Immortality Starts With Face

The answer came the next morning, delivered with a knock on her door.

Su Lian opened it cautiously, her spiritual senses already extended, ready for another confrontation. But the man standing in the narrow hallway radiated no hostility. He was tall, weathered, with skin the color of polished teak wood and eyes that held the perpetual squint of someone who'd spent decades staring at desert horizons under the unforgiving southern sun. His clothes were practical traveling gear —reinforced leather dyed in desert browns and grays, sturdy cloth wrappings protecting his forearms, and boots that showed the distinctive wear patterns of someone who walked through sand daily. A curved shamshir — a peculiar curved sword design favored by the desert tribes — hung at his hip, the weapon's grip wrapped in well-worn leather, and his hands bore the layered calluses of someone who knew how to use it.

He seemed to be a mortal, Su Lian realized with faint surprise. She could detect no spiritual pressure at all, just the robust vitality of someone who kept themselves in excellent physical condition. He was in his late forties, perhaps early fifties, though the desert sun and hard living made aging difficult to judge with any precision.

"Miss..." He paused, clearly waiting for a name she didn't give, then shrugged with practiced ease. "Right. Well. I am Kasan al-Sharif, caravan master for the Crimson Sands Trading Company. Word travels fast in Onyx Pass — faster than sandstorms, they say — and yesterday's... demonstration... has come to my attention."

His accent was strange — the fluid vowels and hard consonants of the Deep Southern territories, filtered through years of dealing with Imperial merchants. He spoke Imperial Standard fluently, but it clearly wasn't his native tongue.

"I'm listening, but make it quick." Su Lian said flatly.

"My lady, I could ask for nothing else." Kasan leaned against the doorframe with the casual confidence of someone comfortable in his own skin, someone who'd negotiated with enough people to recognize when courtesy was more effective than pressure. "What I'm offering is honest work. Real, Guild-sanctioned work — not protection rackets or enforcement thuggery."

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, presumably indicating the southern desert beyond Onyx Pass's walls. "My caravan heads south in three days' time. We are headed past the Imperial borders, through the Dune Sea of the deep desert and to the city-states of the Shattered Coast. It's a three-month journey through some of the most hostile terrain on the Continent. Sand elementals, desert raiders, storm drakes, the Frontier's Breath itself playing havoc with any cultivation techniques you try to use..."

He met her gaze directly — not in deference but not in challenge either. Just an honest, straightforward assessment.

"I need guards, you understand. Real guards, not the barely-trained Qi Gathering thugs who make up most of the security-for-hire prospects available here. Yet, Foundation Establishment cultivators are quite rare this far from civilization — most of the ones who come here are either running from something or looking for opportunities that couldn't be found in more developed areas. And… ones willing to brave the Dune Sea are rarer still."

Kasan pulled a small leather pouch from his belt, letting it rest in his palm.

"I can offer you as much as twenty taels of silver for the complete journey, paid on arrival in Zahra. Plus… two low-grade spirit stones — not much, I know, but I'm a merchant, not some sect master, and it's the best I can manage. Naturally, you'll also get food, water, and shelter throughout the journey… plus a share of any salvage from attacks we repel. Spirit beast cores, raider weapons, and whatever else we recover — the standard guard's portion is ten percent, split equally among all security staff, but for an esteemed Foundation Establishment expert such as yourself, I'll offer a third… and you'll even get first pick!"

Su Lian felt something shift in her chest — a loosening of tension she hadn't realized she'd been carrying. This was... This was exactly what she needed! A way out of the Empire. Legitimate work. Compensation that, while decidedly not generous, at least acknowledged the parallel economies of cultivator and mortal commerce. And most importantly, distance. Three months of travel through the chaotic Frontier environment would put her a respectable distance from anyone who might recognize a Phoenix bloodline cultivator.

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But the offer was also — quite obviously — a substantial lowball. Twenty taels of silver plus two spirit stones for a risky three-month journey where her Foundation Establishment cultivation might prove to be the difference between the caravan's survival and its complete destruction? She could see the calculation in Kasan's eyes — he suspected that she was desperate, suspected that she needed to leave quickly. He was taking advantage of her situation to secure an incredibly valuable asset at a fraction of what she'd be worth in normal circumstances.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator's services, in a properly functioning market, would command at least dozens of low-grade spirit stones for such a journey — and might even require payment in mid-grade stones depending on the dangers involved. And, as for the measly twenty taels of silver… they were a mere token gesture toward her mortal expenses. While technically the equivalent of a thousand silver coins — a fortune to a common laborer, enough to buy a decent house in a provincial town — it was not particularly useful to a wandering cultivator like her. At best, it was mere spending money for simple mortal pleasures like inn stays or prepared meals, both of which were closer to luxury expenses than actual life necessities for her at this point.

The spirit stones were the real payment here, and two low-grade stones was an insultingly low rate. Yes, that was around four thousand gold coins' worth of purchasing power in theory — but in practice, it wasn't even enough to purchase a single decent quality cultivation pill; even one useful at the initial Qi Gathering stage, which she has long surpassed.

She should refuse. Should demand better terms. Should leverage her clearly scarce position into at least a marginally fairer deal.

But.

But Boss Qian and his gang now knew she existed. The garrison commander would hear about her within days, if not sooner. Questions would be asked. And if anyone with actual authority and connections looked hard enough at a Foundation Establishment cultivator with Phoenix bloodline characteristics and red hair, and then reported her to the Imperial bureaucrats…

She needed to leave. Quickly. And this was a legitimate, relatively respectable way to do it.

"Why would you even trust me?" Su Lian asked, because the question needed asking. "You don't even know me! You don't know my background, my training, whether I'll actually be reliable when trouble comes."

Kasan shrugged, the gesture eloquent.

"I don't need to know your life story. Out here, past the borders? Your past doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is whether you can do the job you were hired for, and whether you'll stick around when things get dangerous. The desert doesn't care about your clan affiliation or your secret techniques or petty family politics. It only cares whether you're strong enough to survive what it throws at you."

He pushed off from the doorframe, preparing to leave. "And, as for trust... well. You're a Foundation Establishment expert. If you wanted to rob my caravan, you could do so anytime during the journey — absolutely nothing can stop you from doing so and flying away into the sunset. The fact that you're even considering working as a paid guard rather than just taking what you want tells me you're a Righteous Path practitioner with at least basic principles. Ethics. Decency. That's more than most can claim in this business."

He started walking away, then paused, looking back over his shoulder. "Think about it. We leave at dawn three days from now, departing from the south gate staging area. If you're interested, come and find me there. I'll have a contract ready for you — proper Imperial paperwork, everything legitimate and documented. And, if you decide not to come..."

Another shrug. "Then I wish you luck finding another way out of whatever situation brought you here."

"One question, before you go" Su Lian said as he turned away again. "You said you're heading to the Shattered Coast. To Zahra specifically. What's there? Why risk such a dangerous trip and go so far beyond Imperial territory?"

Kasan's weathered face split into a genuine smile. "Why, opportunity, of course! The city-states are hungry for Imperial goods — silks, porcelain, refined spirit medicines, technique manuals. And they have things the Empire wants — exotic incense and spices, southern alchemical materials, even… artifacts from the ruins of the Old Kingdoms. There's much profit to be had in the exchange, if you're willing to risk the journey."

He paused, then added, "Also, it's well beyond Imperial jurisdiction. Whatever laws or troubles you're escaping... they don't reach Zahra. The city-states have their own rules, their own politics. It could be a fresh start for you, if you're looking for one."

He tipped his head in a gesture of polite farewell and walked away, his footsteps echoing in the narrow stone corridor.

Su Lian closed the door and leaned against it, her mind racing.

Three days. She had three days to prepare, to gather what meager supplies she could afford, to ready herself for a journey that would take her completely out of the Imperial sphere of influence.

Three days until she could finally, truly, stop looking over her shoulder.

For the first time in six months, Su Lian allowed herself something that felt dangerously close to hope.