The thick white fog generated by Kai’s Pressure Fog Orb slowly dissipated, revealing Lu Chen groaning on the muddy ground, clutching his clearly broken ankle. The temporary obscurity had served its purpose – preventing any immediate retaliation or close observation while Kai retrieved his grapnel hook and planted the tracker. Now, reality set back in. They were deep in hostile territory, one member down, with blame hanging heavy and unspoken in the air.

  Jian Feng’s face was a mask of controlled fury. His initial plan – a simple push into a viper’s path – had backfired spectacularly, injuring his own man and revealing more of Kai’s uncanny arsenal. He shot a venomous look first at the incapacitated Lu Chen, then at Kai, who was calmly checking his boots as if brushing off mud.

  "Ming Hao," Jian Feng commanded, his voice dangerously low. "Stabilize Lu Chen's ankle as best you can. Basic fracture binding." He didn't offer any sect medicine; clearly, Lu Chen's failure made him expendable in Jian Feng's eyes.

  Ming Hao knelt beside his whimpering comrade, pulling out standard bandages and splinting materials from his pack. His glare towards Kai promised retribution. Lu Chen, meanwhile, shot daggers at Kai between pained gasps. "He… he tripped me! That brat Kai tripped me!" he accused weakly.

  Kai met Jian Feng’s gaze coolly. "A regrettable accident, Senior Brother. The ground is treacherous, as Junior Brother Lu discovered. Perhaps his focus was diverted by the sudden viper attack." He subtly deflected blame back onto Lu Chen's own competence and the chaos of the moment.

  Jian Feng sneered but didn't press the accusation directly. Arguing about it now, with Ren Jie and Mei Xia watching silently, wouldn't achieve anything. Lu Chen's injury, however, presented a logistical problem.

  "He can't continue," Jian Feng stated flatly, looking at Lu Chen with disdain. "Leaving him here is condemning him. Carrying him will slow us to a crawl and make us vulnerable." He paused, considering. "We'll set up a temporary marker. Once the primary survey is complete, we can request an extraction team from the sect… if his condition permits." The implication was clear: Lu Chen might not be worth the trouble of rescuing.

  Ren Jie shifted uncomfortably. "Senior Brother Jian, perhaps one of us could escort him back now? The mission-"

  "No!" Jian Feng cut him off sharply. "The mission parameters are clear. Survey the designated area. Splitting the team further weakens us. Lu Chen made his mistake; he will wait." His authority was absolute, reinforced by his higher cultivation and status. Ren Jie fell silent, though his disapproval was visible. Mei Xia remained impassive.

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  Ming Hao finished applying a crude splint. Lu Chen was pale with pain, shivering slightly. Jian Feng tossed him a basic nutrient bar and a water skin. "Conserve your energy. Stay alert. We will return… eventually."

  They helped Lu Chen prop himself against the base of a large, gnarled tree just off the main path, partially sheltered but still exposed. Kai noted the location mentally, cross-referencing it with the signal from the tracker tag he'd left nearby. If Jian Feng truly intended to abandon Lu Chen, Kai might have options later, depending on how things played out. Leaving a fellow disciple behind, even an antagonist, felt wrong, but interfering directly now was impossible.

  "Let's move," Jian Feng ordered brusquely, turning away from the injured disciple without a backward glance. "We've lost valuable time."

  The remaining five continued their trek northwest, the mood even heavier than before. Lu Chen’s pained groans faded behind them, swallowed by the oppressive mist and silence of the marsh. The incident served as a stark reminder of Jian Feng’s ruthlessness and the precariousness of their situation. Ren Jie and Mei Xia seemed more withdrawn, likely unnerved by Jian Feng’s callousness and Kai’s unpredictable capabilities. Ming Hao’s hostility towards Kai intensified, now mixed with a nervous energy, as if realizing Kai was more dangerous than they’d calculated.

  Jian Feng pushed the pace, navigating the treacherous terrain with practiced ease, clearly wanting to reach the survey area quickly. He directed Ren Jie and Mei Xia with curt commands, occasionally sending Ming Hao on short scouting routes off the main path – perhaps genuinely scouting, perhaps trying to set up another ambush for Kai.

  Kai remained vigilant, his System Combat Module kept dormant to conserve his dwindling points (Balance still around 40), relying instead on his sharpened senses, the Myriad Rivers Art’s enhanced Qi flow providing better awareness, and his specialized gear. The pest-repeller amulet continued its silent work. His boots navigated the mud effortlessly. He kept one hand near his grapnel launcher bracer, ready for pitfalls or sudden attacks.

  They entered an area where the mist thickened, swirling around them like spectral shrouds. The metallic tang in the air grew stronger.

  "Gas pockets nearby," Mei Xia warned, her voice slightly muffled. "Corrosive Miasma, likely."

  Jian Feng nodded curtly. "Standard procedure. Infuse robes with protective Qi, minimize breathing."

  While the others focused Qi into their robes, creating shimmering, temporary barriers, Kai subtly retrieved his disguised rebreather mask. It looked like a simple silk wrap as he tied it around his lower face, but activating it with a tiny pulse of Qi created a seal and started the filtration process. Breathing the clean, filtered air felt remarkably different from the stinging miasma everyone else was enduring. Another small, hidden advantage.

  Suddenly, Jian Feng held up a hand, signaling a halt. He pointed towards a dense thicket shrouded in particularly thick mist just ahead. "Movement. Large. Could be a Mire Strider… or something worse. Ren Jie, probe its Qi signature. Ming Hao, circle left, find a flanking position. Kai… you take point. Flush it out for us."

  It was another blatant setup. Sending him in first, alone, into thick mist where a potentially dangerous beast lurked, while Jian Feng and Ming Hao positioned themselves strategically? It screamed ambush. Ren Jie hesitated, glancing at Jian Feng, clearly uncomfortable with the order, but Jian Feng’s glare silenced any protest.

  Kai met Jian Feng’s challenging gaze. Refusing a direct order during a mission, especially concerning a potential threat, was grounds for severe punishment. But walking blindly into that thicket felt suicidal.

  "Understood, Senior Brother," Kai replied calmly. He drew his carbon fiber bokken. But instead of charging in recklessly, he reached into his dimension storage again. This wasn't the time for subtlety. It was time to remind Jian Feng who held the weirder cards.

  Preferred pacing.