The moon was full as a mirror when Li Qiong stepped into the village.
Not even the insects dared to sing.
Then—
A deep bark shattered the silence.
"WOOF—! WOOF!! WOOF!!!"
The echoes rolled through the narrow paths of the small mountain village, waking lights one by one.
Doors slid open.
Windows creaked.
Lanterns blinked awake like frightened fireflies.
Li Qiong stepped out of the darkness, his white robes absorbing moonlight like frost absorbing cold.
At his side moved only the quiet Feiya.
And at the village entrance—
A massive shadow stood its ground.
A dog.
Thick-furred.
Eyes sharp like a minor spirit beast.
The villagers called him Big D.
Right now, Big D was baring his teeth, hackles raised, tail stiff and trembling.
But the moment Li Qiong got closer—
Big D froze.
His ears twitched.
He sniffed once, twice...
then let out a questioning whine, lowering his stance—
In recognition of a presence far above his instincts.
From behind the trembling lanterns, the oldest villager pushed forward—an elder with a bent back and a cane polished smooth by years.
"H-hold, Big D... this one is not an enemy."
Li Qiong did bow, and he waited.
The elder dared step closer.
"Young master... forgive the dog. He guards us when the men are gone."
Li Qiong's gaze softened a fraction as he surveyed the scene:
Only elderly.
Children holding blankets.
A few women clutching baskets or hoes.
Two young men with nervous expressions, clearly not trained for real battle.
The villagers' breath was visible in the cold night.
No hidden weapons.
But Everyone Possessed cultivator's aura a beginners.
No threat.
Li Qiong exhaled softly.
And Big D— sensing the shift — moved closer.
Sniffed Li Qiong's hand.
Then suddenly—
WOOF!!
He wagged his tail once.
Twice.
Then, with absolute betrayal in his canine loyalty, he pressed his big head against Li Qiong's thigh, tail sweeping the dust like a broom.
The villagers sighed with relief.
If Big D accepted him, the heavens themselves must have approved.
"Sir," the elder bowed low, voice thin with age, "it is dangerous to walk these roads at night. Please, stay until morning. We have no luxuries, but we will offer what we can."
Li Qiong nodded. Feiya Nodded
The Children were staring at Feiya
The aunties hurried to bring warm water.
Children stepped aside shyly to make space.
Big D circled Li Qiong twice, then lay right at his feet like a loyal beast returning to his owner.
Inside the small guest hut, an oil lamp flickered to life.
"Forgive our humble place," the elder said. "Most of the villagers are away in town selling harvests... only we remain."
Li Qiong glanced at their weary faces and said nothing, but he accepted the room.
For the first time that night, the villagers truly relaxed.
For now a strong looking man is Present
The Next Morning
Morning sunlight melted the mist, bathing the small mountain village in a warm golden glow. The air carried the scent of dew on rice stalks, wood smoke, and freshly turned earth.
Children were first to wake—then Big D barreled into Li Qiong's room, tail wagging with destructive enthusiasm.
A perfect, quiet life.
Something Li Qiong rarely touched.
He stepped outside the guest hut, robes trailing over stone paths, just in time to see—
Feiya and the Four-Tailed Fox
Feiya laughed as she chased the small four-tailed fox across the open yard. The little spirit beast darted left, then right, flipping its tails playfully. Leaves and grass stems stuck to its fur like decorations, each tail flick spraying a small shower of petals.
"Stop— Foxy! Come back!" Feiya squealed.
The fox ignored her and pounced on a pile of fallen leaves, rolling and wriggling until it looked like a moving bush.
Children clapped. Elders smiled. The young women whispered about Feiya being "adorable like a reborn fairy."
And on the side—
What a Surprise a female Fox was playing with Feiya, It's white Fur was so Dazzling that Big D was hynotized. and started to advance.
"WOOF! WOOF!!"
He bumped Li Qiong's knee.
Brought the Fox a Big Bone.
Then another.
Then a dying boar he had dragged from somewhere.
The villagers scrambled to catch up behind him.
"S-sorry! Sorry! Big D just really likes guests—!"
Li Qiong only raised a brow, wiping dust from his robes.
Big D wagged harder, eyes shining with dog-like pride.
Hunting the Wild Boars
When Li Qiong walked to the forest edge, the young men followed.
Children ran behind.
Even elderly watched from afar.
Big D barked eagerly and sprinted ahead, nose low, body tense—
Then he stopped.
Growled.
A herd of wild boars—massive, territorial, their backs arched—emerged from the brush.
The young men paled.
The children gasped.
The aunties clutched their scarves.
In that stretched moment, when the boars stomped and snorted—
Li Qiong's sleeve flicked.
A wind sharper than any sword swept across the clearing.
Leaves rustled.
Branches bent.
The boars collapsed like puppets with strings cut—stunned, not dead.
Silence.
After a heartbeat—
Big D barked triumphantly.
The young men, mouths open, burst into cheers.
"Immortal!"
"He subdued them with a flick!"
The women hurried to prepare ropes.
Children danced around Big D.
And the elder bowed, trembling.
"Please... young immortal honor our small village. Let us prepare a feast tonight."
Li Qiong stood still, the wind catching his robes.
Only one thought burned beneath his calm expression:
He accepted the villagers' gratitude, but his eyes never strayed long from the mountains.
Soon—
he would go up that path.
Big D, picking up on his shift in mood, leaned against his leg softly, as if to offer comfort.
Li Qiong placed a faint hand on the dog's head.
"Good dog," he murmured.
Big D's tail wagged with explosive force.
Big D tried to flirt.
He lowered his head dramatically. Inched closer. Wagged his tail with a trembling excitement.
The fox turned its head.
Big D immediately puffed out his chest, muscles flexing like a warrior challenging going to war.
The fox blinked once.
Then—
WHAP!
One tail slapped Big D's face.
Big D stumbled, stunned for two seconds… then wagged his tail even harder, eyes sparkling with desperate admiration.
The fox rolled its eyes and ran back to Feiya.
Big D followed behind like a love-struck guard dog, occasionally stumbling into barrels or fences whenever the fox glanced his way.
The villagers laughed.
Even Li Qiong's usually unreadable gaze softened faintly.
The Herb Discovery
Later that day, as the villagers prepared a celebration, Li Qiong walked alone along the edges of the village. The air hummed with a gentle spiritual warmth.
His steps slowed when he passed a small yard.
A simple wooden fence.A poor farmer's home, no different from others—
Yet the spiritual air here was dense.
Suspiciously dense.
Li Qiong glanced lower.
His eyes sharpened.
Celestial Tear Grass. A small tuft hidden beside a water jar.
Nine-Leaf Soul Grass. Rare, growing among vegetables like a weed.
And scattered across the ground—
Elemental Locusts, shimmering with faint qi patterns.
Then, coiled lazily under the shade of a broken gourd—
A Fiery Yang-Crowned Centipede, its shell glowing like a Golden hot metal.
Li Qiong didn't touch anything.
He backed away from the yard, expression calm… but his eyes held the reflection of someone clever, cunning, and mischievous.
Only when he was far enough did he flick his sleeve.
Several elemental locusts and the sluggish centipede flew into his grasp silently.
And on the wind—
Li Qiong smiled.
A soft, nostalgic curve of his lips.
Then he laughed.
Not cold. Not mocking. But a warm, quiet laugh carrying genuine amusement.
Something — someone — had left this village far richer than it appeared.
Someone who liked hiding miracles in plain sight.
He looked at the land again.
Children played. Women picked vegetables. Old men cleaned tools. Big D chased the fox in hopeless devotion.
But beneath the soil—
Spiritual energy pulsed like a hidden heart.
Spirit Stones.
Dozens. Hundreds.
Not naturally formed.
Placed.
And the center was a well—ordinary to mortal eyes, but to Li Qiong—
A Spirit Well, sealed by a colossal spell formation.
The villagers were cultivating without even knowing it.
Whoever crafted the formation…was no ordinary figure.
Li Qiong lifted his head.
His smile deepened.
He was thinking of someone specific. Someone who would absolutely do something outrageous like this.
The Village Celebration
At dusk, the farmers held a celebration. Torches lit the square. Boar meat roasted over large fires. Children danced with grass crowns. Feiya fed Foxy bits of sweet fruit. Big D tried to eat her sleeve just to get her attention.
In the center of the village stood a tall wooden statue.
A scholar.
Robes plain. Expression stern yet kind. Holding a scroll carved with the words:
"Knowledge reforms the lost."
The villagers spoke proudly:
"He was our founder… once a great scholar. "He convinced bandits to put down their blades. "Turned criminals into farmers. "Gave us a life worth living."
Li Qiong listened quietly.
But his eyes—
Still drifted toward the land.
Toward the concealed spirit stones.
Toward the hidden formation.
Toward the miracle that protected these mortals like children sleeping under a guardian's cloak.
Then he laughed again.
Warm, free, unrestrained.
A laugh Feiya had never heard before.
The fox perked its ears.
Big D fell over from shock.
And the villagers toasted with joy, taking his laugh as a good omen.