WebNovels

Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: Echoes and Allies

The success with Merchant Gao was a solid foundation, but Lin Xiao felt the weight of the invisible leash the Wangs had attached to him. The 'Karmic Echo Trap' was active, a subtle filter between his reality and what the scrying spell reported back. He made a mental note to occasionally complain about "lucky breaks" and muse aloud about "hidden family treasures" to feed the Wangs' suspicions away from the truth of the System.

His next move was the Red Cliff village. He needed to secure that ore supply to make good on his promise to Gao. This required a trip, and he couldn't go alone. His father, while loyal, was too recognizable and his methods too straightforward. He needed someone who could handle trouble, but more importantly, someone who wouldn't ask too many questions.

His thoughts drifted to Su Ling. The sharp-witted daughter of a minor trading family that had been absorbed by the Wang Cartel years ago. Rumor was she was treated more as a servant than a member of the family, her intelligence seen as a threat by her boorish male cousins. He'd seen her in the market once, calmly and ruthlessly negotiating a price while her cousin blustered uselessly. She'd noticed him watching and had given him a look that was neither pity nor scorn, but simple, unvarnished assessment. It was the most seen he'd felt since arriving in this world.

It was a risk. She was still technically part of a rival organization. But discontent was a lever, and Lin Xiao was an expert at applying pressure in just the right spot.

He found her at a quiet stall near the city's edge, selling off what looked like personal trinkets to make ends meet. She was dressed in simple, faded robes, a stark contrast to the sharp intelligence in her eyes.

"Miss Su," he said, approaching.

She looked up, her expression guarded. "Lin Xiao. The city's newest topic of conversation. Come to gloat? Or to offer pity?" Her voice was calm, but there was a defensive edge to it.

"Neither," he replied, leaning against the stall. "I'm here to make a business proposal."

She raised a delicate eyebrow. "You? The…" She trailed off, tactfully avoiding the word 'cripple.'

"The one who can't cultivate. Yes," he finished for her, unbothered. "I find it frees up a great deal of time for thinking. And I've been thinking that you are vastly underutilized by the Wangs."

"That's a polite way of saying they're a bunch of prideful idiots who think with their fists instead of their heads," she said dryly, a faint smirk touching her lips. "Your point?"

"My point is I'm going to the Red Cliff village to secure an ore contract. I need someone who knows the trade routes, can spot a liar at fifty paces, and won't faint at the first sign of trouble. I'm told you check all those boxes."

She studied him for a long moment, her gaze analytical. "Why me? I'm a Su. My family is tied to the Wangs."

"Precisely why. You know how they think. You know their weaknesses. And," he added, his tone softening just a fraction, "I have a feeling your loyalties aren't as set in stone as they appear."

He saw a flicker of something in her eyes—grief, resentment, maybe a spark of hope. "What's the offer?"

"A percentage of the deal. A real one, not the pocket change the Wangs throw you. And a place in an organization that will value your mind, not just your family name."

She was silent, weighing his words. The System, ever helpful, provided a nudge.

[Karmic Insight: Target is experiencing high conflict between familial duty and personal ambition. A display of trust may tip the scales.]

"Also," Xiao said, as if it were an afterthought. "I know you're selling your mother's jade hairpin. Don't. Keep it." He slid a small pouch of spirit stones—a fraction of his KP-converted wealth—across the stall. "Consider it a signing bonus."

Su Ling stared at the pouch, then back at him, her composure finally cracked with genuine surprise. "How did you know about the hairpin?"

"I pay attention," he said simply. It was the truth. The System had flagged the hairpin's emotional value in its brief social analysis, but he didn't need to mention that part.

She picked up the pouch, her fingers closing around it tightly. She tucked it into her robe, then carefully put the jade hairpin back into a small wooden box. "Alright, Lin Xiao. I'm in. But if this is a trick, I'll be the one personally pushing you off a cliff."

"Duly noted," he said, a genuine smile gracing his lips for the first time. "Let's go."

---

The journey to Red Cliff was a day's travel by carriage. The situation provided the first dose of the situational comedy Xiao found himself in.

The carriage was old, and one of the wheels had a stubborn squeak that repeated with maddening consistency. Squeak… thump. Squeak… thump.

After an hour of this, Xiao couldn't take it anymore. "System," he thought, "Is there a 'Minor Grease Application' skill for 1 KP or something?"

[Negative. Suggest host utilize basic problem-solving skills acquired in childhood.]

Oh, hilarious, he thought back. He sighed and knocked on the roof for the driver to stop.

"What are you doing?" Su Ling asked as he climbed out.

"Preserving my sanity," he grumbled. He looked at the axle, found the source of the squeak, and spotted a common roadside weed whose sap had lubricating properties. Another tidbit from the System's vast database of useless-to-most-people information. He applied it carefully.

When he climbed back in, the squeak was gone.

Su Ling watched him, her earlier suspicion replaced by amused curiosity. "You know about axle weeds."

"I know about a lot of things," he said, settling back into his seat. "Most of them are utterly pointless until the moment they're not."

"You're the strangest person I've ever met," she stated, not unkindly.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

When they arrived at Red Cliff, the village chief was a grizzled old man who looked at them with deep suspicion. The Wangs had been their only buyers for years, paying rock-bottom prices.

Lin Xiao let Su Ling take the lead. She was brilliant. She spoke the language of the mountains, knew the quality of the ore by sight, and bartered with a respectful but firm tenacity that the chief clearly admired. Xiao mostly just stood there, observing, occasionally nodding.

The System, however, was busy.

[Target: Village Chief. Primary Concern: Security. Fears reprisal from Wang Cartel for switching suppliers.]

Xiao waited for a lull in the negotiations. "Chief," he interjected softly. "The Wangs' main mine is closed. Indefinitely. They are in no position to threaten anyone. And the Lin family is now under the protection of a new… patron." He let the word hang in the air, mysterious and implying a power he did not possess. It wasn't a lie, he reasoned. The System was a patron of sorts.

The chief's eyes widened. He looked from Xiao's calm face to Su Ling's confident one. The deal was struck.

On the journey back, successful contract in hand, the mood was lighter. The silence was comfortable now, not strained.

"You handled that well," Su Ling said. "The 'patron' bit was a nice touch. Completely fabricated, but effective."

"I have my moments," Xiao replied, looking out at the passing scenery.

"It's just… you're so…" She gestured at him, searching for the word. "…calm. It's unnerving. Most men in your position would be either boasting or panicking. You just… are."

"It's all about blood flow," he said, deciding to have a little fun. "All the energy other people waste on fretting or preening, I redirect to my brain. It's a much more efficient system."

She stared at him for a second, then let out a short, genuine laugh. It transformed her face, making her look years younger. "You're ridiculous."

[Karmic Bond Strengthened: 'Trusted Associate' status achieved with Su Ling.]

It was a start.

When they returned to the city, night was falling. As they neared the Lin compound, the System blared a warning.

[Alert: 'Eyes of the Guardian' triggered. Hostile intent detected. Four individuals. Cultivation: Two at 3rd Level Qi Refining, two at 4th Level. lying in ambush 50 meters ahead.]

Xiao's relaxed posture vanished instantly. "Stop the carriage," he commanded the driver, his voice low and sharp.

Su Ling immediately caught the change. "What is it?"

"Trouble. Four of them. Wang's thugs, I'd wager." He closed his eyes, accessing the 'Eyes of the Guardian' feed. He could see them in his mind's eye, hiding in the alley next to their gate. They were getting sloppy, eager. This wasn't a planned assassination; it was a message. A brutal, violent one.

He had no power to fight them. Su Ling had some basic self-defense, but she was no match for four trained cultivators.

Panic was a cold stone in his gut. But then, the System interface glowed, cool and logical.

[Available Option: 'Grand Illusion: City Guard Patrol' (Area of Effect). Creates auditory and visual hallucinations of an approaching City Guard patrol, complete with marching, armor clinks, and torchlight. Duration: 2 minutes. Cost: 150 KP.]

It was perfect.

"Do you trust me?" he asked Su Ling.

Her eyes were wide, but she nodded.

"Then get ready to run for the gate on my signal."

He purchased the illusion.

Suddenly, the quiet street was filled with the sound of heavy, marching boots. The clank of armor. The flicker of torchlight reflecting off the buildings at the end of the lane, growing brighter.

From their hiding spot, there was a muffled curse. "The Guards! Scatter!"

The four figures burst from the alley, looking not towards Xiao's carriage, but down the street towards the illusory patrol. They hesitated for a split second, then fled in the opposite direction, vanishing into the warren of back alleys.

"Now!" Xiao said.

He and Su Ling sprinted the short distance to the Lin family gate, slipping inside as a bewildered guard let them in. They leaned against the closed gate, catching their breath.

Su Ling looked at him, her chest heaving. "The City Guard… they never patrol this district at this hour. How…?"

Lin Xiao looked back at her, the faint glow of the System reflected in his eyes. He gave her a small, mysterious smile.

"It seems our new patron is looking out for us."

More Chapters