The morning sun hit the fresh green bamboo walls, making the private rooms feel warm. I stood in the yard, holding the four small silk flags from the system.
I walked to the four outer corners of our plot and pressed the small flagpoles deep into the earth. The moment the fourth flag touched the soil, a very faint ripple passed through the air before vanishing completely. The yard felt exactly the same, but the hidden barrier was now active.
Inside the house, a sudden commotion broke out.
The bamboo door to Mo Ran’s room flew open. She walked out smoothly, her legs moving with a light, quiet balance that belonged to her past training as an assassin. Her face was still slightly red from yesterday, but her eyes were sharp.
"Lu Chen," Mo Ran said, walking straight to the central walkway where I stood. "Two outer field disciples are whispering down by the main crossroads. I snuck down through the brush to listen. Governor Zhao has blocked the town market. They logged a decree saying our grain has a disease. No merchant in the valley is allowed to buy our millet."
Ye Xinyang stepped out of the kitchen, holding a wooden spoon, her face instantly turning serious. "A disease? That’s ridiculous. Our millet is cleaner than anything the inner sect grows. They are trying to make us miss the autumn tax deadline so the discipline hall can arrest you."
" Don’t worry," I said, my voice calm as I reached into my pocket and pulled out the medallion Lin Xiaoxiao had given me. "We don’t need the local town market anyway. This token connects straight to the Lin Trading Firm in the regional capital. Xinyang, help me carry one small sack of our golden millet to the porch. We are going to use the token."
Gu Qinghan walked out next, her long black hair tied back with a simple blue cord. Her eyes were completely clear now, blinking against the bright morning light. She looked at the silver medallion in my hand, then looked up at my face, her expression full of a sweet, shy devotion.
"The metal of that token responds to specific physical frequencies," Qinghan said softly, stepping close enough that her sleeve brushed against my arm. "If you strike the center with a rhythmic tap, the sound will travel through the valley’s transmission arrays straight to the capital office. Let me do it, husband."
Hearing her say the word so naturally this time made Mo Ran let out a tiny, embarrassed cough, her face turning red all over again as she looked away. Ye Xinyang smiled softly, her cheeks flushing a pretty rose color as she stood close to my other side.
I handed the medal to Qinghan. She placed it flat on the wooden porch railing, drew her wooden sword sheath, and tapped the center three times in a quick, melodic pattern.
Ting. Ting. Ting.
A clear, ringing sound echoed out, vibrating through the air before fading into the hills.
"While we wait for the merchant messenger," I said, turning to Qinghan and pulling out the Heart-Mind Sword Technique parchment from my robe, "let’s look at your new manual. Your old visual style is gone, but this will let you track strikes using pure sound and intent."
Qinghan took the parchment, her fingers lingering against mine for a long second. She sat down on the bench, reading the simple characters. A look of profound awe crossed her delicate face.
"This... this is an immortal-grade intent technique. Lu Chen, if I practice this, I can fight without ever needing to see a blade."
"Try it now," I said gently. "I’ll watch your form."
She stood up in the center of the yard, holding her wooden sheath. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her posture became perfectly still.
Suddenly, she swung the wooden sheath to her left, a sharp, whistling gust of wind cutting through the air with absolute precision. She didn’t use any glowing spiritual energy, but the movement was so fast and clean that Ye Xinyang let out a soft gasp of admiration.
As Qinghan finished her stance, she opened her eyes, looking at me with a brilliant, happy smile that made her look incredibly beautiful. She walked over . "Thank you. I can hear the entire yard now."
[ding! investment verified.]
[you provided: heart-mind sword technique to a high-potential target (gu qinghan).]
[triggering 10,000x multiplier...]
[reward received: asura spear intent (printed directly into your soul) & spirit-grade storage ring x1.]
[note: the spear intent grants you the physical ability to project lethal pressure from any wooden staff or tool you hold, bypassing the need for a traditional cultivation core!]
The massive rush of weapon pressure settled into my arms, making my physical frame feel even more solid. I slid the small silver storage ring onto my finger, keeping my expression flat.
Within two hours, the sound of rapid horse hooves approached the yard.
A large, luxury carriage pulled by two high-grade spirit horses stopped at the edge of our plot. A middle-aged man wearing an expensive grey silk robe stepped down. He was the chief manager of the Lin Trading Firm, sent directly because of Lin Xiaoxiao’s personal medallion.
"Young Master Lu Chen?" the manager asked, bowing very deeply with immense respect when he saw the silver token on the porch. "Our young miss informed us of your location. We received your signal. Are there herbs you wish to trade?"
"Not herbs today," I said, pointing to the open sack of golden millet on the porch. "I have two hundred bags of high-grade spiritual millet. The local governor has blocked the town market, so I am selling the entire harvest to the capital firm directly."
The manager walked over, scooped a handful of the golden grains into his palm, and took a close look. His eyes instantly went wide with absolute shock.
"This... this isn’t regular outer field grain!" the manager stammered, his hands shaking slightly as he smelled the rich spiritual energy coming from the sack. "The spiritual purity in these grains is higher than the crops grown in the inner core fields of the capital sects! Young Master Lu... our firm will buy every single bag you have right now. We will pay two gold pieces per bag, instead of the usual copper rate!"
Four hundred gold pieces. That was enough money to buy a grand estate in the capital city, completely bypassing the local valley town’s small tax requirement.
"We have a deal," I said, giving him a warm nod. "Load the bags into your carriage arrays."
As the merchant servants quickly began loading the golden sacks, Ye Xinyang, Mo Ran, and Gu Qinghan stood behind me, their faces full of a sweet, proud joy. They looked at the pile of bright gold coins the manager handed over, completely stunned by how effortlessly we had turned the governor’s dirty trap into a massive fortune.
"Governor Zhao and Elder Ironwood are going to cry when the tax deadline hits tomorrow," Mo Ran whispered with a mischievous, funny grin, her shoulder bumping against mine in a comfortable, loving way.
"Yeah Let them cry, they deserve it" I said softly, slipping the gold into my new storage ring. "Tomorrow, we pay the tax in pure gold, and then we plan our exit from this small pond."