Hei An moved quietly between the dense trees, enjoying the peace and the familiar sounds of the forest. It was without warning when a furious growl burst through the air, and then the sound of crashing bodies and clanging metal shook the woods. Something jogged in him; he slipped into shadows and made his way toward noise.
Peeking from behind a tree, he saw the source of the commotion—a young man fighting furiously against two scarlet wolves. Black robes covered his body, with feather-like designs on the high collar and cuffs. His dark hair was pulled back tightly, and and though he was clearly exhausted, he fought with determination, his every move sharp and deliberate. Beside the young man was a smaller scarlet wolf, darting in and out so that it attacked the larger wolf with uncanny coordination that left Hei An stunned.
'This can't be…' Hei An thought, his mind turning. The young man was obviously in cahoots with the wolf, fighting as a team.
'A Beastblood Bond?' His heart skipped a beat. According to his clan's ancestor, only those of his bloodline could bond with beasts this way. Yet here was this stranger, somehow wielding a power he thought unique to his clan.
Hei An watched closely as the larger scarlet wolf, a ferocious beast in the late stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm. As the man and his wolf fought, one could clearly tell that they were really struggling. They bore cuts and bruises, their breaths chugged at them raggedly, and it was clear that they have reached their limit. As the wolf sprang, its aim a killing blow to the shorter wolf, Hei An acted on instinct.
'No need to think about it' Hei An thought, letting his body move before his mind would catch up. Practiced silence kept him moving forward as he dissolved into the shadows, like smoke. But as the big wolf was launching itself, he sprang forward behind it, his knife flashing in and out of the dappled light as he struck a great gash across its side. The creature yowled, stumbling backward, and Hei An did not let it recover. With one swift order to Xuè Yǐng, his own shadow raven took to the air, talons spread wide. Xuè Yǐng dived, sharp claws raking across the back of the wolf, drawing yet another anguished wail from the beast. Through a few more coordinated moves, Hei An and Xuè Yǐng had subdued the creature completely, leaving the young man staring at him wide-eyed and in amazement.
As the large scarlet wolf's body hit the ground, the young man looked at Hei An with wide, astonished eyes, clearly struggling to process what had just happened.
With Xuè Yǐng atop his shoulder, Hei An approached the young man, his voice calm. "Are you alright?"
The young man blinked, as if waking out of some sort of trance. Quickly, he cupped his hands in respect and bowed his head. "Thanks, fellow disciple, for your aid!"
Hei An's brow furrowed in puzzlement. 'Fellow disciple?' he thought to himself, unsure of what the young man meant. He nodded curtly but then asked, "What are you talking about?"
"You're… not a disciple of the Blackfeather Sect?" The young man's voice held a note of surprise, his eyes narrowing with curiosity.
Hei An shook his head slowly. "No, I'm a rogue cultivator. I travel alone."
The young man's eyes grew wider in amazement. "Impossible…" He reached out a long finger and pointed at Xuè Yǐng, who cocked his head and fixed him with a shrewd, unblinking gaze. "Then where did you learn to tame that shadow raven?
Hei An looks at the black raven beside him, hesitating. He wasn't sure how much he wanted to say. Xuè Yǐng had come to him out of a shared bond rather than training or taming, but that was something he didn't feel he wanted to explain to a stranger. "Xuè Yǐng chose to come with me," he replied, keeping his answer simple, hoping it would satisfy the young man's curiosity.
"This…" The young man's mouth opened and closed again, as if he couldn't find his words. But after a moment, the astonishment faded into enthusiasm. "I'm Wei Ren, an outer disciple of the Blackfeather Sect. We're known for beast taming—no one in this region can compare with our skill at binding spirit beasts! "
A look of rapt enthusiasm crossed Wei Ren's face. "To tame that shadow raven by yourself.... How extra-ordinary!! Your talent would be highly cherished by the Blackfeather Sect."
Wei Ren's eyes were practically shining. "You should go with me! The Blackfeather Sect would accept a genius such as yourself at its arms open".
'Blackfeather Sect…' Hei An's mind was whirling. This sect, according to Wei Ren, dealt particularly with beast-taming skills and was quite famous in the region.
'Perhaps they have information about my bloodline or could have something to do with the legacy of my clan.' He weighed his options carefully. Wei Ren's interest in him felt genuine, though it was hard to ignore the eagerness in his tone. Even if this was some game, Hei An realized he might find useful information if he went with them-even for just a little while.
Wei Ren's eyes were practically shining. "You should go with me! The Blackfeather Sect would accept a genius such as yourself at its arms open".
Hei An narrowed his eyes, trying to read the intentions of the young man. 'Why is he so keen on bringing me in?' His mind danced between the potential risks and what he might learn. But he was just too curious about what he would learn about the Blackfeather Sect—and maybe where it was connected to his clan.
"Okay," he said finally, nodding. "I'll come with you. I'm interested in seeing this sect of yours."
Wei Ren let out a thumping sigh, relief and barely suppressed excitement springing to his face. "Excellent! Just give me a moment to heal, and we'll head back together."
LHe sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, focusing his attention inward to his injuries. Hei An sat cross-legged a short distance away, watching over him out of the corner of his eye as he waited, his thoughts churning like a tempest.
Focusing on healing, a smug smile curled Wei Ren's lip. 'I'm going to be rich!' he chided himself at the same time, holding his glee in check. The Blackfeather Sect was ever interested in capable beast tamers, and anyone able to attract such a talent would be rewarded handsomely.
Hei An would qualify all too easily, and if Wei Ren could bring him in, he would be able to gather enough contribution points to send his own rank upward within the sect.
Hei An, however, kept his focus razor-sharp, his interest mixed with mistrust. The Blackfeather Sect was of great interest to him, and he wanted to see if they might know something about his own heritage or these unusual abilities of his. 'But I mustn't let my guard down,' he cautioned himself. He was stepping into unknown territory, and he couldn't let his guard down.