The morning began like any other.
Wang Ben finished his third set of sword forms as the sun crested the compound walls, his qi flowing smoothly through meridians that had finally adapted to their new density. Two weeks since his breakthrough to qi condensation stage two, and the additional power still surprised him in small ways. Movements that had once required conscious effort now felt natural, instinctive.
He sheathed his practice sword and turned toward the main house, where the smell of breakfast drifted through open windows. His mother would be cooking. His father would be in his workshop, stealing a few more minutes of alchemy practice before the meal. Wang Chen would be awake by now, demanding attention with the imperious confidence of a child who had never known want.
Normal life. Precious life.
And then the weight that had pressed against his awareness for weeks simply... vanished.
Wang Ben stopped mid-stride, every sense suddenly alert. The watching sensation that had haunted him since before his breakthrough was gone. Not faded, not withdrawn. Gone, as if a door had slammed shut.
[WARNING: Previously detected surveillance has ceased]
[Pattern analysis: Abrupt cessation inconsistent with subject withdrawal. Probability of imminent hostile action: 87%]
[RECOMMENDATION: Elevate defensive posture immediately]
His hand found his sword hilt without conscious thought. The absence of observation didn't mean safety. It meant the observer had stopped watching because watching was no longer necessary.
Because they were moving.
Wang Ben's mind raced through possibilities. The compound had defensive formations, guards, his father's restored cultivation. If Xue Feng struck here, he'd be fighting on ground that favored the Wang Clan. But if the target wasn't the compound...
His mother's weekly visit to the eastern market was scheduled for this afternoon. Zhao Yu had mentioned meeting him near the Copper Bridge district today. Wang Chen was too young to leave the compound, but the servants who cared for him sometimes walked the gardens.
Too many vulnerabilities. Too many people he couldn't protect simultaneously.
"Ben'er?"
He turned to find his father in the workshop doorway, concern written across features that had grown stronger over the past months. Wang Tian's foundation establishment breakthrough had restored more than his cultivation. It had restored his confidence, his purpose, the quiet authority that had defined him before a decade of slow decline.
"The watching has stopped," Wang Ben said quietly. "Something's wrong."
Wang Tian's expression sharpened. He didn't ask for explanation or reassurance. He simply nodded once and moved toward the main house. "I'll inform the guards. Stay close to the compound today."
Good advice. Sensible advice.
But Wang Ben couldn't shake the feeling that staying close wouldn't be enough. Whatever came next, it would find him regardless of where he hid.
Two hours later, Wang Ben stood in the merchant district three streets from the compound gates, purchasing formation components he didn't particularly need.
The errand was a calculated risk. If Xue Feng wanted to strike, he would strike. Hiding within the compound walls would only delay the inevitable and leave Wang Ben reactive rather than proactive. Better to draw the attack on terms he could partially control, in territory he knew well, than wait for an ambush he couldn't anticipate.
The merchant district's narrow streets and crowded stalls offered advantages that open ground wouldn't. Escape routes. Witnesses. The defensive formations that many shops maintained against theft and vandalism.
Wang Ben examined a set of inscription brushes he had no intention of buying, his awareness extended to its limits. The System hummed quietly at the edge of his consciousness, processing the movements of every cultivator within sensing range.
[DETECTION: Three subjects approaching from northwest. Cultivation signatures partially obscured. Estimated levels: qi condensation mid to late-stage. Anomalous qi patterns detected.]
[Analysis: Signature distortion consistent with demonic cultivation techniques. Subjects are attempting concealment but moving with coordinated purpose.]
There.
Wang Ben set down the inscription brushes and offered the merchant an apologetic smile. "I'll return another time."
He stepped into the street, moving with deliberate casualness toward a side alley he'd identified earlier. Not running. Not yet. Let them think he hadn't noticed. Let them commit to their approach before he revealed his awareness.
The first cultivator emerged from between two market stalls, blocking his path. Young, perhaps twenty-five, with the hollow cheeks and fevered eyes of someone who had sacrificed too much for power too quickly. Dark lines traced beneath his skin like diseased veins, visible even in the morning light.
Two more appeared behind him. Similar corruption. Similar hunger in their expressions.
But none of them were Xue Feng.
"Wang Ben." The voice came from above.
He looked up to find the former young master of the Xue Clan perched on a rooftop, silhouetted against the morning sky. Even from this distance, Wang Ben could see how much Xue Feng had changed. The confident young master who had publicly assaulted Wang Shu in this very district was gone. In his place stood something hollow and hungry, held together by hatred and demonic power.
Dark lines crawled beneath Xue Feng's skin, more extensive than his companions'. His eyes caught the light wrong, reflecting it with an oily sheen that had nothing to do with cultivation techniques. He was thinner than Wang Ben remembered, as if something was slowly consuming him from within.
"Did you think I would forget?" Xue Feng dropped from the rooftop, landing with preternatural grace. "Did you think I would simply disappear?"
[THREAT ASSESSMENT: Subject Xue Feng - late-stage qi condensation with demonic enhancement detected. Combat capability exceeds baseline by significant margin]
[WARNING: Three additional subjects at early to mid-stage qi condensation with similar enhancement. Combined threat level: SEVERE]
[TACTICAL RECOMMENDATION: Avoid direct engagement. Exploit environmental factors. Prioritize escape over combat.]
Wang Ben's hand found his sword, but he didn't draw. Not yet. "You came back for revenge. Against me specifically, or against everyone who didn't die when your clan fell?"
"You." Xue Feng's smile was a terrible thing, all teeth and malice. "The others can wait. But you... you're special, Wang Ben. Your father's recovery. Your mother's weakness. That infant brother of yours. I've been watching. Learning. Planning."
The casual mention of his family sent ice through Wang Ben's veins. "Touch them and there won't be enough of you left to bury."
"Bold words from an early-stage qi condensation cultivator facing four opponents." Xue Feng gestured, and his demonic allies began to spread out, cutting off the obvious escape routes. "But I'm not here to kill you today. That would be too quick. Too merciful. I want you to watch first. Watch as I take everything from you, piece by piece. The way you took everything from me."
[TACTICAL UPDATE: Subjects circling to cut off escape routes. Northwest and southeast compromised. Eastern alley remains viable momentarily.]
Wang Ben moved.
Not toward the eastern alley. That was too obvious. Instead, he ducked between two market stalls, using the confusion of startled merchants and scattered wares to cover his movement. His sword cleared its sheath as he ran, the blade a familiar weight in his hands.
The first demonic cultivator tried to intercept him and learned immediately that qi condensation was not the same as body refinement. Wang Ben's strike wasn't meant to kill. It was meant to disable, to slow, to buy the heartbeats he desperately needed.
The blade bit into the cultivator's arm, and the man screamed. Not in pain, but in frustrated rage, as if the wound was an insult rather than an injury. He lunged after Wang Ben with the reckless aggression of someone who had traded caution for power.
[OBSERVATION: Demonic qi destabilizes standard attack patterns. Subject overextends during offensive phases. Recovery windows exist but are brief.]
Wang Ben ducked under a wild swing, felt the corrupt qi brush past his face like rotten breath, and kept running. The market stalls gave way to a residential street, then a cramped alley between two-story buildings.
Footsteps behind him. Multiple sets. They were faster than they should have been, their demonic cultivation pushing their bodies beyond natural limits.
He emerged into a small courtyard and nearly ran into another of Xue Feng's allies. This one was waiting, having anticipated his route. More corruption visible on this cultivator. Darker lines, more extensive spread. Whatever he'd been before, he was more demon than man now.
Wang Ben didn't hesitate. He charged straight at the corrupted cultivator, letting momentum carry him forward as he brought his sword up in a defensive guard. The impact nearly dislocated his shoulder, the demonic ally's strike carrying far more force than his cultivation level should have allowed.
But Wang Ben had expected that. He'd analyzed their movements, noted how the corruption enhanced their offensive capabilities at the cost of their control. When the corrupted cultivator overextended, Wang Ben was already moving, sliding past the follow-up strike and delivering a vicious cut to the man's leg.
This one didn't scream. He smiled, even as blood poured from the wound, and reached for Wang Ben with clawed fingers.
[WARNING: Subject demonstrates reduced pain response. Standard incapacitation techniques may be ineffective.]
Wang Ben broke left, abandoning the courtyard for another narrow street. His breathing was coming harder now, qi consumption mounting as he pushed his body to its limits. He couldn't keep this pace forever. Eventually they would corner him, and no amount of tactical analysis would save him from four opponents he couldn't match in raw power.
He needed to change the equation.
The rooftops of the merchant district offered different tactical possibilities.
Wang Ben pulled himself over a wall and onto a tiled roof, his arms burning from the effort. Below, he could hear his pursuers spreading out, searching the streets for a target that had suddenly vanished.
[TACTICAL ANALYSIS: Elevated position provides temporary advantage. However, subject Xue Feng has demonstrated similar mobility. Recommend using height to reach Wang Clan compound rather than attempting sustained evasion.]
The compound was five streets away. Five streets of rooftops, alleys, and open spaces where Xue Feng could intercept him. But it was also five streets of familiar territory, of shops with defensive formations and guards who would respond to visible cultivation combat.
Wang Ben began to move, leaping from roof to roof with the careful precision of someone who had studied these routes for exactly this purpose.
Xue Feng appeared ahead of him, having somehow anticipated his direction.
"Clever." The former young master's voice held grudging respect beneath the hatred. "Using the rooftops to avoid my companions. But you forget, Wang Ben. I grew up in this city too. I know these paths as well as you do."
"Then you know that cultivation combat in the merchant district draws attention." Wang Ben kept his sword raised, measuring distances and angles. "The City Lord's guards. The clan patrols. Your demonic friends might not appreciate that kind of visibility."
"They're not my friends." Something flickered in Xue Feng's expression. Bitterness, perhaps, or shame. "They're my tools. The same way the Bastion's resources are my tools. Did you think the material shortages were coincidence? Your little array project? The Bastion made sure you'd never get what you needed. They're not just watching, Wang Ben. They're strangling you slowly."
[OBSERVATION: Subject Xue Feng demonstrates knowledge of Crimson Bastion material acquisition patterns]
[Analysis: Alliance or information sharing between demonic faction and Crimson Bastion probable. Strategic implications significant.]
Wang Ben filed that information away, even as he adjusted his stance. "The Crimson Bastion. They're funding your revenge?"
"They're pursuing their own interests. I'm pursuing mine. Our goals happen to align." Xue Feng's smile returned, sharper than before. "You made powerful enemies when your Phantom Gate protectors killed their delegates. Did you think there wouldn't be consequences?"
"I didn't kill anyone."
"No. You just benefit from those who did." Xue Feng drew his sword, a blade that seemed to drink the morning light. "Enough talk. I've waited too long for this."
He moved, and Wang Ben barely got his sword up in time to deflect the first strike. The impact drove him back three steps, his arms numbing from the force. Xue Feng was faster than he should have been, stronger, his demonic cultivation pushing him beyond the limits of late-stage qi condensation.
[COMBAT ANALYSIS: Subject's enhancement provides substantial increase in strike force and movement speed. Demonic augmentation exceeds natural cultivation limits.]
[WARNING: Current defense posture unsustainable. Recommend disengagement.]
Wang Ben couldn't disengage. Every time he tried to create distance, Xue Feng closed it. Every attempted escape was cut off by the former young master's superior speed and reach. The five-stage cultivation gap was simply too great to overcome with tactics alone.
A strike slipped past Wang Ben's guard, opening a shallow cut across his forearm. Another nearly took him in the shoulder, only a desperate twist saving him from serious injury.
He was losing.
And then qi pressure flooded the rooftop, heavy and familiar and absolutely furious.
Wang Tian landed between them, his foundation establishment cultivation announcing itself like a thunderclap. The defensive formations around the compound had alerted him to sustained cultivation combat nearby, and he had come running.
"Xue Feng." Wang Tian's voice was cold enough to freeze blood. "You poisoned my cultivation for a decade. You destroyed your own clan trying to destroy mine. And now you threaten my son?"
Xue Feng's expression shifted, uncertainty flickering through the hatred. Foundation establishment transcended qi condensation. Even with his demonic enhancement, he faced an opponent from a higher realm entirely.
But he didn't back down.
"Wang Tian. I'd hoped to deal with you later, after I'd finished with your boy. But since you're here..." He attacked.
Wang Ben had never seen his father fight at full strength. During the clan war, Wang Tian had been limited by his damaged cultivation, forced to rely on alchemy and tactics rather than direct combat. Now, with his foundation established and his spirit fire restored, he moved like something out of legend.
Xue Feng was fast. Wang Tian was faster.
Xue Feng was strong. Wang Tian matched his strikes and forced him back.
The demonic cultivation that had seemed so overwhelming moments ago suddenly looked desperate, a failing attempt to bridge a gap that couldn't be bridged. For all his corruption, all his hatred, Xue Feng was still qi condensation facing foundation establishment.
But he wasn't alone.
His demonic allies arrived, climbing onto the rooftops with movements that seemed more beast than human. Three of them now, the fourth apparently too wounded to continue. They didn't attack Wang Tian directly. They went for Wang Ben instead, forcing the elder Wang to split his attention.
The fight became chaos. Wang Ben defended himself as best he could, his sword finding openings when the corrupted cultivators overextended. One of them went down to a strike that opened his throat, gurgling as he fell from the rooftop. Another took a wound to the chest that would have killed a normal cultivator but only seemed to enrage him further.
Wang Tian drove Xue Feng back step by step, foundation establishment's fundamental superiority asserting itself despite the demonic enhancement. But he couldn't end it quickly, not while protecting his son from the remaining attackers.
Xue Feng saw the same calculation.
"Another time, then." He disengaged suddenly, leaping backward off the rooftop. "This isn't over, Wang Tian. I'll take everything from you. Piece by piece."
His remaining allies followed, the wounded one somehow managing to keep pace despite injuries that should have been crippling. Within moments, they had vanished into the maze of streets and alleys, their corrupted qi signatures fading into the city's background noise.
Wang Tian didn't pursue. He turned to his son, concern replacing the cold fury of combat. "Ben'er. You're hurt."
Wang Ben looked at his wounds as if seeing them for the first time. The cut on his forearm was bleeding freely, and there were other injuries he hadn't even noticed taking. Nothing critical, but nothing trivial either.
"I'm alive," he said. "Thanks to you."
"You should have stayed in the compound."
"If I had, he would have found another way. Another target." Wang Ben sheathed his sword with hands that had only begun to shake. "He's been watching us for weeks. He knows our routines, our weaknesses. The compound walls wouldn't have protected anyone if he decided to strike when we weren't expecting it."
Wang Tian's expression said he didn't entirely accept that reasoning, but he didn't argue. "We need to get you to the physicians. And then we need to talk about what happens next."
Evening found the Wang family gathered in the main house, the aftermath of the attack still fresh in everyone's minds.
Wang Ben's wounds had been cleaned and bandaged, nothing serious enough to require a physician's extended attention. The physical damage would heal within days. The other implications would take longer.
"He said the Crimson Bastion is involved." Wang Ben sat across from his parents, Wang Chen sleeping peacefully in Li Mei's arms. "That they're the ones who cornered the shadow-drinking crystal supply. That they're deliberately strangling our resources."
Wang Tian's expression was grave. "If the Domain capital is actively working against us..."
"What did we do to draw their attention?" Li Mei's voice was quiet, but there was fear beneath the calm. She held Wang Chen tighter, as if she could protect him from the forces gathering against their family.
Wang Ben knew the answer. The Phantom Gate connection. The dead Bastion delegates, killed by Shen Wuyan after the auction. The political implications of a nascent soul cultivator claiming this city as his territory.
But he couldn't explain all of that. Couldn't reveal the full scope of what they faced without revealing things he wasn't ready to share.
"We survived," he said instead. "And we allied with powers they didn't expect. The Bastion lost investments here, lost people. They want answers, and they want revenge."
"And Xue Feng is their tool." Wang Tian's hands clenched. "A broken young master with nothing left to lose, backed by demonic cultivation and domain resources."
"He'll come back." Wang Ben met his father's eyes. "This was just the first attempt. He wants me to suffer before he kills me. That means he'll keep coming, keep probing, until he finds a weakness he can exploit."
The silence that followed was heavy with implications.
"The compound defenses need to be strengthened," Li Mei said finally. "And none of us should travel alone anymore. Not until this is resolved."
"Agreed." Wang Tian rose, moving to the window. "I'll speak with the Patriarch in the morning. The clan needs to know what we're facing."
Wang Ben nodded, but his mind was already racing ahead. Clan defenses. Political maneuvering. The favor he still owed Shen Wuyan.
And beneath it all, the growing certainty that he had brought this danger to his family. Every advantage he'd gained, every secret he'd kept, every alliance he'd forged in the shadows... they had all painted targets on the people he loved most.
Later, alone in his quarters, Wang Ben sat with the weight of the day's events pressing down on him.
The watching sensation was back. Different now, not the focused malice of Xue Feng's observation. Something else, something further away. More patient. More calculating.
[DETECTION: Multiple observation points detected. Source signatures inconsistent with previous surveillance.]
[Analysis: At least two distinct factions now monitoring Wang Clan compound. Estimated threat classifications: demonic faction (confirmed), unknown faction (probable Crimson Bastion scouts)]
[Strategic Assessment: Host has drawn attention of multiple hostile powers. Recommend accelerated defensive preparations and cultivation advancement.]
Multiple factions. Xue Feng and his demonic allies. Crimson Bastion scouts, probing the city's defenses. And somewhere beyond them, Shen Wuyan watching everything with the patient calculation of something ancient and dangerous.
Wang Ben had thought the favor debt was his greatest burden. Now he understood it was just one weight among many.
He looked at his bandaged arm, at the wounds that would become scars, at the evidence of a fight he had barely survived. Today had been close. Too close. If his father hadn't arrived when he did...
But his father had arrived. The Wang Clan was not helpless. And whatever came next, Wang Ben would face it with the knowledge that he was not fighting alone.
Small comfort against the gathering darkness. But comfort nonetheless.
Outside his window, the city settled into evening routines, unaware of the forces maneuvering in its shadows. Somewhere out there, Xue Feng was licking his wounds and planning his next move. Somewhere further away, Crimson Bastion strategists were adjusting their calculations.
And somewhere between reality and void, entities that fed on projecting souls continued their patient hunt.
The shadows were moving. All Wang Ben could do was prepare for when they struck again.
END OF CHAPTER 66