News about Bia Yuzhen being back on his feet and even dabbling in alchemy spread through Mingzu City faster than you can blink, hitting most ears within two days. Not the whole story, of course, just enough to get people talking. By the third day, it was all over the teahouses. Yuzhen himself didn't hear it directly, though. He felt it in the shift around him – servants bowing a bit quicker, stewards a little more carefully pleasant, younger cousins going silent the moment he walked by. Later that afternoon, when he and Bia Wenxiu were in the eastern market, people couldn't help but stare.
Wenxiu noticed right away. "They're looking at you again," he said. Yuzhen just kept walking. "Mingzu never has enough entertainment." Wenxiu chuckled. "You think so now. Just wait till the Chen family sees you." Yuzhen's expression didn't change, but his hand tightened slightly inside his sleeve. Wenxiu caught that too. "Never mind," he muttered. "No," Yuzhen said. "You're not wrong."
The street ahead buzzed with activity. Spirit herb stalls lined one side, while weapon sellers and talisman booths occupied the other. Banners fluttered overhead, identifying shops and their affiliations, some proudly displaying the Bia crest, others showing smaller families trying hard to appear significant. This was typical of the city before any major event – busy, tense, and competitive. Families always geared up early for sect enrollments: snapping up resources, testing their promising youths, arranging security, spreading rumors, making discreet deals, and watching each other like hawks.
Wenxiu crossed his arms. "Grandfather said the Chen family just bought three new defensive artifacts this week." "Sounds like they're getting nervous," Yuzhen commented. "Or they just don't want their people looking foolish on the road," Wenxiu corrected. Yuzhen glanced at him. "You're making it sound nicer than it is." "Trying to be a better person," Wenxiu quipped. "How's that working out?" "Terribly." A faint smile touched Yuzhen's lips.
They paused at a herb stall the Bia family frequently patronized. The shopkeeper practically leaped to attention. "Young masters." Wenxiu waved him off. "Just looking." The man readily agreed, though his tone suggested he expected them to buy out the entire shop. Yuzhen scanned the shelves. Nothing particularly rare or noteworthy, but that wasn't his purpose. He wanted to gauge the market: what herbs were scarce, which families were buying in bulk, and what people anticipated in the coming month.
As he examined a lower shelf, he overheard two familiar voices from outside. "...heard he can cultivate again." "He was never useless. The Bia family just kept him hidden." "That's not what I heard." Yuzhen didn't turn. Wenxiu did. Peeking through the stall opening, he saw two young men from a minor family, ostensibly examining talismans at the next booth, but talking far too loudly. One noticed Wenxiu and visibly paled. The other, either foolish or stubborn, continued. "They say he even got a new furnace. Maybe he's given up fighting and wants to be some herb-boiling scholar."
Wenxiu started to move forward, but Yuzhen lightly caught his sleeve. "No need." Wenxiu frowned. "They're talking about you." "And?" "And I don't like it." Yuzhen let go. "Then don't listen." The situation might have ended there if the second youth had had the sense to stop. Instead, he let out a laugh and added, "If the Chen family sees him now, maybe they'll regret throwing away such a pretty—"
The stall fell silent. Not because Yuzhen moved, but because someone else did. A shadow fell across the entrance, followed by a cold voice. "If you want your teeth to stay where they are, finish that sentence carefully." Both minor family youths froze. Yuzhen turned to see Bia Lanyue standing there in a pale green robe, hand resting on her blade. Her face was calm, but her eyes weren't. Beside her, Bia Anhe, carrying two paper-wrapped bundles, looked utterly unimpressed.
The foolish youth stammered, "I— I wasn't—" Lanyue took a single step forward. He clamped his mouth shut. Anhe sighed. "If you're going to gossip, at least do it well. Loud gossip is crude." The other youth bowed instantly. "We meant no offense." "That's what people say when they fail to offend properly," Lanyue retorted. Wenxiu looked thoroughly amused. Yuzhen, unfortunately at the center of it all, couldn't quite enjoy the spectacle. He stepped around the counter and out into the street.
The two youths immediately lowered their heads. Yuzhen's gaze swept over them and moved on. "What family?" The less foolish one replied immediately, "The He family, young master." Yuzhen knew the name: minor status, some business connections, enough sense to fear the Bia family but not enough to control their younger members. "Go back and tell your elders something for me," Yuzhen said. Neither dared look up. "If they have time to let their children bark in the street, they must not be busy enough. I'm sure Grandfather would be happy to help them find work." Both youths turned pale. "Yes, young master." "Good," Yuzhen said. "Now leave." They scurried off so quickly that Wenxiu burst out laughing.
Lanyue only relaxed after they were gone. Anhe walked over and handed Yuzhen one of the bundles. "Candied fruit." Yuzhen took it absently. "You're rewarding me after public humiliation?" "No," Anhe replied. "I'm rewarding myself for getting here before Wenxiu started a fight." "I would have won," Wenxiu protested. Lanyue gave him a look. "Against two idiots? How glorious." That shut him up for a good few seconds.
They left the market stall together, continuing down the street. Wherever the Bia juniors passed, conversations hushed, then resumed after they were gone. Mingzu City never hid its reactions when its top families made a move. By the time they reached the long stone bridge near the city center, Yuzhen had pieced together enough overheard snippets to get a clear picture. The Xu family had ramped up their herb purchases. The Yu family had quietly invited an academy instructor over. The Chen family had stocked up on defensive and healing supplies. Several minor families were trying to align their younger generation with larger groups before the departure. And everyone was watching everyone else. The Southern Region gathering hadn't even begun, but Mingzu was already acting like the first round of competition was underway.
At the bridge railing, Lanyue stopped and looked west, towards the Chen family grounds beyond the tiled roofs. "They'll come looking eventually," she said. Wenxiu snorted. "Let them." Anhe leaned against the stone rail. "The question is who shows up first. Chen Xianyi, or someone his mother sends." Yuzhen unwrapped a piece of candied fruit but didn't eat it. "Probably not Xianyi himself," he said, his gaze fixed on the rooftops. "If he shows up too early in person, it means too much." Wenxiu folded his arms. "That almost sounded sad." "It wasn't." Lanyue asked quietly, "Do you care if he regrets it?" Yuzhen was silent for a moment. The wind swept across the bridge, carrying the scent of herbs, dust, and distant cooking from the lower market streets. Then he said, "Regret doesn't bring anything back."
No one responded. Anhe straightened up and changed the subject before it got too heavy. "The Xu family is worse, anyway." That elicited a bark of laughter from Wenxiu. "True." Lanyue looked at Yuzhen. "Xu people, I can handle. Chen people, I can ignore. Minor families, I can silence. But if the whole city keeps staring at you like this, you should really start charging spirit stones." Yuzhen finally took a bite of the candied fruit, chewed, and said, "You sound just like Lu Chenmo already, and we haven't even left Mingzu." Anhe blinked. "Who?" "Someone I expect to dislike on sight," Yuzhen replied. That earned him grins from all three.
They started back toward the Bia estate as the sun began to set. About halfway there, they passed a Yu family carriage and two Xu family disciples on horseback. Neither group stopped, but both looked. The Yu carriage curtains shifted slightly, just enough to show someone inside had noticed Yuzhen. One of the Xu disciples, a young woman in dark blue, held his gaze for a beat too long before riding on. Lanyue watched them go. "See?" Yuzhen said, "I saw."
Back at the estate, the atmosphere was just as charged as it had been in the city. Servants scurried with travel lists, resource stewards moved crates, and outer elders constantly entered and exited the main residence. Even the training fields were busier than usual. Everything in the Bia family was gearing up for departure. That evening, a summons arrived from the main hall. Not just for Yuzhen, but for all seven of the Bia youths selected for the journey.
By the time Yuzhen arrived, the others were already there. Wenxiu stood unusually straight, Lanyue looked composed, and Anhe was trying, unsuccessfully, to mask his curiosity. The remaining three – Shuyin, Zichen, and Runze – kept exchanging glances, clearly sensing this was no ordinary family lecture. At the front of the hall stood Bia Zhenyuan. Silence fell as he entered. The family head looked at the seven of them one by one before speaking. "From this day on, everything you do outside this estate represents the Bia family." Simple words, but heavy with meaning. His gaze paused on each face. "You will encounter talents superior to yours, families wealthier than yours, individuals with stronger backing than yours. That is to be expected." His voice, though not loud, carried through the entire hall. "What is unacceptable is for any Bia disciple to lose their resolve before the journey has even begun."
The room grew still. Yuzhen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, listening. "You don't need to provoke others," Bia Zhenyuan continued. "But if others provoke you, remember who you are." A low, steady feeling emanated through the hall at those words. Not arrogance, but a solid foundation, the kind only strong families could instill in their juniors when their roots were deep. Bia Zhenyuan continued, "Yuzhen." Yuzhen stepped forward. "Grandfather." "You are the only one among them entering the Southern gathering at Foundation Establishment." "Yes." "That will draw attention." "I know." "Good." The old man's eyes rested on him. "Then let them look." A brief silence followed. Then Bia Zhenyuan added, "But don't waste time looking back." Yuzhen bowed his head. "Understood."
When the meeting concluded, the others left in small groups, their voices hushed. Yuzhen lingered a moment longer. His grandfather was still at the front of the hall, speaking with an elder over a travel ledger. The lantern light caught the lines around his eyes and the silver in his hair. For some reason, Yuzhen thought of the city outside: the gossip, the stares, the rumors. The lingering sting of past humiliation in some corners, fading in others. Mingzu City was in flux. The Bia family was on the move. And for the first time, when people looked at him, they weren't quite sure what they were seeing. That uncertainty, Yuzhen realized, was a weapon in itself. He turned and walked out of the hall. Tonight, he would refine again. Tomorrow, the city would talk even more. Soon, they would leave. And when they did, Mingzu would no longer be his entire world.