Li Xuan stood alone in the bamboo forest for a long time.
The bamboo leaves whispered above him as if sharing secrets with the wind.Dappled sunlight broke through the tall stalks, painting shifting shapes across the dirt floor.
Yan Ling's last words echoed in his mind:
"Someone else is watching you.""Not Elder Qiu.""Not Fang Zhi.""Someone deeper."
Li Xuan frowned slightly.
Deeper than Elder Qiu?Deeper than a visiting elder?Who could hide in this sect without anyone knowing?
He inhaled slowly.
"Grand Immortal," Li Xuan whispered in his thoughts, "do you sense anything?"
The Immortal's answer was cold, quiet, and unsettling.
—Yes.A beat.—There is someone in this sect whose presence even I cannot fully perceive.
Li Xuan's heart tightened.
"…What does that mean?"
—Someone who hides their cultivation perfectly. Someone who watches without leaving traces. Someone who has already noticed your change.
Li Xuan's breath stopped for half a second.
"…Why me?"
The Immortal paused before answering.
—Because your soul merged with mine. Because your presence changed suddenly. Because your will, once weak, burned brightly enough for others to sense.
A chill crept down Li Xuan's spine.
—There is always someone who watches the flames in the dark, the Immortal murmured.
Li Xuan looked around the bamboo forest.
Nothing moved.
But the silence felt too thick.
Too heavy.
Too still.
Li Xuan whispered:
"…Are they here now?"
The Immortal replied:
—No. Not now. But they were here recently.
Li Xuan turned toward a different section of the bamboo.
Between two stalks, he noticed something subtle on the ground… footprints.
Deep.Even.Precise.
Not left by a careless disciple.
Not left by an elder wearing heavy boots.
Someone light.Someone controlled.Someone highly trained.
Li Xuan crouched down and examined them.
"…They're recent."
—Within the last hour, the Immortal confirmed. Someone approached this exact spot.A pause.—And they watched you and Yan Ling.
Li Xuan's fingers tightened on the dirt.
"Why Yan Ling?" he whispered.
The Immortal spoke slowly.
—Because she can sense things others cannot.—Because she noticed your change before anyone else.—Because she… is not ordinary either.
Li Xuan raised his head.
"…What are you saying?"
The Immortal sighed.
—Yan Ling hides things as well. She is not just a talented disciple. She is something more. Something she is not ready to reveal.
Li Xuan sat back against the bamboo, mind heavier than before.
Yan Ling's strange knowledge…Her ability to sense Qi…Her warnings…Her confidence even in front of elders…Her mysterious past nobody talked about…
None of it was simple.
She wasn't just a helpful girl.
She was connected to something larger — maybe even darker.
As those thoughts sank in, Li Xuan suddenly felt the ground tremble ever so softly.
A vibration.
Barely noticeable.
But real.
He froze.
Footsteps.
Soft.Controlled.Not rushing.Not careless.
A single person approaching the forest.
Li Xuan immediately slipped deeper into the bamboo shadows, hiding behind a thick cluster of stalks.
His breathing slowed.His heartbeat softened.
He listened.
The steps continued.
Closer.
Step.Step.Step.
Whoever this was… they weren't trying to hide.But they weren't making noise either.
Someone skilled.Someone dangerous.
The bamboo parted gently—
And a figure walked into the clearing.
Li Xuan's pupils narrowed.
It wasn't Elder Qiu.It wasn't Elder Fang Zhi.It wasn't Zhao Ren.It wasn't any disciple he recognized.
The man wore simple gray robes.No elder insignia.No weapon.No expression.
His eyes were half-closed, sleepy-looking.
He walked as if taking a stroll in the afternoon sun…but Li Xuan felt every hair on his arms stand up.
This man's presence…
Was empty.
Completely empty.
No Qi.No noise.No aura.Nothing.
Like he wasn't even alive.
The Immortal whispered sharply:
—Careful. That one is dangerous. More dangerous than Elder Qiu. More dangerous than the visitor in red.
Li Xuan held his breath.
The man stopped in the middle of the clearing and slowly looked around —
Not searching.
Not scanning.
Just observing casually.
Then he smiled faintly.
A gentle, harmless smile.
But the Immortal's voice hardened:
—Do not trust that smile. That man could kill everyone in this sect if he wished.
Li Xuan's heart pounded.
The man turned his head…
Toward Li Xuan's hiding place.
He looked directly at the bamboo where Li Xuan crouched.
Li Xuan's pulse stopped.
The bamboo leaves rustled softly as the wind moved them.
The gray-robed man's smile widened slightly.
He spoke in a calm, almost friendly voice:
"…Interesting."
Li Xuan felt cold sweat slide down his back.
The man turned away slowly—and walked deeper into the forest without another word.
Silence swallowed the clearing again.
Li Xuan didn't move for a full minute.
Only when the presence completely disappeared did the Immortal finally breathe out:
—That… was the one Yan Ling warned you about.—A hidden monster wearing a harmless mask.
Li Xuan swallowed hard.
"…Who is he?"
The Immortal's answer was simple and terrifying.
—I do not know.
Li Xuan felt the weight of the bamboo forest close around him.
Danger had many faces in this sect — but this one…
This one was on a different level.
Yan Ling was right.
The next storm wasn't coming from Elder Qiu.
It came from the man who walked quietly…smiled gently…and looked at Li Xuan as if he could see straight through him.