Lin Yuan found the old craftsman hunched over a steaming iron pot, sorting scraps of spiritual copper and jade. The man's hands were thick with calluses, and soot smudged his weathered face. His name was Old Wei, a former artifact master from the Southern Heavenly Forge Sect—now just another refugee under Lin Yuan's care.
"I just settled down, haven't even started the ship yet," Old Wei grumbled as Lin Yuan approached.
Lin Yuan handed him a polished jade tablet and a folded parchment. "Take this. I want you to design a coin mold. One side needs a basic energy-gathering array. The other... a crescent moon symbol."
Old Wei squinted at the design. "I've done coin molds before, girl. Melting spirit stones to make coins is wasteful. You'll never make a profit."
"We have a cost effective method." Lin Yuan said softly. "We can make a huge amount of money."
Old Wei looked up, eyes narrowing. Then he chuckled and beckoned Lin Yuan. "Fine. Come with me. I want to show you my model."
After watching Lin yuan take the old to see new slaves.
They walked toward the field Lin Yuan had rented years ago—once grassland now field with people.
Under Xiao Hu's management, nearly 8,000 rescued slaves are building new camp.
Lady Mingyan stood beneath a spirit-repelling canopy, calm but intense, removing soul bombs from one person after another. Her hands moved with the grace of someone performing both surgery and prayer.
Lin Yuan wasted no time.Select people after they are free but don't want to go for our coin making projy. He moved among the crowd, organizing.
"You," he pointed to a former sect elder, "you'll oversee shelter coordination."
"You three," he said to another group, "establish latrines and dig wells."
"To the young and healthy: find any project you can help with. Join a blacksmith crew, build tents, cook, gather herbs. And keep whatever wage you earn."
Tools were handed out. Camps rose like blooming flowers.
Some who were sick, near death, or mentally broken were gently given rest and basic healing. Lin Yuan spoke to them kindly, kneeling to their level.
"Your only job now is to survive," he whispered. "You've done enough."
---
By sunset, 2,000 soul bombs had been removed by Lady Mingyan alone. Some people fainted from the release of spiritual pressure. Others fell to their knees in tears.
One man clutched Lin Yuan's sleeve. "Is this… really happening?Can I go to find my family?"
Lin Yuan nodded and handed him a pouch of 50 mid-grade spirit stones. "Find your family.Be careful on your journey."
Qingxue arrived with cartloads of freshly baked bread, her robes dusted with flour. "We'll feed the whole field tonight. Let them eat and remember they are alive."
---
That night, Lady Mingyan brought Lin Yuan into the secret realm. Inside the Soul Condensation Formation, she placed all the shattered remnants of spiritual bombs—nearly two thousand soul stone—around him.
Lin Yuan touched one, and his soul trembled.
"These... these stones are rare. We could've just bought soul stones from a shop," he murmured.
Mingyan smiled and brushed his hair aside like he was still a child. "And if we did, would you feel any peace? These are the pieces of lives you helped save. Every one of them is a kindness you offered. And kindness mends the soul."
---
Three more days passed.
The crowd thinned.
Nearly 5,000 people left with new strength and new purpose. Many bowed before departing, some wept, others whispered promises to repay him one day.
But Lin Yuan's pockets were now empty.
He gave his last stones to Qingxue and Xiao Hu to handle supply chains and emergencies. There was no money left for those who remained—mostly the elderly, orphans, and the dying.
"I'm sorry," Lin Yuan told them. "All I can offer now is land. This soil is fertile. You can grow food, hunt wild beasts nearby, and eat what you raise. I can only provide two meals a day from now."
His voice was calm, honest.
And then—
SMACK.
A hand cracked across his shoulder.
Lady Qingxuan stood there, eyes blazing.
"Lin Yuan, you IDIOT!"
WHACK.
Another strike, this time to the arm.
"Do you know what your words sound like to them? You think you're being honest, but you're crushing their hope!"
"Senior Sister, I—"
WHACK.
"This is your land. You are their pillar. You don't tell your people 'You're on your own' just because you're broke!"
She turned to the crowd, taking a deep breath. "Listen well, all of you! From tomorrow onward, every elder among you will become teachers! The children here will learn farming, herbal medicine, craftsmanship—everything!"
Then she pointed at Lin Yuan. "And she will give you food. "
There was stunned silence… then scattered laughter.
---
Later that night, as the camp lights flickered like stars across the valley, Lin Yuan sat quietly on a hill with the old man.
"A symbol of hope," the old man said. "We'll make more."
Lin Yuan watched as children ran through the field below—laughing, playing, alive
No longer slaves. No longer broken.
Just people.
As Old Wei left with the coin model in hand, the clang of hammers and the smell of fresh bread still lingering in the camp.old man started a workshop here. Lin Yuan sat quietly on a grassy hill overlooking the refugee field. The sky was painted in twilight purple, and the breeze gently tugged at his robes.
He leaned back against a rock, eyes half-closed, feeling the bruises from Qingxuan's earlier scolding still throb against his ribs.
"You're lucky your bones are tough," came a familiar voice behind him.
Lady Qingxuan walked up the hill in silence and sat beside him, folding her legs like a relaxed martial artist. Her long hair swayed in the wind, silver threads catching the last glimmer of sunset.
"You disappeared after you apologized to me," she said, not looking at him. "I thought… maybe you left us. That you decided to go on your own journey, without saying goodbye."
Lin Yuan kept his eyes on the horizon. "I couldn't tell you everything. But there's something I can say now."
He took a breath. "Sister Qingxuan… I can't love you. I'm already engaged."
There was silence.
Then—THWACK—a slap landed lightly on the back of his head.
"Who told you I love you, dummy?" she snapped, cheeks slightly red. "You really think I'd fall for someone who calls me 'Senior Sister' in public and very week and young enough to be my grandson ."
He blinked, startled.
"I just wanted to take care of you," she continued. "Because I almost killed you. Back then… I didn't know that soul stone is for healing your soul. I made a mistake. You nearly died."
Her voice softened, filled with guilt that didn't suit her usual sharpness. "So no, I don't love you. I feel responsible. I want to make it right."
Lin Yuan gave her a sideways glance, lips quirking into a small smile. "You act like a young girl in love, though. Even your scolding sounds affectionate."
WHACK. This time it landed on his back.
She turned away, arms crossed. "If I was in love, I wouldn't waste my time feeding refugees and taking care of girls you save but now nearly forgot them."
"Fair,I almost forgot them completely." Lin Yuan muttered.
A moment passed. Then her tone shifted—sharp again.
"Do you even have money left? How are you going to feed all these people? How will you cultivate without resources?"
Lin Yuan grimaced. "I have nothing left. But my brother and sister will take care of them.I was hoping you'd donate a little more."
Qingxuan snorted. "So I am your purse now?"
"I didn't say that. But if you insist, I won't refuse."
She laughed dryly, shaking her head. "You're foolish.I don't have money.I used to take from sect leader but you made her broke."
Then her expression sobered.
"You're doing something dangerous, Lin Yuan. Carrying burdens like this… pretending you're fine when you're not. You gave away everything. You nearly lost your soul. And yet you still worry about everyone else."
He didn't reply.
After a long silence, she whispered, "Even if you say you don't love me, even if you don't trust me with the truth… Just let me stay by your side like sect leader.I was alone my whole life.But you and children are like my brother and sister now."
Lin Yuan looked at her.
"…To make up for the past?"
"To make sure you don't lost your way in life." she replied, rolling her eyes. "And because I like watching you suffers "
They both laughed.
The stars had begun to emerge.
Below the hill, torches glowed across the camp. The scent of stew drifted in the air. Somewhere, a child played a flute made from bone.
It wasn't love.
Not yet.
But it was enough for now.
Suddenly something heat him in back in his head.