The midday sun cast long shadows over Qingyuan Town. The bustle had quieted, save for the clatter of carts and the occasional hawker shouting about dried fish or fresh scrolls.
As Tian Jue and his mother stepped out of the medicine hall, she glanced down at him with a smile.
"We still have a few coins left," she said gently. "Do you want to get your favorite baozi before we go home? You used to beg for them every time we came to town."
He hesitated.
The old Tian Jue—no, the child he now inhabited—might have tugged at her sleeve and pointed with sparkling eyes toward the steaming dumpling stall near the east road. But the man behind those eyes now carried the weight of centuries.
He shook his head lightly. "No need. I know we don't have much. We should save the money for more herbs, or tools."
She paused, eyes softening. "You're always saying things like that now... ever since you woke from that fever."
He offered a quiet smile. "I just don't want to waste what we have."
She didn't press. She simply nodded, and together they walked toward a quieter street where an old vendor sold mantou—simple, fluffy steamed bread buns for a few copper coins.
They sat at the side of the road under a crooked shade tree, chewing in silence. The mantou was dry, and there was no soup, but Tian Jue didn't mind. He had tasted phoenix marrow and dragon bone stew in his past life. That didn't matter now. This meal, shared in peace with the only family he had, was warm enough.
After a few bites, he glanced up at her.
"Mother... can you teach me about herbs?"
She blinked. "Herbs?"
He nodded. "The names, the uses, how to prepare them. How to know which ones are poisonous, which ones can help with fatigue or muscle pain. I want to learn everything."
Her lips parted slightly, then curled into the most heartfelt smile he had seen in both this life and the last. "Of course I can. But why the sudden interest?"
Tian Jue looked down at the half-eaten mantou in his hand. "Because I'm growing stronger now. I can feel it. But my body's reaching the limit of what a child can handle. My fatigue builds faster. I think... if I understand how herbs work in this world, I can recover faster. Maybe even make better use of my cultivation time."
That wasn't the full truth, but it wasn't a lie either.
His Constitution had risen rapidly in the last few weeks due to his intense training—but now it had plateaued. He could feel it: the small gains had slowed. His body demanded refinement, tuning, and support from this realm's natural resources. And unlike his past life, he now had to work with a system that didn't hand him pills or miraculous treasures. Only through rest and understanding would his stats continue to grow.
Her eyes shimmered. "You're just six years old, Jue'er."
"I know. But I want to help you. And… I want to learn."
She reached out and gently touched his hair. "Then I'll teach you. Tomorrow, we'll start with root-harvest identification and drying techniques. Some herbs must be cut at dawn. Others must never touch metal. It's not easy work."
He nodded. "I won't waste what you teach me."
As they finished their meal, Tian Jue felt something shift—not within the qi around him, but within the world's rhythm itself. His path was beginning to branch—not just as a warrior or cultivator, but as a student of this world.
---
> [System Notice]
Minor Path Integration: Herbalist (Tier 1 – Observer)
Herbal knowledge contributes to recovery speed and cultivation refinement.
→ +2 Wisdom (pending)
→ New Recovery Insight Unlocked: Medicinal Rest
High-grade rest in herbal environments yields additional Constitution/Strength gains.
---
That evening , as they walked the long road home under a setting sun, Tian Jue didn't think of his old world, nor the heavens that had once stolen everything from him.
He thought only of the coming morning—and of roots, leaves, and quiet steps forward on a better path.