The Market of the Seven Peaks was a sprawling city of tents and stone stalls nestled in the valley between the Law Enforcement Peak and the Peak of Alchemical Mists. It was the beating heart of the sect's economy. Here, spirit stones changed hands for jade-bottled pills, enchanted silks, and fragments of ancient maps. To the untrained eye, it was a place of vibrant commerce. To Han Ming, it was a graveyard of unpaid spiritual labor.
Han Ming walked through the crowded thoroughfare with Ye Ling trailing half a step behind him. He no longer wore the grey hemp of a laborer. Instead, he was dressed in the deep navy robes of the Law Enforcement Hall, his waist adorned with a silver badge that bore the character for 'Investigation.'
The crowd parted before them, not out of respect, but out of a primal, instinctive fear. The news of the Hall of Judgment had spread like a wildfire through the sect. The laborer who had broken a Foundation Establishment senior and stood tall before the High Elders was now a hunter with a legal mandate.
"Do you see the colors, Ye Ling?" Han Ming asked, his voice low.
Ye Ling looked around, her brow furrowed. She had been practicing the basic visualization technique Han Ming had shared with her. "I see... shadows. Some people are surrounded by a grey mist. Others, like the merchants near the center, have a dark, oily residue on their sleeves."
"The mist is minor debt. Laziness, petty theft, or small lies," Han Ming explained. "But that oily residue? That is the mark of systemic exploitation. They are selling products that are worth less than the Qi they cost to produce. They are stealing the time and effort of the buyers."
He stopped in front of a particularly opulent stall. It was draped in crimson silk and smelled heavily of sandalwood. A sign above the counter read: The Pavilion of Heavenly Rejuvenation — Official Supplier of Foundation-Bolstering Pills.
A merchant with a rotund belly and fingers covered in gold rings looked up. He saw Han Ming's badge and his smile faltered for a fraction of a second before widening into a mask of oily hospitality.
"Ah, the famous Junior Brother Han! The hero of the servant quarters!" The merchant stepped out from behind his counter, bowing low. "I am Master Qian. How can this humble businessman serve the Law Enforcement Hall today? Perhaps a few complimentary Spirit-Cleansing pills for your hardworking assistant?"
Han Ming looked at Master Qian. The Ledger in his mind didn't just unfurl; it roared.
[NAME: QIAN DA]
[STATUS: FRAUDULENT]
[DEBT: 42,000 KARMA UNITS]
[OFFENSE: MASS PRODUCTION OF 'HOLLOW' PILLS. DILUTING MEDICINAL ESSENCE WITH MORTAL CLAY. COLLUDING WITH ELDER KAN TO MONOPOLIZE THE OUTER DISCIPLE MARKET.]
"Master Qian," Han Ming said, his voice flat. "I am not here for compliments. I am here for an audit. Open your books and show me the ledger for the last three shipments of Foundation-Bolstering pills."
The merchant's face went pale, the color draining from his cheeks like water from a cracked jar. "Junior Brother, surely there is a mistake? My books are a matter of private commerce. Not even the Law Enforcement Hall has the right to interfere in the free market of the sect unless there is a formal complaint."
"Consider this a formal complaint from the Heavens," Han Ming replied. He reached out, his hand hovering over a jade bottle on the counter. "This bottle is priced at fifty spirit stones. It claims to contain a pill with seventy percent purity. Ye Ling, what do you see?"
Ye Ling leaned in, focusing her vision. "It... it looks like a hollow shell. There is a spark of Qi in the center, but it is surrounded by a grey, dead substance. It feels like a lie."
"Correct," Han Ming said. He looked back at Master Qian. "You are selling clay dipped in spirit water. When an outer disciple consumes this, they feel a sudden burst of energy, but the impurities clog their meridians, forcing them to buy 'Cleansing Pills' from you next week. It is a closed loop of debt. You are not selling progress: you are selling addiction."
"This is slander!" Master Qian screamed, his voice drawing a crowd. "Guards! This investigator is harassing a legitimate businessman!"
Two burly disciples, both at the seventh stage of Qi Condensation, stepped out from the shadows of the stall. They gripped their heavy iron maces, their eyes fixed on Han Ming.
"Move along, Investigator," one of the guards growled. "The Law Enforcement Hall doesn't run this market. Master Qian has the protection of the Alchemical Peak."
Han Ming didn't flinch. He slowly drew the Needle of the Frozen Sea. The weapon was still disguised as a rusted iron spike, but as he held it, a faint, rhythmic pulsing began to emanate from the metal.
"You speak of protection," Han Ming said. "But who protects the world from you? Master Qian, your debt has reached the threshold of immediate liquidation. I am exercising my right to a Karmic Duel."
The crowd gasped. A Karmic Duel was an ancient, almost forgotten law. It allowed an auditor to challenge a debtor. If the auditor won, the debtor's assets were forcibly seized to pay their spiritual arrears.
"A duel?" Master Qian laughed, though his eyes were darting around for an exit. "You are a Qi Condensation brat! My guards are both at the seventh stage. You want to fight them both?"
"I don't need to fight them," Han Ming said. He pointed the iron spike at the ground. "I only need to show the world what you owe."
Han Ming moved. He didn't use the flashy movements of a warrior. He moved with the precision of a surgeon.
The first guard swung his mace, a massive blow that should have crushed Han Ming's skull. Han Ming didn't dodge; he simply stepped into the guard's shadow. He tapped the iron spike against the guard's wrist.
Asset Freeze.
The guard's mace stopped an inch from Han Ming's face. The man's eyes went wide. He felt his Qi vanish, replaced by a leaden weight that made his limbs refuse to move. He collapsed into the dust, his weapon clattering uselessly beside him.
The second guard roared and lunged, but Han Ming was already turning. He didn't strike the man. He struck the air between them, tracing a complex rune with the tip of the spike.
Second Strike: Interest Compounding.
The guard's own defensive aura, which he had been using to toughen his skin, suddenly flared out of control. The Qi began to burn his own flesh, consuming his stamina at a rate ten times faster than normal. In three breaths, the guard was gasping for air, his face purple as his own power turned into a vacuum.
Han Ming walked past the fallen guards and stood before Master Qian.
"The interest on forty-two thousand units is quite high, Master Qian," Han Ming whispered. "Since you cannot pay in spirit stones, the Ledger will take it from your longevity."
"No! Wait! I'll pay! I'll give you everything!" Master Qian fell to his knees, his gold rings clicking against the stone floor.
"You don't understand," Han Ming said, his eyes glowing with a faint, silver light. "In my world, 'sorry' doesn't balance the books. Only payment does."
He touched the iron spike to Master Qian's forehead.
[INITIATING MASS LIQUIDATION]
[DEBTOR: QIAN DA]
[ASSETS SEIZED: 42,000 UNITS]
[CONVERTING TO SPIRITUAL ESSENCE...]
A massive pillar of black smoke erupted from Master Qian's body. It was the physical manifestation of the lies he had sold. The smoke swirled into the air, but instead of vanishing, it was drawn into the Law Enforcement badge on Han Ming's chest.
Master Qian shriveled. His rotund belly collapsed. His hair fell out in clumps. He didn't die, but he was no longer a wealthy merchant. He was a frail, broken old man who looked like he belonged in a beggar's alley.
Han Ming turned to the crowd. He reached into the air and grabbed a handful of the glowing silver light that remained after the smoke was gone.
"The Pavilion of Heavenly Rejuvenation is closed," Han Ming announced. He tossed the silver light into the crowd. "The Qi stolen from you has been returned to the air. Breathe deeply. The debt has been settled."
The disciples in the market stared in awe as the air around them suddenly became rich and sweet with pure, refined Qi. For many of them, it was the first time they had felt such a clean energy in years.
Ye Ling watched Han Ming with a mixture of terror and devotion. She saw the way the world changed when he spoke. He wasn't just an investigator. He was a force of nature.
[LIQUIDATION COMPLETE]
[GAINED: 4,000 REFINED UNITS]
[CURRENT BALANCE: 4,250 UNITS]
Han Ming looked at the Ledger. He had enough now. Enough to buy something from the Shop that would protect him from the coming storm.
"Ye Ling, gather the account books from the stall," Han Ming commanded. "Master Qian was just a middleman. I want to see exactly how much Elder Kan has been 'borrowing' from the sect's future."
As they walked away from the ruined stall, a shadow moved in the upper floors of a nearby teahouse. A woman with a veil over her face watched them. She held a jade slip in her hand, her fingers trembling slightly.
"The Auditor has started his collection," she whispered into the slip. "Tell the Prince. The accounts are being opened, and none of us are solvent."