Chapter 20: A Guest Nobody Invited
In the cultivation world, strength could earn you respect.
Unfortunately, some people confused respect with everyone being too scared to argue with them.
The trouble started with a flying ship.
Not an ordinary one, either.
It was nearly a hundred meters long, with a dark green hull, golden railings, and the image of a mountain split by a sword carved into its bow.
It appeared above Lanyue City just after sunrise.
For a few moments, the streets went quiet.
Then someone looked up and shouted.
"That's the Iron Mountain Sect's ship!"
A nearby merchant nearly dropped his breakfast.
"The Iron Mountain Sect? What are they doing here?"
"How would I know?"
"Didn't their grand elder enter seclusion ten years ago?"
"Which grand elder?"
"The one who destroyed three demonic strongholds in a single night!"
"Oh."
The merchant looked up again.
"That one."
High above the city, the flying ship slowed.
Its defensive formations glowed faintly as it approached the designated landing platform.
Standing at the bow was a tall, broad-shouldered man in dark gray robes.
His hair was tied back with a simple iron clasp.
A long scar ran across his left eyebrow.
He looked somewhere in his forties, though his actual age was considerably greater.
His name was Shen Tieshan.
Peak Golden Core Realm.
Grand Elder of the Iron Mountain Sect.
And a man who hadn't lost a serious fight in seventy years.
Behind him stood two younger disciples.
One was visibly excited.
The other looked nervous.
"Master," the excited disciple said, "is this really Lanyue City?"
Shen Tieshan glanced down.
"Unless the map is wrong."
"It's bigger than I expected."
"Cities tend to grow."
The disciple hesitated.
"Master, why are we here?"
Shen Tieshan folded his arms.
"Business."
"What kind of business?"
"The kind that doesn't improve when you ask about it every five minutes."
The disciple immediately closed his mouth.
The nervous disciple quietly looked away.
He'd heard that answer before.
Usually right before something troublesome happened.
At Moonfall Pavilion, Lin Qingyue was eating breakfast when the news arrived.
"The Iron Mountain Sect?"
She looked up from her bowl.
A servant nodded.
"Yes, honored guest. Their grand elder arrived this morning."
Lin Qingyue nearly choked.
"Grand Elder Shen Tieshan?"
"That's what everyone is saying."
She turned toward Ye Wuchen.
He was drinking tea.
Naturally.
"Fellow Daoist Ye!"
"Hm?"
"Do you know who Shen Tieshan is?"
"No."
She stared.
"You've never heard of him?"
"No."
"He's one of the strongest Golden Core cultivators in the surrounding territories!"
Ye Wuchen nodded.
"I see."
"He's famous for defeating cultivators above his own level!"
"Impressive."
Lin Qingyue narrowed her eyes.
"You're not impressed."
"I said impressive."
"You said it like someone told you the weather was nice."
Ye Wuchen considered that.
"The weather is nice."
She put down her chopsticks.
"Forget it."
Across the table, Mu Cang chuckled.
"Young people are always excited about powerful cultivators."
Lin Qingyue looked offended.
"Senior Mu, he's at the peak of Golden Core!"
Mu Cang nodded.
"Very impressive."
"You don't sound impressed either!"
"I'm an old man. I get excited when my knees don't hurt."
Han Zhen nearly spat out his tea.
Shen Tieshan's arrival caused a headache for the City Administration Hall.
Not because he'd done anything wrong.
That was the problem.
A peak Golden Core cultivator from a powerful outside sect had arrived without prior notice, and nobody knew what he wanted.
City Lord Zhao sat behind his desk, reading the visitor report.
"Shen Tieshan."
His secretary nodded.
"Yes, my lord."
"Has he requested an audience?"
"Not yet."
"Has he contacted the three great clans?"
"No."
"Has he threatened anyone?"
"Not that we've heard."
City Lord Zhao frowned.
"Then why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
The secretary wisely remained silent.
A moment later, another official entered.
"My lord, there's news from the Western Transport Office."
City Lord Zhao looked up.
"What now?"
"Inspector Zhou has suspended Deputy Registrar Meng."
"On what grounds?"
"Forgery of transportation documents."
The city lord's expression darkened.
"Evidence?"
"Confession, altered records, and an obsolete official seal."
City Lord Zhao leaned back.
For several moments, he said nothing.
Then he sighed.
"Wonderful."
The secretary hesitated.
"My lord?"
"We have a peak Golden Core grand elder arriving unexpectedly, three merchant clans arguing over transportation routes, and now someone has been forging official documents."
He rubbed his forehead.
"Is there anything else?"
The official looked uncomfortable.
"Actually..."
City Lord Zhao closed his eyes.
"Don't."
By late morning, Shen Tieshan had already visited three places.
The city administration.
The Iron Mountain Sect's local trade office.
And a small noodle shop near the eastern market.
The noodle shop was his favorite.
He sat at a wooden table, eating a bowl of beef noodles while his disciples waited nearby.
The excited disciple, Guo Ming, looked around nervously.
"Master, shouldn't we be somewhere more suitable?"
Shen Tieshan looked up.
"Suitable for what?"
"Your status."
"My status?"
"You're a grand elder."
"And?"
"Shouldn't you be dining at one of the great pavilions?"
Shen Tieshan stared at him.
Then pointed toward his bowl.
"These noodles are good."
Guo Ming hesitated.
"But—"
"Have you tried them?"
"No."
"Then eat."
Guo Ming looked toward his fellow disciple.
The other young man, Wei Lan, had already started eating.
He gave Guo Ming a sympathetic look.
"Just eat."
Guo Ming sighed.
Then tried the noodles.
A moment later, his expression changed.
"...They're actually really good."
Shen Tieshan nodded.
"Exactly."
The shopkeeper, an elderly woman, approached their table.
"More broth?"
Shen Tieshan held out his bowl.
"Please."
The woman smiled.
"Coming right up."
Guo Ming stared.
He'd never seen his master behave so politely toward an ordinary mortal.
Shen Tieshan noticed.
"What?"
"Nothing, Master."
"Then stop staring."
The real reason Shen Tieshan had come to Lanyue was sitting inside a sealed document in his storage ring.
Three months earlier, the Iron Mountain Sect had purchased a shipment of refined Cloudsteel and formation components from a merchant operating through the Great Yan Empire.
The shipment never arrived.
At first, Shen Tieshan had assumed it was a transportation problem.
Then the merchant claimed the goods had been delivered.
The transport office confirmed it.
The receiving warehouse denied it.
And the sect's payment had already been collected.
Someone had stolen a substantial quantity of materials.
Worse, the documents contained an official seal that had supposedly been retired years earlier.
Shen Tieshan had brought the original purchase agreement.
He intended to get an explanation.
Preferably without drawing his sword.
Preferably.
Meanwhile, Lin Qingyue had a problem of her own.
Her portable defensive formation still wasn't working properly.
She sat in the courtyard behind Moonfall Pavilion, surrounded by jade plates, inscription brushes, and formation flags.
Ye Wuchen sat nearby reading.
Again.
Lin Qingyue stared at the latest design.
"Why does it keep collapsing?"
Ye Wuchen turned a page.
"Because you're asking it to do two things at once."
She looked up.
"What?"
"Protect the object and follow its movement."
"Isn't that the point?"
"Yes."
"Then what's wrong?"
"Your formation treats movement as a disturbance."
Lin Qingyue frowned.
She examined the inscription.
Then paused.
"Oh."
Ye Wuchen continued reading.
She looked at the plate again.
"Oh!"
A moment later, she stood.
"I get it!"
She hurried toward the table.
"If I make the central anchor move with the protected object, the outer channels won't need to compensate every time it changes position."
Ye Wuchen nodded.
She immediately began rewriting the inscriptions.
For the next half hour, she worked without speaking.
Then she activated the formation.
A pale blue barrier appeared around a wooden practice sword.
She lifted the sword.
The barrier moved with it.
She swung it gently.
The barrier remained stable.
Her eyes widened.
"It works!"
Ye Wuchen glanced up.
"Good."
Lin Qingyue grinned.
Then swung the sword a little harder.
The barrier flickered.
She froze.
Ye Wuchen looked at her.
"Still needs work."
She sighed.
"Of course it does."
Shen Tieshan first heard about Lin Qingyue from Master Duan Shou.
The two men had met years earlier during a sect construction project.
They weren't close friends, but they respected each other's abilities.
Duan Shou had been inspecting a formation workshop when Shen Tieshan arrived.
"Old Duan."
Duan Shou looked up.
Then laughed.
"Shen Tieshan! You're still alive?"
"Disappointed?"
"A little."
"Good to see you too."
They exchanged greetings.
After discussing the missing shipment, Shen Tieshan noticed a set of formation diagrams on Duan Shou's desk.
"What's this?"
Duan Shou smiled.
"A design from a young formation master."
Shen Tieshan examined it.
"First-grade?"
"Yes."
He frowned.
"Interesting."
Duan Shou raised an eyebrow.
"What's interesting?"
"The structure."
Shen Tieshan pointed toward the central anchor.
"She's trying to make a portable defensive formation without using a conventional artifact core."
Duan Shou nodded.
"Exactly."
"That's ambitious."
"Very."
Shen Tieshan studied the diagram.
"Who designed it?"
"Lin Qingyue. A young disciple from the Azure River Sect."
Shen Tieshan nodded.
"I've heard of that sect."
Duan Shou smiled.
"She's talented."
"Talent is common."
Duan Shou chuckled.
"Still the same old Shen."
Shen Tieshan continued examining the diagram.
"Talent means little without discipline."
"Then perhaps you'd like to meet her."
Shen Tieshan looked up.
"Why?"
"Because she's been working on this problem for days."
"And?"
"And I think you'd find her interesting."
Shen Tieshan considered the matter.
Then handed back the diagram.
"Perhaps."
That afternoon, the first confrontation occurred.
Not in a grand arena.
Not before thousands of spectators.
But in a formation workshop.
Lin Qingyue had come to purchase a set of inscription needles.
She was comparing two different models when a deep voice spoke behind her.
"You're Lin Qingyue?"
She turned.
A tall man in gray robes stood near the entrance.
His presence was heavy.
Not because he was deliberately releasing spiritual pressure.
He simply carried himself like someone who had spent a lifetime fighting.
Lin Qingyue immediately recognized him.
Her expression changed.
"Senior Shen Tieshan?"
He nodded.
"I saw your formation diagram."
She blinked.
"My diagram?"
"The portable defensive formation."
"Oh."
She bowed respectfully.
"Junior greets Senior Shen."
Shen Tieshan waved a hand.
"Enough formalities."
He looked toward the jade plate in her hand.
"Is that the latest version?"
"Yes."
"Show me."
Lin Qingyue hesitated.
Then placed the plate on the table.
She activated the formation.
A pale blue barrier appeared around a wooden practice sword.
Shen Tieshan watched.
"Move it."
She lifted the sword.
The barrier followed.
"Strike the table."
Lin Qingyue frowned.
"Senior?"
"Strike it."
She hesitated.
Then tapped the table with the protected sword.
The barrier flickered.
Shen Tieshan's expression remained unchanged.
"Again."
She struck harder.
The barrier trembled.
"Again."
Lin Qingyue gritted her teeth.
She struck a third time.
The barrier shattered.
The jade plate cracked.
Silence filled the workshop.
Shen Tieshan looked at the broken formation.
"Useless."
Lin Qingyue froze.
The shopkeeper looked uncomfortable.
"Senior Shen..."
Shen Tieshan ignored him.
"A defensive formation that collapses under repeated impact isn't worth using."
Lin Qingyue lowered her head.
She knew the design was incomplete.
But hearing it dismissed so casually still stung.
"Junior understands."
Shen Tieshan continued.
"Your idea isn't bad. Your execution is."
She looked up.
He pointed toward the cracked jade plate.
"You've focused too much on reducing spiritual energy consumption."
Lin Qingyue blinked.
"That's..."
"Yes?"
She hesitated.
Then answered honestly.
"That's because the original design consumed too much energy."
Shen Tieshan nodded.
"And in fixing that problem, you weakened the formation's ability to absorb repeated impacts."
Lin Qingyue looked at the plate.
He was right.
But something bothered her.
"Senior."
"Hm?"
"May I ask something?"
"Speak."
"Wouldn't increasing the barrier's strength make the formation too expensive for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators?"
Shen Tieshan looked at her.
"Possibly."
"Then wouldn't it defeat the purpose?"
The workshop went quiet.
The shopkeeper stared.
A young disciple was questioning a peak Golden Core grand elder.
Shen Tieshan narrowed his eyes.
"Explain."
Lin Qingyue took a breath.
"My goal isn't to create the strongest possible defensive formation."
"Then what is it?"
"Something ordinary traveling cultivators can afford."
She gestured toward the jade plate.
"A formation that can protect someone from a few attacks while they escape."
Shen Tieshan studied her.
"Then why did you test it against repeated heavy impacts?"
"Because you told me to."
The shopkeeper nearly choked.
Shen Tieshan stared at her.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then the grand elder laughed.
A deep, booming laugh.
"Good!"
Lin Qingyue blinked.
"Senior?"
"At least you know what you're trying to build."
He pointed toward the plate.
"But your design still has a flaw."
"I know."
"Then fix it."
She hesitated.
"Senior, with respect, that's what I've been doing."
Shen Tieshan looked at her.
Then smiled faintly.
"Good answer."
Unfortunately, not everyone found the exchange amusing.
Guo Ming, who had accompanied his master, stepped forward.
"How dare you speak to Grand Elder Shen like that?"
Lin Qingyue turned.
"I was answering his question."
"You're only a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"
Shen Tieshan frowned.
"Guo Ming."
But the disciple continued.
"You should show proper respect!"
Lin Qingyue's expression cooled.
"I bowed when he arrived."
"That's not enough!"
"Guo Ming."
Shen Tieshan's voice grew heavier.
The disciple froze.
His master looked at him.
"Did I ask you to speak?"
"No, Master."
"Then be quiet."
Guo Ming lowered his head.
Shen Tieshan turned back toward Lin Qingyue.
"Your formation has potential."
She nodded. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
"Thank you, Senior."
"But don't mistake potential for accomplishment."
"I won't."
"Good."
He turned to leave.
Then paused.
"One more thing."
Lin Qingyue looked up.
"Yes?"
"Don't let people convince you to abandon a useful idea just because they don't understand it."
She blinked.
Shen Tieshan walked away.
Guo Ming hurried after him.
The shopkeeper finally released the breath he'd been holding.
"Young lady..."
Lin Qingyue looked at him.
"Yes?"
"You're either very brave or very foolish."
She considered that.
"Probably a little of both."
When Lin Qingyue returned to Moonfall Pavilion, she was still annoyed.
Ye Wuchen noticed immediately.
"Bad day?"
She placed the cracked jade plate on the table.
"Complicated day."
He examined it.
"Someone tested your formation."
She nodded.
"Grand Elder Shen Tieshan."
Ye Wuchen looked up.
"The noodle enthusiast?"
Lin Qingyue froze.
"What?"
"I heard he likes the eastern market's beef noodles."
She stared.
"That's what you know about him?"
"Among other things."
She rubbed her forehead.
"Anyway, he called my formation useless."
Ye Wuchen looked at the cracked plate.
"Was it?"
She opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
"...Not completely."
"Then why are you upset?"
"Because he wasn't entirely wrong!"
Ye Wuchen nodded.
"That happens."
She sat down heavily.
"He was so arrogant."
"Was he?"
"Yes!"
"Did he explain the problem?"
She hesitated.
"Yes."
"Was his explanation correct?"
"...Yes."
"Did he stop you from disagreeing?"
"No."
Ye Wuchen looked at her.
"Then perhaps he was simply unpleasant."
Lin Qingyue stared.
Then burst out laughing.
"That's exactly it!"
Ye Wuchen returned to his book.
"Problem solved."
"No, the formation's still broken."
"Then fix it."
She groaned.
"You're just like him!"
Ye Wuchen raised an eyebrow.
"Am I?"
She paused.
Then shook her head.
"No. You're worse."
"How unfortunate."
While Lin Qingyue worked on her formation, Shen Tieshan was meeting with Inspector Zhou.
The inspector examined the Iron Mountain Sect's purchase agreement.
His expression grew serious.
"This shipment was marked as delivered?"
"Yes."
"But your sect never received it?"
"Correct."
"And the merchant claims the goods were transferred to an authorized warehouse?"
"That's what he says."
Inspector Zhou compared the agreement with the transportation records.
Then frowned.
"The seal is outdated."
Shen Tieshan nodded.
"I noticed."
The inspector looked up.
"How?"
Shen Tieshan folded his arms.
"I've dealt with enough bureaucrats to know when paperwork smells wrong."
Inspector Zhou sighed.
"That isn't a technical explanation."
"It's an accurate one."
The inspector continued examining the documents.
After several moments, he spoke.
"Grand Elder Shen, I believe your missing shipment may be connected to an ongoing investigation."
Shen Tieshan's eyes narrowed.
"Explain."
Inspector Zhou described the altered transportation records.
The forged authorizations.
The obsolete seal.
And the possibility that multiple merchant houses had been affected.
Shen Tieshan listened carefully.
When the inspector finished, he asked one question.
"Who is responsible?"
"We don't know yet."
Shen Tieshan's expression darkened.
"Then find out."
"We intend to."
"Good."
The inspector hesitated.
"Grand Elder Shen, I must ask that you allow the city administration to handle this matter."
Shen Tieshan looked at him.
"Are you asking me not to interfere?"
"Yes."
Silence.
The inspector felt the weight of the man's gaze.
Then Shen Tieshan nodded.
"Fine."
Inspector Zhou blinked.
"Fine?"
"You're investigating. I'll wait."
The inspector looked relieved.
"Thank you."
Shen Tieshan stood.
"But if someone tries to bury the evidence..."
His voice remained calm.
"I'll become involved."
Inspector Zhou sighed.
"I was afraid you'd say that."
That evening, Shen Tieshan returned to his temporary residence.
Guo Ming followed him.
"Master."
"Hm?"
"Why did you let that girl speak to you like that?"
Shen Tieshan stopped.
He turned.
"Like what?"
"She questioned your judgment."
"Yes."
"Isn't that disrespectful?"
Shen Tieshan stared at him.
Then asked, "Was she wrong?"
Guo Ming hesitated.
"That's not the point."
"Then what is?"
"You're her senior!"
Shen Tieshan's expression cooled.
"Guo Ming."
The disciple straightened.
"Yes, Master."
"Do you think my cultivation makes every word I speak correct?"
Guo Ming froze.
"I..."
"Answer."
"No, Master."
"Then why shouldn't she question me?"
Guo Ming lowered his head.
Shen Tieshan continued.
"A cultivator who cannot tolerate disagreement has no business teaching anyone."
He turned away.
Then added, "And don't confuse respect with obedience."
Guo Ming stood silently.
For the first time, he began to understand why his master had laughed in the workshop.
Late that night, Shen Tieshan sat alone in his courtyard.
A cup of wine rested beside him.
He looked toward the moon.
For seventy years, he'd stood at the peak of Golden Core.
Seventy years.
He'd tried pills.
Seclusion.
Dangerous battles.
Meditation beneath ancient spiritual mountains.
Nothing had worked.
His cultivation was stable.
His foundation was strong.
His spiritual energy had reached its limit.
Yet the barrier to Nascent Soul remained.
He'd begun to wonder whether he'd reached the end of his path.
That thought irritated him more than any opponent ever had.
Shen Tieshan lifted his cup.
Then remembered Lin Qingyue's words.
Wouldn't it defeat the purpose?
He chuckled.
"A stubborn girl."
He drank.
For some reason, the exchange had left him in a better mood.
At least there were still young cultivators willing to think for themselves.
He looked toward the distant city.
"Maybe this trip won't be a complete waste."
At Moonfall Pavilion, Ye Wuchen was examining Lin Qingyue's latest formation design.
She had gone to bed after spending hours revising it.
The new structure was rough.
Several inscriptions were inefficient.
The barrier still wouldn't withstand repeated heavy attacks.
But the central idea had improved.
Ye Wuchen studied it for a moment.
Then placed the diagram back on the table.
He didn't correct anything.
She would figure it out.
Eventually.
Outside, the city was quiet.
A powerful visitor had arrived.
An investigation was gaining momentum.
And a young formation master had learned that being challenged wasn't always a bad thing.
Ye Wuchen extinguished the lamp.
For now, everything was proceeding normally.
Which, considering the cultivation world, was almost suspicious.
End of Chapter 20