A man in a simple robe stood in the center of a brilliant formation array, gently stroking his thin beard.

  It was Jade Balance True Person.

  The formation beneath him stood at the heart of the valley's circulation. He could feel the entire valley through it.

  The passive detecting array was correct: there was indeed something moving around the Pavilion's perimeter.

  He spread out his spiritual sense to take a closer look. His spiritual sense thinned as he approached the disturbance—the distance was great, and his perception was obstructed by the mist. Still, his awareness sensed something interesting.

  Could that be…

  He turned his attention inward, to his immortal foundation.

  Many Foundation Establishment cultivators could perceive the world partially through their immortal foundation. His was "Cup-Filling Stratagem Heart," and his perception showed accumulation.

  The entire Pavilion was his cup, and all gains and losses were drops pouring in or falling out. His specific technique was passed down from the Jingquan Sect, and it focused less on combat and more on tracking impurities.

  Therefore, he was acutely aware of the problem his Pavilion had with contamination. It had registered as a slow, steady weight pressing against his awareness for months; the cup was filling with something he couldn't empty.

  The best he could do was manage it. He'd recalibrated his cup to cycle Riverflow Qi through cleaner paths, routing collection away from the worst areas. It kept the dew usable, but the contamination itself remained. It remained hanging in the mist, settling where the water was densest.

  He would need to find an outsider to resolve the problem. And an outsider was expensive.

  But now—the cup was draining!

  Not everywhere, but along a narrow corridor. It was draining precisely where his formation showed signs of movement.

  His fingers paused along his beard.

  Something was moving through the valley, and taking the contamination with it.

  He couldn't quite identify the culprit, their qi pattern was chaotic and they were covered in Mist-Dew. Nor did his immortal foundation emphasize tracking.

  But he had a guess.

  He swept his perception over the guest dwellings. Sure enough—no one was in the Liu prodigy's room.

  He sighed.

  Bordering two great clans—truly a blessing and a curse!

  He'd barely finished his thought when a streak of white light flashed over. It slowed and transformed into a young man who knelt respectfully before him. His face was somber.

  Jade Balance pretended that he was unaware of the reason for Tang Wenshi's arrival.

  He raised an eyebrow. "Wenshi, do you know what's moving along our perimeter?"

  Tang Wenshi's brow filled with sweat. He looked down, not daring to meet his elder's eye.

  "This incompetent Junior- this truly unworthy Junior—"

  The True Person shook his head and frowned. "Wenshi…"

  "This Junior deserves a thousand deaths, this Junior…"

  Jade Balance stood still, listening to Tang Wenshi's hyperbolic self-flagellation.

  Inwardly, he checked on the contamination in his cup. It was still draining.

  I'll have to punish Wenshi, but perhaps it's good that he didn't notice things.

  He looked over toward the primary healing site where Qin Yueshan was located. It was a circular stone pavilion built around a spring. Mist pooled around its base, and medicinal herbs flowed around the perimeter.

  He could sense two disciples kneeling at formation plates within the healing chambers. Qin Yueshan was likely still deep in absorption. The cauldron strikes had harmed several of her meridians, and the formation at the Wen compound had made things worse. She'd drawn far more qi through her meridians than they could safely handle. Then she flew for a day and a half without resting.

  She would be in meditation for another few hours. Jade Balance didn't want to get overly involved to begin with—why form bad blood with the Liu Family? And if the boy had a method of removing his contamination…

  If Qin Yueshan takes him back, he'll return the contamination.

  "Stay with me, and don't tell anyone about what happened." He commanded Tang Wenshi.

  I'll give him two hours, then I'll tell Qin Yueshan.

  ….

  An hour later.

  Qin Yueshan sat motionless inside the main healing pavilion. Her breathing was imperceptible. Pure Riverflow Qi cycled through her tender meridians in cautious loops. Two nearby cultivators maintained a steady feed, their own cultivation only aiding her recovery.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Her awareness was turned inward; the world outside was reduced to a hum, time seemed to stand still yet pass instantly.

  She felt an echo emerge from the outer hum: something was pulsing against her consciousness.

  It came from a jade slip tucked into her sleeve, attuned to a monitoring device in Yuming's room. Specifically, it was the alarm calibrated to alert her if Yuming's qi signature deviated too much for too long.

  She looked at the jade slip: Yuming's qi pattern had been flat for over an hour.

  Her concentration wavered. Why didn't it alert me sooner?

  She looked closer and soon found her answer. Yuming's cultivation had been extremely limited for the past few days—no qi signature was his normal.

  But an hour was obviously an abnormality.

  It could be fine. Tang Wenshi is watching him, plus his robes haven't moved. And at the Wen compound he ran to me! Does he really want to escape?

  She prepared to return to her healing, but couldn't help but recall a recent memory.

  She saw Liu Tianjue, cloaked in flames, releasing a burst of white-hot embers to destroy the Tree. The injured Yuming instantly rejuvenated; his eyes shone with brilliance as he awakened his dantian.

  At the time she thought Liu Tianjue was helping Yuming. But Yuming ran to her.

  And thinking back… Liu Tianjue didn't look happy when Yuming broke through.

  That boy is not to be underestimated.

  Her eyes snapped open.

  She stopped cultivating and immediately exited her meditative trance. Her perception dug into another jade slip, this one playing a live recording of Yuming's room.

  A bed, a mat, a folded robe. But no boy.

  Her jaw tightened.

  She stood up. The two cultivators at the formation plates flinched as her spiritual pressure filled the chamber. The medicinal qi scattered, and the careful cycle they'd been maintaining collapsed.

  The older of the two, at the Qi Condensation stage, hurriedly alerted her. "Fellow Daoist, your channels haven't—"

  She walked past her without a word.

  The mist outside parted as she moved through the lower valley. She didn't bother concealing her spiritual sense. Sleeping disciples woke up suddenly, their hairs standing straight on the backs of their necks.

  She reached the guest quarters in seconds.

  The door was slightly open—Tang Wenshi had left it that way. The door was already a pile of rubble by the time Qin Yueshan entered the room.

  She looked at the turquoise robes lying on the floor.

  Her fingernails dug into her arms. They were folded with such precision.

  He took the time to fold them.

  Her voice thundered throughout the Pavilion. "Tang Wenshi!"

  She couldn't directly blame Jade Balance True Person. He was too senior; even the Jingquan Sect couldn't bully True Persons as they pleased, especially ones who lived on the border. But Tang Wenshi…

  Incompetent! What incredible incompetence!

  Tang Wenshi arrived moments later, his demeanor not at all resembling that of a leisurely sword immortal. He dropped to his knees immediately. "Fellow D– No, Senior Qin, this incompetent Junior failed in his duties–"

  "So he's at least self-aware," Qin Yueshan muttered, loud enough for Tang Wenshi to hear.

  Tang Wenshi was startled by her bluntness and cursed in his heart. He continued as if he'd heard nothing. "I noticed the boy's absence approximately twenty-five minutes ago, and reported to the True Person immediately."

  Jade Balance arrived as Tang Wenshi finished talking. He spoke before Qin Yueshan could respond. "I attempted to locate the boy through our formation before disturbing your recovery. Unfortunately, he was too far and the mist obscured his trail."

  Qin Yueshan wasn't naive. This old man just wants to maintain his relationship with the Liu Family. He didn't try at all.

  Qin Yueshan avoided the urge to clench her fists. I need to let him know that the situation is more complicated.

  "True Person, thank you for your consideration. Before we search, there's something you should know."

  She told him what happened at the Wen compound. The boy ran toward her instead of toward Liu Tianjue. A Liu prodigy chose a foreign inspector over his own clan. She also informed him of other irregularities.

  "It is apparent that the boy is extremely important to someone. My Jingquan Sect is extremely interested in him and his importance—not just to the Liu Family, but to the entire Chudeng Sect."

  She paused.

  "Those above are interested, not just me."

  The implication was clear: this matter is important enough that you can't get away with fence-sitting.

  Jade Balance True Person studied her. His immortal foundation stirred sightly—looking for cracks that could be filled in her composure.

  Qin Yueshan seemed to be largely truthful. But he could perceive a crack. She wasn't being entirely honest—and it was easy to guess where.

  This girl is a century too young to bluff me!

  Higher ups involved? Who were the higher ups—Qin Mozhi? If the true weight of Jingquan was behind her, the boy never would have escaped.

  Only Jingquan's Immortal Masters can order this old man around. You? Not worthy.

  He remained cordial.

  "Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist. I will mobilize some of our Qi Condensation cultivators, and will personally watch over the formation."

  This time, Qin Yueshan clenched her fists openly. It was clear that Jade Balance wasn't overly exerting himself. If he truly cared, he'd search directly.

  Qin Yueshan turned to Tang Wenshi. "Which direction do you think he went?"

  Tang Wenshi straightened, desperate to be useful. "South, to the main runoff channel. The formation confirmed movement along the southern perimeter."

  It made sense to Qin Yueshan. He wouldn't go east toward Jingquan nor west toward Liu.

  Jade Balance stroked his beard. "The formation logged movement along the southern corridor. That is all I can confirm."

  He didn't mention that the boy had initially run north—toward the main Riverflow Qi entry point. He didn't mention that the southern exit connected to a western branch that followed the ridge toward denser river territory.

  Qin Yueshan quickly made her decision. "I'll go south. Tang Wenshi, you go west. True Person, I'll have to trouble you to mobilize a few qualified cultivators to search north and east."

  Jade Balance nodded and smiled.

  Tang Wenshi bowed quickly and said nothing. Then he flew into the mist.

  ….

  A river wound between mossy banks, only slightly wider than a dirt road. Mist sat heavy on the surface.

  Yuming moved through it like a fish.

  Mirror-Current Steps wasn't meant for water, it was a combat technique. But rhythm was rhythm. The river had a current, and the current had a pattern. His Ren Meridian received it and his body followed.

  His feet found the stones beneath the surface and matched the flow. None of his steps disturbed the river that trailed behind him.

  He only had two techniques: Mirror-Current Steps and Thread-Needle Technique. But he was very proficient in both of them.

  He moved quickly. More importantly, he was silent.

  And there was the contamination—lots of it. Days of practice twitching his Self had helped, he had learned to grab more karma with his mortal threads. More importantly, he'd correctly identified the area of densest Riverflow Qi, and the most contamination.

  His mortal threads were heavier than they'd ever been, and his dantian ached from reckless cycling. His meridians were sore from the near qi deviation that Tang Wenshi had "rescued" him from.

  The rescue was worth it. Tang Wenshi's gift formed a karmic thread—a thread he could feel. Not where Tang Wenshi was, but when he was paying attention.

  He'd mapped the pattern over three nights. The breaks were regular enough.

  Yuming continued to trudge through the stream.

  Then something pressed against his Self.

  He recognized the feeling. It was the same weight he'd felt at the Wen compound whenever Tianjue would spy on him, or when Tang Wenshi would monitor him at night. It was a thread pulling between debtor and creditor.

  Yuming lowered himself deeper into the water until only his face broke the surface.

  This was earlier than expected—Qin Yueshan shouldn't have finished her session for a few more hours. Did her schedule change? Was there a layer of monitoring he missed? Did he do a poor job of disguising his qi pattern?

  He didn't know what went wrong. But he could tell that Tang Wenshi was moving toward him.