The small wooden house remained quiet beneath the warm afternoon sunlight.
A soft breeze drifted through the open window while the faint scent of fresh water and damp wood lingered gently throughout the room.
Lian finished setting the buckets down near the corner wall before stretching his shoulders slightly.
"…That should be enough for today."
The house already felt far fresher than before after he had opened the windows earlier.
At the very least—
it no longer carried the stale mixture of sweat, medicine, and beast blood that had lingered over the past several days.
Lian exhaled softly afterward.
Then—
his attention shifted toward the hidden bottle beneath the bed.
Excitement immediately surfaced across his face again.
Quickly—
he crouched down and carefully pulled the jade bottle back out.
The Qi Gathering Pills still rested safely inside.
No—
three now after yesterday.
Lian sat down cross-legged beside the bed while carefully opening the bottle once more.
The moment the lid loosened—
a faint medicinal fragrance drifted outward immediately.
Fresh.
Cool.
Rich with spiritual energy.
His eyes brightened instantly.
"Mm… it smells amazing every time…"
Carefully—
he tilted the bottle slightly and allowed another pill to roll gently into his palm.
Round.
Pale green.
Covered in faint medicinal patterns.
Lian swallowed nervously.
Even after successfully using one yesterday—
he still felt excited every time he looked at them.
Real cultivation medicine.
Something ordinary villagers would probably never even see in their entire lives.
Then slowly—
he raised the pill toward his mouth.
And suddenly—
something appeared directly in front of him.
A small white creature.
Silent.
Motionless.
Golden eyes staring directly at him from only inches away.
Lian's pupils shrank violently.
"AHHHH—!"
He screamed in terror while scrambling backward instinctively.
The pill flew from his hand.
His body slammed hard against the wooden wall.
THUD!
The jade bottle nearly slipped from his fingers while his breathing instantly turned chaotic.
"What—?!"
"What is that?!"
His chest rose rapidly.
Heart pounding wildly against his ribs.
The white creature remained completely still afterward.
Simply watching him silently.
Its snow-white scales reflected softly beneath the sunlight pouring through the window while those golden reptilian eyes remained fixed upon him without blinking once.
Lian's mind blanked completely.
A beast?
No—
no ordinary beast looked like this.
And worse—
it had appeared without making a single sound.
Without warning.
As though it had materialized directly out of thin air itself.
Fear flooded through him instinctively.
Meanwhile—
the white lizard remained outwardly motionless.
But inwardly—
his thoughts moved calmly.
Moments earlier—
while observing the child retrieve the pill—
he had been thinking.
The strange tightness inside his chest had disappeared completely recently.
But he already understood the reason behind it.
Still—
understanding something and fully confirming it were different matters entirely.
So—
he tested it.
First—
he released killing intent toward the child.
Pure.
Direct.
The instinctive desire to kill.
And immediately—
he felt it again.
That strange tightness within his chest.
Faint.
But unmistakably present.
The same invisible resistance from before.
The lizard had not been satisfied with only that.
So—
he moved closer.
Then swung his tail.
Directly toward the child's head.
Fast enough to pierce straight through it instantly.
Yet—
before impact—
his body stopped on its own.
Completely.
Naturally.
As though something deep within him had rejected the action itself.
The lizard's golden eyes narrowed faintly afterward.
Meanwhile—
Lian remained pressed tightly against the wall.
Face pale.
Breathing ragged.
Eyes wide with absolute terror.
The pill he had nearly swallowed rolled helplessly across the wooden floor before stopping beside a table leg.
His terrified gaze remained locked onto the small white reptilian creature hovering silently before him.
Golden eyes staring directly into his own.
Lian's mind had gone completely blank.
Cold sweat spread down his back instantly.
Neither of them moved.
The room remained deathly quiet.
Lian's thoughts spiraled into complete panic.
His heart hammered violently inside his chest while cold sweat soaked through his clothes.
A beast.
A spiritual beast.
Inside his house.
Right in front of him.
But even amidst the overwhelming terror—
his thoughts still desperately tried to remain rational.
*It's small.*
That thought surfaced first.
The creature looked strange.
Nothing like the ordinary beasts living within the forest.
Its snow-white scales, black horns, and folded wings made it appear almost unnatural beneath the sunlight.
And those golden eyes—
Lian didn't even know how to describe them.
Cold.
Ancient.
Inhuman.
But still—
small.
Very small.
Not even the size of a household cat.
Lian's breathing trembled violently.
*Maybe it isn't strong.*
*Maybe I can force it back and run.*
His mother still had not returned home yet.
If he escaped outside—
if he screamed loudly enough—
someone might hear him.
That thought gave him just enough courage to move.
Suddenly—
Lian lunged forward.
As fast as he possibly could.
A desperate rush directly toward the white lizard.
Yet—
the lizard did not move.
Not even slightly.
Those golden eyes merely watched him calmly.
Then—
gravity descended.
Lian's body stopped instantly mid-motion.
His feet left the ground completely.
"…Eh?"
His pupils shrank violently.
The world tilted around him.
His body floated helplessly several feet above the wooden floor.
Arms flailing uselessly through empty air.
"What—?!"
Fear exploded inside him instantly.
Invisible pressure wrapped tightly around his entire body like an enormous hand.
No matter how desperately he struggled—
he could not move.
Could not escape.
Could not even fall.
The white lizard continued hovering silently before him.
Completely calm.
Lian's face lost all color.
His breathing became ragged and uneven.
"…N-No…"
His voice cracked weakly.
And finally—
the realization hit him completely.
This thing—
was far beyond him.
Far beyond anything he could possibly resist.
The stories villagers constantly told about immortals and terrifying spirit beasts flashed rapidly through his mind.
Creatures capable of slaughtering people effortlessly.
Cultivators who viewed mortals no differently than insects.
And now—
he was trapped helplessly before one.
Lian's struggles weakened almost immediately afterward.
Terror overwhelmed him entirely.
Then—
his voice finally broke.
"P-Please…"
Tears spilled uncontrollably from his eyes.
"Please don't kill me…"
The invisible force holding him in place remained perfectly steady.
Lian trembled violently in midair.
"I-I'll do anything…"
"Please…"
"I don't want to die…"
His crying soon became completely uncontrollable.
Fear.
Despair.
Helplessness.
All of it poured out at once.
Meanwhile—
the white lizard simply watched him silently.
Golden eyes unreadable.
The room remained deathly still aside from the sound of the child's sobbing.
Then—
slowly—
the lizard drifted closer.
Lian's body stiffened instantly.
His crying became even more frantic.
"No—! Please—!"
Yet the small white creature merely stopped directly in front of his face.
Close enough for Lian to see his own terrified reflection within those golden reptilian eyes.
The lizard observed him quietly.
The fear.
The trembling.
The instinctive desperation to survive.
Children truly cried easily.
And yet—
even now—
that strange resistance inside his chest remained.
Preventing him from killing the child.
The white lizard became thoughtful once more.