The dust from Disciple Feng's departure had barely settled when a new player entered the stage.
A single carriage, lacquered black and marked with the silver cloud emblem of the Yunhai Merchant Guild, rolled to a quiet stop at the courtyard gate.
A woman descended, her movements precise and unhurried.
She wore the practical robes of a guild agent, but the cut of the silk and the cold confidence in her eyes spoke of significant authority.
She approached Li Xian, her gaze taking in the tense scene with the analytical disinterest of a predator assessing a kill.
"Li Xian," she stated, her voice as crisp as new parchment. "I am He Yunfei, senior agent for the Yunhai Guild."
She didn't wait for a reply. "If the River Gate Sect freezes your docks, our contract with your family is void. We will seize your routes to cover the losses. It is a simple matter of asset reclamation."
She smelled faintly of expensive perfume, the scent doing little to mask the cruelty of her words.
Li Xian met her gaze. "Your guild moves quickly, Agent He. Does the Yunhai Guild fear the Sect's investigation?"
He Yunfei's expression remained placid. "The Guild fears nothing. We dislike disruptions to profit."
"And a full sect audit of the largest dock operator on this stretch of the river is a significant disruption, is it not?" Li Xian pressed. "How many of your own shipments would be frozen as evidence? How much profit will you lose for every day they control my family's port?"
He had flipped the negotiation. He was no longer a debtor, rather, he was offering a solution to her problem.
"I can offer you something more valuable than seized assets," he said. "I can offer you the truth behind this disruption. I can give you the means to recover your routes and the leverage to ensure this scandal does not touch your guild's reputation."
A flicker of interest appeared in the agent's eyes. "Bold claims require verifiable data."
"And contracts require a show of good faith," Li Xian countered smoothly.
She stared at him for a long moment, her mind clearly calculating the odds.
The silence was a negotiation in itself.
"One piece of proof," she said, her voice sharp. "Now. If it is anything less than actionable intelligence, this conversation is over, and I will begin asset seizure proceedings within the hour."
It was a test. A threat wrapped in a business proposal.
Li Xian nodded. He had already chosen his offering.
A single, perfect thread for her to pull.
"Last night, the River Gate Sect patrol, under the command of Disciple Cheng, initiated a full river closure at the hour of the rat," Li Xian began, his voice low and steady. "The closure is logged in the harbor master's public records."
He held up a single finger. "One hour later, at the hour of the ox, Steward Zhao of my family logged the departure of the missing barge, using a seal issued from his personal supply."
He added the final, crucial piece. "The junior clerk, a young man named Fei, who was on duty and witnessed the log entry, can be found taking his morning meal at the Drunken Carp tavern. He is a known gossip and is terrified for his life."
He had given her a timeline contradiction, a named culprit, and a living witness. He had made the truth actionable.
He Yunfei's respect for him was a palpable thing. It rose like the temperature in the courtyard.
They didn't use the Li family's study.
He Yunfei produced a scroll of legally binding contract paper from her sleeve, along with a brush and inkstone.
They drafted the terms right there in the courtyard.
The terms were ruthless, but fair.
The Yunhai Guild would grant the Li family's western branch a seven-day grace period.
In exchange, Li Xian would provide all evidence.
The Guild would grant him a token of temporary association and access to their internal auction catalogs. They would offer limited, non-sect protection, meaning they would witness all official interactions to prevent simple thuggery.
The pen scratched across the paper. Li Xian read the breach clause and did not flinch.
Failure to deliver will result in the forfeiture of all Li family assets and personal indenturement.
Before signing, he added a single, elegant line.
"All protections and privileges afforded to the primary signee are extended to his direct household."
It was a clause to protect his mother.
He Yunfei read it, nodded once, and they both signed their names. The wax seals were pressed, and the contract was binding.
"Your new status grants you access to our commerce channels," He Yunfei said, handing him a list. "We have several lots of seized assets and unclaimed salvage up for auction this week."
She tapped one entry. "Including a rather pathetic lot of scrap pulled from the river bottom last month. Corroded metals, a few bits of petrified wood. Mostly worthless."
As his eyes scanned the words "river salvage," the Dao Matrix stirred with a sudden, violent hunger.
It was a physical craving, a drooling, desperate need that made his mouth water.
"Calm yourself, Glutton," he thought, clenching his fist to stop it from trembling.
He finally understood. Relics were history. History was food. Food meant power.
Commerce was a form of cultivation.
Li Xian walked the agent to her carriage, the cool weight of the silver Yunhai token in his sleeve.
He had bought himself seven days of breathing room. He had secured a powerful, if untrustworthy, witness.
But he had also sold his anonymity.
As the black carriage rolled away, he could feel the eyes of the entire estate on him. The servants, the guards, the hidden spies of Steward Zhao and his half-brother.
He was no longer just the disposable son.
He was the disposable son with the backing of the Yunhai Merchant Guild. That didn't make him safe.
It just painted a much, much larger target on his back.