The adrenaline from the ambush faded, leaving behind a sharp, crystalline clarity in the Lin family compound. They were safe behind their walls, but the message was clear: the Wangs had escalated from economic sabotage to attempted violence. The shadow war was heating up.
Su Ling leaned against the gate, her breathing slowly returning to normal. She looked at Lin Xiao, her earlier amusement now completely replaced by a wary, deep-seated respect. "You knew they were there," she stated, not asked.
"The Lin family is taking its security seriously," Xiao replied, his answer deliberately vague. He couldn't explain the 'Eyes of the Guardian,' but he didn't have to. The result was proof enough.
"My former family is getting desperate," she said, a bitter edge to her voice. "Sending brutes like that… it's a sign of weakness, not strength. They're losing their grip."
"Which makes them more dangerous," Xiao countered. "A cornered beast strikes without thinking. We need to be prepared for more than just four thugs in an alley."
He needed to solidify his gains. The contract with Red Cliff was a start, but it was a single thread. He needed to weave a net.
The next morning, he decided to pay a visit to the Array Formation Guild. His father had mentioned their Grandmaster, an eccentric old man named Zhu, had been asking after him, intrigued by the rumors of the Lin family's sudden resilience. The Guild was a neutral party, obsessed with knowledge and spiritual mechanics. They were the perfect source of both information and potential alliance.
The Guild hall was a stark contrast to the bustling merchant quarters. It was quiet, the air smelling of ozone, incense, and old paper. Complex diagrams of swirling lines and geometric patterns covered the walls. Apprentices moved with a quiet focus, their heads buried in scrolls or carefully inscribing runes on small slabs of jade.
Lin Xiao was led to a cluttered study where Grandmaster Zhu sat surrounded by half-finished constructs and towers of books. The old man had a wild mane of white hair and eyes that sparkled with an unnerving, childlike curiosity.
"Ah! The Lin boy!" Zhu exclaimed, not looking up from a pulsating crystal he was fiddling with. "The one who doesn't cultivate but makes his enemies' cultivation work against them! Tell me, was it a reverse-polarity Qi-dispersion array? A resonant frequency catalyst? I must know!"
Xiao suppressed a smile. This was his kind of person. "Nothing so sophisticated, Grandmaster Zhu," he said with a slight bow. "Just a series of… fortunate coincidences."
"Coincidences are the universe's way of hiding its underlying arrays!" Zhu declared, finally setting the crystal down and peering at Xiao. "You have the look of a man who understands systems. The Wang mine, for instance. A beautiful cascade failure. Beautiful! The Fever Moss, the ventilation, the beast pens… a work of art. If it was art."
Xiao said nothing, merely maintaining his polite smile. The old man was frighteningly perceptive.
"I am here to propose a business arrangement," Xiao said, steering the conversation. "The Lin family is expanding its operations. We will soon have a steady flow of raw materials. We would be interested in commissioning protective arrays for our warehouses and caravans."
Zhu's eyes lit up. "Commission! Good, good. Money is always useful for buying more research materials." He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "But for the right price, I might even throw in a few… experimental designs. Nothing dangerous, of course! Mostly. Probably."
It was then that a young woman entered the study, carrying a tray with a teapot and two cups. She was around Xiao's age, with serene features and eyes the color of dark honey. Her movements were graceful and utterly silent, each step perfectly placed. She wore the simple robes of a Guild apprentice, but there was an air of intense focus about her that set her apart.
"Master Zhu, your tea," she said, her voice soft and melodic.
"Ah, Ming Yue! Perfect timing!" Zhu said, waving her in. "This is Lin Xiao. Xiao, this is my most promising, if overly serious, apprentice, Ming Yue. She has a talent for warding arrays that borders on the supernatural. Boring, but practical!"
Ming Yue placed the tray down with practiced efficiency, her eyes flicking to Xiao for only a second, assessing him with a single, sweeping glance that felt like it scanned him to his soul. She gave a slight, formal nod. "Lin Xiao. The one who broke the Wang Cartel's monopoly without a spiritual root. An interesting paradox."
"It's nice to meet you," Xiao said, feeling strangely laid bare by her calm gaze.
"She'll be the one designing your arrays," Zhu said, taking a loud slurp of his tea. "If you can convince her your project is intellectually stimulating enough. She turns down boring work."
Ming Yue almost smiled. Almost. "Master exaggerates. I simply prefer challenges that have not been solved a thousand times before." She looked directly at Xiao. "Your family's situation is… a novel puzzle. Defending a growing enterprise from a desperate, stronger foe with limited resources. The constraints are interesting. I will consider it."
And with that, she turned and left as silently as she had arrived.
Xiao stared after her. "She's… direct."
"That's one word for it!" Zhu cackled. "But she's the best. If she's 'interested,' you're in luck. Now, about my fee…"
As Xiao negotiated with the Grandmaster, a plan formed in his mind. The Wangs were relying on brute force and intimidation. He would build a web of alliances—the pragmatic Merchant Gao, the brilliant Su Ling, the mystical Array Formation Guild. His strength wouldn't be in his own fist, but in the collective power of those he had bound to his cause through mutual benefit and respect.
Later that day, back at the Lin estate, he was reviewing the new contract drafts with Su Ling when a commotion came from the street. Shouts and the sound of something heavy crashing.
One of their servants ran in, trying to stifle a laugh. "Young Master! You have to see this!"
Xiao and Su Ling exchanged a look and went to the gate. Outside, they saw Wang Jian, his face thunderous, standing over the shattered remains of a expensive-looking porcelain vase that had apparently fallen from a cart. He was covered in dust and… was that jam? A nearby stall selling preserves had also been mysteriously overturned, its sticky contents now adorning the young master's expensive robes.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Wang Jian roared at the hapless cart driver, who was bowing profusely.
"System," Xiao thought, a suspicion forming. "Did you have anything to do with this?"
[Query: Host previously purchased 'Minor Misfortune' charm with a delayed activation trigger, targeting Wang Jian. Activation conditions were met 47 seconds ago. Charm status: Fully expended.]
Xiao had completely forgotten about that. He'd bought it on a whim days ago, setting it to activate when Wang Jian's anger reached a certain peak. It seemed the young master's fury at the Lin family's continued survival had finally tripped the wire.
The result was a scene of pure, undignified chaos. A wheel on Wang Jian's personal carriage had chosen that moment to loosen, causing the vase to fall, which spooked a donkey, which knocked over the jam stall. It was a perfect, humiliating chain of events.
Su Ling covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. "It seems the heavens themselves have a sense of humor about your rival," she murmured.
Xiao watched as Wang Jian, sputtering with rage and dripping with fruit preserves, stormed off, leaving his servants to clean up the mess. It was a small thing, meaningless in the grand scheme. But as Xiao watched the citizens in the street point and laugh, he realized its true value.
It was stripping the Wangs of their aura of invincibility. They were becoming a laughingstock. And in a world where reputation was power, that was a wound that could bleed them dry as surely as any lost mine.
He turned to Su Ling, a genuine, uncalculated smile on his face. "Come on," he said. "We have work to do. Let's leave the heavens to their comedy."
As they walked back inside, he couldn't help but feel the threads of karma tightening, weaving a future that was becoming increasingly his to design. He had an economist, a strategist, and now, possibly, an array master. The pieces were falling into place. The Wang Cartel just didn't know it yet.r