Vampire Progenitor of the Immortal World

Chapter 84: Chapter 64 : Strangers on a path

The next day passed quietly.

Ethan kept moving. Whenever he could, he stayed away from the larger roads, choosing narrower paths through the forest or cutting across open stretches of wilderness instead. He had no destination in mind yet. For now, putting distance between himself and the Azure Cloud Sect was still useful.

But distance alone was no longer enough.

He still cultivated whenever he found the chance. Whenever he came across a secluded place, he would stop for a while, letting Qi circulate through his body as he cultivated while the Blood Seed worked with what he had gathered and refined. Being hunted had not stopped his cultivation.

If anything, he needed it more now. Strength gave him more choices and lately, he was beginning to need every choice he could get.

By late afternoon, Ethan had left the road completely behind. The forest had grown quieter around him, the sounds of passing travelers fading until only the rustling leaves and his own footsteps remained.

He walked beneath the trees for a while before deciding to stop for the evening. A large tree stood a short distance from the road, its roots pushing through the earth and forming a natural place to sit.

This would do.

Ethan gathered a few dry branches from beneath the trees and arranged them into a small pile before striking a spark. The kindling caught after a few attempts, and a small flame soon began to crackle, pushing back the growing chill of the evening.

He settled beside the tree and placed a piece of meat over the fire. As the heat reached it, the surface slowly began to sizzle. Fat dripped into the flames, sending up brief bursts of smoke while the smell of roasting meat gradually spread between the trees. For a while, there was nothing else. For a while, there was nothing else; just the quiet forest, the crackle of the fire, and the rich scent of roasting meat drifting between the trees.

He was turning the meat when a figure appeared between the trees. Ethan had already sensed him, a single presence at the early Qi Refining stage. He glanced toward the approaching figure, then calmly turned the meat over the fire again, his movements never changing.

The man walked toward the fire without hurry. He was broad through the shoulders and heavily built, with thick arms and a rough beard covering most of his face. His clothes were looking worn from travels, creased and stained from the road.

A huge axe rested across his back. Its long handle extended behind one shoulder, while the broad metal head rose above the other. It was a heavy-looking weapon, clearly meant for powerful swings, yet the man carried it with little effort, as though its weight was nothing unusual.

The man stopped a few steps from the fire.

"Mind if I share the fire?"

Ethan looked at him briefly.

"Go ahead."

"Thanks."

The man walked over and lowered himself beside one of the large roots. When he took the axe from his back, the movement made the wooden handle scrape lightly against his clothes. He rested it against the tree, and the heavy metal head settled onto the ground with a dull thud, followed by a faint crunch as it pressed into the dry earth.

The fire crackled between them, filling the brief silence.

Ethan’s eyes moved toward the weapon for a moment before returning to the meat. The man noticed, but said nothing. For a while, they sat in silence. The fire crackled between them. Eventually, the man glanced toward the road.

"How’s the road ahead? I’m thinking of taking that route."

Ethan turned the meat.

"I didn’t come far enough to know."

The man glanced at him.

"Thought you might’ve come from that direction."

"Could be."

The man’s mouth twitched.

"You’re not much of a talker."

"Not really."

"Hmm."

He pulled some dried meat from his clothes and began eating. Ethan did the same with his own food. Neither seemed interested in forcing the conversation any further. After a while, the man’s gaze drifted toward the road again.

"Road ahead should still be passable."

Ethan gave a small nod.

"I suppose."

The man looked at him.

"You suppose?"

"I haven’t checked."

The man chuckled.

"I see."

Silence returned.

Ethan continued eating, quietly aware of the man’s presence through Blood Perception. The man didn’t feel immediately threatening. Still, an early Qi Refining cultivator who traveled alone was unlikely to be completely ordinary. That made him different from the Azure Cloud Sect cultivators Ethan had encountered so far, who had always moved in groups and with a clear purpose.

The man eventually shifted his attention back to Ethan. This time, his gaze lingered a little longer. Ethan noticed from the corner of his eye as the man’s eyes moved over his robe, then down toward his boots. They were muddy and worn from days on the road. Some of the mud had dried around the edges, while darker patches still clung to the leather.

"Been on the road long?" the man asked casually.

Ethan took another bite before answering.

"A few days."

"I figured," the man said, turning his attention back to the fire.Ethan said nothing.For a while, the only sound between them was the crackling fire and the man’s occasional bite of dried meat. Then his eyes wandered toward Ethan’s belongings. They paused briefly on the blood container resting beside him, where a faint dried stain remained around the edge, before moving away.

Ethan noticed his wandering gaze as he kept eating.

"Traveling alone?" the man asked after a moment.

Ethan glanced at him.

"Obviously."

The man’s eyebrows lifted slightly, but instead of taking offense, he gave a short laugh.

"Right. Stupid question."

He tore off another piece of dried meat and chewed for a moment before asking, "Heading somewhere?"

Ethan looked back at the fire.

"What is it to you?"

The man paused, then gave an awkward laugh and raised one hand. "Nothing. Mean no harm. Just trying to keep the mood alive."

AgainEthan remained silent.

The fire popped, sending a small spark into the air before it disappeared. The man leaned back against the tree, apparently content to let the silence return. It lasted only a little while though.

"Don’t see many people dressed like you around here."

Ethan glanced down at himself before looking back at the man. "What’s wrong with my clothes? You got an issue with them?"

"Nothing."

The man grinned, seemingly amused by the reaction. "Just thought you’d be going somewhere important."

"I’m not."

The answer came so simply that the man laughed. "All right."

For a moment, his attention returned to his food. Then, almost as an afterthought, he said, "Name’s Grado."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. The man, now; Grado shrugged.

"Don’t worry. I’m not asking for yours."

Ethan gave a slight nod. That seemed to be the end of it. A little later, Ethan stood. The fire had burned low.

"I’ll be leaving."

Grado looked up.

"Already?"

"Yes."

"You sure?"

Ethan glanced at him.

"I don’t like staying in one place."

Grado studied him for a moment before giving a small shrug. "Can’t blame you

Ethan gathered his belongings. As he stepped around the tree, a breeze moved through the branches, lifting the edge of his outer robe for an instant. The man caught a glimpse of what was underneath; weathered fabric, torn in places and stained with mud, with a dried smear of blood still clinging to one side.

The robe settled again.

Ethan noticed Grado’s gaze linger for a moment longer than it had before. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the torn fabric and the dried blood, as though something about the sight had caught his attention. Then his expression eased, and he said nothing.

Ethan tied his belongings securely.

"Good night."

"Safe travels."

Ethan nodded and walked away. He kept an easy pace at first, his footsteps fading beneath the rustle of leaves as he passed between the trees. The fire disappeared behind the trunks, and soon even its faint glow was gone.

Only then did Ethan change direction, leaving the path he had been following and moving deeper into the forest. His pace gradually quickened. He crossed a shallow slope, stepped over a fallen tree, then veered between two closely spaced trunks. The forest blurred past him as he widened the distance between himself and the fire.

After putting enough distance behind him, Ethan slowed. He came to a stop and let the forest settle around him. He spread his Blood Perception through the surrounding area.

Nothing.

Ethan waited for a while, expecting the man’s presence to remain near the fire. Instead, he felt it moving toward him. Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

So he had followed.

He continued forward at the same pace for a few more steps before gradually accelerating. The distance between them widened quickly. The man was only an early Qi Refining cultivator, and Ethan’s speed gave him a clear advantage in the forest. Still, Ethan wasn’t going to assume that meant the man could never catch him.

He had already learned how dangerous assumptions could be.

Instead, Ethan turned and moved in a wide circle through the trees, keeping far enough away that the man would have little reason to notice him. He kept his pace controlled, placing each step carefully as Blood Perception remained spread around him.

Then he felt it.

There.

The man’s presence was moving along the same path Ethan had taken. Ethan stopped behind the cover of a thick tree and watched through the gaps between the branches. The man followed the trail for some distance, his large frame moving steadily through the forest.

From where Ethan stood, he could see the man’s eyes moving over the ground as he went. Eventually, the man slowed. He looked around before crouching near the ground, one hand resting against his knee as he examined the disturbed soil and flattened leaves Ethan had left behind.

Ethan remained still.

He could hear the faint rustle of leaves in the breeze, but the man gave no sign that he knew Ethan was nearby. After a moment, the man rose and continued forward a few more steps.

Then he stopped.

His gaze moved from one side of the forest to the other. His brows drew together as he looked at the ground again, then into the trees, as though the trail had suddenly stopped making sense.

"Damn it, where did he go?"

His voice carried through the trees.

He searched for a while longer, but found nothing. The man rubbed his beard, his eyes still moving across the forest.

"Could’ve been him..."

He frowned.

"Something felt off."

"Should have trust my guts more"

He looked around one last time, his jaw tightening as his eyes searched the trees. The trail had gone cold, and there was nothing left for him to follow. Pulling the huge axe from his back his hand tightened around the axe. With a sudden swing, he brought it down against the trunk of a nearby tree.

Bang!

The impact shook the branches overhead. Bark splintered beneath the blade, and the heavy sound rolled through the forest. The man yanked the axe free and stood there for a moment, breathing heavily through his nose. His eyes remained fixed on the trees ahead, his expression hard with frustration.

He seemed to consider searching again. Instead, as if considering something he let out a slow breath, lowered the axe, and turned away.

Ethan remained where he was, watching until the man’s presence began moving in the opposite direction. Only then did he leave, following a different path through the trees. He had his answer. The man had been following him.

Ethan had no reason to confront him. The man’s suspicions were understandable enough. He had noticed the state of Ethan’s clothes, the mud on his boots, the dried blood, and the way Ethan had answered his questions. Any one of those things meant little on its own, but together, they were enough to make someone curious. But curiosity alone didn’t explain why the man had followed him into the forest.

There had been to be something else. Ethan had no idea what it was. He hadn’t seen a tracking talisman, and the man had shown no obvious connection to the Azure Cloud Sect. Yet, after Ethan left, he had chosen to follow. That was the part Ethan couldn’t explain.

Ethan continued through the forest, but as the hours passed, he began looking for signs of a settlement. Before, avoiding people had been the easier choice. Now he needed information, and that meant finding somewhere with enough people for rumors to reach him.

He followed the occasional traces of paths and smoke when he found them, but most led nowhere, and the deeper he went, the less he came across. What had once been easy to avoid was now becoming difficult to find. By nightfall, Ethan finally spotted the faint glow of lanterns through the trees. A small settlement lay ahead.

He slowed as he approached its edge.

By the time Ethan reached the edge of the settlement, the sky had already darkened. A few lanterns still burned outside the buildings, their light spilling unevenly across the packed earth and fading into the surrounding darkness.

He slowed as he approached. Voices drifted through the night, men talking near a doorway, someone laughing farther down the path, the occasional clatter of something being moved inside one of the buildings.

For a moment, Ethan remained among the trees and watched.

This was the kind of place he had been deliberately avoiding. Too many people meant too many eyes, too many chances for someone to notice something that shouldn’t be noticed.

But he needed information.

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