The figure quickly pulled their hood back into place and hurried past without a word, leaving me frozen in place.

"Ke Yin?" Wei Lin's voice seemed to come from very far away. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

A ghost. Or something worse. Because if what I had just seen was real, then either I was going crazy, or there was something very, very wrong with the world.

"I'm fine," I managed to say once the figure had disappeared, though my voice sounded strange even to my own ears. "Just... thought I recognized Li Yuan.”

Wei Lin and Lin Mei exchanged worried glances.

"Li Yuan?" Wei Lin said carefully. "The cultivator from the Flowing Stream Sect? The one who..." He trailed off, clearly not wanting to describe the gruesome scene we'd witnessed.

"I know how it sounds," I said, still staring in the direction the figure had gone. "But it was him. Same face, same..."

"It was probably just someone who looked similar," Lin Mei suggested gently. "After all, we saw what happened. The spiritual flame consumed everything – body and soul."

"Yeah," Wei Lin added, placing a steadying hand on my shoulder. "And you only saw Li Yuan briefly that one time. In a stressful situation. It would be easy to mistake someone else for him.”

"It happens sometimes, especially among cultivators,” Lin Mei added. “The spiritual energy can cause people to develop certain... ideal features."

They were being reasonable, of course. The logical explanation was that I'd seen someone with similar features and my mind had filled in the rest.

After all, Li Yuan's death had affected me more than I'd like to admit – watching someone die for making the same kind of righteous stand I might have made in another life had hit close to home.

But I couldn't shake the certainty of what I'd seen. I reached out mentally to Azure, needing confirmation that I wasn't losing my mind.

"Azure? Did you...?"

"I did," he replied. "And before you ask – yes, the qi signature was almost identical to the Li Yuan we saw die. Almost, but not quite. There was something... off about it. Like a reflection in disturbed water."

A chill ran down my spine. "How is that possible? We saw his soul destroyed. The Elemental Realm cultivator used spiritual flame specifically to prevent any chance of survival."

"As much as Elemental Realm cultivators would like to brag they can destroy souls," Azure's tone was thoughtful, "that seems unlikely. Only someone in the Life Realm or above who truly understands the soul can extinguish it completely."

I frowned, processing this. "But then how...?"

"I have theories," Azure replied, "but we should discuss them when you’re not in the middle of a crowded marketplace."

He had a point. I forced myself to take a deep breath, trying to appear normal as I turned back to my friends.

"You're probably right," I told them with what I hoped was a convincing smile. "It must have been someone else. The resemblance just caught me off guard."

Wei Lin nodded, clearly relieved I was being reasonable. "Come on, we should find rooms for the night. It's getting late, and I don't know about you, but I could use a real bed after all that walking."

"And a proper bath," Lin Mei added, making a face as she brushed road dust from her robes. "I feel like I'm wearing half the highway."

Liu Chen, who had been unusually quiet during the whole exchange, suddenly perked up. "Can we get food first? I'm starving!"

The boy's simple request broke the remaining tension. Wei Lin laughed and ruffled Liu Chen's hair, earning an indignant squawk.

"Food it is," he declared. "I think I smell spiced noodles from that corner stall."

As we made our way through the crowded marketplace, I couldn't help but scan the faces around us, looking for any sign of the cloaked figure. But whoever – or whatever – I'd seen was long gone.

The noodle stall Wei Lin had spotted was doing brisk business, steam rising from huge pots as the cook worked. The smell alone was enough to remind me how hungry I was.

"Four bowls of the house special," Wei Lin ordered, producing spirit stones before I could reach for my own. He waved off my protest. "My treat. Consider it payment for not pointing out how ridiculous I looked earlier with the jade pendants."

Lin Mei blushed at the mention of the communication devices, one hand unconsciously touching the pendant hanging at her neck.

We found seats at one of the communal tables, Liu Chen practically bouncing with excitement as he waited for his food. The boy had taken to carrying his new practice sword slung across his back, occasionally reaching up to touch the hilt as if reassuring himself it was still there.

"You'll have to show me your forms sometime," I told him, nodding toward the weapon. "I'm curious to see your foundation."

Liu Chen's eyes lit up. "Really? I mean... I'm not very good yet, but..."

"Everyone starts somewhere," I said, thinking of my own combat journey since arriving in this world. "The important thing is to build good habits early."

Our food arrived before he could respond. The noodles were excellent – spicy enough to warm us after the day's travel, with tender strips of meat and vegetables throughout. We ate in comfortable silence for a while, all too hungry for conversation.

It wasn't until we'd finished eating and were making our way to the residential section that Azure spoke up again.

"Master," his tone was cautious, "about what we saw earlier..."

"The Li Yuan look-alike?" I replied mentally, careful to keep my expression neutral as we walked.

"Yes. I've been analyzing the qi signature we sensed. There are... implications."

"What kind of implications?"

"The signature wasn't just similar to Li Yuan's – it was fundamentally the same base pattern, but with alterations. Like someone had taken his original spiritual matrix and... modified it."

I nearly stopped walking. "Modified how?"

"That's what concerns me. The changes weren't random. They were precise, purposeful. Someone with an extremely sophisticated understanding of soul structure would have had to make those adjustments."

"Like whoever created Wei Ye?"

"Exactly," Azure's tone was grim. "The technical expertise required would be similar even though the end result is different. We may be dealing with the same person, or at least someone with comparable capabilities."

The implications made my head spin. An expert in soul manipulation, powerful enough to modify or recreate spiritual matrices, operating somewhere in the region. And now apparent evidence that they might be... what? Recycling the souls of dead cultivators?

"We need to be careful," Azure continued. "If someone is indeed collecting and modifying souls, they're likely to be interested in unique spiritual patterns."

Like mine, he didn't need to say. With my dual sun system and unusual inner world, I would be the perfect lab rat.

"Should we leave?" I asked. "We could make up some excuse..."

"No," Azure replied after a moment. "That might draw more attention. For now, we should act normally while gathering information. But we should be prepared for... complications."

I was about to ask what kind of preparation could protect me from a threat that could bring the dead back to life when Wei Lin's voice broke into my thoughts.

"Ke Yin," he waved a hand in front of my face. "You in there? We're trying to decide on rooms."

I blinked, realizing we'd reached the residential section while I was lost in conversation with Azure. The clerk was looking at us expectantly.

"Sorry," I said quickly. "Just tired from the road. Whatever arrangement you think is best."

Wei Lin shot me a concerned look but turned back to the clerk. "Two rooms then. Liu Chen can stay with Ke Yin and me, and Lin Mei can have her own room."

The rooms were similar to what we'd had the last time we were here– simple but clean, with basic amenities.

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Wei Lin was already pulling items from his storage ring – clean clothes, washing supplies, and various cultivation materials.

Meanwhile Liu Chen immediately claimed one of the beds, flopping down with his new sword still strapped to his back. The wooden practice weapon bounced against the mattress, making him wince slightly.

"You might want to take that off before you sleep," I suggested, trying not to laugh at his enthusiasm. "Sleeping with a sword isn't as heroic as it might sound."

"Can you teach me some moves first?" Liu Chen asked eagerly, bouncing up from the bed. "I know some basics, but..."

I looked around the room thoughtfully. It was decent-sized, but we'd need to make space. "Help me move these beds against the wall," I suggested, already pushing one. "We'll need room to practice properly."

Liu Chen jumped to help, and together we pushed the furniture aside, creating a clear space in the center of the room. I pulled out some chalk from my storage ring – originally bought for formation practice – and drew a rough circle on the floor.

"Training boundary," I explained at Liu Chen's curious look. "Helps build awareness of your space. In a real fight, you need to know exactly how much room you have to maneuver."

It wasn't much, but it was one of the few useful things I'd picked up during the sect's basic sword training sessions. Most of my focus had been on cultivation and developing my inner world – weapon arts hadn’t even seemed secondary at the time.

"Let's get settled first," I added, setting down my own belongings. "Then we can—"

A knock at the door interrupted us. Lin Mei stood there, her cheeks already tinged pink before she even spoke. She was fidgeting with her sleeve in a way I'd never seen before.

"Wei Lin," she started, then seemed to lose her nerve slightly. "I was thinking... there might be some interesting cultivation supplies in the market... if you wanted to check..."

Wei Lin nearly dropped the meditation mat he was holding. "Oh! I... yes, that would be... I mean, we should definitely... inspect the supplies."

I bit back a laugh as they both tried very hard not to look at each other. "I can watch Liu Chen," I offered, unable to keep the amusement from my voice. "You know, while you're 'inspecting supplies.'"

Wei Lin's face turned an impressive shade of red. "It's a legitimate... we need to... shut up, Ke Yin."

"He’ll be back before midnight," Lin Mei added quickly, though she was fighting a smile herself.

"Take your time," I called after them. "I'm sure there are lots of... supplies... to inspect!"

Wei Lin made a rude gesture before closing the door, but I caught his grin.

When I turned back, Liu Chen was already in what he probably thought was a proper sword stance. His grip wasn't bad, but his feet were all wrong.

"Alright," I said, moving to adjust his position. "First thing – your back foot needs to be at an angle. Like this." I demonstrated. "It gives you better balance and makes it harder for someone to sweep your legs."

We spent the next several minutes just working on basic stances. I wasn't an expert by any means, but I remembered enough of the fundamentals to help with things like foot positioning and weight distribution.

"Now," I said once his stance looked stable, "show me what you know. Just basic forms, nothing fancy."

Liu Chen nodded seriously and began moving through a series of simple cuts and blocks. His movements were rough but showed clear signs of previous training – someone had taught him the foundations at least.

"Good," I said, making small corrections to his grip. "But you're holding too tight. The sword should be an extension of your arm, not a dead weight you're forcing around."

I demonstrated with my own practice sword, though I had to think carefully about each movement. The forms weren't quite muscle memory for me yet, but I could at least show the proper way to transition between basic strikes.

"See how the weight flows?" I explained, performing a simple high-to-low cut. "You're not just swinging the sword, you're guiding it. Each movement should lead naturally into the next."

Liu Chen's face scrunched up in concentration as he tried to copy the movement. His first attempts were still stiff, but gradually he began to get the idea.

"Better," I praised as he completed a particularly smooth sequence. "You've definitely had some training before."

The boy tensed slightly, his previous enthusiasm dimming. "A little. Before... before Rocky."

I carefully didn't press for details. Whatever had happened in his past, he clearly wasn't ready to talk about it.

"Well," I said instead, "you're doing great now. Ready to try something a bit more challenging?"

His eyes lit up again. "Yes!"

The door opened and Wei Lin walked in, hair still damp from the showers, looking a lot more relaxed than when he'd left. There was a faint trace of a smile on his face that he couldn't quite hide.

"Had a good time inspecting the 'supplies'?" I asked innocently, unable to resist.

Wei Lin's face reddened immediately. "I will end you," he threatened, grabbing his towel and throwing it at my head.

I dodged easily, grinning.

"The washing facilities here are actually decent," he muttered, though his ears were still pink. "You should use them. You smell like a training yard. And stop corrupting Liu Chen with your terrible sense of humor!"

Liu Chen watched our exchange with a cheeky smile, though I noticed he was carefully staying out of towel-throwing range. Smart kid.

"Alright, alright," I conceded, gathering my clean clothes. "Liu Chen, we'll continue training tomorrow. Practice those stance transitions we worked on."

The boy nodded eagerly, already moving into the first position as I left.

The hot water helped ease some of the tension from my muscles, though it did little for the worried thoughts about Li Yuan spinning through my mind.

By the time I returned to our room, Liu Chen was fast asleep, curled protectively around his new sword. Wei Lin sat on his bed, absently turning his jade pendant between his fingers.

"He's a good kid," Wei Lin said quietly, nodding toward Liu Chen's sleeping form. "Whatever his story is."

"Yeah," I agreed, settling onto my own bed. "Though I can't help but wonder what he's running from."

"We all have our secrets," Wei Lin replied with a slight smile. "As long as his don't get us killed, I'm content to let him keep them."

Wei Lin had no idea just how right he was about everyone having things to hide.

"Get some sleep," Wei Lin suggested, extinguishing the light with a gesture. "Whatever's bothering you will still be there in the morning."

He had no idea how much I hoped he was wrong about that.

Sleep came surprisingly easily, despite everything on my mind. Perhaps it was the physical exhaustion from traveling, or simply the comfort of having friends nearby. Whatever the reason, I drifted off quickly.

It felt like I had barely closed my eyes when shouts and running footsteps in the hallway jolted me awake. Wei Lin was already up and moving to the door. Liu Chen sat up in bed, clutching his sword with wide eyes.

"Stay here," Wei Lin told us, cracking the door open to peer outside.

"Way station lockdown!" a guard shouted as he ran past. "No one leaves until further notice!"

Wei Lin closed the door and turned to us, his expression grim. "Something's wrong."

"What's happening?" Liu Chen asked, his voice small.

Before Wei Lin could answer, there was a soft knock at our door – a specific pattern we'd arranged earlier. Lin Mei.

Wei Lin quickly let her in, checking the hallway before closing and securing the door again. Lin Mei's face was pale in the pre-dawn light filtering through our window.

"Have you heard?" she asked.

"Just that we're on lockdown," I replied. "What happened?"

"It's Young Master Xiao Feng,” Lin Mei swallowed hard. “He's... he's dead.