Shi Yang patted his two spirit beasts, then turned toward Yueqin. She had remained by his side, tending the cubs and the carriage, rather than fleeing when she had the chance. She had chosen to stay.
He smiled faintly, moving away from the grown tigers.
"Yueqin," he said softly, brushing his fingers across her cheek. Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into his touch.
"You did an excellent job taking care of them," he murmured. She caught his arm with both hands, humming gently as his thumb traced her skin. His eyes glinted as he leaned closer, kissing her. Her lips parted, and their tongues intertwined as she moaned into his mouth.
"We just woke up from months of seclusion beneath a lake, and this is how you act the moment we surface, Brother Shi?" Han Jie's dry voice cut across the moment. She crouched, spreading her arms as White slipped away from him and padded into her embrace.
"Han Jie's right," Xiu Mei added, raising a brow as Yoke went to her side. She fixed Shi Yang with a sharp look as he pulled back from Yueqin's turquoise lips. "We've just resurfaced, and instead of planning our next move you're busy kissing—not me, not Han Jie, but a slave bought from an auction."
Her voice cooled further. "And while I'm at it, when exactly did you grow so close with that barbarian girl?"
Shi Yang laughed, not at all abashed. "What can I say? I have a way of charming people." He stepped back, though his hands lingered at Yueqin's waist. "It's not as if I meant to hide it. Things simply never came up, not with the Razor-Blue Scaled Carp and the spirit vein."
His smile shifted as he looked at Yueqin. "By the way—how long have we been in seclusion?"
Yueqin hesitated. "Ah… it's been about a year and a half. We passed autumn twice, and now spring has returned." Her voice was low, careful.
Shi Yang's eyes widened, his chest tightening. "A year? What about the Willowshade Tournament?" He pulled a white jade lotus from his storage mirror, plucked a petal, and crushed it. A flash of light burst outward—yet nothing followed. He waited several breaths before frowning. "…It seems he's busy."
"Uncle Shi, what was that?" Han Jie asked. She eyed the lotus in his hands, noting the faint array etched across it. A transmission tool, clearly—but its intended recipient had ignored the call.
"I wanted to reach an old friend—the one who gave me those five hundred spirit stones. I was hoping he could tell me the state of the tournament. There was no set deadline when we left for the lake, and if Yueqin's right, we may have missed it."
Xiu Mei paled, her composure slipping. "If that's true… then my chance at finding the third remnant cave might already be gone."
Shi Yang's jaw tightened. "Let's stay optimistic. If no deadline was set, then they likely anticipated delays. Gathering the items, loosening the Eastern Sea barriers around that Golden Core clan—it all takes time."
He was about to tell them to return to Yuefen when the jade lotus shimmered. Lines of light spun upward, forming a projection array. An old man appeared, half-rising from a bed where two youthful figures lay sprawled naked at his side.
Shi Yang's brow twitched. Did I just catch him at a bad time? He cupped his fist and bowed. "Daoist Expert Qian Mu. Forgive the intrusion… shall I call back later?"
Qian Mu laughed, stroking his beard. "No need. These are just a few new servants of mine. They know better than to speak of my private matters. Say what you will."
Shi Yang's smile stiffened, but he inclined his head. "Very well. I only wished to ask about the Willowshade Tournament. I've been in seclusion for over a year, and I suddenly realized how much time has passed."
"Ah," Qian Mu mused, stroking his beard again. "If I recall correctly, it has not yet taken place. Are you interested, Fellow Daoist Yin Yang Shi?"
"I am," Shi Yang said firmly.
"Good. Then this information will serve you well. In the west, a rumor spreads—a mortal phoenix has been sighted. If I am not mistaken, it is one of the listed requirements for entry."
Shi Yang bowed again. "Thank you, Senior Qian Mu."
The old man chuckled. "If you truly wish to thank me, then inform me when you reopen your clinic. I'll bring these boys for your surgery."
Shi Yang's lips curved faintly. "You'll be the first I notify, Expert Qian Mu."
Shi Yang hesitated, then asked, "Senior Qian Mu, this rumor of the phoenix—where exactly was it sighted?"
Qian Mu tapped a finger against his armrest, eyes narrowing as he recalled. "It has not been seen in one place alone. Reports place it moving across five towns near the western frontier. Stoneveil, Red Marsh, Willowfern, Ironbell, and Clouddrop. Each one swears they caught a glimpse of its shadow against the dawn sky." He leaned forward slightly, voice lowering. "Whether it is truly a mortal phoenix or simply the illusion of some great beast, none can say. But for so many towns to speak the same… there is weight in the rumor."
Shi Yang inclined his head. "Stoneveil, Red Marsh, Willowfern, Ironbell, Clouddrop," he repeated, committing the names to memory.
Qian Mu's gaze lingered on him then, sharp and measuring. The old man's expression shifted—subtle surprise flickering through his features. "Shi Yang… your aura. It has changed. Tell me—have you broken through?"
Shi Yang chuckled, unbothered. "I can't hide anything from Senior Qian Mu's eyes."
For a moment, the old man was silent. Then he stroked his beard slowly, a flicker of genuine shock warming his voice. "When we last met, I sensed you were brushing against the threshold, but I expected it would take you several decades at least to step into Foundation. And yet here you stand, already beyond it."
Shi Yang laughed openly, his voice ringing against the fading light of the jade lotus projection. "What can I say? It seems Heaven's fortune has been especially kind to me."
Qian Mu's lips curved into a wry smile. "Fortune… or fate. Either way, you will find both are double-edged gifts."
The old man's image rippled faintly, the lotus' light beginning to dim.
Qian Mu leaned back, his eyes narrowing as though weighing what to say next. "But fortune alone won't clear the road ahead. You should know—you won't be the only one chasing after the phoenix."
Shi Yang's expression sharpened. "Oh? Who else?"
Qian Mu's smile thinned. "A band of marauders known as the Broken Fang. They're not a sect—just a pack of killers bound by greed and violence. They take what they want, burn what they can't, and leave corpses behind as their calling card. Their leader, Wei Tong, is said to drink the marrow of his enemies, and every one of his core followers has blood on their hands deep enough to drown a city. They've already gone west, sniffing after the same rumor. If you cross paths… you will have no choice but to clash."
Han Jie and Xiu Mei, listening in from behind, stiffened at the name. Shi Yang's eyes, however, remained calm, a glimmer of thought passing through them.
Qian Mu continued, "And Shi Yang—now that you have stepped into the Fountain Realm, your old techniques will no longer serve you properly. The path demands more. A true Foundation Realm technique—something solid enough to let your cultivation take root. Without it, you'll falter, and the gap between you and your peers will widen again."
The old man's image leaned forward slightly, a sly warmth coloring his tone. "By coincidence, I will be in Azure Dragon City within the next fortnight. There will be an auction there, discreet but of high quality. Foundation manuals, spirit artifacts, rare ores. If you are willing, meet me there. I'll lend you a hand in securing a proper technique—as a sign of friendship."
Shi Yang's lips curved slowly, his eyes glinting. "A sign of friendship?"
Qian Mu stroked his beard with a chuckle. "Think of it as an investment. Yin Yang Shi is a name worth remembering, and I have no doubt it will echo farther still."
The lotus shimmered as the projection began to fade, his final words lingering in the air. "Do not tarry. The west will not wait for you."
The light collapsed into the jade, leaving only silence and the faint rush of wind through the trees.