Chapter 73: The Fluctuation Returns

By the next morning, Wandering Cloud Tavern had returned to its usual rhythm.

The disturbance from the previous day had unsettled several spirit beasts and given travelers plenty to talk about, but it hadn’t stopped anyone from using the road.

If anything, it had created more rumors.

Lin Yuan heard the first one before breakfast was finished.

A cultivator near the window lowered his voice as though sharing something important.

"I heard the Association found an ancient formation beneath the northern wasteland."

The merchant across from him shook his head.

"Yesterday someone told me it was a damaged spirit vein."

A third man joined in.

"My cousin heard they uncovered part of an old ruin."

Lin Yuan placed a pot of tea on their table.

The third man looked up.

"Owner Lin, you’re closer to the investigation than most people. Which one is true?"

"I haven’t seen an ancient formation, a spirit vein, or a ruin."

The man looked disappointed.

"So you don’t know?"

"I know people enjoy improving a story every time they repeat it."

Someone at the table laughed.

Lin Yuan returned to the counter.

Su Mei had heard most of the conversation while carrying bowls toward the kitchen.

"Ancient ruin this time?"

"Apparently."

"Yesterday someone said there was treasure underground."

"Give it another day."

Su Mei smiled. "What comes after treasure?"

"Probably a sleeping dragon."

She considered that.

"That rumor would bring a lot of customers."

Lin Yuan looked at her.

"You’ve been working here too long."

She carried the bowls into the kitchen without answering.

The rumors concerned him far less than the disturbance itself.

Whatever Zhao Wei and Shen Yao had found north of Blackstone, they still hadn’t identified its purpose or origin.

What mattered was simpler.

The underground Qi had become unstable.

One of the known channels had briefly reversed direction toward the south.

Yesterday, the effects had reached Blackstone strongly enough to disturb the spirit beasts.

That deserved attention.

It didn’t mean Lin Yuan should abandon the tavern and start searching the wasteland himself.

Zhao Wei and Shen Yao were already investigating the disturbance in the area.

Lin Yuan had his own territory to manage.

Outside, the settlement continued growing around the old trade road.

Travelers moved between Wandering Cloud Tavern and the Travelers’ Market. Qiao Ren had already opened his stall, and another merchant was arranging goods nearby while arguing with a customer over the price of dried herbs.

Several mounts rested inside the Spirit Beast Resting Stable.

Farther along the road, the watch platform overlooked the surrounding wasteland.

The scene would have been difficult to imagine when Lin Yuan first arrived.

Back then, there had been an old building, a damaged well, a collapsing stable, and more empty land than he knew what to do with.

Now people actually planned their journeys around stopping here.

Lin Yuan stood outside for a while, watching the road.

Nothing appeared unusual.

The ground was still.

Spiritual Qi felt normal.

Even the Ironhoof Beasts were calm.

Eventually, he returned to the tavern.

There was no reason to spend the entire day waiting for something strange to happen.

Near midday, the rush eased.

Su Mei handled the remaining tables while Lin Yuan went upstairs to cultivate.

He sat cross-legged in his room and gradually settled his breathing.

At Peak Qi Refining, his progress had slowed considerably.

His Qi was already dense and stable, and further improvement came gradually.

The Middle Spirit Grade tavern still helped.

Spiritual Qi gathered around him as he circulated the technique inherited from his parents.

The method remained reliable even if it could take him no farther than Qi Refining.

For several cycles, everything felt normal.

Then the surrounding Qi shifted.

Lin Yuan’s eyes opened.

The change was faint, but there was no mistaking it.

Instead of gathering evenly around him, part of the spiritual Qi seemed to drift sideways for several breaths before settling again.

The Territory Core reacted.

A translucent interface appeared.

Temporary Spiritual Environment Fluctuation Detected

Spiritual Environment: Faint Spirit

Lin Yuan studied it.

The environment hadn’t advanced.

The Core offered no explanation for the fluctuation and gave no indication of where it had originated.

A moment later, the abnormal movement disappeared.

Lin Yuan remained seated.

Nothing followed.

He circulated his Qi once more, testing the surrounding spiritual energy.

Normal.

After another minute, he stood and went downstairs.

Su Mei was placing a pot of tea on a table.

She noticed him coming down.

"Finished already?"

"Did you notice the spiritual Qi change just now?"

Su Mei paused.

"No."

"It only lasted a few breaths."

She glanced around the tavern.

"Something from the north again?"

"Maybe."

That was all Lin Yuan could say with confidence.

He stepped outside and checked the courtyard.

The stable was quiet.

None of the spirit beasts showed unusual agitation.

At the Spirit-Touched Well, the water remained clear and undisturbed.

He continued toward the Travelers’ Market.

Qiao Ren was sitting behind his stall.

The older man looked up as Lin Yuan approached.

"Something wrong?"

"Did you feel the Qi move?"

Qiao Ren thought for a moment.

"Can’t say I did."

Lin Yuan nodded.

The fluctuation had probably been too weak for most people to notice.

He walked farther through the territory, paying attention to the spiritual Qi as he went.

Nothing changed.

There was also nothing unusual on the surface.

Eventually, Lin Yuan returned to the tavern.

He wasn’t about to start digging holes across Blackstone based on a disturbance that had lasted a few breaths.

If it happened again, he would pay closer attention.

The afternoon remained uneventful.

A small caravan arrived from the east, followed later by several independent cultivators.

Some were heading toward Green River City.

Others were traveling west.

Most had heard something about the investigation by now.

Very few had heard the same version.

One merchant recognized Lin Yuan while paying for his meal.

"Owner Lin, is the Association really investigating north of here?"

"They are."

"What did they find?"

"They’re still investigating."

The merchant leaned slightly closer.

"I heard they uncovered something underground."

"That part is true."

His eyes brightened.

"What is it?"

"Worked stone and Qi channels. They haven’t confirmed what the structure was used for."

The merchant looked almost disappointed by how ordinary the answer sounded.

"So nobody knows what it is yet?"

"Not that I’ve heard."

The merchant sighed.

"That’s less interesting than the rumors."

"Rumors usually are."

The man laughed and returned to his table.

By sunset, the caravan had moved on and several travelers had taken rooms for the night.

The market gradually quieted.

Lanterns appeared around the main buildings as darkness spread over Blackstone.

Lin Yuan helped close the tavern after the last customers finished eating.

Su Mei carried the remaining cups into the kitchen before coming back out.

"Are you checking outside again?"

"I want to make sure nothing else changed."

She glanced toward the dark courtyard.

"Because of the Qi fluctuation?"

Lin Yuan nodded.

"Don’t stay out too long."

"I wasn’t planning to."

Su Mei headed upstairs.

Lin Yuan stepped outside.

The night air was cool.

A few lanterns remained lit near the road and market, while most of the territory beyond them disappeared into darkness.

He walked slowly through the courtyard.

Nothing.

The Spirit-Touched Well looked normal.

The stable was quiet apart from the occasional movement of a resting beast.

He continued toward the edge of the Travelers’ Market and stood there for several minutes.

The wasteland beyond Blackstone stretched beneath the night sky.

Lin Yuan was about to turn back when the spiritual Qi moved.

This time, the change was impossible for him to miss.

A broad fluctuation passed through the area.

The lantern nearest the road flickered as spiritual Qi shifted around it.

Inside the stable, an Ironhoof Beast raised its head and gave a low sound, but it didn’t panic.

Lin Yuan stood still.

There was no shaking beneath his feet.

No cracking earth.

The disturbance moved through the spiritual environment itself.

The Territory Core reacted immediately.

Temporary Spiritual Environment Fluctuation Detected

Spiritual Environment: Faint Spirit

The same message.

Still no explanation.

Lin Yuan focused on the connection with the Core, but nothing else appeared.

The fluctuation lasted several breaths longer than the one that afternoon.

Then the spiritual Qi gradually settled.

Silence returned.

Lin Yuan remained where he was.

Yesterday’s disturbance had reached Blackstone.

Now it had happened twice in a single day, and the second fluctuation had been strong enough to affect the territory around him.

That still didn’t prove the buried channels extended beneath his land.

The disturbance could be spreading through the surrounding spiritual environment from somewhere farther north.

But the possibility could no longer be dismissed.

Lin Yuan looked toward the darkness beyond the northern road.

If the buried structure continued south, Blackstone might be much closer to it than anyone had realized.

He had no intention of investigating underground on his own.

Zhao Wei and Shen Yao already had the tools and experience for that.

When their team returned to Blackstone, Lin Yuan would tell them exactly what had happened.

If they didn’t return soon, he would find a way to send word.

For tonight, there was nothing else he could do.

Lin Yuan turned back toward the lights of Wandering Cloud Tavern.

Behind him, the wasteland remained quiet.

Whatever was causing these fluctuations had just become much harder to ignore.