The first light of dawn was still a pale smear of violet and orange across the horizon when Hanyuan and Qin Yu reached the administrative pavilion. The morning air was thin and freezing at this altitude, but both boys radiated a steady warmth from their circulating Qi.
"Enter," Elder Su's voice rang out before the first knock had even faded.
They found the Elder behind a desk stacked with reports of the beast activity in the lower forests. He looked tired, his blue hair crackling with faint, static sparks of irritation. Qin Yu explained the summons from the Qin Clan and Hanyuan's role as his companion for the journey.
Elder Su's sharp gaze lingered on Hanyuan for a moment."One week," he stated, his finger tapping the redwood desk with a rhythmic thud. "The Myriad Herb Forest is currently a battlefield. If you are not back within the week, I will assume you've been digested by a beast or recruited by a bandit group. I don't like paperwork, so do not make me write your death notices."
"Thank you, Elder!" both boys chorused, bowing low before making a swift exit.
As they crossed the bridge of light and began the steep descent down the mountain's carved stairs, the distant thunder of combat echoed from the deep valleys. Pillars of smoke rose from the ancient Forest miles away, and the air hummed with the aftershocks of colliding energies.
"The shockwaves alone would kill us," Hanyuan noted, feeling the distant pressure of a Mortal Core clash. He chuckled lightly. "I guess the Elders are finally sweeping the porch."
Qin Yu nodded, his face serious. "Not just the Elders. I heard several Core Disciples from the Inner Sect have been deployed as well. They treat this beast tide as a hunting game to test their latest techniques."
"Inner Disciples..." Hanyuan sighed, his hand finding the cold grip of the Spear on his back. "I wonder how many years it will take to stand where they are."
"With your obsession?" Qin Yu joked, trying to lighten the mood. "You'll probably be a spear god by lunch. Just don't forget us mortals when you're parting the clouds."
The trek toward Blue Dew City took them along a well guarded merchant route that bypassed the worst of the combat zones. As they walked, Qin Yu began to lay out the internal structure of his clan, his tone becoming increasingly anxious as they neared his home.
"Blue Dew City is essentially the backyard of the Qin Clan," Qin Yu explained. "Your City has four big clans, but Blue Dew has only one,mine. My father, the Patriarch, is a Nascent Soul expert. He doesn't meddle in daily affairs much, which leaves my brothers to fight over the scraps."
Hanyuan listened intently.
"My Eldest Brother, Qin Feng, handles the politics and the treasury. He's sharp, but his cultivation is stagnant at the 5th Layer of the Mortal Core. My 'Elder' Brother,the third son,is at the 2nd Layer of the Mortal Core. But the real monster is my Second Brother, Qin Ruo."
Qin Yu's voice dropped to a whisper. "He's only twenty two, but he's already at the Peak of the Mortal Core Realm. The Sects have been trying to recruit him for years, but the Patriarch wants him to stabilize the family line first. He's the one being named successor. He's brilliant, arrogant, and has the temper of a volcano."
"And your sister?" Hanyuan reminded him with a grin.
Qin Yu shuddered. "Qin Meili. She's between the third brother and me. If she tries to speak to you,just keep walking. She's the only person the Second Brother is actually afraid of."
By the afternoon of the second day, the forest thinned, giving way to rolling hills of blue tinted grass that shimmered like water in the sun. In the center of the valley sat Blue Dew City.
Hanyuan gasped. The walls were sixty feet tall, made of a polished azure stone that glowed with a faint defensive aura. The Qi density here, while lower than the Sect, was still far higher than his hometown. The city was a sprawling metropolis of pagodas and bustling markets, a jewel of the Southern Continent.
"Welcome to my headache," Qin Yu sighed, stepping toward the massive gates where guards in Qin crested armor stood at attention. "Try to look like a dignified disciple, Hanyuan.
Hanyuan straightened his shoulders, his obsidian eyes scanning the horizon.
The streets of Blue Dew City were a dizzying tapestry of colors and sounds. Unlike the quiet, ascetic atmosphere of the Mystic Sky Sect, this city breathed with a mercantile soul. Hanyuan noticed that nearly every third shop carried the Qin Clan's insignia,a stylised blue teardrop surrounded by silver clouds.
"Finally back," Qin Yu hummed, the tension in his shoulders easing just a fraction. "Our main estate is right in the heart of the city. We should,"
Tap. Tap.
Two firm, simultaneous taps landed on their shoulders. Qin Yu froze, his neck stiffening like a rusted hinge. He slowly turned his head, his eyes widening as he recognized the woman standing behind them.
She was strikingly beautiful, with long chestnut brown hair tied in a practical yet elegant high ponytail and sharp, piercing blue eyes that danced with a mischievous, almost predatory light. She wore a tight fitting azure combat robe.
"U-uh... B-Big Sister?" Qin Yu stuttered, his composure evaporating instantly. "What are you doing out in the market? I thought you were confined to the meditation hall for 'disciplinary reasons'?"
"Shouldn't I greet my precious little brother when he finally comes crawling home?" Qin Meili said, her voice like a silken trap. She stopped mid sentence as her gaze drifted to the youth standing beside her brother.
Hanyuan felt like a rabbit caught in the gaze of an eagle.
"Oh... my... god," she whispered. Her eyes widened, turning almost luminous. "How cute!"
Before Hanyuan could even shift into a defensive stance, she moved. Her speed was so fast,likely at the Peak of the Qi Refining realm or even the early Mortal Core. She lunged forward and crushed Hanyuan into a tight, suffocating embrace.
"Gkh!"
Hanyuan's face was buried in the soft fabric of her robes, the scent of expensive lilac perfume and warm skin filling his senses. He flailed his arms weakly, his muffled protests lost against her chest.
"Meili! Let go! He can't breathe!" Qin Yu cried out, his face turning a shade of scarlet.
Qin Meili chuckled, a melodic, dangerous sound, and finally stepped back. She kept her hands on Hanyuan's shoulders, looking him up and down like a prize horse. Hanyuan's face was beet red, and he took several frantic gasps of air, his obsidian eyes darting around in confusion.
"You actually found a friend, Little Yu? And he's this adorable?" She smiled, showing perfect white teeth. Her eyes landed on the Spear on his back, and she hummed appreciatively. "Good taste, too. I like him."
"Sister, please, he's a fellow disciple from the.."
"Quiet!" Meili snapped, though her smile remained. She grabbed Hanyuan by the wrist with a grip that was surprisingly strong. "Come! I'll show you around the clan personally. Little Yu is too slow and boring; he'll just show you the library!"
"Hey! Wait for me!" Qin Yu shouted, but Meili was already pulling Hanyuan through the crowd, her movement so fluid that the bustling pedestrians seemed to simply melt out of her way.
The next few hours chaotic for Hanyuan.
Meili was so energetic. She dragged him through the majestic gates of the Qin estate,which while lacking the celestial height of the Sect, felt far more opulent and grounded. She showed him the Grand Hall with its floor-to ceiling azure marble, the sprawling herb fields where the air hummed with spiritual plant life, and the training grounds where hundreds of guards were sparring.
"And here," she said, finally stopping before a refined sandalwood door, "is the Guest Wing. You'll stay here. It's the room closest to mine so I can make sure you're being fed properly."
Qin Yu finally caught up to them at the doorway, bent over and clutching his knees as he wheezed for air. "You... move... too... fast..."
Meili patted her brother on the head dismissively. "Improve your stamina, Little Yu. I'm going to find the Head Chef. Our guest looks like he's only eaten mountain grass and bitterness for months."
With a final, playful pinch to Hanyuan's cheek, she vanished down the hallway.
Hanyuan stumbled into his room and collapsed onto the bed. The mattress was made of silk and stuffed with soft spirit-poultry feathers.
"Phew... I am absolutely exhausted," Hanyuan muttered to the ceiling.