Morning mist lingered between the trees, refusing to disappear even after the first rays of sunlight reached the forest.
The camp was quieter than usual.
Nearly half of the mercenary groups had already departed the previous day, leaving behind only a handful of tents and scattered campfires.
The clearing that had once been crowded now felt noticeably more spacious.
Xiao Feng slowly folded his blanket before looking around the camp.
“The expedition is ending.”
The words escaped almost unconsciously.
Not because anyone had announced it.
Simply because the atmosphere had changed.
People became less interested in exploration and more interested in returning home.
A short distance away, Xiao Yan was practicing alone.
The heavy black ruler moved through the air with steady, deliberate swings.
Unlike before, there was no desperate attempt to swing as hard as possible.
Each movement was controlled.
Measured.
The improvement was obvious.
Watching from inside the ring, Yao Lao gave an approving nod.
“You’ve finally stopped fighting the ruler.”
Xiao Yan lowered the weapon.
“…What?”
“You used to treat it like an enemy.”
The old alchemist smiled faintly.
“Now you’re beginning to treat it as part of yourself.”
Xiao Yan looked down at the massive weapon resting in his hands.
It still felt unbearably heavy.
But…
Not impossible anymore.
After breakfast, Xiao Feng walked toward the nearby stream to refill several water containers.
Along the way, he noticed something strange.
Yesterday’s footprints beside the muddy bank had disappeared.
Not because rain had washed them away.
Someone had deliberately covered them.
He crouched down and ran his fingers across the disturbed earth.
The marks were fresh.
Less than a day old.
Someone had erased every trace before leaving.
“…Interesting.” This story is hosted at g.com.
He didn’t investigate further.
Whoever had done it clearly didn’t want attention.
There was no reason to interfere.
Still…
He quietly wrote another note inside his journal.
Sometimes what disappeared was just as important as what remained.
Around noon, the Little Fairy Doctor approached while carrying several bundles of dried herbs.
“I’ve finished preparing most of the medicine.”
Xiao Feng accepted one of the bundles without complaint.
The two of them walked together toward the storage wagon.
After a few moments, she suddenly asked,
“When you return to Wu Tan City…”
“…will you continue studying herbs?”
Xiao Feng answered almost immediately.
“Of course.”
“I thought you’d focus on cultivation.”
“I do.”
She looked confused.
He laughed.
“They aren’t mutually exclusive.”
“The more I learn about this world…”
He gently placed the herbs inside a wooden chest.
“…the more I realize cultivation isn’t separated from everything else.”
The Little Fairy Doctor fell silent.
She wasn’t entirely sure she understood.
But somehow…
The explanation felt reasonable.
Elsewhere, several mercenaries gathered around Xiao Yan.
One of them laughed loudly.
“Young Master Xiao, come hunt with us one last time!”
Another immediately joined in.
“We’ll even let you carry the prey.”
Xiao Yan rolled his eyes.
“So that’s your real goal.”
The mercenaries burst into laughter.
Life in the mountains was dangerous.
Moments like these were rare.
Strength alone wasn’t enough.
A cultivator who forgot how ordinary people lived eventually lost something important.
As afternoon approached, preparations for departure finally began.
Tents disappeared one by one.
Supply carts were loaded.
Weapons were inspected.
The expedition that had lasted many days was finally drawing to a close.
Standing near the edge of the clearing, Xiao Feng looked back toward the deeper parts of the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
The ancient forest remained unchanged.
Countless secrets still slept beneath those trees.
Hidden inheritances.
Powerful magical beasts.
Forgotten ruins.
They would continue waiting long after today’s expedition ended.
A person simply couldn’t uncover everything in one journey.
That evening, the remaining members of the camp shared one final meal together.
Someone roasted fresh meat.
Another passed around fruit gathered earlier that day.
Conversations flowed naturally.
Stories became more exaggerated with every passing minute.
One mercenary insisted he had frightened away a Rank Three Magical Beast merely by glaring at it.
Another immediately replied,
“No.”
“You screamed louder than it did.”
Laughter erupted around the fire.
Even Xiao Yan nearly choked on his food.
As darkness settled over the mountain range, Xiao Feng sat quietly outside the camp.
His notebook rested open across his lap.
Instead of writing observations about herbs or terrain, he wrote only one sentence.
“A journey ends, but the road remains.”
He stared at those words for a long moment.
Then quietly closed the notebook.
Tomorrow…
They would begin returning home.
Although somehow…
He felt that this journey had only been the beginning.