Their pace was slower due to injuries, and they took detours to avoid known patrol routes where the Mist Eye Sect might be lingering. Though they didn't encounter another ambush, the tension hung in the air like a blade waiting to fall.
They passed by silent valleys, winding rivers, and pockets of thick, unspoken mist that made their skin prickle.
Along the way, they had minor skirmishes with spirit beasts—nothing too dangerous. A Spear Horned Deer near a forest edge, a trio of Winged Lizard Bats that swooped at them during a rainstorm. But compared to what they had faced in the ravine, these encounters were mere warmups.
Han Yu noticed that each day his body moved smoother. His strikes were cleaner. His qi responded faster. And most of all—he didn't feel as weak as before.
He was finally catching up.
By the time the Twin Leaf Peak's outer gates came into view, he was walking ahead of the others, his step steady, eyes calm.
