Countermeasures and Preparations

Mo Chen threw the stone shard on the ground and scoffed.

"A worthless deacon, level 25 Soul Power, yet he dares to meddle." He licked his canine teeth, his eyes turning fierce. "Fine, we'll just find another place. There are plenty of desolate ravines in the west; we'll find an even more remote spot, one he won't even be able to touch."

Shen Moxin frowned.

"It's not that simple." Her voice was steady, but her pace was faster than usual. "Local officials are the most troublesome. They may not be that strong, but they hold the reins of the rules and have the backing of the Soul Master Hall. If you're really targeted, they'll check your security today, your household registration tomorrow, and say you're an eyesore the day after. They'll always find a reason to make trouble for you. Unless you disappear completely, you can't shake them off."

She paused, then looked at Lu Yuan: "Besides, avoiding him will only increase his suspicion. He'll think we're hiding something."

Li Wangye swallowed hard and asked in a low voice, "Then... what should we do? Reason with him?"

Su Yan didn't speak, her fingers unconsciously tracing straight lines on her knee, her eyes fixed on the flames.

Lu Yuan listened quietly until Shen Moxin finished speaking before he spoke.

"Mo Chen's suggestion to tough it out won't work. Teacher Shen's suggestion to completely run away won't work either." He spoke calmly, "I've observed Zhao Shi. He's not a mortal enemy, nor is he overly righteous. He boils down to two things: he hates trouble and craves stability."

The firelight illuminated half of his face, revealing eyes as calm as wells.

"His visit today wasn't because he had any evidence, but because he sensed something 'abnormal'—Father's Soul Power was weakening, we were frequently entering and leaving the mine, and there were even unfamiliar Soul Master appearing. These 'abnormalities' made him uneasy; he was afraid we would cause trouble that would implicate him and jeopardize his secure position as deacon."

Lu Qinghe nodded. "That's the gist of it. His words implied he was worried about trouble in town."

"So," Lu Yuan tapped his fingers lightly on his knee twice, "What we need to do is not eliminate the 'abnormality,' but transform it into something that is 'reasonable,' 'harmless,' or even 'beneficial to him' in his perception."

Mo Chen raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Show weakness, comply with regulations, and align interests." Lu Yuan uttered six words.

He looked at Lu Qinghe: "Father, tomorrow you go to the Soul Master Hall and take the initiative to 'report' to Zhao Shi."

Lu Qinghe was taken aback. "Report what?"

"Tell me that you recently went into the mountains and noticed a slight abnormal fluctuation in Soul Power deep within the old mine. You were worried that a low-level Soul Beast had set up a nest there, or that there might be some geological hazard," Lu Yuan explained in detail. "You were scared, but you didn't dare to make a fuss, afraid of causing panic in the town. Coincidentally, two down-on-their-luck Soul Master friends you met when you were traveling in your younger days passed through Maple Leaf Town and came to seek refuge with you."

He pointed at Shen Moxin and Mo Chen.

"You should ask these two friends to help you go into the mine to investigate and reinforce any dangerous areas to prevent collapses and injuries. Also, since these two friends have some skills and are kind-hearted, ask them to teach their children— Su Yan and Li Wangye —a few basic methods for strengthening their bodies. It's not formal cultivation, just for exercise."

Shen Moxin's eyes lit up slightly.

Mo Chen scratched his messy hair. "A fallen Soul Master? Craftsmanship?"

"Yes." Lu Yuan nodded. "You all fled from the north. Your sects are gone, and your cultivation levels aren't high, so you only know a few skills to make a living. Teacher Shen... just say you used to do odd jobs at the academy and know a little about herbs and documents. Mo Chen, you're just a self-taught craftsman who goes from street to street repairing Soul Tool parts."

Mo Chen's lips twitched, but he didn't refute.

"This is a show of weakness, and also a way of providing a 'reasonable' explanation," Lu Yuan continued. "Then, it's about compliance. Proactively reporting is simply following his rules. We can even 'voluntarily' pay a small, compliant 'security management fee'."

Lu Qinghe hesitated. "Do I have to pay more?"

"Hand it over." Lu Yuan said confidently. "The money doesn't need to be much, ten or eight Copper Soul Coin will do. The key is the attitude—we respect his management and are willing to pay for 'safety.' Once this money goes into his pocket, or into the Soul Master Hall's account, we'll go from being a 'potential problem' to a 'rule-abiding subject who can bring him a little benefit'."

Shen Moxin took a soft breath. "A synergy of interests."

"That's right," Lu Yuan said. "He gained face (by proactively reporting), substance (management fees), and eliminated the unease caused by the 'abnormality' (we had a reasonable explanation). As long as we don't really cause a major incident, he has no incentive to investigate further, and might even subconsciously cover for us—because we are now tied to his 'stability'."

The cavern fell silent again.

Mo Chen clicked his tongue. "A roundabout way... but it seems to make some sense."

Shen Moxin pondered, "The risk is that we've actively entered his field of vision. From now on, at the slightest sign of trouble, the first person he'll think of is us."

"We've been in his sights all along," Lu Yuan shook his head. "Wang Wu came to check, and he personally warned us today. There's no escaping it. We might as well jump in and play our part according to the script we've set."

He looked at his father. "Dad, what do you think?"

Lu Qinghe remained silent for a long while. The firelight danced on his face. He slowly rubbed the calluses on his fingers, and finally raised his head.

"Okay." Just one word.

The matter was settled, and the atmosphere eased a bit.

Li Wangye asked in a low voice, "Then... then we'll really learn a trade here from now on?"

Su Yan also looked over.

Lu Yuan looked at them, his tone flat. "What people outside think is their business. We'll continue doing what we need to do inside. Your training cannot stop for a moment."

The two boys nodded vigorously.

"Furthermore," Lu Yuan added, glancing at Mo Chen, "We need something 'decent,' something that can demonstrate that we are 'harmless' and 'somewhat useful.' Simply saying that a down-on-his-luck Soul Master has skills isn't enough. We need to show him something tangible."

Mo Chen sat up straight. "What are you planning to do?"

"That 'simple constant-temperature forging furnace' you mentioned before, which utilizes the residual heat of the earth's fire," Lu Yuan said. "How long until the prototype can barely operate? It doesn't need to be very precise; it just needs to be able to heat an iron billet evenly to a bright red color, making it look like a proper furnace."

Mo Chen squinted and thought for a moment, then gestured a few times with his fingers on his knee.

"Gather the materials: scrap iron sheets, heat-resistant stone slabs, and the leftover soul-guiding copper wire from last time... Give me five more days." He licked his lips. "Piecing together a tin can that makes a sound, no problem. Heating the iron ingot? Simple. It's just that temperature control will definitely be inaccurate, the heat will be too high and too low."

"That's enough." Lu Yuan nodded. "That's exactly what we want—a 'shabby' look. Too much refinement would only arouse suspicion. Five days later, have Father invite Deacon Zhao to 'inspect security,' and incidentally let him 'accidentally' see that we 'down-on-our-luck Soul Master ' are really just doing odd jobs to make ends meet."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"It's just a play. Everyone knows what's going on."

Shen Moxin let out a soft breath, took off her glasses and wiped them. Mo Chen grinned, his smile a little wild. Lu Qinghe got up and went to the cave entrance to check the cover. Su Yan and Li Wangye exchanged a glance, then silently returned to their corner to continue their own tasks—one drawing on the sand table, the other closing his eyes to try guiding his Soul Power.

Lu Yuan sat by the fire without moving.

He watched the leaping flames, then tapped his fingers lightly on his knee twice more.

Five days later, he thought to himself.

We need to get all the lines and props ready.