Chapter 13: Convergence Points

"It was definitely your husband," Liu Mei said, her voice steady despite the weight of her revelation. "He gave me jade energy when I was a child."

Ming Lihua's hands trembled slightly as she set down her teacup. The morning light filtering through the jade-latticed windows cast emerald patterns across her troubled face. Lin Feng watched his mother carefully, searching for any hint that she might have known about this connection.

"Wuying never told me," she finally said. "But there was much he kept hidden, even from me."

Lin Feng and Liu Mei had come to Ming Lihua's quarters at first light, neither having slept much after witnessing the temporal vision in the garden. The revelation that Lin Feng's father had deliberately given Liu Mei her jade resonance years ago had shaken both of them deeply.

"He would disappear sometimes," Ming Lihua continued, her gaze distant with memory. "For days at a time. When I asked where he'd gone, he would only say he was 'setting contingencies.'" She shook her head. "I thought it was anxiety—a sealed cultivator unable to fully protect his family. Now I wonder what else he was doing during those absences."

Lin Feng placed the dual-natured token on the table between them. In the morning light, its jade and crimson halves pulsed with impossible harmony.

"The Grandmaster said Father entrusted him with knowledge meant for me," he said. "That they had an arrangement regarding some threat requiring both our bloodlines to counter."

His mother stared at the token without touching it. "This shouldn't exist. Phoenix and Lotus energies naturally repel each other. It's like trying to blend fire and ice."

"Yet someone managed it," Liu Mei observed.

The door burst open before further discussion could occur. Elder Lian stood in the entrance, her expression tense.

"Council chamber. Now. All of you."

---

The Grand Elder's private study bustled with activity. Maps and documents covered the massive desk of dark wood at its center. Elder Zhou argued heatedly with Elder Ming in one corner while disciples rushed in and out with reports. Lin Feng's grandfather stood at the center of the storm, his expression grave as he examined a jade tablet.

"Ah, good, you've arrived," he said, looking up. "The situation has accelerated."

Lin Feng glanced at the maps spread across the desk. One showed the territories surrounding the Jade Lotus mountain, with several locations marked in bright jade ink.

"The Crimson Phoenix Grandmaster's information was accurate," the Grand Elder explained, tapping one of the marked spots. "Our scouts confirm a bloodline carrier in Mist Valley City—a young woman working as an apothecary's assistant."

"How certain are we?" Ming Lihua asked, studying the map.

"The bloodline resonance stone reacted clearly," Elder Ming said, joining them. "Weak but unmistakable. She has jade potential."

"And the other locations from the tablet?" Liu Mei asked.

"Still being verified," the Grand Elder replied. "But if the first is accurate..."

"We must assume the others are as well," Lin Feng completed, understanding the implications. "Which means the Crimson Phoenix Sect has known about these bloodline carriers for some time, yet chose not to eliminate them."

"Precisely," his grandfather said. "The question is: why reveal them to us now?"

"Bargaining chips," Elder Zhou suggested, scowling. "Or bait for a trap."

"Or genuine cooperation," Elder Ming countered. "If they truly seek an alliance."

Lin Feng exchanged a meaningful glance with Liu Mei. "There's something else you should know," he said. With careful precision, he recounted their experience in the garden—the temporal fissure, the vision of his father giving a young Liu Mei her jade resonance.

As he spoke, a heavy silence fell over the chamber. The Grand Elder's expression grew increasingly troubled, while Elder Zhou's skepticism transformed into alarm.

"If Wuying was deliberately placing jade energy in non-bloodline individuals," Elder Lian said when Lin Feng finished, "he must have had a significant purpose in mind."

"A purpose likely connected to his arrangement with the Crimson Phoenix Grandmaster," the Grand Elder agreed, his voice heavy with realization. "My son saw something coming—something that required preparation spanning decades."

He stared at the map, at the scattered marks indicating bloodline carriers, then at Liu Mei with new understanding.

"These aren't random discoveries," he said slowly. "They're convergence points in a strategy we're only beginning to glimpse."

Lin Feng felt a chill at the implication. "What do we do?"

His grandfather straightened, decision crystallizing in his eyes. "We move quickly, before others realize what we have. First, we must secure these bloodline carriers—starting with the one in Mist Valley City." His gaze focused on Lin Feng. "You will lead this mission."

Lin Feng blinked in surprise. "Me? Wouldn't Mother or Elder Lian be better suited? They have more experience, more knowledge of the bloodline."

"They have knowledge of the past," his grandfather corrected. "You understand the present—how the world has changed during our absence. And as someone who recently discovered his own heritage, you'll relate to this young woman's situation in ways others cannot."

Put that way, it made sense. "When would we leave?"

"Tomorrow at dawn. Take Liu Mei and two disciples for support. Travel light, move quickly."

"I'm willing," Liu Mei said immediately.

"Meanwhile," the Grand Elder continued, "Elder Ming will research the theoretical integration of Phoenix and Lotus energies. Elder Lian will investigate historical records for any mention of Wuying's activities during his exile."

"And the token?" Lin Feng asked, touching his pocket where the dual-natured artifact rested.

"Keep it with you," his grandfather decided. "But do not attempt to activate it until we better understand what it truly is."

As the council dispersed to their tasks, the Grand Elder beckoned Lin Feng to remain behind. When they were alone, his formal demeanor softened.

"There's something else you should understand about this mission," he said quietly. "Something I couldn't discuss before the others."

"What is it?"

"If Wuying was placing jade energy in specific individuals, if he had some arrangement with the Crimson Phoenix Grandmaster, then none of this is random." His expression grew solemn. "These bloodline carriers, Liu Mei's resonance, perhaps even your own path to us—they may all be pieces in a strategy my son set in motion years ago."

Lin Feng felt the weight of those words settle on him. "A strategy orchestrated by whom? The Crimson Phoenix Grandmaster? My father?"

"That's what you must discover." His grandfather gripped his shoulder firmly. "Be vigilant in Mist Valley City. Look beyond the obvious. Seek connections that explain why this particular bloodline carrier, in this particular place, at this particular time."

The responsibility was daunting, but Lin Feng nodded his acceptance.

"You've grown remarkably since coming to us," his grandfather said, unexpected warmth in his voice. "Your father would be proud."

The words caught Lin Feng off guard. "I hope so," he managed. "I wish I'd known him better—the real him, not just the farmer."

"The farmer was real too," his grandfather corrected gently. "Whatever else Wuying was planning, his love for you and your mother was genuine. Never doubt that."

---

Lin Feng spent the rest of the day in intensive preparation. Elder Lian equipped him with specialized talismans, updated maps, and enhanced concealment pendants.

"These new pendants will dampen your jade energy signature more effectively," she explained. "Though against determined hunters, they'll only buy you time."

"Hunters?" Lin Feng questioned.

Elder Lian's expression darkened. "The Crimson Phoenix Sect isn't the only group that tracks bloodline carriers. There are mercenaries who specialize in such work. If the knowledge of additional jade bloodline carriers has begun to spread..."

She left the implication hanging, but Lin Feng understood. Their mission had just become significantly more dangerous.

That evening, Lin Feng sought out his mother for a final conversation before departure. He found her in the Ancestral Hall, before a shrine bearing his father's portrait. The formal painting showed a young man in Jade Lotus robes, serious-faced but with familiar kind eyes.

"May I join you?" he asked from the doorway.

She looked up with a soft smile. "Of course."

As Lin Feng knelt beside her, a childhood memory surfaced unexpectedly. "When crops weren't growing well, I used to pray to the earth god for help. Father would kneel with me, but never prayed himself. I thought he didn't believe."

"More likely he knew better where to direct such energies," his mother said. "But couldn't tell you without revealing too much."

Lin Feng studied the portrait, searching for glimpses of the complex strategist behind the simple farmer he'd known. "Do you think he foresaw all this? The mountain's return, my coming here, even my connection to Liu Mei?"

"Perhaps not specific events," Ming Lihua replied. "But their general shape? Yes. Wuying's temporal sensitivity was extraordinary—he could perceive convergence points in time that others missed completely." She looked at Lin Feng with quiet certainty. "A gift you've inherited."

"Me?" Lin Feng questioned.

"Your ability to sense the sealed mountain from such distance, to perform techniques that should take years to master—these are signs of rare temporal affinity." Her hand brushed his hair back in a maternal gesture. "But more importantly, you have his heart. His ability to look beyond sect boundaries and bloodline rivalries to see people as they truly are."

Her gaze grew knowing. "It's why Liu Mei resonates with you so strongly. Not just jade energy recognizing jade energy, but soul recognizing soul."

Lin Feng felt heat rise to his face. "We're still figuring out what we are to each other."

"Of course," his mother replied, barely concealing a smile. "These things take time. Even for temporal cultivators."

She shared stories of his father into the evening—his habit of humming while practicing forms, how he could sit perfectly still for hours watching clouds move or plants grow.

"He was always observing time," she explained. "Not just its passage, but Time itself—its patterns, its textures, how it flowed differently around different objects and beings."

When Lin Feng finally retired to prepare for the dawn departure, he felt he knew his father better—both the farmer who had raised him and the cultivator who had planned so carefully for futures he would never see.

---

Dawn found Lin Feng, Liu Mei, and two disciples—Jin Wei and Song Li—gathered at the mountain's main gate. Their travel gear was functional rather than ornate, designed for speed and practicality. Lin Feng wore the concealment pendant beneath simple green outer robes.

The Grand Elder, Ming Lihua, and Elder Lian came to see them off, final instructions exchanged with formal brevity.

"Observe the outside world's reaction to our return," Elder Lian advised. "That information will be valuable for our reintegration."

"Five days to Mist Valley City if the roads are clear," the Grand Elder added. "Use the communication talismans if you encounter serious trouble."

Ming Lihua embraced Lin Feng briefly. "Trust your instincts," she whispered. "And watch over Liu Mei. Her jade resonance is still developing, still unpredictable."

As the gates swung open, Lin Feng felt an unexpected thrill of anticipation. Despite the mission's gravity, part of him welcomed the chance to escape the mountain's politics and see more of the cultivation world with Liu Mei at his side.

They set out as the first sunlight touched the mountain peaks, casting long shadows before them. The morning air carried the scent of pine and mountain flowers, crisp and invigorating.

"Strange to be leaving so soon after arriving," Liu Mei commented as they descended the path. "Though I suppose for you, it's returning to the world you've always known."

"The world I've known, but seen differently," Lin Feng replied. "Everything looks changed when you understand what you're really seeing." His gaze lingered on her profile, admiring how the morning light played across her features. "Like you."

She turned with raised eyebrow. "Oh? And what do you see when you look at me now?"

"Someone who chose her own path when it would have been easier to follow the one laid out for her," he answered honestly. "Someone with more courage than most cultivators twice her age. Someone who..." He hesitated, suddenly self-conscious.

"Someone who what?" she prompted, her expression softening.

Before Lin Feng could answer, Jin Wei called from ahead. "Young Master Lin! Someone's on the path."

Lin Feng looked up, momentarily frustrated by the interruption. About fifty paces ahead stood a solitary figure—a woman in gray traveling clothes, a wide-brimmed hat shadowing her features. Though she carried no visible weapons, her posture suggested cultivation training.

"Hold position," Lin Feng instructed, moving forward cautiously. "I'll speak with her."

As he approached, the woman raised her head. Her face struck Lin Feng with an odd sense of recognition despite being certain he'd never seen her before. Sharp features, dark eyes that caught and held the light, and most strikingly, a small jade-colored marking at the corner of her right eye.

"Lin Feng," she said, her voice soft yet carrying clearly. "Son of Feng Wuying."

Lin Feng stopped, instantly alert. "You have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I don't know yours."

A smile touched her lips. "My name is Mei Shen. And I believe you're about to embark on a journey to find me."

"You're the bloodline descendant from Mist Valley City," Lin Feng realized, shock rippling through him.

"I am," she confirmed. "Though I've saved you the trouble of traveling there. I've come to you instead."

"How did you know we were coming?" Lin Feng asked, hand drifting subtly toward a defensive talisman. "How did you find the mountain?"

Her smile widened. "Because your father told me you would come, sixteen years ago. He said to wait for the mountain's return, for the jade lotus to bloom again." Her gaze shifted past Lin Feng to Liu Mei, who had moved up to join him. "And for the flower that grows without roots."

Liu Mei stiffened. "What did you say?"

"The flower that grows without roots," Mei Shen repeated. "That's what he called you. The impossible blossom."

Lin Feng exchanged stunned glances with Liu Mei. The implications were staggering. His father had anticipated even this meeting, arranged it years before his death.

"You understand my caution," Lin Feng said carefully. "These are uncertain times. How can I verify you are who you claim?"

In response, Mei Shen touched the jade mark beside her eye. It began to glow softly, and Lin Feng felt the lotus mark on his chest warm in recognition. Their bloodline connection was unmistakable.

"Your father said you'd need proof," she said, reaching into her sleeve. "He left this with me."

In her palm lay a simple wooden token carved with a lotus—identical to one Lin Feng had played with as a child. His father had carved it from a branch of their largest apple tree after a storm had brought it down.

"He made this," Lin Feng said, taking it with suddenly unsteady hands.

"Check the bottom," Mei Shen instructed.

Lin Feng turned the token over. Carved into the base in his father's distinctive handwriting was a single character: "Son."

"He gave me its twin," Mei Shen explained. "He said when the time came, these tokens would bring us together, just as our bloodline does."

Liu Mei had been studying Mei Shen intently. "If you knew we were coming, why meet us on the path? Why not approach the mountain directly?"

"Your father warned me never to approach the mountain directly," Mei Shen told Lin Feng. "He said the temporal distortions could be dangerous to those untrained in navigating them." She glanced at the looming peaks. "Besides, there are others watching. Others seeking jade bloodline carriers."

"Others?" Lin Feng questioned. "The Crimson Phoenix Sect?"

"Not just them." Her expression turned grave. "There are mercenaries specialized in hunting bloodlines—Bloodhunters, they call themselves. They've grown more active since the mountain returned."

Jin Wei shifted nervously behind them. "We should return to the mountain. Report this to the Grand Elder."

"Agreed," Lin Feng said, turning to Mei Shen. "Will you come with us? The mountain is safest for someone with the jade bloodline."

Mei Shen hesitated, looking up at the distant peaks with mixed longing and apprehension. "Your father said I would have a choice when we met. That I could either join you on the mountain or continue his work in the outside world." Her fingers touched the jade mark by her eye. "I haven't decided which path to take."

"Then come with us for now," Lin Feng urged. "Meet my grandfather, learn about our sect and techniques. Decide after you have more information."

After a moment's consideration, Mei Shen nodded. "A reasonable approach. Lead on, Lin Feng, son of Wuying."

As they turned back toward the mountain, Lin Feng felt the wooden token warm in his hand—a connection to both his past and a future still taking shape. His father's plans were unfolding around them with precision that seemed almost supernatural—Mei Shen's appearance, Liu Mei's resonance, the mention of Bloodhunters, all converging in ways Wuying had somehow foreseen.

The realization was both comforting and deeply unsettling. Whatever game his father had been playing, whatever strategy he had set in motion, Lin Feng now stood at its center—moving not merely by his own choices, but along paths laid out years before.

The question haunting him as they ascended toward the mountain gates was whether any of them truly controlled their own destinies anymore—or whether they were all, in the end, simply playing roles in Feng Wuying's grand design, a design so vast that even now they could glimpse only fragments of its true purpose.