Winter receded slowly, giving way to streams cracking through ice and weak grass sprouting from frost.
The village awoke to bustle, repairs, rebuilding, children playing… yet Tian's days remained the same: dawn chores, dusk training, night meditation. But this time… Yuexin often joined him.
At first, she simply watched. Weeks passed, and she began to bring small meals for him, saying with a teasing smile: "Cultivation works better on a full stomach."
Then, one night, curiosity made her ask, "Can you show me?"
Tian hesitated, embarrassed—but eventually agreed. He guided her breath, taught her to imagine frost drifting through her veins. Her martial spirit—simple, an icy branch—awakened faintly.
They laughed under aurora skies, forming three first meager cycles together.
From that night on, she sat beside him always. Not a cultivator's perfect partner—her strength also meager—but her company warmed his frostbitten path.
Slowly, villagers began whispering differently.
"He always had strange perseverance… and now Yuexin follows too?"
"Maybe being weak isn't shameful. Even they believe in each other."
For Tian, such whispers meant little. But Yuexin's hand in his palm when nights grew colder meant the world.
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🔥 End of Chapter 8
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