We stayed on the cold stone floor for a while. I tried to calm my racing heart, but it was impossible. Every shadow, every flicker of light from Liu Hao's glowing stone, made me flinch.

  Chen Wei sat beside me, calm as always. She didn't say much, just watched, like she was waiting for me to settle down.

  Finally, I broke the silence. "So… you said I have Qi, right? What does that even mean?"

  Chen Wei's gaze softened. "It's the energy inside you. Threads that bind you to this world. Not many people have it, and those who do… can shape the world around them."

  I blinked. "Shape… the world?"

  Liu Hao snorted, tossing the glowing stone from one hand to the other. "Don't get too excited. You're not a superhero yet. Yes, you have it… but right now, it's sealed. That's why all of this—the floating, the swords, the lock on the rock—feels foreign. Dormant. You can't access it yet."

  I froze. "Sealed? So… I can't use it at all? Ever?"

  Chen Wei shook her head. "It can be unsealed. But it must be done carefully. If your Qi awakens too fast… you could be overwhelmed. Or worse."

  My mind spun. All this time… I'd had some hidden power inside me, and I didn't even know it. And then a thought struck me—my mom. Could she have had Qi too? Maybe that calm, strong energy she always carried… was it the same as mine?

  Liu Hao leaned back, smirking faintly. "For now… just sit, observe, and survive. That's your first lesson."

  I nodded, glancing at the ancient walls, the faint glow, and the inscriptions. Somewhere deep down, I realized I wasn't just a hostage. I was… part of something bigger. Something I couldn't yet understand.

  The thought made my stomach churn—a mix of fear, strange excitement… and a twinge of longing. Sealed Qi or not, I was trapped in this world. And somehow, I knew nothing would ever be normal again.

  I looked at them again. "Why is the government even trying to capture you?"

  Chen Wei's expression turned serious. "That's the thing… we don't know either." She paused slightly. "Or maybe… they know more than we think."

  A chill ran down my spine.

  Liu Hao nodded slowly. "And the fact that they can detect our Qi is quite… terrifying."

  Detect.

  That word hit me hard.

  Then her eyes shifted toward me. Sharp. Measuring.

  "So, kid," she said calmly, "how did you seal your Qi?"

  I blinked. "What? I didn't seal anything."

  Silence fell between us.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Chen Wei's gaze narrowed slightly, not hostile—just thoughtful. "Qi doesn't just seal itself without reason."

  My heartbeat picked up. "I swear… I don't even know how this works. You think I'd be here panicking if I knew how to seal some hidden power?"

  Liu Hao stared at me for a few seconds longer, then clicked her tongue. "Either you're lying… or someone did it for you."

  Someone.

  My thoughts immediately went back to my mother.

  Her calm eyes. The way she always seemed to know things before they happened. The way she told me to avoid certain places… certain people.

  Could she have known?

  Could she have sealed it?

  I swallowed hard, trying not to let them see the doubt creeping into my face.

  "I don't know anything," I said quietly. And for the first time… that felt more terrifying than everything else.

  As time passed, the two of them didn't seem hungry at all.

  Me? I was starving.

  My stomach growled so loud it echoed off the stone walls. One day without eating was already too much.

  Chen Wei glanced at me. Then, without warning, she flicked her wrist—

  —and a burger flew straight at my face.

  I caught it out of reflex.

  "Shit—what is this? Where did this even come from?"

  Liu Hao burst out laughing. "Young lady, that food's gonna get smelly if you keep putting it in your storage bag."

  Chen Wei replied calmly, "It's fine. I love that one. I always keep it."

  I stared at the burger. Still warm. Still fresh.

  Storage bag?

  I looked up at them slowly. "You're telling me… you have a magic bag that keeps burgers fresh?"

  Liu Hao smirked. "Focus on eating. You'll need your strength."

  I hesitated for a second… then took a bite.

  Normal.

  Completely normal.

  And somehow, that made everything even crazier.

  I swallowed the last bite and wiped my mouth with my sleeve.

  "…So," I said slowly, "this 'storage bag' thing. It's real?"

  Liu Hao raised an eyebrow. "Of course it's real."

  Chen Wei reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small silk pouch. It looked ordinary. Plain.

  "That?" I frowned. "That's it?"

  Liu Hao smirked. "Go on. Look inside."

  I stepped closer and peeked into the pouch.

  Dark.

  Just darkness.

  "There's nothing in—"

  Chen Wei tilted the pouch slightly toward me. For a split second, the darkness shifted.

  I saw shelves. Boxes. Weapons. Bottles.

  Space.

  A lot of space.

  I jerked back. "What the hell—"

  Liu Hao laughed. "Interspatial storage. Compressed dimension. Basic tool for cultivators."

  "Basic?!" I stared at the tiny pouch. "That thing is bigger than my entire house!"

  Chen Wei smiled faintly. "You'll get one eventually."

  I narrowed my eyes. "Eventually?"

  Liu Hao leaned closer, voice teasing. "When you can actually use your Qi."

  I clenched my jaw. "So you're just going to keep showing me cool stuff I can't use?"

  "Exactly," she replied smoothly.

  Chen Wei tied the pouch back to her waist. "Motivation."

  I groaned and leaned back against the ancient wall.

  Sealed Qi.

  Magic storage bags.

  Government hunting cultivators.

  And somehow… I was stuck in the middle of all of it.

  Time passed… I don't even know how long.

  At some point, I think I fell asleep.

  When I opened my eyes, I was already sitting upright. Cross-legged.

  I blinked.

  Oh.

  Now I get it.

  "They're meditating…" I muttered. "So meditation is actually a real thing, huh…"

  Chen Wei and Liu Hao were still sitting calmly, breathing slow and steady.

  Fine.

  I adjusted my posture and tried copying them.

  Slow breath in.

  One… two… three…

  Slow breath out.

  Calm. Steady.

  I kept repeating it in my head.

  And then—

  Poof.

  Everything disappeared.

  I wasn't in the ruin anymore. I wasn't even in the mountain.

  I was… somewhere else.

  There was nothing around me except a massive glowing pattern stretching in every direction. Lines. Symbols. Circles layered over circles. Endless.

  "What…"

  I reached out and touched one of the glowing lines.

  Warm.

  It pulsed under my fingers.

  Alive.

  It glowed faintly, reacting to me.

  "So this is what it looks like when you meditate…" I whispered.

  I tried to jump—

  —but the moment I stretched my hand upward, my body began to float instead.

  I didn't feel weight.

  I didn't feel gravity.

  I was just… drifting.

  And somehow…

  It didn't feel scary.

  It felt like I had been here before.