Chapter 69: A Better-Prepared Team

Four days later, six cultivators arrived from Green River.

Their arrival caused less commotion than Lin Yuan expected. Two pack beasts carried most of their supplies, leaving the travelers free to move at an easy pace.

Surveyor He walked near the front in the same brown traveling robe she had worn during her first visit. Beside her came a broad-shouldered man in his forties, dressed in clothes bearing the Merchant Association emblem. A sheathed saber rested at his waist.

Close behind them walked a woman carrying a narrow wooden case nearly as long as her arm. Three more Association cultivators followed with travel packs and equipment.

Wu Jian left the route station to greet them.

Surveyor He noticed Lin Yuan standing outside Wandering Cloud Tavern.

"Still here."

Lin Yuan glanced around Blackstone.

"Apparently."

Her attention moved toward the caravan yard.

"You built more while I was gone."

"People kept arriving."

The broad-shouldered man looked between them.

"You two know each other?"

"I handled the first inspection near Red Cliff," Surveyor He replied. "Most of our reports ended up passing through Blackstone."

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"I thought I only owned a tavern."

"You complain about the road often enough."

Arguing seemed pointless.

Wu Jian stepped in with the introductions.

"This is Zhao Wei. He’s overseeing the new investigation."

Zhao Wei greeted Lin Yuan with a short nod.

"Merchant Association."

Lin Yuan returned the gesture.

Wu Jian then indicated the woman carrying the wooden case.

"Shen Yao. Her specialty is formations and disturbances in spiritual Qi."

Dark hair was tied neatly behind her head, and she appeared to be somewhere in her early thirties.

Surveyor He added, "She’ll inspect the worked stone and compare it with what we measured near Red Cliff."

Lin Yuan’s attention returned to Zhao Wei.

Something about him felt different from the Qi Refining cultivators who regularly passed through Blackstone. His Qi remained contained, giving away almost nothing.

Wu Jian noticed where Lin Yuan was looking.

"Senior Zhao has reached Foundation Establishment."

That explained it.

Zhao Wei caught the look.

"Trying to reach Foundation yourself?"

"Trying to afford the technique first."

A short laugh escaped him.

"That problem sounds familiar."

Lin Yuan liked that answer.

Very little time was spent resting.

Within an hour, reports, maps, and survey notes covered one of the tables at the Association station.

Surveyor He’s earlier records sat beside Wu Jian’s newer information. Together, they covered the damaged road near Red Cliff, worked stone exposed beneath it, repeated tremors, empty beast territory, and a spiritual disturbance that grew stronger toward the north. More recent accounts added several unrelated species fleeing east.

Lin Yuan had only come over to deliver tea, but Surveyor He stopped him before he could leave.

"You’ve heard more firsthand reports than most people here."

"So has Qiao."

"We’re trying to keep this accurate."

"Fair."

That was enough to make him stay.

Opening the wooden case, Shen Yao revealed thin metal rods, several carved discs, and a flat piece of pale stone marked with formation lines.

Surveyor He placed the dark fragment recovered near Red Cliff beside them.

Lin Yuan remembered it clearly: an unnaturally flat surface, a shallow groove, and one broken edge.

Shen Yao lifted the fragment and traced the carving with a fingertip before positioning it beside one of the discs. A faint thread of Qi passed through the tool, but the stone showed no response.

After adjusting the angle, she tried again.

Zhao Wei watched from across the table.

"The fragment isn’t responding?"

"Nothing from the stone itself."

"Does the groove look like formation work?"

Turning the fragment slightly, Shen Yao examined the cut once more.

"Very likely. It’s too even to be accidental, and the shape resembles a channel meant to guide or redirect spiritual Qi."

Conversation nearby quieted.

Wu Jian leaned closer.

"So it may have belonged to a formation."

"Possibly, but one fragment isn’t enough to confirm that."

A familiar voice came from behind Lin Yuan.

"An ancient formation?"

Everyone turned.

Qiao had somehow joined them without attracting attention.

Lin Yuan sighed.

Shen Yao regarded him for a moment.

"How old is the stone?"

Qiao considered the question.

"I don’t know."

"Neither do I."

He nodded seriously.

"Reasonable."

Lin Yuan pointed toward the general store.

"Don’t you have something to sell?"

"Not currently."

"Try harder."

Qiao wandered away slowly enough to make his continuing interest obvious.

Attention returned to the fragment.

"Whatever once passed through this channel, the stone isn’t active anymore," Shen Yao said.

Lin Yuan studied the groove.

"Could something like this be related to the tremors?"

"Possibly, but that depends on what the larger structure was meant to do."

While arranging her tools, Shen Yao continued.

"A formation might gather Qi, disperse it, reinforce an area, suppress something, protect something, or interact with an earth vein. One carved channel can’t tell us which."

Someone nearby asked, "What about hiding treasure?"

Without looking up, Shen Yao replied, "It could also have kept water out of a cellar."

Laughter passed around the table.

Zhao Wei unfolded Surveyor He’s map.

"Your exposed section angles north from the fissure?"

"Yes. From what we could see, the worked stone disappears beneath the earth in that direction."

"And your strongest reading came from farther north as well."

"That’s where we recorded the strongest disturbance."

Wu Jian tapped another marked area.

"Recent beast reports also point that way."

For a while, Zhao Wei studied the map in silence.

"How far did your first team follow it?"

"Only far enough to confirm the direction safely."

"That was the right decision."

Lin Yuan glanced at him.

"You would’ve stopped there too?"

"With unstable ground and no clear target? Of course. Walking deeper into danger just because something is mysterious is how people disappear."

Lin Yuan couldn’t argue with that.

Most of the afternoon passed with maps and reports being compared instead of anyone rushing west.

After several more examinations, Shen Yao paused where the shallow groove reached the broken edge.

"There’s something useful here."

Surveyor He moved closer.

"What did you find?"

"This channel was cut off when the fragment broke. It wasn’t designed to end here."

Zhao Wei glanced toward the map.

"We already know the worked stone itself continues north."

"Exactly." Shen Yao turned the fragment slightly. "If the same carving continues through the buried section, we’re probably looking at more than ordinary worked masonry."

Lin Yuan studied the stone again.

"So whatever was built there may have extended much farther than the part exposed beneath the road."

"Possibly. I want to inspect the buried section before saying anything stronger."

Surveyor He’s earlier work had already established that worked stone continued north beneath the earth.

Shen Yao’s examination added a different clue: the broken groove suggested that the spiritual channel may have continued through the buried section as well.

"So the road might not be the center of the problem," Lin Yuan said.

Zhao Wei shook his head slightly.

"We don’t know where the center is."

Shen Yao pointed toward the northern marks on the map.

"But we have more reason to follow that direction."

Lin Yuan appreciated the caution. Too many rumors around Blackstone had already grown from guesses into facts by the time they reached the next traveler.

Dinner brought the investigation team to Wandering Cloud Tavern.

Zhao Wei chose an ordinary table near the wall. Surveyor He and Shen Yao continued comparing notes between dishes, while the other Association cultivators mostly listened.

Several customers tried asking questions.

Every answer stayed cautious. Inspection would begin in the morning, while stories about ancient ruins and hidden treasure remained unconfirmed rumors.

Qiao looked particularly disappointed.

After dinner, Zhao Wei found Lin Yuan outside.

"I heard you were involved when those beasts came through Blackstone."

"There were several cultivators helping."

"You’re at Peak Qi Refining?"

Lin Yuan nodded.

After a brief look, Zhao Wei said, "Your cultivation seems settled."

Lin Yuan almost laughed.

"My path to Foundation Establishment is less settled."

"Still looking for a suitable technique?"

"I found one, but I can’t afford it yet."

"Then waiting is better than forcing a breakthrough with the wrong method."

"That’s what I planned to do."

Zhao Wei left the matter there and turned his attention toward the western road.

"We leave before sunrise."

"Straight north?"

"Red Cliff first. Shen Yao needs to inspect the exposed section herself, and Surveyor He wants to compare fresh readings with the earlier ones. After that, we’ll decide whether going farther north is worth the risk."

"Sounds sensible."

Zhao Wei glanced back at him.

"I assume you’re staying here."

"Someone has to run the tavern."

"Probably the safer choice."

Lin Yuan had no reason to disagree.

Blackstone was already stirring before sunrise.

Surveyor He checked the pack beasts while three Association cultivators secured food, rope, and survey equipment. Nearby, Shen Yao fastened the wooden case across her back as Zhao Wei waited near the western edge of the settlement.

Lin Yuan stood outside Wandering Cloud Tavern with a cup of tea.

He had no intention of joining the expedition, though he was interested in whatever they discovered.

Before setting off, Shen Yao looked toward the western road.

"If that channel continues north with the buried stone, the damaged road may only be where one section of the structure became exposed."

Lin Yuan followed her gaze.

Red Cliff was where the buried stone had become visible. That didn’t mean the problem had started there.

Zhao Wei adjusted the saber at his waist.

"We’ll know more once we’ve seen it ourselves."

Soon, all six figures disappeared into the morning haze.

Lin Yuan finished his tea and headed back inside.

Whatever the team found near Red Cliff, word would reach Blackstone soon enough.