Everyone stood silent.

  Liu Zhengan and Yuming stood humbly before Liu Jinghan. Even Liu Mei, Liu Mingzen, and a few other Dantian Awakening cultivators rushed over.

  “We humbly pay respects to the Ancestor!” they said in unison.

  The tattered Chenrui stumbled over, unsure of what to say. He fell into a kowtow, not daring to raise his head before the figure in front of him.

  Liu Jinghan chuckled and motioned for them to rise. He pinched his fingers, as if deducing.

  “You all have done well in dealing with these demons…alas, what a pity about Hanwei.”

  He flicked his wrist, pulling Liu Hanwei’s body gently through the air towards the courtyard. He then turned to Chen Fang’s corpse.

  “Wherever there exists wealth, there are thieves. Gold never sits long without hungry hands reaching for it. My Liu Family is a place of great prosperity and abundance, and greed is the one harvest that never fails.”

  All of the family members in the courtyard nodded their heads repeatedly in agreement.

  He turned his gentle gaze towards Yuming. “Young Ming’er, we sent you here to help with the Autumn Harvest, and for a valuable learning opportunity. The events today were beyond our expectations, but hopefully you’ve learned a few things.”

  Yuming bowed. “This Junior will never forget the lessons today. I thank Senior for his life-saving grace.”

  Yuming spoke those last words before he could shut his mouth. They flowed so naturally, so instinctively. He had to consciously resist the urge to kowtow like his brother.

  His eyes flickered towards Chenrui, who he had just saved, as complicated emotions swelled up in his heart.

  “Ming’er, you’ve been through enough. Say goodbye to your brother, you will come back with me.”

  Jinghan gestured magnanimously, granting them a moment. The other cultivators stepped back, giving the brothers a thin illusion of privacy.

  Yuming wasn’t that stupid.

  Chenrui stood slowly, his torn robes hanging loose. He wouldn't meet Yuming's eyes at first.

  "Chenrui."

  His brother finally looked up. His face was full of dirt, with blood still leaking from his scrape.

  "You came for me," Chenrui said. His voice cracked. "I-I wasn’t sure if you would. T-Thank you.”

  Yuming circled a small amount of qi through his Ren Meridian. He felt a thin, purposeless thread swaying in the direction of his brother.

  His fist clenched slightly.

  "You're my brother," Yuming said simply.

  Chenrui’s eyes reddened. He grabbed Yuming by the arm, staring at his face. “I’m sorry…” he managed through tears. “I’m sorry I ever doubted.”

  Yuming looked at his brother. He saw the tears streaming down his dirt-streaked face. He felt the trembling grip on his arm.

  Stop crying, he thought.

  He felt something curdle in his stomach. An ugly thought rose up in him, a thought he tried to throw away but found he was forced to accept.

  I walked into a trap for you, I let them win for you. And now… you just stand here and weep? Like—

  Like a mortal who almost died? Like a brother who thought he’d been abandoned? It was completely natural, obvious. Anything else would be strange.

  So why did Yuming feel a tinge of disgust?

  He didn’t know.

  He circled more qi through his Ren Meridian, trying to steady himself.

  That’s when he felt it.

  Something above him—a weight that hadn’t been there before, settling into place. Like a clicking lock. He tried to trace it—it was more a branch than a thread. It was sturdy and deep.

  Yuming looked at Liu Jinghan, who was all smiles.

  So this is the Zhan Branch.

  He’d known that saving Chenrui would lead to this, he knew that before he’d started sprinting across the courtyard. But knowing and feeling were two different things.

  Looking at the sobbing Chenrui across from him, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat bitter.

  He patted Chenrui’s shoulder. “You’ll always be my brother,” he said, turning towards Liu Jinghan.

  Liu Jinghan nodded towards the crowd and reached out his hand, gesturing for Yuming to grab onto it.

  Wind surged around them. Qinglu Market dropped away. The burning stalls, the scattered bodies, the tiny figure of Chenrui still sobbing in the ruined plaza, Yuming watched them all expressionlessly as he ascended.

  They shot through the night sky, the mountains of Zhenyuan growing larger with each breath. Jinghan's qi enveloped them both, smooth and effortless. This was the power of Foundation Establishment.

  Liu Jinghan dropped Yuming off at Far Lantern Peak. He quickly returned to his dwellings, and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

  ….

  The next day, Yuming headed towards the Instructor Hall to receive his rewards from the mission. Liu Jinghan had promised him ample medicinal treatment, meridian soothing pills, and exclusive usage of the meditation pond. Yuming realized he’d be able to recover from his damaged meridians faster than he’d anticipated.

  He also realized that the Zhan Branch now wanted him to cultivate quickly. Yuming resolved to take his time.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  On his way back from the Hall, he saw Liu Qinghe—the girl he had first sparred with years ago—sobbing as she carried her belongings down the mountain. It seemed she had critically damaged her meridians.

  Such sights weren’t particularly rare. Most of his cohort was still struggling to reach Meridian Unblocking, and ruptures were common.

  Yuming circled Far Lantern Peak, reaching the training grounds.

  He saw Liu Yufeng and Liu Yitong moving in patterns too quick to easily follow. Without focusing, he could only see the afterimages. Liu Yufeng summoned two swords that levitated around him before darting towards Yitong, who dodged them with great effort.

  So Liu Yitong has reached Dantian Awakening too.

  Liu Yufeng, Liu Yiyi, Liu Yitong, maybe even Liu Yujin too. All of them his age, all of them less talented than him, all of them could kill him in a few short strikes.

  He watched as the two traded blows and laughed with each other. Liu Yufeng spared him a quick glance and smiled.

  Yuming nodded in his direction before hurrying back towards his dormitory.

  On the way back, he caught sight of Liu Yiling.

  “Ling’er!” he grinned.

  She opened her eyes, standing up from her meditative stance.

  “Yuming,” she said, hesitating a moment before smiling. “You look terrible.”

  “Some demons attacked Qinglu Market,” he replied, brushing it off. “You’ll hear all about it soon.”

  Yiling bit her lip, slightly jealous that she missed a great battle.

  “Why do you always get to have all the fun?”

  Yuming shrugged. “It’s not always fun for me.”

  The two exchanged pleasantries before Yuming departed. Yuming noticed that she hadn’t made fun of his lack of cultivation progress. His thoughts drifted back to Reed Harbor, to Yiling saving all of the lives she could.

  She’s probably made less progress than I have.

  Upon returning to his room, he cycled qi through his Ren Meridian. He felt the weight above him again.

  His hands shook slightly.

  I need a plan. I need a direction.

  Before, it was fine to wait and see. But now he was in their palm, and they were rushing him to cultivate. He couldn't just watch and observe.

  So what do I know, and what can I assume?

  The Zhan Branch wanted him in karmic debt. The branches weren't supposed to fight over him. The Xu Branch wasn't interfering.

  The obvious guess would be that the Zhan Branch wanted him in their camp. But this was such a roundabout method. Years of careful positioning and manufacturing crisis. If they just wanted loyalty, there were simpler ways.

  And the Xu Branch would certainly interfere with such a direct recruitment.

  Unless they're getting something too.

  His thoughts drifted to Chen Fang, to what the man had said before Liu Jinghan silenced him.

  Liu Chengxu is behind what's going on in the north.

  Yuming had long suspected the Liu Family was either responsible for—or complicit in—the northern chaos. Now he had confirmation, and a name.

  So the Xu Branch ancestor is massacring civilians. Does that connect to me?

  He tried to find a thread.

  Maybe the killing brings karmic punishment? And they want to redirect it towards me?

  The thought felt right for a moment. Debt flowed down, gratitude flowed up. The gratitude was already in place. Perhaps he was meant to absorb consequences that would otherwise fall on Liu Chengxu.

  But the more he examined it, the less it held.

  Does the Sea of Suffering punish killing mortals? I don’t believe it.

  He knew this intuitively. Mortals weren't real enough to generate that kind of weight. Liu Xuehan had explained it years ago—mortals were reflections, maintained by Heaven and Earth. Their deaths were ripples.

  I killed Dao San and felt nothing. There’s been no thread or weight.

  The forty threads from Reed Harbor still dragged at him—but those were debts of gratitude, not guilt. He had saved them, their karma flowed from their perception of him, not from some cosmic judgement of his actions.

  So Liu Chengxu slaughters thousands and the Sea doesn't care. Then why would the Zhan Branch need me at all?

  He cycled more qi, feeling the familiar ache in his damaged meridians.

  Unless it's not about the Sea. Unless it's about something else.

  The Sect.

  He knew almost nothing about the Chudeng Sect. Only that he was supposed to go there eventually, that the Liu Family held high status within it, and that Liu Chengxu himself had some prominent role.

  Could the Sect punish him? Could there be rules against what he's doing?

  It was possible. Sects had politics. He knew other Liu Family Dao Imprint cultivators were involved—there were probably other Dao Imprints too.

  But then why would Liu Chengxu act so openly if he'd be punished?

  Yuming frowned.

  Maybe he's old enough that he doesn't care. Maybe the punishment falls on his descendants instead of him.

  Yuming had basic knowledge about the Family’s three Dao Imprint Immortal Masters. They were Liu Chengxu, Liu Chengzhan, and Liu Yunlian. The two Chengs, Chengxu and Chengzhan, were both over four hundred years old, nearing the end of their lifespans.

  That would explain Xu Branch‘s tolerance—their ancestor's sins were becoming their burden. But it still didn't explain Zhan Branch involvement. Why would Zhan help Xu with their karmic problems?

  Unless Zhan benefits from Xu's weakness.

  He sat with that thought. It made political sense. If the Xu Branch was struggling under some weight, the Zhan Branch could extract concessions. Trading help for influence. Using Yuming as... what? A sacrifice? Or a tool?

  But that's just about politics, it wouldn’t involve karma.

  He thought about the Yang Family. Their decline after usurping the throne. The way their spiritual roots had withered over generations, their breakthroughs growing harder.

  They changed their identity. They stopped being guardians and became rulers, thus the Sea didn't recognize them anymore.

  And there had been an earlier decline too—when they destroyed the Chen Family.

  Yuming paused.

  Why would destroying an enemy weaken them?

  The Yang Family had been guardians. They'd crushed a rebellion to protect their king. That should have strengthened their identity, not damaged it.

  Unless... unless the Chen Family was connected to them somehow. Bound together in the Sea.

  He thought about it. Two families, intertwined. When one fell into the Sea, the other slipped as well.

  Is that possible? Can groups share karmic bonds?

  He didn't know. He had no evidence beyond one historical pattern that might mean nothing.

  And even if it's true, how does it connect to me?

  He was from a mortal branch. No political significance. No karmic weight worth mentioning. The Zhan Branch had spent years building debt with him specifically—not with any of the other talented juniors.

  Why me? What makes me different?

  I have an Earth-grade spiritual root, mortal origins. I cultivate the Unbroken Ledger True Sutra.

  His eyes narrowed.

  The Unbroken Ledger was strange. It let him perceive karma in ways other techniques likely didn’t. His Ren Meridian had become a receiving gate for more than just qi—he could feel the threads and sense their weight.

  Maybe they need someone who can perceive karma. Someone who can interact with it directly.

  That felt closer. But how would he interact? What would he do?

  Also, if they knew I could sense karma, and wanted me to use that to help them, they’d explain karma to me.

  He shook his head.

  They also wouldn’t act like this if they knew I could detect karma, right?

  He pushed further, trying to force the pieces together.

  The Xu Branch is in trouble because of Liu Chengxu's actions. The Zhan Branch is helping them by... using me to... redirect something? Absorb something? Anchor something?

  The theory collapsed under its own weight. He was guessing at mechanisms he didn't understand.

  I don't know enough about karmic bonds. I don't know what the Sect does. I don't know what Liu Chengxu is actually trying to accomplish in the north. I don't know why the branches are cooperating.

  He let out a slow breath.

  I don't even know if any of this is right.

  All he had was a sense, a sense that the debt they were building had a purpose beyond simple loyalty.

  I need more information.

  About the Sect. About Liu Chengxu. About what karmic bonds between families actually looked like—or if they existed at all.

  But if I had to guess, I don’t have much time. So I need to make a bold assumption and start acting on it.

  He stood up, his mind racing.

  Whether I’m an anchor, an absorber, a scapegoat… my identity should be the key to the plan.

  Mortals don’t truly have distinct identities.

  He’d already internalized that, had nightmares about it.

  But I’m not so different from a mortal. I haven’t even fully condensed myself.

  His thoughts grew bolder.

  Who’s to say I can’t change my identity?

  He left his room, his eyes clear.

  It’s time to talk to Liu Xuehan.