Blossoming Path

As I rushed back home, the weight of what I had just learned settled heavily in my chest. The realization of what was happening, of what had been happening under my nose this whole time, made my heart pound even harder. The ambient qi in the village, stronger than it should have been. And now it all pointed back to one person.

Tianyi.

When I reached my front door, I paused, quickly scanning the area for any sign of prying eyes. The last thing I needed was someone from Narrow Stone Peak catching me talking to her. The village was still quiet, early enough that most people were either still eating or getting ready for their day. I slipped inside the house and closed the door behind me as quietly as I could.

“Tianyi,” I called softly, approaching my bed, where she’d spent the night hidden. "You can come out now."

There was a slight rustling from underneath the bed, and then a soft sigh as she emerged, moving with that quiet grace that always unnerved me a bit. Windy was curled up beside her, his blue eyes gleaming in the dim light, as if sensing my thoughts. Tianyi’s large, too-bright eyes met mine, and for a moment, we just stared at each other.

I took a breath, steadying myself. "I need to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me."

Her head tilted slightly, the faintest sign of curiosity.

"I’ve noticed... the ambient qi in the village," I began, choosing my words carefully. "It’s stronger now, more than it was when I left for the Verdant Lotus Sect. And since I got back, it’s been getting even stronger. Stronger than it should be."

Her gaze didn’t waver, but I could see the recognition in her eyes.

"It’s your Qi Haven skill, isn’t it? Has it changed? Has it expanded beyond just specific zones and now covers the entire village?"

For a moment, Tianyi didn’t respond. Her eyes remained fixed on mine, unreadable. Then, slowly, she nodded.

"After my breakthrough," she said quietly, her voice soft but clear, "my skill grew. It no longer affects only small, isolated areas. The entire village is now within its range, creating a place where the qi is richer, stronger."

My stomach twisted at her confirmation. It made perfect sense, but it also made everything so much more complicated.

"So that’s why the ambient qi is so strong..." I muttered to myself, my mind racing. Elder Ming, Wang Jun, and Lan-Yin had all noticed it too. But none of us had understood why until now.

Tianyi’s eyes never left me, although the two strands falling in front of her face continued to twitch with nervous energy.

The reason the Narrow Stone Peak disciples were hanging around… the reason they were so eager to "help" the village, it all made sense now.

My mind flashed back to that conversation with Wei Long, the first time he came to the village. I had overlooked his words then, distracted by his smooth-talking and the obvious power he wielded. But now… his words echoed back in my mind with new clarity.

'We have reason to believe the bandit activity will spread soon, and spirit beasts are drawn to areas of concentrated qi, such as this village.'

He knew. Maybe not the full extent of it, but he knew something was different here. He saw the village’s growing significance, and now I could see why the disciples of Narrow Stone Peak were so eager to establish themselves here. It wasn’t just about protecting the village from bandits. They wanted to control it. They wanted the qi.

And now that I knew the truth, I had to be careful. More careful than ever before.

I let out a slow breath, the weight of the situation sinking in deeper. “Thank you, Tianyi," I said softly, feeling a mixture of gratitude and concern. "Thank you for staying hidden and keeping yourself out of sight. I don’t know what I’d do if they found out about you.”

Tianyi remained still, her gaze unwavering but now tinged with something... hesitant. She shifted slightly, her wings twitching ever so subtly, and I could sense she had something to say. I waited, the silence stretching between us. 𝑅

Finally, she spoke, her voice quieter than usual. “I didn’t stay hidden the entire time.”

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I blinked, her words catching me off guard. “What do you mean?”

She glanced down, her large eyes showing a flicker of uncertainty. “Last night when the man came to the garden. I... I didn't stay hidden. He was going to destroy the greenhouse, and I know how much it means to you.”

The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. She had fought off the intruder, shown her face. My pulse quickened.

“I didn’t want to fight,” she added quickly, as if sensing the worry rising in me. “But I couldn’t let him destroy the place you’ve worked so hard on. So I stopped him. I stayed out of sight of the bald men in the village... I made sure no one else saw me.”

A wave of relief mixed with panic surged through me. She had protected the greenhouse, but at what cost? If anyone had seen her, if anyone even suspected...

“Tianyi,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice calm, though my mind was racing. “You... you shouldn’t have—” I stopped myself, realizing that there was no point in chastising her. She had done it out of care, out of loyalty. But now this situation was far more serious than I thought.

My mind shifted focus. I needed to know more. My gaze hardened as I knelt down, closer to her level. “Tell me everything about the attacker. What did they look like? How did they fight?”

Tianyi stared at me, her eyes narrowing slightly in thought, as though she were piecing together how to explain something that didn’t fully make sense to her yet. Her wings twitched slightly.

“It… was like Windy’s fang,” she started, her voice halting. “Sharp. He used it… not to bite, but to... slice?” She tilted her head, searching for the right word. “He cut the garden with it.”

I frowned, trying to follow her logic. “A blade?”

Tianyi’s face brightened at the word, and she nodded quickly. “Yes! A blade, like a bigger, meaner fang. He had it when I saw him. He was slow. Slower than I thought he would be.”

My heart clenched at the thought of her facing that intruder alone. “And what happened when you confronted him?”

She glanced down at her arm, where a thin line still marred her pale skin. It was faint, but the sight of it stoked an ember inside me. I fought to keep my expression neutral as she continued.

“He dropped the fang,” she said, the words coming more easily now. “He was worse with it. Better with his fists. When he fought with his hands, I couldn’t hit him as much.” She trailed off, her hand gently brushing the scratch. “He hit me here with the fang. But it’s nothing.”

I stared at the faint scratch, feeling a cold rage creeping up my spine. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the intruder daring to strike her, or the fact that she seemed so nonchalant about it. My mind replayed her words: dropped the blade... better with his fists.

It wasn’t just some petty thief. Whoever this was had training.

“He hurt you,” I said, the words coming out more sharply than I intended.

She tilted her head, her wings shifting slightly, confused by the intensity in my voice. “A scratch. It will heal.”

But I couldn’t let it go so easily. A dull roar filled my head, like a pressure building, ready to explode.

I took a breath, trying to ground myself, but the anger wouldn’t go away. Not fully. Instead, it simmered just below the surface, waiting.

Tianyi’s eyes widened slightly as she studied me. “You… are angry?”

“I am,” I said, quieter this time. “Not at you. Never at you. I’m angry at the man who hurt you. Who came here. I should’ve been there to stop him.”

Her expression softened, as though she were trying to understand what I was saying, but couldn’t quite grasp the human depth of emotion. “I stopped him. And… I did not want him to destroy the place you cared about. The greenhouse.”

I felt a pang of gratitude mingled with that burning anger. She hadn’t acted out of aggression; she had intervened to protect the greenhouse I poured my heart and money into. And yet, the fact that she had to step in at all gnawed at me.

“Thank you,” I muttered, barely above a whisper. “You did the right thing."

But even as I said it, I knew this situation was far more serious than I had realized. This wasn’t some random act of vandalism. This was planned. Deliberate. And if Tianyi had to intervene, then it meant the threat wasn’t just against my garden—it was against all of us.

I met her gaze again. “Can you remember anything else about the man? Please, everything you can remember.”

She seemed to think for a moment, her eyes flicking toward Windy before returning to me. “He fought hard… but left when the bald men started running.”

With every word that left her lips, I pushed for more, digging into each detail, dragging every drop of information I could from her memories. What did he do? How did he look when he did it? I pressed her for the smallest gestures, the flick of his hand, the pace of his movements, anything that might give me insight.

She mentioned Windy's role in the battle, how he bit him on the ankle, pumping him full of venom. The serpent in question looked at me, raising his head high like an arrogant young master.

"Windy, he can track his prey. Whenever he bites. He can tell where they go."

I took a slow breath, trying to piece together the information Tianyi had given me. Her description was a bit fragmented, but it was enough to know that this wasn’t just an amateur sneaking into my garden for a quick smash-and-grab. The man had been armed with a blade, skilled with his fists, and deliberate in his intent to destroy my work.

And if Windy could track people he attacked, then that'd mean we have a trail to follow the culprit.

But still, I needed more information.

I turned toward her, my brows furrowed. “Was it like this?” I asked, standing up slowly. I shifted my stance, feet planted firmly, widening my shoulders to imitate a larger, more aggressive style. My arms moved in tight arcs, simulating the way the Narrow Stone Peak disciples would strike. Close-range punches aimed at grappling, their bodies leaning forward to grab or overpower their opponent. I mimicked their footwork, using firm stomps to suggest a stronger, slower approach, designed to overwhelm someone faster.

"They use their size and brute strength to get close,” I explained, recalling all I remembered from my spar with Gu Bei, as well as the incident in Crescent Bay. “locking their opponent down with grabs and crushing force."

Tianyi’s wings twitched slightly as she watched my movements. Her eyes lit up with recognition, and she nodded slowly. “Yes... he moved like that. Not fast, but strong. It was harder to hit him when he fought with his hands, since he'd try to catch me.”

I cursed under my breath. Narrow Stone Peak. Of course. Everything kept pointing back to them. Their presence, their interest in the village, and now this.

And that’s when it hit me.

The blade. He dropped it according to her, but… where was it? Who would've taken it?

I’d been outside the entire night, cleaning up the wreckage, combing through the garden, but I never found a blade. There had been no sign of it when I woke up after the break-in, no trace of it in the garden when we were fixing the fence. But it made sense. Some of the plants were cut in half. It wasn't something that could be accomplished with one's bare hands.

Just as I was about to speak, a sharp knock echoed through the shop, cutting through the tense air.

I froze, my mind racing. My eyes shot toward Tianyi, and she immediately understood, retreating back under the bed without a sound, with Windy slithering to her side.

The knock came again, this time more forceful, more insistent. My heart pounded in my chest as I straightened up, trying to calm the storm of thoughts swirling in my mind.

I opened the door just a crack, and my stomach sank as I found myself staring into the grim face of Wei Long, the leader of the Narrow Stone Peak disciples.

He wasn’t here for pleasantries.

“Kai,” Wei Long said, his voice low and measured, but there was an unmistakable edge to it. “We need to talk.”

I stepped aside, forcing a calmness into my voice that I didn’t feel.

“...Come in.”