Also known as: Wei Long Meets His Natural Predator
Wei Long was, for once, enjoying a moment of silence.
No cult.No celestial envoys.No goat-related miracles.Just him, a cup of lukewarm tea, and a gently smoldering radish statue of himself that he pretended not to notice.
That was when Lin Qian burst into the courtyard.
"Master! A man arrived at the gate."
Wei Long didn't look up. "Tell him we're closed. Forever."
"He's not here to worship you. He... laughed at the Cult of Wei Long."
Wei Long blinked. "Wait. Laughed?"
"Openly. Loudly. Called it 'a cosmic joke gone wrong.'"
Wei Long slowly turned his head. "...We might be in danger."
The man's name was Ji Shan. He was a lone cultivator with no sect, no disciples, no fanfare. Just a sword with no name and eyes that didn't sparkle in awe when they met Wei Long's.
That alone made him terrifying.
"I've come," Ji Shan said, standing in the wind like it owed him money, "to test if the legends are real."
Wei Long stood behind Lin Qian. "Are you sure you want to do that? The last guy who tested me had… internal combustion issues."
"I don't believe in rumors," Ji Shan replied. "Only results."
Lin Qian stepped forward, her voice firm.
"Then fight me first."
Wei Long blinked. "Lin Qian—"
"No offense, Master," she said, not taking her eyes off Ji Shan. "But you've confused your way to power. Let someone who trained for it stand first."
And just like that, she unsheathed her sword — and cultivation energy flared from her body, elegant and precise.
Ji Shan narrowed his eyes.
"You're… not bad."
"I'm not confused, either."
They clashed.
Blades rang like bells. Dust spiraled in wind currents. Goats ran for cover. Wei Long ducked behind a statue and peeked out between dumpling offerings.
The fight was real — no accidental miracles, no divine misunderstandings.
Lin Qian was good. Very good.
But Ji Shan was relentless — reading patterns, predicting movements, slowly breaking her rhythm. With a flick of his palm, he knocked her sword free.
She landed beside Wei Long, panting but proud.
"Sorry, Master."
Wei Long placed a hand on her shoulder. "That was... impressive. Really."
Ji Shan stepped forward.
"Your disciple has real talent. You, on the other hand... are a myth built on coincidence. I came to see through it."
Wei Long sighed. "I didn't ask to be a myth, you know. I wanted dumplings. Somehow I got a holiday."
Ji Shan raised his sword. "Let's see what happens when someone isn't impressed by you."
At that moment, something… shifted.
Not in the sky.Not in the air.
In Wei Long.
He felt something stir deep inside him — like threads of unseen fate twitching, irritated. Like the world itself saying:
"He's not playing along."
Suddenly, a breeze blew from nowhere.
A petal flew up from the ground, curved in mid-air, and… sliced Ji Shan's sword strap.
His blade fell.
Another gust knocked over a nearby gong, which spooked a squirrel, which leapt into Ji Shan's face and began screeching like a demonic flute.
Wei Long stared. "...I didn't do that."
Ji Shan swatted the squirrel away and regained posture.
"This isn't your power, is it?" he said softly.
Wei Long didn't answer.
Ji Shan's eyes narrowed.
"…Something's watching you. Guiding you. No one has this much luck without a cost."
He sheathed his sword.
"I'll return when I find out what that cost is."
Then he vanished.
That night, Wei Long sat quietly. Lin Qian, bandaged, sat beside him.
"You okay?" she asked.
He looked at the sky.
"…What if he's right?"
Lin Qian said nothing.
Then Wei Long added:"I mean, what if I've been lucky for so long… that the world forgot how to punish me?"
From the shadows behind a tree, a small, invisible figure with glowing red eyes whispered to itself:
"He's starting to notice. Excellent."
And vanished into the wind.
To be continued...