The House of Whispering Silks was not a simple teahouse; it was a sanctuary dedicated to silent luxury, an enclave of serenity carved into the heart of the opulent upper district of Golden Carp City. The air smelled not of crowds or street food, but of the delicate, expensive aroma of Jade Frost Tea and the polished sandalwood of its panels. The only sound was the gentle murmur of an indoor waterfall and the occasional click of jade pieces on a Go board.
In the most private room, overlooking a perfectly raked rock garden, Zian contemplated his reflection in the steaming surface of his cup. He felt satisfied. The return of his brothers, though loud and full of their usual disputes, had served to reaffirm his position. It reminded the entire clan who was in charge.
"You're late, Xue Li."
Zian's voice, soft as silk but with an edge of steel, cut through the silence. He did not look up.
A man entered the room with the silent grace of a serpent. Xue Li, the envoy from the Alchemists' Guild, was the personification of predatory opulence. His dark green brocade robes seemed to absorb the light, and a single, massive black jade ring adorned his index finger. His face was handsome, with fine features and a smile that never reached his calculating eyes.
"My apologies, Young Master Zian," Xue Li said, his voice an oily melody of false deference as he sat across from him. "An unforeseen matter with a shipment of Dragon's Blood Ginseng. Our affairs, you know, never rest."
"Our affairs must know when to rest, Xue Li. Or when to be put to rest," Zian replied, finally looking up. His cold eyes met the alchemist's. "That is why I have summoned you."
He set the cup down on the table with a deliberate click.
"My brothers have returned," he announced, getting straight to the point. "Hong, with his serpent's tongue and eyes in the back of his head, and Jin, with his brain in his fists. They are a nuisance, but a nuisance with blood rights. Their presence here increases scrutiny."
Xue Li arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "And does that affect our dealings in any way? I thought you had your... relatives, under control."
"Control is an illusion that requires constant maintenance," Zian philosophized, enjoying the sound of his own words. "Our little arrangement, the one that has benefited us both so generously, carries its own dangers. The diversion of clan resources, the use of its funds to acquire rare ingredients... These are activities that require discretion."
Xue Li's smile vanished, replaced by a mask of cold attention. He understood where the conversation was heading.
"My brother Hong is a hound for numbers and a fox for intrigue," Zian continued. "If he were to sniff out the slightest discrepancy in the books, the slightest weakness in my leadership, he would seize upon it to use against me before the Elders. And Jin, in his stupidity, might stumble upon the truth through sheer brute force. My position as heir is solid, but not invulnerable. A scandal of this magnitude... would be untimely."
"What are you suggesting, Zian?" Xue Li asked, his voice losing all its warmth.
"A prudent pause," Zian declared, leaning back and adopting the air of an emperor making a difficult decision. "We will pause our dealings. Temporarily, of course, until my brothers grow bored and leave for some other useless mission. We will suspend shipments, halt payments. We will clean the books. It is a simple precaution."
The silence that followed was thick, heavy with unearned gold and frustrated power. Xue Li was not pleased. Zian was not just his accomplice; he was his primary conduit to the nearly limitless resources of the Silver Cloud Clan.
"A 'pause' sounds a great deal like a dip in my Guild's profits, Zian," Xue Li retorted, his tone now sharp. "My father, the Guild Master, will not be pleased. We have risked much to ensure you are our exclusive source."
"Your father will be more displeased if his primary ally is deposed and replaced by a numbers fanatic like Hong, who would surely review every pact with a magnifying glass," Zian countered with brutal logic. "This is a postponement, not a cancellation. A precaution to ensure the future stability of our alliance."
Xue Li drummed his jade ring on the table, a dry, rhythmic sound. He knew Zian was right. A weakened or deposed Zian was of no use to him, but the interruption of the flow of profits was a bitter pill to swallow.
"You say it's temporary, but these delays have consequences. The pills the Guild has been providing you, the Dragon's Fury Pills, are not easy to craft. They require ingredients that wither, energies that dissipate. Interrupting the flow of the clan's raw materials could affect the quality of your... personal supplement." Xue Li's voice became poisoned silk. "And we wouldn't want your performance to decline right now, would we?"
The veiled threat did not go unnoticed by Zian. His jaw tightened.
"Watch your words, alchemist. My performance is not in question. But I understand your point. This pause will be brief. One or two moons, at most. Long enough for my brothers to be distracted by some other toy."
"Fine," Xue Li conceded, knowing he could press no further. "But while we wait, other matters intrigue me. What of the other rumors?" he asked, changing the subject to probe the terrain. "I've heard... entertaining stories. About your sister."
The mention of Xiao Yue brought a shadow of irritation across Zian's face. She was a thorn in his pride, an anomaly in his perfectly hierarchical world.
"Ah, yes. Xiao Yue's little farce," he said with forced disdain. "A stroke of luck. A parlor trick that impressed fools. My spies tell me she has already returned to her usual mediocrity, practicing basic forms like a novice. Her limit has already been reached."
"Are you sure?" Xue Li pressed, his serpent-like eyes gleaming with curiosity. "The rumors said the technique she used to defeat Shi Teng was not of this world. That she didn't use force, but... something else. A power nullification. That doesn't sound like luck, Zian. It sounds like a new kind of power."
Xue Li's uncertainty ignited Zian's own. He too, deep down, felt that same unease. Hong's description of how Xiao Yue had 'dismantled' Jin was too vivid, too... illogical.
"A new power requires a new master," Xue Li continued, his analytical mind connecting the dots. "And a new master who can create such techniques is no commoner. Have you considered that perhaps someone is backing her? A rival alchemist, perhaps? One who doesn't belong to the Guild."
Zian scoffed. "A rival alchemist? Who would dare? The Guild has a monopoly on everything worthwhile in this city."
"A monopoly is an illusion, Zian. There are always rats in the cellars. I have heard whispers of a new player in the black market, a phantom who produces elixirs of unsettling purity. No one knows who he is, but his work is... flawless. Too good to be a mere charlatan. If someone like that were behind your sister, we would no longer be talking about a family nuisance, but a commercial threat. A threat to our alliance."
Xue Li's theory was pure poison, designed to sow paranoia, and it worked perfectly. The idea that his useless sister could have a secret patron, a hidden genius arming her with unknown techniques, was an intolerable offense to Zian's ego.
"She is an unpredictable factor," he admitted reluctantly, Hong's phrase echoing in his mind. "But one that will be... corrected. In the annual tournament, I will personally see to it that she is reminded that in this clan, tricks cannot compete with real power. I will put her in her place."
"Make sure you do," Xue Li said, rising. "Because a new competitor in the market is bad for business. For our business. And the Guild does not look kindly on unexpected competition."
The conversation was over. The point was made. Zian did not rise, signaling the end of the audience.
"Patience, Xue Li. Our alliance will flourish again. For now, enjoy the peace. And the tea."
Zian left, leaving Xue Li alone in the silent room, with the scent of expensive tea and the bitter taste of a bad deal. He gazed at the rock garden, his mind a whirlwind of calculations. The interruption of the flow of resources from the Silver Cloud Clan was a serious problem for his preparations. He needed to find another source of ingredients, and fast.
But beyond the money, a new concern had taken root in his mind: a phantom alchemist, an unknown power, a variable he could not control. And if there was one thing Xue Li hated more than losing money, it was uncertainty. He decided he would have to set his own spies to investigate the troublesome little sister of the Silver Cloud Clan. Curiosity, after all, was an investment that often paid high dividends.