The setting sun bled over distant peaks, casting a blood-hued glow across the sky. The usually peaceful Fuyung Village now lay beneath a heavy air of anxiety.
Lăng Tiêu, after a fierce battle with the pursuers of Bé An, lay wounded in a grass hut at the village's edge. His spiritual essence was in disarray, and an eerie residual energy clung to his body. His complexion was pale, his breath shallow.
Diệp Vân Sơ sat quietly beside him, her hand gently channeling spiritual energy to help stabilize his chaotic meridians.
"You've carried too much for too long," she whispered. "This time... let me stand in your place."
1. The Cultivation System – Dao, Body, Spirit, and Soul
Within the hut, the blind old physician known as Master Từ Phủ was checking Lăng Tiêu's pulse. His brows furrowed as he muttered:
"His soul has reached the Initial Condensed Soul Realm, but he forcefully unleashed divine sense far beyond his grade. A taboo among cultivators."
Diệp Vân Sơ asked, voice calm but tense:
"Can he be saved, senior?"
"He can. But time is needed." The old man sighed, then turned his blind gaze toward her. "You're aware, aren't you, of the Fourfold Path in today's cultivation?"
She nodded.
"Yes. Dao Cultivation, Body Refining, Spirit Control, and Soul Nurturing. But only a rare few cultivate all four simultaneously."
"Indeed. Lăng Tiêu is one of those rare few. But that path invites instability. His condition is precarious. You must guard him well. If enemies come… can you hold them off alone?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she drew the wooden sword hanging at her waist — carved from thousand-year cloudwood, imbued with calm yet potent energy.
"He once shielded me through storms of blood and flame in the Abyssal Rift. Guarding a mere village? That's nothing."
2. The Girl Before the Gate
Two days later.
As moonlight bathed the earth, hoofbeats echoed on the path into the village. A group of masked riders in black approached, their presence oppressive.
Leading them was Ngô Văn Tín, once a petty rival of Lăng Tiêu, now a lackey of the Shadow Sect. His aura was strange — tinged with malicious qi.
He dismounted and sneered:
"Where's Lăng Tiêu? Tell him to come out and face his judgment."
Diệp Vân Sơ stepped forth. Her robe fluttered in the night breeze. She stood tall, her wooden sword in hand.
"He is wounded. Unfit for battle. Take one step forward, and I will not show mercy."
Ngô Văn Tín chuckled coldly:
"You? A mere woman? Do you think you can stop me?"
"You won't know until you try."
With that, a streak of sword-light flashed like a falling star. Diệp Vân Sơ moved like flowing water — graceful, yet each strike carried hidden lethality.
Two masked men charged — and were immediately knocked aside, blood spilling from their lips.
Ngô Văn Tín snarled:
"Fine! I'll spare your life — for now. But tell Lăng Tiêu: his time is running out."
3. Shadows and Heartbeats
That night, Lăng Tiêu awoke to find Diệp Vân Sơ beside him, holding the Soul-Nourishing Lamp, guiding his scattered essence back into harmony.
"You shouldn't have risked yourself…"
"If you fall, what else is worth holding onto?"
He grasped her hand gently. Words of gratitude caught in his throat.
He knew: behind his every step forward, she had been the silent support, bearing all burdens without complaint.
"Vân Sơ…" he murmured. "In this life, I owe you more than I can repay."