Chapter 5 — Wine, Hope, and Morning Light
Dawn drifted softly across Cloud Veil's outer mountain, bringing with it a pale silver glow.
Long Tan woke before the sun, breath calm, body still aching faintly from yesterday's storm.
Su Lan was still asleep, hair loose across her pillow, her breathing quiet and gentle.
He rose quietly, stepped outside, and drew the buried wine jar from beneath the old pine tree.
Inside the house again, he unsealed the jar.
A deep fragrance lifted into the air — heavy, aged, like time soaked in spirit herbs.
Su Lan stirred awake, rubbed her eyes, and watched him quietly.
He poured a cup, lifted it toward his nose, and inhaled slowly.
Warmth, memory, earth, and patience — all trapped inside liquid.
A thought settled in his mind, calm and sharp.
Maybe I never hit a bottleneck at all.
Maybe I simply lacked resources.
If I had enough pills or wine, I would have already reached peak third stage.
He looked at the Spirit Spring Gourd resting silently in his dantian.
A memory flickered there — the rules etched into its being.
> The gourd releases Spirit Spring Water only when one reaches the limit of a minor realm.
> Drink it only to break true bottlenecks — not steps you haven't earned.
> It cannot help in major breakthroughs — those require one's own comprehension.
> At bottleneck, it can refine your spirit roots slightly and purify the body.
Long Tan exhaled slowly.
> "So that's it," he murmured. "I have not lacked talent. I have lacked the means."
Su Lan sat up, watching him, worry and curiosity mixed in her eyes.
He smiled softly at her.
> "When I truly reach peak third stage, the gourd's spring water will open the path to fourth."
She nodded, trusting him as always.
---
Breakfast and Plans
They ate a simple breakfast — rice porridge and a slice of beast meat from yesterday's hunt.
Steam curled from the bowls; their quiet home felt warm and grounded.
Su Lan placed the beast hide and claws on the table.
> "If we sell these, we should get at least four spirit stones."
Long Tan nodded.
> "And I brewed Qi-nourishing wine and healing wine before. I can sell those too."
> "Together, we can get eight spirit stones. Enough to pay this month's tax."
Her shoulders relaxed a little.
> "Good. Then we won't fall behind."
There was no greed in her eyes — only relief.
They were not chasing riches.
They only wished to live, quietly and safely.
---
To the Market
After breakfast, Long Tan tied the beast materials and wine jars in a cloth bundle.
He stepped out into the cool morning air.
The village was waking:
Farmers carrying baskets
Two young cultivators checking the burn marks left by lightning
Children running barefoot in the grass
Old men sorting dried herbs
Life under the mountain continued, no matter how fierce heaven's wrath had been the day before.
Long Tan walked down the main dirt path to the small trading stall near the well.
Behind the counter sat Old Hu, a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator with sharp eyes and gray beard.
Old Hu looked up.
> "Long Tan. Hunting again so early?"
> "A little luck yesterday," Long Tan replied calmly.
He placed the wine jars, beast hide, claws, and the low-grade core on the counter.
Old Hu inspected everything carefully, nodding.
> "Decent materials. I'll give you eight spirit stones."
Long Tan accepted without bargaining.
Simple deals kept life clean.
He bowed politely, then walked back home, stones clinking softly at his side.
Behind him, voices of merchants and cultivators blended with morning wind.
Cloud Veil's outer mountain had seen heaven's anger, but today it breathed quietly again.
---
Return
Su Lan looked up as he entered.
> "You sold them?"
He offered a faint nod and placed the spirit stones on the table.
Her eyes softened.
For a moment, they simply stood there in silence — two people holding up a small world together.
Long Tan looked toward the pine outside, then to the gourd hidden within his dantian.
Soon, he thought.
When the moment comes, I will step through the bottleneck — with my own effort, and a drop of heaven's spring.
Outside, the mountain breeze whispered through the pine branches, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant rain.
Long Tan closed his eyes for a brief moment, steadying his breath.
Quiet days like this were rare — and precious — yet change always waited just beyond the next sunrise.
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