Night deepened over Dustwind Hidden Valley Sect.
Lanterns flickered softly along the walkways.
Mist swirled around the mountain's edge.
Even the stars appeared quieter than usual, as though they too feared disturbing the Ancestor.
Inside her room, Miyu slept curled around her pillow, breathing gently.
Solene stood beside her bed with serene poise, hands folded neatly over her sacred broom.
The Heavenly Attendant never blinked.
Never wavered.
Never stepped one inch out of place.
Outside, Dustwind disciples patrolled like mice walking on glass, terrified to stumble, cough, or sneeze.
Jin Haru whispered, "Do you think the Ancestor is dreaming?"
Lin Ruyin whispered back, "Probably about food… or pillows."
Liang Yuefeng added softly, "Or maybe she is dreaming the world into shape."
Gu Wenhai shot them all a glare.
"Quiet. If we wake her again, the mountain might collapse."
They nodded instantly.
But someone else was awake.
Someone who had not forgotten her earlier failure.
A shadow slipped across the treetops silently.
Yin Huani.
Her red eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
She crouched on a branch overlooking the sect roofs.
"Interesting place," she murmured. "Guarded by a heavenly attendant… and worshipping a girl who sleeps."
Her lips curved into a sharper smile.
"Let's see how strong that guardian really is."
---
✨ Yin Huani's Second Attempt
This time, she did not bring a needle.
She brought a Serpent Shadow Seed—a black orb filled with dissolving qi, capable of slipping through barriers without sound.
She had used it to infiltrate sects stronger than this one.
She tossed it lightly.
The orb dissolved into a small serpent-shaped smoke trail.
Silent.
Invisible.
Deadly.
It slithered through the air like a whisper of malice.
It crossed the barrier.
It passed beneath lanterns.
It slipped between the cracks of the dining hall.
Not a single disciple noticed.
Yin Huani whispered to herself:
"If this reaches the little Ancestor's room, I will know her weakness."
The smoke moved toward the inner courtyard—
And then…
It stopped.
A foot touched the ground beside it.
A white slipper.
Yin Huani froze in her perch.
"…Impossible."
Solene stood in the courtyard, still holding her broom. She had not made a sound, nor disturbed a leaf. Her face remained expressionless, but her eyes held the calm of a silent, endless sky.
Solene looked down at the smoke.
"Unclean."
She swept once.
Just once.
A soft current of divine wind circled around the courtyard.
The black serpent smoke trembled—
shrank—
and was erased from existence.
Yin Huani's eyes widened.
"That was a… divine cleansing purification…"
Solene did not speak to Yin Huani. She simply turned away and walked back toward Miyu's room.
The message was clear.
The Ancestor does not need to wake.
Solene alone is enough.
Yin Huani's fingers tightened around the branch.
"You are more troublesome than I expected…"
But her smile grew.
"I like that."
---
✨ The System Activates
Inside Miyu's room, the System detected the disturbance.
> [SYSTEM ALERT: Host Protected Successfully]
[Attendant Efficiency Increased]
[New Quest Unlocked]
Lazy-chan appeared floating above Miyu's head, waving a tiny clipboard.
"Host… someone tried to sneak in again. But no worries. Solene cleaned them off like lint."
Miyu mumbled something in her sleep.
It sounded like:
"…fluffy… pillow…"
Lazy-chan giggled.
"Perfect timing. New quest, Host."
A glowing window appeared:
---
[SYSTEM QUEST: Marginally Awake Miracle]
Objective: Perform a small action while half-awake that improves the sect.
Acceptable Actions:
Point
Yawn
Tap something
Complain sleepily
Reward:
1 Divine-Grade Artifact (random)
+15 Sect Prestige
Random Heavenly Blessing to one disciple
---
Lazy-chan whispered:
"You don't need to wake up fully. Just a tiny action. Easy!"
---
✨ Miyu Half-Wakes
The System gently nudged Miyu's consciousness.
She stirred.
A tiny hand reached upward.
Her eyes opened—barely.
She didn't see much.
Just the ceiling…
her pillow…
and a faint glow from outside.
She murmured:
"…bright…"
Her hand lifted—and pointed lazily at the window.
That was enough.
The System reacted.
> [HALF-AWAKE ACTION DETECTED]
[PROCESSING…]
A spark of divine light formed at Miyu's fingertip.
It floated toward the window…
passed through…
and drifted into the valley.
---
✨ The Light Lands on a Disciple
In the training courtyard stood the timid orphan boy Miyu had previously chosen to bless.
His name was Bao, a quiet child who lost his parents to bandits. He was sweeping the walkway late at night, determined to be useful to the sect.
He saw a small golden particle drift down from the sky.
"Huh…?"
It landed on his forehead like a warm drop of sunlight.
Bao froze.
His meridians opened.
His qi surged.
His body strengthened.
His spirit roots awakened and fused into a rare grade: Heavenly Harmony Root.
He fell to his knees, trembling.
"I… I can cultivate…!"
The disciples on patrol saw the glow and rushed toward him.
Jin Haru nearly screamed.
"Heavenly Harmony?! That's an immortal-level root!"
Lin Ruyin covered her mouth.
"That kind of blessing only appears in legends…"
Gu Wenhai knelt beside the boy.
"This is the Ancestor's blessing. She has accepted you fully."
Bao began crying tears of joy.
"I… I will serve the Ancestor forever…"
Above them, Solene stood silently, observing the miracle with respectful calm.
"Miyu-sama has blessed the sect again," she murmured.
---
✨ Yin Huani Watches
From the treetops, Yin Huani witnessed everything:
Solene erasing her smoke serpent
Miyu blessing a child without even waking
The disciples treating every moment as holy
Her expression turned from amusement to something sharper… hungrier.
"That little girl… is not just dangerous."
She leaned forward.
"She is valuable."
Then she vanished into the night like a knife slipping into its sheath.
---
✨ Miyu Falls Back Asleep
Back in her room, Miyu lowered her hand, pulled her pillow closer, and mumbled:
"…sleepy…"
She passed out instantly.
Lazy-chan threw confetti (which only the system could see).
"Quest complete!"
> [QUEST COMPLETE — REWARD ISSUED]
Rewards:
Divine Artifact: Dawn-Moon Lantern
Sect Prestige +15
Heavenly Blessing Granted to Disciple Bao
The Dawn-Moon Lantern materialized beside Miyu's bed—a glowing lantern that purified night energy and illuminated only for Miyu's comfort.
Solene picked it up and hung it neatly on a stand.
Perfect.
Calm.
Clean.