Back at the teahouse when An Jing took matters into his own hands, Madam Huai experienced a huge shock and covered the jade embedded in the chest of the girl. In a hushed voice, she said, "Is this why you're being hunted down? Enough! I don't know what you're capable of, but I didn't help you and expect you to pay me back in any way! Hide it, quick! Never activate it! It'll be terrible once you're exposed!"

"But, madam... It can save your life!" the girl said, her golden eyes wide with bewilderment. "I can tell that you're about to... Your lifearc has been bound to this place, like the roots of a tree. You can't even leave this place if you want to! You're a living earthbound spirit! These people will definitely come to take this terrestrial-vein node by force, but your soul is bound to this land! Without my help to leave this place, you'll definitely die!"

The girl's voice carried a tone of self-blame. "I don't want you to die because you helped me! I will find another yin-aligned location for you so that you may live out the rest of your years..."

"What joy is there in life? What pain is there in death?" Madam Huai wasn't swayed in the slightest. "I have chosen the path of helping as many people as I am able to. If my choice leads me toward death, so be it."

She looked at the girl calmly. "I have many connections in the city. After a few days, the preparations will be ready. Then, I'll be able to send you out of the city. For now, you have to stay put and hidden. Do not do anything that might expose yourself."

"But you'll really die in this case..." Though she still couldn't bear the thought, the old lady's warm embrace made her choke up from kindness. She had been running for her life the whole time and yearned for such warmth. "Why are you helping me? You don't even know my name, yet you're laying down your life for me..."

"I want to help you because I want to help people. You are one included among them," the old lady said as she stroked the girl's long hair affectionately. In as pious a tone as she could muster, she said, "The mighty Imperial Sky's creation has given us form, yet the masses know gratitude not. Though this tribulation poses a threat to my life, I am willing to leave my fate to heaven.

"It is already hard enough to be human. There is no need to obey others blindly nor force myself to change to get what I'm not due. I would rather be true to myself and act in accordance with my nature. Whether I live or die, it will be by my will. And my life and mind are products of divine, heavenly will."

Heavenly will? The girl's eyes widened in puzzlement. I shall exert my will, which comes from heavenly will... Isn't this the Heavenly Divine... no, Demon Cult? But how could someone like Madam Huai be a member of the demonic cult?! No, she must have been tricked... But even if that's the case, it doesn't matter. The girl snuggled up against the old woman as her fatigue welled up. Then, she fell asleep for a period of time.

Someone knocked on the door of the teahouse. "Madam Huai? There's something I need to talk to you about. I think it's time we spoke openly."

"Come in," Madam Huai said.

An Jing entered the teahouse and felt a cold breeze. It wasn't the kind of breeze that would give him a frostbite, but one that was comfortingly cooling, much like a relaxing breeze of fresh air in summer that took away the heat. He looked around with some suspicion. He could feel the qi within him becoming more active from the refreshing breeze.

"Oh? The yin terrestrial-vein node here seems a bit active. This place is already out of the ordinary in normal times, but cultivating with meditative techniques or abilities right now will be extra effective!" Yvelbane said.

Yin terrestrial veins didn't just emanate yin force, it also released nurturing force and soul force. It was much better than yang veins for nourishment. An Jing didn't know why this was the case, but he quickly suppressed his curiosity.

The place was dark, but the furniture was clean and neatly arranged. He could smell tea fragrance wafting all over the place. Madam Huai was seated behind the counter and seemed just about to get up.

No, wait. An Jing detected with his honed senses that she had just sat down rather than stood up. Instead, the movement seemed to come from the door deeper in. Has someone been there all along? Someone that Madam Huai wants to keep hidden? Interesting. The mystery is much deeper than I thought.

Though An Jing had called it an open talk, he didn't intend to force Madam Huai to tell him anything she didn't want to. He pretended not to notice anything and said, "Forgive my poor showing, madam. I am from Dustdawn and am unfamiliar with the customs of Grand Chen. Do not blame me for being straight with my words.

"Do you require the services of a guard? I might not be that talented and have but a few tricks up my sleeves, so I can't claim to be as strong as someone at the Fortification Realm. But I am certain that I can handle any kind of martialist of the Aura Realm!" These words made him sound full of himself. As far as others were concerned, Jing Xuan was only at the Silk Aura Stage, or River Aura at most. However, he was confident that Madam Huai's unique lifearc would allow her to recognize his true power. He needed to be sure of that fact first before he could discuss things openly.

"I have no doubt about your might," Madam Huai said, her eyes seemingly glowing. When she saw the luggage he brought with him, she felt a little bad and sighed. "Please be honest with me. Did you encounter trouble because of my help, young lad?"

"There has been trouble, yes. I will be honest about that. But it is not all your fault, madam. In fact, I am in your debt. Thanks to what you did for me, I was forewarned about their malicious intentions. In fact, they meant me ill from the very beginning. It just so happened that they acted when I was outside your teahouse. That's why I came here to learn more about the situation and those people. I want to know where they're from and what their aims are. Only by knowing how all this came about will I know how to strike back."

"Very well," Madam Huai said after some contemplation. "I believe we should have a good discussion, then."

Her background was rather simple. She used to be the daughter of a leader of a merchant convoy that operated in the northwest. The convoy was attacked by wild beasts in her childhood, resulting in the deaths of her parents, relatives and friends. It was only thanks to her benefactor that she survived. Since then, she had no choice but to live above the yin terrestrial-vein node, and had done so for the past few decades.

"My lifearc is a unique one. It is flawed and incomplete, so I have to sustain it using the terrestrial-vein node," Madam Huai said. "But on the flip side, my lifearc also helps stabilize this node. According to my benefactor all those years back, this is a win-win situation for both parties. That is why the officials of Keensight of the time allowed me to operate a teahouse above the terrestrial-vein node."