Chapter 392 - The Game of Spies
The arrays around Wu Yan’s room flickered to life like steel walls, sealing off that section of the house with layers of unbreakable barriers, ready to contain any possible explosion..
I frowned, worried that she might fail and annoyed that she had done this without telling me.
Why would she do something like this?
The barriers trembled.
I stepped in front of Fu Yating and the children, preparing for the worst. At the same time, I began forming hand seals, circulating my Qi and chanting under my breath as I erected an additional barrier around us.
The Qi Wu Yan had gathered for her breakthrough surged outward like a tidal ripple.
Even Fu Yating, who shouldn’t have been able to sense Qi at all, stiffened as the sheer density of it pressed against us.
“So this is what it feels like when someone breaks through to Core Formation,” she said calmly. “They’re all monsters… how can a human body contain such a thing?”
“This is where the difference between human and beast cultivation starts to blur,” I explained, keeping my focus on the shifting energy. “Humans also form a core to contain that density.”
I paused, choosing my words carefully.
“Most people think the core sits in the dantian like a physical object. But that’s not quite right. It’s more… conceptual. Like a presence that exists and doesn’t at the same time. A kind of metaphysical anchor holding everything together.”
“That made no sense,” Fu Yating said flatly. “But I’m glad I married someone who understands it. Hopefully, the kids take after you.”
“Hopefully they take after you too, my devious wife,” I said with a small smile, relaxing slightly as the Qi began to stabilize.
“I would rather not,” she replied. “Just look at where your personality led you. And look where I ended up.”
I let out a quiet breath.
“It could have just as easily gone the other way if your clan had won. That was beyond your control.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “It couldn’t have. I would have never spared someone as dangerous as you. And even if I wanted to, I didn’t have the influence you had over your clan.”
I stared at her for a moment.
Here I was, trying to create a rare, meaningful moment and she dismantled it with cold logic.
Was this how she used to feel when she complained about me ruining every romantic moment before we got married?
Slowly, the Qi spilling from Wu Yan began to recede and the pressure in the air eased.
Silence followed.
Even the house stood completely intact, not a single crack in the stones despite everything.
Impressive craftsmanship.
“Do you think our children will be that talented?” Fu Yating asked quietly. “Strong enough to live for centuries…”
There was a hint of melancholy in her voice, as if she were already imagining that distant future.
The truth was…
The chances weren’t great.
Neither of us had the kind of talent that passed cleanly through bloodlines. Nor had I been in a high-cultivation stage when the children were conceived, which would have improved the chances of talented children being born.
I mean, just look at my grandfather. Out of all his descendants, I was the only one who could cultivate.
Sure, that might have been particularly bad luck in his case. But the reality was the same.
The chances were low and I was fine with that, as long as my children were happy.
Cultivators were… not normal people. They had to be willing to spend decades in isolation, cultivating in silence, or possess an obsessive drive that bordered on madness.
Either way, it wasn’t an easy path, and it was a risk I had already accepted when I chose to have children.
I had steeled myself for the day I would watch them grow old…
…and die before me.
I glanced at Liu Ma and Liu Sha from the corner of my eye. Their chubby cheeks looked like soft dumplings.
Huh…
Before, I would have accepted that thought calmly.
But now, the mere idea of watching them grow old and disappear from this world… It terrified me.
Parental instincts were a strange thing.
No matter what, I would make sure they lived a good life filled with happiness and contentment.
I let out a quiet breath of relief as the turbulent Qi from Wu Yan’s room finally stabilized and calmed.
She didn’t have Song Song’s level of control yet, so I could still sense her presence. She had succeeded.
“It looks like it’s over,” I said, turning to Fu Yating with a faint smile. “You now have a Core Formation cultivator at home to protect you at all times.”
She smiled back, though there was a hint of something else in her expression.
“Yes… Wu Yan is such a sweet girl,” she said softly. “And she’s around a lot more than a certain someone.”
I nodded, pretending not to catch the meaning behind her words. Fu Yating narrowed her eyes at me, clearly aware that I wasn’t fooling anyone.
The arrays around Wu Yan’s room gradually powered down. I manually disengaged a few of them, allowing her to exit safely.
A moment later, Wu Yan stepped out through the front door. She wore a simple white dress, her expression distant as if she was caught in a dream.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yes,” she nodded. “I just didn’t expect the Core Technique to manifest like that. It’s… a bit embarrassing.”
“But you got what you wanted?” I asked, deliberately ignoring the fact that she had gone ahead with the breakthrough without telling me.
“Yes,” she said. “And… teacher, I’m sorry for not informing you beforehand. It just happened suddenly. I knew you were nearby and that you had set up protective arrays around my room, so I took the chance.”
Before I could respond, another presence entered through the Spring Barrier surrounding my home.
Jiang Yeming.
She walked in with a pleased expression, her eyes settling on me.
“Also,” she added casually, without even greeting us, “our dear Wu Yan here always felt a bit pressured when you were watching her break through. She didn’t want to disappoint you.”
Pressured? By me?
I frowned slightly.
I had never forced her. Never compared her to anyone. If anything, I had always told her to take things at her own pace.
Jiang Yeming noticed my confusion and smiled like she knew something I didn’t.
“There doesn’t need to be a reason for someone to want to make their parents proud,” she said.
Parents…
My gaze drifted back to my sons.
And my thoughts… began to stir.
Wu Yan was like the daughter I never had, even though our physical ages weren’t that far apart. Or perhaps she felt more like a young girl I felt responsible for. It seemed she saw me in a similar light to that of a parental figure, or at least a positive male presence in her life.
Having someone depend on me like that was strange.
There was Song Song, but with her, there was an unspoken understanding. I never felt like I had to prove anything.
“Sorry,” Wu Yan apologized.
“Just make sure to keep an eye on your condition,” I told her. “And next time, warn me if you feel anything unusual.”
…
Three days later, I sat in the library, flipping through books I had already read, adding personal notes in the paragraphs. At the same time, I studied the techniques recorded within them, even the useless ones.
All of them were necessary for my third Foundation Technique. One advantage of having barely above-average talent was the time it gave.
Time to refine and experiment. Also, time to build something more intricate than the straightforward techniques used by geniuses, who often advanced too quickly to bother with such details.
Even if I failed to break through to Core Formation, I wanted something solid to fall back on.
My eyes paused on a page as someone crossed the boundary of the library arrays.
I didn’t look up immediately. Most inner disciples were already under the tutelage of inner elders. The library had long since lost its former importance.
Despite how we presented ourselves to the outside world, the Blazing Sun Sect was, in many ways… a paper tiger.
The newcomer stepped inside.
A young man with murky brown eyes, messy brown hair, and a small mole beneath his right eye.
He scanned the room before his gaze settled on me, then approached and cleared his throat.
I let a brief moment pass before lifting my eyes from the page, as if reluctantly acknowledging him.
He cupped his hands and bowed respectfully.
“Elder Feng, I have some information that might interest you and Elder Song,” he said, his voice steady.
Huh.
Bold.
“Oh?” I replied, mildly intrigued. “And what might that be, fellow cultivator?”
“I’ve heard about your rivalry with Elder San,” he said, referring to Song Song’s brother. “I practice sensory techniques, and recently I noticed his Qi has grown denser… more irregular. I suspect he has broken through to two-star Core Formation.”
“And what do you believe would be an appropriate reward for such information?” I asked calmly, cutting through the boring bootlicking that he would have to do.
As for Song San being careless enough to reveal something like that to a mere Qi Gathering cultivator…
Possible. But unlikely.
I would sooner believe that Song Song spent her weekends doing charity work for the poor than accept that at face value.
While she and I did maintain a small network of informants, none of them were particularly reliable. Everyone was in it for their own benefit.
As for Song San's spying ability, if we weren't such a small and tight-knit group, then we would have long since had a spy in our midst. The guy’s mother had literally been a pro at this.
“I…” the young man hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and met my gaze. “I didn’t do this for a reward, Elder Feng. But I would be willing to accept anything you offer.”
Boring.
After becoming an elder, respect had become the default, whether from other elders or the younger generation. Song Song was the only real exception.
Still…
What exactly was Song San trying to tell me by letting something like this slip?
How did he know this man would come to me? That word would reach me at all?
No…
More likely, he was counting on the information spreading naturally.
So what was the message?
Was he warning me that even with his increased strength, the front lines were still dangerous?
No. Too simple.
Song San wasn’t the type to overcomplicate things, but neither would he send something that obvious.
Then…
Had he found something that could accelerate his cultivation?
Or was that the illusion he wanted me to believe?
He probably assumed I was starting to feel the pressure of watching everyone around me surpass me. Maybe he thought that, after having children, I would develop a stronger sense of urgency to grow more powerful… to protect them.
A reasonable assumption, and exactly the kind of mindset he could exploit.
Of course, it would be a trap.
But why?
Had he somehow learned that I possessed a Sky Grade Technique, one that might be compatible with his own?
“What do you think about a Tier 5 pill?” I said aloud, cutting through my thoughts. “One that can help you break through to Foundation Establishment. A high-grade one with almost guaranteed success.”
Such pills existed and were usually reserved for the untalented descendants of elders, handed out through nepotism.
But after the Heavenly Calamity, when the previous Sect Leader ascended, many of those elders had died. The supply was still limited, but far less contested now.
I could obtain one without much trouble.
The young man’s eyes lit up. “I would be honored, Elder Feng.”
I nodded, offering him a polite smile, while my thoughts continued drifting through this quiet chess match between Song San and me.
As for his little trap, I had no intention of taking the bait.
Still, the information about his breakthrough was likely true.
Huh. A lot of people seemed to be advancing this autumn.
Was there something about the season or just a coincidence?
As for this messenger, I should find a way to keep him here for a while. Otherwise, Song San would likely have him killed on principle alone.
Loose ends were rarely tolerated.