But then one conversation caught Han Yu’s attention.
"...I’m telling you, if I don’t pay back Senior Brother Duan soon, he’s going to send that bird of his to bite my nose off."
"You borrowed how much from him?" the friend across from him whispered.
"Five hundred spirit stones. But the interest doubled. I’ve only got my sword and this jade slip left—and I can’t sell the sword or I won’t be able to complete my missions next week."
"Then sell the jade slip, fool! It’s mid-grade, right? You can still get one thousand or fifteen hundred stones for it if you find the right person."
Han Yu sipped his porridge calmly, but his mind was already turning.
Mid-grade communication jade slip, huh?
He already had a high-grade slip for secure long-distance contact, especially with Meng Jueyan and any future secretive endeavors. But having a mid-grade one for more casual or localized use would be wise—he could keep the high-grade one hidden away in his formation-sealed floor, and carry the mid-grade one with him without worry.
After all, he couldn’t ignore the fact that the Twin Leaf Peak sect might be able to spy on the jade slips somehow.
Han Yu wiped his mouth and stood.
"Keep eating," he told the Kui brothers. "I’ll be back in a minute."
They didn’t even look up. Kui One was currently staring down a sesame dumpling like it owed him money.
Han Yu made his way over to the table with the two talking disciples, smiling politely.
"Excuse me. I couldn’t help overhearing... you’re thinking of selling a mid-grade communication jade slip?"
The disciple in question, a skinny youth with wide eyes and a constant air of mild panic, blinked rapidly.
"Uh... yes, but... I mean—"
"I’m interested," Han Yu said. "How old is it? Still functional?"
"I-I’ve only used it for a few months! It works perfectly! I just—" He glanced at his friend, then sighed. "I need the spirit stones."
Han Yu nodded. "I can offer you twelve hundred spirit stones for it. Right here, right now."
The youth gaped. "Twelve hundred?! You’re not joking?"
"Do I look like I joke when I’m offering money?"
"...You kind of do, actually," the friend whispered.
Han Yu chuckled. "Fair. But I’m serious. Twelve hundred spirit stones. No haggling. I won’t ask for the password either—you can wipe it, and I’ll register it clean."
The youth blinked again, then nearly jumped out of his seat. "Deal!"
He rummaged through his pouch and pulled out the jade slip. Han Yu inspected it—it was a solid mid-grade variant, cloud patterns etched faintly into the surface, with a good qi resonance and no cracks. Clean, functional, and convenient.
Han Yu handed him twelve hundred spirit stones, watching the boy’s eyes shine like he’d just been saved from an execution.
"Thanks! Really, thanks! You’re a life-saver, Senior Brother!" The disciple said, noting that Han Yu’s cultivation base was higher than him.
Han Yu gave a nod. "Use it to buy yourself a new debt-free life."
He returned to the Kui brothers’ table and sat down, pocketing the jade slip.
"Did you just buy something again?" Kui Two asked between bites.
"Just a little insurance," Han Yu said, taking another bite of his flatbread. "I’ll consider it my self bought birthday gift." he added.
Kui One narrowed his eyes. "This isn’t one of those times where you buy something and then two days later it explodes, right?"
"No promises," Han Yu said with a sly smile.
But inwardly, he was satisfied. Two communication jade slips—one high-grade hidden and secure, one mid-grade for casual use. His network was growing, his backups were solid, and his cultivation was steadily climbing.
All while enjoying breakfast with friends.
After parting ways with the two Kui brothers, Han Yu returned to his courtyard alone.
He waved them off with a warm smile, his sleeves fluttering in the breeze, even as Kui Two dramatically clutched his stomach and wailed that he had eaten too little, and Kui One tried to convince a passing junior disciple to exchange an empty spirit stone pouch for "the memory of a wonderful breakfast."
Han Yu shook his head fondly as he slipped back into the privacy of his domain.
Inside the courtyard, the atmosphere shifted to its usual quiet. He closed the gates, swept the floor, and checked the formation seals embedded in the wooden tiles.
Everything was as he left it. His precious vial of liquid living flames remained secure in the northeast corner beneath three formation layers, and the Jade Heart Silk and Reverse Blood Fruit were hidden in the southern compartment beneath a sealed stone slab—completely separate from each other to avoid suspicion in case of a breach.
The next few weeks passed in tranquil rhythm.
Han Yu fell into a stable daily routine: early morning cultivation, a light breakfast, sweeping the courtyard, visiting the Herb Pavilion or library to study on more materials, and then either meditation or sparring practice with a wooden dummy. He also occasionally visited Li Mei to test new pills when she wasn’t trying to blow off his eyebrows or alter his taste buds.
His cultivation progressed slowly but steadily. The liquid condensation within his dantian reached almost fifty five percent capacity now, indicating he was growing closer to the peak of the Qi Refining Realm.
Soul Qi was harder to train, and Emotion Resonance required more finesse than sheer effort—but his experiences, conversations, and small dramas with people had kept that energy flowing steadily too.
Time crept by with the serenity of drifting clouds.
One full month passed.
Han Yu was just stepping out of his courtyard one crisp morning, planning to take a walk through the Twin Leaf gardens and perhaps visit the sect archives for some light reading, when he noticed the buzz.