The morning sun poured like molten gold over the thatched rooftops, painting the frost-slick fields in pale fire. But Han Li's first thought wasn't of the dawn — it was of the shadow he'd glimpsed outside the window hours ago, standing too still in the moonlight.
He'd waited, senses sharpened, but whoever it was hadn't approached. No knock, no voice. Just the faint rustle of straw and the weight of being watched, until the darkness swallowed them whole.
Now, seated cross-legged on the rough pallet, he forced his breathing to steady. The faint fragrance of last night's jasmine oil still lingered in the air, weaving through the edge of his wariness. Beside him, Mianhua stirred beneath the quilt, hair a tousled halo, cheeks tinged with the flush of cultivation heat.
His body thrummed with new strength from their first true dual cultivation — veins unclogged, breaths deep, heartbeats heavy with power. Yet under that rush of vitality, a coil of alertness remained. Whoever had been out there… they might still be near.
The Heavenly Root Dao System's notification still floated faintly in his mind:
> [Meridian Blockage: 74% Cleared]
[Strength +2 | Vitality +3 | Stamina +5]
[New Quest: Unlock Emotional Resonance Level 2]
He glanced at Mianhua. Her lips curved faintly, even in sleep, as though she'd been dreaming of something pleasant. Something that involved him.
Han Li chuckled inwardly. "Not bad for a farmer," he thought. Then, quietly, he rose and stoked the embers in the clay stove. The day waited for no man, not even one reborn.
---
By mid-morning, Mianhua was at the table, pouring tea into chipped clay cups. But she wasn't smiling now. Her gaze was fixed on the steam curling up between them.
"There's something I haven't told you," she said softly.
Han Li leaned back, watching her over the rim of his cup. "Secrets, Mianhua? After last night, I thought we were past those."
A faint blush colored her cheeks, but her eyes stayed steady. "My husband… before the sickness took him, he wasn't just a farmer. He trained—briefly—with the Cloud Veil Sect. Barely reached the first stage before an injury forced him to return here."
Han Li's interest sharpened. "And he taught you something?"
"Bits and pieces," she admitted. "Mostly breathing patterns. Poses for circulating qi. He said they weren't worth much without a spirit root, but… they helped him heal faster from wounds, endure longer in the fields."
Her voice faltered. "I… I thought they might help you."
She stood, moved behind him, and placed her hands gently over his ribs. Her palms were warm, her touch firm but careful.
"Breathe with me," she whispered.
She guided him through a slow inhalation, her thumbs pressing lightly along his back in time with his lungs. The pattern was simple—inhale for four heartbeats, hold for two, exhale for six—but there was a subtle shift in the diaphragm, a micro-tilt of posture that seemed to draw breath deeper into the dantian.
Han Li's modern mind sparked immediately. "This is like diaphragmatic breathing with a qi focus point," he thought. "But her form wastes airflow. If I adjust here—"
He angled his spine, tucking slightly forward, allowing more expansion in the lower abdomen. The air surged deeper, smoother, his whole body buzzing faintly.
Mianhua gasped. "What did you just—?"
"Optimizing," Han Li murmured. "Earth physiology has some tricks your husband never learned."
They continued for half an hour, the hut silent except for their steady breathing. With each cycle, Han Li felt warmth pool in his core, then spiral outward into his limbs. His thoughts grew sharper, his muscles denser, as if each inhale wove steel threads into his flesh.
A chime rang in his mind.
> [Breathing Technique Adapted: Cloud Veil Low Form → Optimized Farmer's Breath]
[Qi Absorption Rate +15% | Stamina Recovery +10%]
[Potential synergy with Dual Cultivation detected]
Han Li opened his eyes, grinning. "You just gave me a gift worth more than gold."
Mianhua's lips curved faintly. "If it keeps you alive, that's enough."
For a moment, there was no cultivation, no system, no lingering grief from her past—just the quiet closeness of two people who had chosen to share a path. Han Li felt the System's Emotional Resonance meter tick upward.
The moment was broken by a shift in the light outside. A shadow drifted across the open doorway.
Han Li's eyes narrowed. The village path was empty, but beyond the far wall of his field, something moved—a dark silhouette in a weather-stained robe, half-hidden among the withered stalks.
The figure stood unnaturally still, head tilted as if listening. A faint glint of metal—maybe a weapon—caught the morning sun.
Mianhua followed his gaze. "Do you know them?"
Han Li shook his head slowly. "No. But they're watching."
The figure lingered a heartbeat longer, then slipped away toward the tree line, vanishing into the frost-hazed woods.
Han Li's thoughts churned. Strangers didn't just wander this far into the mountains without a reason. And that robe… not the coarse hemp of a farmer. Too fine. Too deliberate.
The System pinged faintly:
> [Unknown cultivator detected]
[Caution advised: Threat Level – Unknown]
"Mianhua," he said quietly, "keep to the house today. Don't walk alone."
She frowned. "Do you think they're dangerous?"
"I think," Han Li replied, eyes fixed on the treeline, "that danger just found our little village."
But even as he spoke, his mind was already calculating. If this stranger was probing, he needed to know why—and whether the Heavenly Root Dao System's growing energy inside him had drawn unwanted attention.
One thing was certain: this was no random traveler.
The next morning, before the sun burned the mist from the fields, Han Li was already on the move. He slipped from the village while the others still slept, skirting vegetable rows toward the western ridge. Somewhere out there, the stranger would show himself.
This time, Han Li intended to see him first.