The morning arrived cold and gray, winter pressing down on Redstone City like a physical weight.
Wang Ben dressed in formal robes, dark blue with silver trim, the Wang Clan emblem at his shoulder. He'd chosen them deliberately. When meeting a monster, presentation mattered. Even if that monster wore the face of a kindly tea house owner.
His mother was waiting in the main room when he descended.
Li Mei sat with Wang Chen in her lap, the baby making soft sounds of contentment as she fed him something warm. But her eyes found Wang Ben immediately, and they held a weight that hadn't been there before their conversation three days ago.
Three favors. She knew now. The full scope of what he'd traded for their survival.
"You're leaving early." She kept her voice light, but her hands tightened on Wang Chen. "The merchant district isn't far."
"I'd rather arrive before the hour of the snake. Not after."
Li Mei nodded slowly. She understood. When dealing with predators, you didn't keep them waiting.
"Your father is in the workshop." She paused, something working behind her careful expression. "He said to tell you that whatever happens, you have his support. And mine."
Wang Ben crossed to her, bending to kiss Wang Chen's forehead. The baby gurgled happily, reaching for his brother's face with tiny fingers. Such simple joy. Such fragile innocence.
"I'll be back before evening," Wang Ben said.
"You'd better be." Li Mei caught his hand as he turned to leave. Her grip was stronger than he expected. "I didn't survive a war just to lose my son to someone else's agenda."
"You won't."
He didn't know if it was a promise or a hope. But he said it anyway, because some lies were necessary.
The walk through Redstone City took longer than usual.
Wang Ben let his feet carry him through the crowded streets, past refugees still settling into corners of the city that had been empty a month ago. The morning markets buzzed with activity, merchants hawking goods at prices that would have seemed outrageous before the war, buyers haggling with desperation that had nothing to do with commerce and everything to do with survival.
He should have been focusing on what lay ahead. The meeting. The favor. The moment when his debt to Shen Wuyan would begin to come due.
Instead, he found himself studying the city he'd lived in all his life, seeing it with new eyes. The way spirit stone lanterns flickered at intersections, their formations dimming from lack of maintenance. The patrol routes of Huo Clan guards, less frequent than before the war, stretched thin by losses they hadn't fully replaced. The flow of foot traffic, altered by closed streets and damaged buildings, creating new patterns that opportunists were already learning to exploit.
[OBSERVATION: Host stress indicators elevated]
[Recommendation: Controlled breathing. Maintain composure.]
The System's cold text scrolled through his awareness without prompting. Even the ancient intelligence that lived in his soul could feel his tension.
Easy for you to say, Wang Ben thought. You're not the one walking into a nascent soul cultivator's lair.
The merchant district rose around him as he left the main thoroughfares behind. Quieter streets. Better maintained. The kind of place where money bought privacy, and privacy bought protection from prying eyes.
The Quiet Cup occupied a corner lot near the district's edge, unremarkable in every way that mattered. Simple wooden construction. Clean but not ostentatious. A faded sign above the door, characters so worn they were almost illegible.
If you weren't looking for it, you'd walk right past.
Wang Ben paused at the entrance, letting his qi senses extend into the building. A month ago, he couldn't have done this. Body refinement cultivators had no spiritual awareness, no way to perceive the energy that flowed through the world. But qi condensation had changed that. Now he could feel the faint signatures of people inside, the warmth of their cultivation pressing against his awareness like distant fires in darkness.
Three signatures. Two suppressed so tightly he could barely detect them. One completely hidden, present only as an absence, a void where sensing failed.
The void was Shen Wuyan.
Wang Ben pushed open the door.
The interior of The Quiet Cup was exactly as he remembered. Simple wooden tables arranged with careful spacing. A counter at the back where a young woman polished cups with mechanical precision. Paper screens filtering the morning light into something soft and golden.
And at the corner table, a middle-aged man in grey robes, looking up from a cup of tea with the mild smile of someone who had been expecting company.
"Young Master Wang." Shen Wuyan's voice barely rose above a whisper, but it carried effortlessly across the room. "How kind of you to accept my invitation."
Wang Ben approached the table, each step measured, each breath controlled. The void of Wuyan's suppressed cultivation pressed against his awareness like standing at the edge of a cliff, the absence somehow more terrifying than any pressure could have been.
"Senior Shen." He bowed, precise and respectful. "You honor me with your attention."
"Please. Sit." Wuyan gestured to the cushion across from him. "I've taken the liberty of preparing tea. A new blend from the western provinces. Quite calming, I'm told."
Wang Ben settled onto the cushion, accepting the cup that Wuyan poured for him. The tea was excellent, delicate and fragrant, with undertones he couldn't quite identify.
"The city has changed since last we spoke," Wuyan said, sipping from his own cup. "So much disruption. So much loss. And yet, here we are."
"Here we are."
"Your clan has done remarkably well, all things considered. The Xue assets, the Dao alliance, your own advancement to qi condensation." Wuyan's eyes crinkled with what might have been amusement. "Quite the impressive recovery for a family that was on the edge of ruin six months ago."
"We had help." Wang Ben kept his voice neutral. "Your intervention at the end of the war saved many lives."
"Mmm." Wuyan set down his cup with a soft clink. "About that."
Here it came. The reason for this meeting. The favor.
"I believe we discussed an arrangement," Wuyan continued. "Three favors, to be called at my discretion. Payment for services rendered."
"I remember."
"Good." Wuyan's smile widened slightly, though his eyes remained calm. "Then let me explain what I require."
He rose from the table, moving to the paper screens that filtered the morning light. For a moment, he simply stood there, silhouetted against the glow, ancient and impossibly patient.
"My sister is preparing to attempt a breakthrough," he said. "From mortal shedding stage nine to nascent soul stage one."
Wang Ben felt his stomach drop. He knew what that meant. The System had provided extensive documentation on cultivation breakthroughs, their dangers, their mechanics. And mortal shedding to nascent soul was...
"A dangerous transition," he said carefully.
"The most dangerous." Wuyan turned back to face him. "The success rate for unprotected attempts is approximately forty percent. Even with traditional safeguards, perhaps sixty."
[QUERY DETECTED: Nascent Soul Breakthrough Mechanics]
[Accessing Chen Database...]
[BREAKTHROUGH ANALYSIS: Mortal Shedding → Nascent Soul]
[Primary Mechanism: First soul projection into Youming - the space between reality and void]
[Common Belief: "Inner demons" attack during soul projection, exploiting psychological weaknesses]
[TRUTH: This understanding is catastrophically incorrect]
Wang Ben felt cold spread through his chest as the System's analysis scrolled through his awareness. He'd known something was wrong with the standard explanations of breakthrough dangers. The pattern of failures, the seemingly random nature of who survived and who died...
[ACTUAL THREAT: Youming entities]
[Classification: External predatory beings that exist in the Youming space]
[Not inner demons. Not psychological constructs. EXTERNAL PREDATORS.]
[They prey on cultivators during soul projection because that is the only moment the soul is accessible to them]
"The traditional safeguards focus on psychological preparation," Wuyan continued, unaware of the revelation unfolding in Wang Ben's mind. "Meditation. Mental fortitude. Confronting one's inner demons before the breakthrough so they cannot surprise you during the attempt."
[NOTE: The "inner demon" theory is a fundamental misunderstanding of Youming entity predation]
[Cultivators who "overcome their inner demons" through preparation are actually:
Creating stronger soul-resonance (making them harder targets)Reducing projection instability (shorter window of vulnerability)NOT actually addressing the external threat]
"But I've noticed something," Wuyan said, his voice dropping even lower. "Something that doesn't quite fit the theory."
Wang Ben forced his expression to remain neutral, even as his heart hammered against his ribs.
"The failures follow a pattern," Wuyan continued. "They happen at specific moments during the projection. Not randomly, not when cultivators encounter their deepest fears, but at precise points in the breakthrough sequence. As if..."
He trailed off, watching Wang Ben's face with an intensity that felt like being examined under a magnifying glass.
"As if something is targeting them?" Wang Ben said, carefully framing it as a question.
[WARNING: Subject is testing Host's knowledge]
[Analysis: Subject has made partial discovery regarding Youming predation]
[Subject does not know full truth. Subject is watching for Host's reaction.]
[Recommendation: Delay response. Display appropriate confusion for cultivation level.]
"An unusual observation for someone so young," Wuyan murmured. "Most cultivators accept the inner demon explanation without question. But you... you phrase it differently. 'Something targeting them.' Why those words specifically?"
Wang Ben felt the trap close around him. This wasn't just a conversation. It was a test.
"I don't know," he said, allowing confusion to enter his voice. "I was just... it seemed like what you were implying. If the failures happen at specific moments, something must be causing them. Unless you think it's just coincidence?"
Wuyan studied him for a long moment. Then his smile returned, pleasant and inscrutable.
"No. Not coincidence. I've lived too long to believe in coincidence."
He returned to his seat, pouring fresh tea for both of them.
"You have unusual instincts, young master. That's part of why I'm asking this of you specifically."
"What exactly are you asking?"
"I want you to design a protective formation. Something that will shield my sister during her breakthrough attempt. Not the traditional psychological wards. Something else. Something that addresses the... pattern... I've observed."
[TASK IDENTIFIED: Create Youming Sanctuary Array]
[Purpose: Protection against Youming entity predation during soul projection]
[Host possesses requisite knowledge from Chen Database]
[Challenge: Must deliver design without revealing impossible knowledge source]
Wang Ben's mind raced. The System had provided extensive information about Youming entities, their predation methods, the protective measures that actually worked. He could design a formation that would genuinely protect Shen Ruoxi. But how could he explain knowing any of this?
"Senior Shen," he said carefully, "I'm honored by your trust. But I'm only qi condensation stage one. The formation arts required for something like this..."
"Are beyond your current capability," Wuyan finished. "Yes. I'm aware. But you won't be building it. You'll be designing it. The construction will be handled by specialists I've contracted."
He leaned forward, eyes intent.
"What I need from you is the concept. The insight. Your observations during the crisis saved lives more than once. I've watched you notice what others overlooked. Now I want you to apply that gift to this problem."
The door behind them slid open.
"Brother, you're being dramatic again."
The voice was light, amused, carrying the particular cadence of someone who found everything entertaining because nothing was truly dangerous to them.
Shen Ruoxi stepped into the room, dressed in flowing robes of deep crimson that seemed entirely inappropriate for a winter morning. She moved like water, each step effortless, her presence filling the space in a way that had nothing to do with cultivation pressure and everything to do with sheer personality.
"Wang Ben." She smiled, settling onto a cushion beside her brother with casual grace. "We meet again. How delightful."
"Senior Shen." Wang Ben bowed his head. "I hadn't expected to see you today."
"Wuyan thought it best that I stay hidden. He has this theory that my presence makes people nervous." She laughed, a bright sound that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Can you imagine?"
[OBSERVATION: Subject Shen Ruoxi displaying elevated stress indicators]
[Analysis: Posture relaxed but muscle tension elevated. Breathing slightly irregular. Micro-expressions inconsistent with stated amusement.]
[Assessment: Subject is experiencing genuine anxiety regarding breakthrough attempt]
Wang Ben looked at her more carefully. The playful predator who had toyed with him during the war. The mortal shedding cultivator who had killed three men without breaking a sweat. Now she sat here, and beneath the casual facade...
She was afraid.
"The breakthrough," Wang Ben said quietly. "It's soon, isn't it?"
Ruoxi's smile flickered, just for an instant.
"Three months," she said. "I've been preparing for decades, but the final push happens in three months. My brother insisted on arranging... additional precautions."
"Because the traditional ones aren't enough."
"Because my brother worries." She glanced at Wuyan, something soft passing between them that Wang Ben had never expected to see. "He's watched three other nascent soul attempts in his lifetime. None of them survived."
Three attempts. Zero survivors. Wang Ben felt the weight of that number settle into his chest.
"May I ask..." He hesitated, weighing his words carefully. "What happened to them? The ones who failed?"
Wuyan and Ruoxi exchanged a look.
"They screamed," Wuyan said finally. "In the moment of projection, when their souls left their bodies, they screamed. Not from pain. From terror. As if they'd encountered something far worse than any inner demon."
[CONFIRMATION: Description consistent with Youming entity attack]
[Victims experienced predation during soul projection]
[Terror response indicates awareness of external threat prior to death]
"And then they died," Ruoxi added, her voice losing its playful edge. "Their souls never returned to their bodies. Simply... vanished. As if something had consumed them."
The silence stretched between them. Wang Ben felt the enormity of what they were asking settle onto his shoulders. Design a formation to protect against predators from outside reality. Do it while pretending not to know they exist. Succeed, or watch a mortal shedding cultivator die the same way three others had.
"I'll try," he said.
Wuyan nodded slowly. "That's the first favor. I'm not asking for guarantees. I'm asking for your insight, applied to this problem. Whatever you discover, whatever design you create, I'll consider the favor fulfilled."
"And if it doesn't work?"
"Then my sister dies." Wuyan's voice remained calm, almost gentle. "And I will be... disappointed."
The word hung in the air like a blade.
"But I don't believe it will come to that," he continued. "You've surprised me before, young master. I expect you'll surprise me again."
The walk home took longer than the walk there.
Wang Ben moved through streets that felt somehow different now, the weight of what he'd agreed to pressing down with each step. The System continued its analysis in the back of his awareness, cold text scrolling past as it organized everything it knew about Youming entities.
[ENTITY CLASSIFICATION: Eight Primary Types]
[Four Perils: Aggressive predators, direct attack methods]
[Four Terrors: Subtle hunters, psychological infiltration]
[Most Dangerous Class: Hundun]
[Hundun Statistics: 100% kill rate against unprepared cultivators]
[Note: "Prepared" in this context means awareness of Youming truth, not traditional inner demon training]
One hundred percent. No one who didn't know what was coming had ever survived a Hundun attack.
Wang Ben thought about Shen Ruoxi's three failed predecessors. About the screaming Wuyan had described. About a woman who had lived for over a thousand years, who killed mortal shedding cultivators without effort, who was genuinely afraid of what waited for her in three months.
And he thought about his father.
Wang Tian was approaching foundation establishment. A breakthrough that came with its own dangers, its own projection requirements, its own vulnerability to...
[NOTE: Foundation Establishment breakthrough does NOT involve soul projection]
[Youming predation risk: Negligible at this realm threshold]
[First soul projection occurs at Mortal Shedding → Nascent Soul transition]
Relief flooded through him, sharp and sudden. His father wasn't in immediate danger. Not from this, at least.
But someday, if Wang Tian survived long enough, if he climbed high enough...
The Youming would be waiting.
And if Wang Ben succeeded in designing this array, if he created something that actually worked, he could protect more than just Shen Ruoxi. He could protect everyone he cared about. His parents. His brother. Zhao Yu. Everyone who might someday reach those dangerous heights.
The favor wasn't just a debt to be cleared. It was an opportunity.
[ANALYSIS: Dual motivation identified]
[Primary: Fulfill obligation to Shen Wuyan]
[Secondary: Develop protective methodology for future application to Host's allies]
[Probability of success: Unknown. Insufficient data on Youming countermeasure effectiveness in practice.]
Wang Ben smiled grimly as he approached the Wang Clan compound. Insufficient data. That was one way to describe it.
He had three months to design something that would protect a mortal shedding cultivator from predators that existed outside reality itself. Three months to apply knowledge from an ancient archive that no one knew he possessed. Three months to succeed where countless others had failed.
Three months to save a life, or watch one end.
No pressure at all.
END OF CHAPTER 58