7192, Indian Ocean.
Qian Lan stood by the shore, gazing at the lifeless sea before her.
The water is black.
No, it wasn't ordinary black. It was an eerie, viscous, oily black. When the waves crashed onto the shore, they left behind not white foam, but a liquid like ink, reeking of sharp chemicals.
"Master." The sound of Dada Zhu Mi Hua came from behind, unusually heavy. "Grandmaster Qingming Zi has arrived."
Qian Lan turned around and saw the familiar figure.
Qingmingzi stood a short distance away, his white hair fluttering in the wind. A solemn expression, one Qianlan had never seen before, marked his youthful face.
"Master." Qian Lan stepped forward. "How are you---"
"I know what's happening here." Qingmingzi cut her off. "The Corrupted Apostle detonated the nuclear facility, and the Indian Ocean ecosystem is collapsing."
Qian Lan's heart sank.
She has been standing here for three days. For those three days, she exerted every ounce of her power to summon the ocean's waters, attempting to encase the contamination layer. But the pollution is too deep, too vast, and too toxic. Her strength was not enough.
"Master, I----"
"You've done your best," Qingmingzi said. "Leave the rest to me."
Qian Lan froze.
She had never seen her master fight.
In everyone's mind, Qingmingzi is the hermit. He resides atop Mount Everest, watching over the world and guiding his disciples, yet never personally engages in combat. Some suspect he has lost his power. Others wonder what he is waiting for.
Only Qianlan knows that the Master's power never faded.
He just doesn't want to use it.
"But Master," Qian Lan said, "your body..."
"Qian Lan." Qingming Zi interrupted her, his gaze fixed on her face. "How many years have you served me?"
"One thousand... two hundred years?" Qian Lan said uncertainly.
"1,237 years," Qingmingzi said. "In all this time, you've mastered every technique of mine. But there's one thing you can never learn."
"What?"
Qingmingzi smiled faintly and said nothing.
He turned to face the dark ocean.
Then, he looked up.
II. The Stars Descend
The sky changed color in an instant.
Day turned to night. No, not an ordinary night—the pure darkness found only in the depths of space, free from any light pollution. Then, the stars began to appear.
One, two, ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand...
Billions of stars ignite at once, turning the dark sky into an ocean of light. The moon has never shone so brightly—no longer a cold silver, but a warm gold, as if three thousand years of moonlight were simmered into honey and poured down.
"The moonlit sky is filled with stars," Qian Lan murmured.
This is the legendary technique.
This is a power my master has never revealed.
Golden moonlight fell like a tangible force, pouring into the black ocean. The sea began to churn—not from heat, but from purification. Black layers of pollution dissolved, evaporated, and vanished. Dead fish and shrimp started swimming again; withered coral began to regrow. The entire ocean transformed, as if repainted, shifting from monochrome to full color.
Qianlan knelt down.
It's not because of fatigue; it's out of reverence.
She knew her master was powerful. But she didn't know he was this strong.
The moonlight lasted for a full quarter-hour.
As the light faded and daylight returned, the Indian Ocean reclaimed its true colors. Azure waters, white foam, and dolphins leaping in the distance made it all seem like a nightmare that never was.
Qingmingzi turned around.
His face was deathly pale.
"Master!" Qian Lan rushed over to support him.
Qingmingzi waved his hand, signaling her not to worry.
"It's fine," he said. "Just... tired."
Tianlan's tears fell.
She knew her master was conveying a message in this way:
No matter what happens, no matter how hopeless it feels, someone is watching over you.
Even if that person is rarely seen, even if they are quiet, even if they seem like a cold observer. They were always there.
3. Guidance
That night, Qingming sat by the sea with Qianlan beside him.
"Master." Qian Lan hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, "Why... have you never intervened?"
Qingmingzi gazed at the distant horizon without answering.
Your power is so immense. If you had acted sooner, many disasters might have been averted, and countless lives could have been saved." Qian Lan's voice trembled slightly. "Why didn't you...?"
"Qian Lan." Qingmingzi interrupted her. "Do you know what's the hardest part?"
Qianlan shook her head.
"The hardest part isn't saving lives," Qingmingzi said. "The hardest part is watching people die and choosing not to save them."
Qian Lan froze.
"I have lived for a very long time." Qingmingzi's voice was calm. "Long enough that I can no longer remember my age. Long enough to watch civilization after civilization rise, flourish, decline, and fall. Long enough to bury countless people I loved with my own hands."
He turned his head and looked at Qian Lan.
What if I intervened every time a disaster struck? What would the world become?
Qian Lan fell silent.
"They'll depend on me," Qingmingzi said. "They'll see me as a god, a savior. They'll stop striving, struggling, and growing. Like sheep in a pen, waiting for me to save them."
"But aren't you... saving them?" Qian Lan pointed to the restored ocean. "Didn't you just step in today?"
Qingmingzi smiled faintly.
"Today is different," he said. "It's you today."
Qianlan was puzzled.
"You're trying hard," Qingmingzi said. "You've given it your all, but it's not enough. You need help. When I assist you now, it won't be to do it for you—it will be to do it with you."
He paused, then continued:
Qianlan, remember this: True strength isn't about shouldering everything alone. True strength is empowering others to become strong. It's making sure that countless versions of you can stand on your own in the future.
Qianlan's tears flowed again.
She finally understood.
The master is not standing by idly.
The master is waiting.
Wait for them to grow up.
Wait for them to get stronger.
Wait for them. Become who they are.
"Master," Qian Lan said. "I'll do my best."
Qingmingzi nodded and gazed into the distance once more.
"I know," he said. "I've always known."
Moonlight bathed them, like a silent blessing.