Chapter 2: Roots of Decay

Lin Wei knelt in the Lin Clan's southern garden, his fingers buried in soil so dry it crumbled like ash. The Frostfern Seeds glinted faintly in his palm, their crystalline surfaces reflecting the pale morning sun. He'd spent the night charting the garden's layout, memorizing every cracked stone and withered root to avoid suspicion. Planting them here was a risk—the clan's elders rarely visited this neglected plot, but Lin Mei's sharp eyes missed little.

He pressed the first seed into the earth, channeling a sliver of qi to soften the soil. The system's instructions echoed in his mind: Plant in a triangular formation, one chi apart. Water with dawn dew. A simple task, but precision mattered. One misstep, and the seeds' accelerated growth might draw attention.

"Cousin! What are you—"

Lin Wei stiffened as Lin Mei's voice cut through the stillness. He dropped the second seed, feigning a stumble.

"—doing in the dirt?" She strode into the garden, her robes streaked with soot and her hands clutching a mortar stained neon green. Her eyes flicked to the half-buried seed. "Trying to grow weeds now? Granny Ling's herb patches are north of here, unless you've forgotten."

"The soil's softer here," Lin Wei lied, brushing dirt from his knees. "Easier on my old bones."

Lin Mei snorted. "You're seventeen, not seventy." She crouched beside him, squinting at the ground. Her fingers traced a hairline crack in the earth, and a faint pulse of golden light seeped from the soil. "Huh. That's… odd."

"What?"

"This patch—it's got a tiny spirit vein. Dormant, but…" She scooped a handful of soil, letting it trickle through her fingers. The golden glow intensified, then faded. "Probably just a fluke. Spirit veins don't wake up in dead gardens."

Lin Wei's chest tightened. The system's doing. He forced a laugh. "Maybe Granny Ling's been sneaking her tea leaves here."

"Granny Ling's tea could resurrect a corpse," Lin Mei muttered, standing. "Whatever. Just don't waste time—Elder Qiang wants you to greet the envoys."

"Envoys?"

"Thunder Valley's here. A week early." Her lips twisted. "They brought gifts."

The clan's main hall reeked of incense and desperation. Thunder Valley's envoys—three cultivators in violet robes etched with lightning motifs—lounged at the head of the room, their disdain unconcealed. The tallest, a woman with a scar bisecting her left eyebrow, drummed her fingers on a lacquered box.

"Our generosity is boundless," she drawled, flipping the box open. Inside, a single spirit stone glowed faintly, its edges chipped. "A token of goodwill. In return, we expect… reciprocity."

Elder Qiang's knuckles whitened on his cane. The clan hadn't paid Thunder Valley's "tribute" in three years—not since their mines were stripped bare.

Lin Wei stepped forward before the elder could speak. "We're honored by Thunder Valley's kindness." He bowed, low enough to hide his face. "Perhaps we might offer a gift in return? A map to a newly discovered spirit stone deposit, just west of the Abyssal Woods."

The envoy's smirk faltered. "A deposit?"

"Small, but promising." Lin Wei pulled a scroll from his sleeve, its edges deliberately frayed. Inside, the map was a masterwork of forgery—a decoy the system had conjured last night, complete with phantom qi signatures. "We'd be… grateful for Thunder Valley's expertise in surveying it."

The envoy snatched the scroll, her eyes narrowing. "If this is a trick—"

"Would we dare?" Lin Wei met her gaze, his own carefully vacant.

A beat of silence. Then she laughed, sharp as a blade. "Clever rat. We'll take it. But if the deposit's barren…" She leaned in, her breath reeking of sulfur. "We'll peel the skin from your elders' bones."

As the envoys stalked out, Uncle Tao materialized from the shadows, his face taut. "You overstep, boy. Trading false maps? You'll get us all killed."

"Better than handing them our last spirit stone," Lin Wei said softly.

Elder Qiang sighed. "Leave us, Tao."

When the hall emptied, the elder slumped into his chair. "Your father would've done the same. Bluffed until his lungs gave out."

Lin Wei's hand drifted to the Moonlit Veil. No. He'd have fought.

[Task Completed: Delay Thunder Valley's Aggression]

[Reward: Veil of Obscurity (Masks cultivation aura for 12 hours. Charge: 1x/day)]

That night, Lin Wei returned to the garden. The Frostfern Seeds had already sprouted, their silver stems curling toward the moon. He knelt, pressing his palm to the soil. The dormant spirit vein hummed beneath his touch, its energy intertwined with the system's influence.

Three months, he thought. The ferns would bloom by then, revitalizing the garden. But Thunder Valley's envoy would return in two.

A memory surfaced—unbidden, unwelcome. His mother's voice, gentle and frayed, as she tucked the Moonlit Veil around his neck. "Some roots grow in darkness, Wei'er. Trust them."

He hadn't understood then. Now, watching the ferns drink moonlight, he wondered if roots alone could save a clan.

[New Task: Nurture Spirit Vein to Awakening (0/100 Progress)]

In the distance, thunder rumbled.