the cart.
Watching.
Another wolf charged Alex from the side.
He turned to meet it—
Amid the noise of the battle, one emotion burned clear and sharp.
Killing intent
He became alert of the surroundings at once.
And something shifted behind him.
A blade slid silently toward his spine.
Alex twisted his body just before the strike landed.
The blade cut across his shoulder instead of his back.
Steel rang as Alex blocked the second strike.
He stepped back and looked at the attacker.
Lina!! but why?
The quiet girl from the cart.
Her sword already moving again.
No hesitation.
No trace of the timid posture from before.
Cold focus filled her eyes.
Alex raised his blade.
Lina attacked again.
Fast.
Precise.
Not the movement of a frightened escort.
The movement of an assassin.
Alex barely blocked the strike.
Their blades collided sharply.
Kael turned at the sound.
A moment of confusion crossed his face as he saw the clash.
Then another Ironfang Wolf lunged toward the cart.
The merchant froze beside the cart.
Kael moved instantly.
But instead of drawing the sword again, he reached behind the cart and pulled free a war hammer strapped to the cargo frame.
The weapon was heavy, its square steel head etched with shallow Qi channels.
He stepped between the merchant and the wolves.
"Stay behind me," he said.
The merchant didn't argue.
The first wolf leapt.
Kael swung.
The hammer crashed downward.
Bone shattered.
The creature collapsed instantly.
Two more wolves rushed him together.
Kael rotated his stance and drove the hammer sideways.
The strike carried Qi through the weapon's etched lines.
The impact exploded against the first wolf's ribs.
The second creature tried to slip past him toward the cart.
Kael stepped forward and slammed the hammer into the ground.
Qi burst outward through the stone road.
The shock forced the wolf back.
He raised the hammer again.
Holding the road alone.
Behind him the merchant crouched beside the cart, frozen.
Across the path, Alex faced Lina.
Her sword moved again.
Fast.
Precise.
Not the movement of a frightened escort.
The movement of a trained killer.
Alex raised his blade.
He sent Qi toward the hidden Emotion node out of desperation.
The headache behind his eyes deepened.
The node pulsed once, pressing against the limits of his control.
The influence spread outward in a thin ripple.
A quiet weight settled across Lina's emotions.
Sadness.
A sudden heaviness pressing against her focus.
why am i feeling...
For a fraction of a second her movement faltered.
Alex moved at the same moment.
Qi shifted again through his circulation.
A faint illusion formed at the edge of Lina's perception.
The road seemed to shift.
His position appeared half a step to the left.
Her blade cut toward the false movement.
Alex stepped inside the opening.
Steel flashed.
Behind Alex, Kael's hammer struck again.
The forest echoed with the sound of breaking bone and steel colliding.
Two battles now filled the narrow road.
And neither would end quickly.