# Chapter 7: Preparation and Departure
Lin Yu walked away from the gathering square. The sun was high. The light was bright. It hurt his eyes slightly. He did not blink. He kept walking. He had one hour. Sixty minutes. Three thousand six hundred seconds. Every second counted.
He headed for the sect market. It was located near the outer gate. Many shops lined the street. They sold pills, weapons, robes, and tools. Disciples walked around. They carried bags. They talked loudly. They laughed. They did not know death was waiting for them.
Lin Yu entered a tool shop. The bell above the door rang. A old man sat behind the counter. He was sleeping. He woke up. He looked at Lin Yu. He saw the gray servant robes. He frowned. He went back to sleep.
Lin Yu walked to the counter. He put the jade token on the wood. It glowed green. The old man woke up again. He saw the token. His eyes widened. He stood up quickly. He bowed.
"Welcome, Senior Brother," the old man said. His voice was shaky. "I did not see you. I am sorry."
"It is fine," Lin Yu said. His voice was calm. "I need supplies."
"Anything," the old man said. "We have the best. Pills. Swords. Traps."
"Traps," Lin Yu said. "Iron spikes. Wire. Smoke bombs. Rope."
The old man nodded. He went to the back. He brought out a box. He opened it. Inside were black iron spikes. They were sharp. They were heavy.
"These are good," the old man said. "Used for beasts. Very sharp."
Lin Yu picked one up. He tested the edge. It cut his finger slightly. A drop of blood appeared. He wiped it. It was good.
"I will take twenty," Lin Yu said.
"Twenty?" the old man asked. "That is a lot. For one mission?"
"I like to be safe," Lin Yu said.
The old man did not ask more. He counted the spikes. He wrapped them in cloth. He put them in a bag. He added the wire. He added the smoke bombs. He added the rope.
"That is fifty spirit stones," the old man said.
Lin Yu paid. He used his stipend advance. He had money now. Disciples got paid. Servants did not. He put the bag on his back. It was heavy. It felt good. It felt like security.
He left the shop. He went to a pill shop. He bought healing powder. He bought energy pills. He bought a detox pill. It was expensive. It was better than Mei Ling's antidote. He hoped he would not need it. But he bought it anyway.
He walked back to his room. The sun was lower. He had thirty minutes. He opened the door. He locked it. He put the chair under the handle. He sat at the table. He emptied the bag.
The items spread out. Spikes. Wire. Bombs. Pills. Rope. Lin Yu looked at them. He looked at the Sword Box in his mind.
"Box," Lin Yu said. "Can you make a trap?"
[I can design one. I can guide your hands. But I cannot create matter. You must build it.]
"Show me," Lin Yu said.
A blue screen appeared. It showed a diagram. It was a tripwire trap. It connected to the iron spikes. When an enemy stepped on the wire, the spikes would shoot out. Simple. Effective. Deadly.
Lin Yu started working. He used the wire. He tied it to the spikes. He used the rope to make a spring mechanism. He used the wood from the chair leg. He worked fast. His hands were steady. He made three traps. He put them in a separate bag.
[Efficiency: 90%. Good work.]
"Survival probability?" Lin Yu asked.
[Updated. 45%. Still low. Chen has three allies. All Outer Disciples. All Level 2. You are Level 1.]
"I know," Lin Yu said. "But they are arrogant. Arrogance makes mistakes."
[True. Use that.]
Lin Yu packed the traps. He packed the pills. He packed his food. He checked his sword. The Silent Edge was sharp. He cleaned it. He put it in his sleeve. He stood up. He stretched. His muscles were tight. He was ready.
He looked at the mirror. He looked calm. He did not look like a man walking to his death. He looked like a man walking to work.
He opened the door. He removed the chair. He walked out. He locked the door. He went to the sect gate.
The gate was large. It was made of stone. Two guards stood there. They watched the disciples leave. Chen was already there. He stood with three other men. They wore blue robes. They held swords. They looked strong. They looked dangerous.
Lin Yu walked to them. He stopped five feet away. He did not speak.
"You are late," Chen said. He looked at the sun. "One minute."
"I am on time," Lin Yu said.
Chen smiled. It was not a nice smile. He looked at his friends. They laughed.
"This is Lin Yu," Chen said. "The servant who got lucky."
The friends looked at Lin Yu. They looked him up and down. They saw the gray robes under the blue outer robe. He still wore servant clothes. He did not have new ones yet.
"He looks weak," one friend said. He was tall. He had a scar on his cheek. His name was Zhao. Not the same Zhao from the arena. This one was a cousin.
"He looks rich," another friend said. He was fat. He held a heavy axe. "Look at his bag. Full of stuff."
"Leave it," Chen said. "We will take it later."
Lin Yu heard them. He did not react. He kept his face blank. He looked at the road. The road led to the Black Forest. The trees were dark. The mist was thick. It looked like a mouth waiting to eat.
"Let us go," Chen said. "We have cores to collect."
They walked out of the gate. The guards watched them. They did not stop them. Missions were normal. Death was normal. No one cared.
They walked on the path. The sect was behind them. The wild was in front. The air changed. It became humid. It smelled of dirt and leaves. The birds stopped singing. The wind stopped blowing. It was quiet. Too quiet.
Lin Yu walked at the back. He watched the trees. He watched the ground. He looked for signs. Broken branches. Footprints. Blood. He saw nothing. Yet.
"Do not lag behind," Chen shouted. He was at the front. "We do not wait for servants."
"I am not lagging," Lin Yu said. His voice was calm. It carried in the silence.
Chen frowned. He wanted Lin Yu to be scared. He wanted Lin Yu to beg. But Lin Yu was calm. It made Chen angry.
"Watch out," the fat friend said. "Beasts here. Big ones."
"We are strong," Chen said. "We do not fear beasts."
Lin Yu knew better. Beasts did not care about strength. They cared about hunger. And Chen's uncle paid them to care about Lin Yu.
They walked for one hour. The trees got thicker. The light got darker. The path disappeared. They were off the road. They were deep in the forest.
"Stop," Chen said. He raised his hand.
The group stopped. They stood in a circle. They looked around. Nothing moved.
"Why stop?" Lin Yu asked.
"Rest," Chen said. "We hunt soon."
Lin Yu looked at the ground. He saw something. A wire. It was thin. It was almost invisible. It was stretched between two trees. It was at knee height.
[Trap Detected.] The Sword Box said. [Not yours. Someone else's.]
Lin Yu frowned. Chen did not set this. Chen wanted to kill him personally. This was wild. Or someone else was here.
"Do not step there," Lin Yu said. He pointed at the wire.
Chen looked. He saw the wire. He laughed.
"You think I cannot see?" Chen said. He jumped over the wire. His friends jumped too.
Lin Yu did not jump. He walked around. He stayed far from the wire. He knew traps could be double-triggered.
Chen landed. He looked at Lin Yu. "Coward."
"Smart," Lin Yu said.
Suddenly, a sound came. A hiss. A snake. It was huge. It fell from the tree. It aimed at Chen. Chen swung his sword. He cut the snake. It fell dead.
"See?" Chen said. "I am ready."
Lin Yu did not speak. He looked at the snake. It was not a normal snake. It had black scales. It was venomous. It was placed there. Someone put it there.
"Box," Lin Yu thought. "Analyze the snake."
[Dead. Poison sacs empty. It was drained. Someone used it.]
Lin Yu understood. Someone was hunting here. Someone who used poison. Someone who set traps. Not Chen. Someone else.
"Chen," Lin Yu said. "We are not alone."
"Shut up," Chen said. "You are scared. You see things."
"I see truth," Lin Yu said. "Someone drained this snake. Someone set that wire."
Chen looked at the snake. He saw the empty sacs. His face changed. He looked worried. He looked at his friends. They looked worried too.
"Does not matter," Chen said. "We kill beasts. We kill anyone in our way."
He looked at Lin Yu. The meaning was clear. They would kill Lin Yu. And if anyone else was here, they would kill them too.
"Let us move," Chen said.
They walked again. Lin Yu stayed alert. He held his hand near his sleeve. He felt the Silent Edge. He was ready.
The forest got darker. The mist got thicker. They could not see far. Ten feet. Five feet. Two feet.
"Stop," Chen said again.
They stopped. They were in a clearing. There was a small pond. The water was black. It did not move.
"Camp here," Chen said. "Night comes soon. We hunt at night."
Lin Yu looked at the pond. He looked at the trees. He looked at the ground. It was too open. Too exposed. Bad for defense. Good for ambush.
"Bad spot," Lin Yu said.
"I decide," Chen said. "You follow."
Chen sat down. He leaned against a tree. He closed his eyes. His friends sat too. They ate food. They drank water. They did not keep watch. They were arrogant. They thought they were the hunters.
Lin Yu did not sit. He stood. He walked to the edge of the clearing. He looked into the dark. He listened. He heard breathing. Not theirs. Something else.
[Life Form Detected.] The Sword Box said. [Large. Multiple. Closing in.]
"How many?" Lin Yu thought.
[Five. Maybe six. Level 3 Beasts. Wolf Type.]
Lin Yu turned to Chen. "Wake up."
Chen opened one eye. "What?"
"Beasts," Lin Yu said. "Coming."
Chen stood up. He grabbed his sword. "Where?"
"Everywhere," Lin Yu said.
The mist moved. Shapes appeared. Eyes glowed. Green eyes. Yellow eyes. Red eyes. Wolves. They were big. They were hungry. They surrounded the clearing.
Chen counted. "Five. We are four. We can win."
"They are Level 3," Lin Yu said. "You are Level 2."
"Shut up!" Chen shouted. "Attack!"
Chen charged. He swung his sword. He hit a wolf. The wolf howled. It did not die. It bit Chen's arm. Chen screamed. He shook it off.
His friends fought too. The fat friend used his axe. He crushed a wolf skull. The scarred friend used fire. He burned a wolf. But more came.
Lin Yu did not move. He waited. He watched. He saw the leader. It was a black wolf. It stood at the back. It watched. It did not fight. It was smart.
[Target Identified. Alpha Wolf. Kill it. The rest will flee.]
Lin Yu moved. He did not run. He walked. He walked through the fight. He dodged a wolf. He stepped over a body. He walked toward the Alpha.
Chen saw him. "Help me!"
Lin Yu did not look. He focused on the Alpha. The Alpha growled. It saw Lin Yu. It knew he was dangerous. It jumped.
Lin Yu drew the Silent Edge. The black sword appeared. It made no sound. The Alpha was in the air. Lin Yu swung.
[Skill: Shadow Slash Level 3.]
The slash flew. It was dark. It was fast. It hit the Alpha's neck. The head fell. The body landed. It did not move.
The other wolves stopped. They looked at the Alpha. They looked at Lin Yu. They howled. They turned. They ran. They disappeared into the mist.
The clearing was quiet. Chen sat on the ground. He held his arm. Blood flowed. His friends were tired. They were hurt. One was dead. The fat friend lay still. A wolf bit his throat.
Lin Yu sheathed the sword. He walked to Chen. He looked down.
"You said you were strong," Lin Yu said.
Chen looked up. He was pale. He was scared. He saw the dead wolf. He saw the dead friend. He saw Lin Yu.
"You... you killed the Alpha," Chen said.
"Yes," Lin Yu said.
"How?" Chen whispered.
"Skill," Lin Yu said. "And calm."
Lin Yu turned away. He walked to the edge of the clearing. He looked into the dark. He knew the wolves were not the real threat. The real threat was Chen. And the real threat was the person who set the snake trap.
"Box," Lin Yu thought. "Who set the snake?"
[Unknown. Energy signature faded. Old.]
Lin Yu nodded. He would find out. But first, he had to survive the night. Chen was hurt. But Chen was still dangerous. A wounded animal was the most dangerous.
Lin Yu sat down. He leaned against a tree. He did not sleep. He watched Chen. He watched the dark. He waited for the sun.
The night was long. The wind was cold. The blood smelled strong. Death was here. But Lin Yu was alive.
And he would stay that way.