30: Chapter 30: Retention

Three days after Qin Wu left, the Sect Head moved.

It was not a large move, but a small one. However, small moves are scarier than large ones—because you never know where the next blow will fall. The first to be moved was the Accounting Office. On the pretext of "auditing the School's accounts over the years," the Sect Head transferred out the Law Enforcement Hall's accountant, Qian Youwei, and replaced him with his own person. Qian Youwei had worked at the Danding Sect for forty years and had handled all the accounts of the Law Enforcement Hall. He had backups—old ledgers, private accounts, and those that couldn't be recorded openly. What the Sect Head wanted was not the Law Enforcement Hall's accounts, but Elder Sun's accounts.

Then came personnel. The Sect Head transferred Sun Qian from being an Outer Sect Deacon to being a Handyman in the Teaching Hall. It was a promotion in name but a demotion in reality—an Outer Sect Deacon had actual power, while a Teaching Hall Handyman did not. When Sun Qian received the transfer order, his face was as white as paper. He did not resist because he knew that resistance was futile. The Sect Head was sent by the Xuantian Sect; Elder Sun could wrestle with the Sect Head, but Sun Qian could not.

Finally, the Dungeon. On the pretext of "improving prisoner treatment," the Sect Head planted two of his own people in the Dungeon. Nominally, they were there to deliver food and clean, but in reality, they were watching—to see who came to visit the prisoners, who spoke to them, and who took items out of the Dungeon.

Elder Sun did not move. She was like a snake, coiled in its hole, waiting for the prey to deliver itself to her door. But Lu Chen knew she would not wait for long. A snake's patience is limited, especially when someone has stepped on its tail.

On the fourth day, Lu Chen spent the entire day refining pills in the Pharmacy.

Out of three batches of small foundation establishment pills, two were successful and one was ruined. The ruined batch was due to his hands shaking—not the kind of shaking from fear, but a physiological reaction to the growth of the Grey Spirit Root. Old Zhou said it would become increasingly severe until his body adapted to the new size of the Spiritual Root.

He stored the eight pills from the two successful batches. He consumed four himself and kept the remaining four to sell. The four small foundation establishment pills he took caused the Spiritual Qi in his Dantian to rise from fifteen percent to twenty percent.

He was still thirty percent away from the Middle Stage of Level 4 Qi Refining—which required fifty percent.

"Too slow." Lu Chen set down the empty porcelain bottle.

"It's only right that it's slow." Old Zhou was nearby grinding Materials, not even looking up. "From Level 4 to Level 5 Qi Refining, it takes even Cultivators with Spiritual Roots two years. With your Grey Spirit Root, reaching fifty percent in four months is already very fast."

"Fast is not enough. It needs to be faster."

"Any faster will harm your body. Your hands are already shaking; any faster and your Meridians will snap."

Lu Chen looked down at his hands. His palms were still bleeding—the wounds from grabbing Sun Qian's blade three days ago hadn't fully healed. It wasn't that the injury was severe, but that the recovery was slow. After his friendship was gone, his body's recovery ability also seemed to be declining.

"If they snap, I'll reconnect them."

Old Zhou shook his head and stopped trying to persuade him.

In the afternoon, Su Qing arrived. She was wearing a dark robe today, her hair tied with a black ribbon, and her face was unpainted and looked haggard. She held a letter in her hand; the envelope was white and addressed "To Lu Chen."

"The Masked Person sent another letter."

Lu Chen took the letter and opened it.

There was only one line inside: "Elder Sun will move tonight. Be careful."

Lu Chen folded the letter and tucked it into his robe. "How does he know?"

"I don't know. But he's right every time." Su Qing looked at him. "What happened to your hand?"

"I cut it grabbing a blade."

"You grabbed a blade?"

"Sun Qian's blade."

Su Qing was silent for a few seconds. "You're crazy. The Magical Artifacts of the Law Enforcement Hall have Restrictions on them; grabbing the blade will damage your Meridians."

"I know. But I had no other choice. Qin Wu was behind me; I couldn't dodge."

Su Qing stared at him for a long time, then sighed. "A person like you will eventually court death until you succeed."

"We'll see about that when the time comes."

Su Qing said no more. She turned and left. Her footsteps were very light and soon faded away.

At night, Lu Chen did not sleep.

He sat on the bed, holding Spirit Stones in his hands, absorbing them one by one. The Spiritual Qi in his Dantian rose slowly—twenty percent, twenty-one percent, twenty-two percent. It rose very slowly, but it never stopped.

Just after midnight, he heard footsteps.

It wasn't just one person, but many. The sound came from the courtyard, stepping on the stone slabs with a thumping sound, like someone beating a drum.

He stood up, walked to the door, and opened it a crack.

A dozen people were standing in the courtyard. They wore grey robes, their faces were covered with black cloth, and Law Enforcement Hall jade plates hung from their waists. He recognized the leader—Vice Hall Master Liu. That single white hair was still there, shimmering silver-white under the moonlight.

Vice Hall Master Liu walked to Lu Chen's door and stopped.

"Lu Chen. By order of Elder Sun, you are under arrest on charges of 'colluding with the enemy.'"

Lu Chen pushed open the door, walked out, and stood in the doorway. "Colluding with the enemy? Who?"

"The Ten Thousand Sword Sect."

"Where is the evidence?"

"Qin Wu is the evidence." Vice Hall Master Liu's voice was flat, as if he were reciting a script. "Qin Wu is a spy for the Ten Thousand Sword Sect. Your use of the Dungeon's secret passage to help him escape is collusion with the enemy. The Sect Head already knows, and he told me to tell you—surrender without resistance, and you may be treated with leniency."

Lu Chen looked at Vice Hall Master Liu. "The Sect Head sent you?"

"Yes."

"Then did the Sect Head have you bring his token?"

Vice Hall Master Liu froze for a moment.

"The Sect Head's token is a jade plate with 'Xuantian' carved on the front and 'Sect Head' on the back. Did you bring it?"

Vice Hall Master Liu did not speak.

"You didn't bring it. Because the Sect Head didn't send you. Elder Sun sent you."

Vice Hall Master Liu's expression changed. "You—"

"Vice Hall Master Liu, last time you tried to frame me for stealing polygonatum and failed. This time you want to frame me for colluding with the Ten Thousand Sword Sect." Lu Chen took a step forward. "Have you ever thought—failing to frame someone once is bad luck. Failing to frame them twice is just being stupid."

Vice Hall Master Liu's face turned from white to red, and from red to purple. The dozen people behind him took a step forward.

"Arrest him." Vice Hall Master Liu waved his hand.

The dozen people rushed forward.

Lu Chen did not move. He reached into his robe and pulled out an object—the sound-recording jade. The one Qin Wu had given him, which had recorded the conversation between Sun Qian and the Ten Thousand Sword Sect.

"This is a sound-recording jade. Inside is a recording of Sun Qian negotiating a deal with someone from the Ten Thousand Sword Sect. Sun Qian personally said—'My aunt told me to tell you that the quantity can be increased next time.'" Lu Chen held up the sound-recording jade so everyone could see it. "If you arrest me, this jade will fall into the Sect Head's hands. The entire Danding Sect will know about Elder Sun's collusion with the Ten Thousand Sword Sect."

The dozen people stopped in their tracks.

They looked back at Vice Hall Master Liu. Vice Hall Master Liu's face had turned purple; his lips were trembling, his fingers were trembling, his entire body was trembling.

"You—you—"

"Me what?" Lu Chen tucked the sound-recording jade away. "Go back and tell Elder Sun—if she wants to move against me, she can. But she should think clearly about what the price of moving against me will be."

Vice Hall Master Liu stood there staring at Lu Chen, his eyes filled with hatred, fear, and regret—regret that he hadn't killed him directly in the Law Enforcement Hall back then.

"Withdraw."

Vice Hall Master Liu turned and left. The dozen people followed him.

The sound of footsteps faded away.

The courtyard became quiet.

Lu Chen stood in the doorway, clutching the sound-recording jade. His palm was bleeding—the wound had reopened, and blood dripped down his fingers, one drop at a time onto the ground.

Old Zhou walked out of the Pharmacy and stood in the doorway, looking at him.

"You are playing with fire."

"The fire has already started. If I don't play with it, I'll be burned to death."

Old Zhou shook his head and turned back into the Pharmacy.

Lu Chen returned to his room and closed the door. He sat down, placed the sound-recording jade on the table, and stared at it for a long time.

Then he picked up a Spirit Stone and continued to absorb it.

The Spiritual Qi in his Dantian reached twenty-three percent.

Dawn was approaching.

Early the next morning, the Sect Head summoned Lu Chen.

The Sect Head was alone in the Council Hall. He sat in the main seat, holding the sound-recording jade—which Lu Chen had sent over the previous night.

"You did the right thing." The Sect Head set down the sound-recording jade. "With the sound-recording jade in my hands, Elder Sun won't dare move against you. But she won't let the matter rest. She will change her method."

"What method?"

"Killing you. But not now. She will wait until the storm has passed, until you've let down your guard, until you've forgotten she is still watching you—that is when she will act."

"I won't forget."

"You won't. But you will stop caring." The Sect Head looked at him. "Is compassion still there?"

Lu Chen thought for a moment. "It's still there. But it has faded."

"Faded by how much?"

"I don't know. But yesterday when Vice Hall Master Liu brought people to arrest me, I felt nothing in my heart. It wasn't that I wasn't afraid, it was just—indifference. Whether they were there or not had nothing to do with me. Whether they arrested me or not had nothing to do with me. Whether I lived or died had nothing to do with me."

The Sect Head was silent for a long time. "Then compassion is disappearing. It doesn't vanish all at once; it fades bit by bit. Today you are indifferent to the life and death of your enemies, tomorrow to your friends, and the day after to yourself. When you are completely indifferent, compassion will be gone."

"Then I will be able to enter the fourth floor of the Inverted Tower."

"Yes. But you will also become something that is not human."

Lu Chen did not speak. He knew.

Old Zhou had said it. Founder Zhou Ding's notes had said it. The Sect Head was saying it too.

Refining emotions is like refining iron. Remove the Impurities, leave the essence.

The Impurities are emotions; the essence is the Dao.

The Dao is not human.

"Before entering the tower, I have one more thing to do."

"What is it?"

"Investigate all the transactions between Elder Sun and the Ten Thousand Sword Sect. Nail her down."

"Do you have any leads?"

"Yes. Qin Wu knows a part of it. The other part—is in the Law Enforcement Hall's Accounting Office."

The Sect Head looked at him. "I have already replaced the people in the Law Enforcement Hall's Accounting Office. Qian Youwei is now my man. But only he knows where his backup ledgers are."

"I'll go find him."

"He is currently in the Law Enforcement Hall's Accounting Office. You cannot go there. Elder Sun would think you are investigating her and would act prematurely."

"Then I must find him without anyone knowing."

The Sect Head thought for a moment. "There is a small path on the back mountain that leads to the back window of the Law Enforcement Hall's Accounting Office. If you go at night, no one will see you."

"Understood."

Lu Chen stood up to leave.

"Lu Chen."

He stopped.

"Your hand is bleeding."

Lu Chen looked down at his hand. The wound on his palm had split again, and blood was seeping through the bandage, staining half his palm red.

"It's nothing."

"It is something. You just can't feel it." The Sect Head took a roll of new bandages from a drawer and threw it to him. "Wrap it up. If the wound isn't treated, it will get infected. If it gets infected, you'll die."

Lu Chen caught the bandage, wrapped it around his hand, and tied two knots.

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me. If you die, my blade will be broken."

Lu Chen walked out of the Council Hall.

In the afternoon, Lu Chen went to the Law Enforcement Hall's Accounting Office from the back mountain.

The path was difficult. The back mountain was full of shrubs, and branches whipped against his face, causing sharp pain. But he didn't feel much—it didn't hurt, it was just the objective fact of skin being scraped.

The Accounting Office was behind the Law Enforcement Hall, a separate small building with blue bricks and grey tiles, and very small windows. The back window was on the second floor; there were no bars, but climbing up would take some effort.

Lu Chen tied a rope to a tree and climbed up. Reaching the window, he looked inside.

A lamp was lit in the room.

A man sat at the desk, his hair completely white and his back hunched, flipping through a ledger.

Qian Youwei.

Lu Chen tapped on the window.

Qian Youwei looked up and was startled to see a face outside the window. He stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.

"You—how did you get up here?"

"I climbed."

"What are you here for?"

"To check the accounts."

Qian Youwei was silent for a few seconds, then stepped aside to let him in. "Come in."

Lu Chen climbed through the window, jumped down, and stood in the room.

The room was small and piled high with ledgers. They were on the desk, on the shelves, and on the floor—everywhere. The air smelled of old paper and ink, mixed with the herbal scent of insect repellent.

"What do you want to check?" Qian Youwei sat back down at the desk.

"All the transactions between Elder Sun and the Ten Thousand Sword Sect."

Qian Youwei's hand paused. "That's more than just one incident."

"I know. Qin Wu mentioned two. There are more."

Qian Youwei was silent for a long time. He took a cloth bundle from a drawer and opened it. Inside was a very old ledger with a yellowed cover and frayed edges.

"This is the backup I've hidden for ten years." He pushed the ledger over. "Elder Sun's transactions with the Ten Thousand Sword Sect began ten years ago. The first year, five stalks of polygonatum. The second year, ten. The third year, twenty. By last year—the 17th Year of Taiping—it was already fifty stalks. And it wasn't just polygonatum, but even more valuable things."

"What things?"

"Materials for Foundation Establishment pills. The core medicinal ingredients for Foundation Establishment pills—Purple Lingzhi, Dragon Saliva Grass, and thousand-year-old fleeceflower root. These items are so scarce that even the Danding Sect doesn't have enough, yet she sold them to the Ten Thousand Sword Sect." Qian Youwei flipped to a certain page. "March of the 17th Year of Taiping. Three Purple Lingzhi, five Dragon Saliva Grass, and two thousand-year-old fleeceflower root. Sold for three hundred Spirit Stones. Elder Sun took two hundred, and the rest was split among Vice Hall Master Liu, Wang Fu, and Sun Qian."

Lu Chen looked at the line of text. It was written clearly in black and white. Date, item, quantity, price, and the split of the spoils—everything was there.

"Is there anything else?"

"Yes." Qian Youwei flipped a few more pages. "September of the 16th Year of Taiping. A Pill Formula—the complete recipe for the small foundation establishment pill. Elder Sun sold it to the Ten Thousand Sword Sect for five hundred Spirit Stones."

"The Pill Formula?"

"Yes. That is a secret transmission of the Danding Sect, left by the Founding Ancestral Master. Elder Sun selling it is like she sold out her own ancestors."

Lu Chen closed the ledger. "Is this enough to bring her down?"

"It's enough," Qian Youwei said. "But you must think clearly—bringing down Elder Sun will throw the Danding Sect into chaos. The Sect Head will take the opportunity to purge the Law Enforcement Hall. Many people will die. Including me."

"You can leave."

"I can't. Elder Sun placed a Restriction on me as well. I cannot leave the Danding Sect."

"Restrictions can be broken."

"By whom?"

"Me."

Qian Youwei looked at him. "You?"

"Once compassion is gone, I will enter the fourth floor of the Inverted Tower to find the Method to Unravel Ten Thousand Restrictions."

Qian Youwei stared at him for a long time. "Do you know what it means to lose compassion?"

"I know. It means I will no longer be human."

"And you're still willing?"

"I am. Because I'm not doing this to help you. I'm doing it to help myself. If Elder Sun doesn't fall, I can't enter the Inverted Tower. If I can't enter the Inverted Tower, I won't find the truth of immortality."

Qian Youwei was silent for a long time, then he wrapped the ledger back up and handed it to him.

"Take it. Don't let anyone see."

Lu Chen took the cloth bundle and tucked it into his robe.

"Accountant Qian."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Qian Youwei shook his head. "Don't thank me. I'm just a dying old man. Doing one right thing before I die can be considered being worthy of the Ancestral Master."

Lu Chen climbed out the window and slid down the rope.

It was already dark.

The moon emerged from behind the clouds, shining brightly on the ground.

Standing in the shrubs of the back mountain, with the ledger in his robe and the sound-recording jade in his hand, the evidence was sufficient. Elder Sun was finished. But not now. He would wait until the Sect Head was ready, until he himself was ready, until the moment compassion vanished.

He turned and walked down the mountain. Halfway there, he stopped and looked down at the white line on his left wrist. Six loops, seven knots. He couldn't remember Qin Wu's face or his voice. But the line was there. As long as the line remained, the person remained.

He continued walking. No matter what lay ahead, he would not stop.

tianxuan calendar, 18th Year of Taiping, Late Autumn.

Lu Chen, Level 4 Qi Refining.

Obtained full evidence of Elder Sun's collusion with the Ten Thousand Sword Sect.

sound-recording jade. Ledger. Witnesses.

Enough.

When compassion is gone,

I will act.