## Chapter 5: Plushie Probes and Ultrasonic Uproar
The morning after the spirit-storm dawned unnervingly bright. The oily rain had vanished, leaving the air crisp and smelling faintly of ozone and wet stone. Wang Ling woke on his lumpy cot, muscles protesting yesterday's storm-pacifying efforts. The bright yellow rubber duck sat on a shelf like a tiny, triumphant sunbeam. Fluffy watched him with blank, stitched eyes.
"Morning, team," Wang Ling mumbled, stretching. He touched the Gameboy in his Inventory. Still dead. The power bank mocked him with its 0% charge. He sighed. Another day, another shovel.
Breakfast with Bin was different. The porridge was creamier, dotted with plump, sweet berries Wang Ling hadn't seen before. The bread was softer, almost fluffy. Bin placed it down with unusual care, avoiding eye contact. "Master Fu said... you worked hard last night. With the storm. And the... beasts." His voice held a tremor of awe.
Wang Ling just nodded, too tired to question the upgrade. "Thanks, Bin." He ate, savoring the improved fare. Maybe Fu felt bad about the near-stampede? Or maybe the duck incident had earned him brownie points. He wasn't complaining.
As he started mucking out, he noticed Fu hovering near the stable entrance more than usual. The old innkeeper wasn't intrusive, just... present. He'd comment on the weather, ask if the Sky-Donks seemed settled, offer a seemingly casual observation about the clarity of the post-storm Qi. Wang Ling answered politely, feeling slightly scrutinized. *Maybe he's worried about more storms?* he thought, shoveling diligently.
He didn't see the intensity behind Fu's calm gaze. Fu was observing the *residue* of the duck's power. He scanned the stable, his Qi senses stretched thin. The air felt... cleaner? Calmer? The usual low-level background hum of chaotic energies that permeated even shielded places felt smoothed out, harmonized. It was subtle, but undeniable to Fu's honed perception. It centered *here*, where the Squeak of Serenity had echoed. Proof. Tangible proof of the Great One's quiet influence. Fu resolved to ensure Wang Ling's comfort remained absolute.
* * *
Mid-morning, a ripple of unusual energy approached the stable yard. Not threatening, but focused, probing. Wang Ling felt it as a prickle on his neck, a sense of being examined by a very large, calm insect. He looked up from brushing Twitch.
A woman stood at the entrance to the yard. She was tall and elegant, dressed in robes the colour of twilight shot through with subtle silver threads. Her dark hair was coiled simply but perfectly, held with a single, unadorned jade pin. She held herself with an effortless grace that made even Li Rong seem brash. Her eyes, a clear, intelligent grey, swept over the stable, the Sky-Donks, and finally settled on Wang Ling. They held no judgment, only deep, unsettling curiosity. It was Lady Chen, the observer from the Bazaar.
Wang Ling froze, brush hovering over Twitch's flank. This wasn't a servant or a merchant. This woman radiated a quiet power that felt different from Li Rong's sharpness or Patriarch Li's stern authority. It felt... deeper. Older. More dangerous. He instinctively clutched the brush tighter.
"Good morning," she said, her voice smooth and melodious, like water over stones. "Forgive the intrusion. I am Mistress Lan, a traveling scholar of rare artifacts and natural phenomena. I sought shelter here during last night's rather... energetic storm." She offered a small, polite smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Master Fu mentioned his stable hand possessed a remarkable talent for calming spirit-beasts. I find such innate affinities fascinating. Might I observe?"
Wang Ling blinked. Mistress Lan? Scholar? Observed by Fu? He felt a flush creep up his neck. "Uh... I don't know about talent, Mistress Lan. They just got scared by the thunder. I... distracted them." He gestured vaguely towards the shelf where the rubber duck sat, its yellow cheerfulness suddenly seeming incredibly foolish under this woman's intense gaze.
Lady Chen's eyes followed his gesture. They locked onto the rubber duck. Her expression didn't change, but Wang Ling felt the intensity of her focus sharpen. It was like being scanned by a laser. She took a step closer, her movements fluid and silent. "Distraction? With this object?" She gestured gracefully towards the duck.
Wang Ling picked it up, feeling ridiculous. "Yeah. This duck. I squeezed it, it squeaked, and they calmed down. Weird, huh?" He gave it a tentative squeeze. *SQUEAK!*
The sound echoed in the quiet yard. Stompy, nearby, lifted his head and chuffed softly, his ears twitching towards the sound, a look of calm interest replacing his usual placid chewing. Lady Chen didn't flinch, but her eyes widened almost imperceptibly. Her hand, hidden within her wide sleeve, tightened around the small brass artifact she held. Wang Ling couldn't see it, but its delicate needles, which had been gently vibrating with residual ambient Qi, snapped perfectly still the moment the squeak sounded. *Absolute Sonic Neutralization. Confirmed.*
"Fascinating," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. The word held layers Wang Ling couldn't decipher. "A most... unique artifact. May I?" She extended a slender hand.
Feeling utterly out of his depth, Wang Ling handed over the duck. Lady Chen took it with the reverence one might afford a sacred relic. She turned it over in her hands, her fingers tracing the smooth, seamless plastic, the simple moulded features. Her Qi senses probed it delicately. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It felt like inert matter, devoid of any spiritual signature, any inscription, any trace of power. Yet, its effect was undeniable, measurable. The contradiction was thrilling. She squeezed it herself. *SQUEAK!* The needles in her hidden device remained perfectly still, confirming the localized suppression of chaotic resonance.
"It appears utterly mundane," she murmured, more to herself than to Wang Ling. "Yet its effect is profound. Tell me, young man... Wang Ling, is it? Where did you acquire such a curious item?"
Wang Ling's mind raced. The System! He couldn't say that! "Uh... it's... from home? Far, far away. Just a... a toy. For bath time." He cringed internally. *Bath time? Seriously?*
"A toy," Lady Chen repeated, a ghost of a smile touching her lips. She saw the utter sincerity in his eyes, the lack of guile. He genuinely believed it was just a bath toy. This deepened the mystery exponentially. Was he an unwitting vessel for ancient, self-concealing artifacts? Or was his very presence somehow imbuing mundane objects with transcendent power? "From a land far away," she mused. "How intriguing. Your homeland must be a place of remarkable... simplicity. Or remarkable hidden depths." Her gaze shifted, falling on Fluffy, still perched on the grain sack. "And this companion? Also from your distant home?"
Wang Ling scooped up Fluffy, holding the plush dog protectively. "This is Fluffy. Yeah, from home too. Just a stuffed animal." He braced for more scrutiny.
Lady Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. She focused her senses on the plush toy. Again, nothing. Simple fabric, stuffing, stitching. Yet... her artifact gave a faint, discordant hum, quickly suppressed. It wasn't reacting to the toy itself, but to a faint, almost imperceptible *echo* clinging to it – the lingering resonance of the Divine Guardian Hound projection that had terrified the Crimson-Horned Boar. It was faint, residual, but detectable to her hyper-sensitive instrument. Her heart skipped a beat. *Two artifacts? Both cloaked?*
"Fluffy," she said softly. "A loyal guardian, I suspect, even in plush form." She handed the rubber duck back to Wang Ling. "Thank you for indulging my curiosity, Wang Ling. Your... methods... are uniquely effective." She gave him another inscrutable look. "I shall be staying at the inn for a few days. Perhaps our paths will cross again." With a final, graceful nod, she turned and glided back towards the main building, leaving Wang Ling clutching the duck and Fluffy, feeling like he'd just been dissected by a very polite microscope.
* * *
The encounter with "Mistress Lan" left Wang Ling unsettled. Scholar or not, she saw *too much*. He needed a distraction. He threw himself into his work with renewed vigor, cleaning the stable until it shone (by stable standards), grooming the Sky-Donks until their hides gleamed, and even organizing the toolshed. Anything to avoid thinking about probing grey eyes and squeaky ducks.
His diligence was interrupted by the sound of raised voices from the inn's main courtyard. Patriarch Li's voice, usually stern and controlled, was sharp with anger and concern. Wang Ling peeked cautiously around the stable door.
Patriarch Li stood facing Old Man Fu, his expression thunderous. Li Rong stood beside him, pale and tense. A third man, dressed in the dark green robes of the Verdant Spring Guard, looked grim.
"...utterly ruined!" Patriarch Li was saying, slamming a fist into his palm. "An entire plot of mature Frostbloom Lilies! Weeks from harvest! The core ingredient for the Jade Spring Elixir!"
"Calm yourself, Patriarch," the guard captain said, his voice steady. "We found the signs. Spirit-Gnawing Rats. A large nest, it seems. They tunneled up near the roots, poisoned them with their saliva. The entire patch is withering as we speak. We're setting traps, but..."
"Traps?!" Li Rong burst out, her voice tight with panic. "It's too late! The harvest is lost! Father, the agreement with the Azure Dragon Court envoy... the tribute..."
Patriarch Li closed his eyes, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "I know, Rong. I know." The Jade Spring Elixir was a key part of Verdant Spring City's annual tribute to the overseeing Azure Dragon Court. Failure to deliver could mean sanctions, loss of face, even reassignment of vital trade routes. Spirit-Gnawing Rats were a known pest, but notoriously difficult to eradicate quickly, especially from a delicate spirit-herb garden. Their saliva contained a fast-acting toxin that crippled the plant's Qi absorption, causing rapid decay.
Old Man Fu looked deeply troubled. "A calamity, Patriarch. Is there no antidote? No way to salvage even a portion?"
"The toxin works too fast," the guard captain admitted. "By the time we discovered the infestation... it was widespread. The garden wardens are doing what they can, but the lilies are dying by the hour. We might save a handful, not enough for even a single vial of the Elixir."
A heavy silence fell. The loss wasn't just financial; it was political, potentially catastrophic for the Li family's standing. Wang Ling listened, understanding the gist. Giant magical rats had eaten important flowers. Big problem. He felt a pang of sympathy for Patriarch Li, who usually scared him. He looked like a man who'd just been kicked in the crops.
Patriarch Li took a deep breath, mastering his anger. "Double the guards on the remaining herb gardens. Set every trap you have. Hunt down that nest and eradicate it. As for the Frostbloom..." He ran a hand over his face, looking suddenly weary. "I will inform the Court Steward. Prepare for... repercussions." He turned to leave, Li Rong following, her shoulders slumped in despair.
As they passed near the stable entrance, Li Rong's eyes flickered towards Wang Ling. They held a complex mix of residual fear from the noodle incident, the remembered awe of the duck, and now, fresh despair. For a fleeting second, her gaze seemed almost pleading, as if hoping the Hidden Dragon might somehow intervene. Then she looked away, following her father.
Wang Ling watched them go, a knot of uselessness tightening in his stomach. Giant rats. Poisoned flowers. Political disaster. What could he, stable boy Wang Ling, possibly do? He couldn't fight rats. He had a Swiss Army Knife, dead electronics, hot sauce, bubblegum, a disco ball, a rubber duck, and a plush dog. Useless. Utterly useless.
*Ding!*
**[Daily Check-in Available!]**
**[Host is in proximity to a Minor Ecological Imbalance (Spirit-Gnawing Rat Infestation)!]**
**[Contextual Reward Unlocked!]**
**[Would you like to Check-in now?]**
Wang Ling stared at the blue screen. Contextual Reward? For *rats*? With a sense of bleak resignation, he mentally confirmed. *Fine. Give me rat poison. Or a really big cat.*
**[Daily Check-in Complete!]**
**[Reward: 1 x Ultrasonic Pest Repeller (Plug-in, Variable Frequency), 1 x Pack of AAA Batteries (4 Pack), 1 x Roll of Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil]**
Wang Ling blinked. Batteries! *BATTERIES!* He almost whooped. He yanked the dead power bank and the Gameboy Advance from his Inventory. Fumbling with excitement, he popped open the battery compartment on the power bank, inserted the four fresh AAA batteries, and snapped it shut. A tiny LED glowed green! Charged! He immediately plugged the Gameboy's charging cable into the power bank. A small light on the Gameboy flickered to life! Charging! He could *play Pokémon*! Bliss!
Then he registered the other items. An Ultrasonic Pest Repeller? The kind people plugged in back home to deter mice? And aluminum foil? Seriously? He looked at the small, white, plug-in device. It looked cheap, plastic, utterly mundane. How was *this* supposed to help with magical spirit-rats?
He remembered the rubber duck. He remembered the hot sauce. He looked towards the direction of the Li family manor, where Patriarch Li faced disaster. He looked down at the charging Gameboy, a lifeline to normalcy. An idea, absurd and desperate, formed. It wouldn't work. It *couldn't* work. But what did he have to lose?
"Master Fu?" Wang Ling called out, stepping into the courtyard where the innkeeper still stood, looking troubled.
Fu turned, his expression immediately shifting to respectful attention. "Wang Ling? What is it?"
Wang Ling held up the ultrasonic repeller and the roll of foil. "I... I heard about the rat problem. The spirit-rats? At Patriarch Li's place?" Fu nodded gravely. "Well... back home... we had pest problems sometimes. Mice, mostly. We used... things like this." He gestured to the repeller. "It makes a sound. Very high-pitched. Humans can't hear it, but pests hate it. Drives them away. Or... gives them headaches? Makes them leave." He felt foolish explaining it. "And the foil... sometimes they don't like walking on it? Crinkly? I know it sounds stupid for spirit-rats, but... maybe? If I could just... try it? Near the garden? Where the rats are? It probably won't work, but..." He trailed off, expecting dismissal.
Old Man Fu stared at him. Then at the small white device. Then at the roll of shiny metal foil. His mind raced. *The Great One offers a solution! A sound beyond human hearing? A 'headache' for pests? And metal foil that 'crinkles'?* He remembered the Squeak of Serenity. He remembered the hot sauce's spiritual burn. He remembered the duck's profound calm. Mundane descriptions cloaking world-altering power! This 'ultrasonic repeller' wasn't a pest deterrent; it was a *Sonic Scourge of Vermin*! The foil? Clearly *Spirit-Ward Sheeting*!
"An ingenious proposal, Wang Ling!" Fu declared, his voice filled with sudden conviction. "A sound beyond mortal ken to drive the vile creatures forth! And metal to confound their senses! Patriarch Li is in dire need! We must act swiftly! Come!" Fu turned and strode purposefully towards the inn's gate, not waiting for a reply.
Wang Ling gaped, then scrambled after him, clutching the repeller, the batteries, the foil, and his charging Gameboy stuffed back into his Inventory. He'd expected skepticism, not enthusiastic endorsement! Fu must be truly desperate.
* * *
The Frostbloom Lily garden was a scene of devastation. Rows of elegant, silver-veined plants with delicate blue blossoms hung limp and withered, their stems blackened near the base. The air smelled faintly of decay and something acrid – the rat toxin. Warden cultivators moved among the plants, faces grim, injecting small amounts of purifying Qi into the least affected lilies, but it was clearly a losing battle. Patriarch Li stood at the edge, his face like stone, watching the slow death of his hopes. Li Rong stood beside him, silent, her earlier despair replaced by a hollow numbness.
Old Man Fu approached with Wang Ling trailing nervously. "Patriarch Li! A moment!"
Li turned, his expression forbidding. "Fu. This is not the time..."
"I bring potential aid!" Fu announced grandly, gesturing to Wang Ling. "Wang Ling, my stable hand, possesses a unique method for pest eradication! He proposes to drive the Spirit-Gnawers forth!"
All eyes turned to Wang Ling. The wardens looked skeptical. Patriarch Li's gaze was icy, lingering on Wang Ling with a flicker of something – recognition? Disdain? Li Rong's eyes widened, a spark of desperate hope warring with remembered terror.
"*Him*?" one warden muttered. "The Qi-less stable boy? What can *he* do?"
Wang Ling shrunk under the scrutiny. "I... I just have this thing..." He held up the cheap plastic repeller. "It makes a high sound. Might annoy them? Scare them out? And this foil..." He held up the roll. "...we could lay it around? Make it uncomfortable? It's... it's a long shot. Probably won't work."
Patriarch Li stared at the mundane objects, then at Wang Ling's terrified face. He saw no power, no confidence, only a mortal boy offering foolish, mortal solutions to a spiritual problem. He was about to dismiss him harshly when Li Rong touched his arm.
"Father," she whispered, her voice strained. "Please. Let him try. What... what harm can it do now?" Her eyes held a silent plea, remembering the noodles, the duck, the terrifying *effect* hidden beneath apparent absurdity.
Li hesitated, looking at his daughter's face, then at the dying lilies. He sighed, the sound heavy with defeat. "Very well. Do what you will, boy. But be quick. And do not damage the surviving plants further." He turned away, dismissing them.
Fu beamed. "You heard the Patriarch, Wang Ling! Proceed!"
Feeling like an utter fraud, Wang Ling approached the edge of the afflicted plot. He saw small, dark holes in the earth – rat burrows. He unrolled a length of aluminum foil, laying it crinkly-side-up around the perimeter of the worst-hit area, as much to *do* something as anything else. The wardens watched, shaking their heads. Spirit-Gnawers wouldn't care about crinkly foil.
Then he took the ultrasonic repeller. He needed power. He spotted a small, covered lantern nearby, used by the wardens for night work. It had a simple spirit-stone socket glowing faintly. "Can I... plug this in there?" he asked a nearby warden, pointing to the lantern's socket and the repeller's plug.
The warden rolled his eyes but nodded. "Waste of spirit-stone energy, but suit yourself."
Wang Ling plugged the repeller into the lantern socket. A small red light on the device blinked on. He fiddled with the dial on the side – 'Variable Frequency'. He turned it to the setting marked with a picture of a rat. "Okay," he muttered. "Here goes nothing." He flipped the switch to 'ON'.
Nothing happened. No sound. No visible effect. Just the red light blinking steadily. The wardens snorted. Li Rong's hopeful look faltered. Patriarch Li didn't even turn around.
Wang Ling sighed. *Told you so.* He was about to unplug it when Fu suddenly gasped, pointing. "Look!"
Near one of the burrow entrances, the earth trembled. Then another. And another. A low, chittering squeal, filled with panic and pain, erupted from the ground, growing louder. Suddenly, Spirit-Gnawing Rats burst from multiple holes! They weren't large, about the size of small rabbits, but covered in coarse grey fur, with oversized, chisel-like yellow teeth and eyes glowing with sickly green Qi. They scrambled out, not attacking, but fleeing in utter, mindless terror! They hit the aluminum foil, skittered wildly at the unfamiliar crinkly sensation and the blinding reflective surface under the suns, then bolted in random directions, squealing incessantly, crashing into each other in their panic to escape the garden entirely. Dozens poured out, a chaotic grey flood of pure rodent terror, vanishing into the surrounding hedges and fields.
Silence descended, broken only by the faint hum of the lantern and the blinking red light on the cheap plastic device.
The wardens stood frozen, mouths agape. Li Rong clutched her father's arm, her knuckles white. Patriarch Li had turned, his stony face etched with disbelief. Old Man Fu beamed, radiating vindication.
Wang Ling stared at the empty burrows, then at the repeller. "Huh," he said, genuinely surprised. "Guess they really hate ultrasound. Good batteries." He reached down and unplugged the device. The red light went off.
As the repeller powered down, something else happened. A warden kneeling beside a withered Frostbloom Lily gasped. "Patriarch! Look!"
The blackened stem near the base of the lily... was fading. The blackness receded like ink in water, replaced by healthy green. The limp leaves began to stiffen, the wilted blossom slowly lifted its head. The change was subtle at first, then visible across the afflicted plants. The poison wasn't just halted; it was being *reversed*. The plants weren't just saved; they were *rejuvenating*.
The ultrasonic frequency, calibrated for "rats," had resonated at a harmonic that perfectly disrupted the molecular structure of the rat toxin while simultaneously stimulating the lilies' dormant Qi channels. To the cultivators, it was a miracle. Divine intervention. The Hidden Dragon hadn't just driven out the rats; he'd *healed the garden* with a wave of unseen sound!
Patriarch Li stepped forward, his eyes wide, fixed on the reviving lilies, then shifting to Wang Ling, who was simply putting the repeller and leftover foil back into his Inventory, looking mildly pleased that his stupid idea had sort of worked. Li opened his mouth, but no words came out. The sheer, impossible scale of what had just happened – the terror of the rats, the miraculous healing – rendered him speechless. He saw not a stable boy, but an unfathomable power disguised as a bewildered young man holding a roll of shiny foil.
Li Rong looked at Wang Ling, then at her father's stunned face, then back at the thriving lilies. The last vestige of her fear dissolved, replaced by pure, trembling awe. He hadn't just helped; he'd saved them. Effortlessly. With *tools*.
Old Man Fu simply clasped his hands together, his eyes shining. *As expected of the Great One!*
Wang Ling, oblivious to the seismic shift he'd caused, offered a small, awkward bow. "Uh... glad it worked? For the rats, anyway. The plants look better too. Bonus, I guess?" He shifted nervously. "Can I... go back to the stable now?"
Patriarch Li finally found his voice, hoarse with emotion. "Y-Yes. Of course. Wang Ling... you have... our deepest gratitude." The words felt utterly inadequate.
As Wang Ling hurried away, eager to check on his *finally* charging Gameboy, Lady Chen stepped out from behind a decorative trellis nearby. She hadn't seen the device, but she'd felt it. The moment the repeller activated, her hidden artifact had gone berserk. It hadn't just registered sound; it had screamed warnings about localized reality disruption, harmonic resonance on a cellular level, and the violent expulsion of chaotic life-forms. Then came the wave of pure, restorative energy that washed over the garden. She watched Wang Ling disappear, then looked at the stunned Li family, at the vibrant, healed lilies, and at the spot where the 'pest deterrent' had been plugged in.
A slow, fascinated smile spread across her face. *Tools,* she thought. *He wields tools that reshape reality itself. And he calls them 'repellers' and 'foil'.* The game had just become infinitely more complex, and infinitely more intriguing. The Hidden Dragon of the Restful Journey wasn't just powerful; he was an arsenal of the absurd, walking unnoticed through the Mortal Dust. And Lady Chen intended to understand exactly what kind of arsenal it was.