The valley did not welcome them.
By the time the sun reached its peak, the truth of that became impossible to ignore.
The land was dry—not barren, but unwilling. The soil cracked beneath their steps, not from neglect, but from exhaustion. Sparse vegetation clung stubbornly to life, thin and uneven, as if something had been taking more than it gave.
Lui Ming stood at the center of the valley, quietly observing.
Behind him, the eleven elders spread out, each examining the land in their own way.
Some crouched to inspect the soil.
Some extended their spiritual sense.
Some simply watched—with doubt growing more visible by the moment.
"This place…" one elder muttered, "it's worse than it looked from above."
Another clicked his tongue. "Even if we plant, it won't yield much."
"Not just that," a third added, "the Qi here is thin. Unstable."
Lui Ming did not respond.
Instead, he turned slightly.
"Report."
Zhou Liu stepped forward first.
"The soil structure is damaged," he said calmly. "Not naturally. It has been drained repeatedly over time."
"Drained?" another elder frowned. "By what?"
Zhou Liu shook his head. "Not certain yet."
Lui Ming nodded, then looked toward another direction.
"Elder Bai."
Bai Tusu knelt gently, her fingers brushing the ground before lifting a small cluster of herbs.
"They are alive," she said softly. "But… tired."
She looked up, ears twitching slightly.
"They are not growing. They are surviving."
A subtle silence followed.
Lui Ming shifted his gaze.
"Elder Lin."
Lin Yue stood with her spear planted lightly into the ground, scanning the horizon.
"No immediate threats," she said. "But this place is too quiet."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I don't like quiet places like this."
Lui Ming nodded once.
Then—
"What do you think?"
The question surprised them.
Not because it was complex.
But because it was directed at all of them.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then—
"It's a dead land."
Blunt.
Simple.
The speaker stepped forward.
Chen Guo.
One of the more vocal elders. Direct, practical, and unimpressed.
"This isn't something you fix with effort," he continued. "This land has been used up. Even if we stay, we gain nothing."
A few elders nodded.
Another added, "We should relocate while we still can."
"Find a better foundation."
"Rebuild somewhere else."
The voices began to rise again.
Not chaotic—
But leaning toward a single direction.
Leave.
Lui Ming listened.
Fully.
Until they finished.
Then he asked one question.
"Why?"
The word was simple.
But it stopped them.
Chen Guo frowned. "What do you mean 'why'?"
"Why leave?" Lui Ming clarified.
"Because this place has no value."
"Define value."
The frown deepened.
"It cannot support cultivation."
"It cannot produce resources."
"It cannot defend itself."
"That is value."
Lui Ming nodded slowly.
Then—
"And if another place has value?"
Chen Guo crossed his arms. "Then we go there."
"And when others come for it?"
Silence.
"They will," Lui Ming continued calmly. "Because it has value."
No one spoke.
"You leave because this place has nothing."
"You go somewhere else because it has something."
"And then you fight to keep it."
He looked at them.
"Is that different from anywhere else?"
The question lingered.
Uncomfortable.
But undeniable.
Lin Yue smirked slightly.
"…So you're saying we stay because it's worthless?"
Lui Ming shook his head.
"No."
He turned, looking across the valley again.
"We stay because it is already broken."
That… was not the answer they expected.
Zhou Liu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Explain."
Lui Ming gestured lightly toward the land.
"This place has already been drained."
"Already abandoned."
"Already ignored."
He paused.
"That means no one is watching it closely."
No one interrupted.
"That means no one is protecting it."
A faint shift.
"That means…"
He looked back at them.
"No one expects anything from it."
Silence.
Then—
A quiet laugh.
Lin Yue.
"…Now that," she said, "is interesting."
Chen Guo frowned. "Even if that's true, what does it change?"
Lui Ming's answer came immediately.
"It gives us time."
That word—
Time—
Changed everything.
Zhou Liu exhaled slowly.
"…I see."
Not agreement.
But understanding.
Bai Tusu smiled faintly.
"If no one is competing for it… then we can slowly restore it."
Lui Ming nodded.
"Yes."
Chen Guo still looked unconvinced.
"And if it cannot be restored?"
Lui Ming met his gaze.
"Then we confirm that."
No hesitation.
No illusion.
Just process.
That… made it harder to argue.
Lin Yue lifted her spear slightly.
"So what's the plan?"
Lui Ming raised one finger.
"Test."
"Test?" she echoed.
"We don't assume," he said. "We verify."
He looked toward Bai Tusu.
"You will select a section of land."
"Small."
"Controlled."
She nodded. "Understood."
"Restore it."
"With everything you know."
Her eyes brightened slightly.
"I can try."
Lui Ming turned.
"Zhou Liu."
"Yes."
"Analyze the flow of Qi in that area."
"Find where it weakens."
Zhou Liu nodded slowly.
"I will."
Then—
"Lin Yue."
She smirked. "Finally."
"You secure the perimeter."
Her smirk widened—
Then faded slightly.
"…Perimeter?"
"Yes."
He looked at her.
"If something drained this land…"
A pause.
"…it may still be here."
Silence.
That… changed the atmosphere.
Not fear.
But awareness.
Lin Yue's grip on her spear tightened slightly.
"…Understood."
The remaining elders shifted.
Now, the problem was no longer abstract.
It was real.
And possibly watching.
Lui Ming stepped forward.
"We begin with one section."
"No expansion."
"No assumptions."
"We observe."
"We learn."
"We adapt."
Simple.
Clear.
Actionable.
No grand plan.
Just the next step.
Chen Guo exhaled through his nose.
"…This is slow."
"Yes," Lui Ming said.
"…And uncertain."
"Yes."
"…And risky."
Lui Ming looked at him.
"Yes."
A pause.
Then—
"That's why it works."
Chen Guo fell silent.
Not convinced.
But no longer dismissive.
Bai Tusu stood, gently holding her herbs.
"I'll start immediately."
Zhou Liu followed.
"I will map the Qi flow."
Lin Yue spun her spear once.
"I'll take a look around."
One by one—
They moved.
Not perfectly aligned.
Not fully trusting.
But moving.
And that was enough.
Lui Ming remained where he was.
Watching.
Not the land—
But the people.
Their choices.
Their reactions.
Their pace.
Then—
A faint disturbance.
So subtle that most would miss it.
But not him.
His gaze shifted slightly—
Toward the far edge of the valley.
Where the ground dipped into shadow.
For just a moment—
Something moved.
Not wind.
Not beast.
Something else.
Then—
Stillness again.
Lui Ming's expression did not change.
But his eyes sharpened slightly.
"…So you're still here."
He spoke quietly.
Not to the elders.
Not to the land.
But to whatever had been watching.
The wind passed again.
Soft.
Almost harmless.
But beneath it—
Something had begun.
Not growth.
Not yet.
But awareness.
And in a land that had long been ignored—
That alone…
Was the beginning of change.
---
End of Chapter 2