CHAPTER 123: CHAPTER 123: RESTLESS EVENING

The sun had begun its slow descent, spilling long shafts of amber light through the narrow streets. The golden hour cloaked the merchant district in warmth, gilding the market stalls and painting shadows that stretched like lazy serpents across the stone road.

Li Wei’s figure moved with quiet ease, hands folded behind his back as he left the clam pavilion behind. The crowd’s excited murmurs still lingered faintly in the air, rippling like the last rings of a stone cast into calm water. He could almost hear Lao Dong’s teeth grinding in frustration.

"Greed blinds more surely than darkness," Li Wei murmured, his tone thoughtful as he turned a corner. "A fool reaches for the moon and loses his reflection in the pond."

The faint chime of the system followed his words.

~DING~

Mission Complete: Fortune from the Sea

Reward Unlocked: Pearl of Resonant Tides (Bound Item)

Effect: Enhances attunement with water- and spirit-based energies. Increases elemental harmony.

Li Wei’s brow lifted. "Hm... a spiritual item disguised as a gambling trinket?" He slipped his hand into his robe and retrieved an identical pearl to the one he had just given away. It pulsed faintly with blue light, soft as moonlight through mist.

He turned it between his fingers. "So even chance can carry a fortuitous scent."

The market wind whispered through the street, fluttering banners and carrying the scent of spice and sea salt. He tucked the pearl back into his sleeve and continued walking, his sandals clicking against the cobblestones.

Around him, the district breathed with evening life—hawkers calling out the last of their goods, lanterns being lit one by one, and children darting through the streets with kites shaped like carp and phoenixes. A woman leaned from a balcony, calling her son in for supper. Somewhere nearby, a flute played a lilting tune, rising above the chatter.

Li Wei stopped for a moment beneath a hanging paper lantern. The flame within it flickered, casting ripples of orange across his face. He lifted his gaze to the horizon, where the first blush of twilight painted the sky.

"Core Formation peak stage..." he mused quietly. "Yet the path ahead feels only broader."

His mind returned briefly to the blacksmith—the stoic man whose hammer struck like thunder. There was something about that forge, something alive. The system’s earlier mission, "Furnace’s Favor," still lingered incomplete. He could feel its presence at the back of his mind like a quiet heartbeat.

Before he could dwell further, a familiar voice broke through the crowd.

"Y-young master! Wait!"

Li Wei turned to see Pei Wong rushing toward him, the Heaven’s Tear Pearl clasped carefully in both hands. The boy’s fine grey robes fluttered awkwardly as he dodged between passersby, nearly tripping over a vegetable cart.

Li Wei’s lips curved faintly. "Ah. Seems fortune still chases after me."

When Pei finally caught up, he bent slightly, catching his breath. "Sir Li! I... I couldn’t let you leave without saying thank you properly!"

Li Wei gestured lightly. "Rise. There’s no need for formality. You won the pearl by your own hand."

Pei shook his head vigorously. "No, I—I would have lost everything if not for your intervention. My father would’ve been furious beyond measure. He entrusted me with those coins to settle trade payments with the harbor guild."

Li Wei studied the young man’s anxious face for a moment, then asked mildly, "And what lesson have you learned today?"

Pei blinked. "Lesson...?"

Li Wei began walking again, motioning for him to follow. "That one should never wager silver against the current of one’s own heart. When the tide tempts you to gamble, remember—fish swim with the stream, but only the wise fisherman knows when to cast his net."

Pei nodded slowly, brow furrowed as he pondered the words. "Then... you think I should stop entirely?" it had never occurred to the frail young man that a stranger would be so generous and assist him without a second thought.

Li Wei gave a quiet laugh. "Not stop. Understand. Even Heaven gambles with stars when it births a world." Pei stared blankly for a beat before a small, uncertain smile crept across his lips. "You speak like my father’s old advisor—full of riddles."

"Riddles," Li Wei said, glancing at him sidelong, "are truths wearing masks. The wise learn to see through them."

The two walked side by side for a stretch. They passed a food vendor stirring noodles in a great steaming pot, the smell of sesame oil rich in the air. Pei’s stomach growled audibly, and Li Wei chuckled under his breath.

"You’ve not eaten since morning, have you?"

Pei scratched his head sheepishly. "I suppose not. I was too... occupied."

"Come," Li Wei said, gesturing to a nearby stall. "A hungry stomach clouds judgment faster than wine."

They sat at a rough wooden bench, the vendor setting down two bowls of steaming noodles topped with diced duck and green onions. Pei bowed his head slightly before eating, while Li Wei took his chopsticks with a quiet grace.

As they ate, the sounds of the market grew softer, replaced by the low hum of conversation and the occasional bark of a dog in the distance.

"Sir Li," Pei said after a moment, hesitating, "would you... perhaps visit my father’s estate? He would surely wish to thank you himself. He’s a member of the Merchant Council—you might find his connections useful."

Li Wei chewed thoughtfully, eyes narrowing faintly. The Merchant Council again. The same entity tied to the parchment in his robe, and the disappearances whispered through the town’s underbelly.

He set his chopsticks down, gaze settling on Pei. "Your father sits with the Council, then?"

Pei nodded eagerly. "Aye, Lord Pei Zheng. He oversees shipments to the southern provinces. If not for the missing caravans, our coffers would be full to bursting..." He trailed off, suddenly realizing he might have spoken too freely.

Li Wei’s tone was mild, but his words carried a certain weight. "Missing caravans, you say?"

Pei paled slightly. "F-forgive me. I shouldn’t speak out of turn. But yes—over the past month, several shipments vanished without trace. Father says it’s the work of sea raiders, though... some whisper otherwise."

Li Wei’s eyes gleamed with quiet interest. "Otherwise?"

Pei hesitated, then leaned closer. "They say... the cargo itself was cursed. That the crates carried relics from the Western Ruins, dug up by greedy hands. Since then, every merchant tied to that deal has fallen ill or gone missing."

A faint chill brushed through the air, though the evening was still warm. Li Wei’s mind stirred. Western Ruins... cursed relics... missing merchants. The threads were beginning to weave.

He rose from his seat, dropping a few coins on the table. "Take me to your father’s estate, Pei Wong."

Pei blinked, surprised. "Now? But it’s nearly dusk—"

"Then let us move quickly," Li Wei said, his eyes glinting beneath the fading light. "The night is when truths hide their faces. And I intend to unmask them before dawn."

As they left the market, the first lanterns flickered to life, their flames swaying in the wind like whispers of spirits. Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbled faintly— perhaps a warning from the heavens.

Li Wei’s stride was steady, his aura calm, but within him the twin elements of ice and fire stirred restlessly.