"Something's coming," Xian Yu, a sharp-eyed youth, obviously a cultivator as shown in his demeanor, muttered, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his sword. A rustling sound echoed through the stillness of the forest. It was faint at first, barely a whisper, but it quickly grew louder. Branches snapped, leaves crunched, and the underbrush stirred, signaling movement from deeper within the trees.
"Stay alert, senior brother Xian," Luo Ji replied, his voice tense, though there was an eagerness to it. "Do you think it's a wild beast?"
"Maybe," Xian Yu said, his eyes narrowing. "Let's move forward, but quietly."
The group of six youths dressed in the green robes of the Xiang sect paused, their senses sharpened. Though they had faced many dangers over the past months, the forest had a way of hiding its true threats. They weren't sure what had made the sound, but the tension in the air told them it wasn't something they could ignore.
They began tip toeing deeper into the forest. The sound of rustling and fierce animal noises grew louder, followed by another snap of branches. This time, it was clear that whatever was coming wasn't alone. It was a group of creatures, their presence unmistakable now. But what kind of beasts were they, they wondered?.
"Be ready," Zhang Wei, a young man of about twenty to twenty-two years old, who appears to be the eldest of the group, murmured. Though his voice was low, it carried with it the authority of someone who was used to giving commands. He was the first to unsheath his sword, its blade glinting in the dim light.
As they reached the edge of a small clearing, they finally saw what had caused the disturbance.
A pack of wild boars with sharp looking tusks emerged from the underbrush. But they were not the immediate concern. Just beyond them, lying motionless on the ground, was a boy. His small body was barely visible beneath the thick foliage, but it was clear that the child was in a sorry state. His clothes were torn and dirty, his face pale and bruised, and his body looked emaciated, as if he had not eaten for days. He was unconscious, completely unaware of the wild animals that had come so close to him.
The youths froze.
"Whaaaaaaaaat…" Junior Sister Li Mei gasped. She was the first to step forward, her gaze fixed on the child. "Is he alive?" she said as she made to rush forward to grab the boy
'Wait' shouted Zhang Wei as the nearest boar grunted and charged at the approaching girl. Li Mei halted uncertainly, watching the approaching boars.
As the pack of boars edged closer to the unconscious boy, their eyes glinting with primal hunger, Zhang Wei sprang into action. With a sharp, commanding roar, he unsheathed his sword in a single, fluid motion. The blade shimmered faintly with an aura of condensed spiritual energy as he dashed forward. The lead boar lunged, tusks aimed to gore, but Zhang Wei sidestepped with practiced precision, his sword arcing in a clean, decisive strike. The beast let out a guttural cry before collapsing, its momentum cut short by the blow.
The remaining boars hesitated for a brief moment before the other youths sprang into action, shouting and brandishing their weapons. Xian Yu and Luo Ji drove their swords into the earth, sending up a crackling burst of energy that startled the animals. The remaining boars, overwhelmed and frightened seeing the carcass of their leader on the forest ground, retreated back into the forest's shadowy depths.
Xian Yu then moved quickly forward to check the boy's pulse. "Barely," he said, his voice grave. "He's still breathing, but just. He must have been here for days."
Zhang Wei frowned as he observed the scene. "The boars were here for him," he said, his voice low. "It's a good thing we arrived when we did, else he would have become their dinner."
Li Mei's face softened with concern. "Should we help him? He's just a child…"
"I don't know," Xian Yu replied, his tone wary. "We don't know who he is or why he's here. It's dangerous, especially in these woods. Are you sure he's not a member of the Devil Sect? You know those guys can be trickish"
"What if someone, is using him as bait? You know our sect has plenty of enemies and many sect members have been killed in the past months" Zhang Wei suggested, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword. "We can't be sure."
"He doesn't look like bait," Junior Brother Luo Ji said, stepping forward with an uncertain look on his face. "He looks like he's been abandoned… left to die."
"Luo Ji, be careful," Xian Yu warned, his eyes scanning the area. "We can't afford to make rash decisions. There's something off about this."
Li Mei's gaze shifted back to the boy, her heart heavy with pity. "I agree with Luo Ji. He's just a child. He needs help."
Zhang Wei shook his head. "It's not that simple. This boy could be from a rival sect, or worse, a trap set by someone to target us."
"I'm with Junior Sister Li Mei," Luo Ji insisted, his voice rising with a touch of frustration. "We can't just leave him here to die."
"Luo Ji," Xian Yu said sharply, "you need to calm down. We don't know anything about this boy. We don't know if helping him will lead to trouble."
"Xian Yu is right, Junior Brother Luo," Zhang Wei interjected, his voice firm. "We have a duty to protect the sect, not to get entangled in potential schemes. If we take him back, we may bring trouble to our doorstep."
"But if we leave him here," Li Mei said, her voice soft but insistent, "he will die. We're cultivators. We should have the strength to help him."
There was a long silence as the youths stood around the unconscious boy.
"Maybe we should leave him. He looks near death already, I don't think he can survive even if we take him with us" Said Xian Yu
"I think we should take him," Junior Sister Li Mei continued. "Sect leader and the medicine Pavilion should have the power to heal him, to give him a chance."
"I still don't trust it," Xian Yu muttered, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. "It's too convenient. Just as we're passing by, we find a helpless child who needs saving?"
Luo Ji shook his head. "How can you think like that, senior brother Xian? Sometimes things are just what they seem. This boy needs help. If we leave him, what kind of cultivators are we?"
Li Mei turned to Zhang Wei, her expression pleading. "Senior Brother Zhang, you have the final say. What should we do?"
Zhang Wei stood in silence, his gaze fixed on the boy. For a long moment, he seemed lost in thought. Finally, he exhaled heavily and spoke, his voice tinged with reluctant decision.
"We'll take him back to the sect," he said, his voice firm. "But understand this—the sect leader has the final say about his staying in the sect. Once we get to the sect, he is no longer our responsibility"
The others nodded, some with relief, others with lingering doubt. But no one spoke against Zhang Wei's decision.
Xian Yu's expression was unreadable, though he didn't argue further. "Fine. But I'm keeping an eye on him."
"What can an unconscious boy do? Li Mei wondered silently as she moved to lift the boy, cradling him gently in her arms. His small, fragile form barely seemed to weigh anything. As she did, a sense of unease settled over her. The boy was alive, but there was something about him—something she couldn't place—that felt strange.
"Let's move quickly," Zhang Wei said, leading the group away from the clearing. "We'll get him back to the sect and hand him to the elders."
The youths began the long journey back to the sect, their minds full of questions. Who was this boy? Why had he been abandoned in the forest? And what would they uncover when they returned to the sect? Hope this is not them bringing trouble back to the sect, they all wondered silently