Chapter 3: Lin Yu’s Dantian Anomaly

Chapter 3: Lin Yu's Dantian Anomaly

His words hung in the air.

A moment of silence passed, then a hoarse voice sounded softly, gentle as the evening breeze sweeping over the cliff.

"Thank you."

Just three words, light as a wisp of fluff, settling into the silent stone hut.

This was the first time Lin Yu had heard a human voice other than his own since he'd entered the desolate mountain.

The unfamiliar voice caught him off guard, and his body, long used to solitude, tensed, trembling slightly.

But he didn't back away or flinch.

After a brief pause, Lin Yu responded in a soft voice: "Y-You're welcome."

With that, instinct took over, and he turned and scurried off awkwardly, standing near the draft to calm the fluttering in his chest.

From that day on, the two settled into a quiet, unspoken rhythm of coexistence.

Ling Xuance kept his distance—his voice always low and gentle, his movements always slow and restrained. He never started conversations or deliberately got too close.

Most of the time, he simply sat quietly, keeping the young man company while he did his chores around the cliff, accepting the boy's daily healing and meals.

Lin Yu slowly let his guard down, getting used to the rhythm of life on the cliff.

Every day, he swept, healed, and made three meals as usual—steady and comfortable.

One afternoon, as usual, the two sat on the stone steps outside the hut, soaking up the sun and letting the breeze wash over them in silence. No words were exchanged, yet there wasn't a trace of awkwardness.

The plain white ribbon over Ling Xuance's eyes came loose with a gust of mountain wind, slipping off his shoulder and falling to the stone floor.

What lay beneath was a pair of stunningly clear, deep eyes—slightly upturned at the corners, with pale pupils, clean yet sharp, so stunning it left you speechless.

At the same moment, Ling Xuance got his first full, clear look at the young man beside him.

The soft golden rays of the mountain sunset spilled down, settling fully on his slender frame. His skin was fair and translucent—pristine porcelain untouched by the world's dust, with a fragile kind of beauty.

His features were delicate and soft, his eyes clear and pure, like the purest moonlight held in the mountains—docile yet timid, with a hint of youthful innocence.

Lin Yu, who'd been keeping his head down, caught a glimpse of those deep eyes from the corner of his vision.

The shock of meeting his gaze surged through him instantly. His body stiffened, he lost his balance, and fell straight back onto the cold stone floor.

The sound of him hitting the ground echoed.

Ling Xuance almost instinctively snapped his head away, not daring to look a second longer—afraid even one more glance would deepen the young man's fear.

"Sorry."

His words came out fast, his voice thick with guilt and panic.

"I scared you. That's my fault."

Lin Yu sat on the ground, back against the cool stone wall, heart racing.

But looking at the other's turned back, hearing the guilt in his voice, Lin Yu braced himself on the ground, pushing past the lingering fear, and spoke softly, his voice still trembling slightly.

"I-It's fine."

He paused, then, remembering those eyes he'd glimpsed moments ago, added quietly: "Your eyes... they're really beautiful. I-If I look a few more times, I'll get used to them, and then I won't be scared."

Those soft words soothed the guilt and panic in Ling Xuance's chest.

From that day on, the barrier of avoiding each other's eyes was broken, and their interactions grew more natural and relaxed.

Ling Xuance no longer needed to avert his eyes. When his gaze fell on Lin Yu, it lost its cold aloofness, leaving only warmth and gentleness.

He'd occasionally speak in a low voice, his tone always gentle and unhurried, matching Lin Yu's pace.

As they grew more familiar, the polite, distant "thank you" gradually felt too formal.

One evening, as Lin Yu was healing him as usual, a low, tender call suddenly reached his ears.

"A Yu."

Lin Yu paused mid-motion, a tickle stirring in his chest.

Hearing the other call his name with such intimacy, carrying that unique warmth and accommodation, made his heart flutter.

And yet, he'd been addressing the other with the distant "you" all along—every word cold and formal, bordering on rude.

Lin Yu lowered his eyes, mulled it over, and decided to change how he addressed him.

"Ling Xuance."

The syllables were crisp, his tone solemn, as if meeting a stranger for the first time.

A hint of helplessness flickered in Ling Xuance's eyes, laced with a barely perceptible indulgence.

"Isn't that a little too distant?"

Lin Yu's nose twitched slightly as he tried a shorter form of address, murmuring softly: "Xuance."

The man before him simply watched in silence, waiting for him to go a step further.

Lin Yu met his deep gaze, shrank back a little, bit his lip, and softened his voice until it was thin and tender.

"Brother Che."

The warmth in Ling Xuance's eyes instantly bloomed, his heart melting completely. His fingertips brushed over Lin Yu's soft hair, stroking through the strands.

The unfamiliar touch on his head made Lin Yu stiffen for a moment, but it no longer triggered the fear it once did. Instead, a different kind of joy stirred in his chest, and he obediently kept his head down, letting the gentle caress continue.

Their bond grew more intimate and natural, and the days on Reflection Cliff became warmer and more peaceful.

Under the daily glow of healing light, Ling Xuance's shattered meridians gradually healed. Though his cultivation hadn't fully recovered, he could already sit and meditate on his own.

Watching the young man who accompanied him day after day, a plan quietly formed in his heart.

The solitude of Reflection Cliff stretched on, long and endless, and he didn't want the boy trapped on a desolate mountain forever. He intended to teach him the basics of breathing and cultivation—even if he never gained great power, at least he wouldn't stay so frail and easily frightened.

One afternoon, when the light was just right, Ling Xuance softly called out to Lin Yu, who'd just finished tending the vegetable garden.

"A Yu, do you want me to teach you how to cultivate?"

Lin Yu froze, slowly shuffling over to him and confessing in a soft voice.

"Brother Che... I, I can't seem to cultivate."

"Why not?"

"I don't have a spiritual root," Lin Yu's voice was soft and thin. "I've tried sensing spiritual energy, but I can't catch hold of any."

He paused, "The glow on me isn't from a cultivation technique—it's something I was born with. I have no foundation for cultivation... Am I just useless?"

Seeing the unease and gloom hidden in the young man's eyes, Ling Xuance felt a twinge in his chest and said gently, trying to reassure him.

"No."

"You've got your own strengths—you don't have to cultivate like everyone else." He reached out and gave the young man's back a light pat, his touch gentle and soothing.

His gentle words smoothed away Lin Yu's lingering anxiety as he looked at the warm, accepting man in front of him.

"Let me take a look—maybe it's not completely hopeless for you to absorb spiritual energy."

Lin Yu nodded obediently and let his body go slack.

An ordinary cultivator's dantian aligns with the five spiritual roots—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—able to take in spiritual energy from all directions.

But Lin Yu's dantian was completely empty, with no trace of any spiritual root, so clean it didn't seem to belong in the cultivation world.

Yet, at the very center of that hollow dantian, a faint green light drifted and swayed—a slender sprout was breathing in and out tiny specks of light.

A flicker of surprise crossed Ling Xuance's eyes. After careful observation, he spoke softly.

"You don't have orthodox spiritual roots, but you carry the essence of life itself, so you can naturally breathe in and out spiritual energy."

Lin Yu was stunned, then thrilled at the news. Following Ling Xuance's instructions, he focused his mind, turned his gaze inward, and took a serious look at his dantian.

Sure enough, there it was—a tiny green blade of grass floating at the center, faint but bright.

Sensing him, the sprout unfurled its leaves, its glow flickering on and off, seeming to stretch a little taller and grow fuller.

The tiny change caught his eye, and Lin Yu's heart swelled with a joy he'd never felt before.

Bursting with joy, Lin Yu couldn't wait to tell Ling Xuance the good news. He stood up too fast—and at that exact moment, Ling Xuance leaned in to get a closer look at him.

The two of them collided head-on, completely caught off guard.

Their foreheads touched, their breaths mingled, and the space between them vanished.

A strange, overwhelming closeness swept over him. Lin Yu panicked—his mind went blank, and all his excitement drained away.

Before he could step back, his small frame curled up on instinct. Flustered and with nowhere to hide, he burrowed straight into Ling Xuance's solid chest.

Ling Xuance stiffened slightly, then tightened his arms around the young man. The slender youth stayed curled up in his arms, not struggling or pulling away—like a frightened little animal that had found a safe place.

Seizing the moment, he stood up, carried Lin Yu back into the stone hut, and sat down on the stone bed, never letting go. His palm stroked the young man's back, slow and steady, over and over, offering the deepest comfort.

"Don't be afraid."

The steady, gentle reassurance melted away Lin Yu's fear and unease.

After a moment, Lin Yu slowly lifted his head, his eyes still soft and misty, his voice brimming with joy as he eagerly shared his secret.

"Brother Che, I just saw it... inside my dantian, there's a tiny green sprout."

"When I absorbed the glow, it even grew a bit!"

Ling Xuance lowered his eyes, listening quietly, his gaze full of tenderness as he answered softly.

"Mm, I saw it. It's very clean, very special."