Qinghe Village was bathed in soft orange light.
Dozens of bamboo lanternss, lit by hand, floated gently in the evening breeze. Each one carried a whispered prayer—prosperity, health, safety—scrawled in neat brushstrokes and tied with red thread. They lined the hillside, dancing like spirits in the dark.
Tonight was the festival of return a yearly offering to the heavens. It was the only day the villagers truly dressed up. Children wore silk sashes, women put flowers in their hair, and even the elders dusted off their old robes.
Lin Wei, dressed in a clean white tunic, stood beside the village shrine with a lantern in hand.
He smiled at the children laughing near the incense tables. He smiled when Auntie Nuan handed him a sweet rice cake. He even smiled when Mei Lan dragged him into a group prayer line.
But beneath that calm, his mind raced.
Ding!
[Participating in a Spiritual Event: +2 Karma]
[Ceremonial Silence: +1 Mental Fortitude]
[You have reached Level 5. Passive Trait Unlocked: "Tranquil Ascender"]
His pulse skipped.
Level 5.
And a new passive trait. He quickly checked his interface:
[New Trait Unlocked]
Tranquil Ascender:
The calmer your mind, the faster your body grows.
Passive breakthrough chance increases when near nature, peace, or spiritual sites.
So now he got stronger faster… just by being calm?
It was both beautiful and terrifying.
He closed his interface. The festival was not the time to panic. Still… he couldn't shake the unease forming in his chest.
And then—he saw him.
At the far edge of the shrine, under the shade of a withered prayer tree, stood a stranger.
He was tall and lean, wrapped in a dark green traveling robe, hair bound in a copper ring. A wooden flute hung at his hip, polished but cracked. His eyes were sharp—but not unfriendly. In fact, he was smiling.
He met Lin Wei's gaze with ease. Didn't look away. Didn't blink.
And then he nodded.
Just once.
Ding!
[Danger Detected: Spiritual Pressure Anomaly]
[Unknown cultivator within 20 meters. Estimated cultivation: Foundation Establishment - Mid Stage.]
Lin Wei's fingers gripped the lantern tighter.
He turned and whispered to Mei Lan, "Who's that man?"
She followed his gaze. "Oh, him? He came in yesterday evening. Said he was a traveler from White Orchid City. Real polite. Didn't ask for shelter, just bought some bread and slept near the riverbank."
"Did the chief speak to him?"
"I think so. Why?"
"No reason."
But there was a reason. And the system confirmed it.
As the villagers gathered to release the floating lanterns into the sky, Lin Wei stepped away—slowly, casually, but away nonetheless.
He walked down the path leading toward the forest edge.
Moments later, he heard footsteps behind him.
"You walk like someone who knows how not to make noise," the stranger said, catching up without any rush.
Lin Wei turned. "And you follow people like someone who doesn't need to."
The man laughed. It wasn't mocking—just amused. "Fair. Very fair. My name is Mu Qingfan. I'm a traveler… and a cultivator."
"Lin Wei. Just a villager."
"Are you?" Mu Qingfan tilted his head. "That's strange. You carry yourself too lightly for a farmer. Your breathing is steady, but your footsteps don't match your frame. That only happens when someone's used to carrying energy unconsciously."
Lin Wei said nothing.
Mu Qingfan's eyes twinkled. "Don't worry. I'm not here to expose you. I'm here because… I smelled something interesting. Power. Hidden and fresh."
"Cultivators can smell that now?" Lin Wei asked, faking a laugh.
Mu Qingfan smiled again. "Only those who've fought long enough to fear the wrong kind of silence."
The wind rustled the leaves. Lantern light glowed behind them like fireflies in the dusk.
Mu Qingfan reached into his robe and pulled out a small wooden token. It was circular, etched with a crane flying over a crescent moon.
"White Orchid Sect," he said. "Outer elder. Low-ranking, but I get around."
Lin Wei's brow rose.
"You don't need to join," Mu Qingfan said, raising a hand. "Frankly, I doubt you'd accept. People like you don't fit into sects. You'd be eaten, dissected, or recruited too quickly."
"Then why are you here?"
"Curiosity," Mu Qingfan said. "And… maybe a bit of protection. You may not know it yet, Lin Wei, but the moment your energy shifts enough, you'll attract things worse than me. Bandits. Rogue cultivators. Or worse—sect scouts looking for 'talent.'"
Lin Wei's voice dropped. "I'm not a threat to anyone."
"You're not," Mu Qingfan agreed. "But power isn't just about what you are. It's about what others think you might become."
Ding!
[Wisdom Challenge: Dialogue with experienced cultivator detected.]
[+3 Wisdom | +2 Insight | New Quest Available: "Choose a Path or Stay Hidden."]
Quest?
Lin Wei suppressed the urge to open the prompt. Not now.
Mu Qingfan walked a few steps ahead, then turned back, his tone softer now. "Here's my advice: leave this village. Not in panic—but with preparation. You're too peaceful for the world that's coming."
"And if I stay?"
"Then keep smiling, Lin Wei," Mu Qingfan said. "Because someone else will come soon. And they won't be curious like me. They'll be hungry."
With that, he vanished—faster than Lin Wei could follow. A blur into the trees.
Later that night, Lin Wei sat by the riverbank alone.
His lantern floated out on the water, its tiny flame flickering as it drifted toward the stars.
Ding!
[Day 3 Complete. Passive Growth Recorded.]
[Level: 5 | Progress: 0.26% toward Immortal Realm]
[Quest: "Choose a Path or Stay Hidden" — In Progress]
[Your presence has been acknowledged by an Outer Sect Elder.]
Lin Wei closed his eyes and breathed.
Tomorrow, he would prepare.
He wouldn't run yet—but soon.
The world was starting to look back at him.
And the moment it stared too long… he would disappear.
Not to run.
But to grow. (Grow a Garden ^^ )