By eight in the morning, Zhao Tiankun had cancelled every meeting on his schedule.
Leng Yao’s message had contained only four things:
A date.
A location.
Three names.
And a warning that the Northern Sect planned to destroy the Zhao Syndicate’s eastern operation.
It was enough to reopen a meeting Zhao had cancelled three days earlier.
The Zhao Syndicate occupied the top five floors of the Longevity Commerce Building.
Publicly, it was a pharmaceutical distributor.
Privately, it controlled most of the illicit cultivation medicine entering eastern Shanghai.
Leng Yao entered the lobby with Feng Baoshu beside him.
The receptionist stood as soon as she recognised them.
“Mr Leng.”
“Chairman Zhao is waiting.”
“Yes, but security needs to—”
Leng Yao walked past her.
The private lift opened before he reached it.
Two cultivators stood inside.
Both wore black suits.
Both began circulating spiritual energy when he entered.
Neither stopped him.
Feng Baoshu joined him, and the doors closed.
“They seem nervous,” the old butler said.
“They should be.”
“Because of the message?”
“Because Zhao Tiankun does not like surprises.”
The lift rose.
Leng Yao felt the guards’ spiritual pressure brushing against him.
They were testing his condition.
Before last night, the pressure would have irritated the fractures in his ruined core.
Now his meridians pulled at it.
A thin current entered his body and disappeared into the cracks.
The guards did not notice.
Leng Yao did.
His core could absorb spiritual pressure.
The amount was small, but the implication was not.
The doors opened on the thirty-fourth floor.
Feng Baoshu remained outside the meeting room.
Leng Yao entered alone.
Zhao Tiankun sat at the head of a long black table.
Four cultivators stood behind him.
He was sixty-one, though expensive longevity medicine kept him looking twenty years younger.
Only the grey at his temples revealed his age.
He did not stand.
“Leng Yao.”
“Chairman Zhao.”
“You said my eastern operation has been compromised.”
“It has.”
Leng Yao sat opposite him.
Zhao’s expression hardened.
“Your message said the attack had not happened yet.”
“It hasn’t.”
“Then explain.”
Leng Yao placed a folded sheet of paper on the table.
“The Northern Sect is mapping your routes through Minghe.
They plan to attack on the seventeenth of next month.”
Zhao did not touch the paper.
“How do you know?”
“Check the names.”
One of the guards stepped forward.
“You are in Chairman Zhao’s territory.
Answer the question.”
Leng Yao looked at him.
Zhao raised a hand.
The guard moved back.
“What is on the paper?” Zhao asked.
“Two infiltrators and the man helping them.”
“Inside my organisation?”
“Yes.”
Zhao picked up the sheet.
He read the first name without reacting.
The second made him pause.
At the third, his eyes stopped moving.
The man named there had worked for him for seventeen years.
In the original story, Zhao discovered the betrayal after nine warehouses had burned and thirty-two cultivators had died.
The loss forced him into an alliance with the Shen family.
That alliance later secured the deciding vote for the Dragon’s Vein property.
Leng Yao had no intention of allowing the first event to reach the second.
Zhao folded the paper.
“What do you want?”
“Abstain from the Dragon’s Vein vote.”
One of the guards laughed quietly.
Zhao did not.
“You want me to break my agreement with the Shen family.”
“I want you not to vote.”
“They will see that as betrayal.”
“That is your problem.”
Zhao stared at him.
“You came here asking for my cooperation.”
“No.
I came to warn you.”
“And the vote?”
“That is what I want.”
“As payment?”
Leng Yao shook his head.
“You have not confirmed the information yet.”
Zhao’s fingers tightened around the paper.
“You expect me to investigate first.”
“Yes.”
“And if the names are correct?”
“Then decide whether the Shen family’s approval is worth more than your eastern territory.”
The room fell quiet.
The four guards released their spiritual pressure at once.
It struck Leng Yao from every direction.
His inverted core reacted.
Energy entered his meridians in thin streams.
Instead of resisting it, his body absorbed part of the pressure and fed it into his damaged core.
The nearest guard frowned.
Leng Yao remained seated.
Zhao watched him closely.
Then he raised his hand.
The pressure stopped.
“You have changed,” Zhao said.
Leng Yao adjusted his cuff.
“So I have been told.”
“You were easier to understand before.”
“That sounds like your problem too.”
Zhao almost smiled.
Almost.
“How long will it take me to verify this?”
“Before noon.”
“And if you are wrong?”
“I’m not.”
“That is not an answer.”
Leng Yao stood.
“If I am wrong, vote for the Shen family.”
“And if you are right?”
“Do what keeps you alive.”
He turned towards the door.
Zhao spoke before he reached it.
“You could have sold this information.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because then you would think the debt was paid.”
Zhao said nothing.
Leng Yao left the room.
Feng Baoshu was waiting in the corridor.
They entered the lift together.
“Did he agree?” the butler asked.
“Not yet.”
“Then the meeting failed.”
“No.”
Feng Baoshu looked at him.
Leng Yao pressed the ground-floor button.
“He recognised the third name.”
“You saw that?”
“Yes.”
“And that is enough?”
“He will arrest the man within the hour.”
“What about the vote?”
“He will abstain.”
“You sound certain.”
“Zhao Tiankun cares more about survival than pride.”
“That is true of most sensible people.”
“It is why sensible people are useful.”
The lift descended.
Feng Baoshu glanced at Leng Yao’s hands.
“Did the guards test you?”
“Yes.”
“Your core?”
“It absorbed some of their pressure.”
The old butler’s expression tightened.
“That is new.”
“It began last night.”
“Can it absorb an attack?”
“I don’t know.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“It is.”
Feng Baoshu waited for more.
Leng Yao offered none.
They entered the underground car park.
Their vehicle was already waiting.
Once they were inside, Feng Baoshu started the engine.
“Back to the estate?”
“Minghe district.”
“Hou Shengmin.”
“Yes.”
“He refused our previous requests.”
“He will listen today.”
“Why?”
“Because three groups are about to offer him far less than his land is worth.”
Feng Baoshu pulled into traffic.
Shanghai moved around them beneath a pale morning sky.
Office workers crossed streets under glowing formation signs.
Delivery drones passed between towers.
Spiritual energy flowed through hidden conduits beneath the roads, powering a city whose ordinary residents understood only half of what kept it alive.
Leng Yao watched the buildings pass.
The Dragon’s Vein property appeared unremarkable in the novel’s early chapters.
An old estate.
Several unused buildings.
A patch of land in Minghe that had survived redevelopment because its owner refused to sell.
Beneath it lay a spiritual nexus.
And beneath the nexus lay something older.
A formation containing draconic essence.
Shen Mingzhi would awaken it two years from now.
The essence would transform his meridians and push his cultivation beyond every young master of his generation.
The novel had called it destiny.
Leng Yao called it an asset that had been left unguarded.
He could not take it yet.
The same memories that revealed the essence also showed what happened to anyone else who tried to absorb it.
Their meridians burned from the inside.
Shen Mingzhi survived because of his system.
Until Leng Yao understood that protection, the essence was more dangerous than useful.
For now, he only needed to delay the sale.
The vehicle entered Minghe shortly before ten.
The towers grew shorter.
The roads narrowed.
Old trees lined the pavement.
Spiritual energy thickened in the air.
Leng Yao’s core began circulating faster.
Then he sensed someone watching the street.
A cultivator stood across from Hou Shengmin’s house.
Young woman.
Fourth gate of Mortal Ascension.
Suppressed aura.
Xue family technique.
Leng Yao looked through the window without turning his head.
Xue Lihua wore a dark jacket and held a phone in one hand.
She stood near the entrance of a closed tea shop, pretending to read.
In the original story, she served in Leng Yao’s intelligence division.
She also passed information to the Shen family.
Her betrayal remained hidden for years.
By the time Leng Yao discovered it, she had already helped destroy half his network.
Feng Baoshu parked.
“There is a woman across the street,” Leng Yao said.
The butler kept his eyes forward.
“One of ours?”
“Xue Lihua.”
Feng Baoshu paused.
“She is assigned to financial intelligence.”
“I know.”
“Why is she here?”
“She is watching Hou Shengmin.”
“On whose orders?”
“Not ours.”
Feng Baoshu looked towards the rear-view mirror.
“Do we take her?”
“No.”
“She is spying on us.”
“She does not know we have seen her.”
“That can be corrected.”
“Leave her.”
Feng Baoshu was silent for a moment.
“You want her to report this meeting.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I know who receives her reports.”
That was enough.
They left the car.
Leng Yao did not look across the street.
Xue Lihua did not look at him either.
Her breathing changed when he passed.
A small mistake.
One she would not normally make.
Leng Yao reached Hou Shengmin’s door and knocked.
The old cultivator answered after several seconds.
Hou was thin, white-haired and dressed in a plain grey shirt.
A scar ran from his jaw beneath his collar.
He looked at Leng Yao, then Feng Baoshu.
“Shadow Sovereign.”
“Elder Hou.”
“I turned down your meeting.”
“I came anyway.”
“I noticed.”
Hou looked past them towards the car.
“What do you want?”
“Don’t sell your land.”
The old man’s eyes narrowed.
“That is your opening?”
“Yes.”
“No greeting?”
“We already greeted each other.”
Feng Baoshu lowered his eyes.
Hou stared at Leng Yao for a moment, then stepped aside.
“Come in.”
The house was small and clean.
A sword hung above the fireplace.
The blade had not been drawn in years, but the spiritual pressure around it had not faded.
Hou led them into the sitting room.
He poured three cups of tea.
Feng Baoshu remained standing.
Hou sat across from Leng Yao.
“Why shouldn’t I sell?”
“The buyers know what is beneath the property.”
“So do I.”
“A spiritual nexus.”
Hou’s expression did not change.
“Yes.”
“There is a formation below it.”
That did.
“What kind?”
“I’m still investigating.”
“Then you do not know.”
“I know enough.”
Hou leaned back.
“You came to stop a sale but cannot tell me what I own.”
“I can tell you the first buyer will use a development company.”
Leng Yao gave him the name.
“The second will claim to represent a medical group.”
He named that company too.
Hou’s fingers stopped against his cup.
“The third will be connected to the Shen family.”
“When?”
“The first offer arrives in three weeks.”
“How much?”
“Two hundred and eighty million.”
Hou’s eyes narrowed.
The amount had not been made public.
Leng Yao continued.
“They will raise it to three hundred and forty.
Do not accept.”
“What is the land worth?”
“To them?
Far more.”
“That was not my question.”
“I don’t know the full value yet.”
Hou studied him.
At least the answer was honest.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Wait one month.”
“And after that?”
“I return with better information.”
“Or an offer.”
“Maybe.”
Hou picked up his tea.
“You expect me to trust you.”
“No.”
“Good.”
“Check the companies yourself.”
“I will.”
“And move your granddaughter.”
Hou’s cup stopped.
The room became cold.
Feng Baoshu’s hand moved slightly beneath his coat.
Hou stared at Leng Yao.
“What about her?”
“The second buyer will pressure you after you reject the offer.”
“How?”
“They will approach her school.”
Spiritual pressure erupted from Hou.
It filled the room in an instant.
Feng Baoshu stepped forward.
Leng Yao raised one hand, stopping him.
Hou’s pressure bore down on Leng Yao.
His inverted core pulled at it.
Energy entered his meridians.
More than before.
The cracks in his core tightened around it and compressed it into a thin black current.
Hou felt the drain.
His pressure vanished.
He stared at Leng Yao’s chest.
“What technique was that?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“You absorbed my energy.”
“Part of it.”
Hou stood.
Feng Baoshu moved between them.
Leng Yao remained seated.
“I did not come to fight you,” he said.
“You mentioned my granddaughter.”
“Because she is in danger.”
“From the Shen family?”
“From people working for them.”
Hou’s jaw tightened.
“Names.”
“I do not have them yet.”
“Then why should I believe you?”
“Because you can move her today and lose nothing.”
Hou said nothing.
Leng Yao continued.
“Keep the property for one month.
When the first offer comes, you will know I was right.”
“And if no one comes?”
“Sell it.”
“To you?”
“To whoever you choose.”
Hou looked at him for a long time.
Then he sat again.
“One month.”
Leng Yao nodded.
“One month.”
“If anyone goes near my granddaughter—”
“Call Feng Baoshu.”
Hou glanced at the old butler.
“He answers his phone?”
“Usually,” Feng Baoshu said.
“Usually?”
“You may need to call twice.”
Hou gave him a flat look.
Feng Baoshu showed no sign that he was joking.
The old cultivator turned back to Leng Yao.
“What happens if you buy the land?”
“I inspect the formation.”
“And if it is dangerous?”
“I seal it.”
“Not destroy it?”
“If sealing fails.”
Hou drank his tea.
“At least that sounds less reckless.”
“It is not.”
The meeting ended shortly afterwards.
When Leng Yao stepped outside, Xue Lihua was still across the road.
She now held a paper cup.
The closed tea shop behind her remained closed.
Leng Yao entered the car without acknowledging her.
Feng Baoshu took the driver’s seat.
“Do we follow her?” he asked.
“No.”
“She will report us.”
“Yes.”
“To whom?”
“The Shen family.”
Feng Baoshu looked back.
“You are certain.”
“Yes.”
“And we let her leave?”
“She saw me enter Hou Shengmin’s house.
Nothing more.”
“She can still cause trouble.”
“She will.”
Feng Baoshu started the car.
“That does not concern you?”
“It did yesterday.”
“And today?”
“Today, I know she is a spy.”
The car pulled away from the pavement.
Across the road, Xue Lihua raised her phone.
She was already sending the report.
Feng Baoshu watched her through the mirror.
“How long has she worked against us?”
“Several years.”
The old man’s face hardened.
“We should remove her.”
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Her replacement would be harder to find.”
“She has access to our intelligence division.”
“Limit it.”
“She will notice.”
“Let her.”
Feng Baoshu turned onto the main road.
“What information do we give her?”
“Something useful.”
“To the Shen family?”
“Something that looks useful.”
The old butler understood.
“You want to feed them false information.”
“Yes.”
“And if Xue Lihua realises?”
“Then she will make a mistake.”
Feng Baoshu fell silent.
By eleven in the morning, Leng Yao had warned Zhao Tiankun, delayed the Dragon’s Vein sale and identified the route through which the Shen family received information from inside his organisation.
Small changes.
None of them would attract the attention of the wider cultivation world.
But the future he had inherited was already shifting.
Leng Yao looked down at his wrist.
A thin golden line had appeared beneath his skin.
It had not been there when he entered Hou Shengmin’s house.
The line pulsed once.
Cold pressure entered his mind.
Then a voice spoke.
Deviation detected.
Leng Yao’s eyes narrowed.
A second message appeared.
Correction protocol initiated.