Mei had an emergency communication stone, which she should have used but panicked and instead requested a quill from Zhuo. She quietly sent the signal to her father along with the location. While waiting, she decided to give Kaan a quick tour of the Shu Branch.
They went through some rooms where huge cauldrons boiled, men intensely working to purify various medicines. Kaan was immediately amazed by the sight. "Amazing. I want to learn how to do this right now," he thought.
Just as they passed a quiet hallway, Zhuo appeared.
"Milady, Mr.?" said Zhuo. "Kaan, my name is Kaan," Kaan replied.
"Your rooms are ready. Please follow me," Zhuo said with a sly smile. "I don't feel good about this," Kaan thought. First, they dropped Mei off at her room.
"Please follow me to your room, Mr. Kaan," said Zhuo.
As Zhuo started walking, Kaan suddenly felt an intense energy pressure, making him sweat excessively. He tried to resist, but his lack of Qi made it impossible. He stumbled, losing consciousness.
When he woke up, he was tied to a chair, stripped of his upper clothes. Across the room sat Zhuo, a sadistic smile curving his lips.
"What are you doing? Why am I tied up?" Kaan demanded.
"Why would a low-level peasant like you travel with our Miss? What are your plans, and who are you?" said Zhuo, the sadistic smile widening.
"I told you who I am. I'm just a mere traveler who happened to save your Miss's life while wandering around," Kaan said, trying to regain his composure.
"Bullshit! Who dares attack the daughter of Great Elder Chu and fail?" Zhuo sneered.
"I don't know," Kaan replied with practiced calm. "The guy was at Circulation Level 3 and underestimated us. He mumbled something about ransom. Go ask Mei if you won't believe me!"
A sharp SLAP echoed in the small room.
"Don't you dare use Miss's name with your filthy mouth! We will see who is right," said Zhuo, turning around to leave.
But as he turned, he froze, petrified as if looking at the eye of Medusa. He mumbled, "I—I greet the G-Great Elder Chu!" and bowed sharply at a near 135-degree angle.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm about my daughter, but you went a little overboard, Zhuo," a deep, authoritative voice said.
Zhuo released Kaan like lightning and immediately dropped to his knees. "Please kill your humble servant for making such a mistake!"
"No, no, no, you did a good job," the voice continued. "Everything he said is correct, Zhuo. They did try to kidnap my daughter!"
Kaan, stunned by the sudden shift in atmosphere, instinctively joined his hands in a respectful salute and said, "I greet the Great Elder Chu!"
Great Elder Chu looked to the young man with a smile and said, "Follow me, I have some questions for you."
Kaan quickly dressed and grabbed his backpack, following the Great Elder. They came to a room that was fairly secluded from the others.
"Sit down, young man. What's your name?"
"Kaan, sir," Kaan replied, fear tightening his voice. He felt he couldn't hide anything from this man.
"You have a quite unique name, young man. Where are you from, and why don't you have any cultivation at all?"
Kaan explained that in his hometown, there were no cultivation resources or books, and offered his lie: "I am a material analyzer in my hometown, sir."
"Actually," he thought, "I am a material analyzer, if you look from a different angle."
"A material analyzer? How do you do it without cultivation?" Great Elder Chu asked, his face suspicious.
"I feel the material and touch it, sometimes break it, sir."
Great Elder Chu obviously didn't believe the explanation, so he prepared a test. "I have two pieces of metal with me. Can you analyze them?"
Kaan, with a timid voice, said, "Of course, I would be happy. I just need a hammer, sir."
The Elder flicked his fingers, and two pieces of exactly same-looking metal bars and a hammer fell right in front of Kaan. Kaan realized another function of the UMA: he didn't need to point it at materials. If he focused on the material itself and thought "Analyze," the device would do it automatically. "Damn, I wish I knew this, I could have analyzed that assassin," he thought, but he urged himself not to try it on the Elder for fear of being noticed.
He focused on the first metal bar and thought, "Analyze!"
Analyzing...
Item: Steel Bar
Ingredients:Iron 60%, Carbon 35%, Copper 1%, Qi 4%
Description: An ordinary steel bar with a little mixed Qi.
Kaan picked up the item, looked at it, hit it with a hammer a few times—just for show—and dropped it. He focused on the second bar and thought, "Analyze."
Analyzing...
Item: Jade Infused Steel
Ingredients:
Iron 20%, Carbon 20%, Jade Stone 40%, Qi 20%
Description: A jade-infused iron by Qi.
"By Qi? This dimension's blacksmiths are using Qi, hah? What a surprise!" Kaan thought, performing the same theatrical show.
After a while, he opened his mouth and said, "This one is an ordinary steel with some impurities inside. As far as I can see and feel, it has some copper in it," pointing at the normal steel bar. "This one is a little bit tricky. I can feel it is lighter, which means its density is low, but it's incredibly sturdy. Maybe it has Jade in it."
As soon as he finished explaining, Great Elder Chu laughed heartily. "Ha ha ha ha ha, you passed the test, young man! Sorry for this. I am 251 years old, and as I get older, I worry too much about my daughter. Sorry for the trouble, and thank you for saving her."
Kaan thought, "251 years old? Damn, he looks like 50!"
"I thank Great Elder Chu for being merciful," Kaan said, joining his hands in a deeper salute.
Great Elder Chu was clearly pleased with this reply. "Tell me, is there anything you want?"
"Yes! I have been waiting for this moment!" Kaan thought. He composed himself and said, "I have one thing I want, Elder. Can you teach me how to cultivate?"
The Great Elder, who was expecting money or worldly things, looked slightly surprised. "Let me take a look at your body." He approached Kaan, got behind him, and placed his hand on Kaan's shoulder.
"I can't believe I am living this moment I've read in countless novels," Kaan thought. Kaan felt a comforting warmth spread through his body.
The Elder's eyes widened. "???" he thought, his face clearly in shock. "What is this?"