The grand banquet hall of the Li Clan buzzed with conversation as the second phase of the gathering continued. Li Yu sat at the elevated head table and he stared at the empty space where Jin had just stood a few monts ago. The golden spatial box rested quietly inside his Koi Sanctuary and he was still completely baffled by the entire exchange.
Many people across the vast hall were also just as confused as he was and were still casting curious and envious glances in his direction. They whispered behind their cups of glowing wine and wondered what kind of relationship the young man had with that rchant guild. Li Yu wondered the exact sa thing. He simply did not understand it at all. He had only t them once before this event.
Zhan Tian walked over and sat down heavily in the carved chair next to him. The Worldkeeper carried a large clay jug of spiritual wine with him.
"Still trying to figure it out?" Zhan Tian asked. He let out a booming laugh that rattled the delicate plates on the table.
"I truly do not know what to make of it." Li Yu admitted while he looked at his grandfather. "I t Guild Master Jin briefly at the camp. He gave a sword and a flying ship then as well. Now he hands over a fortune as a celebration gift. What does the Golden Horizon want from ?"
"Who cares what they want?" Zhan Tian grinned broadly as he took a long drink from his jug and wiped his scarred chin. "Let tell you sothing. Those rchants treat you better than they treat the Patriarchs! They even treat you better than they treat . If I wanted that kind of wealth from Jin Bao, that’s the na of his father, I would have to threaten to shatter three of their major trading hubs. You just stand there and they throw wealth at your feet."
"I will have to pay them back sohow." Li Yu vowed quietly to himself. The rare materials and the pile of spirit stones would be incredibly helpful for his cultivation. He knew the karmic weight of such gifts was not sothing he could just ignore forever.
"Do not stress over it." Zhan Tian advised Li Yu. He waved a massive hand in the air to dismiss the concern. "And do not worry about carrying that kind of wealth around either. A man would have to be incredibly stupid or entirely suicidal to try and take that away from you within our own territories. Let them look. Let them wonder."
Li Yu nodded in agreent. He was careful by nature anyways and he would keep his guard up regardless of where he was. The cosmos was a dangerous place and wealth often brought unwanted trouble.
Across the sprawling hall, the banquet continued deep into the night. Several leaders from the peer clans and empires had seen Jin's display of imnse generosity. They decided it was the perfect ti to approach him and strike good deals for themselves. He seems to be in a great mood today for whatever reason. They wanted to negotiate favorable trade routes while he was supposedly in a giving mood.
They were entirely wrong.
The mont they engaged him near the center pillars, they were t with the ruthless deanor of the true devil rchant. Jin stood tall and haggled them down to the absolute bone, leaving no at on the bone. He did not offer a single smile or a warm greeting either because he was in a terrible mood.
"That is an insulting offer." Jin sneered. He glared at a representative from the Blazing Sun Empire. "Your fire beast mounts consu too much fodder to justify that transport rate. I will take thirty percent of the gross profit or Golden Horizon will not ship a single thing to your borders."
The empire representative turned pale and tried to argue. Jin simply turned his back and refused to listen to the pleas. A mont later, an elder from the Thunderborn Clan approached to discuss the export of lightning crystals.
"The price has gone up." Jin stated flatly. "The pathways have been turbulent. My ships require more maintenance with each trip. You will pay a twenty percent premium starting tomorrow or you can carry the crystals yourselves."
The Thunderborn elder scowled but eventually nodded in defeat as logistics was sothing they didn’t want to have to worry about. Even the Zhan Clan vassal leaders were not spared. Commander Kai of the Ironblood Vanguard tried to secure a bulk discount on heavy armor and was laughed away by the rchant.
Jin secured maximum profit margins for the guild with cold and unyielding logic. He could read where the line was almost perfectly, giving and taking just enough to ensure they were on the winning side but not making those he did business with walk away.
The stark contrast between how Jin treated the rest of the cosmos and how he treated Li Yu left the assembly even more confused. It left most people wondering what was truly going on behind the scenes once again. They could not comprehend how the sa rchant who just gave away a fortune was now squeezing empires for loose coins.
As the night wore on, Li Yu let his gaze wander across the elegant hall. He spotted the Eversong delegation near the edge of the room.
Lian stood near a serene indoor pond filled with glowing spirit fish. She wore a beautiful dark blue silk dress that complented her eyes perfectly. Because she had spent years in the shadows building up the Veil Lotus and not revealing herself until the rescue mission for Li Canghai, she had not appeared at such events in a very long ti. Her beauty and her cultivation level drew a massive amount of attention.
A large crowd of young n currently surrounded her. They were prominent heirs and elite disciples from powerful vassal lineages and peer sects. They were all trying to woo the general of the Veiled Lotus.
This was a common thing that happens at these formal gatherings. The male and females used this rare opportunity with so many respected lineages in one room to secure powerful connections and find Dao companions. n were also trying to woo other girls across the hall but Lian had drawn one of the largest circles.
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Li Yu watched them from afar as he stood near a jade column and observed the dynamics of the group. He could sense the auras of the n in that circle. They all possessed cultivation levels that were stronger than his own. They radiated the confident power of advanced realms and they carried themselves with the pride of established lords. They boasted about their martial conquests and the vast territories their families controlled.
When Li Yu saw Lian surrounded by so many guys, all of whom were stronger than him, he could not help but feel not worthy of her again. They were standing around her level while he was not. The familiar and heavy sense of inadequacy gnawed at the edges of his mind.
He rembered the vast gap between their stations when they first t, he had asked her for a favor because he wasn't strong enough to do it himself and she had helped him. He was just a struggling boy then. She was already a supre commander who commanded legions.
However, Li Yu’s resolve was firm that he would reach her level within the promised 100 years. He could only hope that she was not interested in any of those n in the anti. He respected her enough to let her make her own choices. Li Yu did not try to aggressively approach or break up the gathering to stake a claim. He simply watched and waited.
Ti passed and the crowd around Lian did not thin out. The suitors grew bolder in their attempts to impress her. Lian maintained a polite smile but Li Yu could see the faint tension in her shoulders. She was a warrior who preferred the clarity of a battlefield over the veiled gas of a banquet hall.
Li Yu took a deep breath and set his wine cup down on a nearby table. He did not want to go the entire night without speaking to her. Li Yu decided he could not just stand in the shadows and watch.
He eventually worked up the courage and walked across the hall and he navigated through the sea of cultivators until he reached the edge of the circle. When he approached, the young lords parted slightly. They recognized his face and the background he represented.
"Lian." Li Yu greeted her warmly. He offered a polite bow to her.
Lian turned her head and her eyes instantly brightened. The strained and polite smile she had been giving the other heirs vanished entirely and was replaced by a look of relief and joy.
"Li Yu." Lian replied softly. She stepped slightly closer to him and put a bit of distance between herself and the crowd of eager suitors.
"I hope I am not interrupting." Li Yu said. He glanced at the other n in the circle.
"Not at all." Lian answered quickly. "We were just discussing the recent conflicts around the cosmos. It is quite peaceful here compared to the front lines."
One of the suitors, a tall man from the Heavenly Sword Sect, narrowed his eyes slightly.
"We were discussing the intricacies of proper sword formations as well." The suitor interjected. He puffed out his chest to display his orthodox robes. "A topic that requires decades of strict training and discipline to truly understand."
"It is a fascinating subject." Li Yu agreed. He did not take the bait to engage in a boasting match as he didn’t know anything about sword formations. "The Li Clan has a vast library on the matter. I am looking forward to studying it."
The suitor frowned but could not find a polite way to dismiss the grandson of the host clan.
They chatted for a while with the others around as well. Li Yu maintained his calm and engaging deanor. He did not act overly territorial but his presence was an immovable mountain. Li Yu stood his ground and kept his focus primarily on Lian while still chatting nicely with others. They spoke about the differences between the elegant Li Clan architecture and the rugged camps they used to inhabit in battles.
As the conversation flowed naturally, Li Yu was incredibly thankful that he had worked up the courage to do so. The grand banquet eventually drew to a close as the night reached its peak though.
The guest factions offered their final respects to Patriarch Muchen and Patriarch Zhan Yue. They departed into the night skies and returned to their respective empires and realms. The massive hall slowly emptied out until only the core family mbers and the Li Clan staff remained.
Canghai walked over to where Li Yu was standing near the entrance and Tielan was right beside him.
"The family will stay here at the Li Clan estate tonight." Canghai inford his son. He gestured toward the tranquil guest pavilions nestled in the distant bamboo forests outside the hall. "We will not be returning to the Zhan Clan just yet."
"Is there another event?" Li Yu asked. He felt a bit tired from the endless social interactions.
"In two days the Sword Cleansing Pool will open." Canghai explained. "It is a cultivation ground located deep within the estate. It is fed by an underground spiritual spring that has absorbed ambient sword aura for millennia. It possesses very heavy concentrations of pure Qi as well as refined sword intent. It is a vital resource for our younger generation."
"I do not practice orthodox sword arts." Li Yu pointed out. "Will the pool still benefit ?"
"While the sword intent part of the pool is not as useful to you right now, the raw Qi will be incredibly beneficial." Canghai answered. "Your physical foundation is imnse but your internal Qi needs to catch up. This pool will provide the environnt for that growth."
"I will be ready then." Li Yu nodded. He felt a surge of anticipation. He bid his parents goodnight and headed toward the assigned guest pavilion on his own.
His parents ca and went at tis during their ti together, returning to their own armies and forces to keep things going on those fronts. Li Yu realized that his parents were juggling a lot of things in order to spend ti with him and he was extrely grateful for that. He tried his best to make it so they felt they could co and go as needed as well.
Two days passed in quiet ditation as Li Yu prepared his mind for the pool. Li Yu rested in the serene guest pavilions and organized his thoughts. He reviewed his martial arts and prepared his body for the dense energy his father had described. He did not see much of the other clan mbers during this brief period of seclusion.
The morning of the opening arrived with a crisp and cool breeze. The Li Clan estate was quiet and focused as the gentle sound of flowing water echoed through the bamboo groves.
Li Yu left his pavilion and followed the smooth stone paths toward the designated area. He felt calm and centered. The political gas of the banquet were over and it was ti to return to the core of his existence. He was a cultivator and strength was the only true currency in the cosmos.
He walked through a dense thicket of ancient trees until a massive cavern entrance ca into view. The opening of the pool was a significant event that only happened four tis a year. He saw a small group of people already gathered outside the heavy stone doors.
Li Yu took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and he felt ready to see exactly what the Sword Cleansing Pool had to offer.
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