Jia Lie Ao took a deep, shuddering breath, the cold mist filling his lungs. He looked at the dark water before speaking.
"Master Ning," Jia Lie Ao began, his voice tight with suppressed anxiety.
"My clan is bleeding gold. Over the past few weeks, the Xiao Clan's medicinal market has been generating massive, unprecedented profits. Everyone in the city is buying your family's new foundational healing elixirs. It's pushing our family's businesses to the brink of bankruptcy."
Yoriichi nodded slowly. He understood the situation perfectly. He had noticed the sudden influx of wealth and the arrogant swagger of the Xiao Clan guards recently. He also knew that such high-quality foundational elixirs couldn't be produced by the clan's regular apothecaries.
It was blatantly obvious to anyone paying attention that a hidden, high-tier alchemist—an outsider—was secretly supplying the Xiao Clan, operating from the shadows to tilt the city's balance of power.
"To counter this financial strangulation," Jia Lie Ao continued, his fists clenching, "my father and the elders have taken a desperate step. They have officially hired an alchemist from Black Rock City to mass-produce a rival medicine called 'Rejuvenation Powder'."
Yoriichi's eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch. "An alchemist? What tier?"
"A First-Tier Alchemist," Jia Lie Ao replied bitterly.
In the vast Dou Qi Continent, alchemists were the most revered, pampered, and arrogant existences. Even a mere First-Tier Alchemist commanded the respect of Clan Leaders and could easily shift the economic tide of a border city like Wu Tan.
"Do you know anything else about this alchemist?" Yoriichi asked, his tone analytical, already calculating the potential threat this outsider posed to his new family's stability.
Jia Lie Ao sighed, a look of profound disgust washing over his face. "His name is Liu Xi. He is young, but his backing is solid. His master is a Peak Tier 2, possibly even a Tier 3 Alchemist in Black Rock City. Because of those connections, my clan is treating him like a visiting emperor."
The Jia Lie youth paused, biting the inside of his cheek before revealing the clan's darkest secret. "But the man is absolute scum. He is notoriously lustful. I heard from the inner guards that a vile trade happened behind closed doors to convince him to stay in this remote city. My clan... they offered him gold, yes, but they also promised him his pick of beautiful women from our branch families and the city's commoners. It's sickening."
Yoriichi remained entirely silent, but the temperature around him seemed to drop a few degrees. He understood the hidden, ugly meaning immediately. It was a filthy political move.
The Jia Lie Clan was prostituting its own bloodline and the city's innocent women to secure an economic weapon. To a samurai whose entire previous existence was built on protecting the weak from predatory monsters, this kind of human weakness was deeply repulsive.
"I understand," Yoriichi said, his voice cold and flat like the flat edge of a blade. "Thank you for this crucial information. Risking your position to tell a Xiao Clan member this... it is no small thing. Tell me, what do you need in return?"
Jia Lie Ao's head snapped up. To Yoriichi's surprise, the youth violently shook his head, raising his hands in a slightly comedic, panicked gesture of refusal.
"Ah! Master Ning, please, don't thank me, and definitely don't offer me a reward!" Jia Lie Ao exclaimed, his previous terror replaced by an earnest, almost reverent desperation.
"The beating you gave me... the teachings and values you instilled in me that day in the alleyway... they were like a life-saving elixir to my soul. You woke me up from my arrogant delusions. Doing this is the least I can do to repay that debt. It would be betraying my own Dao heart if I got greedy now."
Yoriichi raised his eyebrows slightly. The sheer, unadulterated honesty in the boy's voice was refreshing. The pampered young master had truly died, replaced by a grounded, aspiring martial artist.
A faint, exceptionally rare smile touched the corners of Yoriichi's lips. He reached out his large, calloused hand and gently patted Jia Lie Ao's shoulder.
As his hand made contact, Yoriichi's Transparent World senses passively flared. He felt the steady, robust flow of Dou Qi circulating beneath the boy's skin.
Yoriichi's eyes widened slightly in genuine surprise.
"You broke through to 3-Star Dou Zhe," Yoriichi stated, retracting his hand. "Your foundation is solid. Hmm... good. Very good. Continue your training with this level of discipline, and you will grow much stronger."
Jia Lie Ao beamed, his chest puffing out slightly at the high praise from the man he secretly viewed as an untouchable martial god.
Yoriichi then thought of the wider world beyond the borders of Wu Tan City. "The recruitment for the Jia Nan Academy will be arriving in the coming months. With your progress, you will certainly pass their exams. Will you go?"
Jia Nan Academy—the ancient, monolithic institution situated near the chaotic Black-Corner Region. It was the absolute holy land for young cultivators, a place where geniuses gathered from across the continent to hone their skills.
Jia Lie Ao's smile faded, replaced by a mature, somewhat resigned sigh. He shook his head.
"No, Master Ning," Jia Lie Ao replied, looking down at his hands. "My clan was incredibly proud and overjoyed by my recent breakthrough, but I am already over eighteen years old. The Academy prefers raw, younger talent. Only one or two of our absolute youngest branch members might go. It is the same for the Ao Ba Clan youths you trained alongside me; they are all nearing the age cutoff."
Jia Lie Ao looked back up, his eyes filled with a quiet, solemn responsibility. "Besides, my father and the core elders have officially thrown their support behind me. Because I have the highest cultivation among my peers and have abandoned my old, foolish ways, they are grooming me to lead the clan in the future. I am the sure Young Master now. My place is here."
Yoriichi listened quietly. He understood the weight of duty tying a man to his home. "That is very good. Congratulations on your position. A clan requires a strong, disciplined pillar."