He stared at his palm as if it were a question he hadn't earned the answer to yet.
Because deep in his bones, he knew—
This wasn't the power of someone in the Foundation Stage.
This was something else.
Something not meant for this world.
---
"Hey! That bitch must've gone deeper into the forest!"
The sudden shout shattered the silence.
"Is she stupid or what? Yeah, sure, we were going to kill her anyway — but walking into this cursed place? Hah! She saved us the trouble."
Another voice grunted, more cautious.
"Let her die out here. This forest's unnatural. Spirit energy's too thick, and it's way too quiet."
"So what now?"
"Nothing. We go back, report it's done. Hehehe~ she spared us the work."
A pause. The first voice grew tense.
"Let's go. I don't wanna stay here any longer. This place… it's giving me chills down my spine."
Leaves rustled, boots crunched on dirt, and then—nothing. The two figures faded into the trees, swallowed by the fog and undergrowth.
Lin Ye watched from a branch above, hidden in the dark canopy.
His azure eyes narrowed.
He said nothing.
But then—
"AHHHHHHHH—!"
A scream tore through the trees — distant, sharp,
Lin Ye's head snapped toward the sound, his expression shifting.
What now? Why are there so many people in this forest suddenly?
His figure blurred.
And vanished.
---
Near the river.
The steady rush of water echoed through the forest, the only sound left in the eerie silence.
By the riverbank, she lay motionless — a girl, barely older than Lin Ye himself. Her robes were torn and bloodied, sticking to her skin. Long strands of black hair clung to her face, and her breathing was shallow, but still there.
Wounds crisscrossed her arms and back. Not the savage tears of a beast's claw, but the clean, intentional cuts of a blade.
Lin Ye appeared at her side, crouching silently.
He studied her face — delicate, serene even in unconsciousness. A face untouched by fear, even in near-death.
"Who is she?" he muttered.
"Someone like her… shouldn't be in a place like this."
His eyes scanned her wounds again — controlled, precise.
"These aren't beast wounds. These cuts… came from a sword."
"So someone tried to kill her. Maybe those two from before..."
His hand clenched.
Then he reached into his storage ring and retrieved a small, jade-colored pill. He tilted her head gently, then placed the pill between her lips.
A faint blue glow passed through her throat as she swallowed.
He sat beside her, eyes scanning the treeline.
The air was thick.
Something was coming.
The girl's breath steadied, her heartbeat slowing with each passing hour. Lin Ye lifted her carefully, not saying a word. Her robes were soaked in blood, but her body was light —
He glanced at the forest around them once more.
No more footsteps. No more voices.
Only the hum of trees and the steady pull of spirit energy in the air.
With a small sigh, he vanished.
---
Inside the Cave.
Golden light from the pool shimmered softly across the stone walls. The air inside was warm, the silence thick but not threatening. Lin Ye laid the girl down gently on a bed of soft moss he'd gathered earlier. He placed a small barrier near the entrance and adjusted the flow of energy in the room to help her heal faster.
Every day for the next week, Lin Ye tended to her wounds in silence.
Her internal meridians were cracked . Her spiritual core was intact — whoever attacked her had wanted to kill, not hurt.
He applied rare ointments, fed her pills, and quietly cultivated near the pool, back turned to her.
Not once did he ask her name.
Not once did he speak.
---
One week later.
A flicker of movement.
Then a soft, hoarse whisper:
"Where… where am I?"
The girl blinked slowly, her vision adjusting to the golden light flickering off the cave walls. Her body felt light. Warm. No more pain.
She tried to sit up.
That's when she heard the voice.
"You don't need to worry. You're safe here."
Her eyes widened, snapping toward the source.
Lin Ye sat near the golden pool, cross-legged, his eyes closed in deep meditation. Azure sparks flickered gently from his palms — tranquil, yet dense with power. His voice had been calm. Uninterested.
She sat up fully now, gathering the loose fabric of her robe around herself.
"Who are you?" she asked, still wary.
"Did you bring me here?"
Lin Ye didn't move at first. Then, slowly, his eyes opened — cold, clear, and still glowing faintly with traces of cultivation.
He looked at her with no particular emotion.
"You were dying. And I had a pill to spare."
He turned his gaze back toward the pool.
"That's all."
The girl stared at Lin Ye for a long moment, as if trying to understand something unreadable on his face. Then, without another word, she turned.
Her footsteps were quiet as she walked toward the mouth of the cave, light steps echoing faintly in the silence.
"I don't know who you might be..." she said softly, without turning back, "but thank you for saving my life."
She kept walking.
Just a few steps from the entrance—
"You'll die if you go out."
The voice cut through the stillness like a blade.
She froze.
"What… was that?" she asked, eyes narrowing slightly.
Lin Ye hadn't moved from his seated position.
"There are a lot of spirit beasts in the forest who sensed your presence when you first arrived. They don't take kindly to outsiders."
She glanced toward the trees beyond the misty entrance — shadows shifted just out of reach, shapes barely distinguishable between the trunks.
A cold feeling crept into her spine.
Her hands tightened slightly.
"I don't have a choice," she said, tension in her voice. "I need to go. I need to inform my father about what happened…"
Lin Ye opened his eyes again, this time holding her gaze.
"And that's more important than your life?"
She didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
The cave fell silent.
A long breath passed before Lin Ye stood.
He adjusted his robes, dusted off the moss clinging to his knees, and stepped toward her.
"Then I'll take you."
She blinked, surprised.
"You will?" she asked, uncertainty in her voice.
Lin Ye looked past her, into the fog, where the pressure of hidden beasts still lingered like a sleeping storm.
"I brought you into the deeper parts of the forest. That makes your survival… my responsibility."
He turned away slightly, voice cool as ice.
"Don't misunderstand it for kindness."
The fog hung low as Lin Ye stepped out of the cave, his footsteps light but deliberate.
The girl followed close behind, adjusting the cloth over her shoulder. She tried to hide her unease, but her eyes flicked nervously between the trees, the shadows, the unseen things watching from beyond.
They walked in silence.
For the first few hours, not a single word passed between them.
Then—
A low growl echoed through the dense woods. The girl froze.
From the shadows, a massive wolf-like beast emerged — its fur as dark as charcoal, eyes glowing with murderous red intent. Drool dripped from its fangs as it stepped forward, its aura pressing heavily on the air.
The girl stumbled back, hand reaching instinctively for the dagger at her waist.
But Lin Ye didn't stop walking.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't even look.
The beast snarled—
—and lowered its head.
Not in attack.
In submission.
With a low whimper, it backed away into the shadows, its presence vanishing like smoke.
The girl's breath caught in her throat.
"…It bowed," she whispered.
But Lin Ye kept walking, eyes fixed ahead.
---
As they made their way deeper through the forest, the pattern repeated.
A six-eyed , serpent, coiled around an ancient tree, flicked its tongue but slithered away the moment Lin Ye approached.
A horned bear, taller than a house, stood upright in their path—only to turn aside after one glance at him.
Each time, the girl's awe grew.
She had lived around cultivators her entire life. She had seen experts, warriors, beast tamers… but never once had she seen beasts this powerful lower their heads in silence.
Who exactly is he…? she wondered.
But she didn't ask.
Because even now, walking just behind him, she could feel it — that gentle pressure of something not quite human. That silent flame that flickered within him.
He never spoke.
Never looked back.
---
Days passed.
Wounds healed. The forest thinned.
The trees grew shorter, the light brighter, and the oppressive air of spirit beasts slowly faded behind them.
And then — they stepped out.
From the edge of the woods, a wide valley stretched below, the rising sun painting the sky in warm golds and reds.
She stopped and turned.
The forest behind them loomed like a living thing — ancient, dangerous, unwelcoming.
And yet… it had let them go.
All because of the boy who now stood quietly beside her, his face unreadable, his gaze already fixed on the path ahead.
---