Shi Yao climbed the mountain trail behind the Peak Master. From time to time, he glanced around in awe at the breathtaking scenery—the towering cliffs, a roaring waterfall, and flocks of birds soaring through the mist.
Lost in admiration, he missed a step—and tumbled, arms flailing, as he rolled down the winding path with a startled yell.
The Peak Master halted and turned, facing Shi Yao. "Watch your step," he said calmly. "This mountain has talismans and traps in certain places." A faint smile tugged at his lips. "You wouldn't want to stumble into one... would you?"
Moments later, after the embarrassing tumble, Shi Yao and his master, Rui Feng, reached the mountain peak. There, resting atop the summit, stood a small castle.
"Tada! This will be your new home," Rui Feng said with a hint of pride.
"Wow, that's really my new home? I knew choosing this peak was the right move! No more sleeping on beds as hard as rock!" Shi Yao cheered, clenching his fists and raising his arms in excitement.
"What are you talking about?" Rui Feng asked, pointing to a small hut beside the castle. "That will be your home."
Shi Yao's arms slowly dropped. "...You're joking, right?"
Rui Feng was already walking away, hands behind his back. "Make sure the roof doesn't collapse tonight."
Shi Yao, sighing in disappointment, walked toward his new home. He grabbed the doorknob—but before he could even turn it, the door collapsed inward, leaving him frozen in place.
"Damn... and here I thought coming here was a good idea."
He propped the door back into place and stepped inside, only to find the room in complete disarray. The moment his foot crossed the threshold, a wave of dust exploded into his face.
Rui Feng's head popped back in through the door, still smiling. "Oh, I forgot to mention—I think I saw spiders in there before. You might want to watch out. I've got somewhere to be. Later." And with that, he vanished.
"Wait, don't leave ye...t. What a scumbag."
Shi Yao closed his eyes and stretched his hands forward.
The air in front of his palm began to swirl, a miniature vortex forming. It wasn't a powerful gust—nothing that could uproot trees or scatter stones. Instead, it was a gentle current, a playful whisper of wind, no more forceful than a child's breath.
It danced around his fingers, lifting a few blades of grass and causing tiny white wildflowers nearby to nod in unison. The breeze carried the faintest scent of damp earth and wild blossoms, stirred and scattered by Shi Yao's nascent wind.
He felt the subtle pressure against his palm—a delicate result of his inner energy gently influencing the outer world.
He held the zephyr for a few quiet moments, observing its delicate dance, sensing the subtle feedback flowing through his meridians. It was a quiet testament to his growing control, his deepening understanding of the link between his inner world and the elements around him.
Then, with a calm breath and a simple thought, he expanded the wind, guiding it outward to carry the dust away.
Shi Yao closed his eyes again, focusing his intent and drawing inner qi toward his fingertips. He didn't try to summon water from the distant lake; that was beyond his current level. Instead, he concentrated on the very air around him—the invisible moisture held within the humid heat. He imagined the air as a vast, ethereal ocean, and his qi as a gentle current, capable of gathering the scattered droplets.
He extended his hands, palms up, fingers slightly curved. His inner qi pulsed, a faint thrumming sensation that resonated in his bones. He visualized tiny motes of water vapor, invisible to the naked eye, swirling around his fingertips. It was a patient process, like coaxing morning dew to form on a leaf.
He didn't force the water to appear; he guided the subtle energies, shaping a focal point—a nexus where the moisture in the air could gather. His qi acted like a gentle magnet, drawing the scattered water molecules together.
Minutes stretched into what felt like an eternity under the relentless sun. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but his focus remained unbroken. He could feel the subtle shift in the air around his hands, a coolness beginning to emanate—a sign that his efforts were taking hold.
Then, a miracle unfolded, small and delicate as a newborn's breath.
First, a faint shimmer appeared above the center of his right palm, a fleeting glisten that caught the harsh sunlight. It was so small it could have been mistaken for a heat haze. But Shi Yao felt it—a tangible weight, a coolness against his skin.
He held his breath, intensifying his focus. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, more moisture gathered. The shimmer grew, the individual droplets beginning to merge. It was a painstaking process, each tiny sphere forming as if conjured from nothingness.
He continued the process. Once enough water had gathered, he shaped it with a single thought, sending it sweeping across the room. The dust vanished, and within moments, the place was spotless.
"Looks like atmospheric water generation can still be applied here."
"Even in another world, science still works," Shi Yao said, looking up with a satisfied grin.
As Shi Yao stepped out of his room, morning sunlight washed over the mountain peak, and the scent of wet stone and dew filled the air.
Up ahead, Rui Feng stood casually near the cliff's edge, sleeves rolled, barefoot, one hand guiding a thin strand of qi like a fishing line into the lake beside the waterfall.
A heartbeat later, he gave it a sharp flick—three silver-scaled fish shot into the air, wriggling, before dropping neatly into a woven basket at his feet.
Turning around, he spotted Shi Yao.
"Morning, dear disciple," Rui Feng grinned. "Breakfast's on me."
His eyes traced the dark circles under Shi Yao's eyes.
"Rough night?" he asked, tone light but amused.
Shi Yao scowled, voice sharp. "Rough? Try sleeping on a bed that collapsed halfway through the night. I might as well have slept on a pile of rocks."
As he ranted, Rui Feng sat on a log by a small fire he'd lit earlier. Without saying much, he stabbed the fish with a couple of clean sticks and set them over the flames.
"I swear, I'm just going to leav—"
Shi Yao paused mid-sentence, nose twitching.
"Wait... is that fish?"
Rui Feng smirked. "Yeah. You want some?"
"sure."
The two sat, sharing grilled fish in quiet bites. For a moment, the only sounds were the sizzle of oil and distant birdsong—
Until a massive explosion echoed through the valley, cutting through the calm like a blade.