Shen Yuan remained standing quietly beneath the morning sky.
The strange feeling from the previous night still lingered faintly within his mind.
The passage of several hours had felt no different from a few short minutes.
Even now, he could not fully understand what exactly had happened.
It was unusual.
Too unusual.
Yet he did not dwell on it. At least not for now.
Instead, he examined his cultivation.
The increase was small.
But it was true.
And that alone was enough.
Soon, Shen Yuan stood up.
He brushed the dust from his robes before tucking the black flute into his waistband.
At that moment, Li Wei approached.
The nobleman cupped his fists politely.
"Brother Chen."
Shen Yuan looked toward him.
Li Wei smiled.
"Your flute music is extraordinary. I have never heard anything like it before."
He paused briefly.
"You should consider becoming a professional flute artist."
Shen Yuan chuckled softly.
"I have little interest in becoming a flute artist."
His voice remained calm.
"I only play as a hobby."
Nearby, the fat man who had spent the previous night drinking with Li Wei suddenly stepped forward.
His face remained slightly red from alcohol.
"Brother Chen!"
His voice carried genuine excitement.
"That flute performance was probably the most amazing sound I have heard in my fifty-four years of life."
Shen Yuan merely offered a polite smile and nod.
Soon afterward, everyone began packing their belongings.
While nobody was paying attention, Shen Yuan quickly placed the flute back in his storage bag.
Then he mounted a horse.
Together with Li Wei and the others, he departed from the tavern.
The roads of Longmu Country stretched endlessly ahead.
As the group travelled, Shen Yuan observed his surroundings.
He quickly noticed something unusual.
Many noble families possessed cultivators as guards.
Most were only at the Qi Gathering Realm or Purifying Realm.
Yet the fact remained.
Cultivators rarely paid much attention to mortal families.
Unless those families belonged to them personally.
Longmu Country appeared different.
At least compared to most places Shen Yuan had seen.
As they continued riding, Li Wei suddenly spoke again.
"When I was little," he said, "a cultivator once told me I possessed talent for cultivation."
He laughed helplessly.
"But my family never allowed me to pursue it. They instead made me study finance."
Shen Yuan quietly spread a thread of Divine Sense through Li Wei's body.
The results surprised him slightly.
Li Wei was not exaggerating.
His spiritual roots were indeed better than those of most mortals.
His meridians also possessed decent quality.
In fact, they were superior to the roots Shen Yuan himself possessed when he first started cultivating.
Unfortunately, age and neglect had caused them to deteriorate over time.
Still.
The opportunity remained.
Shen Yuan smiled lightly.
"Then perhaps you should cultivate."
Li Wei blinked.
Shen Yuan continued.
"If it is still something your heart desires, then pursue it."
"You could support your family better."
"You may even have the opportunity to climb the ladder of cultivation."
Then he added calmly:
"It is better to do something while you still have the chance."
Li Wei remained silent for a long while.
Then he suddenly laughed.
"Perhaps you're right."
His eyes brightened slightly.
"After all... what person does not wish to become stronger?"
Shen Yuan nodded.
The conversation ended there.
After several more minutes of travelling, they finally arrived before a small village.
The village gates stood quietly beneath the afternoon sunlight.
Shen Yuan hopped down from his horse.
Then he turned toward Li Wei.
"This is where we part ways."
Li Wei nodded.
"Brother Chen."
Then he handed over a pouch.
Inside were twenty silver coins.
"The fee for curing my son's illness."
Shen Yuan accepted the pouch without hesitation.
A memory surfaced briefly within his mind.
His grandfather's voice.
One of the old man's countless pieces of advice.
When it comes to money...
Never hesitate.
A faint smile appeared on Shen Yuan's face.
Then he stored the pouch away.
Soon afterward, the two parties separated.
Li Wei and his companions headed elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Shen Yuan entered the village.
The village itself was peaceful.
Simple.
Ordinary.
Exactly the sort of place he sought.
Not long afterward, Shen Yuan located a broker.
The broker eagerly showed him a small wooden house.
The house was not large.
But it was decent.
After showing him around, the broker asked:
"How long does Sir intend to stay?"
Shen Yuan answered calmly.
"I will purchase it."
Then he handed over seventeen silver coins from the fee he had received from Li Wei.
The broker nearly jumped with joy.
From this day onward, the house belonged to Shen Yuan.
Or rather, Chen Mu.
After the broker left, silence returned.
Shen Yuan stood inside his new residence.
Dust covered almost every surface.
Spiderwebs stretched across corners.
Insects wandered freely throughout the rooms.
For a moment, Shen Yuan stared blankly.
It had been centuries since he last cleaned anything.
Eventually, he noticed two old brooms resting in a corner.
He walked forward.
Picked up one.
Gripped it with both hands.
Then slammed it against the floor.
Crack.
The broom instantly shattered into two pieces.
Dust exploded everywhere.
The situation somehow became worse.
Shen Yuan sighed.
Then he picked up the second broom.
This time, very carefully.
Very gently.
Slowly, he swept the floor.
The simple act unexpectedly reminded him of his childhood.
Back then, before cultivation.
Before bloodshed.
Before countless years of struggle.
After half an hour, the house was spotless.
The dust had disappeared.
The spiderwebs were gone.
Even the insects had been removed, mostly killed.
Then Shen Yuan moved toward the rear of the house.
Old shelves.
Tables.
Furniture.
He cleaned everything carefully before arranging them properly.
Eventually, a table occupied the center of the room.
Only then did he take out several items.
Canvas.
Pages.
Brushes.
Water paints.
Charcoal.
All of which he had stolen while passing through the southern city of Shuanghun Country.
Using the Formless Grip Method and light-speed movement, he had taken everything without anyone noticing.
He had not paid a single coin.
Nor did he feel particularly guilty.
After all, when he was young, he occasionally stole things from shops within his old home-village as well.
Some habits never truly disappeared.
Soon, Shen Yuan sat before the table.
Then he began drawing.
At first it was simple scenery.
The sky.
The village.
Trees.
Fields.
The passing seasons.
Time flowed quietly.
Months slipped by.
Children ran through the streets.
Cicadas sang endlessly.
The weather gradually warmed.
Spring had arrived.
Shen Yuan earned some income from selling paintings.
Not much.
But he cared little about money, for now.
Then, one day during spring.
He began painting something different.
An old man.
White hair.
White beard.
Wrinkled face.
Faded blue-and-grey robes.
A slightly bent back.
Beside him stood a young boy.
The child clutched the old man's robe with one hand.
A paintbrush rested within the other.
The boy appeared around ten or eleven years old.
His eyes looked tired.
Yet curious.
Behind them stretched a setting sun.
Trees and plants appeared as dark silhouettes.
It was a painting of Shen Yuan and his grandfather.
Not the Shen Yuan who began cultivating.
But an even younger version.
A softer version.
As he finished the final brushstroke, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Soft.
Tired.
Nostalgic.
Then he hung the painting upon the wall.
The artwork felt astonishingly real.
Anyone who stared long enough would almost feel the figures come alive.
Afterward, Shen Yuan moved toward the window.
His gaze settled upon the distant sky.
Then he quietly spoke.
"The four seasons pass, and time flows like an endless ocean—vast, indifferent, and free."
"Whether mortal or immortal, all beings are fragile before its currents."
"Those who cease moving forward are destined to be swept away."
He paused briefly.
"Yet perhaps strength alone is not enough."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"If I live as a mortal, will I come to understand my Dao and myself..."
"Or will I become lost in the fleeting comforts of mortal life?"
Then Shen Yuan stretched his arm toward the setting sun.
His fingers closed slowly.
As though attempting to grasp it.
A faint smile appeared.
"Let us see whether my perseverance endures the passage of time..."
"Or whether even my obsession will eventually decay."
Silence followed.
Then time continued forward.
Just as it always did.
Two more months passed.
Summer arrived once again.
On one particularly warm day, Shen Yuan sat before his table painting a Tempest Falcon.
Red and black feathers.
Fierce eyes.
Violent temperament.
The bird slowly came to life beneath his brush.
Then…
Creak.
The door opened.
Since morning hours were also business hours, Shen Yuan always left the entrance unlocked.
A little girl entered.
She wore worn-out black robes.
Her age appeared around eight or nine years old.
The little girl curiously examined every painting within the shop.
Then she approached Shen Yuan.
Her gaze landed upon the Tempest Falcon.
"What beast is this?"
Shen Yuan looked toward her.
"This is a beast from cultivator stories."
The girl's eyes immediately widened.
"It feels so real!"
Shen Yuan nodded.
"It is called a Tempest Falcon."
"A bird covered entirely in red and black feathers."
"It possesses a fierce temperament and great wind related abilities."
The little girl smiled brightly.
"Cultivators must be amazing."
"If they can fight beasts like that."
A small smile appeared on Shen Yuan's face.
"They are."
Suddenly, the girl scratched her head.
"Oh."
"I almost forgot something."
"My parents said it's rude not to introduce yourself, when talking to an elder."
Then she proudly declared:
"My name is Yu Xin."
Shen Yuan had already finished painting.
He looked toward the little girl.
"A sweet name."
Then he added:
"My name is Chen Mu."
Yu Xin smiled happily.
Then she pulled out a small doorbell.
"This is for you."
She handed it over.
"So you'll know whenever somebody enters."
Shen Yuan accepted it.
Then hung it above the entrance.
The bell produced a pleasant sound.
Afterward, Shen Yuan picked up a small scroll.
It contained a painting of a setting sun.
He handed it to Yu Xin.
"A gift."
"Free of charge."
Yu Xin's eyes widened.
Then she immediately grabbed it.
The next moment she ran outside.
"Mother!"
"Father!"
"Look what the uncle across the street gave me!"
Her excited voice echoed through the village.
Soon, her father took the painting and examined it.
After seeing it, he lightly scolded her.
"You little rascal, you shouldn't take things without paying."
Then he walked across the road.
At that moment, Shen Yuan happened to be watering several plants.
"How much does the painting cost?"
Shen Yuan smiled.
Then shook his head.
"It has no price."
"I gifted it to her."
"It's only a piece of paper."
Seeing this, Yu Xin immediately grabbed the scroll back.
Then hid behind Shen Yuan.
She even stuck out her tongue toward her father.
The man sighed helplessly.
Then he turned toward Shen Yuan.
"At least allow us to treat you to a meal."
"We even have homemade berry wine."
Shen Yuan glanced toward Yu Xin.
The little girl nodded enthusiastically.
Thus Shen Yuan answered:
"Sure."
Soon afterward, he sat within their home.
Yu Xin and her parents sat together nearby.
Upon the table rested traditional rice porridge and grilled fish.
Shen Yuan quietly stared at the food.
It had been a very long time since he had seen such a meal.
Yu Xin's mother grew slightly nervous.
"Is it not to your liking?"
Shen Yuan shook his head.
"No."
Then he began eating.
Seeing him enjoy the meal, they served him even more fish.
After the meal, Yu Xin's father retrieved a jar of berry wine.
He poured some into a bowl.
The wine possessed a light-red colour and a sweet fruity aroma.
Shen Yuan took a sip.
Then smiled.
"The wine is good."
The family laughed happily.
Hours passed.
Eventually, afternoon arrived.
Shen Yuan returned home.
Once again he resumed painting.
Yu Xin sat nearby watching quietly.
Meanwhile, numerous villagers gathered around the shop to admire the paintings.
Then Yu Xin suddenly spoke.
"Uncle Chen."
Shen Yuan looked toward her.
"I know a good way for you to make more money."
For the first time, a trace of intrigue appeared within Shen Yuan's eyes.
Just then, voices suddenly erupted from outside.
"The village chief's son has returned!"
"The village chief's son is back!"