Chapter 11: The Aftermath

The night wind smelled of dust and broken stone as Ao Kuiba walked home through the streets.

He heard the complaints of the merchants, the hushed conversations of the cultivators, the groans of the three men he had just left behind—all noises that once would have caught his attention, but now sounded like meaningless static in the background.

Ao Kuiba pushed the feeling away as he walked on, silver hair blending in with the last few rays of the setting sun.

People made space as he passed, not out of fear or deference, but some primal urge deep in their bones that told them to get out of his way.

Ao Kuiba was aware of the sensation, but chose to ignore it.

The fight had served its purpose.

His reputation would spread, twisted and exaggerated as only rumour could be—the young man with a Void Crystal who’d beaten a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the dragon that had appeared in Azure Cloud City and taken on three men with nothing but his bare hands, the strange figure who had disappeared without so much as a scratch to show for the battle.

That would do.

Ao Kuiba only needed the notoriety, and a reputation—no matter how embellished—would help him considerably.

The sun had completely set by the time Ao Kuiba reached his residence.

The spiritual tree in his courtyard cast long shadows over the ground as the gate’s formation flickered and died.

Ao Kuiba pushed it open with a sigh.

Three attackers. One branch representative. One organization seeking my Void Crystal.

Ao Kuiba sat down beneath the tree and closed his eyes.

Let them come, then.

---

It took Ao Kuiba a moment to pinpoint the source of the knock on his gate.

It was hesitant, almost pleading—the kind of knock a visitor would give if they didn’t actually want to be there.

Ao Kuiba opened his eyes.

Behind the barrier, there was only one person.

A low cultivator, his spiritual energy all over the place, and a female.

Ao Kuiba stood and walked to the gate.

The woman’s face was pale as she looked up at the familiar, yet still startling sight of Ao Kuiba.

She had seen him before—more than once, most likely, considering the gossip that had reached her ears, but seeing him in the flesh was an entirely different experience.

The silver hair, the golden eyes with no trace of humanity in them, the fine scales along his arms in the shape of dragon markings—Ao Kuiba was not what anyone would have expected from a young man who lived in a small apartment in Azure Cloud City.

"M-Master Ao Kuiba?" She swallowed, her voice tight when she spoke.

Ao Kuiba said nothing, only listened as she spoke.

"...I bring word from the Black River Chamber of Commerce. An invitation from the Branch Manager. Please, take it with you."

Ao Kuiba took the letter with an unreadable look on his face.

He tore open the wax seal with a single touch, eyes scanning over the neat, precise wording within.

It was a finely written document, no doubt about it, and the sender had clearly known what they were doing.

To the esteemed dragon cultivator,

I am most apologetic for the misfortunes suffered by you at the hands of my subordinates.

Please accept this humble invitation from myself, Wei Qian, the Branch Manager of the Black River Chamber’s Azure Cloud City establishment.

I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive us, and visit us at your earliest convenience, so that I might at least personally express my regret and offer whatever aid I can provide. ℴℴ𝘮

Should you choose to accept this invitation, kindly present this letter at the main entrance of the headquarters and you shall be granted a warm welcome.

With sincerest regards,

Wei Qian

Ao Kuiba finished reading, a barely perceptible smile on his lips.

The Chamber was playing a neat game—first trying (and failing) to intimidate him, and now attempting to lure him in with honeyed words and promises of aid.

They were a smart organization, and knew the value of a good reputation.

Ao Kuiba looked up at the frightened woman with new eyes.

"Tell your boss that I’ll come," Ao Kuiba said simply.

The woman—now visibly shocked, if not entirely unsurprised—opened her mouth to reply, but was forestalled when Ao Kuiba added, "Tomorrow morning."

Her eyes widened in alarm.

"You mean that you will come?"

Ao Kuiba’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.

"Didn’t you hear the whole letter?"

The woman flinched, visibly concerned Ao Kuiba would be angry with her.

Ao Kuiba gave a short, humorless chuckle.

"As I said, tell your boss that I’ll come visit tomorrow."

The woman visibly paled—it was apparent to anyone with half a brain that Ao Kuiba hadn’t exactly made it a priority to inform the Black River Chamber of the day of his visit, but before she could say anything further, Ao Kuiba gave a small bow.

"Thank you, Master Ao Kuiba! The Chamber will be most honored by your visit!"

Ao Kuiba watched as the woman hurried off, closing the gate behind him as he returned to his courtyard.

The spiritual tree’s leaves rustled softly in the evening wind.

Ao Kuiba sat cross-legged on the courtyard’s center, studying the letter in his hands.

The Black River Chamber was, without a doubt, a first-rate organization.

Ao Kuiba had known that much the moment he had set foot in Azure Cloud City.

Control over trade, the flow of information, and a vast network of resources—the kind of power that smaller organizations could only dream of.

In short, exactly the kind of group that would take interest in a mysterious young man and his Void Crystal.

Ao Kuiba’s mind went over what little he knew about them.

The Black River Chamber of Commerce was, as its name suggested, a mercantile syndicate—a group of traders who had joined together to form an organization capable of controlling a vast amount of the trade that occurred in the region.

Their wealth and resources placed them leagues above any other independent organization, and their influence extended far beyond mere commerce.

They were the kind of group that could take someone like Ao Kuiba under their wing, and help protect him while he rebuilt his strength.

Ao Kuiba had spent eight thousand years crawling painfully up the ranks of the Upper Realm.

He knew perfectly well how such organizations worked.

The Black River Chamber wanted him dead with their underlings and now they were trying to woo him in with offers of assistance—a neat switch, but not unexpected.

Ao Kuiba tucked the letter into his spatial ring as he stood, eyes narrowing as he looked over the gate.

An opportunity, if he knew how to take it.

Ao Kuiba turned back towards the tree.

Tomorrow, he would visit the Black River Chamber.

Tonight, he would cultivate.