They returned to the valley the next day.
Not openly, not secretly—just as travelers passing through. The settlement looked the same in daylight: pale soil, tired houses, the river flowing with indifferent patience. Life here moved slowly, worn down by repetition rather than disaster.
Shen Yuan did not head straight for the river.
He walked through the village first.
Lin Qiu followed, observing quietly. He noticed things now—how people avoided eye contact, how cultivators walked with casual superiority, how those without strength learned to make themselves small.
They reached the river only after the sun had climbed high.
She was there again.
Kneeling on the same flat stone.Washing clothes that were not all her own.
Her movements were efficient, practiced, empty of expectation.
Shen Yuan stopped a short distance away.
Lin Qiu halted beside him, saying nothing.
A shout cut through the air.
"You again?"
The same young cultivator from the day before strode toward the riverbank, a smirk already on his face. His cultivation was mediocre but stable—exactly the kind that liked to remind others of the difference.
"You really don't learn," he said. "I told you yesterday—don't pretend you belong among cultivators."
The woman paused.
Just for a breath.
Shen Yuan felt the seal respond immediately.
It tightened—not violently, but obediently, as if relieved to be reinforced.
"I'm not pretending," she said quietly, eyes still lowered.
The cultivator laughed. "Then what are you doing?"
She didn't answer.
Her silence did what words could not.
It confirmed his judgment.
"Master," Lin Qiu said softly, tension creeping into his voice.
Shen Yuan did not move.
"Not yet," he replied.
The cultivator stepped closer, lowering his voice. "People like you should be grateful just to survive. Cultivation isn't for everyone."
Something in her hands trembled.
Not with anger.
With restraint.
The seal constricted further.
Shen Yuan watched closely.
This was the moment.
Not of power.Of choice.
Slowly, the woman stood.
It was an unremarkable action—no flare of aura, no dramatic declaration.
But the seal hesitated.
For the first time.
"I didn't ask to cultivate," she said. Her voice was steady, though quiet. "But I didn't ask you to decide for me either."
The cultivator blinked, surprised. "What did you say?"
She lifted her head.
Not defiant.
Present.
"I'll work," she continued. "I'll live here if I have to. But I won't kneel for your approval."
The words were simple.
They were enough.
Something shifted.
The seal did not break.
But it loosened—just slightly, just enough to let breath through.
Shen Yuan felt it clearly.
Lin Qiu did too, though he did not understand why.
The cultivator scoffed, embarrassed more than angry. "Suit yourself," he muttered, turning away. "Don't regret it."
He left.
The river resumed its sound.
The woman exhaled shakily and sat back down—not to kneel, but to rest. Her hands trembled now, the delayed weight of what she had done settling in.
Shen Yuan stepped forward.
This time, he did not stop himself.
She noticed him immediately.
Not because of aura.
Because his presence acknowledged her.
"You handled that correctly," Shen Yuan said.
She looked up, startled. "…You were watching?"
"Yes."
Her expression tightened, embarrassment flickering across her face. "Then you saw me make a fool of myself."
"No," Shen Yuan replied calmly. "I saw you stop kneeling."
That made her pause.
Lin Qiu watched from a step behind, heart pounding.
Shen Yuan knelt—not on the stone, but on the riverbank, bringing himself to her eye level.
"What is your name?" he asked.
"…Su Yao."
"Su Yao," Shen Yuan repeated. "If I told you your cultivation has been wrong from the beginning, would you believe me?"
She hesitated.
Then nodded. "Yes."
Not because she trusted him.
Because she already knew something was wrong.
"And if I told you fixing it would make you weaker for a long time," Shen Yuan continued, "and invite more ridicule—would you still try?"
Her fingers curled against her palms.
"…Yes."
That answer mattered.
Shen Yuan stood.
"I won't take you as a disciple today," he said.
Lin Qiu stiffened in surprise.
Su Yao blinked—but did not look crushed.
"Good," Shen Yuan continued. "Because if you follow me, it won't be because you were saved."
He turned slightly, gesturing toward the village behind her.
"Live here for three more days," he said. "If you kneel again—even once—forget we met."
Her breath caught.
"And if I don't?" she asked.
Shen Yuan met her eyes.
"Then I'll teach you how to stand correctly."
They left her there.
Lin Qiu didn't speak until they were out of sight.
"…Master," he said quietly. "Is that really enough?"
Shen Yuan walked on, unhurried.
"For her?" he replied. "Yes."
After a pause, he added, "For the sect? We'll see."
Above them, the sky stretched wide and indifferent.
Below, a seal—ancient and adaptive—waited to see if it would be allowed to loosen again.