A Man Like None Other (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 6007

Rania stepped so close he caught the faint scent of osmanthus in her hair. Her brows pinched.

"Mr. Fay, your complexion seems off. Are you overworking yourself with all these manor duties?"

The remark hit uncomfortably true; despite the disguise, a dull drag still haunted Quentin’s borrowed limbs. Jared masked the sting with a slow exhale, noting how sharp her eye was.

He folded his hands inside his sleeves and let a weary sigh escape.

"Thank you for your concern, Ms. Rania. The City Lord requires tighter security, and minor clerks keep piling scrolls on my desk. The strain shows, I fear. What are your instructions?"

Her gaze softened; curiosity tilted into excitement as some private notion stirred behind her eyes.

She flicked her wrist, dismissing guards and maids to a polite distance.

Leaning in so only he could hear, she whispered, half thrilled, half troubled, "Mr. Fay, the other day I—well, borrowed—an ancient fragment scroll from Father’s study."

"It supposedly came from a lost celestial ruin and speaks of full-cycle star force resonating with the earth-meridian spiritual pivot," she said, eyes sparkling.

"There’s a passage as dense as fog. I have pored over it for two days and still can’t unravel it. You’re so well read—could you please take a look?"

She drew the jade slip from her storage bangle and offered it with both hands.

Jared accepted, pressing the cool surface to his brow while a thread of consciousness slid inside.

Ancient characters—nearly forgotten star-script—spiraled before his mind's eye, outlining orbits, leylines, and tides of spiritual energy few libraries dared record.

With his own scholarship, the puzzle unfolded quickly, but he hid that ease behind a mask of deliberate effort.

A warning flared—Quentin was only middling with such lore; too much confidence would betray him.

He steadied himself, ready to employ Quentin’s standard tactic: praise the lady’s insight, request time to consult records, and promise a later answer.

Breathing once to anchor the role, he opened his mouth to recite the familiar lines.

Jared gathered the exact phrases Quentin would have used, preparing to copy them note for note.

Rania fixed her bright eyes on him, refusing to blink. "Mr. Fay, do you think the line 'the Sky Pivot guides the stars, the Earth Gate opens and closes' echoes a passage in the Secret Record of the Spiritual Pivot?"

"Constellations turn, hidden apertures awaken'—does that sound connected to you?"

She added, voice low but eager, "I suspect it hints at a lost Star Influx Body Tempering Technique, not just another geomantic array or mapping method."

Jared felt a thin chill ripple down his spine. Her question stabbed straight through the ornamental wording and hit the marrow of the tablet he had just scanned.

Quentin’s habits surfaced in his mind. The old steward would first praise her insight, then hedge, claiming more research was required before offering conclusions.

He copied that cadence. "Ms. Rania is truly perceptive; the text is extraordinary. This humble servant cannot unravel it at a glance."

However, the Star Influx Body Tempering Technique was indeed rumored in ancient times. It was practiced by cultivators with special physiques or star-based arts, and it carried enormous risk; most manuals are now lost.

"Whether this passage conceals that method, however, will demand careful cross-checking with other works."

The words rolled out with deliberate caution. Inside, he judged the tone perfectly balanced—respectful, informative, but non-committal.

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