The road to Azure Rock City was a vein of packed earth and crushed spirit-shale that cut through the Silver-Leaf Province. To the common eye, it was a path; to Han Yun, it was a lesson in macro-economics.
"The Qi density is rising," Han Yun remarked, his eyes half-closed. He was walking, refusing to use the last of the clan's energy on a palanquin. Beside him, Steward Lin walked with a newfound spring in his step, his Body Forging level having stabilized at the High Level thanks to Yun's liquid. Han Xiao followed behind, carrying a small bundle of Silver-Leaf herbs.
"It's the Spirit Stone Mines," Lin explained. "The city was built at the junction of three minor veins. The overflow Qi permeates the air. That's why everything in the city - the food, the water, even the people - is 'heavier' than in the villages."
Han Yun nodded. In this world, the very air had a price. Living in a high-Qi zone was a privilege of the wealthy. The poor were relegated to the "Grey Zones," where Qi was so thin that reaching even the first stage of cultivation was a Herculean task.
Suddenly, the sound of rhythmic thumping and strained grunts echoed from around a bend.
A heavy merchant wagon, pulled by a Tier 1 Scaled Ox, was stuck in a patch of mud. The Scaled Ox, a beast the size of a small hut with shimmering green plates for skin, was bellowing in frustration. Its eyes were bloodshot.
A man in flamboyant yellow silks - Merchant Zhao - was screaming at his guards. "Push, you useless dregs! If this cargo of Cloud-Mist Tea is late to the Zhou Auction, I'll sell your internal organs to the Alchemist's Union!"
Han Yun stopped. He didn't look at the wagon; he looked at the Ox.
"The beast isn't stuck because of the mud," Yun said, his voice carrying clearly over the Merchant's shouting.
Merchant Zhao spun around, his face purple. He saw a youth in faded grey robes and a scrawny girl. "Who invited the beggars? Move along before my guards use you for target practice!"
Steward Lin stepped forward, his High-Level Body Forging aura subtly flaring. The air around him rippled. The Merchant's guards, only at the Medium Level, instinctively took a step back.
"This is the Young Master of the Han Clan," Lin said coldly. "Mind your tongue, Merchant."
"The Han Clan?" Zhao sneered, though he looked at Lin with more caution. "The ones who are about to lose their title? What would a 'Young Master' of ruins know about beasts?"
"I know that your Scaled Ox has a Qi-Clog in its third stomach," Han Yun said, stepping closer with a calm, predatory grace. "You've been feeding it Low-Grade Spirit Stones to increase its pulling power, haven't you? But you didn't grind them. The jagged edges of the unrefined Qi are piercing its digestive sac."
The Merchant froze. He had been cutting corners by feeding the beast raw shards. "How... how could you possibly know that?"
"I can see the flow," Yun said simply. He walked up to the massive beast. The Ox let out a low, dangerous rumble, its horns glowing with a faint elemental light.
[Perspective Shift: Merchant Zhao]
Zhao watched the boy. He expected the Ox to gore the youth instantly. Scaled Oxen were notoriously temperamental, especially when injured.
But as Han Yun approached, something strange happened. The boy didn't show fear, nor did he show aggression. He had a Noble Bearing that seemed to command the very atmosphere. The Ox, which had been thrashing, suddenly went still. It lowered its massive head, its large, wet eyes staring at the boy.
The boy reached out and touched the beast's throat. He didn't use force. He just... pressed.
Is he a Beast Tamer? Zhao wondered. No, he has no Qi. He's a mortal. But his eyes... they look like they've seen the birth of stars.
[Back to Han Yun]
Han Yun wasn't using beast-taming techniques. He was using Soul-Vibration. He pulsed a tiny frequency of his soul into the beast's nervous system, mimicking the "all-clear" signal of a dominant alpha.
With his other hand, he struck three points on the Ox's flank - the Trigger Runes of the body's natural waste expulsion.
The Ox let out a massive heaving sound. A moment later, it spat out a clump of black, gore-slicked stones onto the road. Immediately, the beast's breathing smoothed out. It stood up, its strength returning.
"There," Yun said, wiping his hand on a silk handkerchief he had brought for this purpose. "The beast will live. And it will pull your wagon out of the mud now."
Merchant Zhao was speechless. The cargo was worth hundreds of Spirit Stones. "I... I am in your debt, Young Master Han."
"Debts are troublesome," Yun said, his eyes narrowing. "I prefer trade. We are going to the city. Your wagon is large, and your 'Cloud-Mist Tea' provides excellent cover for three travelers who wish to enter the city without being recorded by the Zhou Family's gate-watchers."
Zhao blinked. "You want a secret entry? Why?"
"Because," Han Yun smiled, and for the first time, Merchant Zhao felt a cold shiver down his spine. "I am going to the Zhou Auction, and I would hate to ruin the surprise of my arrival."
"Understood," Zhao said, bowing low. "Please, the 'Master's Cabin' in the back is yours. It is shielded with a Low-Tier Silence Array."
The Approach to Azure Rock City
As the wagon rumbled toward the massive obsidian walls of the city, Han Yun sat in the plush interior. He took out the three Spirit Stones he had kept.
"Steward Lin," Yun said.
"Yes, Young Master?"
"When we enter the city, I want you to take these stones and go to the 'Broken Cauldron' apothecary. Buy three ounces of Cinnabar Dust and a Soul-Attracting Needle. Don't haggle. Pay whatever they ask."
"And you, Young Master?"
Han Yun looked out the small window as the massive gates of Azure Rock City loomed - guarded by soldiers in full Qi-armor, their spears tipped with Spirit-Refined Steel.
"I am going to visit the Zhou Family's personal library," Yun said. "I believe they have a 'borrowing' policy they haven't realized yet."
"But the Zhou Estate is guarded by a Tier 2 Defense Array!" Lin whispered, horrified. "Even a Qi Refining master can't break in quietly!"
"I'm not going to break it, Lin," Yun said, his gaze fixed on the shimmering dome of energy visible over the city's skyline. "I'm going to rewrite it. A formation is just a sentence written in the language of the universe. And I happen to be a master of grammar."
[Perspective Shift: Gate Guard Captain]
At the gates, the Captain of the Guard - a man at the Qi Refining: Low Level - boredly scanned the incoming wagons. He held a Qi-Detection Mirror.
As Merchant Zhao's wagon passed, the mirror flickered.
"Stop," the Captain ordered.
Merchant Zhao leaned out, sweating. "Is there a problem, Captain? It's just tea."
The Captain walked to the back of the wagon. The mirror was reacting to something... a resonance. But it wasn't the "Bright" resonance of a cultivator. it was a "Deep" resonance, like a bottomless well.
He pulled the curtain back.
He saw a youth sitting calmly, reading a book of poetry. The youth looked up, his expression one of mild, aristocratic annoyance.
"Is there a problem, soldier?" Han Yun asked.
The Captain felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to apologize. The boy's presence felt heavy, like a mountain disguised as a pebble.
"No... no, Excellency," the Captain stammered, bowing instinctively. "Pass through."
As the wagon rolled away, the Captain rubbed
his eyes. Excellency? Why did I call him that? He's just a kid.
He looked at his mirror. It had cracked.