Li Yu’s journey to the west was interrupted not by a monster or bandits but by a subtle vibration in the sleeve of his robe. He stopped mid-stride and was balancing effortlessly on a mossy rock in the middle of a rushing stream.

He pulled out the shaking communication token. It was Fengliu who was contacting Li Yu, clearly having known that he was on the southern continent now.

“Let’s get together for food and drinks.” the message simply read. Li Yu understood immediately, this was to honor his loss. Fengliu wouldn’t have asked him to do this otherwise. He had always kept to himself, even after joining him as a follower.

“Let’s meet here, I just built a small little hut there and have not had the chance to enjoy it yet.” Li Yu replied to him while giving him the location.

“I will go there right away.” was the reply.

Li Yu shook his head a bit at the thought that this was actually going to be the first time he really sat down and ate with Fengliu since he had joined. The man definitely liked to keep to himself and focused on his mission.

He began the trek back to the hut he had built. Li Yu was no longer walking as slowly as before since that would take too long. It was a mix of flying and walking when he wanted to. It would take Fengliu a bit of time to arrive here anyways.

The valley was quiet when he arrived. The hut still stood but it felt a bit more hollow without the warmth of the couple who had lived there. The garden was still blooming, the hardy mountain flowers Lina had planted bobbing gently in the breeze and unaware that their caretakers were gone.

Li Yu landed and he walked to the fire pit he had built days ago with Bavork. A figure was already sitting there and waiting. Fengliu sat on a log with his back to the hut. He was wearing his dark robes. He looked up as Li Yu approached.

"You're late," Fengliu said, his voice smooth and carrying a hint of amusement.

"I didn’t think you’d be here so quickly so I slightly took my time," Li Yu replied. He then took a seat on a flat stone opposite him. "Scenic route you know. I stopped to walk at times when I felt like it."

"Scenic," Fengliu scoffed lightly but he didn't look displeased. "My intel said you wiped out a mob of cultivators and villagers near here. Not very 'scenic' of you."

Li Yu paused slightly from the comment. It wasn’t a total surprise that Fengliu knew, he was his spymaster afterall. However, the events hadn’t even happened long ago and he already knew. This showed how far Fengliu’s intelligence network had grown since Li Yu left him here. He was a shadow that walked the world, gathering secrets like others gathered coins.

"They made a choice," Li Yu said while staring at the unlit fire pit but his face remained unchanged and unbothered. "And I made mine."

Fengliu studied him for a long moment. This was definitely a different demeanor than the Li Yu he first met. This was someone who had changed from his experiences, someone who has grown. With a flick of his finger, a spark of Qi flew from his hand and ignited the wood in the pit. The fire crackled to life and began casting dancing shadows on their faces.

"Good!" Fengliu suddenly shouted. "Hesitation kills. Mercy to the wicked is cruelty to the innocent!"

Li Yu pulled out his last jug of Monkey Wine from his storage ring. He thought it was an appropriate time to drink the good stuff. Two cups quickly appeared after and he poured the liquid and handed one to Fengliu.

They drank their cups silently for a long time. Both were enjoying the taste and uniqueness of it but both remained in their seats and weren’t floating away. The night deepened around them with the mist rolling down from the peaks to hug the valley floor. Li Yu then took out some dishes of food that he had.

"I understand it more now," Li Yu broke the silence. He was looking into his cup and watching the reflection of the flames dance on the surface of the wine. "The darkness you must feel. The rage. When I stood there earlier, looking at those people... looking at their hate... I didn't feel like debating. I didn't feel like teaching them a lesson. I simply just wanted their disgusting selves gone."

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Li Yu took a sip. "It felt... correct."

Fengliu took a slow sip, savoring the burn. "It is seductive, isn't it? The simplicity of it. The world is noisy. Arguments are messy. Death is quiet."

"I worry," Li Yu admitted. "That if I lean too far into it, I will lose the part of me that built this hut. The part of me that wants to enjoy life, raise aquatic beasts and my rediscovered love for fishing."

Fengliu laughed out loud. It was a dry sound that echoed slightly in the valley. "You won't. You built this hut and you killed the mob. You are both. That is your strength, Li Yu. Most people are one or the other. You are able to be the storm and the shelter because you are able to stay true to yourself."

Fengliu stared into the fire, his eyes reflecting the flames but holding none of their warmth. A shadow seemed to pass over his face.

"I... do not have that balance," Fengliu whispered. "I was lost in the dark for too long. In the Abyss. All those years of darkness before I met you. Even now... I feel the pull. I know the way out, Li Yu. I can see the path you and the others have walked for revenge. But my feet are heavy. It will take a long time for me to get out. Maybe I never fully will."

Li Yu looked at Fengliu. This was someone who had become a follower of his due to need and circumstances. They had never really grown close since Fengliu was always off on his own. However, this might be the person that understood his recent feelings the most and that alone brought the two closer together.

Li Yu could now see the cracks in Fengliu’s armor, similar cracks he had himself. He saw the exhaustion of a soul that had been forged in hatred and tempered by time. Fengliu was a vengeful ghost that was trying to remember how to live.

"You don't have to run out," Li Yu said gently. "You just have to keep walking. Eventually, you will make it out. And you don't have to walk alone."

Li Yu poured more wine into Fengliu’s cup.

"Follow your heart, Fengliu," Li Yu said firmly. "There is no absolute right or wrong anywhere. The Dao doesn't care about morality; it cares about intent, if it cares at all. If your heart says to kill, you kill. If your heart says to save, you save. The only sin is lying to yourself."

A massive explosion then occurred deep within Li Yu’s Ocean of Qi and at the center of the explosion was the ethereal fishing hook. It seemed like it wasn’t the cause of the explosion but it was helping to contain and compress it. This was once again unbeknownst to Li Yu.

Fengliu looked at Li Yu after hearing his words. A small genuine smile touched his lips, a rare sight from the man.

"You sound like a demonic cultivator," Fengliu mused.

"I sound like a man who just wants to fish," Li Yu countered amusingly.

They laughed and clinked their cups together. They ate roasted meat and drank the potent wine deep into the night, two wounded people with their own goals. They were, however, sitting by a small fire in a forgotten valley and sharing the weight of their respective worlds.

As the moon reached its zenith, hanging like a silver eye over the valley a change came over Li Yu.

It started in his stomach and it was a warmth that wasn't from the wine. It spread to his chest, then his limbs. It wasn't the gentle flow of Qi he was used to. It was a roar.

He dropped his cup at the sudden change in his body. The cup shattered on the stone below. Li Yu gasped and was clutching his chest. His eyes glowed with a sudden intense black and white light. The air around him began to vibrate intensely, causing the pebbles on the ground to dance.

"Li Yu?" Fengliu stood up instantly and was scanning the surroundings for an ambush attack. He then sensed the chaotic surge of energy that was gathering from all over and rushing towards Li Yu.

"Breakthrough," Li Yu gritted out.

"Here? Now?" Fengliu scanned the area. "You are reckless. A breakthrough in the wild?"

“Does it look like I planned this?” Li Yu said cheekily as he sat himself down to get ready.

Fengliu was dumbfounded by the sudden change but he didn't hesitate. He moved with a blur of speed. From his storage rings he pulled out eight formation disks, high-grade arrays engraved with intricate runes.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

He slammed them into the ground in an octagon around Li Yu and injected his own Qi into them to activate them. Hummmm.

A barrier of shimmering grey light sprang up and sealed the area. It was a stealth and defense array, designed to hide spiritual fluctuations and block attacks. The others were a mix of energy gathering, additional illusionary hidden formations and isolation. Since he was always on his own, he was more than prepared for setting up a temporary base.

"Focus," Fengliu shouted and his voice was sharp. "I will take care of everything around here."

Li Yu didn't hear him as he had already turned his attention inward. The world outside the array had fallen away.

He sat in the lotus position. This wasn't like his previous breakthroughs within the Soul Formation realm which had been gentle ripples or moments of enlightenment. Most of the time he hadn’t even noticed when he had advanced, only discovering it later. This, however, was a raging tsunami.

His Soul Formation cultivation was surging toward the 5th Stage.