The wisemander knows that resources, like spiritual energy, are finite. Victory belongs to those who can aplish the most with the least.


    —Master Lin Feng, Scale of Heaven and Earth


    Xin spun Severing Light in a defensive arc, but Mei Chen darted through her guard with supernatural speed. The spear yanked free from her grip, ttering across the training yard’s stones.


    Two ornate daggers materialized in Xin’s hands. Mei Chen prowled the perimeter of their makeshift arena, frost crystals spreading beneath each silent step.


    Ming’s harshughter echoed off the courtyard walls. "If you can’t beat her how can you protect her? Mei Chen! Perhaps you should remain here at the pavilion where it’s safe!"


    "Stop encouraging her!" Xin shifted her stance as Mei Chen’s eyes shed a deeper shade of blue as she gained predatory focus. "She’s already—"


    A feral hiss cut through the air. Mei Chen lunged forward, crystalline ws extending from her fingertips mid-strike. Xin barely managed to deflect the attack with crossed daggers. The weapons and ws froze together. Xin drew a dart and stabbed Mei Chen in the side. A patch of ice sprouted like frozen armor, making the blow useless.


    Her meager training was turning out to be nothing against raw supernatural power. She had learned this lesson painfully through three consecutive defeats. Mei Chen possessed no formalbat training, but her wrathful spirit nature granted her devastating instinctual abilities.


    A blur of movement caught Xin’s attention. Mei Chen surged forward in an impossible rush. The impact sent vibrations through her arms. Before she could counter, Mei Chen twisted, using the weapons as leverage. A leg swept up and mmed into Xin’s ribs.


    Pain exploded through her side, but Xin maintained her grip on the frozen daggers. She nted her feet and swung hard with both arms, attempting to throw Mei Chen off bnce. Mei moved with the momentum instead of fighting it. Her body spun with unnatural grace, applying brutal torque to Xin’s wrists. The daggers tore free despite Xin’s best efforts.


    Fuck!


    The daggers thudded into the dirt. Mei Chen pounced with predatory intent, mming into Xin’s chest. They crashed to the ground together, Mei Chen’s weight pinning Xin at the waist.


    Sharp ws—gently, somehow gently—dug into Xin’s shoulders as Mei Chen pinned her against the cold stone. A low, predatory growl rumbled from deep within Mei Chen’s chest.


    "You win again." Xin wrapped her arms around Mei Chen’s torso and pulled her into a tight embrace.


    Mei Chen yelped in surprise. The crystalline ws dissolved into droplets, pattering against the courtyard stones. Xin shifted her weight, dragging Mei Chen into a sitting position without breaking the hug.


    "Look at that—the fearsome wrathful spirit’s greatest weakness." Xin’sughter echoed across the training yard.


    A deep crimson flush spread across Mei Chen’s pale features. "Miss, that’s not fair!"


    Ming stared at them with an unimpressed expression. "I doubt hugging the enemy into submission will prove an effective battlefield tactic."


    "Let’s hope House Chao hasn’t recruited any wrathful spirits to their cause." Xin brushed dirt from her robes as she and Mei stood.


    "The likelihood approaches zero." Ming crossed her arms.


    Xin retrieved Severing Light from where it had fallen, then collected her scattered daggers. The ornate des glinted in the afternoon sun. "I believe we’ve had enoughbat practice for today..."


    Earlier practice sessions had proven more productive, at least. Xin twirled two iron darts between her fingers, recalling the miniature lightning strikes she’d created. The thunderous cracks had echoed through ckmere, sending startled shouts from the streets outside the Treasure Pavilion’s training grounds.


    A simplified version of ’Thunder God Splits the Sky and Fucks You Up,’ but effective. The darts provided reliable range, and the area effect proved impressive—spanning from two to ten meters depending on how much qi she channeled into the paired weapons.


    It was exactly the type of improved technique she needed for what wasing.


    Ming epted a wooden tablet from a servant, scanning its contents. "Eleven cultivators have registered for hire." She nced up at Xin. "Would you prefer to interview them personally, or shall I handle the arrangements?"


    Xin sheathed her remaining daggers. "Take care of it unless someone noteworthy appears." She adjusted the weight of Severing Light across her back. "The city defenses need attention, and I should check on the draft preparations."


    Mei Chen smoothed the wrinkles from her emerald robes and fell into step beside Xin. The familiar streets of ckmere opened up before them, now transformed by the organized chaos of military preparations.


    The city watch building’s courtyard bustled with activity. Where merchants once haggled over goods, conscripts now formed ragged lines for basic training. The smell of sweat and leather permeated the air as instructors barkedmands at their charges.


    Xin studied the temporary camp taking shape. Her ultimatum to the city officials had produced swift results—either house the conscripts or wee them into their own homes. The threat of unwashed soldiers sleeping in their private chambers had loosened purse strings with remarkable speed.


    A rumbling drew her attention. A convoy of heavilyden carts approached from the direction of the Lin Family Manor, their wooden wheels ttering against the cobblestones. Xin strode toward the lead cart, noting the Lin family crest emzoned on the canvas covers.


    "Report." Xin addressed the cart driver.


    "First shipment of weapons from the manor armory, Miss Lin." The driver handed her a manifest. "Mostly ranged weapons—crossbows and bolts."


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any urrences.


    Xin pulled back the canvas cover on the nearest cart. Rows of polished crossbows gleamed in the afternoon light. She lifted one, testing its weight and mechanism. The trigger pulled smooth, the construction solid. Perfect for inexperienced troops—simple to learn, deadly on impact.


    Xin scanned the courtyard for Liu Bao’s broad-shouldered figure. Several sergeants directed groups of conscripts through basic formations, their voices carrying across the packed yard.


    "Where’s the Acting Captain?" Xin asked a passing sergeant.


    "Conscription yard, Miss Lin." The sergeant pointed toward the eastern section. "Organizing the new recruits."


    The conscription yard was a cordoned off city square. Lines of men waited to register, while scribes recorded names and family details in thick ledgers. Each conscript received a numbered wooden tag and basic equipment—a uniform, a rucksack, and supplies.


    Once they were assigned to a unit, training, armor, and weapons woulde.


    Liu Bao stood at a wooden table surrounded by officers, gesturing at deployment charts. The daily stipend calctions sat in neat rows beside recruitment numbers. Tax relief documents waited for official seals—a gamble that would cut deep into county revenues unless the provincial prefect approved the mobilization.


    Not that they had much choice with an enemy army approaching ckmere. Considering the circumstances it was unlikely to be denied at least.


    "Captain Liu." Xin approached the table. "Status report?"


    Liu Bao straightened. "Three thousand registered so far, Miss Lin. At this rate, we’ll field ten thousand within three days."


    "Good." Xin studied the recruitment charts.


    "Miss Lin." Liu Bao cleared his throat. "How many should we ept into service?"


    Xin considered the logistics. The numbers would strain ckmere’s resources, but with House Chao’s army bearing down on them...


    Xin studied the recruitment charts while calcting the logistics in her mind. ckmere’s nearly hundred thousand residents provided a substantial pool of potential defenders, but training and equipping them all would drain their resources. The real concerny with the cultivators.


    She traced her finger along the deployment diagrams. Regr troops would man the walls and siege equipment, providing crucial support. Even basic crossbow volleys could pose a threat to enemy cultivators, especially in ckmere’s spiritually weak environment.


    The county’s thin spiritual energy presented another strategic consideration. While it wouldn’t significantly impact lower-level cultivators like herself, the siege engines would suffer. Spiritual weapons required ambient qi to function at full capacity.


    Xin drew a deep breath.


    "Cap conscription at twelve thousand." Xin traced her finger along the deployment chart. "That gives us enough numbers without breaking our supply lines."


    Liu Bao nodded and made a notation. "And the existing garrison?"


    "Integrate the conscripts with our two thousand regr guards. Use the veterans to train the new recruits—they already know our protocols and formations."


    "What about the civil defense?"


    "Keep five thousand in reserve for firefighting and damage control. We’ll need them when the siege starts." Xin straightened from the table. "Has there been any word from my family’s city manor guards? Or House Manager Han Shun?"


    Liu Bao’s shoulders tensed. "Only rumors. The guards reportedly fled while being pursued by the enemy cultivators. They split into smaller groups—" He hesitated. "One group was cut down. The others vanished. No confirmation if they found sanctuary or..."


    The memory of discovering her mother’s butchered toon shed through Xin’s mind. The stench of death, the flies, the vacant eyes staring skyward. She pressed her palm against the rough wood of the table, steadying herself.


    "Or if they’re lying dead in a ditch somewhere," Xin finished quietly.


    Liu Bao straightened his leather armor. "I can send scouts to search for Han Shun and the others. We have a few riders to spare—"


    "No." Xin shook her head. "We need every person focused on the defense. Just ensure the regr scouts know to watch for them during their patrols."


    "Understood, Miss Lin." Liu Bao made a note in his ledger.


    Xin rubbed her temples. The nagging sensation of a critical oversight gnawed at her thoughts. The cultivators. She’d left their recruitment entirely to Ming Lihua. That might have been a mistake.


    It was by far the most important point of the defense.


    Ming possessed years of experience evaluating people and negotiating contracts. The senior disciple knew how to spot deception, how to gauge character. Still, delegating such a crucial task...


    Xin nced over her shoulder. Mei Chen stood perfectly still, hands folded, the very picture of an attentive servant. Beneath that demure exterior lurked supernatural power and unwavering loyalty. True friends were rare.


    So…


    Trust Ming’s choices but observe and adjust if necessary. It was a n.


    "Captain Liu." Xin straightened from the table. "Keep me informed of any developments with the defense preparations."


    Liu Bao snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes, Miss Lin!"


    Xin turned back toward the Treasure Pavilion’s towering silhouette. "Come, Mei Chen. Let’s see what cultivators have answered our call."


    A short whileter they pushed open the doors to the Treasure Pavilion’s meeting hall. Ten cultivators sat in a semicircle before Ming, who stood at a polished wooden podium. Weren’t there supposed to be eleven?


    "—expect fullpliance with defensive protocols." Ming gestured to a map of ckmere spread across the wall. "The county faces an imminent attack from House Chao forces."


    The assembled cultivators presented a stark contrast in appearances and cultivation styles. A burly man with ritual scars traced across his arms sat next to a willowy woman in schrly robes. Twin brothers in matching green tunics nked a weathered veteran whose qi rippled with barely contained fire. The remaining cultivators ranged from a teenage girl with wind-tousled hair to a elderly man whose wooden staff thrummed with earth energy.


    Several heads turned as Xin entered. Their gazes lingered on Mei Chen, who radiated yin despite the safety seal at her throat. A few hands drifted toward weapon hilts.


    Ming stepped away from the podium. "Allow me to introduce Lin Xin, whomissioned this defensive force."


    "This slip of a girl?" The scarred cultivator spat on the floor. "We’re supposed to take orders from someone barely into Body Refinement?"


    "The Treasure Pavilion guarantees our payment." The schrly woman adjusted her spectacles. "That’s what matters."


    Xin suppressed a sigh. She should have anticipated the reaction from mercenary cultivators. Their disdain rolled off them in waves of hostile qi.