I Will Leave Before Dawn

Chapter 24: Extra

The moon was high in the sky, covered slightly by moving clouds. The scene echoed with the rustling sounds of leaves. Running at the speed of light, Damu Lan found himself in a sprint. He then paused in front of a particular tree, carefully surveying his surroundings before swiftly shifting his gaze upward.

Adjusting his posture quickly, as if preparing to capture something—or rather, someone.

"That's dangerous, Mo Yun," he warned, cradling a figure smaller than himself in his arms.

"But you caught me," Bai Chang sneered.

Forwardly, Bai Chang slipped away from Damu Lan's grasp, and both became vigilant again. It seemed they weren't playfully playing a game of tag with each other.

"Where is he?" Damu Lan asked.

Bai Chang shook his head, his glare deepening. "Both of us lost sight of each other." And he continued, "Who was that, anyway?"

Damu Lan stood still, taking his time to contemplate before making assumptions. "It's been two years since we left the sect. Right now, it's best to assume we're enemies of all—the cultivation world, the devils, humans..."

"Are you saying they're trying to hunt us?"

"Possibly. But from the look of it, the man who appeared out of nowhere earlier wasn't chasing after me...but you."

"..."

The wind rushed between them, creating a hushed noise. At that very moment, a man clad in black, fitted outfit leaped from Bai Chang's back, brandishing a dagger.

Startled, Damu Lan's fast reflexes promptly nudged Bai Chang aside. However, it was too late for him to shield himself, and the dagger pierced through his palm.

Their opponent wasn't an ordinary cultivator. Similar to Lu Ye, the man matched Bai Chang's current cultivation level in lowering his presence.

Nevertheless, the damage wasn't too painful for Damu Lan. He quickly withdrew his palm from the dagger.

"Who are you? From which sect do you hail?" Damu Lan questioned, his hands staunchly containing the blood flowing from his palm.

His question went unanswered; the man merely stood before them, methodically wiping his dagger with a cloth to avoid a single drop of blood. His gaze then shifted towards Bai Chang.

Hiding his cloth on his back, the man swiftly pushed Damu Lan aside and charged towards Bai Chang. Distracted by his moves, Damu Lan quickly regained his footing and rushed towards them.

"Mo Yun!"

As the dagger was about to pierce Bai Chang, the man, for a split second, became terrified as he gazed into the fiery red eyes that shouldn't be there from Lu Ye's body, glaring at him, unmoved.

Bai Chang gathered his darkened qi on his palm and delivered a single slap directly to the man's face. The man fell to the ground with a loud thud, causing a medium-massive earthquake.

Such was the difference in their power.

The man faced Bai Chang as he approached, coughing out blood,

"Who are you?" Bai Chang questioned, yet the man simply wiped the blood off his mouth as he replied to Bai Chang's furious gaze, silently.

He quickly took out his dagger and sliced Bai Chang's cheek, swiftly wiping it off before hastily running away, leaving the scene.

"Mo Yun, are you alright?"

Bai Chang wiped the blood trickling from his cheek, displeased.

"I was wondering what his motives were, so I simply stood still to see his next moves... but what was that?"