Chương 55: The First Objective (3/3) [Bonus 1/6]

"The original completion fee was five hundred silver taels," Ruo'er said, her voice carrying the measured cadence of rehearsed formality as she held the polished wooden tray outward with both hands, arms extended in the traditional posture of respectful offering.

The tray's weight caused the smallest tremor in her wrists—barely perceptible, yet present.

"By the Deaconess's order, it has been increased to one thousand silver taels, alongside an addition of two hundred low-grade spirit stones."

With careful, deliberate steps—each footfall silent against the imported carpet—Ruo'er approached the mahogany desk. She bent at the waist with practiced grace, lowering the heavy wooden tray onto the blood-stained surface. The soft thunk of wood meeting wood echoed faintly in the incense-thick chamber.

The rectangular silver ingots, perfectly stacked in three neat columns and stamped with the Vermilion Pavilion's seal—a stylized phoenix wreathed in flame—gleamed warmly under the flickering spirit-lamp light. Each ingot bore the subtle hammer-marks of the Pavilion's master smiths, their edges crisp and unblemished. The red velvet lining beneath them drank in the ambient glow, making the silver appear almost molten.

Beside the orderly wealth, nestled in a bed of crimson silk that had been folded into a small protective nest, a cluster of low-grade spirit stones released a faint, rhythmic pulse of pale blue light. The luminescence ebbed and flowed like a heartbeat—slow, steady, alive. Tendrils of refined Qi curled lazily upward from their surfaces, dissipating into the chamber's heavy air like morning mist over still water.

To any normal cultivator, the ambient spiritual energy rolling off the stones would feel like a breath of crisp mountain air after days spent in stagnant lowlands—refreshing, invigorating, a gentle caress against their meridians.

But of course... to Shi Yan's Daoless body, they were nothing more than glowing, inert rocks.

Pretty paperweights.

His pale eyes tracked the faint blue glow with the same detached interest a geologist might reserve for phosphorescent minerals—scientifically curious, but ultimately unmoved.

"Please accept this as a formal apology for my Pavilion's intelligence failure," Su Yin added, sitting perfectly upright behind the desk, her spine straight as a blade, her hands folded before her with the poise of a magistrate delivering judgment. A single strand of ink-black hair had escaped its pinning and now brushed against her pale cheek, swaying slightly with each measured breath.

Her dark eyes held Shi Yan's gaze without flinching.

"In our line of work, poor intelligence is an assassin's blade." Her voice dropped half an octave, the warmth draining away to reveal cold, pragmatic truth.

"We inadvertently placed a knife at your back. This additional compensation is not charity, Daoist Shi; it is a blood-debt properly paid."

The words hung in the air with the weight of a sworn oath.

Ruo'er stepped forward once more, her slender figure gliding past Shi Yan's mud-caked form with the fluid economy of motion that marked all trained attendants of the Pavilion. From within the wide sleeve of her silken robe—its fabric whispering softly as it shifted—she produced a small, exquisitely carved box made of dark ironwood. The wood's grain swirled in hypnotic patterns, polished to a mirror sheen that reflected the spirit-lamp flames in miniature.

She opened it upon the desk with a faint click of hidden brass hinges.

Inside, cradled in compartments lined with black velvet, rested two items.

The first was a small, silken spatial pouch embroidered with the Chamber's ashen crest—the stylized silhouette of a phoenix dissolving into smoke. The stitching shimmered faintly with residual formation work, betraying the dimensional enchantments woven into its fabric. It was designed to hold far more than its palm-sized exterior suggested—a vessel capable of swallowing the massive sum of physical wealth arrayed on the tray without adding a single ounce of weight to its bearer.

The second was a heavy, cold-to-the-touch token forged from black jade, its surface so dark it seemed to drink in the surrounding light. Adorned with a crimson tassel of braided silk that hung from a silver ring, the token's weight alone spoke of authority. Carved into its polished center with masterful precision was a single, authoritative character in ancient seal script: Retainer.

The strokes were deep, deliberate, impossibly sharp.

"This brings us to the second matter." Su Yin's gaze settled on Shi Yan with the focused intensity of a hawk marking prey. Her fingers, pale and slender, reached out to lightly touch the black jade token. The contact produced no sound, yet the gesture carried undeniable weight.

"The token before you signifies the position of Inner Retainer."

She paused, letting the title settle.

"Not of the Silk & Ash Chamber as a whole." A faint smile appeared on her lips—subtle, calculated, edged with the quiet confidence of a woman who knew exactly what she was offering and what it was worth.

"Of the Vermilion Pavilion."

Her next words emerged softer, yet somehow sharper.

"Of mine."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Her posture relaxed slightly—shoulders easing back, the rigid formality softening into something more conversational—yet her eyes remained sharp, watching Shi Yan's face for the slightest flicker of reaction.

"I know a man of your temperament values freedom." She tilted her head fractionally, a strand of hair slipping further down her cheek.

"However, the Outer Wards are filled with hidden dangers. To walk alone against foes such as Demonic Physician Li is to rely too heavily on fortune."

She pushed the token forward with one finger, the black jade sliding across the mahogany surface with a faint scraping sound. It came to rest directly before Shi Yan, close enough to touch.

"Accept it."

Her voice carried the quiet command of someone who was not used to being refused.

"Within Skycloud City, the Vermilion Pavilion's eyes and ears will be yours. Whether in the Outer Wards or the Inner Wards, information will reach you far sooner than it reaches others." Her tone grew warmer, almost collegial.

"You will know when a demonic cultivator moves. You will hear whispers of treasures before they are plundered. You will be warned of ambushes before the trap is sprung."

She continued calmly, each sentence delivered with the practiced rhythm of a merchant listing valuable goods.

"Our hidden residences and formation-protected refuges across the continent shall be open to you. Even skilled diviners will find it difficult to trace you there." A glimmer of confidence entered her voice, her chin lifting slightly.

"And most importantly, the Pavilion's finest commissions will reach your hands before they ever appear on the public bounty boards."

Her smile deepened, the corners of her lips curving upward with genuine satisfaction.

"You will no longer compete with wandering cultivators for scraps."

She leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on the desk, her interlaced fingers forming a bridge before her face.

"The Vermilion Pavilion will provide you with opportunities worthy of your abilities."

For a long, unbroken moment, Shi Yan did not look at the silver. He did not look at the glowing spirit stones, their pale blue light painting faint shadows across his mud-streaked features. He kept his gaze fixed on Su Yin, pale eyes narrowed fractionally, analyzing the subtext beneath the elegant words flowing from her mouth.

His jaw remained set in that hard, soldierlike line.

Water continued to drip from the brim of his bamboo hat, each droplet striking the saturated carpet below with a muted pat-pat-pat.

'My Pavilion,' huh.

He had caught the phrasing immediately.

He had heard her say it a couple of times now—each repetition reinforcing the claim. All of this compensation—the silver, the spirit stones, the apology, the retainer token—was coming from her personal authority, not the overarching corporate entity of the Silk & Ash Chamber.

So... does that mean they are anticipating a war—either with rival factions, or with their own administrative superiors?

Given the arrogant intrusion of the Wei Clan heir earlier, Su Yin was clearly an isolated executive building her own private strike force to survive the encroaching political pressure.

Internal power struggle. Classic middle-management power play in a hostile environment.

Hmm... well, at least I have secured a verified surface identity and a logistical backbone.

He dropped his gaze to the black jade token, its dark surface reflecting nothing, then glanced at the embroidered spatial pouch resting beside it in the ironwood box. The ashen phoenix crest seemed to shimmer faintly as the spirit-lamp flames flickered.

Shi Yan reached out with one calloused hand—still flecked with dried marsh mud beneath the nails—and picked up the black jade token. It was heavier than it looked, cold and smooth against his palm. He turned it over slowly, his thumb tracing the deep grooves of the carved character with the idle precision of someone inspecting equipment.

"What standing does this token grant?" His voice was flat, direct, devoid of deference or flourish.

"If I carry the Vermilion Pavilion's token, how far does its protection extend within Skycloud City?"

He glanced toward Su Yin, pale eyes meeting her dark ones without hesitation.

"May I enter the Inner Wards freely, or is its authority limited to the Outer Wards?"

By the treasury vault built into the far wall, Ruo'er's hands—still resting lightly against the glowing locking formations—paused briefly. Her slender fingers stilled mid-gesture, and her head turned fractionally toward the desk, though she did not fully look back.

A faint look of surprise flickered through Su Yin's eyes—her brows lifting almost imperceptibly, her lips parting just slightly as though she had been about to speak but reconsidered.

It was a strangely basic question.

One that any cultivator who had spent even a few months within Skycloud City would know the answer to.

Yet when she looked at Shi Yan's mud-stained beast-hide cloak, the gore-streaked fabric clinging to his broad shoulders, the bamboo hat still dripping marsh water onto her imported carpet, and recalled the ruthless efficiency with which he had slain Demonic Physician Li—a White-Hot Realm demonic cultivator with grafted arms and a blood-sacrifice array—her suspicion quickly faded.

Perhaps... he truly was a wandering cultivator.

Some rogue experts spent decades roaming the wilderness, hunting spirit beasts in forgotten mountain ranges, tempering themselves through life-and-death struggles far from the politics of cities and sects. Such people often cared little for the tangled affairs of urban hierarchies, and many would sooner face a Dire-Grade beast than navigate the labyrinthine etiquette of clan banquets.

A trace of understanding appeared in her eyes, softening the earlier sharpness. Her posture shifted subtly—shoulders relaxing, spine curving forward just slightly in a gesture that bordered on apologetic.

"I see. Daoist Shi truly is a wanderer." A polite smile formed on her face, warmer now, tinged with faint amusement.

"Then allow me to explain."

She gestured with one pale hand toward the rain-soaked streets beyond the window, where the distant patter of water against roof tiles had grown heavier. The sound filled the silence like a slow, steady drumbeat.

"Skycloud City is divided into three regions." Her tone shifted into something more instructional, the measured cadence of a teacher addressing a promising but uninformed student.

"We presently reside in the Outer Wards, also known as the Ash Ring."

She swept her hand in a broad arc, as though encompassing the entire district beyond the Pavilion's walls.

"The markets, caravans, rogue cultivators, and bounty hunters gather here. It is a place of opportunity and chaos in equal measure." Her smile deepened fractionally.

"With the Vermilion Pavilion's token in hand, few people will dare trouble you, and the city guards will not interfere without good reason. You will be recognized as one under my protection."

She raised a slender finger, the gesture precise and deliberate.

"Beyond the Ash Ring lie the Inner Wards, the Jade Terraces. The great clans, the Prefecture, and the official sect compounds are all located there." A hint of seriousness entered her voice, her expression sobering. The faint smile vanished, replaced by something harder, more cautious.

"The air itself is different there—cleaner, brighter. The streets are paved with spirit-infused stone, and formation arrays ensure that no blood is spilled without consequence."

She leaned back slightly, her fingers tracing the edge of the desk's jade inlay.

"A massive black-iron wall separates it from the Outer Wards, and the city formation oversees all who pass through its gates." Her dark eyes locked onto Shi Yan's pale ones.

"The gate mirrors examine a cultivator's aura, and my token cannot exempt you from that scrutiny. Only cultivators who meet the city's requirements may enter freely."

Her voice dropped, growing quieter, more pointed.

"If you enter the Jade Terraces, you must remember that it is the territory of the great powers." Her gaze flicked briefly toward the door, as though recalling the earlier intrusion.

"Then, if you happen to cross paths with the man in the hall earlier, well, he is one of the Wei Clan's people, and in this area, the Wei family has the strongest influence, so be careful not to offend them."

The warning was delivered with the careful neutrality of someone who had seen what happened to those who ignored such advice.

Finally, she pointed upward with one slender finger, her arm extending toward the ceiling as though piercing through the roof itself to indicate something far above.

"Above even the Jade Terraces lies the Cloud Throne." Her expression became solemn, her voice dropping to a near-whisper.

"The City Lord's domain. Only the most powerful experts in Skycloud City dwell there—patriarchs, Great Elders, cultivators who have stepped into the Third Realm."

Her hand lowered slowly, settling back onto the desk.

A faint smile appeared on her lips once more, though this one carried a trace of wry humor.

"My advice, Daoist Shi?" She gently tapped the black jade token with one fingernail, the soft tick-tick-tick punctuating her words.

"For now, concern yourself with the Ash Ring. The Cloud Throne is still very far away."

The implication was clear: Do not reach beyond your grasp.

Hmmm... Three distinct zones. A physical wall. Basically a climate dome. And strict Tier-2 entry checks, Shi Yan translated internally, his mind already dissecting the information into tactical components.

Right now, his [Phantom-Ash Veil] was manually dialed to project a Late Tier-1 aura—Foundation Establishment, in xianxia terms. Stable. Unremarkable. The kind of cultivation signature that drew neither suspicion nor ambition.

If he attempted to casually stroll into the Inner Wards to hunt the Wei Clan heir, the checkpoint arrays would flag him instantly. He was mechanically barred from the upper city until he upgraded his disguise—or found another way through.

I see, so first objective: solidify my power base here in the Outer Wards.