Yuming listened to Yujin's words and felt his anxiety dissipate. At least the worst had been avoided, perhaps this had even been beneficial.
The two stopped talking and dug three holes in the damp cave floor. Yuming went to bury the sword wielder's body; periodic splatters of blood pulsed out from his neck. Yuming poured some water on his hands, closed his eyes, and carefully washed off the man's face and neck. Carrying the man back, Yuming felt his knees buckling from the weight.
None of the three had much of value. Yuming picked out a few useful spirit herbs from a handful of rotten ones, which the two divided between themselves. Yujin took the sword, and Yuming kept a low-quality protective talisman.
Finally, all of the soil was packed down. Yujin rested his sword tip-down in the dirt and lowered his head. Yuming avoided looking at the three mounds between them.
"The cave goes deeper," Yujin said. "You were also able to notice the opportunity?"
Yuming gave a nod. "We should see why they were here."
But Yuming was already having doubts about this "opportunity."
In fact, the cave was no longer calling out to him like it did before they arrived. The air was no longer "mysteriously empty and still." Upon further inspection, it seemed to be just air.
Yuming gave his companion a sideways glance; Yujin marched onward down the cave with a resolute gaze and increasingly frequent breaths—it seemed he still had high hopes for the opportunity.
They followed the passage towards a thin stone chamber, with weeds growing in between floor cracks and tree roots piercing the ceiling. At the room's center stood a natural stone pillar, no taller than Yujin's chest. A thumb-sized crystal bud poked out from the side, cloudy white, with a few veins of blue threaded through it.
"A spiritual gathering pill," Yuming remarked.
Yujin stepped closer. "It formed naturally?"
Yuming circled it slowly. "Someone refined it."
Yuming motioned downwards. Faint carving marks ringed the pillar's base—shallow channels meant to guide spiritual qi into the crystal over years, or even decades.
The work was crude.
Yujin reached out, stopping just short of touching it. "How useful?" he asked plainly.
"Not very. Not enough to impact our cultivation," Yuming said. "This place had little qi to draw from to begin with, and a lot of it has leaked away with time."
"So… useless?"
"For cultivation, mostly." Yuming's eyes lingered. "But the qi is very pure. It could be useful for damaged meridians—I bet it'd sell for a few spirit stones."
Yujin was disappointed but shrugged it off. He wasn't surprised to see poor cultivators fighting over this—it fit his stereotypes well.
Yujin let out a breath that almost became a laugh. "They died for a trickle."
Yuming didn't answer that. Instead he got to the point, "Do you want to keep it?"
Yujin quickly avoided Yuming's gaze. "You saved my life," he whispered. "You take it."
Little did Yujin know, his savior was completely unwilling to do so much as touch the bead. "Let's just sell it," Yuming said, "and we'll split the reward."
He swept his body around and started pacing towards the exit before Yujin had the opportunity to reject. Yujin made sure to grab the treasure before he left.
….
At the same time.
On a peak that pierced the sea of clouds and emerged into stillness.
Here, the world simplified. A small pavilion rested at the summit—the wood having gone slightly gray with age. Around it, shallow pools lay with no ripples.
Beneath, clouds churned endlessly, but the chaos never reached this height. The pavilion sat untouched.
Inside the humble pavilion, a young man in spacious crimson robes stood with his spine slightly too straight. His face, normally calm and leisurely, was rigid. His eyes dared not look up at the two figures in front of him.
Across from the young man, Liu Tianjue, stood a man and a woman.
The man looked to be in his forties or fifties. He had a broad frame and sturdy shoulders. His robes were simple and undyed, resembling something mortal gentry might wear. He stood with his arms crossed, watching Tianjue patiently.
Besides him, the woman seemed to drift. She wore pink robes, the silk catching light and releasing it in shimmers. She stood with perfect grace—hands folded, expression serene—but something was subtly off. It was the grace of someone holding themselves upright through willpower alone. The corners of her eyes betrayed her exhaustion.
The two were Liu Jinghan and Liu Xueyin, both Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators.
Liu Jinghan smiled. "How was it?"
"Reporting to Grandfather and Aunt." Tianjue began quietly. "Liu Yuming was cornered by the demonic cultivators, and Yujin arrived to assist. Yuming lost his weapon and was exhausted—he contributed little to the fight."
The figures nodded, this was about according to plan.
Tianjue shifted his weight. "Yujin fought the opponents alone. During the exchange, one demon took Yujin by surprise, and was about to deal a crippling or even fatal blow."
Tianjue paused, not daring to look the two imposing figures in the eye.
"I was considering stepping in, but…"
"But what?" Liu Xueyin frowned.
"Liu Yuming risked his body and tripped the demon, causing the strike to miss. Yujin killed him."
The two figures glanced at each other, and all three remained silent for a second.
"Yujin believes Liu Yuming saved his life, this incompetent one could only watch."
Liu Jinghan composed himself and spoke calmly. "It's not your fault. We are mere minor cultivators trying to play games with karma and destiny. Mishaps are to be expected."
Liu Tianjue brightened a bit.
"It's good you didn't intervene directly," Jinghan continued, "Liu Yuming is only thirteen, but he's shown great talent in his technique comprehension—he's not stupid. If you constantly appear he'll become suspicious."
Tianjue, grateful for the pardon, bowed respectfully. "This Junior thanks the Seniors for their guidance."
Liu Xueyin, wanting to end the conversation, dismissed Tianjue, who quickly hurried out.
The moment Tianjue disappeared below the cloud line, Liu Xueyin's elegant posture collapsed. Her shoulders sagged, and she slumped down. She pressed two fingers towards her temple, breathing slowly.
"How are you feeling?" Jinghan asked.
Xueyin sighed. "I'll be better with a day or so of rest. Attracting five people who are basically mortals isn't hard at all."
She wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"The hard part was the timing. My immortal foundation doesn't do that naturally, so to control the timing of multiple groups with such precision—it's exhausting."
Jinghan comforted her. "Your immortal foundation—Bait-Spring Script—is truly wondrous, to have such capabilities at all."
"My abilities are meager," Xueyin brushed him off, then her expression turned serious. "But regarding the Liu Yuming situation, we need to act quickly for the best chances at success."
Jinghan nodded, listening as Xueyin went on. "Once he reaches Qi Condensation, once he condenses himself enough, his karmic threads turn into nodes—he'd be much more difficult to form ties with."
Jinghan nodded. "We've followed the method, increasing the ties and debts little by little. We're in a strong position now—but a life saving debt will be the finishing touch."
Xueyin nodded slowly, then gulped and said faintly, "Have you heard any news from the Yan Family? Do you know when their Immortal Master will act?"
Jinghan groaned. "How could I know about such things? I can't predict the actions of an Immortal Master!"
Seeing Xueyin's worsening condition, he collected himself. "We're Foundation Establishment, not immortal. We can struggle all we can, but we shouldn't think about the plots of those above."