Jin Lei's threat arrived two days later. It wasn't a letter or a call. It was a delivery to the Yun estate gates: a single, dead black rose, its stem snapped in two. Tied to it was a card with an address—a warehouse in the industrial district—and a time: midnight.
It was a classic trap. But Ye Xia had no intention of walking into it blindly.
She contacted Mo. [I have provoked the Young Dragon. He has set a trap for tonight. I need a distraction.]
Mo's reply was immediate. [A distraction will be provided. What is your true objective?]
*[To be seen entering the trap, and then to be seen leaving from a different direction, unharmed, while the trap is sprung on empty air,] *she typed. [I want to humiliate him. I want to show his father that his heir is impulsive and easily outmaneuvered.]
[A bold strategy. The warehouse is owned by a Leng family shell company. Jin Lei is working with your enemies. I will handle the distraction. Be careful.]
As night fell, Ye Xia prepared. She dressed in dark, practical clothing. She armed herself with her spiritual dagger and several Kai-infused shuriken she had crafted. She was a shadow, a weapon.
Silas drove her to a point a mile from the warehouse. She slipped out and moved through the industrial landscape like a ghost, her [Qi Perception] extended. She could feel the auras inside the warehouse—Jin Lei, burning with impatient rage, and several Leng family cultivators, their energy cold and sharp. The trap was set.
Then, right at midnight, her phone vibrated. A message from Mo: [Now.]
Across the city, a massive explosion lit up the sky. It was at the docks, in the heart of Jin Long's primary shipping terminal. Alarms blared. The auras inside the warehouse jolted with surprise and confusion. Jin Lei started shouting orders.
In the chaos, Ye Xia didn't go to the warehouse entrance. She scaled the side of the building adjacent to it, moving with preternatural grace. She positioned herself on the roof, in clear view of the warehouse's skylight. She made sure her silhouette was visible against the night sky for a full minute, a clear message: I am here. I see your trap.
Then, as Jin Lei's men spilled out of the warehouse to see the distant fire, she melted away into the darkness, unseen.
The next morning, the business news was dominated by two stories: the mysterious fire at the Jin terminal (caused by a "gas leak") and the even more mysterious withdrawal of Ye Xia's takeover bid for the logistics company.
To the outside world, it looked like a stalemate. But Ye Xia knew the truth. She had shown Jin Long that his son was a fool, and that she had powerful, unseen allies. The first move was complete. The next move was his.