Another Door

Two days after leaving, Hao Nhien and Tieu Lan returned to Thanh Van City.

Their trip to the Free Roaming Sect had not lasted long, but the results had exceeded their initial expectations by a considerable margin. The resource list worth eight hundred and thirty thousand mission points had been approved by Van Du Tu for phased release, with supplies directly related to defense, medical treatment, communication, and warehouse construction receiving priority. Phong Van Tu had also agreed to personally lead a small group from Medicine Peak to the Western Wastes for a one-month field survey. If the experiment went smoothly, that journey might not end as a short-term inspection, but instead become the first step toward Medicine Peak truly participating in the medical and alchemical system taking shape at Hoa Van.

Everything was moving forward.

Everything except the matter of Quan Nha, which still sat in Hao Nhien’s heart like a stone he could not put down.

Before leaving the Free Roaming Sect, he had checked his communication jade slip once more. As soon as he reentered the range of Thanh Van City, he sent another message to Quan Lam, but the response remained unchanged. Quan Nha and Elder Linh Van had not returned, nor had there been any new message from either of them. There was still no evidence that they were in danger, so Hao Nhien maintained his earlier decision not to launch a public search and risk disrupting whatever clue they might be following.

The worry naturally remained, but he could not simply sit and wait.

Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’s response might determine whether Hoa Van could truly establish a stable trade route with the Eastern Plains.

The Wandering Sword descended outside the city gate. Hao Nhien put it away and entered the city on foot with Tieu Lan. Thanh Van City was as lively as ever, with merchant caravans constantly passing through the gates and carts loaded with medicinal herbs, beast cores, and ore rolling one after another along the main road. Shouts from vendors, bargaining voices, and the grinding of wheels against stone blended into a continuous current of sound.

As he walked, Hao Nhien observed the shops lining both sides of the street. Van Du Tu’s words in the great hall still surfaced in his mind from time to time.

Heavenly Treasure Pavilion could become the first door, but it could not become the only one.

If a major merchant association entered Hoa Van, it would bring goods, caravans, information, and the attention of other powers along with it. Hao Nhien needed Heavenly Treasure Pavilion to participate, but not at the cost of placing Hoa Van’s entire lifeline in its hands. What he wanted was for the merchant association to see enough value, enough opportunity, and enough benefit that the relationship would grow beyond a simple shop buying and selling goods.

Tieu Lan walked beside him, occasionally glancing in his direction. When they were not far from Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’s main entrance, Hao Nhien lightly tightened his hand around hers.

“We follow what we already discussed. Anything that does not need to be said yet stays unsaid.”

Tieu Lan understood and nodded.

“Yes.”

She looked at him for another moment before smiling.

“I trust Young Master knows how far to speak.”

The two had barely reached the entrance when an attendant hurried out to greet them.

“Young Master Hao, Miss Tieu Lan. Manager Luu has been waiting for the two of you since morning.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“Lead the way.”

The attendant brought them to the second floor. The corridor paved in dark blue stone looked much the same as before, with doors carved with sound-isolation formations lining both sides. Yet this time, the passage seemed to stretch slightly farther than Hao Nhien remembered.

At the very end, he saw a wooden door that had never been opened during his previous visits. Extremely fine ice-pattern carvings covered its surface, so subtle that without close inspection they could easily be mistaken for natural wood grain.

Perhaps the formation had altered the route.

Or perhaps this room was only opened when someone with sufficient authority arrived.

The attendant stopped before the door and knocked three times.

“Young Master Hao and Miss Tieu Lan have arrived.”

A woman’s voice came from inside, cool yet soft, with the familiar trace of amusement lingering at the end.

“Let them in.”

The door opened, and the faint scent of osmanthus immediately drifted outward with the warmth of the room.

Luu Van stood beside the tea table. The moment he saw them, he quickly stepped forward to greet them, but Hao Nhien’s gaze almost immediately fell on the woman seated at the center.

Lang Tuyet had personally come to Thanh Van City.

Compared with their previous meeting, she had barely changed. A red robe embroidered with delicate frost patterns followed the lines of her tall, slender figure. Her long black hair fell behind her shoulders, part of it held in place by a simple jade hairpin. Her features remained cool and refined, while her eyes were clear but deep, like a snow-covered lake that appeared still at first glance yet concealed too much beneath the surface to read.

Beside her rested a familiar jade box.

All three seals remained intact, and the mark Hao Nhien had left before departing showed no sign of disturbance.

The supreme-grade Mystic Yang Pill had been preserved exactly as agreed.

That detail alone raised Hao Nhien’s opinion of Heavenly Treasure Pavilion another step.

Lang Tuyet set down her teacup and slowly let her gaze travel over Hao Nhien, from his face and aura to the hand still holding Tieu Lan’s.

Then the corner of her mouth curved.

“It has only been a few months, yet little brother has changed quite a lot. Should I call you Fellow Daoist now, or should I keep calling you little brother Hao Nhien like before?”

Stolen novel; please report.

Hao Nhien coughed lightly.

“Manager Lang Tuyet can simply call me Hao Nhien.”

“Oh?”

The amusement in Lang Tuyet’s eyes became more obvious.

“Then calling you little brother would not be wrong either.”

Hao Nhien did not answer, while Tieu Lan beside him had already covered her mouth to hide a laugh.

Lang Tuyet shifted her gaze toward her.

“Miss Tieu Lan is still beside him. It seems little brother has not done anything too outrageous these past few months.”

Tieu Lan bowed slightly.

“Tieu Lan greets Manager Lang. Young Master has treated me very well.”

Lang Tuyet glanced at the hands they still had not released and smiled.

“I can see that.”

She stood and slowly walked over to Hao Nhien. The chill around her was very faint, carrying no pressure, but it was enough for anyone facing her to clearly sense her aura.

Her gaze remained on Hao Nhien for several breaths.

“Mid Foundation Establishment.”

A trace of surprise appeared and vanished just as quickly.

“I did not get a proper look last time. Should big sister check how much you have grown this time?”

Hao Nhien was no longer as awkward as he had been during their first meeting, but under that openly teasing gaze he still felt somewhat helpless.

“Thank you for your concern, Manager Ling. The Headmaster just checked my aura. There is no problem.”

Lang Tuyet raised an eyebrow.

“So now you know how to use your Headmaster as a shield. You really have grown.”

Tieu Lan finally could not hold back and laughed aloud.

Hao Nhien turned to look at her. She immediately tried to compose herself, but the slight tremor in her shoulders gave her away completely.

Lang Tuyet laughed as well, then quickly put away the teasing expression.

“All right. Sit down. Let us discuss business.”

The four returned to the tea table. Luu Van personally poured the tea, then took a seat slightly to one side, making it clear that Lang Tuyet would be making the decisions this time.

She glanced toward the Mystic Yang Pill box.

“Luu Van sent me his report along with this pill. I inspected it personally. My conclusion does not differ from what the two of you said before.”

She pushed the box toward Hao Nhien.

“It belongs to you. I am returning it intact.”

Hao Nhien accepted it and checked everything once before placing it into his storage ring.

“I know Heavenly Treasure Pavilion values its word.”

“That is the most basic requirement of doing business.”

Lang Tuyet replied, and her expression turned completely serious.

“Now let us discuss Hoa Van.”

She gently rotated the teacup in her hand.

“Luu Van has already submitted the proposal for establishing a trading point in Hoa Van, including the location, land-rental terms, supply sources, priority access to certain special products, security responsibilities within the town, and the limits placed on the merchant association’s authority. Overall, the terms are fair, even better than what we receive in many other places.”

Hao Nhien said nothing and waited.

Lang Tuyet looked directly at him.

“Under the current conditions, Heavenly Treasure Pavilion can agree to establish a trial trading point in Hoa Van. The initial scale will not be large. Its main purpose will be to test the transport route, actual demand, and your ability to maintain security.”

Hao Nhien’s eyes shifted slightly, but his expression remained calm.

That was already the answer he needed for the first step.

Lang Tuyet continued.

“But if you want Heavenly Treasure Pavilion to invest more deeply, construct permanent warehouses, maintain regular caravans, and treat Hoa Van as a long-term transfer point between the Eastern Plains and Western Wastes, then one supreme-grade pill and a promise about the future are still not enough.”

She leaned forward slightly.

“One supreme-grade pill is enough to make me come here personally. But one supreme-grade pill is not enough to make Heavenly Treasure Pavilion build an entire trade route.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“I never intended to use one supreme-grade pill to keep Heavenly Treasure Pavilion there.”

“Then what else do you have?”

It was a simple question, but Hao Nhien understood that this was the real part of the negotiation.

He did not answer immediately.

After several breaths, he said,

“While carrying out missions in the Western Wastes, I happened to discover an ancient ruin.”

Lang Tuyet’s fingers paused slightly on the rim of her cup, but that was the extent of her reaction.

Hao Nhien continued observing her.

“There were traces inside connected to a Saintess, along with several clues concerning an incident that happened in the Western Wastes a very long time ago.”

Lang Tuyet looked at him. There was a little more attention in her eyes, but no obvious surprise.

After thinking for a moment, she shook her head lightly.

“The title Saintess is too broad by itself. Many sects, cults, and powers have used that title throughout history. Without more distinctive features, even Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would have difficulty identifying anything from that alone.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

That reaction was almost exactly what he wanted to test.

Lang Tuyet either did not know, or at least what he had said had not touched any special knowledge she possessed.

He did not prolong the subject and moved to the second clue instead.

“I also found traces in that ruin that may be connected to the ancient bow from that auction.”

This time Lang Tuyet truly reacted.

Her gaze sharpened slightly.

“You mean the bow I took away?”

“Yes.”

Lang Tuyet set down her cup.

Hao Nhien was not surprised.

“I suspect that bow is still missing something.”

Lang Tuyet looked at him.

“What did you find?”

Hao Nhien did not answer directly.

“I found a clue that may be connected to the missing part.”

Her attention immediately focused more sharply.

“How certain are you?”

“Not certain. But certain enough to test.”

Hao Nhien looked at her and smiled faintly.

“If Heavenly Treasure Pavilion can bring the bow to Thanh Van City, we can verify it together.”

Lang Tuyet was silent for several breaths.

She was clearly interested, but even that interest was still very different from the reaction Hao Nhien was looking for.

It was the interest of a merchant who had discovered that an ancient artifact might possess greater value, not the reaction of someone who had just encountered a secret that should not exist.

Lang Tuyet studied him for a moment before smiling lightly.

“You have learned how to keep your cards hidden.”

“I simply do not want to reach a conclusion before verifying it.”

“That is not a bad habit.”

She did not press him further.

“I can have someone bring the bow back to Thanh Van City. If your clue proves useful, we can discuss ownership and how to handle it afterward.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

At this point, he had obtained the second thing he wanted to know.

Lang Tuyet knew the bow and was interested in it, but not enough for her to step outside the perspective of a merchant manager.

Hao Nhien thought for a moment, then reached into his storage ring.

“Then what about this?”

An old jade box appeared in his palm.

The box was not large. Its surface bore clear marks of age, with hair-thin patterns running along all four corners. At first glance they looked like decorative carvings, but under the light inside the room, ancient characters Hao Nhien had never recognized could faintly be seen across the lid.

This was one of the objects Hao Nhien had taken from the ruin connected to the Tian Ling Auction House. He had examined it many times but had never managed to open it. Whenever he tried probing it with Divine Sense, the carved lines would light up on their own and push his Divine Sense back. Other than that reaction, however, the box had never revealed anything else.

Hao Nhien had only intended to use it to continue probing Lang Tuyet.

But her reaction was completely different from the previous two times.

The moment her eyes landed on the ancient script across the lid, the smile at the corner of her mouth vanished.

Her pupils contracted slightly, and a thin layer of cold qi unconsciously spread from her fingertips. Even Luu Van immediately noticed the change. His already straight posture stiffened further, though he did not dare speak.

Lang Tuyet stared at the box.

“Let me see it.”

Her voice had dropped noticeably lower.

Before Hao Nhien could place the box on the table, she had already reached toward it. The movement was clearly faster than usual. Her fingers closed around the edge of the box, and in the same motion, unintentionally wrapped around Hao Nhien’s wrist as well.

Tieu Lan flinched slightly.

Luu Van also straightened unconsciously, his gaze leaving Hao Nhien for the first time to focus entirely on Lang Tuyet.

Lang Tuyet noticed none of them.

Her eyes remained fixed on the ancient characters.

“Tribulation…”

The word had barely left her lips before she abruptly stopped.

The room became completely silent.

Hao Nhien looked at her, his heart slowly sinking.

This reaction was completely different from when he had mentioned the Saintess, the ruin, or the bow.

Lang Tuyet recognized the writing on the box.