The air around Aksai's group felt heavier with each passing mont.
They stood frozen, the chilling mory of Haitin's actions replaying in their minds: the ease with which he had beheaded his own lackeys, the casual way he had sliced off his hand as if it were nothing more than a routine chore.
He had spoken to Ren like an equal, despite the obvious difference in age and cultivation. And even when faced with superior cultivators, Haitin had dealt with them all with an unsettling smile on his face.
Except for Aksai, everyone in the group was unnerved. The sight of Haitin reattaching his own severed hand using so mysterious bloodline power—completely different from the typical healing spells they had known—pushed them into a state of discomfort.
They knew the demonic cultivators were strange, but Haitin was stranger than anything they could have imagined.
Haitin stood there with that sa relaxed smile, his reattached hand hanging at his side as if nothing had happened. He eyed Aksai's group, and his gaze lingered just a bit too long.
"What… what are you looking at?" Lin i stamred, her voice trembling as her wary eyes locked onto Haitin. Her hand was already on her weapon, and the rest of Aksai's team followed suit, drawing their blades and weapons, though none of them felt confident.
Haitin didn't seem interested in fighting, at least not directly.
But his subordinates, still seated on their warhorses, watched with cold, predatory eyes. Their weapons were drawn, ready, waiting for a command. The tension was palpable, and Aksai could sense that his group was nearing a breaking point. Any sudden movent and they would lash out, launching themselves into a fight they couldn't win.
Sensing the impending disaster, Aksai knew he had to act. Stepping forward, he offered Haitin a courteous bow, his expression calm, though his mind raced.
"Young Master Haitin, we'll reach around Jaishin Lake in three days. Let's et there again, shall we?" Aksai's voice was as smooth as the smile on his lips, mirroring Haitin's own deanor.
Haitin raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued. For a brief mont, he appeared to mull over the proposal, then a knowing grin spread across his face, realizing what Aksai was implying.
"Are you sure, friend?" Haitin asked, his voice laced with a mix of amusent and intrigue.
Aksai nodded confidently. "I'm sure."
"What is your na?"
"You can call Aksai."
The demonic cultivator didn't take long to respond.
"Haha, you're smart. Alright, let's start a new ga then. But rember, this is a ga arranged by you, Aksai. So be sure to be there. Otherwise, I won't take too kindly if you don't show up."
With a light tap of his foot, Haitin propelled himself into the air, soaring effortlessly. Before gravity could reclaim him, a flying sword appeared beneath his feet, and in an instant, he was gone. His subordinates, with a final cold glance at Aksai's group, turned their steeds and galloped after him, disappearing just as swiftly.
***
Aksai's group stood in a loose circle, their expressions a mix of confusion and unease.
They had witnessed the tense exchange between Aksai and Haitin but had no idea what kind of arrangent had just been made.
Lin i, Rong Zhi, Bai, and Lian looked at Aksai expectantly, as if waiting for him to reveal so hidden strategy they couldn't grasp. Only Jian, standing slightly behind the group, had a vague sense of what Aksai had orchestrated.
"Aksai, why did you tell that demonic scoundrel about our route?" Lian asked, her voice sharp with bewildernt. Her brow furrowed, she stared at Aksai like he had just sold them out.
Aksai pressed his lips together in thought before answering. "Because that's the only way we could save ourselves. Since I've arranged for Haitin's lackeys to et us at Jaishin Lake in three days, they won't attack us during that ti. It gives us a window—a chance to rest, regroup, and plan."
Rong Zhi scratched the back of his head, his expression as perplexed as ever.
"So let get this straight... You set up a eting with that crazy guy three days from now so we can get a bit of peace? And then what? Do we change our route and avoid Jaishin Lake altogether, dodging those demonic mad dogs?"
Aksai shook his head, a wry smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
"That won't work. We'll have to honor the arrangent with Young Master Haitin. If we try to skip out, the consequences will be even worse.
Three days is enough ti to recover and prepare. With that, we can lower our casualty rate and push through to Duya Forest. But if we back out? Haitin will hunt us down. And don't forget, we still have to pass through the Wild Devil Lands again when we're heading back to Haan Di. Then again, I don't think we'll be able to enter Duya Forest that easily after not honoring our deal with Haitin."
"Our deal? More like your deal? You didn't consult with us before making the deal with that madman." Lin i sounded displeased. Aksai ignored her statent. Sotis consulting made matters worse. It was better to act decisively than to shirk away the responsibility in the na of consulting with the group.
Aksai took a deep breath before he looked at his teammates as if they were a bunch of kids. Except for Jian, all the other righteous cultivators didn't seem to understand that they were surrounded by extre dangers in the Wild Devil Lands. They still treated this mission as a regular expedition to the Duya Forest despite the seemingly isolated incident with the demonic cultivators.
After all, the demonic cultivators were known to cause so troubles even in the past whenever the groups of righteous cultivators entered the Wild Devil Lands through legal routes. It was a rare occurrence but it still took place.
What Aksai's group failed to understand was that the attack of the demonic cultivators was not driven by the usual desire to plunder. It was a well coordinated attack that had diplomatic and political implications.
As such, Aksai had concluded that it couldn't be an isolated incident. And that they would have to face an even stronger attack in a few hours. And this attack would be followed by an even stronger attack once again. This was because the purpose of the attack was not to harm the righteous cultivators but to test the bottom line of Haan Di.
Aksai didn't know how to explain these things to his teammates. At one point, he even thought of giving up on them. However, they could still be used as pawns in worst case scenarios.
Even though Aksai didn't want to be a third player in the ga of chess that was currently ongoing between Haan Di and the demonic faction, he still liked to keep his options open.
Aksai's voice grew more serious as he continued.
"You've all seen how unpredictable and ruthless Haitin is. You think he acted crazy in front of you? That's just the surface. All of that was just an act.
If we don't show up for this eting, he'll take revenge—probably in ways you can't even imagine. And it won't just be on us here. He'll track us, and anyone we encounter will be caught in the crossfire. No one is safe if we break this agreent."
It was as if Aksai could read Haitin like an open book from the mont he laid his eyes on him. Of course, the sa was true vice versa as well. Haitin only recognized Aksai to be capable of conversing with him. That's why he only asked Aksai's na and treated everyone else in his group to be nothing but so pebbles on an abandoned road.
The weight of Aksai's words began to sink in, deepening the anxiety on his teammates' faces. Lin i bit her lip nervously, glancing at the others for reassurance that wasn't there.
"Aksai… he's gone crazy. Why do we need to keep our word with that madman? I suggest we change our route and enter Duya Forest from another path. And Aksai... he's not a reliable teammate. We... we shouldn't stay with him," Lin i said, her voice tinged with fear as she looked at Aksai warily.
She didn't want anything to do with Haitin. The thought of facing him again in three days terrified her. Her plan was simple: isolate Aksai and avoid future trouble altogether.
Bai shifted uncomfortably, gripping his weapon tighter as he considered the situation. Even Rong Zhi, usually confident and carefree, had a flicker of apprehension in his eyes.
"Why not head back to Haan Di? We could abandon the mission," Rong suggested, his voice lacking its usual bravado.
At this point, Jian stepped forward, looking at Aksai with a serious expression.
He knew Lin was spouting nonsense, and he understood that Aksai's approach made sense. But he too wanted to avoid eting Haitin again.
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