"My ascension was not normal," Lin Mu explained. "I entered a teleportation channel while still in the Dao Treading realm. It was unstable. I believe it interfered with the standard ascension pathway."
Jing Wei nodded slowly.
"That explains it," he said. "You bypassed the usual system."
Lin Mu inclined his head slightly.
"What happened after those two months?" he asked.
Jing Wei continued.
"The slaves were eventually sorted," he said. "They categorized us based on our abilities."
"Abilities?" Lin Mu asked.
"Yes," Jing Wei replied. "Those who had no particular skills were assigned to labor. Heavy work. Mining, hauling, construction. Others with combat ability were turned into guards or enforcers."
He paused.
"And those with specialized skills were separated further."
Lin Mu understood.
"Alchemy. Formation. Crafting" he said.
Jing Wei nodded.
"Exactly," he said. "I was identified as soone skilled in weapon forging and tool refinent."
Lin Mu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"And then?" he asked.
"I was sold again," Jing Wei said calmly. "This ti to a rchant."
Lin Mu's grip tightened subtly.
The idea of Jing Wei being traded like an item stirred sothing unpleasant within him.
"The rchant specialized in selling weapons," Jing Wei explained. "He wanted to expand into manufacturing as well. Instead of hiring established immortal craftsn, he chose a cheaper path."
"Slaves," Lin Mu said quietly.
Jing Wei nodded.
"He purchased several of us," he said. "All with similar skills. We were put to work imdiately."
"How long?" Lin Mu asked.
"Five years," Jing Wei replied.
Lin Mu frowned slightly.
"And during that ti?" he pressed.
Jing Wei's expression shifted.
"During that ti... I improved," he said.
Lin Mu looked at him.
"Improved?" he repeated.
Jing Wei gave a small smile.
"Yes," he said. "It was not a pleasant environnt, but it forced to grow!"
He tapped the table lightly with his fingers.
"With Immortal Qi available, everything changed," he continued. "Concepts that once felt distant beca clear. Techniques that I struggled with before began to make sense."
His eyes carried a faint gleam now.
"I understood things I could not before," he said. "I solved problems that had
once seed impossible."
Lin Mu watched him closely.
"Your talent..." he said.
Jing Wei chuckled softly.
"It showed," he admitted. "Faster than even I expected."
The noise of the banquet swelled again around them.
Cattaleya's laughter rang out as yet another dwarf collapsed in defeat, while others cheered and called for more rounds.
But at their table, the atmosphere remained focused.
Lin Mu looked at Jing Wei, his expression steady.
"You endured all of that," he said.
Jing Wei t his gaze.
"And survived," he replied.
There was no pride in his voice.
Only truth.
And sothing deeper.
The quiet strength of soone who had faced hardship and co out the other
side stronger.
Jing Wei took another slow drink, the warmth of the dwarven liquor settling deep within him as his thoughts drifted back to those years. The noise of the banquet continued around them, yet for the two of them, the conversation carried a weight that made everything else feel distant.
"It was not entirely unbearable," Jing Wei said after a mont. "Those years as a slave... they were harsh, but they were also strangely productive."
Lin Mu listened closely, his expression steady.
"I was not the only one with skill," Jing Wei continued. "Among the slaves were several experienced immortal weapon forgers and tool refiners. People who had lived far longer than I had, who had practiced their craft for centuries."
"That must have helped," Lin Mu said.
"It did," Jing Wei replied. "We had nothing but ti. When we were not working, we talked. We exchanged techniques, theories, and ideas. It was the only thing that gave aning to those days"
He tapped his fingers lightly against the mug.
"My understanding grew rapidly," he said. "Faster than it ever had before."
Lin Mu nodded.
"That does not surprise ," he said. "Even my master admitted you had great talent. With the limits of a mortal world gone, you were bound to grow"
Jing Wei gave a faint smile.
"Perhaps," he admitted. "But even I did not expect how quickly things would
change."
He leaned back slightly.
"My skill began to stand out," he said. "At first, it was subtle. Then it beca
obvious."
"In what way?" Lin Mu asked.
"The quality of my work improved," Jing Wei replied. "The efficiency of my refining increased. The weapons I produced began to outperform those of others in the sa workshop."
Lin Mu could already imagine the outco.
"That attracted attention," he said.
Jing Wei nodded.
"Not just from within," he added. "Other rchants began to take notice. There
were offers. Many of them."
Lin Mu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"To buy you," he said. "Yes," Jing Wei replied. "But the rchant who owned refused."
"Why?" Lin Mu asked, though he already had an idea.
"He understood my value," Jing Wei said. "Selling would bring a large profit
once. Keeping would generate far more over ti."
Lin Mu's expression darkened slightly, though he remained silent. "My treatnt improved," Jing Wei continued. "Gradually. I was given better living conditions. Better materials to work with. More freedom within the
workshop."
He paused.
"Eventually, I was no longer treated like a slave in the usual sense," he said. "I worked. I produced. I was compensated in small ways. But the chain was still
there"
Lin Mu nodded.
"I understand," he said.
Jing Wei took another drink.
"Five years passed like that," he said. "And then... sothing unexpected
happened."
Lin Mu leaned forward slightly.
"A young man ca to the rchant," Jing Wei said. "I do not know what price
he paid. But it must have been significant."
"And he bought you," Lin Mu said. Jing Wei nodded.
"Yes," he said. "I was transferred again."
Lin Mu's gaze remained fixed on him.
"And then?" he asked.
Jing Wei's expression softened slightly.
"I was freed," he said.
Lin Mu blinked once. "Freed?" he repeated.
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