Hidden By Moonlight

Here is a polished and emotionally vivid rewrite of your scene, maintaining all the core events and enhancing the tone, flow, and transitions:

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Chapter: Spirit Stones and Shackles

The grand matchmaking event had come to a close. With the Evergreen Holy Stone securely in his hand, Lin Yuan offered a respectful bow to the Holy Son.

> "We'll meet again," he said softly. "Next time, I'll show you our sect properly."

Back at the Taiyin Sect, Lin Yuan returned to the Sect Leader's residence. Without ceremony, he dropped the Evergreen Stones into his spiritual water bottle. The liquid shimmered, glowing faintly with refined vitality.

Lady Mingyan's voice echoed in his mind, "We should begin your practice now."

Just as Lin Yuan turned toward his cultivation room, Sect Leader Yuexian intercepted him.

> "This is your reward for winning first place," she said with a mysterious glint in her eyes, handing him a sealed scroll.

He entered the chamber, brought out the soul-devouring ants, and prepared himself. Lady Mingyan appeared from the soul space, gently placing the ants along his limbs, her spiritual energy soothing his meridians. As he drank from the enhanced Evergreen Water, the intense pain of bodily refinement began—but it passed faster than before.

Later, after scrubbing off the makeup and lipstick he'd worn as "Lin Yue," Lin Yuan bathed thoroughly, washing away every trace of his disguise. Clothed in a simple outer disciple robe, he set out with Xiao Hu and Qingxue to meet the Holy Son again.

At first, the man didn't recognize him.

> "Wait… you're Lin Yue?" the Holy Son blinked.

> "I am," Lin Yuan replied calmly, smiling without shame.

> "Then let's visit the market. I want to see what this sect offers."

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The Market Spree

Their first stop was the largest fruit vendor in the city.

The shopkeeper's face lit up the moment he saw Lin Yuan.

> "Young miss! We have two thousand soul fruits ready—interested?"

> "I'll take them all."

> "That'll be two hundred thousand ordinary spirit stones."

Lin Yuan handed him a single high-grade spirit stone.

> "This should be enough."

The man hesitated, then leaned closer.

> "We also have something special… take a look."

He brought out an eighth-grade soul fruit, rare and potent. Lady Mingyan confirmed its quality in an instant.

> "We have a thousand of this grade," the vendor added.

> "Bring them all."

Soon, Lin Yuan, Qingxue, and Xiao Hu were munching happily, casually tossing fruit cores into a sack. The Holy Son couldn't resist and joined them.

> "Don't throw the seeds away," Lin Yuan said, licking his fingers. "I'll plant them later."

The Holy Son chuckled and mix truth with lie.

> "I came here to buy these. But then matchmaking got in the way."

Soon after, a delivery boy arrived with the crates. As Lin Yuan inspected them, with the help of his step mother.He found twenty ninth-grade fruits hidden among the shipment.

The vendor went pale.

> "I didn't know! Someone must've slipped them in!"

> "It's fine," Lin Yuan said, waving it off.

> "You've already paid for one million spirit stones' worth," the vendor calculated. "There's a balance of 182,000 left. Eighteen mid-grade stones would do."

Lin Yuan tossed him another high-grade spirit stone.

> "Send the rest in healing fruits. Deliver everything to the Sect Leader's residence."

> "At once, young miss!"

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More Spirit Stones, More Surprises

They visited a talisman shop next. The Holy Son splurged: 200 talismans each of attack, speed, defense, invisibility, and soul defense—for 100 high-grade spirit stones. He even received a VIP card, which he handed to Lin Yuan with a grin.

At the formation shop, he purchased a large defensive array for 20 high-grade stones.

At the weapons stall, he picked up a sleek flying sword and was shown something odd—

> "Heaven-Piercing Tube," the vendor said. "Fires arrows rapidly. Great for beast hunting or defense."

Lin Yuan bought it immediately for one high-grade spirit stone, complete with a thousand arrows.

Though Lin Yuan couldn't sword-fly yet, the Holy Son gave him a spare flying sword for future use. Instead, Lin Yuan opted for a flying carriage—slow, but smooth and practical.

> "Where to?" he asked, climbing aboard.

> "Nowhere in particular. Let's just walk. " the Holy Son replied.

---

As they wandered through the market, passing booths of shimmering herbs and jade pendants, Lin Yuan frowned slightly while adjusting the small sack on his hand.

He glanced at it and muttered, "I don't understand… Why are ordinary spirit stones so heavy… but worth almost nothing?"

The Holy Son chuckled, effortlessly tossing a peach into the air before biting into it. "That's because they are basically worth nothing. Ordinary spirit stones are just… ordinary stones from mine. "

Lin Yuan blinked. "Then why do we use them as money?"

The Holy Son wiped his mouth and explained, "They're spirit-infused, yes, but barely. The truth is, they're just crushed spiritual ore mixed with powdered minerals. After mining, the leftover dust is compressed and sealed inside iron molds—shaped like honeycombs or beehives."

Lin Yuan listened intently.

"They store these molds in spirit-sealed vaults for a few weeks," the Holy Son continued. "Eventually, the dust solidifies into those dull gray chunks we use every day. Then the kingdom collects them, measures the batch's purity, and assigns them a standard value. Gold, silver, and other precious metals are stored in return."

"So... the kingdom trades gold for useless stone powder?"

"Exactly. They use gold as real backing. But most people never see that. For commoners and low-ranked cultivators, spirit stones are easier to carry, store, and transfer energy with—at least the illusion of energy."

Lin Yuan shook his head. "One high-grade spirit stone equals a million ordinary ones. That's absurd."

The Holy Son laughed. "It's absurd because it's designed to be absurd. You're meant to carry a thousand pounds of stone just to equal one high-grade coin. It's a system that keeps the powerful light… and the poor burdened."

Lin Yuan fell silent for a moment, gripping his pouch a little tighter.

> "So people carry sacks of stone… while rich cultivators float on spirit ships, throwing high-grade stones like a king. "

The Holy Son glanced at him sideways, a touch of seriousness in his voice.

> "Exactly. That's why you must rise, Lin Yuan. Not just to get rich—but so you can change the weight of things."

--

They walk by a peaceful riverside. Lin Yuan prepared rods and bait—snails, specifically.

> "Let's fish it will be fun.My mother loves to catch fish in her free time." he explained.

He handed a rod to the Holy Son and went off to gather firewood.

By the time he returned, Qingxue and Xiao Hu had already caught a few fish. They roasted two big ones and shared a fire-warmed dinner. By the end, they'd caught thirty-seven.They enjoy fresh fish.

> "I've eaten 700 soul fruits today," the Holy Son said, patting his stomach. "I feel my soul is almost recover."

On the way back, Xiao Hu urged,

> "Faster!"

The Holy Son summoned his massive spirit ship. In one shimmering pulse, they arrived at the sect.

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Back Home

"Where were you?" Sect Leader Yuexian asked, arms crossed.

> "Fishing," Lin Yuan said, handing her two huge fish. "Xiao Hu caught them."

As if on cue, Xiao Hu and Qingxue ran off, clutching their stomachs from overeating.

> "So you ate out…" Yuexian narrowed her eyes.

> "I'm growing up," Lin Yuan shrugged. "I'll eat again at midnight." Lin yuan have experienced. You can't eat outside alone when someone cook for you in home.

Later, in his cultivation room, Lady Mingyan and Lady An joined him.

> "The pocket dimension feels like a prison," Lady An whispered, embracing him. "But we've got good news. Your third mother is sewing a defensive outfits— made from her feathers ."

Cultivating his soul had become almost comforting—like a massage for his spirit.

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The Next Morning

Lin Yuan awoke to a warm hum from the formation. After drinking gallons of triple-strength healing water, he shut it down and found food waiting—kept hot by a small formation array.

After breakfast, he met with the Holy Son again.

But as they strolled through the sect, whispers followed them like shadows.

> "She's just an outer disciple."

> "Didn't she get a moonlight formation and a holy stone? What a waste."

> "Sect resources shouldn't go to pretty faces."

Lin Yuan's jaw tightened.

Soon, they ran into the princesses. They bowed politely to the Holy Son.

> "We're touring the sect. Can we join?"

He nodded.

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Spirit Stones Like Petals

As they explored, Lin Yuan's four mothers appeared briefly, dressed as ordinary cultivators.

> "We're going to eat ,we are very hungry now." "I can eat the hole restaurant," Lady Fangyan make a joke patting her stomach"Have fun, our little princess."

They all laughed and buy small things but Lin Yuan paid for everything.

By the end of the day, he'd spent less than ten high-grade spirit stones.

> "No wonder people call you 'Princess,'" a princess remarked. "You spend spirit stones like petals in the wind."

But just as Lin Yuan was about to reply—his eyes narrowed.

At the end of the market street, under a red-and-black banner…

stood a slave market.

Iron cages.

Starving children.

Broken elders.

Girls with empty eyes.

Lin Yuan froze.

The sweet taste of soul fruit turned bitter in his mouth.

And in that moment—he forgot about beauty, spirit stones, or gossip.

Because some things…

Some things can't be ignored.