Forged in Blood and Shadow

After running for a while, John stopped at a small village. He walked in, still wearing the mask from his encounter with the bounty hunters. It's best to keep the mask on, he thought. I don't know if anyone else in this village is looking for me. Passersby stared at him curiously. It's best for me to find an inn for the night, he decided. He found a small inn and entered.

The innkeeper greeted him. "Welcome, sir! How may I help you?"

"I need a room for the night," John replied. "And send some food up." He paid her.

She called to a young boy working at the inn. "Show this man to his room," she instructed. The boy led John to his room. After entering, John sat on the bed. A few minutes later, the boy brought his food. Once the boy had left, John closed the door and ate. Afterward, he went to sleep.

A few hours later, screams jolted him awake. He rushed to the window and saw villagers being slaughtered. He ran downstairs and found the innkeeper lying on the floor, bleeding. The young boy from the inn was about to be killed by a bandit. Rage surged through John. He moved through the shadows, using his Qi-woven threads to swiftly kill the bandit.

He asked the boy, "Who are they?"

"They're bandits from the nearby mountains," the boy replied, trembling. "They don't usually attack the villages. I don't know what happened."

John checked on the innkeeper. She was still breathing. He gave the boy a pill. "This will help her recover," he said. "Take her and hide."

John walked out of the inn. He looked up at the full moon, unleashing his Qi, which shimmered in the moonlight. He moved towards the bandits, slicing them apart one by one. After killing all but one, he grabbed the last bandit and asked in a deep, terrifying voice, "Why are you killing these villagers?"

The bandit, his voice shaking with fear, stammered, "The… the boss told us to… to kill everyone in the nearby villages."

"Why?" John pressed.

"I… I don't know why," the bandit replied.

John didn't waste any time. He killed the bandit. I should have asked which mountain their base is on, he thought. I guess I'll have to find it myself. He used his Shadow God technique and vanished into the shadows. After searching the surrounding mountains for some time, he finally located the bandits' hideout.