The next day, Yuming arrived at Far Lantern Courtyard, ready for deployment.

  He was quite disappointed that his next mission had come so soon. After the talk with Xuehan, he figured the best way to strengthen the Chenming identity would be to return home to Willowbank. Unfortunately, that opportunity never came.

  He arrived at the courtyard early, the morning breeze was cool and dew still sat high on blades of grass. The opening of his Du Meridian had done something to his sleep—he found that he’d woken up a few hours earlier than usual, fully rested. He’d heard that powerful cultivators didn’t need to sleep or eat. Some didn’t even have to drink.

  Yuming was waiting for his traveling companions. The Ancestral Tree program was sending dozens of juniors out, but the deployment was scattered. His destination—the Wen Family—was a rural, agrarian clan with three Qi Condensation cultivators. Their family was relatively new, but apparently their Ancestral Tree could still be tainted.

  His first companion arrived as the sun rose over the eastern ridge.

  It was Liu Zhong, who walked into the courtyard with the posture of someone who had been awake for hours. He was only fifteen, yet his eyes were slightly sunken. His robes were clearly worn but well maintained.

  Looks like he’s falling behind…

  Liu Zhong had previously been among the top cultivators of his cohort, despite coming from a poor background. He could have been considered the foremost aside from Liu Yufeng and Liu Yiyi.

  But now he wasn’t at Dantian Awakening, and showed no signs of reaching it any time soon. Yuming had noticed that he’d begun going to the Merit Hall to make money recently.

  The tired, broad shouldered boy greeted Yuming. “Greetings, Yuming, and happy birthday.”

  Yuming had almost forgotten. Today he was fourteen.

  Yuming smiled and nodded in response, and the two conversed while waiting for their other companions to arrive. Liu Zhong’s eyes couldn’t help but flicker towards the Meridian-Soothing Pills at Yuming’s waist, recently given to him by Liu Tianjue.

  Earth-grade root, but his cultivation isn’t even better than mine. But the Family still invests in him, Liu Zhong thought to himself, his fists curling slightly.

  Eventually a silence settled between the two of them.

  The other two juniors arrived, a boy of thirteen and a girl of fifteen, both youths from his cohort that he recognized but barely knew. Neither had reached Meridian Unblocking, and both kept a careful distance from Yuming, orienting themselves near Liu Zhong instead.

  Finally, the escort came.

  Yuming’s previous trips hadn’t required an escort, however the Wen Family was located deep to the southeast and there was a possibility of an attack. The escort was a young man named Liu Yuluo. He was a few cohorts above Yuming and had just reached Dantian Awakening. He wore a confident demeanor.

  “Junior Brothers and Sister,” he smiled, counting them with a glance. “Wen Caln site, four days travel. Question?”

  No one had any questions. Liu Yuluo nodded three times and walked towards the gate as the juniors waddled behind him.

  They boarded the flying boat and began south, passing villages, towns, and a few cities that dotted the valleys below. Yuming watched as the towns grew poorer and poorer the further they went from Zhenyuan.

  “Senior Brother,” Yuming began, “have you made this journey before? What do you know about the Wen Family?”

  Liu Yuluo grinned widely, clearly glad that this Earth-grade prodigy referred to him as a senior and sought his knowledge.

  He stroked his beard—short, uneven stubble—and gestured to the four juniors to listen closely.

  After waiting for the correct level of anticipation, Yuluo scoffed. “The Wen Family? They’re nothing but rural upstarts. A bunch of farmers who lucked into a few cultivators and started calling themselves a clan.”

  He laughed. “I’ve been there already to drop off another batch of juniors. They barely possess a proper spirit vein—their Qi Condensation cultivators can’t even cultivate properly.”

  Liu Zhong frowned and turned away. Yuming was curious and questioned further. “Senior Brother, a group of farmers truly had the talent to produce three Qi Condensation cultivators?”

  Liu Yuluo sighed, “They probably lucked into some opportunity. Their Old Ancestor is still alive—he came from the Heiyin Sect.”

  In Zhao State, a resume bearing the name “Heiyin Sect” was often worse than an empty one.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Zhao State had “Five Great Sects.” The Liu Family’s Chudeng Sect was one of them. Aside from those five, there were a vast number of smaller sects and forces.

  But these sects were all exclusive to varying degrees. The Chudeng Sect usually only took members from certain clans it was connected with, the other great sects were usually similar. Smaller sects had to be less selective, but they still tested for competence and aptitude.

  The Heiyin Sect was the opposite. It took in anyone who was desperate enough to join it; it was truly a nest of loose cultivators with a fancy title.

  Still, it had remained standing for hundreds of years. Yuming had always found that a bit strange.

  Yuming spoke. “That he could reach Qi Condensation within the Heiyin Sect proves he has extraordinary capabilities.”

  Liu Yuluo chuckled.”No, Junior Brother, it proves he had extraordinary opportunities.”

  ….

  A few days later, the boat descended through low clouds and the Wen compound emerged below. It was a walled settlement in a broad valley, filled with mortal houses. It was clear the family hadn’t yet officially separated mortals and cultivators.

  The area directly surrounding the compound was empty Wen Family farmland, however thirty miles away stood a developing city—it was clear that the secular wealth of the Wen mortals attracted people to the surrounding towns and villages.

  There were a few mountains that hung in the distance, yet they didn’t possess the domineering aura or heights of Mount Zhenyuan. Liu Yuluo told Yuming that a few loose cultivator families lived off of the meager spiritual qi on the peaks.

  At the northern part of the compound lay twenty or thirty nicer buildings clustered around a central rise where the ancestral hall sat. Orchids sat inside the walls.

  Liu Yuluo guided the boat down to a clearing outside the main gate. "Remember," he said as they disembarked, "these people depend on us. Act accordingly."

  The Wen clan head was waiting at the gate.

  Wen Yuanfeng was old—at least seventy—but he held himself with careful dignity. His robes were clean, his hands slightly rough. His eyes quickly assessed the visiting party.

  Seconds later, a flash of light approached, which stopped and turned into a middle-aged man whom Yuming recognized. He was Liu Mingchen, a Qi Condensation elder of the Liu Family.

  He’s related to Zhan, but not closely. Yuming made a mental note.

  Liu Mingchen smiled and gestured for Wen Yaunfeng to speak.

  He addressed the group respectfully. “Honored emissaries from the Liu Family,” he began with a bow, “my Wen Family welcomes you. We have prepared quarters and refreshments.”

  Mingchen relieved Yuluo of his duties. Yuluo happily grabbed a flying sword from the boat and flew towards the mortal city in the distance.

  The tour was brief. Yuanfeng led them through the compound while Mingchen drifted behind, present but uninvolved. The spirit farms—terraced paddies climbing the valley slopes—rested beyond the walls. There were rows of mortal workers moving between crops Yuming didn’t recognize.

  Wen Yuanfeng noticed the curious expressions of the Liu juniors so he explained. “This is our primary crop, spirit taro.” He flipped his hand and a taro flew over. It looked like a cross between a potato and a beet, its rough skin covered with earth. “It requires less dense qi than spirit rice, but the harvests are consistent.”

  “How long does it retain spirituality?” Yuming questioned.

  Wen Yuanfeng let out a helpless laugh. “Not more than a week or two.”

  So it can’t be used as a currency, makes sense.

  Yuming was slightly puzzled.

  They probably can’t sell this either, it’s only for internal consumption. If this is their primary product, how did they manage to afford three Qi Condensation cultivators?

  The Yang Family only had three Qi Condensation cultivators, and they were far wealthier than this. Even though they had their troubles, Yuming still was amazed that the Wen and Yang families had similar top-level strength.

  Wen Yuanfeng continued the tour with precision; he’d clearly given the same tour a few times over. He made sure to mention how beneficial the Liu Family’s Ancestral Tree inspection had been. “Purifying my Wen Family and boosting our economy, we do not deserve such a benefactor.”

  For these small clans, Liu disciples staying for a few months could be a serious economic windfall. At least, it seemed far more profitable than farming spirit taro.

  Still, Yuming noticed that Wen Yuanfeng’s hands clasped slightly whenever he mentioned the Liu Family’s generosity. He probably doesn’t like being meddled with.

  A boy peered around a doorway as they passed—perhaps eight or nine, watching the cultivators with wide eyes. Probably a direct descendent. The boy's gaze caught Yuming's for a moment before he ducked back inside.

  Chenming stirred. Yuming instinctively suppressed it.

  After thinking for a second, he changed his mind and waved to the boy who was hiding behind the door.

  The boy’s face showed a sheepish expression as he hurriedly ran away. Yuming chuckled.

  They climbed the rise toward the ancestral hall. Yuming felt the tree before they reached the building.

  His Du meridian responded first. Yang recognizing yang, the upward thrust of life asserting itself against the sky.

  Then his Ren caught the yin aspects, deep roots drinking from soil and stone. The tree felt more ancient than it looked. It was clearly no older than a century, but it produced an eerie, ancient feel.

  A woman stood near the central alter, examining the tree with professional detachment.

  She turned as they entered.

  She was young, perhaps twenty-five or thirty, with the bearing of minor nobility. Her robes were finely made and pale blue. Her presence was clean—she was clearly at Qi Condensation, but possessed a refinement that both Mingchen and Wen Yuanfeng lacked.

  She’s not from the Wen Family, Yuming immediately assumed.

  "Liu Mingchen," she said, nodding to the elder. Her eyes moved across the juniors without lingering. "The new resonance nodes?"

  "Qin Yueshan," Mingchen returned. "Four this rotation."

  "I'll need to examine them before the first session." Her tone made clear this was not a request.

  "Standard purity protocols."

  Mingchen's expression flickered—Yuming couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or resigned.

  I wonder who this is.

  ….

  Slightly south, on a ridge overlooking the valley, a tired Liu Tianjue lowered his vision technique and considered what he had observed.

  The boy arrived safely, which is good. But…

  The woman had caught him off guard. The moment he saw her he stopped his vision technique. He knew that the Jingquan Sect had been sending some inspectors to interfere with the Ancestral Tree program, but he hadn’t expected that it would happen at this remote place.

  Jingquan Sect… maybe I should report this. Or even take the boy back.

  He thought about it for a minute. If he took Yuming back, perhaps Yuming would start asking questions. The boy was intelligent, after all.

  Also—

  If something bad does happen, maybe I can add one more life-saving debt to the pile. I’d feel safer that way.