The moon hung low over Qinghe Village, veiled behind gray clouds that crawled like ghosts across the sky.
It was nearly midnight.
The only sounds were the rustle of bamboo, the distant hoot of an owl, and Lin Wei's footsteps—quiet, calculated, practiced.
Tonight was not a test.
It was the first real step away.
He'd prepared over the last few days:
Sliced a hidden trail through the forest behind the mill.
Collected energy-dampening herbs.
Wrapped his shoes in cloth dipped in lotus wax to soften his steps.
And now, wrapped in a faded travel robe with a rice straw hat, Lin Wei walked with the silence of someone trained for this moment.
Even if he never trained at all.
> Ding!
> [Miststep Activated]
> [Aura Veil Engaged]
> [Night Departure Protocol: +5 Concealment, +3 Movement Efficiency]
> [Route Confidence: 87% – no known watchers.]
He exhaled softly.
Just past the next ridge, he'd reach the old hunter's trail—rarely used, far from the shrine's spiritual boundary, and outside the reach of the sect-linked tracking wards.
By morning, he would be gone.
But then.
A shriek split the silence.
Not a human scream. Not a beast's howl.
Something... between.
The sound echoed from the village's eastern ridge.
> Ding!
> [Spirit Beast Detected: "Hollow-Furred Ghoulcat"]
> [Threat Level: Low-Mid Cultivation (Feral)]
> [Behavior: Parasitic – drawn to emotional fear and karmic pressure.]
Lin Wei paused.
He knew that sound. It meant the ghoulcat had found prey—someone afraid, someone vulnerable.
He turned around.
No. This wasn't his problem. He couldn't risk exposing himself.
> Warning: Village-wide alarm will draw attention to all active cultivators.
> Engaging with force may reveal growth rate irregularities.
His hand trembled.
But the shriek came again—closer now.
A child's voice cried out for help.
Lin Wei dropped his bag.
Without thinking, he moved.
Feet brushing through grass. Breath shallow. The system adjusted with him, syncing rhythm with instinct.
By the time he reached the outer field, he saw her. Ping'er, a small girl from the baker's family, clinging to a tree trunk while a ghoulcat circled below—skeletal thin, covered in tufts of gray fur and spiritual rot. Its mouth unhinged far too wide.
No one else had arrived yet.
> Ding!
> [Emergency Intervention Mode: Activated]
> [Passive Trait "Tranquil Ascender" buff multiplied during emotional suppression.]
Lin Wei acted in silence.
He picked up a stone—smooth, flat, heavy.
He stepped into position.
And he threw it.
> Ding!
> [Precision Strike – Passive Technique Activated]
> [You have struck a spirit beast's spinal node. Stun applied: 2.4 seconds.]
The rock hit the ghoulcat between the shoulders. It jerked violently and collapsed with a shriek.
Lin Wei dashed forward, grabbed Ping'er by the waist, and rolled behind a mossy boulder.
> Miststep activated.
> Aura Veil partially obscured spiritual trail.
> Child's fear reduced by 40%.
"Don't cry," he whispered. "You're safe."
Ping'er stared up at him, wide-eyed and shaking. "You're... Lin Wei?"
> Ding!
> [Affinity Update: Ping'er – +20]
> [Karmic Thread Established.]
Before he could respond, a burst of red flame shot from the nearby trees and consumed the ghoulcat in seconds.
A cultivator arrived—someone from outside.
No robes. Just a red flame seal etched into leather armor. He stepped into the clearing, panting.
"You saw anything?" he asked Lin Wei.
"No," Lin Wei lied, still holding the child. "It was already burning when I got here."
The man narrowed his eyes.
Then nodded.
"Return her to the village. And stay away from the ridge. Something's wrong with the shrine again."
Back in his hut, Lin Wei sat by candlelight, legs crossed.
> Ding!
> [Emergency Rescue: +3 Karma]
> [Combat Action without Cultivation: +2 Efficiency]
> [You have reached Level 8]
> [Trait Milestone Triggered]
[Trait Choice – System Personality Evolution]
You are no longer merely surviving. You are beginning to define your nature. Choose a guiding thread:
Ghost of the Quiet Path:
You remain hidden, always acting when eyes are closed. Gain stealth bonuses and karmic veil abilities.
Caretaker of Forgotten Fires:
Your growth inspires others without them knowing. Gain slow passive buffs to allies you help. Karma accumulates toward destiny events.
Echo of the Still Blade:
Your actions remain minimal, but when you strike—it is decisive. Learn instinctive counter-based techniques and spirit-deterrent auras.
Lin Wei stared at the three glowing choices. Each one was him… and none of them were.
But something in him pulled toward the second.
He hadn't asked to help Ping'er. But he had. Just as he had helped Mei Lan, Auntie Nuan, and even Wu Shen when no one else saw.
Not to be noble.
Just because it was right.
> Choice Confirmed: Caretaker of Forgotten Fires
> You now gain Karmic Seeds when your silent actions change the fate of another.
> Seeds may awaken dormant talents or protect you in unseen ways later.
A new glow lit beneath his system interface—a small ember flickering like a seed.
The next day, Lin Wei did not leave.
Not yet.
Instead, he walked to the center of the village, offered to help repair a fence destroyed by the beast, and quietly laid spiritual thread across the damaged wood while no one looked.
> Ding!
> [You have passed karma into the land.]
> [1 Karmic Seed Generated.]
Even doing good while pretending to be ordinary… made him stronger.
And that made him harder to detect.
He smiled faintly.
Perhaps... perhaps he didn't have to run.
Perhaps he could walk slower.
And let the world mistake him for a shadow.