The journey after the Serpent's Spine pass was quiet. The remaining members of the Crimson Hand had vanished like morning mist, leaving the White Paw Company to tend to their wounded and press on. The mood among the mercenaries was a strange cocktail of grim satisfaction, exhaustion, and a thick, palpable layer of awe. They had won, but they knew their victory was secondary to the earth-shattering display of power they had witnessed.
Their gazes kept stealing glances towards the unmarked carriage at the rear of the caravan. They now knew it contained not just the cheerful old Guild Master, but their own terrifying Commander. The two most powerful people they had ever seen, beings of the legendary Core Formation Realm, had been traveling with them the entire time. The knowledge was both a comfort and a source of profound intimidation.
Huo Yan, his arm in a sling and his Grizzled Wolf spirit looking equally battered, rode beside the carriage. "Commander, Guild Master," he said, his voice raspy with respect. "We've cleaned up the battlefield. The message has been sent."
The carriage window slid open, revealing Kui's smiling face. "An excellent job, Captain Huo Yan! A truly excellent job! You and your troops were magnificent!"
Xylia's gruff voice followed from the carriage's shadows. "You bled. But you didn't break. That's something. Keep them sharp. The next dog might have bigger teeth."
"Yes, Commander," Huo Yan said, a shiver running down his spine despite the praise. He fell back to rally his troops, the simple, rough words of his commander echoing in his mind. You didn't break. For a mercenary, there was no higher compliment.
Far to the north, in a valley shrouded by storm clouds and dominated by a fortress-like sect carved from black iron, the mood was far less triumphant. This was the headquarters of the Iron Sky Sect, the regional power that had been subtly backing the Crimson Hand Guild, using them as a proxy to test the Green Mountain Sect's sphere of influence.
Sect Master Tie Feng, a man with a severe face and an aura as cold as the iron his sect was named for, read the report that had just arrived via a terrified, breathless scout. His knuckles were white where he gripped the arms of his throne. Gathered before him were his three Grand Elders, their faces equally grim.
"Read it again, Elder Shan," Tie Feng commanded, his voice a low growl.
Elder Shan, a wiry old man, cleared his throat and reread the shaking script on the spiritual jade slip. "The ambush at Serpent's Spine… failed. Jin Tiegu's forces were routed. He himself was crippled by… a single blow. His Core is cracked. His cultivation is destroyed."
A heavy silence filled the hall. Jin Tiegu was an Early-stage Core Formation expert. Not the strongest, but a formidable power in his own right. For him to be defeated was shocking. For him to be crippled in a single blow was unbelievable.
"Who?" Tie Feng's voice was dangerously quiet. "Who did this?"
"The reports are… conflicting, Sect Master," Elder Shan said hesitantly. "But all witnesses agree on two points. Two new Core Formation experts have appeared in Riverstone City. One is a portly old man, the master of the Golden Shell Guild. He manifested a defensive technique powerful enough to negate Jin Tiegu's full-powered attack. The other… is a white-haired woman, the commander of their new mercenary company. She is the one who struck Jin Tiegu down."
One of the other elders, a heavy-set woman, slammed her fist on the table beside her. "Impossible! Where did two Core Formation experts come from? Beings of that level don't simply appear out of thin air! We have tracked every major power in this region for centuries!"
"Their organizations have known ties to the Green Mountain Sect and their Deepwater Menagerie," Elder Shan added. "It was why we used the Crimson Hand to probe them. We assumed they were a new commercial venture, perhaps backed by one of the Green Mountain elders."
"We have ruled out direct subservience," Sect Master Tie Feng finished, his eyes narrowing in thought. "Because it made no sense. Why would two beings, each with the power to establish their own sect or rule a major city, choose to serve a backwater like the Green Mountain Sect? It is illogical."
The three Grand Elders could only nod in agreement. A Core Formation expert's pride was immense. To serve another, especially one of equal or lesser power, was almost unheard of unless bound by a life-debt or a blood oath sworn in their youth. For two to do so simultaneously for such a minor power was beyond comprehension.
"This changes the entire board," Tie Feng said, standing and pacing before his throne. "We are no longer probing a weak sect's business venture. We are facing an unknown power with at least two Core Formation sovereigns at its command. We don't know their origins, their motives, or their limits."
He stopped and looked at his elders. "The plan to annex the mineral-rich hills south of Riverstone is on hold indefinitely. Recall all our agents from that territory. Send a diplomatic envoy to Riverstone City. Not to the city lord. Directly to the Golden Shell Guild. I want to know who these people are. Send gifts. High-grade spiritual tea, rare ores, anything to show we come in peace. We will not make a move until we understand the nature of the beast we have prodded."
The elders nodded, their expressions grave. The balance of power in the region had not just shifted; it had been shattered. And they were standing on the cracking ice, with no idea how deep the water below truly was.
The caravan's arrival at the Green Mountain Sect was a spectacle. The disciples on gate duty stared with wide eyes at the procession of wagons guarded by battle-hardened mercenaries, many of them wounded but all carrying themselves with a newfound, dangerous pride. The crimson banner of the White Paw, with its fierce paw and shadowy claw, was a stark and intimidating symbol they had never seen before.
Bao the caravan master efficiently handled the logistics, handing over the manifests to the sect's Outer Court deacons. While the mercenaries were given quarters to rest and recover, and the goods were unloaded, the unmarked carriage made its way directly up the mountain, towards the secluded valley of the Koi's Sanctuary.
When Kui and Xylia stepped out of the carriage, they both took a deep, simultaneous breath, as if shedding a heavy weight. The air here was different. It was alive, thrumming with a vibrant, pure energy that made every cell in their bodies sing.
They walked directly to Li Yu's pagoda. They found him meditating. He opened his eyes as they approached, his expression calm and untroubled.
"Welcome back," he said simply.
"Wise Host!" Kui boomed, his face beaming with a joy that was entirely genuine. "This old one has missed this place more than words can say!" Without waiting for another word, he closed his eyes, and his entire being seemed to relax as he greedily began to absorb the rich energy radiating from the lake, which was Li Yu himself.
Since they would be coming and going, Li Yu had tested to see if they could absorb the Koi's Sanctuary energy without going in and it turned out that they could. They had to be quite close to him so long range transfer was out of the question unfortunately.
Xylia gave a curt nod. "The mission was a success," she grunted, also closing her eyes. The tense, hard lines on her face softened as she drew in the sanctuary's power, a primal satisfaction flowing through her that no battle could ever provide.
Li Yu waited patiently. After a long, blissful hour of soaking in the energy, they finally seemed sated for the moment.
Kui gave his report first, detailing the successful establishment of the Guild, the booming business, and the routing of the Crimson Hand, all with his usual fawning embellishments.
Then Xylia spoke, her report blunt and to the point. "The company is formed. Thirty-eight strong. They fought. They bled. They didn't break. Jin Tiegu is crippled. The city is ours. The other rats in the region will be scared now. They will watch before they bite again."
"Excellent," Li Yu said, his voice a calm murmur of approval. This was exactly what he had envisioned. A powerful, self-sufficient outer layer that would handle the world's troubles for him, leaving him in peace.
"Wise Host," Kui said, a cunning twinkle in his eye. "In our travels, we managed to acquire a few new specimens for your collection, as per your instructions!"
From a high-grade beast bag, Kui presented several tanks filled with exotic aquatic life: shimmering Crystal-Scale Prawns, territorial Ironjaw Pike, and a pair of rare, Midnight Pearl Clams. Li Yu's eyes lit up with genuine interest. Every new species he introduced into his sanctuary strengthened his own foundation, expanding the diversity and power of his unique martial spirit. He accepted them with a nod of thanks.
Then, with a conspiratorial glance, Kui brought out another, much larger beast bag. Without a word, he began releasing dozens of common river turtles, mud turtles, and shell-backed terrapins of all shapes and sizes—the fruits of his personal rescue efforts in Riverstone City.
They were not rare or powerful, but Kui watched them waddle and swim into the sanctuary's lake with the fond expression of a doting grandfather. Li Yu said nothing, merely smiling as his will guided the official specimens and the rescued turtles alike to perfect habitats within the vast sanctuary, a silent acknowledgment of his retainer's personal mission.
As he was doing so, Xylia coughed, a rough, slightly awkward sound. "I also… found something."
From her own beast bag, she produced the cage with the two shivering cubs. They were still scrawny, but their fur was cleaner, and their eyes were brighter. "They are Frostfang Aqua-Bears," she said, the name an obvious, on-the-spot invention. "A rare arctic beast. Distant aquatic bloodline. Very distant. They… might be useful."
Li Yu looked at the cubs, then at the proud, unyielding face of his bear sovereign, who was currently refusing to meet his gaze. He could feel the truth of the cubs' lineage instantly; their connection to the aquatic element was faint, but it was undeniably present. It was enough. They would be able to absorb the sanctuary's rich energy and grow strong here, a gift they would find nowhere else in the world.
But he could also feel the flicker of protectiveness from Xylia, the strange, gruff affection she held for these lost creatures of the cold.
A small smile touched Li Yu's lips. "Indeed," he said, his voice perfectly serious. "A very rare species. Their unique energy will surely add a new dimension to the sanctuary's balance. I will find a suitable mountain peak for them on the northern island, where the climate will suit them."
Xylia grunted in what could have been relief, turning away to hide the faint softening of her expression.
Li Yu watched them both. His loyal, fawning turtle and his proud, fierce bear. His two Core Formation sovereigns. They were his hands and his claws in the world, and they had just proven their worth tenfold.
The echoes of their actions in Riverstone City would keep the wolves at bay for a long time, granting him the one thing he craved above all else: quiet, uninterrupted time to grow.