CHAPTER 13 — CONTINUATION
Wei Liang exhaled slowly, tightening his grip around the core.
"So it's real…"
He lifted his head—and froze.
The forest had gone silent again.
Not the normal kind.
The kind that meant…
something else was already watching.
---
"…move."
The word didn't come from his mouth.
It formed in his head.
Sharp.
Immediate.
---
His fingers loosened from the core.
Not slowly.
Not carefully.
Just enough.
---
The next second—
it was gone.
No flash.
No obvious motion.
Just… not in his hand anymore.
---
Wei Liang didn't wait.
---
He turned.
And left.
---
Not running wildly.
Not crashing through the forest.
---
Fast.
Low.
Controlled enough to not draw more attention—
but not slow enough to stay in danger.
---
"…don't look back…"
His jaw tightened slightly.
---
His body wanted to.
Instinct.
Fear.
---
But he didn't.
---
He changed direction once.
Then again.
Cutting through uneven ground.
Avoiding the path he came from.
---
A branch scraped lightly against his arm.
He didn't react.
---
"…too quiet…"
The thought pressed harder now.
---
Even as he moved further away—
that feeling didn't disappear completely.
---
Something had noticed him.
That much was certain.
---
"…not for me to deal with…"
A quiet conclusion.
---
His breathing grew heavier.
Not from exhaustion alone.
From tension.
---
He slowed slightly.
Just enough to listen.
---
Nothing chased.
Nothing approached.
---
Still—
he didn't stop.
---
A faint rustle ahead.
---
Wei Liang's eyes sharpened.
---
A small beast darted out from the undergrowth.
Low-tier.
Fast.
---
It lunged—
---
Wei Liang stepped aside instinctively.
---
His hand moved.
One quick strike.
---
The beast dropped.
---
He didn't even look down.
Didn't stop.
---
"…don't waste time…"
---
He moved again.
---
Another presence flickered at the edge of his senses—
but weaker.
Irrelevant.
---
He avoided it completely.
---
Step by step—
the forest began to sound normal again.
---
Faint wind.
Distant movement.
Life returning.
---
Only then did Wei Liang finally slow.
---
His shoulders loosened slightly.
Not relaxed.
Just… less tight.
---
"…I need to move faster…"
His voice was low.
Steadying.
---
The core was gone from his hand—
but not from his thoughts.
---
And neither was that silence.
---
"…medicine first…"
He reminded himself.
---
Everything else—
came after.
---
Wei Liang adjusted his direction once more.
Deeper.
Forward.
---
He didn't know what had been watching him.
And he didn't want to.
---
For now—
surviving was enough.