Together, Kai and Lu Bu made their way out of the refugee camp that sprawled outside Wuyuan City. As they walked, Kai remained acutely aware of his surroundings, ensuring that he didn’t draw any attention from the other refugees. He kept his head down, his expression neutral, as they slowly navigated the maze of tents and makeshift shelters, the sounds of whispered conversations and distant cries echoing around them.

  Kai’s mind raced with thoughts of his encounter with Sato. In retrospect, it became clear to him why so many refugees seemed to avoid the merchant’s tent. He realized he was likely not the first person Sato had exploited; the merchant’s reputation for deceit and cruelty must have spread like wildfire among the desperate souls seeking aid. The furtive glances at Sato’s tent he had observed earlier now made sense. Sato was a predator, and the refugees were his prey.

  Yet, despite the risks, Sato was the only merchant in the area trading food and supplies. Kai understood the harsh reality that many refugees faced: they were caught in a web of necessity, forced to weigh their options carefully. Even knowing the danger, they would still approach Sato, driven by the desperate need to feed their families and secure basic provisions. It was a grim reminder of the lengths to which people would go to survive, even when it meant dealing with someone as unscrupulous as Sato.

  As they neared the outermost edge of the refugee camp, Kai cast a wary glance over his shoulder. His sharp eyes swept across the tangle of tents and huddled figures, searching for any sign that someone might be trailing him. So far, no one seemed to be paying him any mind, but he remained uneasy.

  A nagging worry gnawed at him—after all, when he had entered Sato’s tent, he had done so with an armful of furs, valuable enough to attract the attention of anyone desperate enough to try something unscrupulous. In a place like this, where hunger and misery loomed over every soul, temptation was a dangerous thing. He wouldn’t have been surprised if someone had followed him, waiting for the right moment to strike.

  And yet, it seemed that his humiliating exit from Sato’s tent had done him an unexpected favor. Anyone who had been watching had seen him tossed out like discarded trash, his dealings with the merchant ending in failure. To onlookers, it must have seemed as if he had lost everything, swindled out of his goods and left as destitute as the rest of them. If there had been anyone considering robbing him, they had likely decided it wasn’t worth the effort. After all, why steal from a man who had already been stripped bare?

  As Kai slipped past the final row of patched tents, the camp's perpetual haze of woodsmoke from makeshift fires clinging to his clothes like a second skin, he paused to scan the shadows. Dusk painted the squalid settlement in bruised oranges, the air sharp with the tang of unwashed bodies and desperation.

  “Okay, let’s go meet with the others,” Kai said to Lu Bu, steeling himself for the journey ahead as they prepared to leave the tent city behind and reunite with his spirit beast. The weight of the recent encounter still lingered in his mind, but he pushed it aside, focusing on the path ahead.

  They walked for twenty minutes, the sounds of the camp fading into the distance as they made their way back onto the old road that wound through the woods. The path was overgrown and appeared to be seldom used, a stark contrast to the bustling chaos they had just left behind. As they passed the treeline and entered the embrace of the forest, the air felt cooler and fresher, a welcome relief from the stifling atmosphere of the camp.

  Lu Bu tugged at Kai’s hand, his small fingers gripping tightly as he pulled his guardian to a halt. Kai looked down at the child, noticing the mix of anger and sadness etched across Lu Bu’s face. The boy’s eyes were wide, filled with a fierce determination that belied his young age.

  “Why… why did you let Sato do that to you?” Lu Bu asked, his voice trembling slightly as he searched Kai’s gaze for answers. The question hung in the air, heavy with the weight of the child’s concern and confusion.

  Kai knelt down to meet Lu Bu at eye level. “I didn’t let him do anything, Lu Bu,” he replied gently, choosing his words carefully. “I thought it was better to play along and avoid a fight.”

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  “But it was wrong!” Lu Bu exclaimed, his voice rising with indignation. “You’re strong! You could have fought back! You shouldn’t have to let that merchant treat you that way! Yet, you let him humiliate you.”

  Kai admired Lu Bu’s fierce spirit, but he also understood that the world they lived in was far more complex than the child could grasp. “Listen, Lu Bu,” he began, meeting the boy’s gaze. “Just because I could fight back doesn’t mean I should. Yes, I could have confronted Sato, but then what? Someone else connected to him might come after me—like his guard. What do I do then?”

  Lu Bu’s brow furrowed in thought, his youthful determination shining through. “You could have beaten him too! You ran as fast as a horse for an entire day while carrying me on your back! He would be no match!” His voice was filled with conviction, as if the sheer strength of Kai’s abilities should have been enough to overcome any obstacle.

  “Maybe I could beat the guard,” Kai conceded, “but what if they send another person after I defeat him? And what if I beat that person, only for them to send another, and another? They could keep sending people after me for revenge until they send someone stronger than me. Do you think I want to live my whole life fighting? No. In that endless cycle of revenge, not just I, but innocent people would get hurt. It was better to swallow my pride than to create issues down the line for both of us.”

  “But he humiliated you…” Lu Bu protested, his voice tinged with frustration. The child’s sense of justice was palpable, and Kai could see how deeply the situation affected him.

  “Here’s a good life lesson to live by,” Kai said, drawing upon a memory from the strange dreams he had, where he had interacted with his father in another world as Mike. “One should live with pride, but not be beholden to it. Pride can’t put food in your belly, a roof over your head, or solve your problems. Sometimes, it’s better to throw away your pride than to let it control you and cause you grief.”

  Lu Bu’s expression softened as he absorbed Kai’s words. “So, it’s okay to let it go sometimes?” he asked, his voice quieter now, as if he were beginning to understand the weight of what Kai was saying.

  “Exactly,” Kai replied, a small smile breaking through the tension. “There are times when standing your ground is important, but there are also times when it’s wiser to step back and choose a different path. It’s about knowing when to fight and when to let go. Life is full of challenges, and we have to be smart about how we face them.”

  The child nodded slowly, his fierce determination now tempered with a growing understanding of the complexities of their world. “I think I get it, Uncle Kai.”

  "Good," Kai replied.

  "But, Uncle Kai, wasn’t that map important?" Lu Bu pressed, his brows knitting together in concern. "That horrible man didn’t give it to you, even after you begged him!"

  Kai let out a low chuckle, his expression unreadable. "Oh, don’t worry about that," he reassured the boy, a knowing smile creeping onto his face. "I had a feeling he never intended to part with the map—not when he demanded twenty coats’ worth of leather. That was just a test."

  "A test?" Lu Bu repeated, eyes widening slightly.

  Kai nodded. "I needed to confirm that he actually had a map in his possession."

  Lu Bu’s curiosity flared. "But why did you need to know if he had it?"

  Kai didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his eyes twinkled with amusement as he called out, "Yinying."

  Almost instantly, a ripple of shadowy qi shimmered in the air, and a sleek black form materialized atop Kai’s shoulders. The shadow fox, Yinying, appeared without a sound, her three tails curling behind her in elegant arcs, their white tips flicking in the dim light of dusk. Her fur, impossibly soft and dark as midnight, gleamed faintly, absorbing the fading glow of the setting sun.

  Yinying’s sharp, intelligent eyes locked onto Lu Bu, and a mischievous glint sparkled within them. Within her jaws—the very map Sato had so smugly withheld. The parchment, slightly crumpled from her careful grasp, hung from her teeth like a prize.

  Lu Bu gasped. "No way!"

  Kai smirked, reaching up to scratch Yinying behind the ears. "See?" he said, nodding toward the fox. "Once I knew for certain Sato had one I asked Yinying to slip in and take it and after we left. I trusted she could handle it."

  Yinying let out a soft, self-satisfied chuff, as if pleased with herself for proving Kai right.

  Lu Bu shook his head in amazement, staring at the fox, then at the map. A slow grin spread across his face. "That was incredible," he murmured.

  Kai chuckled, tucking the map into his robes. "Sato thinks himself clever," he mused. "But he underestimated just how clever others can be."

  Yinying flicked her tails, clearly agreeing.

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