Lin Zheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. His decision seemed firm, not something made on impulse, but something that had been considered long ago.
"…Lin Yuan."
Lin Wei's eyes flickered with surprise, his brows lifting slightly as he glanced at Lin Zheng. "You have already decided his path?"
Liu Yulan repeated it softly, letting the name linger on her tongue. "Yuan…"
Her expression softened, a gentle warmth returning to her eyes as she reflected on its meaning. "Origin… beginning…"
Lin Zheng let out a quiet sigh, his gaze lingering on the child. "After what you told us, it's better to leave it that way."
Lin Wei remained silent for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly as if reassessing something deeper than what could be seen on the surface. His earlier casual demeanor faded, replaced by the seriousness of someone accustomed to judging potential and fate.
"Indeed," Lin Wei said at last, his tone turning measured and precise. "The boy's condition is… problematic."
He stepped closer, his gaze focusing on the infant as though trying to peer beneath flesh and bone.
"His meridians are faint and incomplete, as if they never fully formed. The pathways that should guide spiritual energy are fragmented, some even entirely missing."
He paused briefly, then continued, his voice lowering slightly.
"His spiritual root is not simply weak—it is fractured. Even if he attempts to cultivate, the energy will scatter before it can take shape."
Lin Zheng's expression darkened, though he did not interrupt.
Lin Wei exhaled slowly. "As for the Inner Sun… there is no seed, mostly like a barren."
The room fell quiet for a moment as the weight of those words settled.
Liu Yulan clenched her teeth, her hands tightening at her sides. "It's all because of me. If I hadn't been so reckless… if I hadn't fallen into that trap…"
Lin Zheng chuckled softly, though there was no real humor in it. He reached out and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"You were in mortal danger," he said gently. "Let alone saving an unborn child—just you surviving is already a blessing."
Lin Wei glanced between them, his expression softening slightly, though his words remained blunt.
"Even so," he said, "his body shows signs of having been damaged before birth. His foundation was never allowed to complete itself. Under normal circumstances, such a condition would not even result in survival."
He crossed his arms, his tone turning more reflective.
"At best, he will live as an ordinary mortal. His lifespan may reach a hundred years if he avoids illness and misfortune, but beyond that… there is little possibility."
Liu Yulan lowered her gaze, her lips pressed tightly together as she struggled to suppress the guilt rising within her.
"No matter what his fate is… he starts from here."
"What about Xingyao? Will she be safe in the Jade Stream Sect?" Liu Yulan asked, her voice tight with worry as unease flickered across her expression.
Lin Zheng turned to Lin Wei as well, his brows slightly furrowed as concern lingered in his gaze. "You've examined her several times—she not only possesses a Wheel Inner Sun, but also a special constitution. Do you really think she'll be safe in that sect?"
Lin Wei gave a small shrug and replied calmly, "I've already told you, there's no need to worry about her. We have people within the Jade Stream Sect, and she will be protected from the shadows."
At those words, Lin Zheng and Liu Yulan exchanged relieved glances.
Li Chen—no, Lin Yuan—blinked slowly as the name settled into his mind, along with everything that followed it.
Lin Yuan?
He let out a silent sigh within his thoughts, resignation mixing with faint disbelief. Guess I don't get a say in this either.
One hundred years? That's not bad, right? People in my world usually don't even pass eighty.
What he didn't know was that in this world, ordinary mortals—without cultivation, without accidents—could live up to four hundred years.
Lin Wei crossed his arms, his gaze drifting between the two of them as if weighing their concerns. After a brief pause, his eyes settled firmly on Lin Yuan.
"Let's just hope… fate has something kinder in store for this one."
Lin Yuan stared up at them, unable to respond, his tiny body remaining still and silent. His thoughts lingered on what he had just heard, circling endlessly without resolution.
Inner Sun… barren…
The words echoed faintly in his mind, carrying a weight he could not yet fully understand. They felt like a verdict, even if he did not yet know the crime.
Before he could sink deeper into those thoughts, exhaustion overtook him once again. His consciousness faded quietly, slipping away without resistance.
And darkness claimed him.