Two weeks passed. The initial flurry of activity following their return to Coralspire Harbor settled into a period of quiet, patient waiting. Life in the Golden Shell headquarters found a steady rhythm. Kui and Fat Pig were a whirlwind of commercial activity, managing the Guild's vast and growing network.
Xylia had departed for the nearby Maelstrom's Eye to oversee the expansion of their forward base and recruit new talent for the White Paw Company. Jian Xuan, for his part, entered a state of deep, secluded cultivation, the brief but intense battles and his new, relaxed mindset having given him a profound well of insight to draw upon as he worked to widen the crack in his spiritual barrier.
Li Yu, in turn, was the picture of perfect patience. He was not restless, nor was he idle. He spent his days in his own quiet routine: long hours spent in silent, deep cultivation, further refining the Leviathan Heart Sutra and the complex, foreign logic of the 'Soul Dominion' technique.
He would then spend time within the Koi Sanctuary, observing the strange, house-sized Lapis Lotus Seed in its void cage and the calming effect the Crystal Orb was having on his ever-growing menagerie. He was a cultivator, and to a true cultivator, time spent waiting was never time wasted. It was an opportunity to consolidate power and deepen one's understanding. He knew the enemy was out there, but he would not move without a clear target.
The impetus for their next move came not from impatience, but from a lack of progress. Fengliu, who had been silent for two weeks, finally sent a brief, encrypted message.
Li Yu gathered Kui and Jian Xuan in his private study. Spine and Fat Pig were also present. He read the message aloud.
"My investigation into the Golden Tide Clan has hit a wall," it said. "Their internal security is tight, and their public operations are flawless. They are a closed system. I have been unable to find any definitive link to the Beast Revolution Faction from the outside. Penetrating them covertly will be extremely difficult and time-consuming. We will need to investigate another way."
Li Yu placed the talisman on the table. The silence in the room was heavy.
"So the covert approach has failed," Jian Xuan stated, his voice a low murmur.
"For now, at least," Kui added, his expression shrewd. "The clan is clearly an old hand at keeping secrets. They know how to present a clean face to the world."
"Fengliu cannot get in from the outside," Kui said. "So we will give them a reason to open their doors to us. A direct approach is now our most logical option. We will create an opportunity for him, and for ourselves, by knocking on their front door."
A new plan was formed.
"Kui, you will lead a trade delegation," Li Yu instructed. "You are the Guild Leader, and your desire to open new trade routes with a famous clan of artisans is the perfect cover. I will accompany you, posing as your nephew, learning the family trade. Spine and Jian Xuan, you will be our guards." He then looked at Fat Pig. "You will remain here. You will continue to manage the business and coordinate with the Jade Sea Pavilion."
The roles were assigned, the plan was set. It was a bold, confident move, a direct probe into the heart of the enemy's territory.
The next morning, a single, mid-sized Golden Shell flying craft—elegant but not ostentatious—lifted off from Coralspire Harbor and turned towards the southern horizon. On board were the four members of their new diplomatic and reconnaissance mission. The journey was a chance to prepare.
Kui, in his element, spent hours briefing Li Yu on the finer points of merchant etiquette, the jargon of the artisan trade, and the known public information about the Golden Tide Clan and its reclusive, eccentric leader. Li Yu, a quiet and attentive student, absorbed it all, the role of an apprentice merchant a simple mask for him to wear.
Jian Xuan and Spine, meanwhile, stood as silent, imposing sentinels at opposite ends of the ship, their powerful auras completely retracted, appearing as nothing more than exceptionally well-trained guards.
After a few hours of flight, they arrived. The territory of the Golden Tide Clan was a breathtaking stretch of coastline, a series of beautiful, sheltered coves and high, white cliffs. Their main city, known as Tidal Jade City, was a work of art.
Unlike the smoky, industrial City of Forges, Tidal Jade City was a place of serene, aesthetic beauty. The buildings were crafted from polished white and green jade like materials, their architecture flowing and elegant, with curved roofs and intricate, wave-like carvings. It was a city that seemed to have grown organically from the stunning landscape around it, a paradise for artisans and scholars.
Their flying craft was granted permission to land at the city's main port, a place that was clean, orderly, and far less chaotic than the bustling hubs of Coralspire. A representative of the Golden Tide Clan, a polite, well-dressed man in the early Core Formation realm, was already there to greet them. The Golden Shell Guild's reputation, and their request for a trade meeting, had preceded them.
For the next two days, they were treated as honored guests. They were given luxurious accommodations in a beautiful guest pavilion overlooking the sea. They were taken on tours of the city, shown the public workshops where artisans crafted exquisite jewelry, intricate sculptures, and beautiful, non-martial artifacts from jade, coral, and rare oceanic woods. They were hosted at a grand banquet by the clan's trade elders.
Everything was perfect.
And that was precisely what made it so terrifyingly suspicious. It wouldn't be so if they did not have all of the information they did beforehand. They would probably think nothing of it, but going into already knowing, things were different.
The smiles of the clan representatives they met were polite and welcoming, but their eyes were guarded and assessing. The city was clean and orderly, but the guards, while discreet, were all highly disciplined experts, their patrol routes flawlessly efficient.
The workshops they were shown were impressive, but Kui, with his sharp merchant's eye, could tell that the level of production he was seeing could not possibly account for the clan's immense, reported wealth. This was a facade, a beautiful, perfectly constructed lie.
On the evening of the second day, the four of them gathered in the private courtyard of their guest pavilion, a powerful silencing formation activated around them.
"This place is a fortress in disguise," Jian Xuan said, his voice a low, grim murmur. He had spent the day observing, his powerful spiritual sense probing at the edges of the city's defenses. "Beneath the beautiful jade and the pleasantries, this entire city is a massive, interconnected defensive array. The formations are powerful, ancient, and very well hidden. They are prepared for a war."
"Their books don't add up, either," Kui added, his cheerful demeanor gone, replaced by a shrewd, analytical frown. "I've spoken with their trade elders, reviewed the public ledgers they were so proud to show me. The profits from their art and jewelry trade are substantial, but they are not nearly enough to fund this level of security, this level of prosperity. They are hiding their true source of income, and they are hiding it well."
Spine, who had been a silent shadow for two days, finally spoke, his voice a low, gravelly rumble. "Everyone here is tense. They smile, but their spirits are coiled tight, like snakes ready to strike."
Li Yu had felt it too. He had felt the dissonance, the deep, unsettling wrongness of the city. The beautiful, peaceful city on the surface was a lie, a thin veneer of jade and smiles covering a dark, rotten core of secrets and violence.
They knew this clan was in league with a fanatical, continent-spanning terrorist organization. He didn't know how deep the corruption had taken place, was it to the top? Or just cleverly hidden by some upper power. But the front they presented to the world was so perfect, so flawless, that there were no visible cracks to exploit.
Their direct, diplomatic probe was a dead end. They were being treated with a cloying, impenetrable politeness that kept them at a permanent arm's length from the truth. They had learned nothing new, found no additional clues, and were no closer to understanding the clan's operations. They knew the serpent was in this den, but its den was a labyrinth of stone and lies, and they had no map. They needed a new approach yet again.