Chapter 173: Sis on His Back, World on His Shoulders

And Hao already had his eyes on a few.

Something flashy. Something outrageous. Something that might turn out to be the wrong decision.

Outside the store, the scenery had settled into its usual rhythm.

Kurome lay on the floor, grooming her black paws.

The heat of Soul Scorching City had finally eased. The sun dipped low, shadows lengthened, and more people filled the streets, enjoying the milder air.

It was still hot, though.

They passed by the convenience store without even glancing at the door.

Not that Kurome cared.

Her light blue eyes thinned to slits, tail swaying.

Suddenly, she stopped.

She looked to the right.

A man was running – no, limping – down the stree.

A little girl strapped to his back with a tattered length of cloth wound tightly around his chest and shoulders, keeping her in place.

She was slumped there, arms dangling, head bobbing with each staggering step.

His clothes were shredded and half-melted, blackened as if he’d been dragged through lava.

Kurome tilted her head, curious.

How was the man even moving with wounds like that?

But the girl looked worse.

Kurome’s ears twitched.

Her breathing was uneven. Too shallow. From this distance, Kurome could already tell – something wasn’t right. That sound…

It was the kind of breath you heard when someone was clinging to life by a thread.

Kurome’s spiritual sense rippled outward, silent and unseen, brushing gently over the two.

The girl’s pulse was faint.

Her spiritual sea… cracked. Barely holding together.

And behind them –

Footsteps. Steady, deliberate, drawing closer in the distance.

A pursuit?

Kurome’s tail flicked once, the fur along her spine lifting slightly.

That was killing intent.

She sat still for a beat.

Should she meddle in human affairs?

She was just a guardian of the store now. This wasn’t her problem.

But her tail flicked again. Slow. Thoughtful.

She thought of her master.

Of Hao, who had given her a name.

Of the warmth in the store. The amazing food. The way her master never questioned her presence, just… welcomed it.

Her ears twitched.

Fine.

On the other side of the street, past drifting heat and the clamor of late-day life, a ragged boy ran with trembling legs.

“Hang in there, Shu’er.” the boy whispered, barely audible over his own breath.

“We’re almost there. I’ll find medicine soon. We can hide here, this place looks safe…”

His voice cracked. His tone tried to be firm, but every word quivered with fear.

The little girl on his back didn’t respond with words.

She couldn’t.

Her cheek burned against his shoulder. She was awake – he could feel her breath near his ear – but it was shallow, broken. As if her lungs forgot how to work.

“Mhm…”

A tiny sound.

It stabbed through his heart.

He stumbled but didn’t stop, didn’t dare. If he stopped now, he wouldn’t be able to run again.

Internally, he was begging.

To the gods. To the stars. To the immortals.

To anyone listening.

Please.

Please, anyone.

I don’t care who you are. Just help her.

He didn’t believe in anything like that. He never had. But now, in this moment, he’d trade his soul, kneel for a lifetime, crawl across fire if it meant saving her little sister.

And then, just as he turned a corner.

A voice echoed through his mind.

Calm. Strange. Unmistakably female.

‘Enter the outhouse door, human.’

Was that… in his head?

Was he hallucinating?

His breath hitched, and he spun around frantically, eyes darting to every side.

Dust. Walls. Alley. Street. Where?

What door?

He turned again, half-delirious, heart pounding in his throat.

‘Here, human child.’

The voice again. Clearer. Closer.

He snapped his gaze down.

A black cat was sitting at the side of the street.

No, not just a cat.

It wore something. A piece of strange cloth, dark and foreign, fitted for its small feline frame.

Its eyes stared into his.

And then its paw lifted.

Pointed to the right.

There it was.

A worn wooden structure.

A damn outhouse.

He stared.

Was the cat speaking to him?

Or had the gods taken pity and sent this creature as a messenger?

He didn’t have time to question it.

Behind him, he could still hear the faint crunch of footsteps growing closer.

His chest heaved. Mind racing.

Was he really going to enter a toilet?

Why?

Why did that make sense?

He didn’t know.

But his legs moved anyway.

His instincts screamed at him.

Hide. Run. Believe.

And maybe, just maybe, trust the cat.

The boy sprinted toward the door. One hand holding his sister tightly, the other gripping the handle.

With one final, desperate glance behind him, he yanked it open –

And stepped inside.

From between the alley shadows, five figures stepped into view.

Dust trailed in their wake.

Their steps were confident. Their postures aggressive.

Rogue cultivators.

They weren’t wearing sect robes. Instead, mismatched armor pieces and wild leather straps hung from their bodies. Scarves wrapped around their faces. Bone ornaments and metal teeth dangled from their belts, clinking softly as they walked.

One had arms like boulders, his shoulders bare, covered in swirling tattoos and coarse black hair. Another had his chest exposed, muscles twitching under sun-scarred skin. His beard was braided into thick knots, and there were jagged blade marks across his ribs.

The one at the front wore a sleeveless mantle of crimson hide. His hair was spiked, dyed in streaks of silver. His eyes twitched left and right like a beast sniffing blood.

“Liko… liko… where did that brat run off to?” he muttered, grinding his teeth.

Another snarled and kicked over a crate.

“Fuck! That bastard was limping. How far could he have gone?”

“The boss is gonna kill us if he escapes!” a third shouted, breathing hard.

“He had info about the cluster. If it gets out, we’re done for.”

Kurome sat silently. Her gaze swept over them.

Two qi cultivators. Three body cultivators.

The two on the left had light steps and smoother auras. One of them carried several scrolls strapped to his waist. The other held a curved saber.

Both were at the 5th stage of the Saint Apprentice Realm.