Bi Kan cupped his fists, bowing his head slightly as he listened to Lu Tian’s explanation.

  The information settled in his mind not as a simple fact, but as a piece of a larger, more complex puzzle.

  The moment she finished, he raised his head, his hands falling back to his sides as his analytical nature took over.

  "If I may ask, Senior Sister, is the Xiong family, the rival merchants, truly so desperate? To resort to hiring common brutes for their affairs?"

  He glanced back at the three thugs being hauled away by the town guard, a flicker of his earlier cold fury returning to his eyes.

  "It seems inefficient. And a risk to their reputation. With your family's influence and your own power as a Core Disciple,"

  he stated, his logic direct and almost brutal,

  "wouldn't it be simpler to dismantle their entire operation? Expose their underhanded tactics and have the sect revoke their business rights?"

  Lu Tian simply shook her head, a gesture of patient amusement as she brushed a stray lock of golden hair from her forehead.

  "You think like a true cultivator, Junior Brother, all direct force and decisive action. But the world of commerce is not a dueling stage. It's not that simple."

  She began to walk, her pace unhurried as she led him out into the bustling street, forcing him to fall into step beside her.

  "Firstly,"

  she explained, her voice a low, confidential murmur,

  "those men were not assassins or enforcers. They were merely cheap muscle hired as delivery men. The Xiong family lacks the resources to hire cultivators, so they rely on intimidating mortals to ensure their shipments aren't robbed on the road. Their 'harassment' of the innkeeper was likely just a crime of opportunity, not a direct order."

  Bi Kan nodded, rubbing his chin as he absorbed the nuance.

  "Secondly,"

  she continued,

  "if I, Lu Tian, a Core Disciple of the Jade Pathways Sect, were to personally intervene, it would no longer be a simple town squabble. It would be perceived as the Lu family using its sect influence to attack a rival. That could trigger a trade war, complaints to the Elders... a political headache my father would rather avoid."

  Her amethyst eyes glinted with a savvy that belied her age.

  "But you, Junior Brother, acted as a righteous disciple upholding order. You had nothing to do with my family, so you gave us the perfect outcome: the problem was solved, and our hands remain clean. You spared us the headache."

  Bi Kan clasped his arms, a slow smile of understanding spreading across his face.

  He had been a pawn, but a willing and effective one.

  "I see! This junior was too naive. Thank you for having the patience to answer my questions, Senior Sister!"

  Lu Tian waved her hand dismissively, the gesture elegant and final.

  "Curiosity is the mark of a sharp mind. There is no need for such rigid formality, Junior Brother Bi Kan."

  He scratched the back of his head, a faint blush warming his cheeks.

  "T-then… I will try to be a little less polite."

  She led him through the town's main square to a building that dwarfed all others.

  It was a vast, two-story structure of polished mahogany, its wide doors flanked by two stern-faced guards.

  "Lu's Fine Wares," the sign read in elegant, flowing calligraphy. Bi Kan's eyes widened.

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  The guards at the door were both Qi Sensing cultivators, but their auras were dense, stable—likely at the Peak stage.

  "W-wow…"

  Lu Tian’s heart was clearly filled with pride.

  A swell of satisfaction visibly straightened her posture, causing the fine jade-green silk of her robes to stretch taut across her chest.

  The glorious sight made Bi Kan's eyes widen for an entirely different reason, and he quickly forced his gaze upward, focusing intently on her face.

  "Our shop is quite grand, no?"

  she said, oblivious to his internal struggle.

  "We have no fear of being robbed. All of our staff are cultivators."

  She led him inside, past shelves gleaming with artifacts and bolts of shimmering silk, towards a section filled with luxurious bedding.

  "Uncle," she called out to a wiry man with a Body Tempering aura who was supervising stock.

  "Bring my junior brother here a mattress. The finest quality! And give him a grand discount!"

  Bi Kan was taken aback by the sheer generosity.

  "S-Senior Sister, I shouldn't impose! I don't want to be in your debt…"

  He was fiercely independent; the idea of owing a favor, especially to someone so far above his station, felt like a chain around his neck.

  Lu Tian turned to him, her smile softening into something genuine.

  "No, no," she corrected gently.

  "This isn't a debt. You dealt with a problem that was, indirectly, mine. Consider this my payment."

  She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping. "This makes us even. No debts between us."

  The clever framing of her words washed away his apprehension, replaced by a wave of relief and admiration.

  She had respected his pride. He nodded, a genuine smile finally breaking through his formal mask.

  "V-very well, Senior Sister. In that case, I'll be impolite!"

  The man Lu Tian called 'Uncle' approached his wares with the reverence of a high priest entering a temple.

  He walked past mattress after mattress, his calloused hand hovering over each one before lightly touching down, testing the give, the texture, the very soul of the fabric.

  Minutes stretched into a long, awkward silence, punctuated only by the uncle's occasional thoughtful hum.

  "Ahem," Bi Kan finally ventured, feeling the weight of the man's diligence like a physical pressure.

  "It's fine even if it isn't the very best, sir. Your uncle shouldn't be so… thorough. I'm just an Outer Disciple, after all."

  Lu Tian shook her head, a soft smile playing on her lips.

  "Please, you are our guest. Besides, Uncle Lu won't stop until he finds the perfect match. It's a matter of professional pride."

  Just then, the uncle came to a halt before a particular mattress, its cover a simple but elegant deep blue.

  A look of pure, unadulterated bliss crossed his face as his hand settled upon it. He caressed the silken cover, his eyes closing as if in ecstasy.

  "Ahh, yes," he whispered with the passion of a poet.

  "This one… definitely." He stroked it with a tenderness that was both comical and slightly disturbing.

  A theatrical sigh echoed from the doorway.

  "Look at him," a new voice declared. "If only he had that much focus on me! His own wife!"

  A woman who looked to be in her late twenties, with the same sharp, beautiful features as Lu Tian, leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed.

  Lu Tian’s poise shattered. She slapped a hand over her face, turning away as if she could will herself invisible.

  "A-Aunty! Keep that to yourself!"

  The woman, Lu Min, let out a throaty laugh, pushing off the doorframe and sauntering over.

  "What? It's true!"

  Bi Kan felt a hot flush creep up his neck, desperate to escape the domestic crossfire.

  He quickly bowed his head. "Are you really Senior Sister's aunty? You could pass as her older sister."

  Lu Min's eyes widened, her smile blooming into a full, radiant grin. She leaned in conspiratorially.

  "Now, now, little boy," she purred, "flattering this old girl? You'll go far."

  The blush on Bi Kan's neck became a raging inferno.

  Lu Tian, seeing his distress, stepped between them.

  "Aunty, stop embarrassing my Junior Brother! Go on, back to your own business!"

  Lu Min pouted dramatically before giving Bi Kan a slow, deliberate wink. He let out a silent sigh.

  The women of the Lu family were, without exception, dangerously beautiful.

  Just then, Uncle Lu returned, hoisting the mattress with surprising ease.

  "This should be good for you, boy!" he announced proudly.

  "With the family discount, it'll cost you fifteen Lower-Grade Spirit Stones!"

  Bi Kan’s pouch felt significantly lighter, but the price was more than fair. He could afford it.

  A smile of genuine satisfaction spread across his face as he handed over the shimmering stones. "Thank you, Uncle! The quality is amazing."

  The uncle waved his hands dismissively.

  "It's fine, it's fine! Come back here when you want something else! Our stuff is the highest quality in this damned town!"

  He shouted the last part, his voice booming through the open doors, a clear and deliberate challenge to any rivals who might be listening. His wife immediately smacked him on the back of the head.

  "You bastard! Don't go making unnecessary drama!"

  Lu Tian turned to Bi Kan, her expression returning to one of gracious hospitality.

  "Perhaps you would like a carrier? It will be troublesome to carry that mattress all by yourself on the road."

  Bi Kan shook his head, a flicker of a secret thought in his eyes. He was already planning to store it in his Soul Sea, a personal dimension gifted by the Spirit Wolf.

  "No need, Senior Sister. I do not have many enemies foolish enough to attack me on the main road."

  He gave a confident smile. "but thank you for the offer. I can manage."