Currents Beneath the City
The sun rose over Azure Cloud City. Towering walls cast long shadows down twisting alleys, where the scents of metal, strange herbs, and temple incense never faded.
Lin Xian stood on a rooftop overlooking the Lin compound, his gaze sweeping over the city waking below. The streets were already a river of people—merchants shouting, cart wheels clattering on stone, the air buzzing with the raw energy of a thousand lives starting their day.
> "Even this backwater is crawling with ambitious people."
He smiled faintly, pale hair dancing in the wind.
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The Four Great Families of Azure Cloud City
Azure Cloud City, though not vast compared to the Nirvana Domain, was a key trade hub on the border between three provinces. Wealth and bloodlines shaped its hierarchy.
At its heart were four dominant families:
1. The Lin Clan —
Once a family of warriors and scholars, now in slow decline. Their roots lay in ancient martial traditions, but internal strife and weak heirs had dulled their edge. Lin Xian's father, Lin Yuan, still held respect as an elder, but his influence was waning.
2. The Zhao Clan —
The Lin Clan's oldest rival, prosperous in trade and military contracts. The Zhaos were known for their ruthlessness and their long ties with the Pill Academy. They commanded several mercenary sects and were infamous for "solving" problems quietly.
3. The Bai Clan —
Masters of artifact forging and formation crafting. Doing business such as pharmacy.Though neutral publicly, their loyalty leaned wherever profit flowed. Their eldest daughter, Bai Yusheng, was rumored to be a top-tier formation genius currently studying at the Pill Academy.
4. The Yun Clan —
The smallest but most mysterious, specializing in spiritual contracts and beast taming. Rumors spoke of their bloodline linking back to divine beasts — though none had proven it in generations.
5. The Fifth Power — The "Thousand Veil Chamber"
Few in Azure Cloud City spoke of the Thousand Veil Chamber openly.
Those who did, never quite agreed on who led it — or what it truly was.
Some said it was a merchant consortium — a vast trade company dealing in spirit ores, rare pills, and beast cores from across the realm. Others whispered it was the shadowed hand behind countless fortunes — and countless disappearances.
Its insignia was simple:
A silver mask etched with flowing cloud patterns, stamped on every sealed crate and merchant token.
Its trade houses stood in every major district — polite, immaculate, always neutral.
But beneath that façade ran a web that reached deeper than any clan dared admit
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The Pill Academy
Above the city walls rose a mountain shaped like a crouching dragon — the site of the Azure Pill Academy.
The Academy was independent of the four families, but every clan sought to send their heirs there. Its influence extended far beyond the city, governed directly by the Alchemic Union of the Northern Prefecture.
Only alchemists of third rank and above could join its inner halls. Pills, herbs, and elixirs flowed through the academy like veins of gold — making it the heart of Azure Wind's economy and politics.
Even the City Lord himself treated the Pill Masters with deference.
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The Hidden Powers
Beyond the four clans and the Pill Academy lurked two other unseen forces:
The Black Falcon Guard — the City Lord's personal enforcers,
The Ghost Pavilion — an underground intelligence network. Information, assassination, smuggling — all could be bought, if one paid the price.
Lin Xian's silver eyes glimmered faintly as he considered the balance of power.
> "Pill, blade, trade, and beast — four pillars of control," he muttered.
"If I want resources, I'll need to step through each one… carefully."
He looked toward the mountain peak where the Pill Academy shimmered in the morning haze.
> "To conquer the city, I must first conquer the pills."
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In the Zhao Estate
Far from the Lin compound, the Zhao Clan's ancestral manor was alive with tension.
In the grand hall, a man in black armor knelt before the Patriarch.
Blood dripped from the edge of his armor onto the marble floor.
> "Patriarch Zhao," he rasped. "We… we found nothing. The scout party we sent north of the spring — all dead. Their bodies were burned clean."
The Patriarch's expression darkened.
> "All of them? Even commander Zhao Rui?"
> "Yes, Patriarch. No survivors. No traces left."
The room went silent. The only sound was the slow tap of the Patriarch's finger against his chair arm.
> "Lin Clan territory…" he said coldly. "And this happened just after the Spirit Testing Ceremony?"
A middle-aged woman beside him spoke softly — Madam Zhao Mei, head of the clan's intelligence branch.
> "Coincidence, perhaps. But the timing is… convenient. Too convenient."
Zhao Patriarch's lips curled into a cruel smile.
> "That useless Lin family has been too quiet for too long. A fool like Lin Xian suddenly passing the test? Hmph. Either they've been hiding a secret weapon… or someone's helping them."
He turned his gaze toward the open courtyard where young disciples trained.
> "Send word to the Ghost Pavilion. I want every movement in the Lin Clan watched. If something valuable has appeared… we'll take it."
The armored man bowed deeply. "Yes, Patriarch."
As he retreated, Zhao Patriarch's gaze fell upon a painting on the wall — a golden dragon coiled in mist, symbol of conquest.
> "Lin Clan, Lin Clan… You've long since fallen from your prime," he whispered coldly. "Don't think Heaven will favor you now."
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Back at the Lin Clan
That evening, Lin Xian returned to the Lin compound, Xiao Jin perched on his shoulder like a golden ornament. The air buzzed faintly with whispers — rumors of Zhao scouts gone missing were already spreading.
He felt them, the eyes of servants, the cautious distance of disciples.
> "Good," he thought quietly. "Fear will make them cautious. I need time to grow — and time is the sharpest blade."
He stopped by the training courtyard. The setting sun painted the walls a deep red.
His hand brushed Xiao Jin's fur.
> "War is coming," he said softly. "But before that… we'll need more power."
The kitten tilted its head, blinking up at him with gleaming golden eyes — as if it understood.
Lin Xian's gaze drifted toward the distant Zhao estate, eyes narrowing.
> "Let's see who makes the first move."
The Woman of the Thousand Veil Chamber
The eastern trade house of the Thousand Veil Chamber was quiet at this hour—a haven of scented wood and soft lamplight, far from the city's noise.
A silver-masked courier knelt in the antechamber, offering a jade scroll sealed with cloud-formations.
A woman accepted it. Her hands were pale as moonlight, nails dusted violet, a single cloud-pattern ring resting on her finger.
As she read the message, her lips—painted a subtle, storm-gray hue—curved faintly.
Three words glowed on the scroll:
The boy lives.
She closed her hand, and the jade dissolved into mist.
"It seems the wind has brought an interesting seed to our city," she said, her voice low, melodic, yet layered with quiet authority.
"Keep watching. But do not interfere. Let the players take their places… before we choose our side."
The messenger bowed and vanished into shadow.
Alone, the woman rose and moved to the window, looking out over the slumbering city. Her reflection showed eyes the color of twilight—calm, observant, and deeply knowing.
"Lin Xian…" she whispered, the name a secret in the dark. "Let us see how deep your currents run."
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