The sun hung low in the sky as Xu Wang, Yang Rui, Wang Li, and Mei Ling made their way along the forest path. Leaves crunched beneath their boots, and the air smelled of damp earth and pine. Despite the calm surroundings, tension lingered.

  “Are you sure this is the right way?” Xu Wang asked, gncing back at Wang Li.

  Wang Li adjusted her satchel, which bulged with scrolls from her library research. “This route is faster,” she assured him. “Besides, no one uses this path anymore — no one will bother us here.”

  “That’s what worries me,” Mei Ling muttered, hand resting on her sword hilt.

  The air shifted — faint whispers rustled through the trees. Yang Rui’s steps slowed, her senses sharpening.

  “We’re being followed,” she warned.

  The group barely had time to react before figures emerged from the shadows — rough-looking men cd in ragged armor, bdes gleaming in the fading light.

  “Hand over your valuables,” one of the bandits snarled. “Or this path becomes your grave.”

  Xu Wang stepped forward, his aura flickering to life. “You sure you want to try that?”

  “Big talk,” the bandit sneered. “Kill them!”

  The bandits charged.

  Xu Wang met the first attacker head-on, his fists glowing with Anahata aura. His palm struck the bandit’s chest, sending him sprawling back. Another came from the side, swinging a curved bde. Xu Wang barely ducked in time, countering with a sharp elbow strike to the ribs. The man crumpled.

  Mei Ling’s bde danced through the air, striking with precision. She parried an axe swing, then spun, cutting down two attackers in a single motion.

  “You’ll have to try harder than that!” she taunted.

  Meanwhile, Yang Rui activated her Mudhara Qi. Energy surged through her legs, and she became a blur, weaving between enemies faster than they could react. She struck low, sweeping legs and toppling her foes with swift, precise strikes. One bandit lunged, and Yang Rui dodged with impossible speed, spinning behind him and nding a kick that sent him crashing into a tree.

  “Impressive,” Xu Wang muttered between strikes.

  Wang Li ducked behind a fallen log, clutching her satchel. She watched helplessly as a bandit closed in on her.

  “Wang Li!” Xu Wang shouted.

  Before the bandit reached her, Yang Rui blurred past, her kick striking with bone-crunching force.

  “Stay close to me!” Yang Rui barked, grabbing Wang Li’s arm.

  The bandits regrouped, drawing their leader forward — a burly man with scars across his face and a jagged spear in hand.

  “You’ve got some fight in you,” the leader growled. “But let’s see if you can handle this!”

  He lunged at Xu Wang, his spear jabbing like a serpent. Xu Wang twisted aside, barely avoiding the deadly point. He countered with a bst of Anahata aura, but the leader spun his spear in a defensive arc, deflecting the energy.

  “Looks like you’re not just muscle,” Xu Wang muttered.

  The leader snarled and thrust his spear again. Xu Wang dodged, but the spearhead grazed his side, drawing blood.

  “Xu Wang!” Mei Ling shouted, her bde fshing as she rushed in to defend him.

  “Stay back!” Xu Wang warned. “He’s mine.”

  The leader’s spear came again — faster this time. Xu Wang’s aura surged, wrapping his arms in emerald light. He grabbed the spear mid-thrust, twisting it violently. The wooden shaft splintered, and with a powerful strike, Xu Wang’s palm smmed into the leader’s chest. The impact sent him tumbling backward.

  “I’ve had worse,” the leader spat, staggering to his feet.

  “Not for long,” Yang Rui muttered.

  She activated her Mudhara Qi again, her speed doubling. She shot forward, her foot striking the leader’s knee before he could react. The bone snapped with a sickening crack, and he colpsed in agony.

  “You think… you’ve won?” the leader growled, clutching his ruined leg.

  “That depends,” Xu Wang said coldly. “Are you done?”

  The remaining bandits scattered, dragging their injured leader away.

  Later that night, the group gathered around a small fire. Wang Li’s hands still shook as she poured tea into their cups.

  “I… I was useless,” she muttered.

  “You weren’t,” Yang Rui said firmly. “You kept those scrolls safe — they’re important.”

  “I’m just a burden…” Wang Li’s voice faltered.

  “You’re not,” Xu Wang added. “None of us can know everything. You’re the smartest one here — we’d be lost without you.”

  Wang Li smiled faintly. “Thanks…”

  Mei Ling poked at the fire with a stick. “You were incredible back there, Yang Rui,” she said quietly. “That Mudhara technique of yours... it’s powerful.”

  “It’s not enough,” Yang Rui replied. “If I was faster, I could’ve stopped that bandit from reaching Wang Li sooner.”

  “You’re already strong,” Mei Ling said. “You’re always pushing yourself too hard.”

  “I can’t afford to be weak,” Yang Rui muttered, gaze hardening. “Not after what happened to my mother…”

  Silence fell over the group.

  Xu Wang shifted closer to Yang Rui. “We’re all here because we’re fighting for something,” he said. “Your mother believed in you… and I do too.”

  Yang Rui’s expression softened, and for the first time that night, she smiled.

  “We should get some rest,” Xu Wang said, leaning back against a tree.

  As the others settled in, Yang Rui remained awake, staring into the fmes. Memories of her mother drifted through her mind — her smile, her warmth... and those haunting bck eyes from her dream.

  The faintest wisp of familiar aura stirred in the air — her mother’s presence. Yang Rui’s heart clenched.

  She stood and turned sharply, scanning the trees. The aura drifted like smoke, flickering before vanishing into the night.

  “Was that...?” she whispered.

  For a moment, Yang Rui stood frozen. Then she clenched her fists, turned back toward the fire, and y down beside her friends.

  The warmth of their presence was enough to soothe her unease. Whatever y ahead, they would face it together.

  To be continued......