The sale of the Golden Phoenix Pavilion was the fastest transaction in the history of Cloud
Sparrow City's commerce guild.
Li Wei sold it for sixty percent of its value. He didn't haggle. He didn't care. He converted every
copper coin, every silver tael, every gold ingot into Support Points.
He stood in front of the building one last time. The sign he had painted himself—gold leaf on red
lacquer—shimmered in the morning sun. He remembered the day he hung it up. He
remembered thinking, 'This is it. I made it.'
"Are you coming?" Su Mei's voice came from the carriage.
She wasn't looking at the shop. She was sitting inside the covered wagon, reading a scroll on
spiritual herbology.
Li Wei turned his back on his dream and climbed into the driver's seat. He took the reins.
"Hyah!"
The horses pulled forward. They were leaving the capital, heading West, toward the misty peaks
of the Azure Mountains—the border between the mortal realms and the cultivation world.
The journey took two weeks.
It was a miserable two weeks for Li Wei. The roads were rough. He had to cook, set up camp,
tend to the horses, and keep watch at night.
Su Mei spent the entire journey cultivating inside the carriage. The System had provided a
"Spirit Concealment Cloak" (purchased with the proceeds of the shop sale), which she wore
constantly. It suppressed her aura, making her look like a mortal woman, albeit an exceptionally
beautiful one.
"Husband," Su Mei called out on the tenth day.
Li Wei halted the horses. He was exhausted. Dust coated his face. "Yes, Mei'er? Are you
hungry?"
"No. The carriage is bumping too much," she complained. "It disturbs my circulation. Can you
drive smoother?"
Li Wei looked at the road. It was a dirt track full of potholes. "The road is bad, Su Mei. I'm doing
my best."
"Try harder," she said, her voice detached. "My stability is paramount. If my foundation shakes,
our future shakes."
Our future.
Li Wei gripped the reins until his knuckles turned white. He wanted to scream. He wanted to tell
her that his back was aching, that he hadn't slept properly in days, that he was driving them into
hell for her sake.
But he looked at the System interface.
[Target Trust Level: 95%] [Target Dependency: 80%] [Target Empathy: 30% (Declining)]
The empathy stat was dropping. The more she cultivated the "Ice" sutra, the colder her
emotions became. It was a side effect of the technique. He knew this. It wasn't her fault.
"I will try," Li Wei said. He guided the horses onto the grassy verge, moving slower.
On the fourteenth day, the air changed. The smell of dust and manure vanished, replaced by a
crisp, vibrant scent of pine and ozone. The trees became taller, their leaves glowing with a faint
bioluminescence.
They had reached the border.
Li Wei stopped the carriage at the edge of a massive valley. Below them lay the Hidden Mist Town, a settlement of loose cultivators, rogue wanderers, and merchants trading in spirit beast
parts. It was a lawless, dangerous place.
Su Mei stepped out of the carriage. She took a deep breath.
"Finally," she whispered. "Real air."
She looked at Li Wei. For a moment, the cold mask slipped, and she looked like his wife again.
She saw the dirt on his face, the fatigue in his slump.
"Li Wei," she said softly. She walked over and placed her hand on his cheek. "You look terrible."
"The road was long," Li Wei managed a dry chuckle.
"You are a mortal," she said, not as an insult, but as a realization. "This journey nearly broke
you. But I feel stronger than ever."
She took a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped the dirt from his forehead. "When I am
powerful... I will buy you a carriage pulled by Cloud Pegasi. You will never have to drive again."
Li Wei leaned into her touch, desperate for that crumb of affection. "I would like that."
"Let's go," Su Mei said, turning toward the town. "I sense spirit stones down there. And
opportunities."
She began walking down the path. She didn't wait for him. She moved with the confidence of a
predator entering new hunting grounds.
Li Wei tied the horses and followed. He carried their heavy luggage—the pots, the pans, the
tent. Su Mei carried nothing but her sword and her ambition.
As they entered the town, Li Wei pulled his hood up. He knew the look in the eyes of the people
here. Greed. Lust. Malice.
He walked a step behind her, head bowed, playing the role of the servant. It was safer that way.
If they thought he was her husband, they would use him to get to her. If he was a servant, he
was invisible.
"Room for two," Su Mei demanded at the first inn they found. Her voice was imperious.
The innkeeper, a greasy man with a cultivation of Qi Condensation Level 3, sneered. "Two spirit
stones a night."
It was robbery. A mortal family could live for a year on one spirit stone.
Li Wei reached into his robe to haggle, to offer gold instead.
Su Mei slammed her hand on the counter. Frost spread across the wood, freezing the
innkeeper's inkpot instantly. She released a sliver of her Level 6 aura.
"One spirit stone for three nights," she said coldly. "And hot water. Now."
The innkeeper turned pale. He sensed the density of her Qi. She was young, but her cultivation
was solid.
"Yes... yes, Fairy. Of course. Top floor."
Su Mei turned to Li Wei. "Pay him."
Li Wei handed over their last spirit stone. It was the one he had saved for emergencies.
They walked up the stairs. Li Wei felt the eyes of the lobby on them.
"Did you see that?" a patron whispered. "Level 6 at that age. She must be a genius from a fallen
clan." "And the man?" "Just a mortal thrall. Probably carries her sword."
Li Wei heard it. He kept his head down.
In the room, Su Mei sat immediately on the bed and began to meditate. She didn't ask if he was
hungry. She didn't ask if the price was too high.
Li Wei sat on the floor, unpacking their meager supplies. He looked at the woman on the bed.
She was beautiful, glowing with power, surrounded by a halo of frost.
She was magnificent.
And Li Wei had never felt more alone in his life.
[System Quest Updated: The Foundation.] [New Objective: Secure a 'Cold Spirit Vein' for the Beneficiary's cultivation.] [Location: The Silent Valley (Danger Level: High).]
[Recommended Action: Host serves as bait.]
Li Wei read the screen. Host serves as bait.
He looked at his wife, then back at the screen. A grim smile touched his lips.
"Anything for her," he whispered into the darkness.