The following night, Li Wei returned to the Pavilion of a Thousand Delights, his approach even more measured. He did not stride in with the casual confidence of a patron, but as a shadow moving along the edges of attention, a presence to be noted only when convenient.

The lanterns burned with the same golden glow, but the music now carried a tension, as if the city itself had sensed the disruption beneath the stone serpent.

Inside, he observed the patrons with renewed care. The Oolong Group's enforcers were fewer this evening, yet their vigilance was sharper. Steward Huo was not immediately visible, but his aura, a cold current that made the air itself seem brittle, hung over the central dais like a storm cloud waiting to break.

Li Wei noted the smaller details: a server whose sleeves were always carefully folded, a musician whose tuning never wavered, and a pair of attendants who moved between patrons like currents, carrying whispered messages invisible to most eyes.

He allowed himself to be guided by these small signs. The stiff server he had noticed before approached, a tray of fragrant tea steaming in her hands. Li Wei inclined his head politely, accepting the cup.

The server's eyes flickered briefly toward the concealed doorway, then back to him, tension unmasked by the faintest tremor in her fingers. That tremor told Li Wei more than words could: she was aware, perhaps wary, but not entirely loyal.

He followed her subtle cues, making his way toward the quieter side of the Pavilion. A private alcove, curtained off and shielded from the central hall, revealed a pair of men engaged in hushed conversation.

Their robes bore the Oolong Group insignia, but their movements suggested anxiety rather than authority. Li Wei seated himself nearby, eyes fixed on the pair, listening not for their words alone but for the way their spirits moved—hesitant, strained, unpracticed at hiding weakness from one another.

It was the perfect opening. One small misstep, one whisper of doubt, and Li Wei could begin planting the notion that the ledger was not as secure as the Oolong Group believed. He allowed the tea's aroma to fill the alcove, its warmth a contrast to the chill of strategy in his mind. He spoke first to the nearest man, not loudly, but in the soft, precise cadence of one who offers confidences rather than inquiries.

"A city as vast as this cannot hide everything," he said, letting the words linger. "Even the most meticulous ledger has its cracks. Secrets do not breathe well under scrutiny."

The man's eyes flicked up, wary. "Who… who are you to speak of such things?"

"An observer," Li Wei replied lightly, letting a faint trace of qi ripple through the cup in his hand, imperceptible to all but the most sensitive cultivators. "One who notices patterns others dismiss. Names, transactions, faint residues of spiritual bindings… things that whisper even when the wind is still."

The second man tensed. A shadow of recognition passed between them, subtle but undeniable. Li Wei continued, letting the rhythm of speech, of gesture, guide them into trust. He was careful, offering no threat, no arrogance, only the faint suggestion that the ledger—Steward Huo's great instrument of control—might not be infallible.

"The ledger beneath the stone serpent," he said casually, as if repeating a rumor, "holds more than names. It carries the essence of those listed, bound in ways that even some within your own ranks might not survive observing."

A flicker of unease crossed the first man's face. Li Wei let the moment linger, his gaze neutral but intense, anchoring itself in theirs without pressing. The men exchanged a wordless glance, then the first spoke again, quieter, less guarded.

"There are… things we do not speak of," he admitted, his voice tight. "Things Huo ensures remain unseen."

"Every system has its observers," Li Wei said, inclining his head. "Even Huo cannot be everywhere. Even he leaves fragments behind. A ledger does not safeguard itself; the hands that handle it are vulnerable. A subtle shift can cascade… if one knows where to touch."

The men hesitated, the weight of his words settling like a stone in the still waters of their thoughts. Li Wei smiled faintly, a shadow of reassurance. He did not offer solutions, only the suggestion of possibility—the seed of doubt that could later bloom into action.

He withdrew then, letting his presence fade into the background as smoothly as he had entered. The server guided him back to the central hall, bowing slightly, her lips pressed in a thin line of concern or maybe admiration; it was impossible to tell. But she had not called alarm, she had not betrayed him. That was progress.

From the corner of his mind, Li Wei traced the subtle threads he had laid. He had not needed to confront Steward Huo directly. That confrontation would come later, once he had the leverage, the understanding, the allies. For now, patience was an ally, strategy a shield.

Exiting into the night, Li Wei let the city fold around him again, the sound of distant market calls, music, and laughter blending with the quiet pulse of qi he carried within. The ledger beneath the stone serpent was more than evidence—it was a map, a key, a warning. And now, the Oolong Group's inner circle had been reminded, if only subconsciously, that nothing was truly hidden.

He paused at a street corner, eyes lifting to the looming Jade Pavilion. The enforcers moved within as shadows beneath golden light, unaware that the first ripple of disruption had already touched their empire. Li Wei allowed himself a moment of calm, letting the weight of what he had accomplished settle.

Soon, Steward Huo would notice. Soon, the subtle cracks he had sown would widen. The city of coin was formidable, but it had vulnerabilities, and Li Wei had found the first of them.

A faint breeze carried the scent of Withered Lotus Blossom from somewhere deep within the alleys—a reminder that time was not infinite, that his quarry was not safe, and that the reckoning was only just beginning.

Li Wei's eyes narrowed, a spark of quiet resolve igniting within. Step by step, shadow by shadow, he would dismantle the Oolong Group from within, and when the day came that the ledger was fully exposed, the city would finally witness the consequences of greed, cruelty, and arrogance.

And he would be ready.