Chương 227: Whispers of Violence

Elder Jin's amicable demeanor vanished in an instant, replaced by a look of cold, hard authority.

"What is the meaning of this? Speak clearly!"

"Elder, it's Caravan Seven!" the disciple gasped.

"They've been ambushed! On the Old Southern Road, not five miles from the city! They're under attack by a group of hooded men and are calling for immediate reinforcements!" A dangerous glint entered Elder Jin's eyes. A flicker of cold fury.

"The Southern Road? They dare to strike so close to our gates?" He turned his sharp, decisive gaze to the second disciple.

"Sound the alarm! Assemble a team of Law Enforcement disciples at the south gate immediately! I will go ahead."

"Yes, Elder!" the disciple said, bowing quickly before sprinting off towards the sect's central bell tower. Elder Jin then turned to Li Yu's group, his expression now a mask of grim formality.

"Forgive my abrupt departure," he said, his voice clipped and sharp.

"A pressing sect matter requires my immediate attention. Please, see yourselves out." Without another word, he became a blur of motion, a streak of fiery red energy that shot down the mountain path and towards the city's southern gate with incredible speed. The group stood in silence for a long moment, watching him go. The sudden, violent intrusion had shattered the calm, diplomatic atmosphere of their tour.

"Well," Fat Pig said finally, breaking the silence.

"It seems our direct approach has hit a dead end here. If the conch was made by someone in the Crimson Forge Sect, it was done in absolute secrecy, and no one is talking." Jian Xuan nodded.

"The elder's recommendation was telling. It seems all roads for esoteric artifacts in the south lead to this Golden Tide Clan." Li Yu looked south, in the direction of the coast, a new sense of clarity in his eyes. Their trip to the city had not been a waste. They had made a powerful connection with Master Tie, secured a new weapon for Jian Xuan, and now, they had a solid, confirmed lead.

"It seems Fengliu is in the right place," he said, his voice calm and steady.

"Now, we wait for his report."

"It seems our troubles with caravan attacks are not unique to the Golden Shell Guild. The culprits are getting bolder." Fat Pig went on to say.

"To attack a caravan flying the Crimson Forge Sect's own flag, right on their doorstep… that is not boldness," Jian Xuan observed, his voice low and analytical.

"That is either supreme arrogance or sheer desperation." Xylia simply grunted, her hand resting on one of her gauntlets. For her, chaos and conflict were simply a part of the natural order, and often, a source of opportunity. They began their walk back down into the city, the distant sound of an alarm bell now echoing from the peak behind them. The news of the attack seemed to ripple down the mountain ahead of them, a wave of tension and unease spreading through the disciples and workers they passed.

The city, which had seemed so vibrant and prosperous just an hour ago, now felt like it was holding its breath, a fragile peace threatened by unseen violence.

"No point in dwelling on the sect's problems," Fat Pig said, ever the pragmatist, as they reached the city proper.

"Our own investigation has hit a wall until we hear from Fengliu. And we have a few days to wait for Brother Jian's sword. I say we make the most of it. There's more to this port than forges. Wise Host, since we are here, perhaps we could visit the wharf's beast market? I hear they often have rare catches from the deep sea." Li Yu's eyes showed a flicker of genuine interest. His menagerie—and by extension, his cultivation foundation—was always in need of new and unique lifeforms.

"A good idea," he said. They bypassed the food stalls and artisan markets, heading directly for the sprawling, noisy docks. The air here was thick with the smell of salt and fish, but also with the potent, wild auras of countless sea creatures. This section of the port was dedicated to the beast trade. Dozens of large, open-air pens, filled with constantly circulating seawater and sealed with powerful formations, lined the docks. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Beast hunters, their skin tanned and leathery from the sun and sea, loudly hawked their latest catches. Merchants and cultivators moved from pen to pen, inspecting the creatures, their spiritual senses probing for potential and power. It was a chaotic, vibrant, and dangerous marketplace. Li Yu moved through the market with a quiet, focused purpose. He was not looking for raw power; his menagerie already had powerful beasts though the more the better there too.

He was looking for uniqueness, for creatures with strange abilities that could add a new dimension to the ecosystem of his koi martial spirit's inner world. His first purchase was a small school of what the seller called "Mirror-Scale Piranhas." They were small, unassuming fish, but their scales had a strange, reflective quality that could create disorienting flashes of light to confuse predators and prey alike. A useful, low-level defensive trait. His second find was more significant.

In a large, deep tank, a half-dozen strange, eel-like creatures with crystalline horns on their heads lay coiled at the bottom. The merchant, a grizzled old man with a missing eye, saw Li Yu's interest.

"Ah, a man with a sharp eye!" he boomed.

"You see the value in these, eh? Just brought them in this morning. We call 'em Sonic Eels. They're nearly blind, but they can emit a high-frequency hum from those horns. At low power, it's a form of echo-location. But when they're threatened…" He grinned, showing several missing teeth.

"At full power, it's a focused blast of sound that can shatter rock and disorient the spirit. Nasty critters." A creature with a soul-affecting ability. That was rare and valuable.

"I'll take all of them," Li Yu said without haggling. Fat Pig stepped in smoothly, handling the payment and the logistics with the practiced ease of a master merchant, having the sellers prepare the creatures for transport. Finally, Li Yu found what he was looking for. In a specially reinforced tank, all on its own, was a bizarre turtle. It was about the size of a large shield, its shell not smooth, but a jagged, chaotic mass of what looked like razor-sharp, multi-colored coral.

"The prize of today's catch," the seller, a powerfully built woman with a harpoon scar across her face, said with pride.

"A Razor-Coral Spitter. Its shell is a living colony of Blade Coral, sharp as any spiritual dagger and twice as tough. And if you get too close," she pointed to the turtle's mouth, "it can spit a concentrated jet of seawater with enough force to punch a hole through a ship's hull." A living, regenerating defense with a powerful, long-range physical attack. It was a perfect addition.

"We'll take it," Li Yu said. Once the purchases were finalized, Li Yu stood before the containers holding his new acquisitions. With a quiet focus of his will, a soft, opalescent light enveloped the tanks. To the astonishment of the nearby merchants and beast hunters, the creatures and all the water in their containers simply… vanished, absorbed into an unseen space. The onlookers stared, their minds struggling to comprehend what they had just seen.

Such a high-capacity, living-creature-compatible spatial treasure was an item of immense rarity and value. Their respect for the quiet young man and his wealthy, portly companion grew by another several notches. With their business concluded, they spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the city's other markets in a more relaxed mood, buying a few small, well-crafted trinkets before returning to the Golden Shell residence as evening fell.

They gathered in the main courtyard, the news of the caravan attack a lingering tension beneath the surface of the otherwise peaceful day.

"This is bad for business," Fat Pig said, his cheerful demeanor gone, replaced by a worried frown.

"These attacks are escalating. If the roads aren't safe, trade will grind to a halt. Fear is a poison to commerce."

"It shows the attackers are confident," Jian Xuan added.

"Or that they have a powerful backer. To operate so brazenly in the sect's own territory… it is a deliberate provocation." They discussed the situation for a while, speculating on who could be behind the attacks. Was it a rival faction? Simple bandits grown bold? Or something more sinister connected to their own investigation? They had no answers, only more questions. They reaffirmed their decision to wait for Fengliu's report. Rushing in blind, with no information, was not Li Yu's style.

For now, all they could do was rest, train, and wait. Later that night, Li Yu sat alone on his balcony, the cool sea breeze a gentle presence. He held a small, intricate puzzle box he had bought, his fingers methodically twisting and turning the interlocking rings. The city below was a sea of lights, prosperous and beautiful on the surface. But he could feel the undercurrents of violence, the whispers of a growing conflict just beyond the city walls. The peace was fragile.

He turned his gaze south, towards the unseen coast where Fengliu was conducting his own, silent investigation.