Two more weeks passed, and the peace that had settled over the Green Mountain Sect deepened, becoming the new, comfortable reality. The initial, feverish excitement following their impossible victory had subsided, replaced by a profound, sect-wide sense of confidence and purpose.
The disciples trained with a quiet, focused intensity, their morale no longer a roaring fire but a bed of deep, glowing coals. The influx of resources from the spoils of war and the burgeoning trade with the Golden Shell Guild had enriched every aspect of their lives, and the presence of the three 'Honored Envoys' on Envoy's Peak had become a source of immense pride and security.
Li Yu, at the heart of this tranquil world, allowed himself to be carried by its gentle current. His days were a perfect, harmonious balance of simple work and profound cultivation. He would spend his mornings at the Deepwater Menagerie, helping his friends manage the ever-growing ecosystem, his hands in the water, his mind at peace.
His afternoons and evenings were spent in deep seclusion, either tempering his body towards the Ninth Stage of the «Abyssal Leviathan Physique» or exploring the endless, fascinating mysteries of his nascent soul. He was a quiet gardener, tending to both his physical and spiritual worlds, and both were thriving.
But the peace of the Green Mountain was an island in a raging, storm-tossed sea. While they enjoyed their golden age of tranquility, the civil war in the Boreal Frost Empire had escalated, its brutality reaching a new, terrifying crescendo.
The news came to Li Yu in a steady, grim trickle, delivered by Fengliu's ever-expanding network of spies. The Whispering Wing Pavilion was proving its worth, its reports detailed, accurate, and chilling.
The northern war, which had been a bloody stalemate, had taken a decisive and brutal turn. The Third Prince's faction, reeling from the loss of a general, two Core Formation experts, two warships, and an entire allied sect, was now firmly on the back foot.
The Seventh Princess, a cunning and ruthless strategist, had not missed the opportunity. She had launched a series of relentless, coordinated assaults, pressing her advantage and seizing vast swathes of territory along their western border.
The Third Prince's forces, once the proud aggressors, were now in a desperate, fighting retreat.
That had all changed a week ago.
The report from Fengliu was grim and detailed. As one of the Seventh Princess's primary commanders, a 5th-level Core Formation expert from the Frost Spirit Palace, was leading a contingent of her forces to capture a vital supply fortress, he was ambushed. He was a cautious man, and he was accompanied by another, 3rd-level Core Formation elder for support. They had scouted the area thoroughly. It was clear.
But the Third Prince, in his desperation, had revealed his own hidden trump card. He had not just sent his most powerful general, the 6th-level expert Kaelen. A second, previously unknown, 6th-level Core Formation expert, a shadowy figure known only as the 'Wraith General,' had appeared on the battlefield.
The two 6th-level experts had worked in perfect, brutal concert. They had sprung their trap, their combined power a force that the Princess's two commanders could not hope to match. The battle was a short, brutal, and utterly one-sided affair. The 3rd-level elder was killed in the first exchange, his body shattered by a single, powerful blow from General Kaelen. The 5th-level commander, a powerful master in his own right, found himself facing two opponents of a higher cultivation. He fought valiantly, but his defeat was inevitable. He, too, was slain, his death a devastating blow to the Seventh Princess's military leadership.
The loss of two Core Formation experts in a single battle was catastrophic. The balance of power, which had been tilting heavily in the Princess's favor, had been violently thrown back into a bloody, uncertain equilibrium. She was now on the back foot, her western flank crumbling, her morale in tatters. The Third Prince, with his new, mysterious ally, was pressing his advantage, his victory once again seeming not just possible, but inevitable.
Li Yu read the report in the quiet of his study, a thoughtful, sober expression on his face. He felt a distant, sympathy for the Seventh Princess, a woman he had never met. But this was not his war. His only concern was how the shifting tides of this distant conflict might one day reach his own, peaceful shores. For now, all he could do was watch, and wait, and continue to grow stronger.
It was in the midst of this quiet, watchful peace that a new, and decidedly less grim, visitor arrived at the Green Mountain Sect.
A grand, opulent, and slightly ostentatious flying carriage, pulled by a team of four magnificent, winged beasts known as Wind-Shear Stallions, descended from the sky. It flew the proud, unmistakable banner of the Golden Shell Guild. The carriage did not land at the main gate, but flew directly towards the Deepwater Menagerie, a clear sign that its occupant was not just a guest, but a high-level partner.
The carriage landed in the main courtyard of the menagerie, and from it, a familiar, portly figure emerged, his wealthy merchant robes seeming even more splendid than before. It was Fat Pig, the Vice Guild Master of the Golden Shell Guild.
He was met by Brother Kai and Uncle Wei, who now acted as the official liaisons between the menagerie and the Guild.
"Vice Guild Master!" Brother Kai said with a deep, respectful bow. "Your arrival is a most welcome surprise!"
"Nonsense, nonsense! The pleasure is all mine!" Fat Pig boomed, his voice a perfect imitation of Kui's cheerful, magnanimous tone. "I was simply… in the neighborhood, on a tour of our northern assets, and I thought I would stop by to pay my respects and… absorb the magnificent, profit-generating atmosphere of this fine establishment!"
His official reason for the visit was sound: it was a public display of the constant, high-level trade that now flowed between the Guild and the sect, a clear message to the world of their unbreakable bond. His personal reason, however, was a bit more self-serving. He had been working tirelessly for months, and his cultivation, which had been stagnant for years, was crying out for the pure, potent energy of the Koi's Sanctuary.
He was escorted to Li Yu's pagoda, his entourage of guards unloading a series of large, heavily warded, water-filled containers from the carriage.
"Wise Host!" Fat Pig declared, bowing so low his great belly nearly touched the floor. "This humble one has come bearing gifts! Small tokens of my travels, a few new, interesting specimens for your magnificent collection!"
Li Yu smiled, a genuine, amused expression on his face. "You are too kind, Vice Guild Master. Let us see what you have brought."
The first few containers were opened, and they held truly exotic and valuable aquatic beasts he had acquired from the Guild's expanding trade network. There was a pair of Shadow-Whisker Catfish, strange, black-scaled fish from a deep, sunless river in the demonic territories, whose whiskers could sense the faintest spiritual fluctuations, making them excellent guard beasts. There was a colony of Singing River Clams, small, beautiful mollusks that emitted a soft, melodic hum that could soothe the spirit and aid in cultivation. They were fine, valuable additions to the sanctuary.
Then, the last, and largest, set of containers was opened. And inside were boars.
Dozens of them.
There were Iron-Snout River Hogs, their hides as tough as low-grade metal. There were Razor-Tusk Marsh Boars, their tusks long, sharp, and dripping with a paralytic venom. There were even a pair of magnificent Armored Deep-Water Swine, a rare, semi-aquatic breed whose backs were covered in thick, shell-like plates. They were all, without exception, boars.
Li Yu looked at the collection of pigs, then at Fat Pig, whose face was a mask of perfect, beaming innocence, as if he had just presented the rarest and most thoughtful of gifts.
'He is not even trying to be subtle about it,' Li Yu thought, a wave of profound amusement washing over him. He looked into his own Koi's Sanctuary. The great, endless ocean was still overwhelmingly dominated by fish. The countless schools of Azure-Jade Carp and the hundreds of other fish species he had collected formed the vast, teeming foundation of his inner world. But the islands were another matter.
One great, verdant island was now covered in a thriving, happy population of Star-Shelled Sea Turtles and a dozen other tortoise species, a personal project of Kui's. Another, colder peak was home to a growing family of Mist-Paw Aqua Bears and other glacial creatures, Xylia's silent contribution. And now, it seemed, a new, muddy and perfectly wonderful island was about to become a porcine paradise.
He simply smiled, a warm, genuine expression. "They are magnificent, Fat Pig. Truly. A most… unique and valuable addition to our collection. I will see that they are given a comfortable new home."
"The Wise Host is too generous!" Fat Pig declared, his eyes shining with a tearful, grateful light.
That night, after being granted a long, blissful session of cultivation in the Koi's Sanctuary, Fat Pig was a guest of honor at a feast hosted by Li Yu and his friends. He regaled them with tales of the booming trade in Traveler's Rest, of the mountains of spirit stones that were flowing into the Guild's coffers. He ate with the gusto of a true gourmand, his love of good food and fine wine a perfect match for the cheerful, boisterous atmosphere of Li Yu's small, close-knit circle of friends.
He was a Core Formation expert, a Vice Guild Master of a continental power, a former tyrant who had ruled a mountain range. But here, in this quiet valley, surrounded by the simple, honest friendship of Li Yu's companions, he was just… Fat Pig. It was unthinkable for him to have such interactions before meeting Li Yu and more importantly Kui. Kui taught him the ways of enjoying life, a true older brother.