The Merit Pavilion was quiet when Fang Xi arrived.
Too quiet.
No servants.
No burning incense.
No open ledgers.
Just the faint scent of old ink… and the soft flicker of a jade lantern near the back chamber.
He stepped inside.
Elder Shen was seated behind a low table, pale eyes unreadable. A single ceramic teacup steamed beside him, untouched. Scrolls lay open across the desk — most routine. One, not.
Shen gestured to the cushion opposite.
"Fang Xi. Sit."
He obeyed without speaking.
A long pause passed. The silence felt intentional — calculated.
Then:
"You went beyond your route."
Fang Xi didn't blink. "Yes."
"You returned alone, uninjured, with a patrol report and… no clear signs of spirit beast contact."
A faint smile.
"Except a shadow-beast that doesn't appear in our records."
Fang Xi said nothing.
Shen reached for his tea. Didn't drink. Just swirled it slowly.
"Do you know what people call those who climb too fast?"
"…What?"
"Threats."
Another pause.
Then Shen leaned forward.
"But some threats… become tools. If they learn when to bow. When to bite."
His voice lowered.
"There are elders who want you watched. Others who want you removed."
Then, more softly: "I want you… under my wing."
Fang Xi met his eyes, calmly.
"What do you want in return?"
Shen's gaze sharpened.
"Loyalty. Nothing more. When I tell you to act — you act. When I tell you to wait — you wait."
A pause.
"And in return, I'll shield you from the knives you don't yet see."
Fang Xi's mind churned.
"A power broker."
"Useful. Dangerous. Possibly lying."
"But for now… better a leash I can slip than a sword I can't dodge."
He bowed slightly.
"Then let me prove I'm worth protecting."
Shen smiled.
And Fang Xi filed the first piece on his next board.
That night, back in his hut, Fang Xi lit a single talisman candle and unrolled the half-burned scroll.
The script was written in a strange hand — not of any current sect. Sharp angles. Blood-ink strokes. Parts had been scorched away, but fragments remained.
He read slowly.
Then stopped.
The technique was strange. Not a cultivation method — not quite. A mental construct, closer to a spiritual imprint, designed to let one see patterns in Qi movement, even within others.
Not control.
Not absorb.
But… observe.
"Like seeing the flow beneath the surface."
"Not flashy. Not powerful."
"But useful. Deeply useful."
It was called:
[Mirror Vein Insight]
Fang Xi's heart quickened.
"If I study others… I can learn their styles, weaknesses. Maybe even reverse-engineer their techniques."
"I won't just fight better. I'll know how they think."
"I can mimic, adapt… or kill."
Outside, the wind howled.
But inside, Fang Xi smiled.
"A sect elder wants to own me."
"An ancient beast chose to spare me."
"And I've found a key no one else sees."
"Let them all rise. I'll rise faster."
"Let them all plot. I'll see further."
"Power is no longer my goal. It's my path."