Wa Shi watched him quietly for another long moment.
Then his gaze shifted toward the Water Essence Crystals resting on the nearby table.
"The agreement is complete."
His tone remained calm.
Final.
Lian nodded once.
This time—
without hesitation—
he stepped forward and handed over the two Water Essence Crystals they had agreed upon earlier.
Wa Shi accepted them carefully.
The moment the crystals disappeared into the old man's sleeve—
the faint cold spiritual energy lingering within the room noticeably weakened.
Wa Mie stared slightly.
Even now—
she still struggled to believe that treasures like those had been casually hidden inside Lian's coat the entire time.
Wa Shi calmly stored the crystals away before turning his attention back toward Lian once more.
"However…"
Lian paused slightly.
Wa Shi continued evenly,
"You have never properly learned a cultivation technique before."
A brief pause followed.
"So merely possessing manuals will not necessarily help you."
Lian remained quiet.
That part was true.
He could read.
But cultivation manuals were obviously far different from ordinary books.
Wa Shi folded his hands behind his back once again.
"You will require guidance."
Wa Mie immediately nodded from the side.
"Definitely."
She pointed toward the manuals still in Lian's hands.
"You literally just became a cultivator."
Lian ignored her completely.
Wa Shi continued calmly,
"So."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"What will you exchange for instruction?"
Silence settled briefly throughout the room afterward.
The meaning behind the question was obvious.
The manuals themselves had been one exchange.
Actual guidance—
was another matter entirely.
Wa Mie blinked slowly.
"…Oh."
Right.
Teaching itself carried value too.
Lian lowered his gaze slightly toward the manuals while thinking quietly.
Then after several moments—
he answered honestly.
"…I'll try learning them myself first."
Wa Mie looked surprised immediately.
"Yourself?"
Lian nodded slowly.
"I don't want to depend on someone too much."
The room quieted slightly again.
Wa Shi simply watched him silently.
Lian continued calmly,
"I really only have one thing worth exchanging right now."
A faint pause followed.
"And if I keep relying on it for everything…"
His fingers tightened slightly around the manuals.
"…Eventually it won't last."
Wa Shi's eyes narrowed faintly.
Lian continued honestly,
"Yes, I still have some left."
There was no point denying that now.
"But not that much."
That part—
at least—
was technically true.
Most of the Water Essence Crystals still remained hidden.
But compared to whatever existed within the wider cultivation world…
his resources probably truly were not endless.
Wa Shi studied him carefully afterward.
Long enough for silence to fully settle through the room once more.
Then finally—
the old man gave a slow nod.
"…A reasonable mindset."
Wa Mie blinked.
"Really?"
Wa Shi answered calmly,
"Dependence dulls judgment."
His gaze returned toward Lian.
"And cultivators who rely entirely on others rarely survive for long."
Lian quietly absorbed those words.
Because somehow—
they sounded less like advice…
and more like experience.
Wa Shi continued evenly,
"Very well."
"You may attempt to comprehend the manuals yourself first."
Then his eyes sharpened slightly.
"But if your circulation becomes unstable…"
A brief pause followed.
"…or if you fail to understand the foundational structure correctly…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"Stop immediately."
Lian nodded seriously.
"…Understood."
Wa Shi continued calmly,
"Improper circulation damages the meridians."
"Improper compression damages the spiritual foundation itself."
Wa Mie immediately crossed her arms.
"That still sounds dangerous."
Lian glanced toward her.
She continued seriously,
"You literally just became a cultivator."
A pause.
"You need proper instruction if you want to learn those techniques quickly."
Lian blinked slightly.
"Quickly?"
Wa Mie nodded immediately.
"Of course quickly."
Then she pointed proudly toward herself.
"Just like me."
Lian stared at her.
"…Oh?"
"Isn't that a little excessive?"
Wa Shi's eyes narrowed faintly from the side.
Wa Mie instantly shook her head.
"No."
"It's perfectly reasonable."
Then she lifted her chin smugly.
"Especially since I already reached Second Stage Spirit Refining."
Silence.
Lian stared at her for a moment.
"…Wow."
Wa Mie immediately looked pleased with herself.
"Hmhm."
Meanwhile—
inside—
Lian genuinely felt surprised.
Second Stage Spirit Refining.
That meant she was already ahead of him.
And not by a small amount either.
If not for Lizarius—
he probably truly would have needed years just to barely reach First Stage himself.
That realization grounded him slightly once again.
Wa Mie crossed her arms proudly.
"So he's not the only one who recently broke through."
Lian looked toward her again.
"…When did you advance?"
Wa Mie answered casually,
"About two months ago."
Lian paused slightly.
Two months ago.
Meaning—
while he had still been trapped beneath the lake.
Cultivating endlessly within that strange hidden environment.
Lian lowered his gaze for a brief moment.
Then looked back up again.
"…So what technique did you learn?"
Wa Mie brightened instantly.
"Wind Wall."
Lian blinked once.
"…Wind Wall?"
Wa Shi answered calmly from the side.
"A low-grade defensive wind technique."
His hands folded behind his back once more.
"It forms compressed layers of rotating wind Qi in front of the user's body."
Lian listened carefully.
Wa Shi continued evenly,
"The technique itself is simple."
"But maintaining stability while sustaining the rotating airflow is difficult for beginners."
Wa Mie immediately added proudly,
"I learned it in three weeks."
Wa Shi glanced toward her calmly.
"You learned the foundation in three weeks."
A brief pause.
"You still lose structural control whenever your concentration breaks."
Wa Mie's expression froze immediately.
"…Grandfather."
Lian almost laughed.
Wa Shi ignored her completely.
"The technique becomes unstable whenever emotional fluctuations interrupt circulation."
He looked toward Lian.
"Which is why control arts matter first."
Then he gestured lightly toward the manual in Lian's hand.
"Water Control Art may appear basic."
"But foundational techniques determine the stability of everything cultivated afterward."
Lian slowly nodded.
That actually made perfect sense.
Wa Shi continued calmly,
"Many young cultivators become obsessed with offensive techniques too early."
"They pursue destructive power before establishing proper structure."
His eyes narrowed faintly.
"Most damage themselves because of it."
Wa Mie muttered quietly from the side,
"…He says that every week."
"Because it remains true every week."
Wa Shi answered immediately.
Wa Mie sighed dramatically.
Lian lowered his gaze toward the two manuals again afterward.
Water Control Art.
Flowing Deepwater Compression Method.
Simple names.
Yet somehow—
they felt heavier now.
Not because of power.
But because they represented the beginning of a real cultivation path.
A genuine one.
Not blindly absorbing spiritual energy beneath an underground lake while surviving through instinct and luck beside an immortal lizard.
The thought surfaced naturally.
And immediately—
Lian's gaze drifted slightly.
Instinctively.
Toward the nearby window.
Empty.
No white scales.
No floating figure.
Nothing.
Wa Mie noticed immediately.
"…What are you looking at?"
Lian blinked once before quickly looking away.
"…Nothing."
—
Scene Shift
—
The thought surfaced naturally again as Lian walked back through the village beneath the warm afternoon sunlight.
If Lizarius ever saw those techniques—
he would probably glance at them once…
then call them primitive.
Or boring.
Or both.
Lian almost laughed quietly to himself.
Then again—
that white lizard treated giant spirit beasts like walking food ingredients.
So perhaps his standards were simply unreasonable.
The village paths remained lively around him.
People still occasionally stopped and stared as he passed.
Some looked shocked.
Others looked relieved.
A few older villagers still seemed unconvinced that he was not some wandering ghost.
Lian ignored them.
His thoughts remained elsewhere.
Wa Shi probably still doubted parts of his story.
At least partially.
Lian understood that much clearly.
But mixing truth together with lies had worked better than fabricating everything completely.
The cave existed.
The spiritual lake existed.
The strange time distortion technically existed too.
Just…
not in the exact way he described it.
And once the Water Essence Crystals entered the conversation—
most of the impossible details suddenly became believable.
Or at least believable enough.
Lian exhaled slowly.
In the end—
that was all that mattered.
He obtained what he wanted.
Cultivation techniques.
A proper starting point.
And more importantly—
Wa Shi no longer viewed him as merely a lucky village child.
That alone changed many things.
Then—
a familiar voice suddenly shouted from farther down the road.
"LIAN?!"
Lian blinked and turned.
Two figures stood frozen near one of the side paths while carrying woven baskets.
Mu Yun.
And Shen Jian.
For several long seconds—
both of them simply stared at him as though they had seen something impossible.
Then Mu Yun nearly dropped her basket entirely.
"WHAT?!"
Shen Jian pointed at him violently.
"You're alive?!"
Lian winced slightly.
"…Why does everyone keep yelling that?"
The two of them immediately rushed toward him.
Mu Yun reached him first and grabbed both of his shoulders tightly.
"No, seriously—"
Her eyes widened.
"We thought you died!"
Shen Jian immediately nodded beside her.
"The search parties looked for weeks!"
"You disappeared completely!"
Lian scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"…Yeah."
"It was kind of a long story."
Mu Yun stared at him even harder.
"But you were perfectly fine that day!"
"We literally separated after coming back from the lake!"
Shen Jian frowned deeply.
"Then the next morning everyone said you vanished near the lake after finding the basket of fish you left behind."
Lian's expression softened slightly.
Right.
These two had been the last people to see him before everything changed.
Before underground lakes.
Before spirit beasts.
Before cultivation.
Mu Yun looked increasingly emotional now.
"Do you know how terrifying that was?!"
"We thought some beast ate you!"
Shen Jian crossed his arms tightly.
"I told her you probably just fell somewhere."
Mu Yun immediately snapped back,
"That wasn't any better!"
Lian laughed despite himself.
"…Sorry."
The word came out far more honestly than he expected.
Both of them paused slightly afterward.
Because somehow—
Lian truly did feel different now.
Not merely stronger.
Calmer.
As though something deep inside him had quietly changed during those missing months.
Mu Yun narrowed her eyes suspiciously afterward.
"…Wait."
Lian immediately sensed danger again.
"You feel weird."
Lian's eye twitched.
"…You too?"
Shen Jian frowned slightly.
"No, seriously."
"You look healthier."
Mu Yun immediately nodded beside him.
"And taller."
Lian blinked.
"…I did not get taller."
"You definitely did."
"I definitely didn't."
Mu Yun pointed confidently.
"You're looking down at me more."
"That's because you're short."
"I AM NOT SHORT."
Shen Jian sighed heavily beside them.
"…You two started arguing unusually fast for people reunited after three months."
Lian paused.
Then unexpectedly laughed again.
A real laugh this time.
Brief—
but genuine.
Because for the first time since returning—
something finally felt normal again.
The three of them slowly continued walking along the village path afterward.
At first—
the conversation remained chaotic.
Mostly because Mu Yun kept repeatedly checking whether Lian was physically solid.
"You're seriously alive…"
Poke.
"…Ow."
Another poke.
"Still alive…"
Lian finally slapped her hand away.
"Stop checking!"
Mu Yun ignored him completely.
"This is important."
Shen Jian sighed beside them.
"If he were a ghost, I doubt poking him would solve anything."
Mu Yun looked thoughtful for a moment.
"…Fair point."
Lian stared blankly at both of them.
"Why are you two still entertaining the ghost theory?"
"Because you vanished for three months!"
Mu Yun answered immediately.
"People disappear for three days around here and already get declared dead!"
Shen Jian crossed his arms.
"And you came back looking healthier than before."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…That part is suspicious."
Lian immediately pointed at him.
"See? That sounds rude."
"It is rude."
Shen Jian answered calmly.
Mu Yun nodded seriously beside him.
"You used to look half-dead all the time."
Lian's face twitched slightly.
"…Thanks."
"You're welcome."
The village paths gradually became quieter as they walked farther away from the crowded central area.
Afternoon sunlight filtered warmly through the trees while distant village sounds drifted softly through the air.
And for a little while—
everything almost felt like before.
Normal.
Eventually, Mu Yun glanced sideways toward him again.
"…So."
Lian immediately narrowed his eyes.
"That tone sounds dangerous."
She ignored him completely.
"What actually happened?"
Shen Jian nodded once.
"Seriously."
"You don't need to explain everything…"
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"But disappearing for three months doesn't happen normally."
Lian slowed slightly afterward.
Thinking.
Then finally—
he answered carefully.
"…I got lost deeper in the forest than I intended."
Technically true.
"And after that…"
He scratched the side of his neck.
"…things became complicated."
Mu Yun stared harder.
"That explains absolutely nothing."
Lian shrugged helplessly.
"I know."
Shen Jian studied him quietly for several moments.
Then unexpectedly—
he nodded once.
"…Fine."
Mu Yun blinked.
"That's it?"
Shen Jian answered calmly,
"If he doesn't want to explain everything, forcing him won't help."
A brief pause followed.
"…He came back alive."
"That matters more."
Lian looked toward him slightly afterward.
Then quietly smiled.
"…Thanks."
Mu Yun sighed dramatically.
"You're both being annoyingly mature all of a sudden."
Neither of them responded.
Several more moments passed quietly afterward before Mu Yun suddenly gasped.
"Wait."
Lian already looked exhausted.
"…What now?"
She pointed accusingly at him.
"You really did get taller."
"I DIDN'T."
"You absolutely did."
"I was always this height."
"You were not."
Shen Jian looked between the two of them thoughtfully before nodding slightly.
"…Actually…"
Lian stared at him in betrayal.
"Not you too."
Shen Jian shrugged.
"You do look different."
Lian sighed heavily toward the sky.
"This village is impossible."
Mu Yun burst into laughter immediately afterward.
And this time—
Lian laughed too.
Not because anything was particularly funny.
But because somehow—
walking through the village while arguing with these two felt incredibly ordinary.
And after everything beneath the lake…
ordinary suddenly felt valuable.
Eventually—
the road split near the eastern side of the village.
Mu Yun adjusted the basket in her arms afterward.
"We should head back before my mother starts yelling."
Shen Jian nodded once beside her.
Lian stopped walking as well.
For a brief moment—
the three of them simply stood there awkwardly beneath the warm afternoon sunlight.
Then Mu Yun suddenly pointed at him again.
"Don't disappear this time."
Lian blinked once.
"…I'll try."
"No, seriously."
Her voice softened slightly afterward.
"Don't."
Shen Jian added quietly,
"If you're going somewhere again…"
A brief pause followed.
"…at least tell someone first."
Lian's expression eased slightly.
"…Alright."
This time—
he meant it honestly.
Mu Yun finally smiled afterward before stepping backward down the path.
"Good."
Then she waved once.
"See you later, ghost boy."
Lian's eye twitched immediately.
"I am not a ghost."
"We'll see."
Shen Jian gave him a small nod afterward.
"…Take care."
Then the two of them finally turned and walked away together down the village road.
Their voices gradually faded into the distance afterward.
Leaving Lian standing alone beneath the warm afternoon sunlight once more.
But somehow—
the silence no longer felt quite as empty as before.