Chapter 5: Quiet Days

For the next several days, Wandering Cloud Tavern became quiet again.

Not completely empty.

The old trade road still brought the occasional traveler past Lin Yuan’s door.

A pair of wandering cultivators stopped for water on the first day.

The next afternoon, a merchant traveling alone ordered a bowl of noodles and rested for less than an hour before continuing west.

Two more cultivators appeared the following morning.

They bought food, filled a jug with Spirit-Touched water, and left before noon.

Nobody stayed overnight.

Compared with Zhao Jian’s caravan, business was slow.

Lin Yuan didn’t mind.

For the first time since repairing the tavern, he had something almost as valuable as spirit stones.

Time.

Before sunrise, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged in his room.

The tavern was silent.

Outside, Blackstone Wasteland remained hidden beneath the darkness.

Lin Yuan closed his eyes and circulated the cultivation technique left behind by the original body’s parents.

Spiritual Qi slowly gathered around him.

The amount was small.

Wandering Cloud Tavern’s Minor Qi Gathering effect was only a low-grade enhancement.

Compared with a proper cultivation room in a city or sect, it wasn’t impressive.

Compared with Blackstone Wasteland, however, the difference was obvious.

Thin strands of spiritual Qi entered Lin Yuan’s body.

They traveled through his meridians before settling into his dantian.

One circulation.

Then another.

Lin Yuan remained completely still.

Since transmigrating, he had never stopped cultivating entirely.

But most of his attention had been elsewhere.

Understanding this new world.

Traveling to the city.

Buying supplies.

Repairing the old building.

Experimenting with the Territory Core.

Opening the tavern.

There had always been something demanding his attention.

Now, with the tavern quiet, Lin Yuan could finally focus.

Hours passed.

The darkness outside slowly gave way to morning light.

Lin Yuan’s breathing remained steady.

Within his body, spiritual Qi moved more smoothly than it had several days ago.

The seventh layer of Qi Refining had originally belonged to this body’s former owner.

At first, using that cultivation had felt strange.

His body understood things his mind didn’t.

Spiritual Qi sometimes moved according to habits Lin Yuan couldn’t remember learning.

But after nearly a month in this world, that feeling had gradually disappeared.

This cultivation was becoming his own.

Lin Yuan completed another circulation.

For a brief moment, the spiritual Qi within his dantian pressed outward.

Something resisted it.

A barrier.

Lin Yuan’s attention sharpened.

Qi Refining, eighth layer.

He could feel it.

Not clearly enough to break through.

But clearly enough to know he was approaching it.

Lin Yuan didn’t force the issue.

The pressure slowly disappeared.

A few moments later, he opened his eyes.

"Still seventh layer."

There was no disappointment in his voice.

If anything, he looked satisfied.

Several days ago, the eighth layer had felt distant.

Now he could touch the edge of it.

That was progress.

Lin Yuan stood and stretched his shoulders.

Cultivation was not something he intended to rush recklessly.

Especially when his foundation was still adapting to him.

He had no powerful master correcting his mistakes.

No sect elder protecting him if something went wrong.

Slow and steady suited him perfectly well.

A knock sounded from downstairs.

Lin Yuan looked toward the door.

Another knock followed.

"Owner?"

Lin Yuan sighed.

Apparently cultivation was finished for the morning.

"Coming."

The traveler wanted tea.

Only tea.

Lin Yuan stood behind the counter and watched the man slowly drink an entire pot.

Then another.

After nearly an hour, the traveler paid for the tea, thanked him, and left.

Lin Yuan watched him disappear down the road.

He looked at the empty teapot.

Then toward the stairs.

"An hour of cultivation for tea."

He shook his head.

Business was business.

After cleaning the table, Lin Yuan didn’t return upstairs.

Instead, he walked into the courtyard.

A plain sword appeared in his hand.

It was one of the low-grade artifacts left behind by the original body’s parents.

The sword wasn’t valuable.

There were no elaborate engravings along the blade.

No powerful spirit formation.

No famous craftsman’s mark.

It was simply a reliable low-grade artifact.

For Lin Yuan, that was enough.

He stepped into the open area behind the tavern.

Then swung.

The blade cut through the morning air.

Lin Yuan stepped forward.

Another slash.

Turn.

Thrust.

Retreat.

His movements weren’t beautiful.

The sword technique he had inherited wasn’t some legendary sect inheritance either.

It was a basic combat art commonly used by wandering cultivators.

But basic didn’t mean useless.

Lin Yuan repeated the movements.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Spiritual Qi flowed through his arm and into the blade.

The next slash produced a faint whistle.

Lin Yuan adjusted his footing.

The body remembered more than his mind did.

Whenever he made a movement slightly incorrectly, his muscles seemed to resist before naturally shifting toward something more familiar.

At first, that had been unsettling.

Now Lin Yuan used it to learn.

After dozens of repetitions, sweat formed along his forehead.

He stopped.

His breathing was heavier than before.

The sword remained steady in his hand.

Lin Yuan looked beyond the courtyard wall.

Blackstone Wasteland stretched toward the horizon.

Empty.

Quiet.

Remote.

That remoteness was useful.

It was one reason the land had cost so little.

But it also meant there was nobody nearby to protect him.

No city guards.

No sect disciples patrolling the area.

No powerful clan standing behind Wandering Cloud Tavern.

If trouble came here, Lin Yuan would have to deal with it himself.

He looked down at his sword.

The Territory Core could improve his land.

It could enhance buildings.

It could improve his well.

But none of that replaced his own strength.

If Wandering Cloud Tavern became successful, eventually someone stronger than a Qi Refining seventh-layer cultivator would notice.

Most might simply become customers.

Some might not.

Lin Yuan returned the sword to his storage bag.

"I should reach the eighth layer soon."

Not because he wanted to dominate anyone.

He simply preferred being strong enough that other people couldn’t casually take what belonged to him.

Lin Yuan’s days gradually settled into a rhythm.

Cultivate before sunrise.

Open the tavern.

Serve whoever appeared.

Practice his sword when the road was empty.

Prepare ingredients.

Clean.

Cultivate again at night.

It was simple.

Lin Yuan liked simple.

The occasional customers also continued adding to his income.

Nobody spent much.

A meal here.

A jug of water there.

A pot of tea.

Small amounts accumulated.

On the fifth evening, Lin Yuan sat behind the counter and summoned the Territory Core.

The familiar interface appeared.

Territory Core

Owner: Lin Yuan

Territory: Blackstone Wasteland

Core State: Awakened

Core Level: 1

Spiritual Environment: Barren

Territory Revenue: 19 / 100 Low-Grade Spirit Stones

Core Advancement: Requirements Not Met

Lin Yuan looked at the number for a moment.

Nineteen.

Five more than when Zhao Jian’s caravan had left.

Slow.

But moving.

He didn’t need the tavern to become famous overnight.

Every traveler who stopped here made the road slightly less empty.

Every spirit stone spent pushed the territory forward.

Lin Yuan dismissed the interface.

For now, there was nothing else to enhance.

The well and tavern both required Core Level 2.

The Spirit-Assisted Kitchen Stove worked perfectly well.

So there was little reason to spend spirit stones simply because he had them.

He could wait.

Lin Yuan poured himself a cup of tea and carried it outside.

The sun was beginning to descend.

Orange light stretched across Blackstone Wasteland.

He sat beneath the crooked tree beside the well.

Quiet days weren’t bad.

Business progressed.

His cultivation progressed.

The tavern slowly became known.

If things remained like this for another few weeks, Lin Yuan thought he might actually be satisfied.

Naturally, Blackstone Wasteland had other plans.

The traveler appeared shortly before sunset.

Lin Yuan first noticed him because of the speed at which he was moving.

A figure hurried along the old trade road.

No carriage.

No spirit beast.

No companions.

The man repeatedly glanced behind himself as he traveled.

Lin Yuan stood.

Something was wrong.

The traveler eventually noticed Wandering Cloud Tavern.

His pace immediately increased.

He entered the courtyard and stopped near the well, breathing heavily.

His robes were covered in dust, and one sleeve had been torn during the journey.

Lin Yuan sensed his cultivation.

Qi Refining, sixth layer.

"Water?" Lin Yuan asked.

The man looked toward him.

"Yes."

Lin Yuan brought him a cup.

The cultivator drank quickly.

His breathing gradually settled.

Then he looked toward the well.

"Spirit-Touched water?"

"Trace amount."

The man nodded but didn’t seem interested in investigating.

That alone told Lin Yuan something.

Most cultivators who discovered the water asked at least one question.

This man’s attention kept drifting toward the road behind him.

Lin Yuan looked in the same direction.

Nothing.

"What happened?"

The traveler hesitated.

Then he asked,

"You live here?"

"I do."

"Alone?"

"For now."

The man’s expression became strange.

"You should be careful."

Lin Yuan’s attention sharpened.

"Why?"

The cultivator looked back toward the wasteland.

"There’s a spirit beast wandering near the western road."

Lin Yuan’s hand paused around his cup.

"What kind?"

"Stonehide Wolf."

Lin Yuan searched the original body’s memories.

The name quickly surfaced.

A common spirit beast found in barren regions.

Most adult Stonehide Wolves weren’t especially dangerous to established cultivators.

Their hides were unusually tough, and they were fast, but an ordinary one was roughly comparable to a middle-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

Lin Yuan relaxed slightly.

Then the traveler continued.

"A large one."

Lin Yuan looked at him.

"How large?"

"Large enough that I didn’t stay to measure it."

Fair.

The traveler lowered his voice.

"I saw it break through a sixth-layer cultivator’s defensive artifact with one strike."

Lin Yuan’s expression became more serious.

That wasn’t an ordinary Stonehide Wolf.

"How strong was it?"

The traveler hesitated.

"Strong enough that even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator wouldn’t want to face it alone."

Lin Yuan’s gaze shifted toward the western road.

That was considerably worse.

"How far?"

"A few hours west."

Closer than he wanted.

"Did it chase you?"

"For a while."

The traveler gave a bitter smile.

"I used a movement talisman."

That explained his exhaustion.

Lin Yuan looked at the empty road again.

A spirit beast wandering through Blackstone Wasteland wasn’t unusual.

The wasteland was enormous, and beasts occasionally crossed it.

Normally, Lin Yuan wouldn’t care.

If a Stonehide Wolf wanted to wander far from his territory, that was its business.

But this one had appeared near the trade road.

And only a few hours away.

Lin Yuan looked back toward Wandering Cloud Tavern.

The well.

The stable.

The courtyard.

The wooden walls he’d repaired himself.

His expression remained calm.

"How much for food?" the traveler suddenly asked.

Lin Yuan looked at him.

Even after fleeing a spirit beast, apparently hunger still mattered.

"The menu is inside."

The cultivator nodded and headed toward the tavern.

Lin Yuan remained outside for another moment.

His gaze stayed on the western horizon.

Several days ago, he had thought about what would happen if danger eventually came to his territory.

Apparently the wasteland had decided to answer sooner than expected.

Night fell.

The traveler left after eating.

He wanted as much distance between himself and the western road as possible.

Lin Yuan didn’t blame him.

Wandering Cloud Tavern became quiet again.

Lin Yuan closed the front door.

Then he checked the courtyard gate.

After that, he stood beside the well and looked into the darkness.

Nothing moved.

He could hear only the wind.

Maybe the Stonehide Wolf would never come here.

Blackstone Wasteland was enormous.

There was no reason for one spirit beast to specifically approach his tavern.

Lin Yuan knew that.

Still—

He took his sword from his storage bag.

Better prepared than surprised.

Lin Yuan returned inside and sat near the entrance.

Instead of immediately going upstairs to cultivate, he placed the sword across his knees.

Time passed.

Nothing happened.

Eventually, Lin Yuan almost laughed at himself.

Then—

A distant sound drifted across the wasteland.

Low.

Deep.

A wolf’s howl.

Lin Yuan’s smile disappeared.

He slowly turned toward the western window.

The sound had been faint.

Far away.

But not nearly far enough.

His fingers rested against the sword’s hilt.

"So you’re really out there."

Outside, Blackstone Wasteland returned to silence.

Lin Yuan remained seated.

For the first time since opening Wandering Cloud Tavern, the quiet no longer felt peaceful.