Murim Recurve

The scout closed his eyes, summoning his Pranic Avatar, placing his hand in the water. He cross-checked the images displayed in both the perceptions, zooming towards the place he sensed the presence of Re'Kha.

He noticed her feet buried underwater. Placed nearby were her hands, trembling as they clenched and relaxed at regular intervals. Judging by the state of clenching and shivering, and the lack of strength in the actions, the scout judged Re'Kha was in a weakened state.

He then saw her feeling about through the water before coming across a cloth strip, grabbing hold of it as her hands left the water. 'She's blind.'

Just through the actions alone could the scout determine it, thanks to his abundant experience. He then focused on her actions, soon commenting, "She is not under the control of the Kalhas, and is in a state of shock and paranoia. She is feeling lost and afraid."

"She is blind after all." Another scout smirked, turning silent when the leader glared at him. The leader muttered, "Keep your voice down."

"She won't be able to hear our voice, leader." The scout that was inspecting the granary said, "Re'Kha is hiding within an Aeki after toppling it. Only in this way does she probably feel safe. Also, the granary within is vast, bigger than any settlement's household should possess."

"That is strange indeed," The leader nodded, "Make note of all the oddity in the situation, it might prove useful in future missions."

The scout then expanded his perception, noticing most of the granary filled with water, with food floating on its surface. The Water Qi within it was lacking to give him a clear picture. After all, a thin stream of it exited through the gap in the entrance.

The water the Aeki generated within was bereft of Water Qi, so when it mixed into the water, it diluted the Water Qi in it, expending it as the water flowed out. As time passed, the density of the Water Qi in the water reduced, preventing the scout from getting a clear view of everything.

Still, he used the Water Qi perception of his Pranic Avatar to sense for the existence of other presences within it, "There are a lot of living presences within the food floating on the surface. I am unable to find out what they are."

"Wait, don't use your Nerou to perceive them directly, continue to probe around using its Water Qi perception. We cannot rule out the fact that the Kalhas might be hiding amidst them." The leader cautioned him, making the scout heave a sigh of relief.

The scout then probed further, finally shaking his head, "The presences are immobile. They haven't moved even once till now. I cannot determine them clearly since their traces in the Water Qi is almost negligible."

"Is it a type of fish they had stored?" The leader muttered, "Still, this household is strange too. Possessing a granary of such massive scale when the Imperial Law had clearly dictated the limits for households from every social ladder."

"Continue monitoring the situation within and relay us everything," The leader said to the scout before glancing at his disciple, "Act as a Harmoniser soldier from the Bura Fort and probe her situation."

"Yes, master." The disciple nodded with a confident expression, adjusting his voice as he changed the tone, heading towards the breach in the kitchen walls. Seeing his actions, the scouts looked amused, but after a glare by the leader, they turned serious.

The disciple walked out, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Anyone alive, I'm a soldier stationed at the Bura Fort. The rescue forces have surrounded the settlement and are planning to bomb this place to rid the Kalhas. If anyone is still alive, shout once, and I'll swiftly head to your rescue."

He then saw the breach in the kitchen walls, shouting as he entered, "Is there anyone within this house? We already got rid of all the Kalhas within."

Re'Kha observed their actions, taking in a deep breath as she focused, slowly moving within the Aeki while pushing it forward. She ensured her actions seemed weak, lacking the strength and energy to even move.

The scout observing her muttered, "I think the household kidnapped her and planned to do something with her. Now that I observe it further, there are signs of struggle everywhere, and a lot of cloth has been ripped into strips to tie up things."

"Continue," The leader muttered. The disciple communicated with the scout using hand signs, collaborating accordingly. He purposely crossed the kitchen, entering the living room as he shouted. He made a round before starting to return once he obtained the signal from the scout, cursing, "Dammit, there are no survivors here too. This place became desolate."

Re'Kha slowly moved closer to the end where the entrance opened, craning her hand as she pulled out the needle-shaped Magic Artifact, tapping on the wall once. Once completely unplugged, the flow of water exiting the granary increased, making the scouts witness an apparent trail.

As they had splashed water first on the floor before entering, they hadn't noticed it. And, by the time they used their eyes to see, the entire floor was already covered by the water they had poured. Only now, when the flow of water exiting the granary through the tiny gap increased did they notice.

The disciple immediately stopped moving, shouting in surprise, "Where is this water flowing out from? Is there another room hidden behind?"

He acted surprised, followed by the sounds of the utensils thrown to the floor, in an effort to find any traces of the entrance. Re'Kha took in a deep breath before activating her Wind Qi perception, extending it through the narrow pipe in the granary—built for keeping it aired. She spread it through the protrusions on the exterior of the house, soon finding a hole to squeeze in, spreading her perception throughout the house's interior.

Now, she could determine the figures of the twenty scouts, all standing in and around the kitchen. Using the needle-shaped Magic Artifact, Re'Kha tapped the entrance once again, causing sharp echoing sounds.

"W-Wait…" A weak, muffled voice resounded through the entrance. The disciple smiled upon hearing the sound, soon acting surprised as he flailed about, dropping a couple more utensils, "There's a survivor?"