Chapter 12: The Foreign Cultivator

Lord Yuan Feng descended from his office, heading down to the ground floor.

The administration building was largely empty at this hour with only a handful of clerical personnel completing mundane tasks. Yuan Feng gave each a slight nod as he passed by but didn’t stop to chat; he had somewhere to be.

Yuan Feng’s familiarity with the streets of Rising Stone Town couldn’t be overstated.

Over the course of several decades, he had walked those streets thousands of times. Every major building, every important street corner, every back alley shortcut was etched in his mind.

Yuan Feng headed down the street towards the Jade Phoenix Inn.

The merchant district lay to the north, the blacksmithing district lay to the south and after passing that, he entered the residential section of town which housed the more affluent citizens.

It was still bustling with activity when Yuan Feng arrived at the inn. There were lights shining out the windows and Yuan Feng could hear the sounds of voices coming from the common area.

However, Yuan Feng did not come in the front door. Instead, he went around to the side entrance that led directly to the upper floors. Innkeeper Xu always left that door unlocked for guests who wanted to avoid drawing attention to themselves, and Yuan Feng had used it many times before when quietly taking care of business.

Yuan Feng walked upstairs to the second floor. The hallway was quiet and empty. Most of the guests were likely downstairs dining or already retired to bed. Yuan Feng extended his senses to search for the energy signature of the foreign cultivator.

Ah ha. Room twelve.

Once Yuan Feng knew what to look for, the energy signature was unmistakable.

The foreigner’s internal energy was distinct and refined. It was clear that he had a solid grasp of his qi. Core Formation at the very least. Likely at peak level, similar to Yuan Feng himself. Probably Nascent Soul but Yuan Feng couldn’t say for sure without getting closer.

Yuan Feng approached the door with caution. He was not trying to stealthily creep up on the foreigner but rather take his time to observe the situation before deciding how to engage so he employed his concealment technique, a highly advanced use of qi to bend his spiritual sense around himself.

The technique was a specialty of Yuan Feng’s and had taken him decades to develop. It creates a blind spot in spiritual sensing, rendering him nearly invisible to anyone employing conventional cultivation detection methods. A useful tool for evading danger, gathering intelligence, etc.

With the concealment activated, Yuan Feng stood outside the door of room twelve and reached deeper with his senses to better detect the cultivator inside. He could sense the cultivator, could feel the refined qi signature that indicated the cultivator was far along the cultivation path. The qi signature was... odd. Not wrong per se but unusual compared to what Yuan Feng typically saw. The patterns in the qi did not seem to align with typical cultivation methods.

He assumed that the foreigner employed a variation of qi cultivation, possibly an exotic technique from a distant kingdom. Cultivation techniques varied greatly among the different kingdoms and sects. Yuan Feng had seen examples before, but none were as pronounced as this example.

He stood outside the door thinking about how to proceed.

Protocol dictated that he knock and introduce himself.

But Yuan Feng wanted a brief moment to think about what he would say. The opening lines in any encounter with a cultivator that is possibly at the Nascent Soul level could establish the tone for the remainder of the meeting.

Yuan Feng wanted to be respectful yet confident, to acknowledge the foreigner’s strength without appearing weak or deferential.

Just as he was pondering how to phrase the opening lines, the foreigner inside the room suddenly moved.

The movement was swift. One moment the energy signature was stationary (presumably meditating), the next moment it flared, became active and attentive, then instantly locked onto Yuan Feng.

Not in the direction of the door. Not in the direction of the hall. Right on top of him.

Yuan Feng’s pulse quickened. That shouldn’t be possible. Yuan Feng’s concealment technique was exceptional, a product of decades of development. Core Formation cultivators could not break it without active effort and probably not even then. Only Nascent Soul cultivators had the spiritual sensitivity to penetrate Yuan Feng’s concealment technique under normal circumstances. Which meant the foreigner either was Nascent Soul or had an alternative means of detecting that circumvented ordinary spiritual perception.

Either possibility was problematic.

Yuan Feng began to sweat. He had made a grave error. He should have sent a messenger beforehand to let the foreigner know of his intention to visit and introduced himself formally, rather than creeping around the hallway like some sort of clandestine operative.

He now found himself standing in the hallway of what was likely a Nascent Soul level cultivator, detected despite his concealment technique, looking extremely suspicious. The foreigner probably believed Yuan Feng was there to instigate some form of trouble. Or he believed Yuan Feng was some type of inept assassin attempting to sneak up on him.

This was going to be a very difficult situation to recover from.

Yuan Feng rapidly deactivated his concealment technique. At this juncture, it did not matter if he remained concealed. He took a deep breath, regained composure and attempted to appear confident despite the turmoil roiling within him.

The cultivator inside the room had not moved.

Yuan Feng could still sense the foreigner's focus upon him, patiently waiting to determine Yuan Feng’s next move.

When in doubt, follow protocol.

Yuan Feng had previously interacted with numerous Nascent Soul level cultivators.

To approach such individuals you demonstrate utmost respect, acknowledge their superior status and hope they were in a good disposition.

Yuan Feng raised his hand and rapped on the door; his voice was calm and respectful when he spoke.

“Respected elder, this junior is Yuan Feng, the City Lord of Rising Stone Town. I apologize for disturbing you at such an unseemly hour. However, I heard of your arrival and wished to offer you a formal greeting. Would you allow me a few moments of your time?”

Silence emanated from within the room. The foreigner's awareness was still centered upon Yuan Feng, contemplating. Assessing. Deciding if the Core Formation cultivator was worthy of a conversation or simply an annoyance to be eliminated.

Yuan Feng continued to wait. He could feel the beat of his heart, and it was steady, though elevated. His hands rested at his sides; palms open and non-threatening. His qi circulated smoothly throughout his meridian system, prepared but not aggressive.

Yuan Feng became the image of competent respectfulness, a person cognizant of proper decorum and aware of his position within the hierarchy of cultivation.

The awareness in the room changed.

Yuan Feng heard footsteps approaching the door.

The foreigner was coming to respond.

The door opened.

Yuan Feng’s first impression was that the foreigner appeared to be young. Perhaps early thirty. That wasn’t unexpected. Many Nascent Soul cultivators were hundreds of years old, but they maintained an appearance of youthful vitality. A cultivator’s physical appearance would provide Yuan Feng with little to go on.

The second impression Yuan Feng had of the foreigner was that he appeared fatigued. His skin was pale, his eyes exhibited dark circles. His robes were clean but appeared to have been hastily put on and were still adjusting to fit his body properly. Regardless of whatever the foreigner was involved in prior to arriving in Rising Stone Town, he hadn’t received enough rest.

The third impression Yuan Feng had of the foreigner was that he was incredibly powerful.

Not the oppressive, dominating aura that some Nascent Soul cultivators radiated as a means of intimidation. This was subtle, controlled, the kind of power that required no declaration because it didn’t need to.

This foreigner had extremely fine qi that flowed through his body as part of complex patterns that were almost impossible for Yuan Feng to understand via his spiritual senses. The flow of qi was very tight, very structured as if it were architectural.

However, despite how fine the foreigner's qi was, Yuan Feng could not find the foreigner's dantian.

That should be impossible.

Each cultivator had a dantian (the "core reservoir" where qi was stored and concentrated) usually about three finger widths below the navel. In most cases the dantian serves as the base of every cultivators' practice, as well as the container for their inner spiritual energy.

Yuan Feng can see dantians from fairly great distances; at such close proximity to the foreigner, he should be able to easily see the foreigner's dantian's size, thickness and state of health.

There was nothing there, or rather, there was something, but it was blurry.

The foreigner's foundation must be hidden by some type of technique or method.

A wave of interest washed over Yuan Feng. He could reach into the foreigner's dantian (beneath whatever cloak existed around the foreigner's dantian) using a technique and have a look at what is hidden underneath.

 A full examination would show—

No. Yuan Feng instantly stopped himself from having that thought.

To investigate another person's dantian without first getting their consent is one of the worst manners a cultivator can exhibit towards other cultivators. It was intrusive, impolite and in many cultures a serious enough offense to warrant death.

Yuan Feng had already broken a significant number of social norms when he used his concealing ability to hide himself while essentially spying on the foreigner from outside his room.

If he now invades the foreigner's dantian without his consent, it would be unforgivable.

The foreigner was clearly exhausted, after being so tired he needed to spend the night in a small inn in order to recover instead of continue traveling. Whatever happened prior to him arriving in Rising Stone Town, it took a lot out of him. That was reason enough for the foreigner to have come to a town like this.

Yuan Feng did not need to do anything else to find out what happened.

The foreigner regarded Yuan Feng with calm, observant, and analytically-minded eyes.

This was someone who watched everything, analyzed the data rapidly, and made decisions based on deliberate consideration rather than instinctual reaction or impulsive behavior.

Yuan Feng identified that mindset since it was the same mindset he had himself. This was a fellow administrator, accustomed to weighing the pros and cons and managing complex situations.

That was good. Analytical people could be reasoned with. They understood trade-offs and pragmatic compromises. Much better than dealing with hot-headed young masters who took offense at imagined slights.

Yuan Feng bowed respectfully. A full kowtow would have been excessive and shown weakness. However, Yuan Feng’s bow was deep and respectful, signifying an acknowledgement of the significant disparity in their respective cultivation levels. Forty-five degrees, hands clasped together at the chest, held for three heartbeats before rising.

“Junior is Yuan Feng, City Lord of Rising Stone Town,” Yuan Feng introduced himself once again. “I apologise for disturbing your rest, honored elder. I heard of your arrival and the incident on the eastern road. I wanted to ensure your stay in our humble city is comfortable.”

Yuan Feng waited for some type of response. Any response. A nod. A gesture. Some evidence that the foreigner was aware of the greeting and appreciative of Yuan’s display of respect.

None.

The foreigner looked at him with no change in facial expression. No acknowledgment of the greeting. No response to Yuan’s deliberately crafted phrases. Simply that same detached observation of Yuan as if he were an interesting specimen rather than the governing official of Rising Stone Town.

The silence lengthened. Yuan Feng’s bow had been suitable, his words correct, his tone respectful. Yuan Feng had adhered to the proper protocol. However, the foreigner merely stood there observing Yuan with those tired but alert eyes, demonstrating no apparent interest in Yuan’s formal greeting.

And then it occurred to Yuan Feng.

Deputy Administrator Liu’s report. “The cultivator does not speak our language.”

Yuan Feng’s face flushed with humiliation. He had just provided a formal greeting, carefully worded to demonstrate the proper respect while preserving his dignity as the City Lord of Rising Stone Town, to someone who couldn’t understand a single word of it.

He might as well have recited poetry to a statue.

Yuan Feng barely supressed the urge to slap his hand against his face. What a ridiculous mistake to make. Yuan Feng was so preoccupied with adhering to the protocol, so concerned with creating the right impression on what was likely a Nascent Soul elder, that he forgot the simplest aspect of the situation.

The foreigner did not speak the local language.

The City Lord stood in the hallway, one hand still in a formal greeting position, feeling like the largest fool in Rising Stone Town.

Possibly the largest fool in the entire province.