A Chance Encounter Outside the Library

By the time Shen Moxin returned to her cramped teaching assistant's dormitory, it was completely dark.

She set the stack of manuscripts titled "Analysis of Abnormal Cases of Low-Level Soul Power Circulation" on the table and lit an oil lamp. Its dim yellow light fell on the yellowed pages and the tiny, densely packed script. They were old materials that had been gathering dust in the academy archives. She had spent half a month organizing them, intending to use them as supplementary material for next month's introductory theory class.

But the more she organized, the more helpless she felt.

Most of the cases recorded in the manuscripts were vague, their conclusions dogmatic. There were pronouncements like "an innate defect of the Martial Soul, no solution" and "sluggish Soul Power circulation, caused by an impure bloodline." They looked perfectly serious, but were hollow and perfunctory.

She took off her glasses and rubbed the space between her brows.

Yet the child she had seen below the library steps that afternoon surfaced in her mind.

Small and thin, shabbily dressed, looking up at the bronze plaque that read "Entry upon presentation of Soul Master rank certification." His gaze had held neither envy nor anger, but a kind of... scrutiny.

As though he were calculating something.

And there was the calm way he had patted his shoulder after being bumped into.

Shen Moxin put her glasses back on, her fingertips tapping the tabletop unconsciously.

That child was unlike an ordinary country child.

The following afternoon, Lu Yuan appeared near the library again.

He didn't approach the steps this time. He simply stood at the mouth of an alley across the street, watching the stream of people coming and going. Most were boys and girls dressed in academy uniforms of various colors, though a few were adults wearing Soul Master badges. Everyone walked briskly, with a clear purpose.

He was observing the rules.

The library's opening hours, its peak traffic, the intervals between guard changes. He even memorized the faces and habitual movements of several people who looked like librarians.

It was an old habit of his-when faced with a wall, first feel out its structure and its cracks.

As he watched, footsteps sounded behind him.

Light, but steady.

Lu Yuan stepped aside to clear the alley entrance and caught a glimpse of a blue-gray robe from the corner of his eye. He looked up.

It was the woman who had been carrying books yesterday.

Shen Moxin wasn't carrying books today, only a leather notebook. She stopped, her gaze settling on Lu Yuan's face, her eyes narrowing slightly behind her lenses.

"You again," she said.

Her tone was even, betraying no emotion.

Lu Yuan said nothing, merely nodding.

"Want to go in?" Shen Moxin tilted her chin toward the library.

"Yes," Lu Yuan answered readily.

"Why?"

"To look up information."

"What information?"

Lu Yuan fell silent for two seconds. "Basic Soul Power theory. Cases of Martial Soul Mutation. And the ecological habits of low-level Soul Beasts."

Shen Moxin's brow twitched.

The answer was too specific, and too... professional. It wasn't the sort of knowledge a child ought to be seeking.

She studied him. He was small and thin, his coarse cloth clothes washed pale, but his gaze was frighteningly calm. There were faint calluses on his finger joints, as though left by holding a pen or tools for a long time.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"Seven."

"Your Martial Soul?"

Lu Yuan paused. "Blue Silver Grass."

Shen Moxin showed neither surprise nor disdain, only nodding. "Innate Soul Power?"

"Half a level."

The air was still for a moment.

Shen Moxin closed the notebook in her hand and tapped its cover lightly with her fingertips. "The library's rules require Soul Master rank certification or a letter of recommendation from the academy for entry. You're not a Soul Master, and you haven't enrolled, so you can't get in under the rules."

Lu Yuan didn't answer.

He knew.

"However," Shen Moxin continued, changing tack, "I'm a teaching assistant at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy. Occasionally bringing someone in to consult materials and assist with research falls within my duties."

She looked at Lu Yuan. "I can take you in, but only for half a shichen. And you have to stay close to me, no wandering off and no damaging books. Can you do that?"

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up.

It was very faint, but Shen Moxin caught it.

"Yes," he said.

"Then let's go."

Shen Moxin turned toward the library, with Lu Yuan following half a step behind her. The two crossed the street and climbed the marble steps. The guard at the entrance glanced at them, saw Shen Moxin, and nodded them through.

The library was larger inside than it looked from outside.

Beneath a high domed ceiling, rows of dark wooden bookshelves stretched as far as the eye could see. The air was filled with the smell of old paper and ink. Light slanted in through small windows high above, forming silent shafts in the dust.

A balding librarian in his fifties sat at the front desk, his complexion sallow as he bent over a ledger. Hearing footsteps, he looked up.

"Assistant Shen." He forced a professional smile and glanced at Lu Yuan. "And this is..."

"He's with me," Shen Moxin said evenly. "He's helping organize research materials and is here to consult the collection temporarily."

The smile faded somewhat from the librarian's face. "Assistant Shen, you know the rules. Anyone who isn't a teacher or student at the academy needs formal approval to..."

"I know," Shen Moxin interrupted. "But the supplementary clause to Article Seven of the Academy Library Management Regulations states that teaching assistants and higher-ranking faculty may temporarily bring others into the library to consult materials for teaching or research purposes, for no more than one shichen per visit, provided they accompany them and take responsibility throughout."

She paused and looked at the librarian. "I'll take full responsibility."

The librarian was speechless.

He stared at Shen Moxin for a few seconds, then glanced at Lu Yuan. The child was too young and shabbily dressed; however he looked at him, he didn't seem like someone who could have anything to do with "research."

But Shen Moxin had cited the regulations.

He opened his mouth, then finally just waved a hand. "Half a shichen. If you go over, I'll have to report it."

"Thank you."

Shen Moxin nodded and led Lu Yuan inside.

After passing two rows of shelves, she stopped and lowered her voice. "The materials you're looking for are on shelves seven through nine in Section Bing for basic Soul Power theory; shelf three in Section Wu for cases of Martial Soul Mutation; and the low-level Soul Beast ecology section off to the side of Section Jia. Remember where they are and make the most of your time."

Lu Yuan looked up at her. "Aren't you coming with me?"

"I'll be organizing materials nearby," Shen Moxin said. "But don't go far. Meet me here in half a shichen."

"All right."

Lu Yuan asked no more questions and turned straight toward Section Bing.

He walked quickly, but didn't run. Shen Moxin watched his small, thin figure disappear between the shelves before turning to a long table nearby and opening her notebook.

But she didn't start writing right away.

Through a gap in the shelves, she quietly followed him with her eyes.

Shelf seven, Section Bing.

Lu Yuan looked up at the labels on the shelf. "An Introduction to the Nature of Soul Power," "An Outline of Basic Meditation Methods," "A Hypothesis on the Relationship Between Soul Power Circulation and Meridians"... They were all the most basic introductory theories.

He pulled out "An Introduction to the Nature of Soul Power" and quickly leafed through it.

Densely packed text and simple diagrams flashed before his eyes. Most of the content was explained more thoroughly and systematically in the knowledge base in his mind. But he needed to confirm what this world's version of "common knowledge" looked like, and where gaps or discrepancies in understanding existed.

When he reached the third chapter, he paused.

The chapter discussed "the relationship between Soul Power and life energy," but its conclusion was vague, simply reducing it to "the Martial Soul is an outward manifestation of life energy."

Lu Yuan frowned.

Too general.

He closed the book, put it back, and pulled out the next one. His fingers moved quickly along the spines, his eyes scanning the contents pages to judge which chapters were valuable.

Then he opened them and read.

At astonishing speed.

Watching from two rows of shelves away, Shen Moxin was somewhat stunned.

The child didn't seem to be "reading" so much as... searching. His gaze jumped across the pages, occasionally stopping for a few seconds, while his fingers unconsciously traced in the air, as though outlining some structural diagram. Then he turned the page and continued.

There was no wonder, no confusion, only an almost icy concentration.

She had seen many children enter a library for the first time-either intimidated by the vast sea of books, or excitedly flipping through them at random, wanting to read everything but unable to take anything in.

But Lu Yuan was different.

His goal was clear and his actions efficient, as though he were carrying out a task planned long ago.

Shen Moxin withdrew her gaze, lowered her head, and wrote a line in her notebook: "Subject of observation: suspected commoner child, Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass, Innate Soul Power half a level. Behavioral traits: reading efficiency far exceeds that of peers, clear objectives, suspected possession of a basic theoretical framework. To be verified."

At that point, her pen paused.

She added another sentence: "Areas of interest: Soul Power fundamentals, Martial Soul Mutation, low-level Soul Beast ecology. Atypical."

Lu Yuan had already moved to shelf three in Section Wu.

There were fewer people here, and the books were older. The writing on many spines had faded, and the pages were yellow and brittle. He carefully pulled out "Records of Martial Soul Mutations on the Continent (Fragmentary Volume)" and opened it.

Most of the cases recorded inside were incomplete.

"At the border of the Star Luo Empire, the son of a farming family surnamed Li. His hoe Martial Soul mutated, its blade taking on a golden sheen and becoming sharper, but its Soul Power consumption increased. Three years later, the Martial Soul collapsed..."

"On the outskirts of Heaven Dou City, the daughter of a craftsman surnamed Wang. Her embroidery needle Martial Soul mutated, allowing her to guide thread to pierce through the air, but the mental strain was excessive. She is now mentally impaired..."

"West of Nuoding City, a descendant of a Soul Master surnamed Zhao. His Ironback Ape Martial Soul underwent a beneficial mutation, increasing his strength by thirty percent, with no significant side effects..."

Lu Yuan read quickly.

The accounts of these cases were full of subjective assumptions and errors of attribution. At every turn there was "impure bloodline," "innate deficiency," or "a fortunate coincidence." They lacked systematic observational data, and there was no awareness of controlling variables.

Even so, he carefully noted several key pieces of information: the conditions that triggered the mutations, which were vaguely recorded in most cases; their characteristics; and their subsequent development.

Then he took a small stack of rough scrap paper and half a charcoal pencil from inside his clothes.

He had bought them with the Copper Soul Coins left over from yesterday, the cheapest kind.

He quickly wrote several key terms on the scrap paper: "direction of mutation (beneficial/harmful)," "triggers (environment/Soul Power stimulation/unknown)," and "stability." Beside them, he drew a simple flowchart and marked several possible points of connection.

His writing was neat and his reasoning clear.

When he finished, he folded the scrap paper and tucked it back inside his clothes, then returned the book to its place.

Two ke had already passed.

He turned and headed for the low-level Soul Beast ecology section off to the side of Section Jia.

Shen Moxin closed her notebook, rose, and followed him.

She didn't approach, merely standing at a corner and watching from the shadow of a bookshelf.

Lu Yuan stopped in front of a shelf in the low-level Soul Beast section. There weren't many books here, and most were introductory guides filled with pictures and text. He pulled out "An Illustrated Guide to Common Soul Beasts Around Nuoding City" and opened it.

His gaze swept quickly over page after page of colored illustrations: Bristle Rat, Iron Claw Badger, Wind-Patterned Rabbit, Grass Vine Snake...

He lingered a little longer on the Bristle Rat page.

His finger tapped lightly on the description beside the illustration: "Lives in groups, fears bright light, can shed its stiff bristles as a means of attack. Weakness: fire."

He recalled those gray-brown figures on Wild Rat Slope.

And the samples of stiff bristles he had collected.

Next, he turned to the Iron Claw Badger.

The description read: "Lives alone or in pairs. Sharp claws can shatter rock. Active at night, with a keen sense of smell. Dens are usually found in earthen slopes along riverbanks or in rock crevices."

Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes.

That matched the traces he had noticed near the rocky shallows that night.

He continued turning the pages, occasionally jotting down a word or two on his scrap paper: "activity patterns," "weaknesses," "useful traits."

It didn't look as though he was learning "Soul Beast knowledge," but rather... building a dossier.

Shen Moxin watched his profile.

The light of an oil lamp fell from the side, casting clear shadows across his still-childish face. His brows were slightly furrowed, his lips pressed into a straight line, and his gaze was focused to the point of sharpness.

Just what was this child's background?

It was almost time.

Lu Yuan closed the guide and returned it to the shelf. He turned to go back, but his gaze swept over an inconspicuous corner nearby.

Several untidy stacks of old manuscripts were piled there, hastily tied with hemp rope and covered in dust. They looked like materials awaiting disposal or already discarded.

He paused.

As if compelled by a spirit, he walked over and crouched down.

He untied the top bundle and pulled out the topmost manuscript. The paper was yellow and brittle, and the handwriting was scrawled, like experimental notes recorded in haste.

The title was "Martial Soul Energy Fluctuation Records (Fragmentary Manuscript)."

Lu Yuan opened it.

The first few pages were full of jumbled data: on such-and-such a date, Soul Power was injected into a certain Martial Soul, the energy fluctuation curve was observed, and the peak value and rate of decay were recorded...

The records were crude, the units inconsistent, and some of the data was clearly wrong.

But Lu Yuan read very carefully.

On a page near the middle was a hand-drawn energy decay curve. The horizontal axis represented time, and the vertical axis Soul Power intensity. The curve dropped rapidly from a high point, then gradually leveled off.

A small annotation beside it read: "Model fit: exponential decay. Decay constant α = 0.15."

Lu Yuan stared at the curve, his frown deepening.

His finger unconsciously traced in the air, simulating a calculation. His lips moved, his voice so low it was almost a breath:

"That's not right..."

"This energy decay curve... the model is wrong."

He raised his head, his gaze unfocused, as though absorbed in a calculation.

"It ignored the interference factor from the ambient Soul Power field. If the fluctuation in ambient Soul Power density exceeds the threshold, the decay constant α becomes a variable, not a constant... The error in this fit is too large."

His voice fell silent.

At the corner of the bookshelf, Shen Moxin's hand stopped as she sorted through the materials.

She jerked her head up, her eyes widening behind her glasses.

Several rows of bookshelves separated them, and she couldn't see Lu Yuan's face, but every word of that whisper burrowed into her ears, perfectly clear.

The energy decay curve?

The model was wrong?

An environmental Soul Power field interference factor?

The decay constant was a variable?

Shen Moxin stood where she was, still clutching a manuscript she had just pulled out. She unconsciously gripped the edge of the paper hard enough to crumple it slightly.

She slowly turned her head toward the corner where Lu Yuan was.

For the first time, genuine astonishment appeared in her eyes.