The air on the frozen field between the city and the ship was thick with a cold, hostile tension. The negotiation had reached a complete and total impasse. Vice Sect Leader Zha Wu stood as an unmovable wall of polite, unreasonable refusals, and Kui's patience, a commodity he usually had in abundance, had finally run out.
Yet, even with his anger simmering, his merchant's mind made one final, desperate attempt to solve the problem in the way he understood best: with money.
"Very well," Kui said, his voice now dangerously calm. "It seems we have misunderstood your position. This is not about security; it is about compensation. A toll, perhaps, for the inconvenience."
He looked Zha Wu directly in the eye. "In addition to forfeiting all of our Guild's assets currently within the Boreal Empire, I am now willing to pay a substantial sum of spirit stones for the safe return of each and every one of our people. A ransom, if you prefer that term."
The offer was staggering. It was a golden bridge, a final, easy path to a peaceful resolution that would see the Soaring Dragon Sect immensely enriched.
Zha Wu's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, the sheer scale of the offer momentarily shocking him. But his orders had been absolute. He quickly regained his composure, his face once again an unyielding mask.
"Your generosity is noted, Guild Leader Kui," he said, his voice flat. "But the answer is still no. This matter is not negotiable."
That was the final straw. The merchant, the negotiator, the man who believed any problem could be solved with the right price, vanished. In his place stood the ruthless Guild Leader.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kui's voice was now a quiet, almost gentle murmur, which was far more terrifying than his earlier shouts of frustration. "The Guild fiercely protects its own. It is the cornerstone of our philosophy, the very reason why so many talented people are willing to work so hard for us. To hold our people hostage is to declare yourself our enemy."
He took a small step forward, his aura, usually so cheerful and commercial, now carrying a heavy, dangerous weight. "Do you truly want to make an enemy out of the Golden Shell Guild? We were trying to do this like businessmen, but you are being bullies."
The Vice Sect Leader, despite the chilling threat, remained unfazed, a smug, unshakable confidence in his eyes. It was clear he was relying on a power far greater than his own. "There is nothing more to discuss," he said dismissively. "If the Golden Shell Guild wishes to declare war on the Soaring Dragon Sect, then we are willing to fight."
Kui stared at him for a long, silent moment. Then, he simply nodded, a slow, deliberate gesture that was a promise of future violence. He turned his back.
"You will regret this," he said quietly, the words not a shout, but a simple, chilling statement of fact.
Without another word, Kui, Li Yu, and Cyra turned and walked back towards their ship, the failed negotiation hanging in the cold air behind them.
Vice Sect Leader Zha Wu watched them go, a flicker of unease finally piercing his confident facade. He had followed his orders, but the quiet, cold fury in the Guild Leader's eyes had left him deeply unsettled. When his aura flared up, he realized that the Guild Leader strength was stronger than his own. He turned and led his own retinue of disciples back through the city gates, his mind troubled.
He walked through the heavily guarded streets, his own disciples looking at him with a mixture of respect and fear. He dismissed them and continued on alone, his path leading him to a secluded, heavily guarded courtyard at the heart of the city's command center. The guards at the door, men from his own sect, did not meet his eyes. They simply bowed and opened the door.
He stepped inside. The room was sparsely furnished, dominated by a large tactical map of the Boreal Empire. Standing before the map, their backs to him, were two figures, a man and a woman, both clad in dark, featureless cloaks that completely obscured their forms and their cultivation levels.
"The negotiation is over," Zha Wu said, his voice respectful but strained.
"And?" the woman's voice was cold and clipped, without a hint of emotion.
"They have departed. I rejected all of their offers, as you commanded," he reported. He then hesitated for a moment before pressing on, his own misgivings too strong to be silenced. "Honored Emissaries, with all due respect, I believe we have made a mistake. The Golden Shell Guild is not a force to be provoked lightly. Their wealth is immeasurable, and their influence is vast. Their final offer… it was generous beyond reason. We should have accepted it. We should have let them take their people and leave. To make an enemy of them over this… it is not wise."
The cloaked man finally turned. His face was hidden in the deep shadow of his hood, but the voice that emerged was filled with a cold, dismissive arrogance. "Your concerns are noted, Vice Sect Leader," he said. "But your understanding of the situation is limited. Our plan is paramount. It is at a critical stage. The lockdown must be absolute."
"But they are a neutral party!" Zha Wu insisted. "They care only for their own people! They would take their people and leave, not disrupting the plan."
"And what if one of their 'people' has seen something?" the woman interjected, turning to face him. "What if a caravan guard, a simple mercenary, witnessed one of our collection teams in a remote town? What if a guild manager overheard a careless rumor? A single leak, a single piece of information escaping this empire, could bring the full attention of the continent's major powers down on us before we are ready. We cannot allow that."
She took a step closer, and Zha Wu could feel a pressure emanating from her, a power that was clearly stronger than his own, making his Core Formation realm feel slightly suppressed and sluggish. To his surprise though, the Guild Leader's strength that he felt earlier was stronger than hers. He really believed they should not be doing this.
"Your Sect Master understood this when he pledged his allegiance to our cause," she continued, her voice a cold, sharp blade. "He understood the stakes. Your disciples, your entire sect, are here for one reason: to act as the wall that keeps the world out, and our secrets in. No one gets in. No one gets out. That is your only purpose. Do you understand?"
Vice Sect Leader Zha Wu could only nod, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow. He was a powerful, respected figure in his own sect, but before this woman, he was but a subordinate due to the Sect Leader's decision. He thought of his Sect Master, a man whose ambition had led them down this dark, treacherous path, tying the fate of their ancient sect to these mysterious, ruthless people. He had no choice. He was trapped.
"I understand," he said, his voice a low, defeated whisper.
"Good," the man said. "Now, return to your duties. The Golden Shell Guild may try something foolish. Be prepared. Hold this border at all costs."
Zha Wu bowed and backed out of the room, his heart heavy with a sense of impending doom. He was now caught between two terrifying forces: the cold, calculating fury of the Golden Shell Guild, and the iron, fanatical will of the mysterious power his sect now served. He had a sinking feeling that his sect, the Soaring Dragon Sect, would be the one that was crushed between them.