Return Of The Talentless Bastard

After establishing the path forward and properly explaining the map, there was little left to do. Kage and the group cleared the space.

Those willing to cross the Silent Grove departed for it. Kage, in all honesty, had hoped people would opt out, but apparently no one did—especially the new group that joined them. They seemed desperate to cross and make up for lost time.

So desperate that Kage pitied them for the fate about to befall them.

They ventured beyond the temple yard, past the warm forest surrounding the hot spring, and finally reached an unsettling landscape.

No signpost marked their arrival at the Silent Groves. But with the way the place had been spoken of until this moment, they knew immediately they'd entered the malicious territory just from the trees now surrounding them.

The trees in the Silent Grove had stopped being ashen or brown with green leaves. They no longer grew straight; instead, they leaned at fifteen-to-thirty-degree angles, each tilting differently—some spiraling like DNA helixes, their branches twisted into knots as if someone had intentionally bound them together.

The bark was smooth where it should have been rough, and rough where it should have been smooth—black, lusterless skin with crimson veins running through like blood vessels. The patterns in the bark sometimes resembled faces frozen mid-scream or paralyzed in horror.

Grasses coiled in spirals around tree bases. Ferns unfolded downward instead of upward.

As they walked carefully and silently through, the sky's light grew muted and pale, as if the canopy devoured most of the sun and left the forest depths with scraps.

Their journey upon first entry was smooth. Though terrified by the vegetation surrounding them, they kept a steady pace behind Kage, who held Bei in one hand and walked forward with an indifferent expression.

Even Lian Feng glanced back constantly, flinching at every shadow, taking his steps with caution. But Kage trudged as if he owned the place—or didn't care who did.

And it slowly began giving the others confidence. If the group struggled with anything, it was that Talia wouldn't stop talking. She always had something either disturbing or fascinating to say about nearly everything.

Such as wondering whether the trees could be cut. Or if they bled, considering they had veins.

After a while, Kage finally stopped, prompting the others to halt and stare at his back.

Lian Feng studied him carefully.

"What's going on? Why are we stopping?"

Kage didn't answer. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and scanned the area.

Talia, blinking with clueless eyes, glanced at Kage, then at Lian Feng—hiding her blush—then at Kaito, who shrugged.

The others waited.

Then Kage looked up and sighed.

"Something's not right."

Lian Feng studied him.

"What makes you say that?"

Kage surveyed the trees.

"The trees here are getting bigger, which means we're approaching the first landmark—the Hanging Tree…"

Lian Feng nodded, also noticing the difference. The others couldn't easily detect it because the change was too subtle. But the trees ahead were even larger, so they knew. They were awed by how Kage could latch onto these details people often missed until they encountered a truly massive tree and wondered when exactly the trees had started growing.

"Brother Kage is truly formidable."

"He must be from one of the great clans."

"I forgive him for stealing our scrolls."

They muttered among themselves, but Isolde and Jiro remained silent, watching Kage with unreadable expressions.

Kage didn't care. He paid no attention—whether praise or curse, neither mattered to him.

Instead, he studied the trees. Lian Feng, understanding what he'd said, asked again.

"Then we're just going to avoid it? You seem troubled by something else."

Kage walked toward one of the trees. They weren't supposed to approach the trees—even with how they looked, no one would want to. The moment he moved closer, some of the group gasped softly, fearful for Kage. But he didn't care.

Instead, he inspected the bark keenly.

Lian Feng followed, also inspecting, hoping to see what Kage saw.

Haru and Kaito exchanged glances, unsure what was happening but patient. Talia tapped her feet on the ground.

She glanced down and spotted a twig. Her eyes sparkled, and she immediately picked it up.

"What ingenious wood!"

She squinted one eye, bringing the twig before her open eye.

"This looks so alive—unbelievable. What marvelous thing could this be? I'm going to keep it!"

Everyone had learned to leave her alone. While they wanted to engage, they feared her ability to dominate any conversation and didn't want the prestigious young lady to think she was a bother.

So they stayed silent. And the only reason they cared enough to be this considerate was Talia's status.

Lian Feng, after finding nothing, turned to Kage.

Kage finally turned away from the trees and faced what should have been their path—if they decided not to avoid the Hanging Trees.

'People need to be more difficult to predict. Tssk.'

Kage's eyes remained unchanged as he broke the silence with a flat tone, as if it were nothing more than what it sounded.

"I think there's an Impure here… somewhere around us."

All of their expressions sank like stones dropped down a well.

"Ehh?"

"What?"

"What do you mean?"

"That can't be."

They protested against Kage's conclusion.

But Kaito, Haru, and Talia remained strangely silent.

Lian Feng rubbed his hand along a scar on his neck, closing his eyes for a moment and falling into deep thought. Then he opened them and spoke calmly to Kage.

"Why do you say this? Is there something in particular that makes you certain?"

Kage pointed to the tree.

"There are patterns on the bark. Plus, before now the Grove smelled like a tomb sealed for centuries, but now it smells tainted—there's a pungent scent of wood."

He explained further before anyone could speak.

"You might think there's nothing wrong with the smell of wood, but the problem is that the Silent Grove hasn't smelled like wood so far. When you're experienced and there's an invasive smell assaulting your nose—making you want to sneeze—you know it. It's the smell of an Impure."

He looked at all of them. Despite everything he was saying, his face remained cold and uncaring, making people wonder.

'Isn't he scared?'

'Is he really telling the truth?'

They doubted him because Kage looked far too calm, contrary to the situation he was describing.

Lian Feng sniffed the air.

"You're right. There's an aggressive smell making my nose itch."

Kage looked at him coldly, then turned to the rest. They were also sniffing the air.

Talia's eyes suddenly widened.

"AH! It smells exactly like this ingenious wood!"

Every gaze shifted to her.