Chương 101: Book 2 Chapter 15: Restoration

If Mo Jian had felt any disappointment at how quietly mundane it was to cross into the Nascent Soul realm, the reactions of those around him were quick to dispel it. Those reactions made one thing abundantly clear: whatever his breakthrough had felt like from the inside, the rest of the world saw it as anything but ordinary. The first thing that happened was a deluge of messages: well wishes, inquiries about his future plans, and requests to exchange pointers from fellow Nascent Soul cultivators.

People who, until now, wouldn't have given him the time of day suddenly reached out with polite, overly familiar tones, as though he were a long-lost brother and they his dearest friends returned from distant lands. It was as ridiculous as it was useful. The second change was even more immediate: all opposition to him and Bai Ning within the district simply vanished. Wei Shentong's earlier proclamation that no one was to work at the Kanchi mine seemed to dissolve overnight.

When Bai Ning put out feelers for workers, the response was overwhelming. Former miners, laid off as the mine had gradually dried up, returned in droves. Lines stretched from the base of the mountain all the way to the summit, where a modest overseer's residence had been built, and those were just the lesser cultivators.

Even late-stage Foundation Establishment practitioners arrived, along with two at the early Core Formation stage, as though working a dying mine burdened with a hundred horror stories had been their lifelong aspiration. The third change was the most practical: his financial troubles ceased to exist. Less than half a day after his breakthrough, a visibly trembling Duan Cai arrived at the Kanchi mine. He bowed every ten paces and immediately kowtowed upon catching sight of Mo Jian.

Then came a loud, overly theatrical display: howling, beating his chest, and publicly lamenting his past offense for "insulting Senior" and "failing to recognize Mount Tai before his eyes." Ordinarily, Mo Jian would have sent him away on the spot. But then came the part that stayed his hand. Without prompting, Duan Cai produced a storage pouch containing two thousand mid-grade spirit stones and presented it as a "gift."

He went out of his way to emphasize that it was neither a loan nor a fee, but a token of admiration, something offered in the hope that Mo Jian would accept it and grant them face. Mo Jian strongly suspected Duan Cheng's influence behind it. The man was far too shrewd to let his gambling hall remain on bad terms with a Nascent Soul cultivator. He weighed the pouch in his palm, his expression unreadable. Two thousand mid-grade spirit stones was not a trivial sum.

Even for a Nascent Soul cultivator, it represented a gesture that could not be dismissed as mere courtesy. More importantly, it was not really about the stones at all, rather, it was about what they signified: a show of submission, of prudence. An understanding of where the lines were now drawn. Duan Cai remained kneeling, forehead pressed to the ground, not daring to rise without permission. The earlier theatrics had vanished, replaced by a tense, almost suffocating stillness. Mo Jian let the silence stretch.

"Get up," he said at last. Duan Cai scrambled to his feet, keeping his head lowered, his posture still bent in deference.

"You've said your piece. I've taken your gift." Mo Jian turned the pouch once in his fingers before slipping it into his sleeve.

"As far as I'm concerned, the matter is settled." Relief broke across Duan Cai's face, immediate and unrestrained.

"Thank you, Senior! Thank you for your magnanimity-" Mo Jian raised a hand and cut him off.

"However," he added, his tone still light, "if something like this happens again, I won't be so easy to appease. And that is without mentioning Wei Shentong. What will you do if he takes umbrage at your gesture?" Duan Cai stiffened.

"There won't be a next time, senior! I swear it. As for Lord Wei, my father has already spoken with him. He has no intention of causing trouble. As long as he is left alone, he will return the courtesy in full." Sweat beaded across his face as he spoke, his expression tight with strain. Mo Jian studied him for a moment, turning the matter over in his mind. Then he gave a faint nod, as if it had already ceased to interest him.

"Good. You may go." Duan Cai hesitated, as though he wished to say more, but ultimately thought better of it. He bowed deeply one last time before retreating, his steps careful and measured until he was well out of sight. Only then did Mo Jian's expression shift, a trace of amusement flickering across his face.

"They move quickly," Bai Ning remarked from the doorway of the overseer's residence, arms folded as she watched Duan Cai's departing figure grow small against the mountain path below.

"They have to," Mo Jian replied.

"People like Duan Cheng don't survive by being slow." Bai Ning stepped closer, her gaze drifting briefly to the storage pouch in his hand.

"Two thousand mid-grade stones… Not bad for a single apology."

"It's not an apology," Mo Jian said.

"It's insurance."

"And are we insured now? Even against Wei Shentong?" He didn't answer immediately. His gaze drifted instead to the long lines of cultivators still waiting at the mountain's base, their figures like a slow-moving river winding upward through the morning haze. Near the foot of the slope, Lu Shan was enthusiastically directing newcomers into place, his oversized clothes hanging loose from his thin frame. With any luck, he would grow into them before the year was out.

"I'm tempted to let the matter rest for now," Mo Jian said at last.

"Unless Wei Shentong decides to make trouble again, it's better we keep our focus on the real prize. We may have workers and enough funds to sustain them for a while, but unless we can conjure jade out of thin air, this is still a doomed enterprise." Bai Ning followed his gaze, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

"And now you'll tell me about another stroke of miraculous 'luck' you stumbled across, Master, and our troubles will conveniently vanish because of it." Mo Jian turned a flat, unimpressed look on her. There was no need for the sarcasm. The only reason he hadn't shared his thoughts with Bai Ning yet was caution. He suspected they were being watched, if not by the Emperor himself, then by someone else from the Palace. There were things that simply could not be spoken aloud, not when the wrong ears might be listening.

Bai Ning knew that as well as he did. And besides, "luck" was no longer the right word. On the surface, the Kanchi mine no longer looked like the hollowed-out corpse it once had been. With manpower pouring in and operations stabilizing under proper management, it seemed poised for a quiet revival. But that was only the surface. No matter how many people came, the mine itself remained barren. Without a new vein to tap, it would inevitably collapse back into ruin.

To break that stalemate, Mo Jian would have to do something… impossible. He was becoming uncomfortably familiar with that. Thankfully, it now seemed within reach. His fingers brushed lightly against his sleeve, where the pouch of spirit stones rested. Power changed everything, not just how others saw him, but how the world arranged itself around him. Doors that had once been sealed now stood open. Enemies softened into allies, or at least into something manageable. And opportunities…

Opportunities began to reveal themselves where none had existed before. …………………………………………………………………

"Are you certain you're comfortable returning here?" Bai Ning asked again, her voice carrying a note of doubt she didn't bother to conceal. Su Lianhua, who had arrived that morning as timid and deferential as a sparrow and now regarded Bai Ning with the easy warmth of a younger sister, clasped her hands gently.

"Please don't worry, Sister Bai. Though this place holds painful memories and has taken much from my family, I'm no longer afraid. And… this is the only way I can repay you-" She tightened her grip as Bai Ning seemed ready to protest that no repayment was needed "-and I want to repay you. It's as much for my own peace as it is for your sake. Please, let me help."

"Very well," Bai Ning sighed, unable to argue against Su Lianhua's quiet resolve.

"But don't overexert yourself. I'll put you in charge of the summit operations and the overseer's residence. That way, you can come to us whenever you need." From where he stood observing, Mo Jian gave a small nod of approval. He had no particular plans for the cultivators currently in their employ, so assigning Su Lianhua to oversee the summit raised no objections. Besides, she was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, even if only at the early stage, so the responsibility suited her well enough.

Truthfully, he hadn't expected her to return at all, much less with such determination to repay them. He had assumed she would leave this place behind, perhaps even relocate closer to the Flower Valley Sect to remain near her son- Who chose that exact moment to burst in, slamming the residence door so hard it struck the wall and bounced back. A scowl was firmly etched across his face as he argued with Xiao Hua, his voice brimming with the fervor of someone defending something sacred.

"No, the Palace is one million zhang wide. Everyone knows that, idiot. Ma, tell her-""It is not," Xiao Hua shot back without yielding an inch, her own glare just as fierce.

"It's a hundred million, idiot. Everyone knows that."

"The teacher said-""I've been a student at the sect longer-" Su Lianhua, growing more unimpressed with each passing word, clapped her hands once. The sharp crack cut clean through the argument. Mo Jian and Bai Ning watched in quiet amusement from the side.

"Children," she scolded, exasperation clear in her tone.

"Is that any way to behave in front of your seniors?" Both of them straightened at once. Su Chen flushed faintly with embarrassment, while Xiao Hua looked momentarily chastened, though not enough to stop her from sticking her tongue out at him from the side. He immediately scowled again, as if only a breath away from resuming the fight. Bai Ning cleared her throat delicately.

"Be that as it may, remember why you were brought here. You are meant to observe and learn, to see how a spirit mine operates up close. Your sect teachers will not be pleased if you spend the entire day bickering." The two lowered their heads, shuffling their feet. Mo Jian nearly shook his head at the display of innocence. It wasn't as though Bai Ning had never wasted time or stirred up trouble in her own student days.

Compared to these two little angels, she had been nothing short of a menace when she was under his tutelage. And in any case, the Flower Valley Sect was expecting no such discipline from either of them. When word had reached the sect that the cultivator sponsoring one of their students had advanced to the Nascent Soul realm, and had even returned to check on her, bringing another student in tow, the entire institution had practically fallen over itself in its eagerness to receive him.

The fawning had caught Mo Jian so badly off guard that he had seized the first excuse available, claimed he needed to oversee the mine, and withdrawn at once. Since Bai Ning wished to spend more time with Xiao Hua, the sect had excused both students for the day with instructions to "accompany the revered senior." The mere fact that two of their pupils possessed even the faintest connection to a Nascent Soul cultivator was cause enough for celebration.

The pair could return spouting utter nonsense, and the sect would still praise them to the heavens. Mo Jian was still mulling over the absurdity of it all when a streak of red light shot into the residence. It wasn't alone; another followed so closely behind it might as well have been tethered. The two Voice Transmission Talismans halted before him, circling restlessly, each inching closer as though vying to be chosen first. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

More messages. He had been dealing with them since the day before, and there seemed no end in sight. It felt as though every cultivator in the district, and likely far beyond, was eager to offer congratulations while slipping in thinly veiled inquiries about his future intentions. Su Lianhua straightened immediately at the sight, catching Bai Ning's glance. Without a word, she ushered the children out, closing the door softly behind her. Bai Ning didn't linger either.

By now, she knew exactly how this would unfold and had no intention of wasting her time listening to yet more of the same messages. She gave him a small wave – smug, he noted – and followed after them, leaving him alone in the modest residence. Sighing, Mo Jian sat down and flicked his hand. A dome of azure qi sprang up around him, sealing the space in privacy. One of the talismans darted forward at once, bodily knocking the other aside before settling neatly into his palm. Mo Jian's eyebrow arched at the display.

Just who was so eager to reach him? A moment later, he had his answer, and immediately regretted the question. The Voice Transmission Talisman contained no spoken words. Instead, it carried a carefully refined thread of spiritual sense; an advanced technique, one Mo Jian himself rarely employed. As it unfurled, it projected a memory: Madam Jinjing's memory.

She lay upon a bed in a lavishly appointed room, bare as the day she was born, with only a thin, nearly translucent sheet preserving the barest illusion of modesty. As the vision began, she arched her back, a low, sultry purr slipping from her lips.

"Senior… I await you at my residence. Let us celebrate your advancement properly." Mo Jian wrenched his consciousness free and flung the talisman away as though it had burned him. Heat flooded his cheeks and stubbornly refused to recede. He was profoundly grateful to be alone; there was no explanation he could have offered that would not have been mortifying. Madam Jinjing had been forward the last time they met, but this was something else entirely. He coughed, forcing his expression back to neutrality.

Perhaps he ought to review the message again. Purely to ensure he hadn't missed anything important. … No. Absolutely not. This was clearly a calculated attempt to entice him, and he could not afford to fall for something so blatant. Of course he couldn't. Still… it might be prudent to keep the talisman rather than destroy it. Just in case.

Nodding to himself with the air of a man who had arrived at a decision of impeccable virtue, Mo Jian carefully tucked the talisman into his storage pouch and beckoned the remaining message forward. This time, he braced himself. Xu Chuanli's face sprang to life before him. Mo Jian almost recoiled half a step. The man's eyes were squinted in exaggerated delight, his smile stretched wide; far too wide, showing entirely too many teeth, the expression of someone who had been rehearsing it.

"Senior Mo Jian, congratulations! You have truly opened this Xu Chuanli's eyes. To think that mere days after our last meeting, you would ascend to the august realm of Nascent Soul. I always knew you had it in you! From the moment we met, I could tell you were extraordinary. Senior, this humble gate supervisor stands ready to serve you. Whatever you require, please do not hesitate to ask. I am but your faithful servant.

A thousand years of blessings upon you and Fairy Bai Ning-" Mo Jian slashed his hand through the air, cutting the message short. The talisman winked out, drifting to the ground like an ordinary scrap of paper. Right. There was this problem as well. He rubbed a hand down his face, unsure whether to feel more irritated or embarrassed. He had never bothered correcting Xu Chuanli's misunderstanding, largely because the man simply wasn't worth the effort.

Bai Ning, on the other hand, had likely found it convenient; it spared her from dealing with his persistent flirting. And now, somehow, it had calcified into… a thing. Well, not truly. As long as they avoided further interaction with Xu Chuanli, it hardly mattered. Mo Jian could not think of a single situation where he would need to speak to the man again. Besides, he was a Nascent Soul cultivator now. A little shamelessness on his part could be overlooked.

Nodding once more, and again convinced of the soundness of his reasoning, he flicked a small fireball into existence, reducing the talisman to fine ash. With that minor distraction out of the way, he rose to his feet. There was real work to be done. Once the newly employed cultivators had settled in, he would need to convene a meeting to outline his plans for the mine. Bai Ning would, of course, have to attend as one of its two overseers, but as the senior cultivator, all eyes would ultimately be on him. Good.

It was time to begin. With his advancement from Core Formation to Nascent Soul, he now stood in an excellent position to receive an invitation to sit for the Inner Examination. Bai Ning's third-rank standing, something he remained faintly resentful of, given how smugly she wielded it, would all but guarantee her the same opportunity. All that remained was to turn the mine around. More than that: they needed to exceed the court's quotas, not merely meet them.

Do that, and their place in the Inner Examination would be assured. One more step, and then, they would enter the palace. Mo Jian found that he was looking forward to it. …………………………………………………………. Wine flowed freely, splashing into cups and catching the qi light in soft, shifting glimmers as the new employees of the Kanchi Spirit Jade Mine toasted their overseers. The hour was late. Above the mountain, the sky stretched vast and dark, salted with stars, their cold brilliance undimmed by clouds.

Beneath it, the assembled cultivators had gathered near the overseer's residence within a dome of shimmering silver light that Bai Ning had raised; a bubble of warmth and sound cut clean from the night air outside. Long tables groaned under their offerings: platters of spirit beast meat sliced thin, mounds of spirit fruit arranged in vivid color, and rows of clay jars brimming with fragrant spirit wine whose fumes alone carried the faint tingle of qi.

At first, Mo Jian and Bai Ning observed from the edges before gradually joining the gathering. Mo Jian, however, quickly found the experience not to his liking. Every cultivator who met his gaze became impeccably polite, their deference natural, but suffocating. Any attempt at casual conversation dissolved into stiff formality, showing the suffocating weight of the gap between their realms. In the end, he withdrew to a raised platform at one end of the dome, leaving Bai Ning to handle what she did best.

She thrived. The two Core Formation cultivators, He Jianyu and Zhao Wenhai, quickly occupied most of her attention, while the Foundation Establishment practitioners hovered nearby in a loose orbit, occasionally managing to wedge in a word or two. Notably absent were any Qi Condensation cultivators. This informal gathering was reserved for the mine's primary workers and leadership, the individuals who needed to understand Mo Jian's intentions moving forward.

He could have summoned them, issued directives, and dismissed them. That was the usual way of things between a Nascent Soul cultivator and their juniors. But he had wanted something different. Part of it was practicality. Part of it… felt appropriate. His advancement was, in its own way, a victory worth marking. It also gave him the opportunity to observe. Most of the Foundation Establishment cultivators were former mine workers.

Su Lianhua had already pointed many of them out, offering quiet context, and Mo Jian felt he had a reasonable grasp of who they were. They had returned drawn by the same thing: the promise of the Kanchi mine reopening, of wealth flowing once more from these exhausted slopes. But beneath that hope lay unease. They had survived Wei Shentong's rule once, and they feared a repetition: new overseers, the same ruthlessness, and lives sacrificed to meet quotas.

That fear was why Mo Jian had arranged the gathering this way. In a formal setting, few would dare voice their doubts aloud. Here, surrounded by wine and firelight, perhaps they might find the courage to speak. Better to surface those fears now than to let them fester. As for the two most notable figures, He Jianyu was newly advanced to Core Formation, a man who had taken both his breakthrough and the mine's reopening as a sign of heavenly favor showing him his path.

Lean and sharp-featured, with more silver than black threading his hair, he carried himself with quiet composure. Soft-spoken and clear-eyed, he had shown proper respect without slipping into obsequiousness. Mo Jian found himself approving of him. Zhao Wenhai, at a glance, seemed much the same, but on closer inspection, was entirely different. A thin scar ran down one side of his face from brow to cheekbone, missing the eye by a hair's breadth.

Rather than marring him, it lent him a certain rakish appeal, the look of a man who had danced with danger and come out of it grinning. His demeanor followed suit. Beneath a faintly scholarly air lay something far more playful; a man who enjoyed risk, who pushed at limits just to see how far they would give. Mo Jian had already noticed as much. Twice now, Zhao Wenhai had attempted to draw Bai Ning aside for a private conversation. Twice, she had brushed him off without hesitation.

He could only hope it wouldn't become a nuisance, but given his new realm, it was unlikely to escalate into anything serious. Deciding the moment was right, and more importantly, that the gathered cultivators had been sufficiently plied with wine, Mo Jian raised a finger and breathed a spark of qi to life atop it. The flame shivered for a heartbeat before erupting in a burst of light and sound that cracked across the dome like a thunderclap. The effect was immediate.

Conversations died mid-sentence as every cultivator turned toward him. Silence followed in the explosion's wake. Bai Ning slipped free from the crowd and came to stand at his side, facing them as well. Mo Jian offered a faint smile and a formal salute.

"Thank you all for coming, and for hearing me out." As one, the assembled cultivators bowed deeply, returning the gesture.

"It is our honor, Senior." He let his gaze sweep across them before beginning.

"As you all know, the Kanchi mine has long stood on the brink of closure. For many of you, it may as well have already been abandoned. The great jade veins have been exhausted, leaving behind only scattered, low-grade fragments and deeper shafts choked with corrupted spirit dust." He paused briefly.

"In light of that, I acknowledge, and appreciate, your decision to come here, or to return." Rather than looking reassured, many of the cultivators grew visibly tense. Only He Jianyu and Zhao Wenhai remained composed.

"Do not be alarmed," Mo Jian continued evenly.

"I have no intention of sending anyone into those depths to damage their health or risk their lives. I do have a plan to restore the mine, but until that time, there is still work to be done, both as preparation and as necessity." Some of the tension eased. Around the tables, shoulders dropped by small increments.

"First, the mine must be cleaned and reorganized. Many shafts have been abandoned for years and are in disrepair. To address this, each major shaft will be assigned a Foundation Establishment cultivator responsible for restoring it. Qi Condensation workers will be distributed among you according to the needs of each site." He paused, then continued, his tone turning more structured.

"He Jianyu will oversee all daytime operations. Zhao Wenhai will take charge at night. Shifts will be arranged to ensure continuous work, so the mine can be restored as swiftly as possible." A slight movement of his hand indicated Su Lianhua, who stiffened under the attention.

"Su Lianhua will oversee the summit and report directly to us. She will also manage the mortal laborers and their families at the mountain's base, handling organization, welfare, and logistics. All matters concerning supplies, requests, and recruitment will go through Bai Ning or myself." He let his gaze pass over the group once more. This time, they seemed more thoughtful than uneasy, weighing his words carefully. Mo Jian clasped his hands behind his back.

"Any questions?" Su Lianhua stepped forward. The slight hesitation in her step betrayed her nerves, though her voice remained steady.

"Senior, when you say you plan to bring the jade back… does that mean you've secured Lord Wei's assistance? Have you helped him refine the Unbroken Jade Coronet to its final form?" A ripple of murmurs spread through the gathered cultivators. Mo Jian inclined his head slightly toward her, acknowledging both the question, and the role she was playing in asking it.

They had agreed beforehand that it was better to address this directly than let speculation fester, which was why Su Lianhua was asking such a question openly. Bai Ning stepped forward, taking over as planned.

"We have not. Wei Shentong's natal artifact has yet to reach a stage where it can produce true, natural jade. Even if we had his cooperation, it would not meaningfully change the situation." Mo Jian let her speak, his thoughts drifting briefly. The story of Wei Shentong's artifact was well known, at least in parts. The Unbroken Jade Coronet granted its wielder the ability to transmute matter into jade. It was a formidable technique, useful in both offense and defense.

However, the jade it produced was temporary, destined to degrade and crumble over time. He had once heard a story, almost absurd in its contrast to the man's reputation, that Wei Shentong had used this very power to amuse children. When a palace inspector had visited the mine with his young family, Wei Shentong had shaped a towering jade giant from common stone, letting it lumber about like a living toy. It was difficult to reconcile that image with the man Mo Jian knew of now.

Originally, Wei Shentong had been granted control of the mine precisely because of that ability. After fulfilling the court's quotas, he had been permitted, implicitly, if not explicitly, to use any surplus jade to refine his natal artifact. Over the years, he had consumed staggering quantities, pouring countless tons of jade into the coronet in pursuit of a single goal: to elevate it to a state where it could produce permanent, natural jade. Had he succeeded, it would have been transformative.

The district would gain a stable, renewable source of high-quality jade, and Wei Shentong himself would have secured immense prestige and power. But he had failed, and so his desperation grew. It was that failure that had driven him to push the mine beyond its limits, sending cultivators into corrupted shafts, extracting degraded ore in crushing quantities, sacrificing lives to meet numbers that the court continued to accept, because the quotas were tied to the land, not the method.

High-quality jade could be substituted with sheer volume of inferior material, and Wei Shentong had delivered, no matter what it cost. So when Mo Jian had spoken of "bringing the jade back," it was only natural that people assumed he meant relying on Wei Shentong. That misunderstanding needed to be dispelled, which was precisely why the question had been planted in the first place. Bai Ning continued smoothly, "Instead, Mo Jian and I have devised another method.

We are confident in its success, but it requires preparation. The mine must first be cleaned and restored before it can be properly utilized. That is why your current tasks are as they are." Zhao Wenhai stepped forward next. Unlike Su Lianhua, he had not been prompted.

"Senior, Fairy Bai," he said, his tone respectful, though the faint upward curl of his mouth suggested something more playful lay just beneath it.

"Forgive my presumption. Are the quotas unchanged from Lord Wei's time? If so, the next is due this month. From what you've said, it does not seem we will have jade ready by then." Bai Ning's smile did not falter, but Mo Jian caught the flicker of irritation beneath it, particularly at Zhao Wenhai's deliberate and flirtatious use of Fairy Bai. He stepped in before she could respond.

"We have already received word from the court. The quotas have been postponed for three months, to allow us time to stabilize the mine. After that, they will resume." A subtle shift moved through the crowd; relief, restrained but unmistakable, like a held breath finally let go.

"So," he continued, "we have three months before any jade must be delivered. As you can see from this jade slip-" Bai Ning flicked her wrist, sending a jade slip gliding into the air above the gathering. It hovered there, and the assembled cultivators immediately swept it with their spiritual senses.

"-your assignments are not overly burdensome at the outset," Mo Jian finished.

"Our goal is simple: restore the mine within two months. After that…" A faint smile touched his lips.

"Leave the rest to me." … The night stretched on as Mo Jian and Bai Ning fielded questions, issued clarifications, and gradually settled their authority over the Kanchi mine. Qi lights swayed inside the silver dome, catching the rims of cups and the attentive faces of cultivators who, for the first time in years, seemed to be weighing a future rather than bracing against one. What they were attempting still bordered on the impossible, and yet, beneath the stars, it had begun to take shape.

Beyond this quiet gathering, the vast sprawl of the Imperial Capital slumbered on, indifferent and unaware. All save one. Far away, a man lounged in a seat that was more throne than chair, his head propped lazily against one hand. Though distant, he listened, every word of the conversation carried clearly to him. An amused smile curved his lips, lingering as Mo Jian spoke.

"Interesting," he murmured softly.

"I look forward to meeting you in person."