While Merin is still miles from the town, a convoy of carriages creaks past the gates of Miji Town under the escort of armoured soldiers. Their wheels roll slowly, weighed down by the supplies looted from the rebel convoy. The guards at the gate step aside with solemn expressions, aware of what the returning carriages signify. Though victorious, not all had made it back.
A few hours after noon, Merin enters the town on his Snow Wind horse. Six people ride behind him—faces grim, bodies weary. Five others will never return. The silence between them carries the weight of what was lost. Their figures, covered in dried blood and torn armour, draw quiet gazes from townsfolk as they pass.
At the military camp near the foot of Miji Mountain, the convoy of supplies is handed over to stationed soldiers. Once the handoff is complete, Merin and the remaining mission members follow Bai Zhi to meet the officer who had sent them out.
Inside the same building as before, the officer rises to greet them. His sharp eyes sweep over the group, lingering a moment longer on those missing. Then he nods once and says, "Welcome back. You've done well."
He congratulates each of them in turn.
Then he gestures toward Bai Zhi. "Captain, report the mission details."
Bai Zhi steps forward and calmly recounts the events—how the ambush succeeded, the battle unfolded, and how Merin defeated the rebel who burned his life to reach the High-Rank Samurai Realm.
The officer listens without interrupting. When Bai Zhi finishes, he nods again and brings out a small record scroll.
"Now for your rewards," he says. "Every survivor earns merit based on contribution and performance. Due to the heavy losses and difficulty, each of you will receive between 10 and 30 military merits."
He pauses, then looks at Merin. "Except Kanoru. Without him, this mission would've failed. His final battle shifted the tide and preserved what was left of our force. He receives 50 merit points."
There is no complaint this time. All the others nod in silence. They had seen Merin fight, and they knew the truth.
The officer rolls up the scroll and says, "I'll notify you if we have another mission of this nature. Or, you can take standard individual missions from the posted list at any time."
But each shakes their head. Their bodies are bruised, their auras unstable. One cradles a broken arm, another limps slightly from a deep thigh wound. They need time to recover.
Merin stands tall, his frame uninjured—but inside, his mental power is a dim flicker. The toll of wielding his artistic conception without rest has hollowed his focus. He cannot afford to use it again without recovery.
"I'll rest for a few days," he says simply.
The officer nods. "Understood. You've earned it."
With nothing more to say, Merin turns and leaves the room. The others follow, their steps slow and tired. Outside the building, they exchange a few brief nods and quiet words before parting in different directions, each heading toward rest or treatment.
Merin walks alone through the streets of Miji Town, the weight of the mission fading gradually from his shoulders. In a few minutes, he steps into his building and finds Asuna and Xialing both waiting in the room. Xialing rises quickly.
"How was the mission?" she asks, eyes wide with concern.
Asuna steps forward, her voice tight. "Are you injured?"
Merin shakes his head. "The mission was a success. I'm not injured."
He moves to his side of the room and takes a fresh robe from his storage bag.
"After I change, I'll share the details," he says.
With that, he steps into the bathroom. The sound of water running fills the silence. Asuna and Xialing exchange a glance but say nothing. A few minutes later, Merin emerges, his robe clean and his expression calm once more.
He sits down and recounts the mission—from the forest ambush to the appearance of the rebel who forced him to act, and finally to the return with the supplies and the loss of five members. Both women listen quietly, their expressions sombre.
When he finishes, there's a long silence.
Then Asuna stands. "Let's eat."
Merin nods, and Xialing rises too. Together, the three step out of the building and walk down the street toward the nearest place serving lunch—silent companions, each carrying the weight of recent events.
From the second floor of a building along the street, a pair of eyes tracks their movement.
Zhen Qi stands by an open window, his arms folded behind his back, gaze steady on the trio below. His eyes linger on the young woman with amber hair and amber eyes walking beside Merin.
Beside him, a figure cloaked in dark grey, face half-shrouded by a thin mask, speaks in a low voice. "The girl with amber hair and amber eyes is Mori Asuna, right?"
Zhen Qi doesn't take his eyes off her. "Yes… Mori Asuna."
The shadow guard nods. "Correct, Lord."
Zhen Qi repeats the name, voice almost a whisper, as if pulling threads from a tangled memory. "Mori… Asuna…"
A long breath escapes him as something clicks in his mind. His expression sharpens, and the corners of his lips curl upward with slow realisation.
"Refined Swan Dance Incense," he murmurs.
His eyes, now lit with interest, watch the trio until they vanish into the crowd at the far end of the street.
Merin sits beside Asuna, across from Xialing, the three of them waiting in silence as the scent of cooked meat and herbs drifts in the air.
"How is the healing of the general proceeding?" Merin asks, his voice steady.
Xialing's expression dims. "I managed to stop the deterioration of his ancestral blood… and the general has regained consciousness."
Merin nods. "Then you're returning to the village?"
Xialing shakes her head slowly. "No. They won't leave until I—or another healer—can find a way to restore his ancestral blood."
Before Merin can respond, a server arrives at their table, carefully placing down bowls of rice, roasted duck, and steaming vegetables. The three wait in silence as the server bows and walks away.
Merin picks up his chopsticks but doesn't eat yet. "Have you found a way to recover ancestral blood?" he asks.
Xialing stares down at her bowl, then shakes her head again. "Not yet. I've read records and tested a few ideas, but… nothing has worked."
Merin says nothing for a moment, but his eyes sharpen with thought. He doesn't possess ancestral blood himself. Yet among all the human cultivators, only those born with ancestral blood had managed to break through beyond the second turn of the Great Samurai Realm.
If there is a secret locked within it—something that lets humans rise further—then learning the truth could one day decide the path of his cultivation.
Even without the bloodline, knowledge alone could be enough.
"I see," Merin finally says. "Can I join you to examine the general?"
Xialing looks up at him, surprised, but her expression quickly softens. "Yes. You're also a healer. New eyes, new ideas—maybe we'll find a way for the general to recover his blood."
Asuna, resting her cheek on her hand, speaks up, " The Bai family has a history of more than a thousand years. Haven't they encountered something like this before?"
Xialing nods. "They have. And they even possess the Crystal Light Lotus."
Merin frowns slightly. "Is that some kind of rare herb? I've never heard of it."
"It is," Xialing says. "It grows only in the frozen wastelands of the Yao region. The cold there can freeze the blood of even Ascension Realm cultivators. Beasts with strength equal to the Dharma Realm roam freely."
Merin falls quiet. He doesn't know how powerful Ascension or Dharma Realm cultivators are exactly, but he is certain. They're equal to his main body. Maybe even stronger than his main body.
"So," he murmurs, "the Bai family has the means, but they don't want to pay the price… to save a member who isn't even a Great Samurai."
Xialing looks down at her bowl, her voice quiet. "That's what it seems."
Asuna's gaze hardens, but she says nothing.
Merin closes his eyes for a breath, then opens them. "Let's visit him after lunch."
After lunch, Merin follows Xialing up the winding mountain path while Asuna parts ways to return to their room. The air grows cooler with each step, the shadows of the tall pine trees stretching long across the stone steps. Silence lingers until Merin speaks.
"Xialing, do you also have ancestral blood?"
Xialing's eyes widen in surprise. Her breath catches. 'Did he notice something?' But she quickly composes herself. "Why do you ask?"
Merin climbs another step, his tone calm. "I perceive natural energy constantly entering your body without pause. But I don't sense any artistic conception in you."
She exhales quietly in her mind, relieved. "No, I don't have ancestral blood. Asuna does, but even she can't perceive or absorb natural energy."
"Then why are you able to?" Merin asks, frowning slightly.
He knows Asuna's inability proves that ancestral blood isn't the key to absorbing natural energy. That means the bloodline of the Yao, though powerful, doesn't guarantee perception of nature's flow. There are more than a hundred types of Yao beasts, and some may have a natural affinity with energy, absorbing it instinctively, much like those who grasp artistic conception.
'Artistic conception is the foundation of understanding the world's rules… and natural energy is drawn from those very rules,' he thinks. 'If some Yao beast has abilities aligned with those rules, then perhaps a descendant might inherit the ability to absorb energy without comprehension.'
He looks at her again. "If it's a secret, you don't have to tell me."
Xialing smiles faintly. "It's nothing like that. My body just has an unusually high affinity with natural energy. That's all."
Merin nods but doesn't fully believe her. Still, he doesn't press further.
They reach a large, heavily guarded gate—stone walls surrounding a quiet compound atop the slope. Soldiers with steel armor and sharp eyes line both sides of the entrance.
"We're here," Xialing says, voice softening. "This is where the general is resting."
Merin silently follows Xialing through the guarded gates and into the quiet compound. The house is dim and cold, its air heavy with the scent of medicine and old wood. As the door closes behind them, the mountain breeze fades away, leaving only the hush of footsteps and distant murmurs of healers tending to the wounded.
Far below, in another building nestled within Miji Town, Zhen Qi and Tan Yuan sit on a wide balcony overlooking the sprawling forest. The trees below sway gently in the wind, their leaves whispering secrets to the distant mountains.
Tan Yuan glances around with a faint smile. "The Bai family chose their ground well. Now they don't need to worry about defending their camp—just focusing on defeating the rebel."
Her gaze flicks toward Zhen Qi, amused. "And I hear the Fourth Prince is sending the Black Wolf Riders of the Sanada family to crush the rebellion. Yet you still haven't made the rebels surrender to the Second Prince."
Zhen Qi's face darkens. "They agreed before… they were close. If they're defeated before surrendering, we lose everything."
"Not *we*," Tan Yuan corrects lightly. "*You.*"
Zhen Qi frowns. "The Prince told you to help me."
Tan Yuan tilts her head, watching trees ripple in the breeze. A smile plays at her lips. "I *am* helping. If you can't use what I've given you effectively, that's your failure. My family is allied with the Prince, not serving him like *you*."
Zhen Qi stiffens, golden light flashing in his eyes. Spiritual pressure bursts from him. Golden chains shimmer into existence, binding Tan Yuan's wrists and ankles. With a flick of his hand, she dangled over the edge of the balcony, high above the forested slope.
Wind rushes beneath her.
Tan Yuan's expression doesn't change. Her eyes shine instead, pleased. "This strength… With your talent, you shouldn't be a servant of any prince. Marry me. Come with me to the Western Continent. My family will support us, and you can cultivate freely—strive for the highest realm of the Spiritual Way."
Zhen Qi narrows his eyes. A breath later, he draws her back to safety. She lands gently on the balcony. "I said—don't bring that up again. I won't leave until I help the Second Prince ascend the throne."
Tan Yuan sits down, folding her hands. "And when he does, and you reach the Spiritual Core Realm, do you think they'll ever let you go?"
Zhen Qi leans back in his chair, uncaring. "I have my own way. You don't need to worry."
Tan Yuan watches him for a moment, then smiles. "Very well. You want to know what I did?"
He nods slowly.
"I helped an iron monkey break through to the Great Beast Realm. Then I taught it how to dominate the entire forest tribe."
Zhen Qi straightens. "What?"
"Now it controls every iron monkey in the forest," she continues. "You can use them however you like—send aid to the rebels… or trigger a beast tide toward Mugen."
Zhen Qi goes still.
A beast tide.
His first thought: it's perfect. A natural calamity that crushes the rebels without other princes claiming the credit. Let the monkeys overwhelm them. Maybe even wipe them out.
But then another thought creeps in.
It would spill beyond Mugen. Villages, towns—maybe even other prefectures—would be caught in the chaos. Innocents would die. Stability would shatter.
Still, the idea lingers.
*If they're going to be destroyed anyway, better by my hand than by a rival's.*
His fingers tighten on the balcony railing. "I'll consider it."
Tan Yuan's eyes gleam. "Do more than consider, Zhen Qi. Act. Before someone else does."