Li Yu stood alone by the shimring waters of the central lake while the cool night wind rustled the leaves of the weeping willows. The lingering scent of lotus blossoms from Lian's fleeting kiss still hovered in the air to serve as a potent reminder of the daunting romantic task she had left him to figure out but sothing he wanted to do even if it wasn’t tasked. He touched his cheek and a fond smile spread across his face as he looked up at the silver moon hanging over the jagged peaks.
As the adrenaline of the day finally faded from his veins, he found himself granted a quiet mont to reflect on everything that had just happened.
His admiration for Gongsun Lian grew significantly deeper the more he thought about the recent raids. He had always known she was a powerhouse with a terrifying cultivation base but witnessing her true leadership in action shifted his entire perspective. She had built an organization of lethal precision from the shadows and maintained unquestioned authority over ten veteran warriors who specialized in their own unique brands of destruction. She handled the intricate logistics of warfare and the aftermath of the attacks with a sharp mind while never losing her graceful composure.
He wondered if he could ever be that good at leading others. He never really led a group the way she had. Even back in his ho realm when he started the Golden Shell Guild with Kui, it was mostly Kui and the others doing the work and he just set them to the task.
Li Yu’s hunger for martial strength burned brighter than ever but a new desire began to take root in his heart, more than before. He wanted to once again have a force of his own. To gather his own people and forge a reliable foundation that could stand beside her.
His thoughts naturally drifted back to his old friends wandering the lower realms. He pictured Kui with his unyielding determination and Jian Xuan with his sharp sword intent. He missed the simple camaraderie they shared during their travels. While they were most likely currently too weak to help him navigate the perilous high tier cosmos without making rapid progress in their own cultivation, he still missed them.
The night passed in peaceful ditation and the morning sun soon cast a warm golden hue over the valley. The ambient space near the wooden porch rippled and General Yin stepped gracefully out of the void. The lithe skirmisher wore her casual dark martial robes rather than her heavy dragon-scale armor today. She held a spiritual chain in her left hand and she dragged a bruised and heavily bound young man behind her.
The 6th Prince of the Aurelian Spear Kingdom looked pathetic as he stumbled onto the grassy bank. His lavish golden robes were torn and stained with dirt. Intricate arrays of dark Qi wrapped tightly around his throat and chest to seal his cultivation and prevent him from speaking a single word. He glared at Li Yu with venomous eyes but kept his mouth shut under the intimidating presence of his captor, not that he could talk anyways.
"Good morning," General Yin greeted Li Yu with a playful smirk. "I brought the prize as promised. He is bound tightly by our seals physically and also a soul seal so he cannot reveal anything he has seen during the raid even though he spent most of his ti cowering in a garden."
She tossed the end of the spiritual chain toward Li Yu and reached into her robes to produce a small jade talisman engraved with intricate silver runes.
"Keep him locked away until you make the exchange," Yin instructed while handing the talisman over. "Once you secure your paynt, simply tap this talisman against his forehead to free him from all the restraining seals. Also, we will return in exactly five days for our promised feast so you have plenty of ti to prepare."
"I will make sure the food is ready," Li Yu promised with a smile as he secured the chain and the talisman. "Thank you for delivering him."
Yin offered a sharp salute and a knowing wink before she stepped backward into the spatial rift and vanished from the estate.
Li Yu looked down at the sniveling prince and felt a sense of revulsion. He had no desire to drag the arrogant royalty around his beautiful ho so he unceremoniously locked the young man inside a sturdy guest pavilion near the edge of the property and activated the basic defensive wards to ensure he could not wander off.
Dealing with a royal hostage carried large political implications that Li Yu did not want to navigate blindly. He left his estate and flew directly toward the towering iron fortress of the Zhan Clan headquarters to seek guidance from soone far more experienced in diplomatic warfare. This also inford the clan in a way so he needed to handle this with care.
He found Clan Leader Zhan Yue sitting in his private command pavilion while reviewing several glowing jade slips. The Patriarch looked up as Li Yu entered the room and gestured for the young Paragon to take a seat across from the desk.
"You look like a person that isn’t sure what to do." Zhan Yue noted with a booming chuckle. "What troubles you today?"
Li Yu sat down and carefully explained the events of the previous day while making sure to leave out any ntion of Gongsun Lian and the Veiled Lotus. He frad the narrative around helping his friend Sora locate her sister and described finding the Celestial Crucible Clan. He explained how they breached the demonic sect and stumbled upon the 6th Prince actively participating in their vile human cauldron arts.
Zhan Yue stared at Li Yu in stunned silence as the explanation concluded. The Patriarch lowered the jade slip in his hand and rubbed his scarred chin while processing the audacity of the tale.
"Let understand this clearly," Zhan Yue said as his fierce eyes locked onto Li Yu. "You just went out to help a friend and you ended up destroying a notorious demonic clan while casually bagging a royal prince from a neighboring kingdom?"
"It was not a planned kidnapping," Li Yu defended himself with a wry smile. "He was in the wrong place doing terrible things and we secured him during the chaos."
Zhan Yue let out a loud laugh that rattled the weapons hanging on the pavilion walls. He shook his head in disbelief as he realized this young man possessed a terrifying talent for stumbling into incidents. A brief thought crossed his mind to use the young man as a bait to lure out a target he had been after but the thought quickly went away as Zhan Tian’s figure appeared in his mind.
"The Aurelian Spear Kingdom is a recognized power and we hold a bit of a diplomatic alliance with them," Zhan Yue explained as his deanor shifted back to that of a seasoned warlord. "However, the 6th Prince was caught indulging in demonic practices that the orthodox world despises. He threw away his own honor the mont he stepped into that valley. You had every right to strike him down on the spot, so keeping him alive was a rcy."
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The Clan Leader tapped his thick fingers against the desk while calculating their next move. "We need to offer the kingdom a way to retrieve their wayward prince regardless of his disgusting behavior. It is up to them to discipline their own bloodline. But since you captured him in a hostile environnt and spared his life, you are well within your rights to demand a ransom for his safe return. Do not ask for a modest sum. Make them bleed a little for the humiliation he caused."
Li Yu nodded in agreent as he appreciated the straightforward advice. "How do we arrange the exchange?"
"I will contact the Aurelian King directly through our secure channels," Zhan Yue decided while standing up from his desk. "I will inform him that his son was recovered from a destroyed demonic stronghold and is currently resting at your estate. You head back to your lakes and wait. The King will likely send an envoy to collect the trash to avoid making a public spectacle of the affair."
Li Yu thanked the Patriarch for his guidance and departed the iron fortress. He returned to the Five Star Lakes and spent the next few hours tending to his aquatic spirit beasts while waiting for the diplomatic response.
A few hours later the sky above the valley humd with the sound of displaced air. A sleek and aerodynamic ship descended through the clouds and hovered smoothly over the grassy banks. It was a fast transport vessel rather than a heavy warship since Zhan Tian had severely damaged the Crown Prince’s flagship during their previous encounter in the lower realms.
The loading ramp lowered and sure enough, the Crown Prince of the Aurelian Spear Kingdom stepped onto the grass. He wore armor and carried a serious expression that betrayed his deep frustration with the situation. Five powerful elders followed closely behind him while projecting stern auras to secure the periter. Before the Crown Prince could offer a formal greeting, a familiar figure darted past them and bounded cheerfully down the ramp.
Princess Jinling wore a bright yellow dress and a wide grin as she broke every established protocol for a diplomatic hostage exchange. The elders sighed in unison and the Crown Prince rubbed his temples but none of them attempted to stop her since they were far too accustod to her rebellious antics.
"Li Yu!" Jinling called out as she jogged up to him. She looked around the serene valley and pointed at the shimring water where a few glowing carp leaped into the air. "You were not lying to ! You truly do live at a beautiful lake and raise fish! I thought perhaps you were just making up stories to be more interesting."
"It is good to see you again, Jinling," Li Yu smiled warmly as he welcod his newly made friend not long ago. "I told you I enjoyed the quiet life."
The Crown Prince stepped forward and cleared his throat loudly to regain control of the negotiations. He offered a deep and formal bow to Li Yu while ignoring his sister's informal chatter.
"I apologize for the unseemly behavior of my younger brother." The Crown Prince stated with a heavy tone of regret. "His actions at that vile clan have brought deep sha to our spear and our lineage. We are grateful that you secured him before the situation escalated further."
Li Yu returned the bow and maintained a respectful posture. "He is resting in the guest pavilion. I ensured he was unhard during the raid."
The Crown Prince nodded and reached into his armor to produce a spatial ring. He held the ring out toward Li Yu with both hands as a sign of respect.
"We wish to compensate you for your troubles and for keeping this matter discreet." The Crown Prince offered.
Li Yu had never made any specific demands or stated a price during the transmission since Zhan Yue handled the initial contact. The Crown Prince ca prepared to offer a vast sum to prevent any haggling that might further humiliate their royal house.
Li Yu accepted the ring and pushed a sliver of his divine sense inside. The interior space was overflowing with high grade spirit stones and rare ores. He quickly calculated the value and realized it was roughly thirty percent more than what he would have comfortably asked for himself. He was more than happy with the generous compensation and put the ring inside his Koi Sanctuary.
"Thank you." Li Yu confird. He turned and walked toward the guest pavilion to retrieve the prisoner.
He dragged the struggling 6th Prince out onto the grass and forced him to stand before his older brother. The young man's eyes were wide with panic and lingering arrogance. Li Yu pulled the jade talisman from his robes and tapped it firmly against the center of the prince's forehead.
The dark arrays binding his throat and chest shattered into harmless wisps of smoke.
The mont his voice was restored, the 6th Prince inhaled deeply and prepared to unleash a torrent of venomous insults. "You lowly peasant! How dare you bind a prince of the Aurelian—"
His tirade ended abruptly as the Crown Prince moved with blinding speed and delivered a brutal kick to the back of his brother's knees. The 6th Prince collapsed into the dirt with a sharp yelp of pain.
"Shut your mouth you stupid fool!" The Crown Prince roared as his calm deanor finally fractured into fury. "You have disgraced our father and stained our kingdom with your degeneracy! You will not speak another word until you are locked in the ancestral prison!"
He gestured sharply to the five elders who imdiately surged forward to grab the disgraced prince by his arms. They dragged him roughly up the loading ramp and tossed him into the holding cells of the diplomatic ship without an ounce of royal courtesy. It was one thing to do bad and degenerate things, it was a completely different matter to be caught while doing them.
The Crown Prince adjusted his armor and took a deep breath to compose himself. He turned back to Li Yu and offered another apologetic bow.
"I am sorry you had to witness that," the Crown Prince sighed heavily. "I thank you again for your discretion. We will take our leave now."
He turned toward the ramp and called out for his sister to follow.
Jinling frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "We are leaving already? We just got here! I want to stay and look at the spirit beasts in the lake. The water is so clear and I want to catch up with Li Yu."
Li Yu felt a bead of sweat form on his brow as a spike of worry hit him. Lian had already teased him rcilessly about his relationship with the princess and he was incredibly reluctant to have Jinling loitering around his estate while he needed to prepare a feast for the Veiled Lotus. Having her stay would be a logistical and emotional disaster.
Thankfully, the Crown Prince stepped in and enforced the rules of their visit.
"It is not right for you to stay Jinling," the Crown Prince scolded her gently but firmly. "We ca here on official business to retrieve our brother and we must return to face our father. If you wish to stay here longer and visit your friend, you must send a formal diplomatic request at a later date. Furthermore, Li Yu is a dedicated cultivator who needs to focus on his training and his duties. He is not just free to entertain you whenever you wish."
Jinling pouted and kicked at the grass but she ultimately obeyed her older brother. She knew the political situation with the 6th Prince was incredibly sensitive and pushing her luck today would only result in severe grounding.
"Fine," Jinling conceded with a dramatic sigh. She looked at Li Yu and offered a bright wave. "I will send a formal request soon! I will visit another ti so make sure your fish are ready for !"
"I will keep the lakes pristine for your next visit," Li Yu laughed politely as he waved goodbye.
The princess bounded up the loading ramp and the Crown Prince offered one final nod of respect before following her inside. The heavy iron doors of the ship sealed shut and the vessel rose swiftly into the air and tore through the clouds to return to the Aurelian Spear Kingdom.
Li Yu watched the ship vanish over the horizon and let out a long breath of relief. The political ss was resolved smoothly and he was now decently wealthy once again. He turned his attention toward the pressing matters at hand. He had a feast to prepare and eventually a very important date to plan.
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