I woke to darkness and the sound of rain against the shutters.
For a disorienting moment, I couldn't remember where I was or why my body felt like it had been trampled by horses. Then memory returned in fragments—the forge demonstration, my father's words, the overwhelming exhaustion that had finally dragged me under.
How long had I been asleep?
A soft glow came from a single candle near my bedside, and by its light I could see Liu Ruyan sitting in a chair, her head tilted back against the wall, eyes closed. She'd positioned herself between my bed and the door, like a guardian who'd fallen asleep at her post.
I tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. Every muscle screamed protest, and a wave of dizziness forced me back down. The movement must have made some sound, because Liu Ruyan's eyes opened instantly.
"少主," she said, concern flooding her features as she quickly moved to my side. "You should not try to move yet. You've been asleep for nearly two days."
"Two days?" The words came out as a croak. My throat felt like sandpaper.
"Here, drink." She held a cup of water to my lips, supporting my head with surprising strength. The water was cool and tasted faintly of herbs—something medicinal added to aid recovery.
I drank gratefully, then asked, "What day is it?"
"The morning of the sixth day. The Blood Serpent Gang arrives tomorrow."
Tomorrow. One day left, and I'd been unconscious for two. Panic tried to claw its way up my throat.
"The weapons—did Master Han—"
"Are complete," Liu Ruyan interrupted gently but firmly. "Three exceptional blades, finished yesterday afternoon. Lady Huiyue took them to Frostfang Town immediately with Second Young Master as escort. They have not yet returned."
I processed this, trying to quiet the anxiety that whispered about all the things that could have gone wrong without my oversight. But that was arrogance talking—the engineer's fallacy that nothing could succeed without my direct involvement.
"Tell me everything," I said. "What happened while I slept?"
Liu Ruyan settled back into her chair, pulling it closer to the bed. In the candlelight, I could see the exhaustion in her face—she'd clearly spent much of the past two days watching over me.
"Master Han worked through the first night," she began. "He said the improvements to the forge allowed him to maintain consistent temperature longer, which meant he could work with greater precision. The first blade was completed by dawn of the second day."
"Just one blade in a full night's work?"
"He said speed was less important than perfection. That these three weapons would represent the Iron Lotus Sect's capability, and anything less than exceptional would do more harm than good."
Smart. Master Han understood that this was about reputation as much as revenue.
"The second and third blades followed over the next day. Second Young Master was present for most of the work, recording Master Han's process and taking notes. He said it was for future reference, so the improvements could be documented and taught to the apprentices."
Wenxuan thinking strategically. Good.
"Your eldest brother came to observe the third blade's creation," Liu Ruyan continued. "He tested it against his own weapon—one of the better pieces in the clan's armory. Master Han's new blade cut through Eldest Young Master's sword like it was bamboo."
My eyebrows rose. "It broke Liefeng's weapon?"
"Sheared through it cleanly. Eldest Young Master stood there holding the broken hilt with an expression this one has never seen on his face. Then he laughed—actually laughed—and declared that perhaps the sickly little brother had done something useful after all."
I couldn't help but smile at that. Liefeng's respect would only come through martial demonstration, not theory or planning. Destroying his weapon in a direct test was the kind of proof he understood.
"When did Huiyue leave for Frostfang Town?"
"Immediately after the third blade was finished. She wrapped all three carefully and departed with Second Young Master and four guards. The clan lord wanted to send more protection, but Lady Huiyue insisted a smaller group would be less conspicuous."
That sounded like her—practical and willing to take calculated risks.
"Have there been any messages?"
"None yet. But the journey to Frostfang Town takes most of a day each direction. If they found buyers quickly, they might return by this evening. If not..." She didn't finish the sentence.
If not, we'd face the Blood Serpent Gang tomorrow with empty hands and no leverage.
I closed my eyes, trying to think through contingencies and backup plans, but my mind felt sluggish. The Memory Treasure Vault interface flickered at the edge of my vision, but it looked different—dimmer, less responsive.
'MEMORY TREASURE VAULT'
'USER CONSCIOUSNESS: RECOVERING'
'INTEGRATION STATUS: PAUSED AT 78%'
'PHYSICAL CONDITION: STABILIZING'
'DAILY SEARCHES: UNAVAILABLE DURING RECOVERY MODE'
'ESTIMATED RETURN TO NORMAL FUNCTION: 12-18 HOURS'
So even my mysterious system was offline while my body recovered. I was on my own, with just my own knowledge and reasoning.
Somehow that felt more honest.
"Liu Ruyan," I said quietly, "what do you think will happen tomorrow? If Huiyue succeeds or if she fails?"
She was quiet for a long moment, her face thoughtful in the candlelight. "If she succeeds, we survive another season. The Blood Serpent Gang takes their payment and leaves us alone for a time. We have breathing room to implement more improvements, build our reputation, perhaps begin to truly recover."
"And if she fails?"
"Then tomorrow your father must make impossible choices. Perhaps offer the mine and forge as payment. Perhaps..." She hesitated.
"Perhaps accept Bai Wuchang's proposal for Huiyue," I finished.
"This one does not believe Clan Lord Tie would ever agree to that."
"Then what? The gang takes what they want by force? Destroys what they can't take? Kills those who resist?"
Liu Ruyan's silence was answer enough.
"We're gambling everything on three swords," I said, hearing the bleakness in my own voice. "On my ability to translate knowledge I shouldn't have into improvements that may not be enough. On a plan assembled in days when we needed months. It's madness."
"It's hope," Liu Ruyan corrected gently. "Which is more than we had a week ago. Before 少主 woke changed, this family was waiting to die. Now we're fighting to live. That difference matters."
"Does it? If we still lose?"
"Yes." She leaned forward, and in the candlelight her plain features held a fierce determination. "Better to die fighting than waiting. Better to try and fail than never try at all. And 少主—you have given this family something more valuable than silver or steel."
"What's that?"
"You've reminded them they're worth fighting for. That their traditions have value. That the Iron Lotus can still bloom even in winter." She smiled slightly. "Lady Yalian told this one that she has not seen her husband stand so tall in years. That he speaks now with the voice of a clan lord instead of a defeated old man. That alone is worth every risk we've taken."
Her words settled over me like a warm blanket. I'd been so focused on the immediate crisis—the money, the gang, the survival calculus—that I'd missed the less tangible changes. The restoration of dignity. The rekindling of purpose.
Maybe that was what families needed most. Not just resources to survive, but reasons to want to survive.
"You should rest more," Liu Ruyan said, noting my drooping eyelids. "This one will wake 少主 when there is news."
"Will you sleep too? You look exhausted."
"This one will rest when 少主 is recovered."
"That's not—"
"It is this one's choice," she said firmly. "少主 has his role. This humble one has hers. Let each of us fulfill our duties as we see fit."
There was steel beneath her gentle words. I recognized it now—the same quality I'd seen in Huiyue's merchant determination, in Master Han's craftsman pride. This world valued strength in many forms, and Liu Ruyan had her own kind of strength that had nothing to do with martial prowess.
"At least sit comfortably," I said. "If you insist on staying, use the other chair or the bench by the window. Don't torture yourself in that rigid position."
She smiled—a real smile that transformed her features. "As 少主 wishes."
She moved to the bench near the window, arranging cushions into something approximating comfort, and settled there. Within minutes her breathing had deepened into sleep, exhaustion finally claiming her despite her determination.
I lay in the darkness, listening to rain and her quiet breathing, and thought about everything that had brought me to this moment. A month ago—or a lifetime ago, depending on how you counted—I'd been a software engineer slowly destroying myself through overwork, convinced that productivity was the only measure of worth.
Now I was a sickly teenager in a fantasy world, gambling a family's survival on metallurgical improvements and desperate schemes. The change should have been terrifying. In many ways, it was.
But it was also... meaningful. The code I'd written in my old life had solved problems, yes, but abstract ones. Optimizations that saved companies money or made apps run faster. Important work, certainly, but removed from direct human consequence.
Here, my knowledge might save actual people. Not abstract users or stakeholders, but individuals I could name. A father trying to protect his family. A mother worried for her children. Siblings discovering their own strengths. An old craftsman rediscovering his art. A loyal servant who'd chosen to believe in me.
The stakes were higher and more immediate, but also more real.
I must have dozed again, because the next thing I knew, voices were calling outside. Liu Ruyan woke instantly, moving to the window to peer through the shutters.
"They're back," she said, tension and hope mixing in her voice. "Lady Huiyue and Second Young Master have returned."
"Help me up."
"少主, you should—"
"Help me up," I repeated firmly. "I need to see this."
She hesitated, then nodded and came to support me. Together we managed to get me sitting on the edge of the bed, then slowly standing. My legs trembled but held. Progress from two days ago, at least.
We made it to the window, and Liu Ruyan opened the shutters to reveal the compound courtyard below. Rain fell steadily, turning the ground to mud, but through it I could see two horses and their riders approaching the main gate.
Huiyue sat straight in her saddle despite the weather, Wenxuan beside her. Both looked exhausted but neither looked defeated. That had to be a good sign.
But it was what they carried that made my breath catch. Multiple leather pouches, bulging and heavy, tied to their saddles. Even from this distance, I could see the characteristic shape and weight of silver in quantity.
"They sold them," Liu Ruyan whispered. "They actually sold them."
We watched as Father emerged from the main hall, Mother close behind, and servants rushed to take the horses. Huiyue dismounted and pulled one of the pouches free, holding it up to Father. Even through the rain and distance, I could see her expression—exhausted but triumphant.
Father took the pouch, felt its weight, and his shoulders straightened in a way I hadn't seen since awakening in this world. He pulled Huiyue into an embrace that looked wholly out of character for his usual stern demeanor, then turned to call orders to the household.
"We should go down," I said. "I need to hear—"
"少主 needs to rest," Liu Ruyan interrupted. "Your family will come to you with news. Trying to navigate stairs in your condition would be foolish."
She was right, but the wait was agonizing. We returned to my bed, where I sat propped against pillows, and she resumed her vigil position. The sounds of activity from below filtered up—excited voices, hurried footsteps, the general chaos of good news spreading through a household that had expected disaster.
Finally, perhaps twenty minutes later, footsteps approached my door. It opened to reveal Huiyue and Wenxuan, both soaked from rain, exhaustion written in every line of their bodies. But their eyes were bright.
"You're awake," Wenxuan said, relief evident in his voice. "We were worried you might sleep another day."
"I woke a few hours ago. Tell me what happened."
Huiyue pulled a chair close and sat heavily, water dripping from her clothes to pool on the floor. She didn't seem to notice or care.
"We sold all three blades," she said without preamble. "For a total of sixty-two taels of silver. More than enough to pay the Blood Serpent Gang with some left over."
Relief crashed over me like a physical wave. "How?"
"By being absolutely shameless in our demonstrations," Wenxuan said with a tired grin. "Elder Sister marched into the three wealthiest merchant houses in Frostfang Town and demanded they test our weapons against their best inventory."
"The first merchant was skeptical," Huiyue continued. "Until his hired warrior tried our blade against a quality weapon from the White Tiger Forge—supposedly the best smith in three provinces. Master Han's blade cut through it."
"The second merchant," Wenxuan added, "had his guard captain test for flexibility and edge retention. The blade passed every test and then some. He bought it on the spot."
"The third was the most difficult," Huiyue said. "A wealthy merchant lord who collects superior weapons. He tested our blade himself—actually fought with it against multiple opponents in his training yard. When he finished, he offered double what we asked, on the condition that we produce three more pieces exclusively for him within a month."
"Which you agreed to?" I asked.
"Which I agreed to, with the provision that prices might increase if our reputation spreads. He accepted. Said quality like that was worth any price." She pulled out a small pouch and dropped it on my bedside table. It clinked with the unmistakable sound of silver. "Ten taels, Hanxing. That's your share of the profit."
I stared at the pouch. "My share? I didn't forge anything. I just suggested—"
"You saved this family," she interrupted. "Without your observations, we'd still be producing mediocre weapons and begging for mercy. This is your share, and you've earned it."
Wenxuan nodded agreement. "Father insisted. He said a strategist deserves compensation just as a warrior or craftsman does."
I didn't know what to say. In my old life, bonuses and profit-sharing had been routine. But here, the silver felt like something more—recognition, validation, a concrete acknowledgment that I'd contributed something of worth.
"What happens tomorrow?" I asked. "When the Blood Serpent Gang arrives?"
"Father will have their fifty taels ready," Huiyue said. "But he won't simply hand it over meekly. He plans to make it clear that the Iron Lotus Sect is no longer weak prey to be bled dry. That we have found our footing and will not tolerate further extortion."
"That's dangerous," I said. "Bai Wuchang might see it as provocation."
"Perhaps. But continuing to act like defeated beggars is more dangerous. We need to establish boundaries now, while we have the silver to meet their demands but before they realize we're becoming profitable again."
It was a delicate balance—showing strength without provoking an overwhelming response. I could see the logic, but the risk was real.
"Will you be recovered enough to attend the meeting?" Wenxuan asked. "Father wants the whole family present. To show unity."
"I'll be there," I said, though my body protested even the thought of it. "Even if you have to carry me."
"We might have to," Huiyue observed dryly. "You look like death would be an improvement."
"Sister," Wenxuan chided.
"It's an honest assessment. He needs more rest." She stood, water still dripping from her clothes. "I need to change into dry clothes and report fully to Father. But Hanxing—thank you. For everything."
The simple gratitude in her voice was more meaningful than any amount of silver. She left, Wenxuan following after squeezing my shoulder in silent support.
Liu Ruyan closed the door behind them and turned to me with an expression mixing pride and concern. "少主 accomplished what you set out to do. The family will survive tomorrow."
"Maybe," I said. "If Bai Wuchang accepts payment peacefully. If he doesn't press for more. If our show of strength doesn't backfire."
"Always worrying about what could go wrong."
"That's how you prevent what could go wrong."
She smiled and settled back into her vigil position. "Then this one will leave the worrying to 少主, and focus instead on ensuring you're strong enough for tomorrow's confrontation."
I wanted to argue, to insist I was fine, but exhaustion was already pulling me back toward sleep. The Memory Treasure Vault flickered weakly at the edge of my vision, still in recovery mode, still unavailable.
Tomorrow I would face the Blood Serpent Gang with nothing but my own wits and whatever strength my body could muster. No magical knowledge system. No last-minute solutions. Just a weak teenager and his determined family against a predatory gang.
The old me would have calculated the odds and found them wanting. But the new me—whoever I was becoming—felt something different. Not confidence exactly, but determination. The Iron Lotus Sect had survived five generations. It would survive tomorrow too.
It had to.
---
'MEMORY TREASURE VAULT'
'USER CONSCIOUSNESS: STABLE'
'INTEGRATION STATUS: RESUMING (78%)'
'PHYSICAL CONDITION: IMPROVED BUT FRAGILE'
'ESTIMATED FULL FUNCTIONALITY: 8-12 HOURS'
'NOTE: USER DEMONSTRATING INCREASED INDEPENDENCE FROM SYSTEM SUPPORT'
'PSYCHOLOGICAL INTEGRATION: PROGRESSING NATURALLY'
---