Dawn crept slowly into Millstone City, stained in pale gold. Clouds hung low over the rooftops, pressing down like a silent warning.
The cultivator would return.
Wuya had felt it clearly.
And indeed—before the city fully woke, his presence arrived again.
A thin tremor ran through Wuya's senses, subtle as the breath of a hidden predator.
"He's here," Wuya whispered.
Xueyi froze with a spoon halfway to her mouth.
"He's WHAT?!"
Tianhai stood by the door, eyes narrowed.
"He moves earlier than expected."
Wuya nodded.
"He didn't sleep."
Xueyi gasped.
"Who doesn't sleep?!"
"Cultivators," Tianhai said.
"And hunters."
She shrank behind Wuya.
"What does he want NOW?"
Wuya looked toward the city gate.
"…He didn't find the thieves. So he wants answers."
Tianhai exhaled deeply.
"He suspects us."
Xueyi's eyes widened.
"US? Why?! We didn't do anything!"
Tianhai gave her a weary look.
"He senses something in this courtyard—but he does not know what."
Wuya closed his eyes.
The cultivator's footsteps grew closer.
Thud…
Thud…
Thud…
Controlled.
Slow.
Measured.
He walked with the precision of a trained killer.
Wuya opened his eyes.
"…I will face him if he asks."
"No," Tianhai said immediately.
Wuya blinked.
"Why?"
"Because if he discovers how much you sense, he will not leave alive."
Xueyi shivered.
Wuya remained calm.
"But if he confronts me, what should I do?"
"Say nothing unusual," Tianhai replied.
"You are a mortal boy. You know nothing of the stolen scroll. You know nothing of cultivation. You know nothing of the wider world."
"And if he doesn't believe me?"
"Then I decide."
Wuya nodded.
But his hand curled slightly.
Something about the cultivator unsettled him—not fear, but a strange sensation. A faint pressure in the air around the man. A resonance that brushed against the fragments inside him.
It was as if something in the man's aura did not belong in the mortal world.
---
The Cultivator Appears
The door of the shop slid open.
The cultivator stepped inside.
His expression was cold, unreadable.
Snow clung to his cloak.
His hand rested lightly on the hilt of his sword—not threatening, but ready.
He scanned the shop once.
Then again.
Then his gaze locked onto Wuya.
Wuya stood quietly behind the counter, folding cloth.
Their eyes met.
The cultivator's brows furrowed.
"You."
Wuya blinked slowly.
"Good morning."
"Boy," the cultivator said slowly, "last night, you acted differently."
Wuya tilted his head.
"I was sleepy."
Xueyi, hiding behind a stack of baskets, whispered loudly:
"He sleeps weird!"
"Xueyi," Tianhai said calmly, "go help in the kitchen."
"No, Father—!"
"Go."
She stomped off with obvious distress.
The cultivator approached the counter.
Wuya remained still.
"You do not react to pressure," the cultivator said.
Wuya blinked.
"…Pressure?"
"You don't flinch," the man continued.
"You don't get nervous. You do not act like a normal child."
Wuya considered that.
"Is staying calm strange?"
The cultivator narrowed his eyes.
"It is when calmness becomes unnatural."
Wuya looked down at the folded cloth in his hands.
"…I don't understand."
This was true—he didn't understand how normal people behaved. His awareness had grown too deep.
The cultivator stepped closer.
Tianhai's hand twitched slightly, hidden behind the shelves—a movement no mortal eye could catch.
Finally, the cultivator said:
"…I want to ask you a question."
Wuya met his gaze.
"What question?"
The cultivator leaned slightly forward.
"Did you see any strange men in the city in the last two days?"
Wuya did not hesitate.
"Yes."
Tianhai's heart nearly stopped.
The cultivator's eyes sharpened.
"Describe them."
Wuya spoke softly.
"They walked quickly. Stayed in the shadows. They avoided crowds."
The cultivator nodded slowly.
"How many?"
"Five."
Tianhai's hand tensed.
The cultivator leaned closer.
"And where did they go?"
Wuya pointed east.
"Toward the forest."
The cultivator paused.
"…You saw them?"
"Everyone saw them," Wuya said calmly.
"They looked suspicious."
The cultivator stared into his eyes.
Wuya's heart beat steady.
His breath calm.
His expression mild.
"So ordinary," he seemed to say without speaking.
And that was precisely what the cultivator needed to believe.
After a moment, the cultivator stepped back.
"…Very well."
He turned to Tianhai.
"I will search the eastern forest. If you see anything else, send a messenger to the town ahead."
Tianhai bowed slightly.
"Of course."
The cultivator nodded.
Then he left.
The door shut.
Silence filled the shop.
---
After He Leaves
Xueyi burst out of the kitchen.
"Wuya! That man is INSANE! Why did you tell him so much?! He could've killed you!"
Wuya shrugged lightly.
"I told him the truth."
Tianhai rubbed his temples.
"Wuya… next time, speak less."
"Why?"
"Because your truth sounds suspicious."
Wuya blinked.
"…Truth is suspicious?"
Xueyi threw her hands in the air.
"For YOU, it is!"
Wuya tilted his head.
"I will try."
Tianhai let out a long sigh.
"…He bought it. For now."
Wuya nodded.
"But he will return."
"Yes," Tianhai said quietly.
"He will."
---
The Cultivator Meets Another Threat
Meanwhile, outside the city—
The cultivator walked toward the eastern forest.
But before he entered the trees, he stopped.
His breath froze.
Two figures stood on top of a large boulder overlooking the forest.
One was tall, thin, wearing a long cloak.
The other was short, stocky, carrying a curved blade dripping faintly with dried blood.
The cultivator tensed.
"…Bandits?"
The tall man shook his head.
"No."
The shorter one grinned, missing several teeth.
"We hunt… scroll-bearers."
The cultivator stepped back.
"…You're not from this region."
The tall man smiled slowly.
"Neither are you."
The cultivator reached for his sword.
But the tall man raised a hand.
"Relax. We're not here for you."
"Then what—"
"We're looking for a boy."
The cultivator froze.
"What boy?"
The tall man's smile widened.
"Sixteen. Quiet. Strange presence."
The cultivator's heart seized.
"…Who are you?"
"People interested in a certain forbidden lineage."
The cultivator's breath turned cold.
Without warning, he slashed his sword at the tall man.
A clean, swift, decisive strike.
But before the blade could reach—
The tall man vanished.
Instantly.
A hand gripped the cultivator's neck from behind.
"You saw him?" the tall man whispered.
The cultivator gasped for air.
"Y-yes—! But he's just a mortal!"
"Nothing is 'just' a mortal," the tall man hissed.
"Where is he?"
The cultivator struggled.
"I don't know—"
The tall man crushed the cultivator's sword arm.
A muffled scream echoed through the trees.
"WHERE?"
"I don't—know—!"
The blade-wielding short man sniffed the air.
"He's telling the truth. He doesn't know more."
The tall man clicked his tongue.
"A waste."
The cultivator slumped as the tall man struck him across the temple—knocking him out cold.
"We will find the boy sooner or later," the tall man muttered.
"He cannot hide forever."
They vanished into the forest shadows.
The cultivator lay unconscious on the ground.
Alive.
Barely.
---
Wuya Feels It Immediately
Inside Tianhai's courtyard, Wuya suddenly stood.
Xueyi grabbed his sleeve immediately.
"What—what happened?!"
Wuya's eyes narrowed.
"A cry."
Tianhai froze.
"A cry?"
Wuya nodded.
"Far. East. Someone was hurt."
Tianhai felt a chill.
"…The cultivator."
Wuya nodded again.
"He met someone dangerous."
Tianhai's jaw tightened.
"Inside the mortal world?"
"Yes."
Xueyi's face paled.
"Wuya… are they coming here?"
Wuya closed his eyes.
His senses expanded silently, like a hand reaching across the city.
He felt—
Movement.
Cold.
Intent.
A thin residue of killing will drifting like smoke through the forest.
He opened his eyes.
"…Not yet."
"But soon?" Xueyi whispered.
Wuya didn't answer.
Tianhai stepped toward the door.
"Wuya."
"Yes."
"Your path is beginning."
Wuya nodded.
"I know."
Tianhai placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"You must be careful from this day forward. Enemies are moving."
"Because of the scroll?" Xueyi asked.
Tianhai shook his head.
"No."
His voice lowered.
"They are not searching for the scroll."
Xueyi blinked.
"…Then what are they searching for?"
Tianhai looked at Wuya.
"Something far more dangerous."
Wuya remained quiet.
Xueyi slowly turned to him.
"…Wuya?"
He did not answer.
Tianhai spoke again, voice heavy:
"They're searching for him."
Xueyi's hand dropped.
"…Why?"
Tianhai's face darkened.
"Because the sleeping blood of an ancient taboo has begun to awaken."
Wuya closed his eyes.
His breath deepened.
Danger was coming.
Not tomorrow.
Not next week.
Soon.
Very soon.
And for the first time—
Wuya felt the world tilt beneath his feet.