Minyu looks at Yuxun and the group surrounding him, and although they all belong to the same Tianren Sect, the divide between their mountains is deeper than any blade wound.
He comes from Purifying Lotus Mountain, while they stand under the banner of Sacred Thunder Mountain, the faction that has ruled the sect for decades and now feels its authority threatened by his rise.
Yuxun sneers and steps forward. " Waste and demanding to know why he dares show his face here."
Minyu answers coldly, " He goes where he wishes and answers to no one like him."
Yuxun's expression darkens as he brings up the sect master's order forbidding Minyu from leaving the sect.
Minyu's voice sharpens. " The sect master is biased and unworthy of obedience."
That single sentence snaps the remaining restraint.
Yuxun draws his sword, thunder immediately coiling around the blade, crackling and snapping like living serpents as he lunges forward without hesitation.
Minyu is ready.
His sword leaves the sheath in a blur, steel meeting steel with a deafening clash that sends sparks scattering across the street.
Thunder surges down Yuxun's blade, exploding outward in violent arcs meant to cripple, but Minyu shifts his stance and disperses the force with precise footwork.
Around Minyu's sword, phantom blades bloom like lotus petals, two spectral swords forming beside the real one, moving in perfect synchronisation.
He counters.
The three blades sweep together, forcing Yuxun back step by step, thunder breaking apart under the layered pressure.
Yuxun stumbles, boots scraping against stone, rage and humiliation twisting his face.
"You dare block me," he snarls, voice shaking with fury, "today I will kill you."
He attacks again, faster, wilder, thunder wrapping his entire body now, every strike aimed to overwhelm.
Minyu holds his ground.
The phantom lotus blades rotate, deflecting and redirecting, their movements elegant and controlled, cutting through thunder like petals through rain.
A final clash sends Yuxun sliding backwards, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
His hands tremble.
Not from injury alone, but from humiliation.
His eyes flick to the four disciples behind him.
"Come," he snaps, teeth clenched, "help me kill him."
The four exchange glances, hesitation flashing briefly before greed and loyalty win out, and they step forward together.
At that very moment, a sharp shout cuts through the tension.
"Everyone you stop."
Heavy footsteps thunder across the street as guards wearing the famous silver scale armour of Silver City rush in, weapons drawn and expressions stern.
The fight halts instantly.
Minyu lowers his blade, breathing controlled.
Yuxun sheathes his sword halfway, then points at Minyu and shouts.
"Guards, help us capture the thief."
Minyu's eyes widen as he stares at Yuxun in disbelief.
The guards hesitate, confusion clear on their faces.
Yuxun raises his voice again, pulling out a token etched with the authority of the Tianren Sect master.
"I am a disciple of Lord Ren," he declares, "this man fled the sect after stealing a holy relic."
Minyu shouts back, voice tight with anger, calling Yuxun a liar and insisting he stole nothing.
He turns to the guards, repeating that he is innocent.
The guards exchange looks, torn, but the sect master's token weighs heavily, and their posture shifts.
"Sir," one of them says carefully to Minyu, "please come with us for the investigation, and if you are innocent, you will be released."
Minyu's heart sinks.
He knows he cannot force his way out without confirming Yuxun's story in the eyes of the city.
He asks. " How long will the investigation take?"
"Not more than two days," the guard replies.
Minyu clenches his fists.
"I cannot stay in jail for two days," he thinks.
At that moment, a calm female voice speaks from behind the crowd.
"What's going on here?"
Everyone turns.
Silence falls.
They freeze—stunned.
Faces flush red as their gazes fall upon the woman standing at the edge of the street.
She does not announce herself.
She does not raise her voice.
Yet her presence alone bends the atmosphere, as if the world instinctively gives way.
The city guard leader steps forward and bows politely.
"Lady, may I ask who you are?"
Before she can answer, the guard captain standing beside her speaks firmly.
"My lady is the *eldest daughter of the Jin Family*."
A murmur ripples through the guards.
One of them blurts out, half under his breath, "The one believed to be cursed—"
A sharp crack echoes.
The guard captain backhands the speaker so hard that he stumbles.
"Shut your trap."
The city guard leader's face pales. He spins and slaps the same guard across the back of the head before bowing deeply.
"My apologies, Lady Jin. I will personally punish this man later."
Jin Yinji's expression does not change.
"I've heard worse," she says calmly.
"Now tell me—why are you fighting in the middle of the street?"
Yuxun immediately shouts, pointing.
"Miss, he stole a holy relic from our sect!"
Minyu snaps back instantly.
"Shut your lying mouth."
Jin Yinji raises her hand slightly.
"I don't care whether he stole something or not."
The street goes silent.
She turns her gaze toward the guard leader.
"What I care about," she continues, "is that you attacked someone in the middle of *Silver City*."
Then she points—clearly and unmistakably.
"Take him."
She is pointing at *Yuxun*.
Yuxun's face turns white.
"What—? He's the thief!"
Jin Yinji looks at him as if he is no longer worth a second glance.
"I don't care if he's a thief," she repeats.
"I care that you broke the law of this city."
She looks between Minyu and Yuxun once more.
"You can fight outside Silver City," she says evenly.
"Not inside it."
The city guard leader straightens and turns to Yuxun.
"Sir, please come with us."
Guards move forward.
Yuxun clenches his fists but does not resist.
He knows better.
Causing trouble in Silver City means real punishment, sect backing or not. And he also knows they will not hold him long—once identities are verified, Sacred Thunder Mountain will intervene.
His companions follow silently as he is escorted away.
Minyu watches them disappear into the crowd.
Only then does he turn toward Jin Yinji and bow slightly.
"Thank you, miss."
Jin Yinji nods once.
She says nothing more.
With her maid's assistance, she enters her carriage. The maid follows, the door closes, and the convoy resumes its journey through the city.
Inside the carriage, the maid hesitates, then asks softly, "My lady… why did you help that boy?"
Jin Yinji leans back, eyes half-lidded.
For a moment, she wonders the same thing.
She does not know why, but the boy feels familiar. Not in face or aura, but in presence, as if their paths had brushed before without meeting.
She answers calmly.
"I didn't help the boy," she says.
"I upheld the law of the city."
---
Far away, atop a tall tower overlooking the streets, *Kaelan* watches Jin Yinji's carriage disappear into the flow of Silver City.
He turns slightly.
Amy and Gill stand beside him, wings folded.
He gestures faintly toward the direction Minyu walked.
"Is that man someone you know?"
Amy shakes her head.
"No."
Kaelan nods, but he does not believe her.
He had seen it—just for an instant—both Amy and Gill lingering a fraction too long on the young man's back as he disappeared into the crowd.
As a clone, Kaelan cannot see the full flow of heaven-and-earth energy.
But he can sense *aura resonance*.
The man's aura is similar to Jin Yinji's.
Both are aligned with *Light*, yet they express it differently.
Jin Yinji's light is warm, expansive, like sunlight spilling across a field.
The man's light is restrained, cool, and distant—like moonlight reflected on still water.
Two manifestations of the same root.
Interesting.
Kaelan says nothing more.
He turns and sits at the table, casually engaging Amy and Gill in discussion about cultivation methods and the differences between Twilight Race physiology and wizard mana circulation.
---
Elsewhere, Minyu steps into his inn room.
The door closes behind him.
A voice speaks immediately.
"You're late."
Minyu walks over, sets down the packet of food he brought, and exhales.
"Yuxun stopped me."
Jaixu rises from the bed and moves to the table, already opening the packet with practised ease.
"What happened?"
As they eat, Minyu recounts everything—Yuxun's ambush, the guards, the accusation, and the unexpected intervention.
When he finishes, Jaixu pauses.
"You met *Jin Yinji*?" he asks.
"The one said to be the most beautiful mortal woman?"
Minyu nods, chewing quietly.
Jaixu sighs wistfully.
"She'd be even more beautiful if she could cultivate."
Minyu frowns.
"She can't cultivate," he says slowly.
"But I sensed an aura on her."
Jaixu looks up.
"I heard her mother refined a *blood-bound weapon* for her."
Minyu freezes.
"What?"
Blood-bound weapons are exceedingly rare.
They require *blood marrow stone*, a material so scarce that even large sects may never see a single piece. Such weapons grow with their owner, absorbing spiritual energy independently and feeding it back.
They are treasures even for *Divine Mind Realm* cultivators.
Minyu exhales.
"…Her mother really loves her."
Jaixu nods.
After a moment, he adds casually, "Did you hear? The founder of the Wizard Way is staying in the *Divine Tower*."
Minyu stiffens.
"That explains why Elder Zhao is furious."
The Twilight Race has only two bases in the human world.
One in the Ren Kingdom.
One here, in Silver City.
And yet—even as official representatives—no member of the Tianren Sect has ever been permitted to stay in the Divine Tower.
Minyu's gaze sharpens.
"Is the Twilight Race planning to support the Wizard Way?"
Jaixu freezes.
Then he swallows.
"If that's true," he says slowly, "then this auction won't be ordinary at all."
Minyu nods.
He knows it as well as anyone.
The Tianren Sect—and the other Qi-refining sects—will never allow the Wizard Way to replace them quietly.
Not without a fight.