Snow had melted fully by the seventh morning after Wuya's awakening.
Millstone City breathed again—vendors shouting, pots boiling, chickens complaining about everything, and children running through the streets with sticks they pretended were swords.
Inside Tianhai's courtyard, Wuya sat beneath the peach tree, eyes half-closed, listening.
The world was different now.
A few days ago, he could hear the wind.
Now he could hear what moved inside the wind.
He sensed:
The tremor of footsteps five houses away.
The breath of a cat hiding on the roof.
The fluttering of an unseen moth behind the kitchen window.
And—
the faint, unnatural whisper of someone watching from far beyond the city.
Not a person.
Not a beast.
Something sharp.
Cold.
Hungry.
Wuya opened his eyes.
Someone was coming.
Not here yet, but in the distance—a presence moving fast, cloaked in harsh intent, slicing through quiet villages like a blade through leaves.
He frowned.
"Father," he said softly.
Tianhai stepped out of the house, drying his hands with a cloth.
"You felt it?"
Wuya nodded.
"It's… wrong."
Xueyi poked her head out from behind Tianhai, cheeks puffed with suspicion.
"Is it another rat in the roof? If it is, I'll catch it!"
"No," Wuya said.
"This one is bigger."
Xueyi blinked.
"Like a dog?"
He shook his head.
"Like a storm."
Tianhai's brows tightened.
He motioned silently, and Wuya followed him to the back of the courtyard.
Xueyi trailed after them despite being told repeatedly not to eavesdrop.
---
Danger Arrives From Afar
Tianhai stood before the tall old wall behind their house. He placed a hand on it—gently—and the faintest ripple spread outward.
A map unfolded in Wuya's mind.
Not drawn.
Not spoken.
But sensed through Tianhai's suppressed aura.
Three kilometers west of the city gates, a group of five men approached.
Fast.
Stealthy.
Armed.
One carried a blade stained with darkened rust.
One carried a scroll that radiated faint spiritual power.
One had the restless aura of a petty rogue cultivator—weak, but dangerous among mortals.
Wuya's breath slowed.
"They're coming here."
"Yes," Tianhai said quietly.
"What are they?"
Tianhai glanced at him.
"Trouble."
Xueyi clenched her fists.
"Who dares cause trouble in Millstone City? This place doesn't even have anything worth stealing!"
Wuya nodded.
"That's why it's strange."
Tianhai turned away.
"Wuya. Come inside."
Xueyi followed without being called.
Tianhai shut the courtyard gate behind them.
The wind outside shifted.
The peach tree rustled slightly.
Wuya's gaze sharpened, following the direction of the approaching threat even through walls.
---
A Quiet Lesson Before War
Inside the house, Tianhai sat at the low wooden table. He placed a simple parchment on it. It wasn't ancient, powerful, or mysterious—just ordinary mortal ink on mortal paper.
"Wuya," Tianhai said, "what happens from today onward will require preparation."
Wuya nodded.
"I understand."
Xueyi sat beside him, arms crossed, determined not to be left out.
Tianhai drew two circles on the parchment.
"This," he said, tapping the first circle, "is the Mortal Path—the path people in this world follow to grow stronger."
Wuya listened intently.
Xueyi tilted her head.
Tianhai continued.
"All cultivators in the mortal world begin at the same place: the body."
He tapped the first circle again.
"Strengthen the flesh, bones, and breath. Build foundation. Circulate Qi."
He tapped the second circle.
"Above Mortal Path begins the Spirit Path—where the world starts listening back."
Xueyi blinked.
"So you're finally teaching us cultivation?"
Tianhai coughed lightly.
"…Beginnings of it."
"Does that mean we get to punch trees in half?" she asked excitedly.
"No," Tianhai said.
"Maybe later," Wuya said softly.
Tianhai shot him a look.
Wuya looked at the table.
Xueyi beamed.
"So when do we start?"
Tianhai shook his head.
"You do not cultivate yet."
"Why not?"
Narrowing his eyes, Tianhai answered:
"Because your bodies are not ready."
Wuya understood, though he did not understand how he understood.
"And me?" he asked.
Tianhai hesitated.
"…You have awakened something deeper than normal cultivation."
Wuya waited.
"Your path will not be standard," Tianhai said.
"You will begin cultivation only when your soul is stable. When your body can bear it. You are strong of mind—but your foundation must remain mortal, or you will shatter before you rise."
Wuya nodded.
Xueyi muttered, "He can't be that fragile…"
Tianhai nearly choked.
"You'd be surprised."
He looked at Wuya again.
"The first step of cultivation is sensing the breath of the world. You already do that. The second step is circulating your own breath. You have not."
Wuya nodded again.
"And the third?"
"The third…" Tianhai drew another small circle.
"…is opening the meridians."
Xueyi's eyes sparkled.
"How many meridians?"
Tianhai sighed.
"Twelve basic, eight extraordinary, and additional hidden ones for special constitutions."
Wuya's brows lowered slightly.
"What about me?"
Tianhai's expression darkened faintly.
"You…" He paused.
"…are not ordinary."
Wuya didn't look surprised.
Tianhai folded the parchment.
"For now, we wait."
"Why?" Wuya asked.
Tianhai's voice dropped.
"Because someone dangerous is approaching this city."
---
Footsteps in the Snow
Late that afternoon, Wuya sensed them more clearly.
Five men.
Breaths shallow.
Intent sharp.
Greed thick as smoke.
He felt the knife one man carried—it vibrated faintly with murderous aura.
He felt the scroll—warm, pulsing a little too bright.
He felt the footsteps—fast, growing closer.
He felt—
Xueyi's hand gripping his sleeve.
"…It's here," she whispered.
Her seal glowed faintly under her clothes.
She trembled.
Wuya looked at her.
"Don't be afraid."
"I'm not."
"You're shaking."
She glared.
"It's cold!"
"It isn't cold."
"SHUT UP!"
Wuya blinked.
Tianhai stepped out of the kitchen, wiping his hands.
"They're at the west alley."
Wuya nodded.
"What do they want?"
Tianhai exhaled.
"The scroll they carry belongs to a small cultivator clan in the southern hills. They stole it, ran, and now hide among mortals to avoid detection."
Wuya narrowed his eyes.
"Will they cause trouble here?"
"They might," Tianhai said quietly.
"Especially for a shop that looks peaceful and unguarded."
Xueyi puffed her cheeks.
"I'll hit them."
"No," Tianhai said.
"You will stay inside."
"What about Wuya?"
Tianhai looked at him seriously.
"Wuya will stay inside too."
Wuya nodded.
But he could already sense the intentions outside—
The strongest of the five men had stopped walking.
He sniffed the air.
His aura, though weak, flared with hunger.
He whispered to his companions.
"…This city has no warriors. Easy pickings."
Wuya's jaw tightened.
"They're coming."
Tianhai rose slowly.
"I'll handle it."
"Do you need help?" Wuya asked quietly.
Tianhai paused.
Wuya's eyes weren't childish; they were calm. Focused. Prepared.
"No," Tianhai said.
"If they saw you do anything unusual, the world would notice. Even your smallest action echoes too loudly."
Wuya lowered his gaze.
"…I understand."
Tianhai stepped out of the house, pulling the courtyard gate open.
Snow drifted softly as he walked.
The air shifted.
And Wuya watched his adoptive father walk away—
calm, gentle, and looking every bit the harmless shopkeeper…
…but with a storm coiled beneath his skin.
---
The Confrontation Outside the City
The five men reached the abandoned west alley.
The leader spat on the ground.
"This place is pathetic."
One of the others laughed.
"No cultivators, no soldiers—just fat merchants and stupid farmers."
Another man kicked over a barrel.
"No guards either. City Lord must be asleep."
They walked further—
—until they saw Tianhai standing alone beneath a street lantern.
The leader grinned.
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
"Old man," one of the thugs said mockingly.
"Where's the city storage? We'll help ourselves."
Tianhai smiled gently.
"Please leave."
"Oh?" The leader stepped closer.
"And what will you do if we don't?"
Tianhai raised one hand.
The world stopped.
Torch flames froze.
Snowflakes hung in the air.
The sound of distant merchants faded into silence.
The five men didn't understand what happened.
The leader's smirk faded.
"…What—?"
Tianhai's eyes softened.
"I don't want to kill you."
They trembled.
"But you must not stay here."
The leader snarled.
"You think you can stop us—"
His words dissolved.
His body collapsed without a sound.
Not dead.
Asleep.
The other four fell like dropped puppets.
Tianhai lowered his hand.
The world resumed.
Snow continued to fall.
He dragged the five unconscious men to the city's edge and placed a gentle seal on their memories, erasing Millstone City from their minds.
They would wake miles away, confused but alive.
No blood.
No death.
No trace.
Because Tianhai knew:
If Wuya's existence were exposed too early, death would come from far above these five petty criminals.
---
Returning Home
When Tianhai returned home, Wuya was sitting at the table, waiting.
"Are they gone?" he asked.
"Yes," Tianhai said quietly.
"You didn't kill them."
"No."
Wuya nodded slowly.
"That's good."
Xueyi hugged Wuya's arm tightly.
"They won't return, right?"
"No," Tianhai replied.
"And if they do," Wuya said calmly, "we'll stop them."
Tianhai stared at him.
In Wuya's sixteen-year-old eyes, there was no fear. Only clarity.
Danger approached.
Paths opened.
Destiny awakened.
And the boy accepted it quietly.
Tianhai exhaled.
"You have taken your first step," he murmured.
Wuya looked at him.
"…Toward what?"
Tianhai looked at the sky.
"Toward the life that was waiting for you the day you were born."
The wind rustled.
The peach tree shook its bare branches.
And somewhere, far beyond the sky, a watcher opened its eyes—
For the first time sensing…
the Eternal Son.