Bright Sword: Conquer the monk at the beginning and take down Zhou Weiguo

"I...I thought you were dead." Applejack whispered, his voice choked with sobs.

"You...why are you here?" Liu San's voice was choked with sobs. "Didn't you die on the front lines? How are you still alive?"

Ajie was silent for a moment, as if trying to recall every detail of the past. Finally, he sighed softly, "I was ambushed and captured by the enemy. They then held me captive, intending to use me as bait to lure you into their trap."

Qin Cang stood aside, listening silently, his eyes darkening slightly. He knew that what Ajie said was not completely nonsense. The situation on the battlefield was often complicated, and death was never absolute. Sometimes, the line between life and death was difficult for even God to determine.

"We thought you were dead a long time ago." Liu San said softly, with a trace of self-blame in his eyes.

Ajie smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I thought I was dead, but I didn't expect that God would give me a glimmer of hope."

Qin Cang took a deep breath and instantly turned his gaze from Liu San to Ajie. Ajie's appearance undoubtedly gave them a little hope, but it also meant that the danger ahead was even more complicated and confusing.

"What are you going to do now?" Qin Cang asked.

A flicker of determination flashed in Ajie's eyes. He finally looked forward and was silent for a moment. "I'm going to take you away, take you out of this shadow. The enemy has begun to encircle us. Now is the best time to leave."

Qin Cang didn't respond immediately. He looked at Ajie quietly, a complex emotion suddenly welling up in his heart. Perhaps this was the turning point he had been waiting for, a new choice.

"Let's go." Qin Cang said calmly, with a hint of helplessness and determination. "No matter how many dangers there are ahead, we have to go."

Liu San nodded, finally revealing a relieved smile. Ah Jie looked at Qin Cang deeply, his eyes filled with awe and gratitude.

Qin Cang's steps didn't pause, but his heart was quietly fluctuating. He was always calm, used to making decisive decisions on the brink of life and death, but at this moment, he suddenly felt a long-lost sense of tension. This feeling didn't come from the enemy, but from a threat he had long been accustomed to and had never perceived.

He didn't turn around, nor did he speed up. He just raised his eyelids slightly, his eyes still fixed on the front as usual. Liu San's pace slowed down a little, and he noticed Qin Cang's strange behavior with some confusion. Liu San also felt a faint sense of uneasiness in his heart. He looked back and then asked in a low voice: "What's wrong with you?"

"Someone is following us." Qin Cang's voice was so soft that it could be ignored. But it was this understated sentence that made Liu San's heart tighten instantly.

Liu San's heartbeat quickened. Though he wasn't usually good with words, his keen sense of battle was undeniable. Several options raced through his mind: retreat? Find an ambush? Or continue forward, pretending everything was normal? But these thoughts only flashed through his mind for a moment, then he decisively dismissed them.

"Wait a minute," Liu San whispered, his eyes fixed on Qin Cang's back. The seemingly fearless man didn't say anything, but he had already made the most accurate assessment of his enemy with every step he took.

"Keep going and don't look back." Qin Cang did not stop and spoke in a cold tone, but Liu San knew that he had always been like this, not expressing emotions easily, but every decision he made was resounding.

They continued forward, their steps steady. The air still carried the same scent of moist earth that enveloped the wilderness around them, as if the land was constantly devouring their very existence. And the moment they took a step forward, the inexplicable pressure behind them suddenly grew heavier.

Qin Cang's heartbeat quickened. His intuition told him that the person behind him seemed to be gradually closing the distance.

Suddenly, there was a sound of light footsteps behind me.

The sound wasn't loud, but it reached his ears clearly—cautious, yet somewhat hurried. It didn't sound like the enemy's pursuit, but more like some kind of hiding tactic. In this deadly wilderness, every inch of air seemed to be stretched taut by the unfamiliar footsteps.

Qin Cang tilted his head slightly, still not looking back. He didn't give anyone the chance to explore his inner thoughts. His face remained calm and composed, as if nothing had ever touched him. But his heart was already churning like a tidal wave - who was behind this?

The feeling of being watched grew stronger, like some cruel toy, like the enemy preparing a war without gunpowder under their noses. Countless possibilities flashed through Qin Cang's mind: perhaps another enemy unit, perhaps a long-lurking hunter, or perhaps, some desperate criminal struggling in this wilderness. Whoever it was, they shouldn't be here, especially not at this time.

He frowned slightly, and suddenly quickened his pace, quickly opening up some distance with Liu San. Liu San noticed Qin Cang's change, and his inner doubts instantly turned into alertness. He quickened his pace, quietly following Qin Cang, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings.

Their footsteps grew more rapid, and so did the footsteps behind them. The man's footsteps, neither too far nor too close, always followed closely behind, as if he didn't want them to notice anything unusual. The quieter the environment, the more subtle the sounds, and sometimes even a small rustling sound could be amplified to the extreme.

Qin Cang didn't dare pause and continued forward. At the same time, a hunch in his heart grew stronger. The person following him was definitely not some random stranger, but a familiar figure. This person seemed to have been hidden in their world for a long time, but had not yet revealed his true face.

Finally, a deep voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Qin Cang."

That voice was like a thorn, piercing Qin Cang's heart. Qin Cang's body stiffened, his steps suddenly stopped. Liu San's eyes changed drastically, and his hands habitually reached for his weapons, ready to face the hostility that might come at any time.

The person behind me finally revealed his true identity.

"I say, Qin Cang, what's wrong? Do you want to abandon me?"

Qin Cang's heart went blank, and his expression instantly became extremely complicated. It was a name that shouldn't have appeared, a face that shouldn't have appeared at this moment. He was too familiar with this voice. Even after not seeing it for many years, this voice was still as clear as if it was engraved in his bones and blood.

That was his former companion, the brother who had fought side by side with him - Li Tian.

Qin Cang didn't turn around. He just stood there quietly, his eyes dimming slightly. Whether it was the current situation or the past, Li Tian's appearance was like an invisible chasm, reminding Qin Cang of some past events that he didn't want to mention again.

"Li Tian..." Qin Cang finally spoke, his voice full of subtle emotion. "Why are you here?"

Li Tian approached slowly, his eyes showing a hint of fatigue, yet also a certain determination. He seemed oblivious to the turmoil in Qin Cang's heart, still wearing a faint smile. "Do you think I'll die?" he asked, a hint of self-mockery in his tone. "Do you think I'll let you all die so easily?"

Qin Cang still didn't turn around. He took a deep breath and said in a heavy voice: "You are dead. We all thought you were dead."

Li Tian smiled slightly and whispered, "Only those who have died once know how precious it is to live. I don't expect to stand with you again, but this time, you can't abandon me."

Qin Cang's heart suddenly surged with mixed emotions. He wanted to ask Li Tian why, but he knew that any inquiry at this moment seemed unnecessary. Li Tian's voice was not as firm as before, but instead carried a hint of inexplicable fatigue, as if hiding some unspeakable past.

"Why...are you following us?" Liu San finally couldn't help but speak. His eyes were fixed on Li Tian, ​​and the uneasy mood in his heart had already been exposed.

Li Tian stopped and smiled, seemingly in no rush to answer. "Following you?" he whispered. "I was supposed to be a part of you. It's just that God played a trick on me and made me disappear for a while."

Qin Cang's heart tightened, his unspoken questions flooding back like a tide, yet he remained silent. He knew full well that the Li Tian he met today was no longer the brother he had once fought alongside. This man had likely been transformed beyond recognition by the years that hadn't died.

"Let's go." Qin Cang said in a low voice, his voice cold and hard.

Li Tian smiled slightly and said, "Let's go. Anyway, we have to finish the last journey together."

The forest remained silent under the night sky. A moist scent hung in the air, only to be broken by the occasional low chirping of night birds. Qin Cang walked at the front, his steps steady and expressionless, as if the world around him had nothing to do with him. Li Tian and Liu San, walking behind him, remained silent, but their pace quickened, their inner tension and uneasiness growing.

"To be honest, I don't quite like this feeling." Li Tian suddenly spoke in a low voice with a hint of uneasiness.

Qin Cang's eyes flickered briefly, but he didn't turn back. Li Tian's mood was clearly connected to the deeper they ventured into the wilderness. Loneliness and oppression often breed doubt, even fear. But Qin Cang knew that no matter how his heart spun, the most important thing in this situation was to remain calm. He had to remain calm in the face of any dilemma, any uncertainty.

"You don't like this feeling? Then why are you still following us?" Liu San asked back in a somewhat provocative tone. He was more anxious than Li Tian.