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Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Departure by Moonlight

‎The moon hung low over Qinghe Village, veiled behind gray clouds that crawled like ghosts across the sky.

‎It was nearly midnight.

‎The only sounds were the rustle of bamboo, the distant hoot of an owl, and Lin Wei's footsteps—quiet, calculated, practiced.

‎Tonight was not a test.

‎It was the first real step away.

‎He'd prepared over the last few days:

‎Sliced a hidden trail through the forest behind the mill.

‎Collected energy-dampening herbs.

‎Wrapped his shoes in cloth dipped in lotus wax to soften his steps.

‎And now, wrapped in a faded travel robe with a rice straw hat, Lin Wei walked with the silence of someone trained for this moment.

‎Even if he never trained at all.

‎> Ding!

‎> [Miststep Activated]

‎> [Aura Veil Engaged]

‎> [Night Departure Protocol: +5 Concealment, +3 Movement Efficiency]

‎> [Route Confidence: 87% – no known watchers.]

‎He exhaled softly.

‎Just past the next ridge, he'd reach the old hunter's trail—rarely used, far from the shrine's spiritual boundary, and outside the reach of the sect-linked tracking wards.

‎By morning, he would be gone.

‎But then.

‎A shriek split the silence.

‎Not a human scream. Not a beast's howl.

‎Something... between.

‎The sound echoed from the village's eastern ridge.

‎> Ding!

‎> [Spirit Beast Detected: "Hollow-Furred Ghoulcat"]

‎> [Threat Level: Low-Mid Cultivation (Feral)]

‎> [Behavior: Parasitic – drawn to emotional fear and karmic pressure.]

‎Lin Wei paused.

‎He knew that sound. It meant the ghoulcat had found prey—someone afraid, someone vulnerable.

‎He turned around.

‎No. This wasn't his problem. He couldn't risk exposing himself.

‎> Warning: Village-wide alarm will draw attention to all active cultivators.

‎> Engaging with force may reveal growth rate irregularities.

‎His hand trembled.

‎But the shriek came again—closer now.

‎A child's voice cried out for help.

‎Lin Wei dropped his bag.

‎Without thinking, he moved.

‎Feet brushing through grass. Breath shallow. The system adjusted with him, syncing rhythm with instinct.

‎By the time he reached the outer field, he saw her. Ping'er, a small girl from the baker's family, clinging to a tree trunk while a ghoulcat circled below—skeletal thin, covered in tufts of gray fur and spiritual rot. Its mouth unhinged far too wide.

‎No one else had arrived yet.

‎> Ding!

‎> [Emergency Intervention Mode: Activated]

‎> [Passive Trait "Tranquil Ascender" buff multiplied during emotional suppression.]

‎Lin Wei acted in silence.

‎He picked up a stone—smooth, flat, heavy.

‎He stepped into position.

‎And he threw it.

‎> Ding!

‎> [Precision Strike – Passive Technique Activated]

‎> [You have struck a spirit beast's spinal node. Stun applied: 2.4 seconds.]

‎The rock hit the ghoulcat between the shoulders. It jerked violently and collapsed with a shriek.

‎Lin Wei dashed forward, grabbed Ping'er by the waist, and rolled behind a mossy boulder.

‎> Miststep activated.

‎> Aura Veil partially obscured spiritual trail.

‎> Child's fear reduced by 40%.

‎"Don't cry," he whispered. "You're safe."

‎Ping'er stared up at him, wide-eyed and shaking. "You're... Lin Wei?"

‎> Ding!

‎> [Affinity Update: Ping'er – +20]

‎> [Karmic Thread Established.]

‎Before he could respond, a burst of red flame shot from the nearby trees and consumed the ghoulcat in seconds.

‎A cultivator arrived—someone from outside.

‎No robes. Just a red flame seal etched into leather armor. He stepped into the clearing, panting.

‎"You saw anything?" he asked Lin Wei.

‎"No," Lin Wei lied, still holding the child. "It was already burning when I got here."

‎The man narrowed his eyes.

‎Then nodded.

‎"Return her to the village. And stay away from the ridge. Something's wrong with the shrine again."

‎Back in his hut, Lin Wei sat by candlelight, legs crossed.

‎> Ding!

‎> [Emergency Rescue: +3 Karma]

‎> [Combat Action without Cultivation: +2 Efficiency]

‎> [You have reached Level 8]

‎> [Trait Milestone Triggered]

‎[Trait Choice – System Personality Evolution]

‎You are no longer merely surviving. You are beginning to define your nature. Choose a guiding thread:

‎Ghost of the Quiet Path:

‎ You remain hidden, always acting when eyes are closed. Gain stealth bonuses and karmic veil abilities.

‎Caretaker of Forgotten Fires:

‎ Your growth inspires others without them knowing. Gain slow passive buffs to allies you help. Karma accumulates toward destiny events.

‎Echo of the Still Blade:

‎ Your actions remain minimal, but when you strike—it is decisive. Learn instinctive counter-based techniques and spirit-deterrent auras.

‎Lin Wei stared at the three glowing choices. Each one was him… and none of them were.

‎But something in him pulled toward the second.

‎He hadn't asked to help Ping'er. But he had. Just as he had helped Mei Lan, Auntie Nuan, and even Wu Shen when no one else saw.

‎Not to be noble.

‎Just because it was right.

‎> Choice Confirmed: Caretaker of Forgotten Fires

‎> You now gain Karmic Seeds when your silent actions change the fate of another.

‎> Seeds may awaken dormant talents or protect you in unseen ways later.

‎A new glow lit beneath his system interface—a small ember flickering like a seed.

‎The next day, Lin Wei did not leave.

‎Not yet.

‎Instead, he walked to the center of the village, offered to help repair a fence destroyed by the beast, and quietly laid spiritual thread across the damaged wood while no one looked.

‎> Ding!

‎> [You have passed karma into the land.]

‎> [1 Karmic Seed Generated.]

‎Even doing good while pretending to be ordinary… made him stronger.

‎And that made him harder to detect.

‎He smiled faintly.

‎Perhaps... perhaps he didn't have to run.

‎Perhaps he could walk slower.

‎And let the world mistake him for a shadow.

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