Chapter 93: Questions Beneath Blackstone

They moved north toward the restricted site.

The damage there was more troubling than anything in the market. Loose soil had been scraped away from one side of the exposed stone, widening the shallow excavation. Fresh impact marks showed where the raiders had repeatedly struck the buried structure.

The broken fragment remained where Qiao Ren had kicked it during the confrontation.

Neither man crossed the marked boundary.

"They uncovered more than the previous intruders," Lin Yuan said, studying the exposed edge from a distance.

Qiao Ren followed his gaze. "And there’s something new along the side. That narrow gap wasn’t visible before, was it?"

"No. It looks like a seam between two sections."

Lin Yuan could see that the worked stone continued beneath the soil, exactly as the raiders had claimed. The newly exposed seam made the buried structure look less like an isolated slab of masonry and more like part of something larger.

He made no attempt to investigate it himself.

After the previous incidents, he had learned that experimenting with mysterious structures was best left to people willing to accept responsibility for the consequences.

The Association had been enthusiastic about responsibility whenever it involved ordering him not to dig.

Lin Yuan intended to return the favor.

Qiao Ren pointed toward the abandoned fragment. "Should we move that somewhere safer? Someone passing through could pick it up."

"Leave it where it is. I want the Association to inspect the fragment and the damage without us disturbing anything else."

"Even though the raiders already removed it?"

"Especially because of that. I’m not interested in having to explain why we’re carrying pieces of a restricted structure around Blackstone."

Qiao Ren nodded. The decision made sense, even if leaving the fragment exposed was uncomfortable.

They spent another moment surveying the excavation before returning toward the road.

"Those men were willing to attack a settlement twice in one night," Qiao Ren said. "Whatever they believed was down there must have been worth a considerable risk."

"Or someone convinced them it was. We still don’t know whether their information was reliable."

Qiao Ren looked back at the exposed stone.

"Then I’d like to know who told them about it in the first place."

Lin Yuan would have liked an answer to that question too.

By the time they returned to the main road, the caravan traders were preparing to leave.

Their leader approached Lin Yuan as the others secured their wagons and checked the animals.

"We’ll be moving out shortly. Everyone wants to put some distance between us and Blackstone before nightfall."

Lin Yuan nodded. After what had happened, he couldn’t blame them.

"I understand. Thank you for helping defend the wagons and the tavern."

"We were defending our own goods as much as anything else," the trader replied. "Though I suppose we all benefited from keeping those people out."

He hesitated before adding, "We’re heading east for part of our route. I thought you might have a message that needs delivering."

That was useful.

Lin Yuan had already been wondering how quickly he could get a report to Green River.

"I do. Is your caravan traveling that far?"

"Not directly, but we’ll meet other merchants along the route. I can pass the message to someone heading there."

"That would help. I’ll pay the delivery fee."

The trader shook his head.

"After last night? Your people kept the raiders away from our camp, and we helped defend the settlement. There’s no need to charge you for carrying one message."

Lin Yuan considered arguing, but his wrist hurt, his ribs hurt, and both the tavern and the warning formation needed repairs.

Accepting one free delivery wasn’t going to destroy his principles.

"All right. I’ll write it now."

Back inside the tavern, he found a clean sheet of paper and began preparing the report.

He kept it factual. An armed group had attacked Blackstone during the night, and at least one of the attackers had previously visited Blackstone as a traveler. Several crossings had triggered the western warning formation before one node was deliberately damaged.

The raiders had also entered the restricted site, removed soil around the exposed structure, and struck the worked stone repeatedly. A fragment had broken free during the attack but was left at the site after the raiders withdrew.

Lin Yuan described the captured saber, the injuries sustained during the fighting, and the masked leader’s statements suggesting he knew something about the buried structure.

He also noted the additional damage to the second formation post, making clear that its condition had not yet been tested.

When he finished, he read the report twice before sealing it.

He deliberately excluded every theory travelers had invented over the past several weeks. Spiritual veins, ancient cities, lost inheritances, and buried treasuries were all popular topics, but none of them belonged in an official account without evidence.

The Association could investigate those possibilities itself. Lin Yuan was tired of guessing on its behalf.

The caravan leader accepted the sealed message and tucked it securely inside his robe.

"I’ll make sure this reaches someone traveling to Green River."

"Thank you. And I hope the rest of your journey is considerably quieter."

"So do I. We’ve had enough excitement for one trip."

The caravan departed not long afterward.

Lin Yuan watched the seven traders guide their wagons east until the group disappeared along the road. Yesterday, he had been worried about unfamiliar travelers setting up camp outside his tavern.

Today, he was sorry to see them leave.

Blackstone felt considerably emptier without the wagons and their guards.

That was probably not a good sign.

The first morning customers arrived later than usual. Only three travelers stopped, and none needed an explanation to realize something had happened.

The damaged entrance, overturned stalls, and broken warning post made the situation obvious before they even reached the tavern.

One man stopped beside the market and stared at the wreckage.

"What happened here? Did someone try to rob the place?"

Lin Yuan was sitting near the entrance while Su Mei handled most of the work inside. He had already answered several questions that morning and wasn’t particularly eager to repeat himself.

"Something like that. A group attacked during the night."

The traveler looked toward the damaged stalls. "They must have caused quite a bit of trouble."

"They did. Fortunately, they left before destroying anything else."

The man clearly wanted more details, but Lin Yuan directed him toward the tavern if he needed food or lodging.

The three visitors behaved much like travelers everywhere. They asked questions, examined the damage, and tried to piece together what had happened from whatever information they could gather.

Lin Yuan answered only what he considered necessary.

By late morning, two had continued west, while the third remained for a meal.

That should have been the end of it.

Instead, travelers passing through Blackstone began carrying the story along the road. By afternoon, several different versions were already circulating among the visitors.

One man claimed nearly twenty cultivators had attacked the settlement. Another insisted the Association had uncovered an ancient treasury beneath Blackstone and that the raid had been an attempt to steal it.

Someone else had apparently decided Lin Yuan had personally defeated a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

That one nearly made him choke on his tea.

Qiao Ren heard the story while visiting the tavern and approached the counter with an expression Lin Yuan immediately distrusted.

"I hear your cultivation has improved considerably since last night."

Lin Yuan set down his cup. "Has it?"

"Foundation Establishment, apparently. I suppose I should start addressing you as Senior Lin."

"Only if you’re volunteering to pay for the repairs."

Qiao Ren laughed.

"In that case, I’ll continue calling you Lin Yuan."

"A wise decision."

At least the rumors were attracting attention. Several travelers stopped specifically to inspect the damaged market and look toward the restricted boundary, though nobody was permitted inside the marked area.

Lin Yuan watched one group examine the broken stalls for several minutes before continuing along the road.

He briefly considered charging an admission fee.

Then he remembered that most of the wreckage belonged to him.

Perhaps that wasn’t the kind of attraction Blackstone needed.

The actual repairs still required his attention. Master Han would have to inspect the market stalls and tavern entrance. The formation shop needed to assess the two damaged posts, and the Association would have to examine the restricted site again.

Lin Yuan had expected Blackstone’s growth to create more work.

He had imagined different work.

Late that afternoon, he sat behind the counter with a blank sheet of paper and began listing everything that needed attention.

The tavern door came first, followed by the damaged market stalls and western formation posts. He added an inspection of the restricted-site markers and the need to replace the medical supplies used during the night.

By the time he reached the bottom of the page, the list was already longer than he liked.

He studied it for a moment before writing one final item.

Ask the Association what they actually know.

Lin Yuan stared at those words longer than the others.

When the buried structure had first been discovered, accepting vague explanations had seemed reasonable enough. The Association was investigating, the area had been restricted, and there had been no clear reason to demand more information.

Things were different now.

Strangers had questioned him about the site, crossed Blackstone’s boundaries, tested the warning formation, and finally attacked the settlement.

Whatever the buried structure turned out to be, it was already affecting the tavern and everyone who lived or worked nearby.

That made it Lin Yuan’s problem, whether the Association liked it or not.

He folded the list and placed it beside the counter.

This time, when the Association returned, vague answers would not be enough.