Yan returned to the garden office the next morning with Wuchen’s appointment paper folded into his notebook. He had read each line twice at the inn. The research post gave him a room, a stipend, access beyond his rank, and a chance to study dangerous methods. It also asked for a continuing account of his cultivation and let the Registry end the appointment if he refused a request.
Wuchen greeted him and Qinghe at the garden arch. “Did you find anything unclear?”
“The document is clear,” Yan said. “I want to know what I can refuse without losing every kind of access.”
“Any single consultation is optional. But if the Registry believes a study depends on your participation, we may end the research appointment.”
“So saying no can cost me the room, stipend, and training access.”
“Yes.”
“Could the Registry ask for a technique demonstration and keep the reading even if I refuse to share the rest?”
“Only if you agree to the session. The paper says the Registry records the result of a study it conducts.”
