She turned sharply, only to see another figure blocking the way back.
Five men, dressed in tattered robes, their faces twisted with hunger and malice. Bandits.
"Well, well," one of them sneered. "A pretty thing wandering alone at night."
She took a step back, her mind racing. Running was impossible. Fighting—she had no weapon, and she could not risk harming her child.
They took a step closer.
"Leave your valuables, and we might let you go," another said, his grin revealing rotting teeth.
She clenched her jaw. "I have nothing."
"Lies," the leader hissed. His eyes landed on the bundle in her arms, and his smile widened. "Unless… that's something valuable."
Her blood ran cold.
The bandit took another step forward—
And then he stopped.
The entire alley fell silent.
A pressure filled the air, thick and suffocating. It wasn't killing intent, nor was it the presence of a powerful warrior.
It was something else.
The bandits shivered, their bodies freezing in place as if an unseen force had locked them down. Their breaths came in ragged gasps, fear creeping into their eyes.
The woman, too, felt it—a chilling energy that sent shivers down her spine.
Then, she realized.
It was coming from her son.
The child had not moved, his face still nestled against her chest. But the air around him trembled, unseen ripples spreading outward like a tide.
The bandits' leader fell to his knees, choking on his own breath. The others followed, collapsing one by one, their faces twisted in horror.
They didn't know what was happening. They only knew one thing.
They had to run.
Without a word, they scrambled away, their footsteps disappearing into the night.
As the strange pressure faded, she exhaled shakily, looking down at her son.
His expression remained unchanged.
But deep within, something was stirring.
She left the town at dawn, avoiding any further encounters.
As she walked, her mind raced with questions.
That power… what was it?
Her son had no dantian, no core—yet he had released something that froze those men in terror.
The physician had called him incomplete.
Was this part of what was missing?
She didn't have the answers. But she knew one thing—she had to reach the capital.
No matter what dangers lay ahead, she would not stop.
For her son.
For his future.
And for the truth waiting at the end of the road.