The next morning arrives quietly.
Soft light from the rising sun spreads across the city.
Song Xingli steps down the wooden stairs from the upper floor of the residence.
Behind her, Mu Qiuran and Shi Yinli follow closely.
None of them speaks.
Their footsteps echo softly through the quiet house.
The residence still feels half asleep.
Servants have begun preparing the morning meal somewhere in the kitchen, but the halls remain mostly empty.
Xingli reaches the door of the house.
Her hand rests on the wooden handle.
Her heartbeat remains steady.
Everything about her posture looks calm.
She pulls the door open.
Just as the door swings outward, a voice comes from behind them.
"Where are you three going so early in the morning?"
Xingli freezes for the smallest moment.
Then she slowly turns around.
Elder Mu stands in the middle of the living room.
Her hands are folded behind her back.
Her sharp eyes watch the three girls quietly.
Mu Qiuran and Shi Yinli hesitate.
For a moment, neither of them speaks.
Xingli remains calm.
"We are going to check the market," she says.
Elder Mu nods slightly.
"Oh."
Silence fills the room.
Seconds pass.
Then more seconds.
The quiet stretches into an uncomfortable pause.
Xingli can feel Elder Mu's gaze resting on her.
Watching.
Observing.
Testing.
The silence continues long enough that it almost feels like a deliberate pressure.
Finally, Xingli speaks again.
"Elder… can we go?"
Her voice sounds polite and steady.
She lifts her eyes and meets Elder Mu's gaze directly.
She cannot allow even the slightest sign of nervousness.
If Elder Mu notices anything unusual, everything will fall apart.
Elder Mu studies her face for another moment.
Then she nods slowly.
"Alright."
"You three can go."
Xingli breathes out silently in her mind.
Relief spreads through her chest.
But before she can turn back to the door, Elder Mu speaks again.
"I will be going with you three."
For a moment, Xingli almost stiffens.
But she quickly controls her expression.
She glances sideways toward Qiuran and Yinli.
The two girls exchange brief looks with her.
Then Xingli smiles politely.
"Of course."
"The more the merrier."
Elder Mu walks forward.
Xingli steps aside to allow her to pass.
Then the three girls follow behind her.
They step out of the house together.
Outside the residence, several royal guards stand on duty.
When the door opens, their attention immediately shifts toward the group.
One guard steps forward.
"Elder Mu," he says respectfully.
"Are you going somewhere with the princess?"
Elder Mu nods.
"Yes."
She glances back toward Xingli.
"The princess wants to go to the market."
The guard looks toward Xingli.
"Princess, it will be difficult for a carriage to move through the city now."
"The streets are still crowded after the war."
Xingli smiles calmly.
"I am a spiritual refiner."
"I do not need a carriage to go somewhere."
The guard nods in understanding.
"Alright."
"We will follow behind you, Princess."
He steps aside and gestures toward the street.
Elder Mu begins walking.
Xingli follows behind her.
Mu Qiuran and Shi Yinli walk beside her.
The four women move through the streets together.
Xingli exchanges a glance with her friends.
Shi Yinli's lips move slightly.
A thin strand of wind carries her voice.
'What should we do?
Elder Mu joined us.'
Xingli keeps her gaze forward.
Her expression remains calm as she walks.
The wind moves again.
'Today, we are not escaping.
We will only buy materials that will help me escape later.'
The wind transmission spell carries her voice quietly.
Only Qiuran and Yinli hear the message.
No one else notices anything.
Both girls nod slightly.
Mu Qiuran responds with the same spell.
'Xingli, after you escape, the most important thing is to change your natal item.
Do you have a specific type in mind?'
Xingli falls into deep thought.
Her steps slow slightly.
She had not decided completely.
Replacing the Purple Lotus natal item will not be easy.
The Purple Lotus is special.
It is like a sheet of pure paper.
Instead of white, the paper is purple.
But any colour can be drawn upon it.
Some techniques match it better.
Others do not.
But the lotus itself remains open to endless possibilities.
Other spiritual items are different.
They are like white paper already painted with a background.
A foundation already exists.
What remains is only improving the painting.
Such items limit the path of cultivation.
Only spirit beasts as natal items can reach the same level of potential as the Purple Lotus.
Spirit beasts also carry natural patterns within them.
But their potential can grow far beyond ordinary spiritual items.
Xingli finally answers.
'I will take a spirit beast as my natal item.'
The wind carries the message to her two friends.
They both nod.
A few minutes later, they arrive at the market.
The place is lively.
Stalls line both sides of the wide street.
Northern Mountain people stand behind wooden tables displaying their goods.
Some sell animal hides.
Some sell herbs gathered from the mountains.
Others display weapons carved from bone or stone.
The crowd moves constantly through the market.
The smell of cooked meat drifts through the air.
Xingli walks slowly through the stalls.
Her eyes search carefully.
She hopes to find a spirit beast cub.
But she cannot ask for one openly.
If she asks, Elder Mu will become suspicious immediately.
Why would she suddenly need a spirit beast cub?
Elder Mu might even guess she plans to replace her natal item.
That cannot happen.
So Xingli continues walking quietly.
Elder Mu, Mu Qiuran and Shi Yinli browse the stalls freely.
They occasionally buy small items that catch their attention.
Xingli continues searching.
But no spirit beast cub appears anywhere.
Eventually, they reach the end of the market.
Elder Mu glances toward her.
"Xingli," she asks.
"Are you not buying anything?"
Xingli sighs softly.
She pretends to look around the stalls again.
Just as she turns, she feels something tug gently on her sleeve.
She looks down.
A small Northern Mountain girl stands beside her.
The girl looks no more than eight or nine years old.
Her clothes are worn but clean.
"Elder Sister," the girl says hopefully.
"Can you look at my wares?"
"I have herbs and Cold-Fire snake eggs."
"They are delicious to eat."
Xingli smiles gently.
"Then let's go to your stall."
She glances toward the others.
They nod.
The little girl leads them to the end of the row.
Her stall is small.
On the wooden table lie bundles of herbs.
Beside them are several small spirit beast hearts.
And eight snake eggs resting in a straw basket.
Shi Yinli crouches slightly.
"Little girl," she asks softly.
"Are you here alone?"
The girl's bright expression fades slightly.
She nods.
"Yes."
"I used to live nearby alone."
Yinli looks surprised.
"You are not from a tribe?"
The girl shakes her head.
"No."
Xingli feels a faint sadness in her chest.
She looks at the small stall again.
Then she speaks.
"I will take everything."
The girl's eyes immediately shine.
She begins packing the goods quickly.
After a moment, she hesitates.
"All of it will cost ten spirit chips," she says.
Then she quickly shakes her head.
"No… eight spirit chips."
Xingli smiles.
She takes out ten spirit chips and places them in the girl's hands.
"Take ten."
The girl stares at the coins in amazement.
Xingli picks up the packages.
The herbs go into her space bag.
The snake eggs remain outside.
Living things cannot be placed inside a space bag.
She carries the basket in her arms.
Then the four of them leave the market together.
They walk through the crowded streets toward the residence.
Not long after leaving the market, a loud commotion rises from further ahead on the street.
Voices grow louder.
People gather along both sides of the road.
Xingli and the others slow their steps.
Then they turn to look.
A large wooden cart moves slowly through the street.
Several burly Northern Mountain men pull the cart using thick ropes wrapped around their shoulders.
The cart itself carries something enormous.
A skeleton.
It is the skeleton of a mammoth.
Even without flesh, the bones alone are massive.
The long, curved tusks extend forward like pale scythes.
Across the white bones, faint golden runes shimmer.
The runes are so small that from a distance they appear like thin golden lines running across the skeleton.
The aura around the bones feels ancient and heavy.
Xingli hears people around them whispering excitedly.
"That is the totem of the Mammoth Tribe."
"All six tribes that surrendered must present their totems."
"The Marquis ordered them placed in the city centre."
"The other five will arrive soon."
Xingli watches silently as the cart moves toward the central square.
Workers begin preparing a stone platform where the mammoth skeleton will stand.
The totem is slowly lifted and placed upright.
Its towering bones dominate the square.
The crowd continues whispering.
The remaining tribal totems will arrive in the following hours.
Xingli does not stay to watch.
She turns away.
The four of them continue walking back toward the residence.
When they return to the house, Xingli turns to Elder Mu.
"Elder, I will go to the kitchen to give the snake eggs to be cooked."
Elder Mu nods without suspicion.
Xingli leaves quietly.
A few minutes later, she returns upstairs.
She enters her room and closes the door behind her.
The barrier array activates again.
The room becomes silent.
Xingli sits on the edge of her bed.
She reaches inside her clothes and takes out one snake egg.
The egg is smooth and faintly warm.
It is not truly to her liking.
But it will work if necessary.
If she cannot find anything better, she will replace her natal item with this egg.
She closes her eyes.
Her spiritual energy flows from her palm into the egg.
The egg responds slowly.
Guided by her energy, it sinks into her body.
The egg enters her dantian.
Inside her spiritual sea, the Purple Lotus floats quietly.
Xingli places the egg beside it.
Her energy begins warming the egg slowly.
If she cannot find something better later, this will become her new natal item.