Morning sunlight spilled through Qingmu's streets, bouncing off polished jade roofs and silver-tiled spires. The air was fresh, humming faintly with spiritual energy from the city's great array. Merchants shouted, talismans flared, and the scent of roasted beast meat drifted through the alleys.
Lin Feng walked among the crowd with his hood pulled low, blending easily with the morning bustle. A faint smile touched his lips as he watched children chasing spirit kites and monks debating over pills at roadside stalls.
It was strange — this peace.
The kind that almost made him forget how close death had stalked him days ago.
If not for that lightning surge… I'd be dust under that Core Formation bastard's palm, he thought, glancing absently at the golden threads of qi still flickering beneath his skin. Heaven sure has a twisted sense of humor.
He stopped before a teahouse overlooking the river. Its sign read: "Jade Reflection Pavilion." The scent of jasmine and spirit tea drifted invitingly through the doorway.
"A quiet drink before I move on," he murmured, stepping inside.
The Encounter
The teahouse was calm — a place for scholars, travelers, and lone cultivators who valued silence over gossip. Soft zither music played from somewhere within, and the waiters moved like shadows.
Lin Feng found a seat by the window, ordered a pot of Blue Lotus Spirit Tea, and settled in to watch the river.
A few minutes later, as he poured his tea, he felt it — a flicker of intent brushing against his spiritual sense. Subtle, refined, but deliberate. Someone was watching him.
He didn't turn his head.
He simply sipped his tea and let the silence stretch.
Then, a calm voice spoke from behind.
"An unusual aura for someone trying to stay unnoticed."
Lin Feng set his cup down slowly. "And an unusual greeting for a stranger."
A tall man stepped into view — dressed in simple white robes embroidered with faint silver runes. His hair was tied neatly, his posture relaxed. He carried no visible weapon, only a jade fan tucked into his belt. His eyes, however, were sharp — like the edge of a blade hidden beneath silk.
"Forgive me," the man said, smiling faintly. "Old habits. I tend to notice… interesting qi patterns."
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed slightly. "And mine interests you?"
The man sat across from him uninvited, folding his hands. "It hums like thunder, yet flows like a river. That is not something one sees every day. Especially not within the Foundation Realm."
He can sense my lightning essence? Lin Feng thought, masking his surprise with a faint smirk.
"You've got sharp senses for a tea drinker," he said aloud. "What's your name, stranger?"
"Me?" The man chuckled softly. "I go by Xuanyu Ye. Some call me a scholar, others a wanderer. But titles are wind."
Lin Feng nodded slowly. "Lin Feng."
The man's brow lifted almost imperceptibly at the name, as though weighing it against a memory. "Lin Feng… a simple name, yet it feels like thunder waiting to break the sky."
"You've got a poetic tongue, Scholar Xuanyu."
"And you've got the kind of presence poets like to write about," the man countered. "The kind that leaves ruins behind."
Lin Feng chuckled quietly, his fingers tapping the teacup. "You talk like you've seen those ruins yourself."
"Perhaps I have." Xuanyu Ye's eyes gleamed faintly. "The Northern Peaks are in chaos. They say a Core Formation expert of the Scarlet Veil Sect perished under mysterious lightning not long ago."
The teahouse air went still.
Lin Feng didn't move, didn't flinch — only smiled faintly. "Rumors. People will say anything for a good story."
Xuanyu Ye studied him in silence, then smiled. "Indeed. Still… stories often carry fragments of truth."
He poured himself a cup of tea from Lin Feng's pot, his movements graceful, unhurried.
"Tell me, Lin Feng — do you believe in fate?"
"Fate?" Lin Feng raised a brow. "I believe in choices. Fate's just what people blame when they make the wrong ones."
Xuanyu Ye laughed lightly. "Well said. Then allow me to make a choice of my own — I'd like to travel with you for a time."
Lin Feng blinked, genuinely surprised this time. "You don't even know where I'm going."
"Wherever storms gather, there's always something worth witnessing," Xuanyu replied. "And I've always liked thunder."
The scholar's calm smile didn't reach his eyes — and Lin Feng could tell there was far more to this man than he let on. His aura was faint, almost suppressed, but Lin Feng could sense a depth behind it. A still lake that hid unseen monsters.
He's no ordinary cultivator, Lin Feng thought. Either a rogue expert… or something worse.
He finished his tea, stood, and adjusted his cloak. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you when the thunder strikes too close."
Xuanyu Ye rose as well, smiling faintly. "I've been struck before. It's quite enlightening."
The two left the teahouse side by side, their reflections shimmering in the river below.
The Silent Watcher
Far across the river, within the shade of an old willow tree, a cloaked figure watched their departure. A blood-red talisman pulsed faintly on their wrist.
"The target has moved," the figure whispered into the wind. "And he's found company."
A cold voice replied through the talisman.
"Maintain distance. The sect elders want him alive. For now."
The talisman dimmed.
The watcher's lips curled into a thin smile. "Alive for now, eh? Let's see how long that lasts."
They vanished into the shadows, following the pair unseen.