Noticing that Yiling had wandered off, Yuming could only sigh and decide what to do next. After a moment of contemplation, he turned back towards Yang Qinru and informed her that he would be staying here until they could pay the entire tribute.

  That gives me a week or so, Yuming thought to himself.

  He quickly strode back to his quarters with a strange look on his face.

  I suppose it’s time to run some experiments.

  ….

  A few days later.

  Yang Feng woke up to the usual sight: multiple concubines tangled in his sheets.

  He lay there for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. He’d been staring at that ceiling for nearly thirty years.

  Fifty-two, and still Meridian Unblocking. In the Yang Family, this wasn’t bad—it was even a bit above average. Most Yang Family cultivators stayed in the Tempering stages. He quite frequently mocked these “labor wastes,” but he hadn’t seen many the past few days; they were mostly busy repairing the mortal Reed Harbor below.

  But still, the lack of cultivation progress was quite irritating. Twenty-five years ago, when he’d reached Meridian Unblocking, he didn’t imagine it would be his last breakthrough. But eventually, the elders had stopped asking about his cultivation. It dawned on him one day that his path had ended.

  His thoughts drifted towards the visiting Young Master from the Liu Family, the one who had spent the last few days enjoying the finest treatment at the Family’s archive hall. What an incredible life he must live… how envious.

  He climbed over the nearest concubine—was it Meifan? Or Meilan?—and pulled on his work robes. They smelled of spirit beast dung.

  He walked to the beast pens for work, which took him past the Family’s central compound. He kept his eyes forward, but couldn’t help glancing at a certain window with blue curtains. Xin’er always liked blue… he felt his thoughts stirring.

  Yang Lianxin, the Xin’er in question, had married Yang Zhong nearly thirty years ago.

  Yang Zhong… Just thinking of the name made Yang Feng clench his fists. The only one worse than Yang Zhong was Yang Yichen from work.

  Yang Feng had grown up with Yang Lianxin. He had fond memories of bringing her spirit-lillies from the marsh, practicing martial arts with her at the compound—but when has there been justice in the world? Yang Lianxin’s parents had married her off to that despicable Yang Zhong, all because he had a mid-grade spirit root.

  When Yang Feng had first found out about this, he cursed the Heavens, vowing to win his love back. But Yang Zhong had reached Dantian Awakening, he now managed a spirit farm. Yang Feng, on the other hand… devoted himself to his mortal concubines.

  The spirit beast pens were loud this morning. Two male pigs were butting heads over a female. Yang Feng watched for a while. One pig was bigger. The bigger pig won.

  He fed them in silence. The work was simple, and his mind was quite simple as well. He didn’t struggle with the job.

  The only dreary part of work was Yang Yichen, a younger, more ambitious coworker. He held seniority over Yang Yichen, but Yichen would always complain about him to their superiors, aiming to get the top job at the beast pen.

  Afterwards, he took a walk and got some lunch. He saw the Young Misses from the Liu Family diligently practicing her martial arts. Another blessed child of Heaven, he sighed.

  He walked back towards the beast pen, where a visitor in crimson robes had appeared.

  A visitor?

  The visitor slowly turned around.

  He was young—only thirteen or fourteen—and not yet tall, but his aura was imposing and his temperament was firm. He wore his long, dark-brown hair in an exquisite silver hairpin, and his eyes were dark. And his gaze—his gaze was piercing.

  Th-That’s the Young Master from the Liu Family! Liu Yuming!

  Yang Feng felt his pulse stutter, then race in his chest. He quickly bowed. “This humble one, Yang Feng, greets the Young Master.”

  The young man in crimson smiled, gesturing for Yang Feng to lose the formality. But he didn’t speak.

  After a moment of silence, Yang Feng courageously spoke again. “Y-Young Master, may I ask why you have graced this little place with your presence?”

  The young man moved closer to him, speaking in a slightly reminiscent tone. “It may not seem like it, but I’ve spent a lot of time working in beast pens.”

  This Young Master actually did such a job? And he’s telling me?

  The young man continued. “I have always felt that beast-rearing is an underappreciated profession. It’s the backbone of any decent sect or clan, it requires a person of outstanding patience and temperament to endure.”

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  Yang Feng nodded genuinely, finding the young man’s words to be extremely reasonable.

  “I was looking through some of your noble Family’s records, and I found that you have been diligently performing your duties for nearly thirty years. I admire that greatly.”

  Yang Feng found the young man to be exceptionally agreeable and charismatic!

  “As a token of my appreciation, and as a token of goodwill between our two families, I have come with a gift.”

  He took out a scroll.

  “This is a simple technique that calms beasts down. It is quite common in my Liu Family, but I feel it could be of use for you.”

  He paused and leaned in closer.

  “This is for you, it cannot be spread to your family.”

  Yang Feng's chest swelled. A secret shared only with him, the Young Master trusted him! He prostrated himself, yelling: “This humble one wouldn’t dare!”

  The dashing young man turned and walked away to the cheers of Yang Feng. “Young Master is magnanimous! Young Master is wise!”

  That night, neither he nor his concubines got any sleep.

  ….

  A few days later.

  Yang Feng, having received such an exclusive visit, spent the next few days strolling with his head held high. He had been walking back from lunch when he heard a voice shouting.

  “YANG FENG!”

  He turned around, confused. Yang Zhong was storming across the courtyard, face purple with rage. Behind him, Yang Lianxin stumbled along with eyes red from crying.

  Xin’er? What’s happening?

  “Elder Brother Zhong?” Yang Feng managed, “Is something—”

  Yang Zhong hurled something at his feet. Fabric, stained, reeking faintly of spirit beast dung—it was his undergarments!

  Yang Feng stared at him, startled. “That’s-that’s mine… where did you—”

  “WHERE DID I FIND IT?” Yang Zhong’s voice cracked. “IN MY WIFE’S CHAMBERS! UNDER HER BED!”

  “What?” Yang Feng looked at Yang Lianxin. She was shaking her head frantically, tears streaming down her face.

  “I would never—please…” she cried out.

  “LIAR!” Yang Zhong yelled as he backhanded her.

  Seeing that, something flared in Yang Feng’s chest. He stood up to the much stronger Yang Zhong. “Don’t touch her!”

  “Don’t touch her?” Yang Zhong laughed wildly. “You think you’re the only one who can touch her! All of these years, don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you look at her. Everyone knows you’re a philanderer!”

  “I haven’t done anything!” Yang Feng’s mind was racing. The robe… how could it have gotten there?

  Yang Zhong’s voice dropped. He spoke coolly. “I’m going to cripple both of you. I won’t kill you, but I’ll leave you both constantly wishing you were dead.”

  Qi flared around him, the explosive outburst of Dantian Awakening. Yang Feng felt the pressure like a weight dropped on his chest.

  He knew he couldn’t win, he could only beg.

  “Yang Zhong—Elder Brother Zhong—”

  “SHUT UP!” Yang Zhong was back to roaring. He raised his palm towards the crouching Yang Feng, preparing to deliver a blow.

  “I’ll cripple your meridians, I’ll leave you mortal—you’ll be begging for the days you were shoveling pig dung—”

  And then suddenly—

  “Stop.”

  A calm voice swept over the three of them, halting Yang Zhong in his tracks.

  Yang Feng, through tear-filled eyes, saw a young man in crimson robes standing at the edge of the courtyard.

  Liu Yuming!

  All three of them immediately stood obediently, lowering their heads before the young man in blazing crimson.

  The Young Master sighed. “Yang Zhong, I understand your frustration, but Brother Feng committed no such crime.”

  Yang Zhong was stunned, and began stammering. Yuming ignored him and continued.

  “I worked at beast pens often when I was younger, and connected with Brother Feng over shared experiences. I have been drinking with him the past two nights. He could not have slept with your wife.”

  Yang Zhong felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on his head. He knelt down, swearing on his ancestors that he was unaware, and that he would drop the matter.

  Yuming turned to walk away, but not before telling Yang Feng: “Come with me.”

  Yang Feng, having experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in the last five minutes, stood still for a moment, before hurriedly following his benefactor.

  Soon, the two stood alone. Seeing that the Young Master didn’t intend to speak first, Yang Feng finally let out a stutter. “Esteemed Young Master, w-why did you help me?”

  The crimson-robed young man chuckled. “I told you, I like people who work in spirit pens.”

  Then he leaned in closer, and whispered. “Besides, I cultivate a secret Liu Family art that can discern truth from falsehood. I could tell you weren’t lying.”

  Yang Feng’s eyes widened, his horizons having broadened, then thanked the Young Master profusely.

  Then the young man’s expression turned serious. “But why would someone frame you? Especially at this time?”

  Yang Feng had been asking himself the same question. He simply couldn’t understand.

  Then the young man continued.

  “Did you tell anyone about our interaction? Would someone have grown jealous?”

  Yang Feng thought for half a second, then clenched his fists until they went pale. Had he told anyone? Of course he had! He’d bragged up and down about it to that bastard all day!

  Yang Yichen! This hatred cannot be reconciled!

  ….

  Later that night.

  Liu Yuming sat meditating in his chamber, feeling satisfied.

  Now that he could sense some karma using Unbroken Ledger True Scripture, Yuming wanted to test some theories he had.

  At first he thought of using mortals, but decided that would be too risky.

  So he went through some Yang Family records, finding a suitable guinea pig.

  First, he gave Yang Feng a gift, a gift that could truly benefit him for years to come. But when Yuming cultivated that night, he couldn’t sense any karmic connection. Perhaps the karma wasn’t great enough.

  But that was never the whole plan anyways. Using Mirror-Current Steps, Yuming easily slipped Yang Feng’s robe into Yang Zhong’s house. All he had to do after was put out the spark before it turned into a fire.

  Now, sensing two new tugs through his Ren Meridian, he felt it was all worth it.

  For one, Yang Feng and Yang Lianxin both had karma like Yujin—Karma that didn’t harm his cultivation. This indicated that the phenomenon was likely unique to mortals.

  But that wasn’t what interested Yuming most.

  He had saved Yang Feng and Yang Lianxin from the same situation. In theory, both of their threads should have felt similar.

  Yang Lianxin’s pull felt similar to Yujin’s… but Yang Feng’s was distinct.

  It was almost like it was lower.

  Not lower physically, but still lower. Yang Feng was below and Yuming was above.

  Even though I didn’t feel anything after I gave him the gift, it still seems the gift made an impact.

  Maybe the gift created an opening, so the debt was more impactful when I saved him.

  Yuming remained still, but his gaze turned sharp.

  But I gave Yujin a gift before too—the salve for his meridians. But his thread still feels like Yang Lianxin’s.

  Yuming shook his head, aware that he couldn’t answer every problem with his current knowledge.

  The Zhan Family spent years paying me, giving me gifts. I always wondered why they waited to “save” my life.

  Maybe it has to do with this.

  I stopped Yujin from saving my life at the cave.

  So they haven’t won yet.