"You assumed right. These are a lot more efficient for tempering the flesh," she said, examining one. "I didn't think anyone would actually pay with them. They're rare."
"They're also harder to trade for," Elyon added, smirking.
Meng Bai couldn't help but chuckle. "You should've seen his stash. Lin Mu's like a walking treasure vault."
Cattaleya turned to Lin Mu again, a touch of suspicion entering her tone—though not hostility.
"Why do you have so many of these? You're clearly a sword cultivator."
That drew the attention of everyone in the circle. The question hung there for a beat.
Daoist Chu spoke this time, calm as ever.
"Because Lin Mu," he said, "is also a body cultivator."
Cattaleya's eyes widened in genuine surprise.
She turned her gaze to Lin Mu again—this time more closely, more analytically. She studied his posture, the flow of his qi, the way his presence pressed on the air subtly even when he wasn't trying.
