Chapter 6: Three Days After the Ripple
Day One — Spirit Hall
Three days had passed since the convoy failed.
Three days since the first ripple spread outward from Spirit Hall.
Three days since Bai Ze had done absolutely nothing about it.
He lay on the familiar white stone rooftop, sunlight warming his back, one leg bent, the other hanging lazily over the edge. The world below was busier than usual. Couriers came and went. Elders moved faster. Voices lowered whenever they spoke near the inner halls.
Something had gone wrong.
Everyone felt it.
Bai Ze felt hungry.
"…Breakfast again?" he muttered, sitting up slowly.
Spirit power flowed naturally as he moved, smooth and obedient, filling him without effort. The Heavenly Slacker Constitution worked tirelessly, turning inactivity into progress. He could feel it—subtle strengthening, quiet refinement, like a blade being polished while left untouched.
Inside the inner hall, the atmosphere was tense.
Maps lay spread across the long stone table, marked with red and blue spirit power lines. Routes that should have remained unchanged were now crossed out. Resource nodes had shifted. Priority allocations had moved without authorization.
One elder broke the silence.
"This adjustment happened the same night Bai Ze was registered."
Another elder frowned.
"Correlation does not mean causation."
The envoy spoke calmly.
"In Spirit Hall," he said, "it usually does."
No one disagreed.
Day One — Nuoding Region
That same morning, far from Spirit Hall, a boy knelt beside an empty road.
Tang San brushed his fingers over the dirt, eyes sharp, breathing controlled. The remains of a shattered crate lay scattered before him, spirit beast blood long dried into the soil.
This was supposed to arrive yesterday.
It always did.
Xiao Wu crouched beside him, tail flicking uneasily.
"Third Brother," she said, voice lower than usual, "this doesn't feel right."
Tang San nodded slowly.
"It isn't."
Behind them, Yu Xiaogang adjusted his robe, expression dark.
"This supply route has not failed in ten years," he said.
"Something changed upstream."
Tang San closed his eyes.
In his mind, a line snapped.
Day Two — Spirit Hall
On the second day, Bai Ze was officially informed.
Ling Yu delivered the message herself.
"You've been mentioned in three strategic reviews," she said flatly, standing in front of him as he sat on the steps eating steamed buns.
Bai Ze paused mid-bite.
"…Positively?"
She stared at him.
"No."
"…That's fair."
She crossed her arms.
"The convoy that failed was rerouted twelve hours before departure."
Bai Ze frowned slightly.
"By who?"
"No one," Ling Yu replied.
"That's the problem."
Ding.
System Notification:
"Passive Authority Influence Confirmed."
Bai Ze sighed.
"I really need to stop accidentally touching fate."
"Host has not touched anything."
"Fate tripped."
"…That's worse."
Day Two — Nuoding City
By the second night, Tang San had already adapted.
He trained harder.
Focused more.
But something was missing.
The spirit power he gathered felt… thinner.
Not weaker.
Incomplete.
Yu Xiaogang noticed immediately.
"Your foundation was interrupted," he said quietly.
Tang San opened his eyes.
"…By whom?"
Yu Xiaogang hesitated.
"…By something."
That answer disturbed Tang San more than any enemy name could.
Day Three — Names Begin to Spread
On the third day, a Spirit Hall notice appeared near Nuoding City Academy.
It was simple.
Official.
And terrifyingly out of place.
Special Asset Classification
Name: Bai Ze
Yu Xiaogang read it twice.
Then a third time.
His fingers tightened.
"That name," he murmured, "does not belong here."
Tang San turned sharply.
"…Explain."
Yu Xiaogang's voice was slow.
"That name appears in old Spirit Hall internal records," he said.
"Rarely. Briefly. Always before major deviations."
Tang San's eyes narrowed.
"So he's an enemy?"
Yu Xiaogang shook his head.
"No," he said.
"He's a variable."
Day Three — Spirit Hall Rooftop
That same night, Bai Ze lay staring at the stars.
Ling Yu sat beside him, unusually quiet.
"You've entered their awareness," she said at last.
Bai Ze didn't look at her.
"They were always going to notice."
"They noticed early."
He smiled faintly.
"Lucky me."
Ding.
Narrative Convergence Confirmed
Primary Figures Now Aware of Host:
Tang San
Yu Xiaogang
Bai Ze closed his eyes.
"…So the clock starts now."
"Correct."
Same Night — Two Paths Under One Sky
Tang San meditated.
His spirit power circulated faster than ever, but the emptiness remained.
Bai Ze rested.
His spirit power deepened naturally, unforced, untouched by urgency.
Two existences.
Two trajectories.
One story beginning to bend.
The ripple that began with a missing convoy had now reached the protagonist.
And Bai Ze?
He had still not moved.