170. City in war

It took a long moment for Tang Yuqiu to realise the truth—he had no idea about any war in Red Peak City. War. The word itself felt heavy, far heavier than anything he remembered. In his memories, Red Peak City had only ever seen small clashes, sparks lit by the pride and arrogance of the younger generation. Fights over face, grudges between peers, the usual mess. They had always burned bright for a while and then been quickly smothered once the elders stepped in. The older cultivators rarely lifted their hands. They knew better. Every strike carried risks, and no one wanted to gamble their standing only to have it bite them later.

But from Tang Yuqiu’s tone, this wasn’t some childish conflict. There was that certain seriousness in her voice, a shadow of something larger. Something that carried the taste of blood.

The middle of her eyebrows knit together, her eyes narrowing on him. “You really didn’t know about it? I thought you did. That’s why I assumed you wanted to go back while there was still the chance.”

He shook his head slowly. “You’re the first person to tell me about this war. Even if I wanted news of Red Peak City or the Chen Clan, I wouldn’t turn my feet in that direction again.” he said without any hesitation in his voice. “I left them behind, and I don’t go back on my choices.”

The thought of stepping into the Chen Clan again felt like stepping into a pit of knives. For the current him, joining them would be nothing short of a nightmare. That clan lived and breathed strength, measuring worth with nothing else. And from what he remembered, behind their proud fronts, most were nothing but scheming wolves, ready to tear each other apart for a scrap of advantage.

If they ever discovered the dragon sealed inside him, he doubted they would hesitate. They would chain him, carve him open if they had to, just to see how far they could push his power.

He drew in a quiet breath. He enjoyed his sect and having businesses, running them and creating brands much more than… raw strength.

Tang Yuqiu saw his expression and lowered her eyes, her expression dimming with guilt.

“…I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I just thought so. Even my father was sure of it.”

As Tang Yuqiu’s apology fell into silence, something flickered across her eyes—dark, fleeting, gone before it could be named. He noticed, but he didn’t dwell on it. Whatever storm she carried, it was hers to weather. There were bigger questions now.

“What is this war you speak of?” he asked as calmly as possible, but his voice was edged with curiosity.

She lifted her gaze to him, lips pressing together before she finally spoke. “The major powers of Red Peak City are fighting. The Chen Clan, Yu Clan, and the Huang Clan. All of them are at each other’s throat, and this time, they aren’t holding back. You know as well as I do that our family’s rice shipments run through Red Peak. For years, there have been skirmishes, yes, but always with restraint. They’d pull back their fists—well, their qi, in this case—before things went too far. But not now. Not anymore. Younger cultivators have been crippled… some killed outright.”

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “The Emperor hasn’t stepped in. And the sect in the nearby mountains—the Rolling Bull Sect—they aren’t willing to say a word. Their ties with all three powers are… complicated.”

From what he remembered, sects like the Rolling Bull Sect were favored by the Emperor, treated as his extra eyes across the Empire. Their duty was to report unrest, because city lords often tangled themselves too deep in local politics and kept the truth buried. But Rolling Bull’s situation was different. Their relationship with the Chen, Yu and the Huang ran deeper than the city lord’s. Too deep. They drew rich offerings from each side, filling their stores with resources in exchange for silence.

He almost smirked at the thought. He knew this because the previous Chen Ren was made to climb up the sect’s mountain himself more than once. Not out of duty, but as punishment. His so-called hedonist lifestyle had often earned him the clan elders’ ire, and hauling bags of offerings up the long stairway was their way of knocking the arrogance out of him.

Funny thing was, he’d never minded. On the contrary, he’d accepted every punishment with a grin. The chance to flirt with the female disciples was a game that man had relished. He’d sweet-talked, boasted, and lied his way through too many encounters to count, leaving behind a trail of annoyed and exasperated disciples who, to this day, probably cursed his name.

His lips curved faintly, but the humor died quickly. Whatever games he once played, Red Peak’s situation was no laughing matter.

“But how did it start? A war like this—surely everyone knows it works against them. They’re burning through resources that should’ve been guarded, not wasted.”

Tang Yuqiu nodded through grave eyes. “It is against their interests. They’re only draining themselves, and the cost will haunt them. But…” She paused, a faint sigh slipping out. “I suppose it was simmering for a long while. Pride, suspicion, grudges. You know it is. It only needed the right spark to erupt. And now, the Chen Clan is hoarding food, buying up supplies, even searching for spiritual ingredients to boost their cultivators’ strength.”

She shook her head. “It isn’t an all-out war yet, but whenever the cultivators of the major powers cross paths, blood is spilled. And all of it… all of it is because of the promise of a ruin.”

Chen Ren raised a brow. “A ruin?”

Yuqiu bit her lip, her eyes flicking away before she forced herself to meet his gaze again. “Yes. It started a few months back. You know about the sinkhole around Red Peak City. It goes deep underground, crawling with spirit beasts. The clans hunt them constantly, drawing strength from the hides, cores, and bones. That sinkhole is one of the reasons Red Peak City’s powers rival even the sects nearby.”

Chen Ren nodded. That much he knew well. The sinkhole had always been a source of envy. Herbs that grew in impossible places, minerals formed under crushing pressure, beasts that no one outside Red Peak City had the right to touch. All of it was tightly monopolised. The sects in the mountains had no say.

“No one has ever understood how the sinkholes formed,” he murmured, almost to himself.

“Exactly,” Yuqiu said quickly, seizing on his words. “And this ruin… it might hold the answer.”

Chen Ren leaned forward slightly, his interest caught despite himself. “How?”

“A few months ago, some of the Chen Clan’s men, along with members of the Yu Clan, went into the sinkhole. There was an earthquake. The ground shook so violently they barely escaped with their lives. But when it was over… a whole section of the sinkhole had collapsed.” She swallowed hard. “And what it revealed was a hidden entrance. Something ancient, sealed away for who knows how long. A place no one had ever seen before.”

“I’m guessing that’s the ruin?”

Tang Yuqiu nodded. “Yes, the entrance to it. From the rumours our Tang Clan has managed to gather, there were arrays woven around it, ancient ones, protecting whatever was sealed inside. But when the ground collapsed, those defenses broke. Since then, a surge of qi has been bubbling out, saturating the air. Everyone is desperate to reach the source. They say it’s a treasure… some even whisper it’s a peak sky-grade artifact. If that’s true, whoever claims it could dominate Red Peak City outright, and perhaps even beyond.”

Her words hung in the air like heavy stones. Chen Ren didn’t need her to spell out the rest. He could already see how the fragile balance of Red Peak City had shattered. For years, the three powers had glared at one another but kept their knives sheathed, knowing no side could afford to bleed too much. But with the ruin’s discovery, that balance was gone. If a treasure truly lay at the heart of it, then none of them would ever allow the others to have it. Not without blood.

And if it really is a sky-grade treasure…

His thoughts tightened.

It must lie deep, beyond easy reach. Otherwise, this war would already be over. Someone would have claimed it by now, and the city would have bent beneath their heel.

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He turned his gaze back to Yuqiu. “Where is this treasure inside the ruin?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think anyone does. There are too many new pathways branching underground, and the beasts—more and more of them are being drawn in by the qi that’s been pouring out these past few weeks. It’s changed the whole area. When one of our Tang convoys passed nearby, we even heard an explosion echo from inside. The sinkhole is sturdy and won’t collapse easily. And even if it do… no one cares. Not anymore. This is war. And in war, every risk is worth it.”

That makes sense,

Chen Ren thought and nodded slowly, his fingers were in a rhythmic tap against the armrest. The whole situation was a tangled knot. He hadn’t come here for war. All he wanted was to learn more about the economy of Red Peak City, find his way into the markets, make his mark, and then search for the medallion—whether he had to buy it or steal it. Clean, simple, controlled.

But war? War was chaos. A messy stage where blood drowned profit and strength dictated everything. His memories told him clearly. Red Peak City was crawling with cultivators, many of them seasoned, many of them ambitious. Too many were tied to sects scattered across the empire. If he made one wrong move, he wouldn’t just have enemies in Red Peak City, but across different regions he had no wish to cross. If he truly wanted the medallion, he would have to tread very, very carefully.

Even as he thought that, a question surfaced in his mind. He lifted his gaze to Yuqiu. “Why did you say it’s only right for me to take advantage of the war?”

Yuqiu finished the last of her tea, setting the cup down with a soft clink before answering. “Oh, that. When you first came to the Tang Clan, you swore in front of everyone that you’d return to your clan one day and prove them all wrong. That you’d trample over them.” Her eyes softened faintly, though her tone was blunt. “I doubt you were anything but delusional back then. But now… you have real power. Resources too. A war feels like the perfect chance for you to get back at them, to force the Chen Clan to recognise how much they’ve lost and how important you truly are—”

“That’s it.”

Chen Ren cut her off as a thought formed in his mind so sharp that he almost sprung out of chair.

And that startled the woman in front of him.

“That’s… it? What’s it? What do you mean”

“That’s the way,” he said quietly. “War. That’s the way.”

A pause followed, his words hanging in the air. Then he tilted his head and asked, “Let me ask you a question, Yuqiu. Do you know who wins in a war?”

Her brows furrowed as she leaned back. “I’m sure my father asked me the same question when I was a child.”

Chen Ren tilted his head slightly, his tone almost teasing. “And what did you reply back then?”

Tang Yuqiu huffed, folding her arms. “I said the one with the longer weapon.”

Chen Ren chuckled at that, the sound low and amused. Yuqiu only glared at him in return, her lips pressing into a thin line.

“If you want my answer now,” she said, her voice sharper, “I’d say the one with the best information. Power, weapons, manpower—they matter, of course. But information is just as important. The one who can control it can turn any battle in their favor.”

Chen Ren nodded, the laughter fading from his face. She wasn’t wrong. Information was the spine of war. Modern nations from Earth had long proven it. Spycraft, intelligence agencies, shadow wars fought in silence; they were often more decisive than the armies on the frontlines.

But Yuqiu had misunderstood the heart of his question.

“You are right,” he said quietly, “yet wrong.”

Her brows drew together. “How so?”

“When I asked who wins in a war, I wasn’t talking about the ones actually fighting it. Even if a side emerges ‘victorious,’ the losses they take can turn that victory into ashes. A pyrrhic victory at best. No, Yuqiu, in many wars, the ones who truly win are the third parties. The ones uninvolved in the battles themselves, who reap the profits from others’ blood.”

Yuqiu’s eyes flickered with understanding. “You mean a merchant.”

“A smart merchant,” Chen Ren corrected. “Most merchants wouldn’t dare meddle with war. And wisely so. But the clever ones—the ones who know how to play the board without drawing blades—can come out richer and stronger than anyone holding a sword.”

Yuqiu lowered her gaze for a moment, fingers tracing the rim of her empty teacup. Then she spoke, her voice quiet, almost heavy. “A lot of merchants never had a choice.”

Chen Ren narrowed his eyes slightly. “What do you mean?”

She hesitated, silence stretching between them. Her eyes looked anywhere but at him. Though he wanted to push for an answer, he didn’t. He waited patiently until she let out a breath.

Even her shoulders sagged slightly.

“Cloud Mist City was hit hard by the beast rising, you know.”

Chen Ren nodded slowly, not knowing where she was going with this.

“I know. I heard things.”

“So they deployed a lot of cultivators to guard the walls. Beast nests appeared—ones we never even knew existed—and some of them were… very unruly. Those so-called defenders demanded compensation from the commoners, claiming they were risking their lives to protect them. The merchant clans bore the brunt of it, stripped of resources again and again. They called it ‘duty,’ but in truth it was robbery.” Her jaw tightened. “The City Lord promised to reimburse us once everything was over, but I doubt he will. Even if he does, it won’t match what we lost.”

Chen Ren studied her carefully. He didn’t need her to spell out the details. The Tang Clan, with their lifeblood tied to food, must have been hit harder than most. He could picture it all too well—storerooms emptied, food taken, guards overwhelmed. Tang Clan cultivators were competent, yes, but compared to Soaring Sword Sect disciples? Against those blades, they’d be cut down like weeds.

Yuqiu’s worry was plain on her face. Her fingers were clutched into fists at the thought.

But Chen Ren’s thoughts ran in another direction entirely.

“Yuqiu, I know your clan went through a lot. But what I have in mind… it’s different. I don’t think anyone in Red Peak City can touch me.”

Her eyes sharpened instantly, suspicion and curiosity flickering in their depths.

“And what exactly is that?”

Chen Ren let a faint smile curl his lips.

“You’ll see soon enough. But one thing I can tell you now—” he paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. “—the Divine Coin Sect is going to make a lot of profit again.”

***

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