The arrival of Kui and Xylia marked a fundamental shift in the atmosphere of the Azure Sea Guesthouse. The villa, which had been a quiet retreat for Li Yu's solitary cultivation, was instantly energized by the presence of his two most active retainers. The professional, yet fawning, whirlwind of activity that was Kui and the cold, silent pressure of Xylia's martial presence filled the space, turning it from a residence into a forward operating base.
The formal introductions between Li Yu's sovereigns and the Pavilion's leadership were a fascinating study in power dynamics. Branch Master Jing and Elder Quan, both seasoned merchants, immediately saw past Kui's cheerful, bumbling merchant facade. They recognized the razor-sharp mind and the centuries of experience glittering in his eyes. In Xylia, they felt the raw, untamed power of a predator, a being who evaluated the world in terms of threats and weaknesses. The respect they afforded Li Yu's two associates was immediate and profound.
The following morning, the true work began. Branch Master Jing unrolled the master architectural plans for the Silver Shoal Spire on a massive table in his office, preparing to discuss them with Li Yu. Before he could begin, Kui, with a cheerful but firm gesture, took charge.
"Ah, a magnificent starting point, Branch Master Jing! A fine structure with excellent bones!" the turtle sovereign boomed, his eyes scanning the blueprints with a speed and acuity that was breathtaking. "But the flow of goods is inefficient. The primary warehouse is too far from the deep-water dock. The public-facing storefront lacks a proper receiving area for high-value clients. And the defensive array coverage has a blind spot on the northeastern face."
He didn't criticize; he simply stated facts. In minutes, he had taken a charcoal pencil and was making swift, decisive modifications to the plans, sketching new corridors, reinforcing structural points for security, and redesigning the entire ground floor for optimal commercial flow. Jing and Quan watched, utterly captivated. They were master merchants, but Kui was a grandmaster, an artist of commerce whose medium was logistics and profit. Li Yu watched from the side, sipping his tea with a quiet smile. This was precisely why he had summoned him.
While Kui managed the spire's construction, Xylia undertook her own mission. She did not concern herself with business. For two days, she simply walked the city, from the wealthiest districts to the grimiest corners of the docks. Her expression was a mask of cold indifference, but her senses were taking in everything: the patrol routes of the city guard, the territories of the local gangs, the locations of the mercenary guilds, and the ambient strength of the city's cultivators. She was mapping the entire ecosystem of power, identifying potential threats and, more importantly, potential recruits.
On the third day, two new recruitment stations were established in Coralspire's bustling central plaza. They couldn't have been more different.
The first was for the Golden Shell Guild. It was an elegant pavilion, staffed by professional, smiling clerks hired on a temporary basis from the Jade Sea Pavilion. They were seeking appraisers, caravan masters, accountants, and dock foremen. The requirements were strict, and the tests were rigorous, focusing on skill, experience, and integrity. It attracted a crowd of respectable, ambitious merchants and craftsmen looking for a stable and prosperous career.
A hundred feet away stood the recruitment post for the White Paw Company. It was just a single, bare table with the crimson banner of the Paw planted firmly behind it. Xylia herself sat there, her powerful form and icy glare a more effective deterrent to the unworthy than any wall of guards. There were no applications to fill out. The sign was simple and brutal: "Warriors wanted. Weaklings not welcome. Spar with the Commander to prove your worth." It attracted a harder, more dangerous crowd: grizzled sailors with the scars of pirate battles, rogue cultivators with cold eyes, and hulking brutes who lived for the thrill of a good fight.
For the next few days, the city was abuzz with the activities of these two new, powerful entities. Li Yu, free from any managerial responsibility, took the opportunity to enjoy the city with his companions in the evenings.
During one such stroll through the grand seaside market, a sprawling bazaar filled with the exotic scents of strange spices and oceanic delicacies, they came upon a commotion. A group of burly, thuggish-looking men, their clothes bearing the faded, tattered insignia of the recently disgraced Black Reef Syndicate, were harassing a young fishmonger. The boy, no older than fifteen, had a stall filled with rare, deep-water fish, and the thugs were trying to extort him for "protection money."
"Just give us our cut, boy, and we'll make sure no one else bothers you," the leader sneered, knocking over a basket of iridescent eels.
Kui, ever the cheerful busybody, waddled forward before Li Yu or Xylia could react. "My good sirs! A misunderstanding, surely!" he boomed, his smile wide and disarming. "This young man's stall seems to be having some structural trouble. As a purveyor of fine goods myself, I simply cannot abide by such shoddy craftsmanship!"
He reached over and, with a seemingly casual pat, placed his hand on the corner of the thug's rickety stall next door. There was a faint, almost inaudible crunch. A moment later, the entire structure groaned, swayed, and then collapsed into a heap of splintered wood and spilled, foul-smelling fish guts. The thugs stared at the wreckage of their own operation in dumbfounded silence, then looked at the smiling, portly old man with a dawning sense of fear.
"Oh dear! It seems the rot was deeper than I thought!" Kui said, his eyes wide with mock surprise. He then turned to the young, stunned fishmonger, his smile becoming genuine and warm. "Young man, I am Kui, Guild Master of the Golden Shell Guild. Your wares are of excellent quality. I can see you have a real talent for finding these rare specimens."
The boy stammered, "Th-thank you, sir."
"Talent like yours should be nurtured, not preyed upon by bottom-feeders," Kui continued, loud enough for the pale-faced thugs to hear. "I would like to offer you an exclusive supplier's contract with my Guild. We will buy everything you can catch, at a fair price. Furthermore," he added, his gaze sweeping over the boy's worn clothes, "we provide secure housing for all our key suppliers and their families within our new spire. A safe home, a stable income, and the protection of the Guild. What do you say?"
The boy's eyes went wide, first with disbelief, then with a wave of overwhelming relief and gratitude that brought tears to his eyes. "Sir… yes! A thousand times, yes! Thank you!"
"Excellent!" Kui declared. He handed the boy a heavy pouch of spirit stones. "This is an advance. Go home, pack your things, and tell your family the good news. Come to the Silver Shoal Spire tomorrow. We will have a place ready for you." He then purchased the boy's remaining stock of Bioluminescent Squid and Star-Gazer Crabs as a show of good faith. As they walked away, the thugs, understanding that their target was now under the protection of a power they could not possibly afford to offend, quietly slunk away into the crowds, their problem permanently solved.
The squid and crabs, of course, were not for eating. Later that night, Li Yu released them into his Koi's Sanctuary, their strange, glowing forms adding a new, otherworldly beauty to the abyssal depths of his inner ocean, further enriching his martial spirit.
Their walk continued. Kui, in his element, found a merchant selling rare sea turtles, including a pair of ancient-looking Star-Shelled Sea Turtles whose carapaces shimmered with a faint, cosmic light. After a spirited but good-natured round of haggling that left the merchant both poorer and happier, Kui purchased them all, arranging for them to be discreetly delivered to the Silver Shoal Spire for later transport.
Xylia, who had remained silent and watchful, suddenly stopped. Her gaze was fixed on a cage containing two shivering, miserable-looking cubs. They were bear-like, with thick, white fur that seemed to be made of solidified mist, and their paws were disproportionately large and webbed, a clear sign of a semi-aquatic bloodline.
"Mist-paw Aqua Bears," the merchant hawked. "Very rare, my lady! Tame as house cats!"
Xylia simply grunted, tossed a heavy pouch of spirit stones at the man, and pointed at the cage. "Send them to the Silver Shoal Spire. If they are harmed, I will be back." The threat was unspoken but hung in the air with a lethal weight. The merchant could only nod, pale and sweating.
They both of course when there was a chance got the turtles and bears into the Koi Sanctuary. While it wasn't much and they weren't trying to be saviors, they did what they could do in passing and it was in a way their soft hearts. Li Yu of course saw this and said nothing of it, it wasn't an issue at all to him.
The days settled into a productive rhythm. Kui, with Branch Master Jing's full cooperation, formally signed a comprehensive partnership agreement. The Golden Shell Guild was now an official, priority supplier of its unique, cultivated aquatic species to the Jade Sea Pavilion's entire southern network.
The deal didn't make them an exclusive supplier—the Pavilion had too many sources for that—but it guaranteed them prime market access and the full backing of the Pavilion's trade routes. It was a powerful strategic alliance, ensuring they wouldn't be shut out of the lucrative southern market and instantly making their new branch a major player in the region's economy.
Xylia's recruitment was also bearing fruit; she had accepted a dozen hard-bitten warriors into the White Paw's first southern cohort, a core that she was already beginning to forge into a disciplined unit.
With his lieutenants capably handling the foundation of his new empire, Li Yu found himself with a rare commodity: free time. He had a powerful new tool in Caihong, and the vast, mysterious ocean was calling. He approached Kui one evening as the turtle sovereign was gleefully reviewing the final architectural drafts.
"Kui," Li Yu began. "The spire is in your capable hands. I feel the need for a short… excursion."
Kui's eyes lit up. "An excursion, Wise Host? A splendid idea! A treasure hunt, perhaps?"
"Perhaps," Li Yu said with a smile. "The ocean is vast, and Caihong is eager to explore. I would like you to accompany me. Your knowledge of oceanic treasures and history is invaluable."
"It would be this old turtle's greatest honor!" Kui boomed. "To seek fortune in the name of the Wise Host! When do we depart?"
"At dawn," Li Yu replied, his gaze turning towards the endless, moonlit sea. "It is time to see what secrets this ocean is hiding."