Chương 81: A Cornered Animal

Floating in the air, surrounded by curious vines, was an experience I didn't expect to have so soon in my cultivation journey, at least not without a flying sword.

"Azure, why exactly am I flying right now?"

"This appears to be related to the celestial bodies now orbiting in your inner world," Azure murmured, and I could practically hear him taking mental notes.

"Typically, only cultivators who had broken through to the Stellar Realm can achieve flight, this is likely due to their connection with heavenly bodies."

"So, I've basically created my own version of that system by creating an orbit?"

"Yes, master, it appears so." That made a strange sort of sense. Closing my eyes, my thoughts drifted back to the time I used the Skybound rune to fly in the Two Suns world. The sensation had been pretty different then, more like pushing against the air itself, this was likely due to relying on a rune to force flight. As for now, the experience was more natural, as though gravity had simply decided to become optional. I took a deep breath to focus on that feel and imagine myself returning to the ground.

The vines slowly unwound from my limbs as I guided myself downward, landing softly on my feet. Flight. Well, that was another ability to add to the list of skills that I needed to keep under wraps. A Qi Condensation cultivator casually flying around would raise far too many questions. Wei Lin's presence lingered outside my door, he hadn't knocked again, probably assuming I was deep in meditation. Knowing him, he was probably debating whether to wait or come back later. Better see what he wants.

Straightening my robes, I made my way from the private training courtyard back through my room and opened the door. As expected, Wei Lin stood there, right hand raised, apparently having finally decided to knock again.

"Oh, you're…" Wei Lin started, then did a double-take when he noticed my aura. He backed away while pointing at me accusingly.

"You…you broke through? Again?"

"The wind essence was particularly pure," I shrugged, attempting to look appropriately modest.

"It seems like it was exactly what my cultivation needed." Wei Lin looked like he was going to say something, but then he shook his head.

"Multiple breakthroughs close together are dangerous," he whispered, glancing around as if speaking of some forbidden topic.

"It can cause an unstable cultivation base leading to qi deviation…" Ah yes, qi deviation. The bogeyman of the cultivation world. Whether a cultivator attempted a technique beyond their level or rushed through their advancement, they risked having their own qi turn against them. The result could range from temporary illness to permanent crippling, or even death. It was exactly why most sects preached steady measured progress.

"No sign of instability," I smiled, channeling qi through my body to show him, "see?"

"Sometimes it's hidden," Wei Lin frowned, clearly not entirely convinced.

"It can come out when you least expect it, man."

"Hey, don't worry, I promise you, I'm fine," I tried to project confidence without seeming dismissive of his concerns. It was nice to have a friend who looked out for me.

"What brings you here anyway?" Despite still looking worried, Wei Lin's expression brightened at the change of topic.

"Mother heard about this thing called 'family game night' from some merchants who traded with the western kingdoms, she's insisting we give it a go." Oh no.

"She sent me to invite everyone," he continued cheerfully, either missing or deciding to ignore my expression.

"Lin Mei said she'd join us after checking on some herbs, Liu Chen's already there, and Rocky is watching through the window, you should join!" I tried to think of a polite way to decline, but Wei Lin's hopeful expression made it impossible. More importantly, after everything he'd done to help me get the wind essence, the least I could do to show my appreciation was survive one evening of whatever 'family game night' entailed.

"Sure," I said, resigning myself to whatever fate awaited me.

"Why not?" As we made our way through the compound, Wei Lin chatted excitedly about how his father seemed to be warming up to the idea of him and Lin Mei. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"He asked her about herbs yesterday," Wei Lin said.

"Not in a business way, but like he was genuinely interested! And this morning, I overheard him telling Mother that having someone with professional herb-growing experience in the family could be "advantageous.'" I nodded along, hoping for my friend's sake that his father's change of heart really was genuine. Still, something about Wei Ye's sudden interest made me uneasy. The man was simply too calculating to change his mind without reason.

We found the others gathered in what Wei Lin called the 'casual' reception room; though it was still a nicer room than most homes I'd seen since entering this world. On a cushion near the window sat Liu Chen, he occasionally tossed something out to Rocky, whose massive stone head took up most of the view. Wei Ting was arranging various boxes and tiles on a low table, while Wei Guang lounged nearby, looking amused at the whole situation.

"Ah, you're here!" Wei Ting beamed at me.

"We were worried you'd be busy cultivating." I smiled, the thought had occurred to me.

"Come, sit," she gestured to the empty cushion beside Liu Chen, "I found the most fascinating game set in one of our warehouses. The merchant said it's called 'Mahjong.'" Mahjong? The name of the game sounded familiar, but not one I had played before. As I took my seat, Lin Mei entered, looking slightly flushed from the garden. Like the good boyfriend that he was, Wei Lin immediately scooted over to make room for her, which earned an approving smile from his mother, and a barely concealed eye-roll from Wei Guang.

"The rules are simple," Wei Ting began, but was interrupted by her husband's arrival.

"Starting without me?" Wei Ye asked, then he noticed me, or more specifically, he had somehow noticed the aura that I was currently hiding.

"Ah, another breakthrough so soon?" The room went quiet, and everyone's attention turned to me. Liu Chen's jaw dropped, Lin Mei shot me a worried look, and even Rocky stopped munching on whatever Liu Chen had been feeding him to peer more intently through the window.

"Two breakthroughs so close together?" Wei Ting's eyes widened.

"Dear, are you sure that's—""The boy's fine," Wei Ye cut in, looking me up and down with that unnervingly intense gaze of his.

"It's quite remarkable. Most cultivators would struggle to handle such rapid advancement, but young Ke Yin seems to have a particularly…stable foundation."

"Thank you, sir," I replied politely, not sure what else to say.

"The wind essence proved quite effective." Fortunately, the shock soon wore off, and Wei Ting launched into an explanation of tiles and sets that I only half followed, too aware of Wei Ye's occasional glances in my direction. Once we began playing, the game itself turned out to be quite engaging, and I found myself having a good time, though Liu Chen's running commentary to Rocky ("No, you can't eat that tile, and stop breathing on the window, you're fogging it up!") provided most of the entertainment.

Wei Ting turned out to be terrifyingly good at the game, winning several rounds while maintaining an innocent expression that fooled absolutely no one. Though from the surprisingly gentle smile on Wei Ye's face as he looked at his wife's excitement, it wouldn't shock me to learn that he wasn't going all out. As for Wei Guang, despite repeatedly claiming he hadn't played the game before, the casual skill that he demonstrated suggested otherwise.

Halfway through another round, Wei Guang's personal guard burst into the room, face pale and eyes wide.

"Young Master, urgent news from the city!" We all froze, and the pleasant atmosphere evaporated instantly. Wei Ye slowly set down his tiles and turned to give the guard his full attention.

"Speak."

"It's the Sun Family," the guard reported, bowing quickly.

"They've…they've taken control of the southern trade routes. All of them. The caravan masters have signed exclusive contracts."

"That's impossible," Wei Guang replied.

"We've had agreements with those caravans for generations. They wouldn't—""They would if they were threatened," Wei Ye interrupted, his voice deadly calm.

"Continue." The guard swallowed.

"Three of our representatives in the southern quarter were found dead this morning. Officially, it was reported as a robbery gone wrong, but…" he hesitated.

"There are rumours that the Sun Family has hired a Stellar Realm expert. They…they're not even trying to hide their intentions anymore; there's talk in the streets about how they plan to 'remove' the Wei Family's influence once and for all…" The southern trade routes were the Wei Family's economic backbone, providing nearly half their annual income. Without them…

"What about our cultivators?" Wei Lin asked, but from his tone, it was clear that he already knew the answer.

"Elder Ming is the highest cultivator we have under our contract," Wei Guang frowned.

"He's only at the Late Elemental Realm, against a Stellar Realm cultivator…" he didn't need to finish the sentence. It was basic cultivation math. Unless the lower stage cultivator had Beyond Heaven techniques or treasures, they would be decimated 99. 999% of the time. The three Wei men exchanged looks, years of merchant training allowed them to have entire conversations without words.

But for all of their subtle communication and strategic thinking, there was one fact that was brutally clear; there was nothing they could do. The cultivation world operated on simple rules, and the main rule being power was everything. And if a Stellar Realm cultivator was to pay a visit here and destroy everyone in the compound, as long as the Sun Family was careful to maintain plausible deniability, then they would not pay any consequences.

Even if everyone knew who was responsible, the sudden demise of the Wei Family, while being tragic, it would be nothing more than gossip fodder and then forgotten after a few weeks. After all, merchant clans rose and fell all the time, especially ones without powerful cultivators in their bloodline. In the grand scheme of things, the Wei Family were nothing special… Wei Ye stood up abruptly, "I have a meeting to attend."

His voice was perfectly controlled, but I caught a flash of something cold and desperate in his eyes before he smoothed his expression. Without another word, he walked out of the room. The room was still in silence. The mahjong tiles sat abandoned on the table, their patterns now seeming like mocking symbols of how fortunes could change. Through the window, even Rocky had gone still, his stone features still somehow managed to convey concern as he watched Liy Chen's frightened expression.

My thoughts turned to what Azure had said about Wei Ye's reaction to the two suns' energy, about his ability to track qi movements despite claiming to be a mortal. Whatever secrets the Wei Family patriarch was hiding, we were about to find out what happens when he was pushed into a corner. But the question remained. Would his hidden cards be enough to save his family from what was coming?