The One Who Recognized the Key

Lang Tuyet’s gaze remained fixed on the ancient characters carved across the lid of the box. The teasing expression she had worn earlier had completely vanished, replaced by such cold concentration that even the atmosphere in the room seemed to slow with each breath she took.

Hao Nhien did not hurry her. He simply held the box steady between them and watched every subtle change in her expression.

Her fingertip traced one of the fine lines near the corner of the lid. A thread of spiritual power, cold as mist, seeped into the groove, but the moment it touched the seal beneath, the patterns on the box immediately lit with a faint glow. Lang Tuyet withdrew her spiritual power almost at once.

“Do not try to open it, and do not probe it with Divine Sense again.”

Hao Nhien narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Is there something wrong with the seal?”

“The seal is still operating on its own.” Lang Tuyet studied the box for another moment before answering. “If you force it incorrectly, whatever is inside may be destroyed. Worse, the person opening it could leave behind certain traces without even realizing it.”

“What kind of traces?”

“At present, I cannot determine that.”

She raised her head and looked directly at Hao Nhien.

“How many people have seen this box?”

“Two. Tieu Lan and me.”

Lang Tuyet shifted her gaze toward the young woman beside him. Understanding the question, Tieu Lan answered softly,

“I have only seen the box. I could not recognize the writing on it, and I have never touched the seal.”

Lang Tuyet nodded slightly, then looked toward Luu Van.

He immediately cupped his hands.

“This subordinate only saw it today. Before this, I had no idea such an object existed.”

Lang Tuyet said nothing more. She simply waved a hand and formed several seals in succession. The sound-isolation formation already surrounding the room shifted, while a thin layer of spiritual light spread across the doors and walls, cutting off communication fluctuations from reaching the outside. Only after checking it once more did she lower her hand.

“From this moment onward, nothing said in this room is to leave it.”

Luu Van’s expression immediately became serious.

Lang Tuyet looked back at the box in Hao Nhien’s hands.

“Put it away. Remember this clearly. Do not open it, do not show it to anyone else, and do not mention the ancient script on it through communication jade slips.”

Hao Nhien nodded slightly, though he did not immediately put the box away.

Lang Tuyet turned toward Luu Van.

“Nothing you saw or heard today is to enter the normal reporting system. Without my instruction, you are not to search for information, make copies, or report this through any other channel.”

Luu Van’s expression changed slightly. Having worked for Heavenly Treasure Pavilion for many years, he naturally understood what those words implied.

“This subordinate understands. After leaving this room, I have never seen this box and have never heard anything concerning the ruin.”

Lang Tuyet nodded.

She remained silent for several breaths, her gaze moving from the box to Hao Nhien. Hao Nhien had the feeling that she was considering many things at once, but in the end, none of them appeared on her face.

“As for Hoa Van,” she said, “Heavenly Treasure Pavilion agrees to raise the level of cooperation.”

Luu Van immediately looked up.

Hao Nhien’s gaze also shifted slightly.

Lang Tuyet continued.

“The initial scale will still remain experimental. There is no need to send too many people or too much merchandise to a place where demand is not yet sufficient. However, the foundation, warehouse, residential area, and commercial formations must be built according to the standards of a proper branch, so that if expansion becomes necessary later, we will not have to tear everything down and rebuild from the beginning.”

Luu Van understood immediately.

“This subordinate will revise the construction plan.”

“Manpower and inventory will be deployed according to actual demand,” Lang Tuyet said. “I do not want a large building standing empty in the middle of the Western Wastes, but neither do I want to discover six months from now that we built it incorrectly from the start.”

“Understood.”

“The Hoa Van branch will be under your direct responsibility. Important reports do not need to pass through intermediate levels. Send them directly to me.”

This time, Luu Van could not completely hide his surprise.

For a trading point that had not even been built yet, direct reporting access to Lang Tuyet was far beyond normal handling. Even so, he only paused for a moment before immediately bowing.

“This subordinate will handle it properly.”

Lang Tuyet looked at him.

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“Not merely properly enough to finish the task. Hoa Van will be our first foothold in that region. If the initial foundation is flawed, the cost of correcting it later will be far greater. Hoa Van’s people will be responsible for the site and internal security, while Heavenly Treasure Pavilion will handle construction, commercial formations, and the first supply route. If you lack manpower or encounter something beyond your authority, report directly to me.”

Hao Nhien listened closely.

This decision clearly went farther than the trial arrangement Lang Tuyet had discussed earlier, but not so far that it abandoned the caution expected of a merchant association. She was not pouring large amounts of manpower and goods into Hoa Van immediately. She was simply changing the way the foundation would be built so that expansion would remain possible later.

That only made Hao Nhien more certain that the box had affected her judgment.

Lang Tuyet continued.

“Construction costs will be treated as Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’s investment. They do not convert into land ownership, nor do they grant exclusive purchasing rights. Priority in negotiations remains according to the original proposal. Sellers retain the right to choose where they trade, and purchase prices cannot fall below the minimum agreed upon by both sides.”

Hao Nhien looked at her.

“Sister Lang agrees to all of those conditions?”

“I do.”

“No additional control?”

“None is necessary.”

Lang Tuyet rested a hand on her teacup.

“Heavenly Treasure Pavilion is supporting Hoa Van because the place has enough value for us to establish a foothold before others do. If it develops as you expect, we benefit from arriving early. If it fails, then that is simply the risk of an investment.”

Hao Nhien smiled faintly.

“That is fair.”

Lang Tuyet looked at him, a hint of amusement returning to her eyes.

“You are not going to ask why I suddenly became willing to go farther than the original plan?”

“I am waiting for Sister Lang to tell me on her own.”

“Then keep waiting.”

Hao Nhien paused slightly.

Lang Tuyet calmly raised her teacup.

“There are some things I still need to confirm. And some instincts cannot be written into a contract.”

Hao Nhien watched her carefully, but she neither avoided his gaze nor showed any intention of explaining further.

He understood that asking again would be useless.

At least her decision was genuine. The reason behind it would have to wait for time to reveal.

Lang Tuyet turned toward Luu Van.

“How long until the trading point can begin operating?”

Luu Van thought for a moment before answering.

“If we only build a temporary trading post, one month would be enough. But if we follow the standards Manager Lang just set, including the warehouse, formations, residential area, and preparation for the first supply route, then we will need at least two months.”

Lang Tuyet nodded.

“Then two months. There is no need to chase speed and leave a pile of problems behind.”

Luu Van cupped his hands.

“This subordinate will first mobilize formation masters, builders, and a merchant caravan from Thanh Van City. Anything still lacking can be transferred from the nearest branch. Barring any major disruption, the branch should be able to begin operating at its initial scale after two months.”

Hao Nhien heard this and quickly recalculated Hoa Van’s progress in his mind.

Two months would be enough for the first shipments of resources from the Free Roaming Sect to arrive. Medicine Peak’s survey team would also have been working there for some time, while Hoa Van’s initial market and warehouses should have advanced another stage.

He looked at Lang Tuyet.

“Then two months from now, I would like to invite Sister Lang to visit Hoa Van.”

Lang Tuyet raised an eyebrow.

“You are inviting me?”

“The branch should be beginning operation by then, and Medicine Peak should have its initial survey results. If Sister Lang wants to know whether Hoa Van is worth further investment from Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, seeing it personally will tell you more than any report.”

Lang Tuyet studied him for several breaths before laughing.

“Very well.”

She turned toward Luu Van.

“Two months. When I arrive in Hoa Van, there had better be somewhere decent for me to stay.”

Luu Van immediately cupped his hands.

“Manager Lang can rest assured. This subordinate will supervise the work personally and will not allow the schedule to slip.”

Lang Tuyet nodded with satisfaction before returning to the matter of the bow.

“The bow is not currently in Thanh Van City. After the auction, it was sent to another branch for deeper appraisal.”

Hao Nhien frowned slightly.

“How long until it can be brought back?”

“I cannot determine that yet, but I will send the message today. Even if the appraisal is unfinished, they will have to return it.”

She did not say where the bow had been sent, and Hao Nhien did not ask.

“Good. Once the bow arrives, we will test the clue I found first.”

Lang Tuyet nodded.

The negotiation had almost reached its end, but just as Hao Nhien prepared to put the jade box back into his storage ring, Lang Tuyet’s gaze returned once more to the ancient characters on its lid.

The faint smile in her eyes disappeared again.

“One more thing.”

Hao Nhien stopped.

“Go ahead, Sister Lang.”

“Do not let anyone beyond the people in this room today see that box.”

Hao Nhien looked at her.

Lang Tuyet’s voice lowered.

“This object may not immediately place you in danger. But if the wrong person sees it, it may draw trouble that you have no need to face yet.”

Hao Nhien’s expression changed slightly.

“Who?”

Lang Tuyet remained silent for a moment.

“You only need to know that much.”

Hao Nhien did not take his eyes off her.

“You cannot even tell me the name?”

“Knowing it now would not help you,” Lang Tuyet answered calmly. “Sometimes merely knowing a name is enough to make someone start searching for things they should not yet be searching for.”

Hao Nhien remembered what Van Du Tu had said in the great hall of the Free Roaming Sect.

Some secrets, if learned too early, only turned a person into a target before they possessed the ability to protect themselves.

The two could hardly have been more different, yet on this matter, their warnings were almost identical.

Hao Nhien did not ask again. He simply returned the box to his storage ring.

“I will remember.”

Only then did Lang Tuyet relax slightly.

“Good.”

The atmosphere in the room eased with her.

Lang Tuyet lifted her now-cold tea, took a sip, and looked toward Hao Nhien as though she had just remembered something.

“Business is finished. So when are you going to tell me more about that ruin?”

Hao Nhien smiled faintly.

“After the bow is brought back. I want to verify my suspicion first. If even the clue concerning the bow proves wrong, then there is even less reason to speak too confidently about the rest.”

Lang Tuyet looked at him for a moment before shaking her head lightly.

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

“I have only learned not to say too much before I know I am right.”

“That is not a bad lesson.”

She tilted her head slightly.

“In front of others, call me Manager Lang if you want. But when we are discussing private matters, do not be so formal with me.”

Hao Nhien looked helpless.

“I will try.”

Lang Tuyet immediately raised an eyebrow.

“I do not like the word ‘try.’”

Tieu Lan, who had been sitting beside him, finally could not hold back and laughed. Lang Tuyet turned toward her, and the familiar teasing look returned to her eyes, almost completely dissolving the tension that had filled the room moments earlier.

Luu Van remained seated upright to the side, lowering his head to drink his tea as though he had heard absolutely nothing.

Hao Nhien looked at everyone.

When he came here, he had only wanted to learn how much Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was willing to commit to Hoa Van and test whether Lang Tuyet recognized any traces connected to the ancient ruin.

Instead, he was leaving with even more questions than before.

He still did not know what followed the word “Tribulation” that Lang Tuyet had unconsciously spoken, nor did he know who the people in her warning might be.

But he had confirmed one thing of great importance.

The objects he had taken from the Tian Ling ruins were not merely nameless relics abandoned by time.

There were still people who recognized them.

There were still people who knew enough to fear them.

And that alone was enough for Hao Nhien to understand that the path leading toward the secrets behind the Tian Ling Merchant Association ran far deeper than anything he could currently see.