Retrieving Ming Hao’s disciple token from the gory mess was a grim task that Jian Feng delegated to Ren Jie, whose hands trembled as he completed the duty. The valuable parts of the Mire Lurker – its Qi-infused heart and venom sacs – were harvested quickly by Mei Xia, her movements precise but her face pale. No one spoke. The sounds of the marsh seemed to press in, magnifying the horror of Ming Hao’s death and the unspoken accusations hanging between them.
Jian Feng watched Kai like a hawk, his expression radiating cold fury and suspicion. Kai, however, maintained his facade of a shaken survivor, assisting Mei Xia with packing the Lurker materials, his movements slightly stiff as if nursing hidden injuries. He knew Jian Feng didn’t believe a word of his explanation, but the gaslighting, combined with the genuine shock of the event, had muddied the waters enough to prevent immediate reprisal. Concrete proof was impossible in the foggy chaos.
The decision on the mission fell heavily on Jian Feng. Two team members were now incapacitated or dead. Continuing the survey with only three followers, one of whom he deeply suspected of sabotage and murder, and two others clearly unnerved, seemed foolhardy. Yet, retreating now, having achieved little and lost personnel, would be a significant blow to his pride and reputation back in the Inner Sect. He would be seen as incompetent, unable to control his team or handle a standard marsh assignment.
After a tense silence, staring into the oppressive mist as if seeking answers, Jian Feng made his call. "We abort the survey," he announced, his voice clipped. "Mission compromised due to unforeseen beast activity and personnel loss. We return to the Sect immediately." He couldn't risk pushing further with this fractured, distrustful group, especially not with Kai still capable of unknown 'tricks'. Cutting his losses was the only logical, if humiliating, option.
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The trek back was suffocatingly tense. Jian Feng took the lead again, setting a punishing pace, clearly wanting to be out of the cursed marsh as quickly as possible. Ren Jie and Mei Xia walked close together now, casting frequent, wary glances back at both Jian Feng and Kai. They were caught between a leader they likely no longer trusted and a fellow disciple whose survival seemed unnervingly convenient and brutal. The easy camaraderie, even the superficial kind, of the Inner Sect was gone, replaced by raw fear and suspicion.
Kai walked near the rear, alone. He reviewed the events coolly in his mind. Ming Hao was eliminated. Lu Chen was injured and likely abandoned (the tracker tag signal remained stationary). Jian Feng’s plan was thwarted, his authority damaged. Kai had survived, albeit by orchestrating a gruesome death. Did he feel guilt? A flicker, perhaps, less guilt and more a cold acknowledgment of the necessity. Ming Hao had been actively trying to facilitate his death under Jian Feng’s orders. In the kill-or-be-killed calculus forced upon him, Kai had simply been faster, more ruthless, and better equipped with tools his opponents couldn't anticipate. It was the law of the jungle, amplified by system resources.
He checked his system status. Debt: ~75 points (Combat module use during Ming Hao's death + sonic emitter + fog orb costs, offset slightly by points from fragment trickle). Manageable, but a reminder of the cost of survival. He needed to rebuild his points buffer.
As the edge of the Shadowfen Marsh finally came into view, the oppressive atmosphere lifting slightly, Kai knew this wasn't over. Jian Feng’s retreat was tactical, not a surrender. The hatred in the Senior Brother's eyes promised future conflict, likely more direct and desperate now that subtlety had failed. The 'accidents' would become less accidental. Ren Jie and Mei Xia might report their suspicions, further isolating Kai or drawing unwanted official scrutiny.
He had survived the marsh, but the ripples from Ming Hao's death would spread far beyond its murky borders. He had crossed a line, staining the silk pond of the Inner Sect with blood. He needed to get stronger, fast. The Foundation Establishment Pill in his storage felt heavier than ever, a promise of power needed to navigate the far more dangerous currents he had just unleashed. The return to the sect wasn't an end, but the beginning of a new, colder war.
