# Chapter 8: The Night Watch
The night was cold. The wind blew through the trees. It made a whistling sound. It sounded like a ghost crying. The fire was small. Chen built it. He used dry leaves and broken branches. The flame flickered. It cast long shadows on the ground. The shadows moved like dancers. They looked like monsters.
Lin Yu sat far from the fire. He was in the dark. He leaned against a tree. His eyes were open. He did not blink often. He watched Chen. He watched Zhao. The scarred friend was awake too. He sharpened his axe. The sound was rhythmic. *Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.* It was annoying. But Lin Yu did not show it.
Chen held his arm. The bite was deep. Blood soaked his sleeve. He tied a cloth around it. It was tight. He stopped the bleeding. But the pain was there. He gritted his teeth. He looked at Lin Yu. His eyes were full of hate. But there was fear too. He saw what Lin Yu did to the Alpha Wolf. One slash. Clean. Deadly.
"We need to rest," Chen said. His voice was rough. He was in pain.
"You rest," Lin Yu said. "I watch."
"No," Chen said. "You sleep. I watch."
"I do not sleep on missions," Lin Yu said. "Bad habit."
Chen frowned. He wanted Lin Yu to sleep. He wanted Lin Yu to be weak. He looked at Zhao. Zhao stopped sharpening the axe. He nodded slightly. It was a secret signal. Lin Yu saw it. He did not react. He kept his face blank.
[Warning.] The Sword Box voice spoke in his mind. It was low. It was urgent. [Hostile Intent Detected. Target: Chen and Zhao. Plan: Assassination.]
"I know," Lin Yu thought. "Let them try."
[Risk: High. They are two. You are one. But they are injured. Tired. Morale low.]
"Perfect," Lin Yu thought.
Chen lay down. He closed his eyes. He breathed slowly. He pretended to sleep. Zhao lay down too. He put the axe near his hand. He closed his eyes. The fire burned down. It became embers. The light was dim. The shadows grew longer.
Lin Yu stayed awake. He meditated. He used the Qi Breathing Method. He pulled energy from the air. It was cold energy. It entered his lungs. It cooled his blood. It kept him alert. He listened to the forest. He heard insects. He heard owls. He heard breathing.
Two hours passed. The moon was high. It was behind clouds. The light was gray. Chen opened one eye. He looked at Lin Yu. Lin Yu's head was down. He looked like he was sleeping. His breathing was slow.
Chen sat up slowly. He did not make a sound. He picked up his sword. It was on the ground. He held it with his good hand. He looked at Zhao. Zhao sat up too. He picked up the axe. They stood up. They walked toward Lin Yu. They stepped carefully. They avoided dry leaves. They did not want to make noise.
They stopped five feet from Lin Yu. Chen raised his sword. He aimed at Lin Yu's neck. He smiled. It was a cruel smile.
"Sorry, servant," Chen whispered. "But you are too dangerous."
He swung. The sword cut the air. It moved fast. It aimed for the kill.
But Lin Yu was not there.
Chen hit the tree. The sword stuck in the wood. Sparks flew. Chen stumbled. He lost balance. His arm hurt. He could not pull the sword out.
"Where?" Chen shouted. He looked around.
"Behind you."
Chen turned. Lin Yu stood there. He was ten feet away. He held the Silent Edge. The black sword glowed faintly. It was ready.
"You pretended," Chen said. He was angry. He was scared.
"Yes," Lin Yu said. "I told you. I do not sleep."
Zhao charged. He swung the axe. He was big. He was strong. But he was tired. Lin Yu saw the move. It was slow. Lin Yu stepped aside. He dodged. The axe hit the ground. It stuck in the dirt. Zhao tried to pull it out. He could not. It was stuck deep.
Lin Yu raised the Silent Edge. He aimed at Zhao's leg. He did not kill. He struck. The sword cut Zhao's hamstring. Zhao screamed. He fell. He could not stand.
"One down," Lin Yu said.
Chen pulled his sword from the tree. He turned to Lin Yu. He was desperate. He had no plan. He just wanted to kill.
"Die!" Chen shouted. He ran at Lin Yu. He swung wildly.
Lin Yu did not move. He waited. He watched Chen's feet. He watched Chen's eyes. He saw the fear. He saw the pain. Chen was not fighting with skill. He was fighting with rage.
[Enemy Opening: Left Side. Ribcage.]
Lin Yu stepped in. He was inside Chen's guard. Chen could not use his sword. It was too long. Lin Yu was too close. Lin Yu raised his knee. He hit Chen's stomach. Chen doubled over. He dropped the sword. He fell to his knees. He vomited. He could not breathe.
Lin Yu pointed the Silent Edge at Chen's neck. The tip touched the skin. Chen froze. He did not move. He knew he was dead.
"Kill me," Chen said. His voice was weak. "If you do not, I will kill you."
"I know," Lin Yu said. "But death is too easy."
Lin Yu stepped back. He sheathed the sword. Chen looked up. He was surprised. He did not expect mercy.
"Why?" Chen asked.
"Because I am not you," Lin Yu said. "You kill for pride. I kill for survival. You are not a threat anymore. You are broken."
Chen looked at his arm. He looked at his friends. Zhao was on the ground. He held his leg. He was crying. The fat friend was dead. Chen was alone. He was weak.
"You win," Chen whispered. "For now."
"For good," Lin Yu said. "Sit down. Do not move. If you move, I cut."
Chen sat down. He leaned against a tree. He did not look at Lin Yu. He looked at the fire. The embers were dead. The cold came back.
Lin Yu walked to the dead wolf. The Alpha Wolf. It was big. It had black fur. It had sharp teeth. Lin Yu knelt beside it. He took a knife from his bag. He cut into the wolf's head. He found the core. It was green. It glowed. It was warm.
[Energy Gained: 100. Wolf Core Quality: High.]
Lin Yu put the core in his bag. He stood up. He looked at Chen. Chen watched him. He wanted the core. It was worth money. It was worth points. But he said nothing. He knew he had no right.
"We need cores," Lin Yu said. "Ten each. The mission."
"We cannot," Chen said. "We are hurt."
"I can," Lin Yu said. "You wait. I hunt. I bring them back. You take credit."
Chen looked up. "Why?"
"Because I do not want to explain why you are dead," Lin Yu said. "If I kill you, the Elders ask questions. I do not like questions. If you live, you say we fought beasts. You say I was helpful. We both pass."
Chen thought. He nodded slowly. It was a deal. He saved his face. Lin Yu saved his time.
"Okay," Chen said. "But do not run. Do not leave us."
"I will be back," Lin Yu said. "Before sun."
Lin Yu turned away. He walked into the dark. He did not look back. He knew Chen would not follow. Chen could not walk well. Zhao could not walk at all. They were trapped. They had to wait.
Lin Yu walked into the forest. The mist was thick. He could not see far. He used his senses. He felt the Qi. He felt the life signs. Beasts were everywhere. But he was not scared. He was the hunter now.
[Target Detected. Level 2 Beast. Wild Boar. Distance: 50 meters.]
Lin Yu moved silently. He stepped on moss. He did not break twigs. He was like a ghost. He saw the boar. It was digging in the dirt. It was big. It had tusks. It did not see him.
Lin Yu drew the Silent Edge. He poured Qi into the blade. It glowed dark. He waited. The boar turned. It smelled him. It snorted. It lowered its head. It charged.
Lin Yu did not run. He waited. One second. Two seconds. The boar was close. He could see its eyes. They were red. They were angry.
Lin Yu stepped aside. He swung. The sword cut the boar's neck. It was clean. The boar fell. It did not move.
[Victory. Energy Gained: 50.]
Lin Yu took the core. He wiped the blood. He moved on. He found another beast. A deer. He killed it. He found another. A bear. It was hard. He used Shadow Slash. He cut its leg. He finished it. He took the core.
He hunted for three hours. He collected ten cores. They were heavy. They glowed in his bag. He had enough for Chen. He had enough for himself. He had extra.
He walked back to the camp. The sun was coming up. The sky was gray. The birds started singing. The night was over.
Chen was still there. He sat by the dead fire. He looked tired. He looked old. He saw Lin Yu. He saw the bag.
"You did it," Chen said. He did not believe it.
"Yes," Lin Yu said. He threw the bag to Chen. Chen caught it. He opened it. He saw the cores. Ten cores. All good quality.
"This is... enough," Chen said. "For both of us."
"Good," Lin Yu said. "We leave."
Zhao was still on the ground. He looked at Lin Yu. He was scared. "Can you help me?"
Lin Yu looked at Zhao. He thought about it. Zhao tried to kill him. But Zhao followed Chen. He was not the leader.
"Can you walk?" Lin Yu asked.
"No," Zhao said. "My leg."
Lin Yu took a bandage from his bag. He threw it to Zhao. "Tie it. Tight. Then walk. If you cannot, stay here. The beasts will find you."
Zhao caught the bandage. He tied his leg. He stood up. He shook. He could walk. It was painful. But he could move.
"Thank you," Zhao said.
"Do not thank me," Lin Yu said. "Just walk."
They started the journey back. Chen walked in front. He held the bag. He did not look at Lin Yu. He was ashamed. He was a disciple. But a servant saved him. A servant hunted for him. A servant spared him. It was humiliating.
Lin Yu walked at the back. He watched them. He watched the forest. He knew the danger was not over. The snake trap was still unexplained. The Beast Tamers were still out there.
"Box," Lin Yu thought. "Analyze the cores."
[Scanning.]
A blue light scanned the bag in Chen's hand.
[Anomaly Detected. Core Number 7. Energy Signature: Artificial.]
Lin Yu stopped. He frowned. "Artificial?"
[Yes. Fake. Planted.]
Lin Yu looked at Chen. Chen did not know. He just took the bag. But someone planted a fake core. Why? To fail the mission? To punish Chen?
"Chen," Lin Yu said. "Stop."
Chen stopped. He turned. "What?"
"Give me the bag," Lin Yu said.
"No," Chen said. "I carry it."
"Give it," Lin Yu said. His voice was cold. It was not a request.
Chen hesitated. He saw Lin Yu's eyes. He gave the bag. Lin Yu opened it. He took out core number 7. It looked green. It glowed. But Lin Yu squeezed it. It cracked. It was hollow. Inside was a piece of paper.
Lin Yu took the paper. He opened it. It was small. It had a symbol. A black hand.
[Identity Confirmed.] The Sword Box said. [Beast Tamer Guild. Mark of the Black Hand.]
Lin Yu's heart beat faster. The Beast Tamers. They were here. They planted this core. They wanted Chen to fail. Or they wanted to frame Chen. Or they wanted to send a message to Lin Yu.
"Who gave you this core?" Lin Yu asked.
"I did not check," Chen said. "We killed a boar. I took the core. I did not look."
"Someone swapped it," Lin Yu said. "While we fought the wolves."
"Impossible," Chen said. "We were alone."
"No," Lin Yu said. "Someone watched. Someone waited. They swapped the core when we were busy."
Chen was pale. He understood. There was a third party. Someone else was in the forest. Someone dangerous.
"We need to go," Lin Yu said. "Now."
"Why?" Chen asked.
"Because they will come back," Lin Yu said. "They want this paper found. Or they want us dead."
Lin Yu put the paper in his sleeve. He kept it. He did not show Chen the symbol. Chen did not need to know. Chen would panic. Lin Yu needed to know. This was for him. The Beast Tamers were hunting him. Just like in his past life.
They walked faster. They did not stop. They did not rest. They reached the sect gate by noon. The guards saw them. They saw the blood. They saw the injuries.
"Mission complete?" a guard asked.
"Yes," Chen said. His voice was weak.
"Good," the guard said. "Submit cores. Get points."
Chen walked to the mission hall. Lin Yu followed. Chen submitted the cores. The clerk checked them. He found the fake one. He frowned.
"This one is bad," the clerk said.
"Replace it," Lin Yu said. He threw a core from his own bag. He had extra. The clerk checked it. It was good.
"Mission Complete," the clerk said. "Points distributed."
Chen took the points. He did not speak. He walked away. He went to his room. He locked the door. He did not come out.
Lin Yu stood outside the hall. He held the paper in his sleeve. He touched it. It was rough. It felt like a threat.
"Box," Lin Yu said. "What does the Black Hand mean?"
[It means war. They are marking you. They know you are here.]
"Good," Lin Yu said. "Let them come."
Lin Yu walked to his room. He locked the door. He sat on the bed. He looked at the paper. He burned it with a candle. It turned to ash. He blew the ash away. It was gone. But the message remained.
He was not safe. The sect was not safe. The forest was not safe. He needed more power. He needed to break through to Level 2. He needed to upgrade his swords. He needed to prepare for the real enemy.
He closed his eyes. He started to meditate. He pulled Qi into his body. He pushed against the barrier. It was hard. But he was motivated. Fear was a good motivator. Death was a good teacher.
He would not die again. He would not fail again. He would kill them all. Every last one.
The sun went down. The night came. Lin Yu did not sleep. He cultivated. He grew stronger. The Sword Box hummed beside him. It was happy. It felt his resolve. It felt his anger.
[Energy Absorption Rate: Increased. Morale: High.]
"Keep going," Lin Yu said.
And he did. He trained until his hands bled. He trained until his eyes burned. He trained until he was ready.
The Beast Tamers wanted a hunt. They would get one. But Lin Yu was not the prey. He was the hunter. And he was just getting started.