The General's carriage did not move with the haste of a desperate flight, but with the measured, disciplined pace of a tactical retreat. Inside, General Lin embraced his family, the terror of the previous weeks slowly giving way to a bone-deep relief. He was safe, his wife was safe, and his nine-month-old son, Lin Tian, was now the center of his world.
Lin Tian lay nestled in his mother's arms, looking every bit the cherished, gurgling infant. But beneath the soft skin of his brow, his Divine Golden Core hummed, and the Heaven-Shaking Dao System was cycling through resource projections.
[Resource Analysis: Soul Transformation Stage.]
[Required Material: Imperial Celestial Energy. High-grade spiritual essence found only in resources controlled by the Azure Cloud Imperial Family.]
[Required Method: The Heaven-Shaking Dao System can refine a suitable technique, but the foundation must be built using the Imperial Library's Ancient Divine Records to prevent temporal backlash.]
The message was clear: Lin Tian needed access to the highest powers and rarest treasures in the kingdom.
"General, we are approaching the outer walls of the Imperial Capital," reported a loyal guard from outside the carriage.
General Lin sighed, the relief fading slightly. "The Emperor has been… reserved since the border conflicts. Going directly to the palace will mean weeks of bureaucratic delay, if he even grants an audience."
"He is wary of strong military families," Madam Lin observed softly, stroking Lin Tian's cheek. "He will fear that you are coming to replace him."
Lin Tian, hearing this, knew that a direct, honest request would be suicide. The Emperor's court was a nest of vipers, easily swayed by those who feared the General's influence. He needed to use his only available tool: his apparent weakness.
He focused his spiritual energy just beneath his skin, intentionally causing a slight, almost imperceptible tremor in his tiny limbs. He coupled this with a whimper, a soft, distressed sound a mother's heart couldn't ignore.
"Oh, my little Tian'er, what is it?" Madam Lin immediately focused all her attention on him.
Lin Tian then used a tiny, controlled burst of his Divine Core's pure aura, not to attack, but to influence. He didn't speak, but he sent a subtle, urgent mental suggestion directly into his mother's subconscious. It was so faint, it felt like an intrusive but completely natural thought of her own: The old master… the one who healed father… he is in the capital. But only the Imperial Physician can find him now.
Madam Lin suddenly grew frantic. "Husband! We cannot wait! Lin Tian… I fear the after-effects of the poison still linger! The only person who could possibly know how to treat a lingering Soul-Poison of that caliber is the Imperial Physician, Grandmaster Wei! We must go straight to him!"
General Lin frowned, confused by his wife's sudden urgency. "But Grandmaster Wei is a stubborn old coot! He only treats the Royal Family and the nobility!"
"This is our son!" Madam Lin's voice was fierce. "He is the General's son! If he is ailing, they must help us! We must demand an immediate audience with the physician, not the Emperor!"
General Lin, deeply devoted to his wife and convinced by her pure distress, finally gave in. "Very well! Ride hard! We go directly to the Imperial Physician's compound! They will not turn away the Lin Family!"
Lin Tian smiled in his mother's arms, the perfect image of a sickly infant seeking help.
[System Notification: Plot Catalyst Achieved. Immediate Goal: Access to Imperial Physician's Network (P-Score: 95%). Next Goal: Infiltrate Imperial Library.]
Lin Tian knew the Imperial Physician, Grandmaster Wei, was the most influential figure outside of the court—a master of alchemy and ancient records. By forcing a meeting with the physician, Lin Tian would bypass the Emperor's political gatekeepers and gain legitimate access to the medical records, the Imperial Herb Garden, and eventually, the Ancient Divine Records of the library.
The key to the capital is not military might, Lin Tian thought. It is a mother's fear and a baby's cough.