The outer sect herb gardens were only beautiful from a distance.
From far off, they looked like winding rivers of green, peppered with delicate buds, spiraling vines, and tall stalks of spiritgrass that shimmered under the morning mist. From up close, they were an itchy, muddy labyrinth full of poisonous burrs, misfiled weeds, and the constant threat of spirit bees.
Lin Tian knelt beside a patch of thorn-bush sage, sleeves tied high, sweat already clinging to his brow.
"They sent you here to remind you your hands still belong in the dirt," Chen Mu muttered.
"I don't mind."
"That's not the point. The point is: Guo lost in front of witnesses. You were cleared by the tribunal. So now they're chipping away at you by assigning the lowest task with the highest chance of allergic reactions."
[+2 BP for spiteful socio-spiritual deduction.]
Lin Tian pulled a stalk free and shook the dirt loose.
"It's honest work."
"It's a slap in the face."
"It's fine," Lin Tian said. "Slaps are easy to ignore. Knives aren't."
Chen Mu hovered quietly for a few seconds. "Did you just drop a proverb on me?"
"I've been listening."
[+1 BP for reflective disciple maturation.]
The assignment was simple: harvest three bundles of thorn-bush sage, two handfuls of dew-tipped vine, and check the worm nests on the west bank. Labor duty for those without a cultivation breakthrough—except Lin Tian had already brushed the edge of Mid-stage.
He wasn't being tested. He was being reminded.
"Someone's coming," Chen Mu said.
Lin Tian didn't look up. "I know. I heard the footsteps two minutes ago. Not sect sandals. Softer."
A girl appeared between two vines, tripping slightly, swearing under her breath. She wore an outer sect robe half-unfastened, a shoulder bag filled with scrolls and wrapped leaves bouncing awkwardly at her hip.
She stopped when she saw Lin Tian.
"Oh. Uh. Hello. Sorry. Didn't know this patch was occupied."
"It's fine," Lin Tian said.
Chen Mu tilted slightly. "Who's this mess?"
The girl gave a quick bow. "Yin Fen. Third division. They usually keep me in records, but someone thought fieldwork might improve my posture."
"You're here for sage?"
"And worm nests. I was promised that they only burst if you breathe on them wrong."
"Which is correct," Lin Tian said. "You want to harvest together?"
She hesitated, then nodded. "Sure. Unless you bite."
"Only when provoked."
[+1 BP for charming stoicism.]
They worked in tandem. Yin Fen proved clumsy but quick to listen. She asked questions constantly.
"What was tribunal court like?"
"Cold."
"Did your ring really speak?"
"Yes."
"Is it true it burned a judge's eyebrows off?"
"No."
"Aww."
She spoke without guile, like someone who hadn't learned to be afraid of status yet. Lin Tian didn't answer most of her questions, but he didn't tell her to stop either.
Chen Mu watched, silent at first. Then:
"She's harmless."
"She's curious."
"She's not trying to curry favor. That makes her rare."
An hour passed in relatively peaceful labor. They gathered the herbs. Sorted the root lengths. Separated the flowering ends. Lin Tian noticed she handled even the poisonous stems with quick fingers—learned from scrolls, not instinct.
"You study formations?" he asked.
"I used to. Until my mentor died."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," she said. "He exploded during a ward collapse. I think he'd be impressed."
Chen Mu choked. "Okay, I like her."
[+3 BP for unexpected personality sync.]
They finished early.
Back at Lin Tian's hut, Yin Fen refused to leave without delivering her share personally. "If I'm going to get scolded, I want them to know I worked with someone famous."
"I'm not famous."
"You are among people who count steps and record eyebrow singe density."
She left laughing, and Lin Tian finally sat again, stretching his back.
Chen Mu hovered quietly.
"Make a note," he said. "She might matter later."
"You think so?"
"She has competence. And no master. That makes her one of us."
[+2 BP for found family recognition.]
That night, the scroll they'd been given—still sealed, still faintly sticky—rested in the center of the floor.
Lin Tian hadn't opened it. Not because he was afraid. But because some things needed to wait until the world slowed down.
Now it had.
He cracked the seal.
It hissed.
A thread of faint golden smoke rose, then vanished.
Inside: diagrams.
Complex ones.
Circular formations with inverted paths. A spiral of firelines tracing back to a single center node. Old script—not quite the sect's standard. Not quite foreign. Something in between.
Chen Mu was quiet.
"I've seen this before," he said slowly.
"Where?"
"In a dream. Or a death. Or a memory that doesn't belong to this life."
Lin Tian studied it with sharp eyes.
"This is... a refinement array."
"A dangerous one."
"What does it refine?"
Chen Mu's voice was a whisper.
"Fire."
[+4 BP for rediscovered knowledge aura.]
They didn't speak again that night.
Only the diagrams remained—etched in flickering memory, half-legible, half-known.
And the first wind of something bigger than the sect began to stir.
[System Status Panel – Chen Mu (Ring State)]
Bluff Points: 129
Soul Strength: 8
Current Vessel: Jade Ring (Damaged, Dusty, Slightly Sticky)
Abilities: Voice of Authority Lv.1, Soul Tap (1/day)
Manual Access: Beginner Cultivation Manual (Simulated)
Current Objective: Guide disciple through Qi Initiation Realm
Disciple Status: Qi Initiation – Early Stage (Nearing Mid)
Legacy Flag: Dormant – Hidden Flame Echo (Unconfirmed)
Known Array: Spiral Fire Refinement (Unstable, Fragmented)