Redstone City appeared through the morning haze like a promise kept too long.
Wang Ben stood at the ridge overlooking the valley, taking in the familiar sprawl of streets and compounds that had been his home for seventeen years. The journey from the Dragon Spine Mountains had taken three days, each one filled with quiet conversation and the strange comfort of shared secrets. His father walked beside him now with a different weight to his presence, the knowledge of what Wang Ben carried changing something fundamental between them.
"Home," Wang Tian said. "Strange how it looks smaller after what we've seen."
"It hasn't changed. We have."
His father nodded slowly. The foundation establishment cultivator who had nearly died of qi stagnation two years ago now stood with restored cultivation and restored purpose, and he carried his son's impossible secret with the same steady resolve he brought to everything else.
"Your mother will want answers," Wang Tian said. "About why we were gone so long, about what happened. She won't push, but she'll want to know."
Wang Ben had been thinking about that. Li Mei had accepted his secrets before, had trusted him when he couldn't explain. But the secret he now shared with his father was different, deeper, touching on questions about what he truly was.
"We tell her the truth about what we can. That we helped someone important. That it was dangerous but necessary." Wang Ben paused. "The rest... I'm not ready to explain to anyone else. Not yet."
"She'll know you're hiding something."
"She always knows. But she'll also know I'll tell her when I can."
They descended toward the city, and Wang Ben tried to prepare himself for the life that waited.
The Wang clan compound felt both familiar and strange.
Wang Ben walked through the gates with his father, noting the subtle changes that had accumulated during their absence. New formation nodes in the outer walls, evidence of the security improvements he had designed before leaving. Guards who stood straighter, moved with more confidence than they had months ago.
The clan had grown stronger. Not dramatically, not in ways that would draw unwanted attention. But the foundations were more solid now, better prepared for the challenges ahead.
[ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN: Wang clan compound]
[Security status: Improved - new formation nodes operational]
[Detected presences: 52 clan members, 4 servants, 1 external visitor]
[Note: External visitor signature indicates official messenger - cultivation suppressed but estimated qi condensation mid-stage. Formal robes suggest domain-level origin.]
A domain-level messenger. Wang Ben felt the weight of that observation settle into place beside all the other concerns he carried. Whatever had happened while they were gone, it had apparently drawn attention from the capital.
"Visitor," Wang Tian murmured, having sensed the unfamiliar presence as well.
"Official, from the feel of it."
They made their way toward the main hall, and Wang Ben prepared himself for whatever politics awaited.
Li Mei met them before they reached the hall.
She emerged from the family quarters with the composed grace of a woman who had spent days hiding worry behind cultivation discipline. Her qi condensation signature was steady, unchanged, but her eyes held relief so profound it nearly broke Wang Ben's careful composure.
"You're home." She touched Wang Tian's arm, then reached out to cup Wang Ben's face in her hands. "Both of you. Safe."
"Safe," Wang Tian confirmed.
"You were gone longer than expected." Li Mei's hands dropped from Wang Ben's face, but she stayed close, studying him with the attention of a mother who knew when her child had changed. "You look tired. More than tired. You look like you've seen something that took pieces of you to witness."
Wang Ben didn't know how to respond. The entities, the impossible offers, the transformation he had witnessed... none of it fit into simple explanations.
"It was difficult," he said finally. "But necessary. And we survived."
Li Mei's expression suggested she understood everything he wasn't saying. But she didn't push, because that was who she was. Instead, she turned slightly, acknowledging the situation waiting in the main hall.
"Your grandfather has been handling something. There's a messenger from the domain capital who arrived yesterday." Her voice dropped. "Ben'er, something is happening. The atmosphere in the city has changed while you were gone."
Wang Ben exchanged a glance with his father. The cultivation world never rested, and apparently their absence had given events time to develop without their awareness.
"We should see what this is about."
The main hall held the weight of formal business.
Patriarch Wang Tiexin sat in the position of authority, his seven hundred years showing only in the weight of his gaze. The old formation master's core formation cultivation filled the room with quiet pressure, a reminder of why the Wang clan had survived when others fell. His weathered face carried the patience of centuries, and his eyes missed nothing as Wang Ben and Wang Tian entered.
In the corner, a messenger in formal robes bore the seal of the Crimson Bastion.
"Grandfather." Wang Ben offered a formal bow as they entered. "We've returned."
"So I see." Wang Tiexin's voice was measured, but something in his expression softened slightly. "The matter you attended to in the eastern mountains. It concluded successfully?"
"It did."
The patriarch nodded slowly. He didn't ask for details, and Wang Ben was grateful for that restraint. Wang Tiexin was many things, but he understood when questions should wait.
"Good. Then you should hear this." The patriarch gestured toward the messenger. "Continue."
The Crimson Bastion messenger stepped forward, his formal bearing unchanged by the interruption.
"As I was explaining, Patriarch Wang. Domain Lord Tie Wushan has taken notice of recent developments in Redstone City. The resolution of the Xue Feng situation. The Wang clan's rising prominence following the clan conflict. And certain reports of significant cultivator activity in the eastern mountains that coincided with your family members' absence."
Wang Ben kept his face neutral. The Domain Lord's intelligence network was apparently more thorough than he had hoped.
"A delegation from the Crimson Bastion will arrive within the month," the messenger continued. "They request the honor of meeting with the Wang clan regarding matters of mutual interest."
[CRITICAL ASSESSMENT: Domain-level attention confirmed]
[Sources of interest: Xue Feng aftermath (demonic cultivator incident), political interest (clan influence), regional activity reports (eastern mountains)]
[Implications: High political visibility, potential resource access, increased scrutiny]
[Risk factors: Loss of operational autonomy, factional pressure, potential conflicts of interest]
Wang Tiexin's expression didn't change, but Wang Ben sensed his grandfather's cultivation signature sharpen slightly. The Crimson Bastion was the domain capital, seat of Domain Lord Tie Wushan's power. A delegation from there meant political attention at the highest regional level.
"What matters of mutual interest?" the patriarch asked.
"The Domain Lord wishes to understand how the Xue Feng situation was resolved so... definitively. A demonic cultivator operating openly within city limits is a serious matter. The manner of his death raised questions that the Domain Lord believes deserve answers." The messenger paused. "Additionally, the Crimson Flame Sect has expressed interest in the Wang clan's formation work. Your family's reputation in that field has apparently reached the capital."
The Crimson Flame Sect. One of the major powers in the domain capital, known for their martial cultivation and their interest in strategic advantages.
"We would be honored to receive the delegation," Wang Tiexin said formally. "The Wang clan remains loyal servants of the domain. We will prepare appropriate hospitality and answer whatever questions the Domain Lord's representatives wish to ask."
The messenger nodded, apparently satisfied. "The delegation will include representatives from several Bastion noble houses. I'm instructed to mention that cooperation will be noted favorably in the Domain Lord's assessments."
"We understand."
After the messenger departed with formal courtesies, the family remained in the hall. Wang Tiexin's gaze settled on Wang Ben with the penetrating attention of someone who had seen centuries of secrets kept and revealed.
"The eastern mountains," the patriarch said quietly. "Whatever you were doing there, it seems to have attracted notice."
"Not from our work directly," Wang Ben said carefully. "The Shen family's privacy formations would have concealed anything happening within their territory. But cultivator movements in the region... those are harder to hide."
Wang Tiexin absorbed this. "The Shen siblings. I'd heard rumors they were involved in something significant." He didn't ask what. "And now the domain capital comes calling about the Xue Feng business and our rising prominence. Convenient timing."
"Or inconvenient, depending on perspective."
The patriarch smiled slightly, the expression carrying weight that came from centuries of navigating cultivation politics. "We'll discuss this further. For now, rest. Both of you look like you've been through something that left marks."
The family quarters felt smaller than Wang Ben remembered, though nothing had physically changed. Perhaps it was him who had grown, expanded by experiences that had no place in these familiar walls.
Li Mei had waited until they were alone, away from formal halls and political concerns. Now she sat across from Wang Ben in the sitting room where he had spent countless hours as a child, her attention fixed on him with the intensity of a mother who sensed something fundamental had changed.
"You've been hiding something for a long time, Ben'er." Her voice was gentle, but her eyes were sharp. "I've felt it, even if I couldn't name it. The way you know things you shouldn't, the way you design formations that masters can't explain." She paused. "I'm not asking you to explain. I'm asking if you're safe."
The question cut deeper than Wang Ben expected. Was he safe? With the knowledge he carried, he had survived challenges that should have killed him. With the same knowledge, he had drawn the attention of ancient cultivators and domain-level politicians.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I have advantages that help me survive. But those advantages also make me visible in ways that create new dangers."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only honest one I have." Wang Ben met his mother's eyes. "I'm working with what I've been given. Trying to make choices that keep our family protected while preparing for challenges I can only partially predict. Is that enough?"
Li Mei was quiet for a long moment. Then she rose, crossed the room, and embraced him the way she had when he was a child recovering from illness.
"It's enough for now," she whispered. "But when you're ready to tell me everything, I'll be here to listen."
Wang Ben felt something shift in his chest, a weight that hadn't quite lifted during his confession to Wang Tian. His mother knew something was wrong, accepted that she didn't have answers, and chose trust anyway.
It was more than he deserved. And exactly what he needed.
The night deepened around the Wang clan compound, and Wang Ben found himself on the roof of the main building, watching stars emerge from the darkening sky.
[STATUS SUMMARY: Post-operation assessment]
[Primary obligation: First Shen family favor COMPLETE]
[Outstanding obligations: Two favors remain owed to Shen Wuyan]
[External factors: Domain-level attention confirmed, Bastion delegation incoming within one month]
[System status: 1.95% functionality (increased from 1.85% following extended observation of anomalous entities)]
[Note: Data collected during recent operation enhanced pattern recognition capabilities. New threat analysis protocols available.]
The System had grown during his time in the eastern mountains. Not dramatically, not in ways that fundamentally changed its function. But the extended exposure to entities that shouldn't exist had provided data that enhanced its analytical capabilities.
Wang Ben wondered what other growth might be possible, and what that growth might eventually cost.
Two favors still owed to Shen Wuyan. A delegation from the Domain Lord's court. Ancient cultivators who suspected he carried knowledge from impossible sources. The Xue Feng situation resolved, but its aftermath drawing attention he couldn't afford.
The storm that had centered on the breakthrough had passed, but new storms were gathering on every horizon.
[RECOMMENDATION: Prioritize preparation for Bastion delegation]
[Secondary priority: Continue research into entity countermeasures]
[Warning: Multiple attention vectors increasing probability of operational exposure]
Wang Ben looked out at the city that had been his home for seventeen years. So much had changed since the morning he had awakened with a voice in his head that claimed to know secrets the world had forgotten. He had gone from crippled heir to formation prodigy, from isolated survivor to someone with family and allies and debts that bound him to powers he couldn't fully comprehend.
And somewhere in the distance, Shen Wuyan was watching. Waiting. Planning whatever the second and third favors would demand.
"Two favors remain," Wang Ben murmured to the night sky. "I wonder what price the next one will carry."
The stars offered no answer. But the city below was stirring, preparing for changes that would reshape everything Wang Ben had built. The Bastion delegation would arrive within the month. And the cultivation world would keep turning, indifferent to the small mysteries of one formation master in a frontier city.
Wang Ben descended from the roof and went to find what rest he could.
Tomorrow, the new challenges would begin.
END OF CHAPTER 86