Another Invitation

Wutan City, southern district.

Unlike the Jialie Clan's ostentatious, overbearing manor, the Aoba Clan's estate was restrained and solemn.

Walls of black boulders enclosed the grounds, where rare Iron Bone Pines grew in profusion. Their branches twisted into knots, their needles hard as iron, and the night wind made them moan softly.

The study was brightly lit.

Aoba Pa, patriarch of the Aoba Clan, sat behind a broad purplewood desk.

He was around fifty, a little plump, and always wore a kindly smile. He looked more like a shrewd wealthy merchant than the head of a powerful clan.

At that moment, he toyed with two smooth iron balls, rolling them slowly in his palm. They clacked together with a dull sound.

A thin, gaunt steward stood bent over before the desk, quietly reporting the intelligence gathered around the city that day.

"...Our informants in the Jialie Clan report that Liu Xi is using that 'Rock Fire Seed' to refine 'Blood Coagulation Powder.' His success rate is at least seventy percent, and every pill is top quality."

"The Jialie Clan's medicine sales have soared these past few days. They've already begun taking a share of our market, and several small mercenary groups in the city have switched over to them."

"Also, Jialie Bi stormed out of the Mittel Auction House this afternoon, his face dark as thunder. It seems he tried to get the source of the Kindling out of Ya Fei, but came away empty-handed."

The steward's voice held no emotion. He was simply stating the facts.

Aoba Pa's smile did not change in the slightest.

The two iron balls continued rolling in his palm, steady and unhurried.

Yet with every sentence from the steward, the atmosphere in the study grew heavier.

After a long while,

the iron balls stopped rolling.

Aoba Pa set them gently on the desk. They made a soft tap.

He raised his head. In his eyes, usually narrowed to slits, a sharp glint flashed—utterly at odds with his mild appearance.

"Idiot."

He uttered the word lightly.

The steward lowered his head, not daring to respond. He knew the patriarch meant Jialie Bi.

"Brute courage, fool's wisdom."

Aoba Pa picked up the teacup beside him and blew across the steam.

"Does he think Mittel is some soft persimmon like the Xiao Clan, ready for him to squeeze? That woman, Ya Fei, didn't secure such a firm foothold in Wutan City just because of her pretty face."

"The more aggressively Jialie Bi acts, the less likely Ya Fei is to give in. He's practically pushing that mysterious supplier straight into our hands."

He set down his teacup, and his smile turned warm again.

"Business in this world isn't all shouting and killing."

"Would someone who can produce such a rare treasure really be some ignorant country bumpkin? Would he care about the few gold coins the Jialie Clan promised him?"

"Someone like that either has a powerful force backing him, like a dragon crossing the river, or he's a cautious, calculating loner. Whichever it is, coercion is the lowest of the low."

Aoba Pa rose and walked to the window, clasping his hands behind his back as he gazed at the Iron Bone Pines in the courtyard.

"What does he want? Respect, profit, and, above all, safety."

"Jialie Bi can't give him that. I can."

He turned and gave the steward an order.

"Prepare the brush and ink."

The steward hurried to fetch the finest Huizhou rice paper and a small wolf-hair brush.

Aoba Pa rolled up his sleeves and ground the ink himself.

He let no one write on his behalf. Holding his breath, he wrote every stroke himself.

It was an invitation.

The wording was as earnest as could be. It spoke only of cooperation, never asked about his origins, and conveyed nothing but respect and admiration for a "remarkable man."

At the end of the invitation, he made an offer in a tone that left no room for doubt.

First, the Aoba Clan was willing to purchase Rock Fire Seeds long-term, at thirty percent above the auction price. They would take as many as the other party could provide.

Second, as long as the other party agreed to cooperate, the Aoba Clan would offer the highest level of protection. In Wutan City, on this little patch of land, no one would dare lay a finger on him.

When he finished, Aoba Pa blew the ink dry, carefully folded the invitation, and slipped it into an exquisite gilt envelope.

"Send someone to deliver this to Miss Ya Fei at once."

He handed the envelope to the steward, his kind smile now edged with meaning.

"Tell her the Aoba Clan only wants to make a friend."

* * *

The top-floor VIP room of the Mittel Auction House.

A delicate fragrance curled through the air.

Su Chen sat on a soft sofa, tapping his fingers in a steady rhythm against the smooth rosewood tabletop.

Across from him, Ya Fei was still dressed in a fiery-red qipao. But a solemn look had settled over her breathtaking face.

"Jialie Bi is already starting to lose patience."

Her voice had turned a little cool.

"My people in the City Guard sent word that several groups under the Jialie Clan have been moving around the slums these past few days, as if they're looking for someone."

"They've been discreet, but their target is obvious. It's you."

Su Chen's tapping finger paused.

He knew this was inevitable.

If a warlord like Jialie Bi had taken such a heavy loss and done nothing in response, that would have been the strange thing.

"Still, you don't need to worry too much just yet."

Ya Fei changed the subject. She picked up an exquisite gilt envelope from the tray beside her and gently pushed it toward Su Chen.

"Because someone else is in more of a hurry than you are."

Su Chen looked at the envelope.

It bore no name, yet exuded understated luxury.

"The Aoba Clan. Aoba Pa sent it."

Ya Fei's red lips curved with amusement.

"Half an hour ago, he sent someone with this invitation, addressed to you by name."

Su Chen reached out and picked up the envelope.

He didn't open it right away. He only ran a finger over its fine texture.

"What do you think, Miss Ya Fei?" He looked up and asked.

"A smiling tiger."

Ya Fei gave a concise reply.

"He's harder to deal with than Jialie Bi, because he's smarter and knows how to bide his time. But he also plays by the rules more than Jialie Bi does."

"At least, until things turn ugly, he'll stick to the rules of the game."

Su Chen nodded.

He opened the envelope and drew out the sheet of fine rice paper.

His eyes swept over the page, taking in every earnest line.

Silence fell over the room.

Only Su Chen's finger broke it, tapping against the tabletop once more. Tap, tap, tap.

Ya Fei didn't press him.

She simply watched the young man before her, his face mostly hidden in the shadow of his bamboo hat.

She was curious. Faced with an offer that was almost impossible to refuse, what choice would he make?

On one side was the Jialie Clan, a sword hanging over his head, its threat close at hand.

On the other was the olive branch from the Aoba Clan—a potential foothold, powerful enough to break the deadlock.

Accepting would mean gaining a powerful ally at once, someone who could help him counter the Jialie Clan's threat.

But the price would be getting drawn even deeper into the muddy waters of Wutan City's three great clans.

He would go from being a supplier hidden in the shadows to a pawn placed in plain sight.

The pros and cons were enough to give even the most calculating old fox a headache.

After a long while,

the rhythmic tapping stopped.

Su Chen slowly folded the invitation again and slipped it back into the envelope.

He looked up. Beneath the shadow of his hat, his dark eyes were as still as an ancient well, deep beyond measure.

"Miss Ya Fei, I think I need you to do me a favor."

"Go ahead." Ya Fei leaned forward slightly, her interest growing.

"I'd like you to arrange a meeting for me."

Su Chen's voice was calm and clear.

"Here at the Mittel Auction House. I want to meet this patriarch, Aoba Pa."

Ya Fei's peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly.

"You've decided to accept his offer?"

"No."

Su Chen shook his head.

"I've only accepted his invitation."

He stood and walked to the window, looking down at the bustling street below.

"He wants to buy my 'fire.' Fine."

"But he's looking in the wrong place."

Ya Fei froze for a moment. Then a startling gleam burst into her bright, clever eyes.

She immediately understood what Su Chen meant.

"You want to..."

"I want him to understand one thing."

Su Chen turned around, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his mouth beneath the bamboo hat.

"I'm not a farmer who produces eggs."

"I'm just a scavenger who's had the luck to keep finding wild chicken eggs..."

"He wants to cooperate? Fine. But he shouldn't be dealing with a provider of 'Kindling.' He should be dealing with someone who sells 'information.'"

His words crashed through Ya Fei's heart like a bolt of thunder.

As she looked at the young man before her, for the first time, she felt a chill rise from deep within her.

What a deep mind!

What a masterful switch—replacing one thing with another, shedding the cicada's shell to escape!

He was going to erase himself completely from the role of "source."

He would no longer show everyone his heaven-defying ability to "produce." Instead, he would show them an impossible-to-verify, nebulous ability to "discover"!

That way, he could keep Aoba Pa's appetite whetted, making him think twice before offending a treasure hunter who could continually lead him to "treasures."

And he could hide his greatest secret perfectly behind the most unassailable disguise of all: "luck"!

"I understand."

Ya Fei let out a long breath. Her breathtaking curves rose and fell with it.

The way she looked at Su Chen had changed completely.

She no longer saw him as a business partner.

She saw him as a player on her level—or, in some ways, one even more fearsome than herself.

"I'll arrange everything."

Ya Fei stood, her expression more solemn than ever.

"Three days from now. Here, in this VIP room."

"Good."

Su Chen nodded and said no more.

He turned and opened the door. His slender figure soon vanished at the end of the corridor.

Ya Fei stood alone for a long time without moving.

She walked to the table and picked up the gilt envelope Su Chen had set down.

The warmth of his fingertips seemed to linger on it.

But to Ya Fei, it felt a little hot to the touch.

Suddenly, she wondered if the waters of Wutan City had ever been stirred by the Rock Fire Seed at all.

From beginning to end, the one who had set the winds and clouds in motion was the young man in the bamboo hat.

And he had only just placed his first chess piece.