I blinked as the archive and Meiyu's presence dissolved. My limbs felt heavy after all my efforts and I was drained. While time didn't pass the same in my Silent Pagoda as it did here, it also didn't allow you to physically or mentally recover while you were there. The path through the forest stretched ahead in fading light and I started to walk.

  My exertions had led to blood and dirt liberally coating my clothes and it had dried into stiff patches. I activated Dustless Step, watching the worst grime slide away from my garments. The technique couldn't remove everything, but it would reduce the questions about what I had been up to in the forest

  Not being quite so filthy helped but exhaustion was slowing my footsteps to a shuffle. I made a decision. Hauling my pack off my back I reached in and pulled out one of the Goldcap mushrooms. Eating it raw would waste much of its potential, as converting it to a proper stamina potion would provide many times the benefit, but I was tired and I had collected enough to spare one.

  The mushroom's flesh dissolved on my tongue and within moments my muscles were refreshed as it drove back the weariness. Not perfect, but enough to allow me to get home.

  It was fully dark by the time I made it past the farms and into the light of the city's lanterns. The mushroom's effects had long since faded and I stumbled through my front door on sheer willpower. Everyone in the house was asleep and without ceremony I dropped my pack by my bed. My eyes were shut even before my fully clothed body hit the sheets.

  The next thing I knew the morning light was streaming through the window and pulling me from deep sleep. I sat up and ran a hand through my hair, as I looked at the pack lying on the floor where I had dropped it the night before.

  Forcing myself up I got to work. The formation stones I piled up in the corner of my room to deal with when I had some spare time. The other materials couldn't wait though. Several of the plants I had gathered would wilt by the evening. This house had no cold storage or drying racks, in fact nothing to keep the valuable ingredients from losing their essence.

  Waste gnawed at me. In my previous life, servants would have processed everything immediately, but here I had neither the facilities nor the people to preserve what I had brought home.

  I dressed quickly, my mind already planning the day. Training first, the encounter with the Hollow Horn Bison was a timely reminder that I was still far weaker than even modest challenges in his world. Then the baths before a meeting that Lian had set up with a potential customer, and I would also need to check in at Qin's Fresh Catch to ensure the business was running smoothly.

  After that, Ash & Orchid. Mistress Cao had said that she would purchase quality ingredients, and I knew that I had harvested and packaged the spirit plants well. If nothing else, I was sure that the horns and hooves of the Windstep deer would have value to her. More importantly, now that I possessed actual materials to work with, perhaps she would finally agree to sell me proper alchemical equipment.

  The meeting with the proprietor of The Silver Pearl had stretched far longer than anticipated. Lian's contact proved genuinely interested in switching suppliers, but the man insisted on examining every detail of our operation before committing. By the time we had struck a deal, the sun had climbed well into the morning sky.

  I pushed through the door of Ash & Orchid, the familiar scent of herbs washing over me. Mistress Cao looked up from her work, her wire-framed spectacles catching the light.

  "Master Shen, a pleasure as always." She set down her mortar and pestle. "Tea? Although I can't promise that it will be as productive as last time."

  "Actually, Mistress Cao, I'm here on business." I hefted one of my packs. "I've been to the Wanyuan Forest and gathered a few things that might interest you."

  Her eyebrows rose slightly. "Indeed? Let's see what you've found."

  I opened the pack and carefully extracted the Windstep deer's horns first, their surface still exuding a faint spiritual resonance. Mistress Cao's composure cracked as her eyes widened.

  "Oh my." She reached for the horns with reverent hands. "These are exceptional specimens. The spirit essence is still strong. You processed them properly."

  I pulled out the hooves and organs next and she examined each one with a focused intensity.

  "These will serve perfectly for several recipes I've been waiting to complete." She smiled up at me. "You've done some excellent work here."

  As I pulled out the hide she was already shaking her head.

  "Beautiful, but whatever happened to its leg means I've got no use for it." She paused, tapping her chin. "However, I know someone who would treasure this. Tan Guowei at the Jadehide Forge is an armorer here in the outer city, quite talented. He's been looking for spirit beast materials to advance both his craft and his cultivation."

  "Is he reliable?"

  "More than reliable." She wrote down an address in her neat hand and passed it to me as she spoke. "Guowei possesses genuine skill. In a few centuries, I could see him breaking into the Artisan Realm." She reached for the hooves I had set on her counter, then paused. "Actually, give him first refusal on these as well. He might be able to make better use of them than I can. But if he doesn't want them, I'll happily purchase them from you."

  I nodded thoughtfully. An armorer seeking to advance his cultivation could prove useful, especially one Mistress Cao spoke of so highly.

  I set the Windstep deer materials aside and reached for the plant specimens. "The deer wasn't the only treasure I found."

  Mistress Cao's eyes lit up as I unwrapped the first bundle. The Moonbell flowers lay pristine in their cloth wrapping.

  "Exceptional." She lifted one flower with delicate fingers, examining the stem where I had cut it. "Clean harvest, proper angle, no damage to the essence channels." She set it down carefully and reached for the Silverleaf.

  My chest filled with quiet satisfaction as she examined each specimen. What? It had been a long while since anyone had dared to critique my work, I was enjoying the approval.

  Eventually she looked up. "This is all very impressive. It's as good as anything I would expect from an experienced outer sect cultivator. Certainly far superior to the wilted scraps the market vendors try to pass off. Is that everything?"

  "Not quite." Channeling the cheap tricks of a hackneyed ringmaster I brought out my spare Goldcap mushrooms and placed them on the table with a flourish. "There are these as well."

  To my surprise instead of reaching for them with the eagerness that she had shown with the other items. She just stared at them for a moment then looked up at me.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  "Where did you get these?" She spoke slowly and carefully.

  "I told you. I've just spent a day in the Wanyuan. Why?"

  "The Wanyuan Forest is a large place and it hides many secrets. These only grow in one area though. An area that..." She paused. "An area that has something of a reputation."

  "You're talking about the Hollow Horn Bison aren't you?"

  She raised an eyebrow. "You encountered it and are still here?"

  I gave her a smile. "I have some modest talent."

  She didn't return the smile but paused before responding. "That you do Master Shen. If you find yourself in the area again and come across," she chose her words carefully, "something even more intriguing than these, then I would be very interested. I would reward you handsomely. Very handsomely."

  Well wasn't that interesting? I had been pretty certain that the Hollow Horn Bison had been protecting some kind of spirit treasure, and Mistress Cao had confirmed it. However, no matter how valuable it was, I had barely escaped with my life. I had no interest in going back to the bison's domain any time soon.

  "I'll bear that in mind. But, for now, do you have any interest in these?" I gestured at the Goldcap Mushrooms.

  She finally gave me a smile and picked one up to examine it. "They're particularly well preserved." She held one up to the light, testing its firmness. "You harvested these at peak ripeness without damaging the mycelium network. Most gatherers would have torn them out by the roots. So yes, I am very interested."

  "If you can provide herbs and plants of this quality consistently, I'll purchase everything you can gather." She began separating the plants into neat piles. "What's your price?"

  We negotiated briefly, but she started at a generous level so we soon settled on rates that left us both satisfied. As she counted out the coins, I cleared my throat.

  "I would have brought more, but several promising specimens required suspension jars for proper harvest. Unfortunately, I didn't have any."

  Her eyebrows rose. "Suspension jars?" A smile played at the corners of her mouth. "Tell me, Master Shen, where exactly did you learn to harvest spirit plants with such skill? And how do you know about specialized storage tools like suspension jars?"

  The question hung in the air between us. Oddly, I trusted her, but there was no profit in sharing too much knowledge too quickly.

  "Unfortunately, yet again, I don't have time to exchange secrets today." I kept my tone light. "Perhaps another time, over a cup of tea."

  "Well," she said with a smile, "in the meantime, perhaps you'd like to borrow these."

  She disappeared into the back room and returned carrying a wooden crate. Inside, neat rows of crystal vials inscribed with preservation runes reflected the afternoon light.

  "Suspension jars." She set the crate on the counter. "All I ask is that I get first refusal on anything you collect that you're not using yourself. Oh, and that you come back for that tea sooner rather than later."

  "Generous terms." I lifted one jar and admired the craftsmanship. "I accept."

  I put the jar down and looked at her. "Now, about that alchemy equipment you mentioned before. Your stipulation still stands, I assume?"

  "Indeed. You've shown that you know how to harvest properly, but that's not alchemy. Prove you know what you're about when it comes to brewing potions, and we'll discuss it properly." She cleaned her spectacles with a cloth. "Come by after the shop closes in five days time. We'll see what you're capable of."

  I nodded, lifting the crate carefully. This arrangement would serve both of us well.

  * * *

  There was still plenty of day left when I left Ash & Orchid and, while the Jadehide Forge beckoned, I had other priorities. Tan Guowei would still be there tomorrow, and I had a proposition for Ghost Fist. Besides, my body thrummed with restless energy after the morning's negotiations.

  I dropped the crate of suspension jars at home and headed straight for the Thousand Blows.

  "Good to see you back," Yulian didn't look away from the two students practicing their forms as I entered the training yard. "Your friends were asking after you yesterday."

  "Friends?"

  "Jin Duyi and his motley crew." She whacked one of the students on the back leg and turned to me. "Shengli wasn't with them, naturally. They poked around for maybe half an hour, asking questions about you and then left."

  I nodded my thanks and moved toward the equipment racks. No surprise there. Duyi struck me as the type to nurse grudges until they festered.

  "They'll be back," Yulian said. "Men like that don't forget humiliation easily."

  "Let them come." I selected a practice sword, testing its balance. "I'm not hiding."

  What surprised me was the crowd that formed as I began my warm-up routine. After my dismantling of Wu Shengli, I had expected the other fighters to give me a wide berth. Instead, they pressed closer.

  "Master Shen," called out Hu Jian, a dock worker with scarred knuckles. "Would you mind a few rounds? I've been working on my footwork."

  "After him," said Chen Wei, pushing forward. "I want to test this new guard break I've been practicing."

  More voices joined in. Not challenges born of anger or pride, but genuine requests for instruction. These men and women recognized skill when they saw it, and they were hungry to improve.

  I smiled, remembering similar scenes from my days training recruits in my imperial navy. Raw talent, eager to learn, held back only by lack of proper guidance.

  "Form a line," I said, raising my practice blade. "We'll go in order."

  As the first fighter stepped forward, my thoughts went back to the conversation that I had with Ghost Fist and He Yulian the last time I was here. Shuilin Haven was wasting too much cultivator potential, and I had plans to change that.

  Three hours later, I had worked my way through half the training hall. My shirt clung to my back with sweat, but the familiar ache in my muscles and meridian felt good. Honest work, and improved meridians. What's not to like?

  Ghost Fist had appeared a couple of hours earlier but I was too busy with my own training to be speak to him. He was standing at the water barrel watching as I trained a counter-strike with Chen Wei.

  "Good session," he said when the fighter bowed and stepped back.

  "Always is." I set down my practice sword and wiped my hands on a towel. "Thank you for inviting me here. Actually, I wanted to show you my gratitude in a more tangible form. I've got some work for you if you're interested."

  His eyebrows rose slightly. "What kind of work?"

  "Debt collection. It won't pay as much as The Broken Mast, but it's not as dangerous. I just need you to stand there in the background looking menacing while I talk to people who owe me money."

  To my surprise, he let out a low rumbling laugh.

  "Looking menacing is something I can do." His expression turned serious. "But I'm not going to fight civilians for you. I'm not a thug, even if I look like one."

  "That's absolutely not what I want. There are better ways of getting debts paid than violence."

  He nodded slowly. "Agreed. Glad we're on the same page. Well, if you want to get started now, I'm done here for the day."

  We were soon back in the trading district and hiring Ghost Fist immediately paid dividends. The Drunken Fisherman's owner took one look at Ghost Fist's towering frame filling the doorway and his defiant posture crumbled like wet parchment.

  "Master Shen! I didn't realize you would return so soon." His wrung his hands. "Unfortunately, business has been slow, but perhaps..."

  He slipped a gold ring from his finger. "This should more than cover what we owe."

  I accepted the ring with a polite nod. "Your account is settled, I'll put any balance after I sell it as a credit for you to use in the future. Thank you."

  Our second stop proved more challenging. Fai stood behind his counter at The Salty Sailor, arms crossed and jaw set. He spoke up before I could say anything.

  "I told you before, boy. I'm not paying a copper to you or anyone else."

  Heat flared in my chest. I knew this was too trivial for me to worry about, but this body wasn't good at being tired, and it had been a long couple of days. Fai's tone got under my skin and I had better things to do that deal with people like him. The disrespect, the casual dismissal, it all reminded me too much of petty nobles who had forgotten their place.

  I clenched my fists and took a step forward. "You'll pay what you…"

  A small cough sounded behind me.

  "Forgive me, Master Shen." Ghost Fist's quiet voice cut through my rising anger. "Do you mind if I ask a question?"

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