CHAPTER 126: CHAPTER 126: KNOWLEDGE AND GREED

The road to the Pei estate wound upward through the merchant quarter’s higher terraces, where the stones grew cleaner, and the noise of trade gave way to the hush of privilege. Lamps of polished copper hung from the eaves, their light shimmering over carved door gods and painted lintels. The air here smelled not of salt and spice but of perfumed wood and old coin.

Li Wei walked with his hands folded once more behind his back, his gait measured, his eyes tracing the gilded roofs above. Pei followed a pace behind, occasionally trotting forward to clear the way or bow nervously to patrolling guards. His earlier exuberance had dimmed; there was unease in his step now, like a man leading a wolf into his master’s parlor.

A distant bell tolled from the harbor. The sound rolled through the quarter, deep and melancholy. ~Gong... Gong...~

Twilight had deepened into that fragile hour when the sky bruised from gold to violet. The first stars blinked open. Lanterns swayed from silk cords, each flame trembling in the breeze as if reluctant to face the night.

Li Wei paused before a lacquered gate crowned by bronze lions. The Pei family sigil—a soaring crane clutching a pearl—gleamed faintly on the doors. Two guards straightened, halberds crossing.

"Halt! State your identity," one barked.

Pei hurried forward. "Easy, it’s me—Pei Wong! This gentleman is my guest. I bring him at my father’s request."

The guards exchanged a wary glance, then, recognizing the boy, lifted their weapons. "Young master. We had word you were still at the docks."

Pei offered a tight smile. "Plans changed. The evening favors the diligent, does it not?" He gestured to Li Wei. "Please—allow entry."

The gate creaked open. ~Crrrk~

Beyond lay a courtyard paved with white jade tiles and lined with whispering bamboo. The fragrance of plum blossoms drifted on the wind. Water burbled softly from a stone fountain shaped like a dragon’s maw. Moonlight gathered in silver pools on the ground.

Li Wei’s gaze swept the space with quiet appreciation. "A fine home," he said. "Built upon still waters."

Pei puffed his chest slightly, eager to reclaim some pride. "Father says the estate rests on land blessed by a river spirit. None of the other merchants dared bid for it, fearing floods, but he saw only fortune."

"Perhaps fortune and folly are twins," Li Wei murmured. He brushed a finger along the bamboo’s smooth stalk, feeling the faint hum of qi beneath its skin. "The ground here breathes—though not all breaths are benign."

Before Pei could inquire, a servant appeared, bowing deeply. "Young master. The Lord awaits in the upper study."

"Come," Pei said quickly, leading Li Wei through winding corridors lit by oil lamps. The hallways whispered with the faint scent of sandalwood and wealth. On the walls hung scrolls of mountain landscapes and calligraphy extolling virtue, though the ink on some seemed freshly laid—as if virtue needed daily repainting.

They passed an inner garden, where koi stirred beneath a sheet of moonlight. A paper lantern floated gently across the pond’s surface, its reflection rippling. Li Wei slowed, watching the light quiver.

So fragile, he thought, the line between beauty and illusion.

Pei turned back. "Sir Li?"

Li Wei’s gaze lingered on the drifting lantern before he moved on. "Lead the way."

At last, they reached the upper study. Heavy wooden doors carved with cranes loomed before them. From within came the faint scrape of brush on paper and the low hiss of an incense coil burning.

Pei rapped thrice and entered. "Father, I’ve returned. I bring the one I spoke of—Li Wei."

The man who rose from behind the desk was tall and broad-shouldered, his hair bound in a dark crown knot streaked with silver. His robe, embroidered with gold thread, shimmered faintly in the lamplight. But it was his eyes—sharp, calculating—that gave him the presence of a hawk surveying prey.

"So," Lord Pei Zheng said, his voice smooth as oiled jade, "the benefactor who saved my son from his foolishness." His smile did not reach his eyes. "You have my gratitude."

Li Wei inclined his head slightly. "Gratitude is unnecessary. The young master’s misfortune corrected itself with time—and a little counsel."

Pei Zheng gestured gracefully. "Sit, both of you." He waved toward a servant. "Tea."

They settled at a low table. The servant poured from a porcelain pot, steam rising in fragrant ribbons. Li Wei lifted his cup, savoring the aroma. "Iron Plum from Mount Lu," he noted. "Rare this season."

Pei Zheng’s brow arched. "A discerning palate. You are no common traveler, then."

"One sees what one must, Lord Pei." He set the cup down with a soft click

. "Your son mentioned the matter of your missing caravans."

The merchant’s smile thinned. "Ah. A most unfortunate affair. I had hoped his tongue would not gallop so freely."

Pei flinched. "Forgive me, Father—"

"Hush." Pei Zheng waved him silent, eyes fixed on Li Wei. "You have an interest in merchant troubles, stranger?"

"Not in the trade," Li Wei replied evenly, "but in what goes on beneath it. You see, I have a talent for following traces others fail to notice."

The elder Pei studied him for a long moment. The candlelight wavered, painting long shadows across his face. "And what payment do you seek for this... expertise?"

"Just knowledge," Li Wei said simply. "A fair exchange."

A faint laugh escaped Pei Zheng’s lips. "An ambiguous currency." He stood, walking toward the window where silk curtains stirred in the evening wind. "Tell me, then—what have you heard?"

Li Wei rose as well, his gaze tracking the man’s movements. "Whispers of relics unearthed from the Western Ruins. Crates marked with your seal found adrift near the Black Shoals. And those who handled them... vanished."

The merchant’s hand tightened slightly on the window frame. "Rumors," he said softly. "Superstition woven by rivals to tarnish my name."

"Perhaps." Li Wei stepped closer, his tone calm yet edged. "But I have learned that superstition is often closer to the truth then some realize."

Outside, the distant thunder murmured again, nearer this time. ~Rrrmbl~

The paper lanterns in the courtyard flickered as wind pressed against the shutters. One of them banged sharply open. ~Clack~

A sudden draft swept through the study, scattering scrolls from the desk. The incense coil’s smoke twisted violently before snuffing out.

Pei Wong gasped, rushing to close the window. "The weather turns rather fast tonight!"

Li Wei’s gaze sharpened. "This is not merely a change in weather, rather an omen of things to come." He turned toward the extinguished incense. "This room hums with something foul."

Pei Zheng’s expression darkened. "Watch your tongue."

"Gladly," Li Wei said. He drew from his sleeve the faintly glowing pearl—the twin to the one from the gambling house. Its light flared blue, reflecting in their startled eyes. "This reacts only to restless spirits or fractured qi. Tell me, Lord Pei—what did you bring back from those ruins?"

The older man’s face hardened like carved stone. For a heartbeat, silence ruled the room save the patter of sudden rain on the tiled roof. Then Pei Zheng exhaled slowly, anger easing into weary resignation.

"You speak boldly, stranger. Perhaps too boldly." He returned to his chair, gesturing for them to sit again. "Very well. You will have your tale—but mind that it brings no comfort."

He began to recount the expedition—a trade venture turned grave robbing, a forgotten temple swallowed by the desert wind, and an idol of black jade exhumed from beneath a dried riverbed. "We thought it mere artificat. But the men who touched it... fell ill within days. Their skin turned pale as salt. Their dreams—" He paused. "—their dreams bled into waking."

Li Wei listened, unmoving. "And the idol?"

"In the vault below this house." The confession hung heavy in the air. "I dared not destroy it. The craftsmen who carved it warned of wrath upon desecration."

"Then the curse festers still," Li Wei murmured. His fingers brushed the pearl again. It pulsed brighter, thrumming like a heartbeat. ~Thum... Thum...~

A soft whisper rippled through the air. Pei Wong stiffened. "Did you hear that?"

From the corridor beyond came a sound—like wet cloth dragging over stone. ~Shhrrkk... shhrrkk...~

The lantern flame shivered, dimmed. The air grew cold enough to mist their breath.

Li Wei’s eyes narrowed. "Your idol grows restless, Lord Pei. It hungers."

Even as he spoke, a tremor coursed through the floor. The tea set rattled. One cup slid from the table and shattered. ~Tink!~

Pei Wong backed toward his father. "What—what is happening?"

Li Wei rose, his robe whispering like storm clouds. "Retribution, perhaps. Or simply consequence."

He crossed to the door, pushing it open. The hallway beyond was cloaked in shadow, though every lamp should have still burned. "Stay here," he said without looking back. "If you value your souls."

Pei Zheng stood as well, voice low but trembling. "You cannot face it alone."

Li Wei glanced over his shoulder, a faint smile ghosting his lips. "I do not need to face it. I will guide it back to its final resting place."

He stepped into the dark. The door closed behind him with a hollow thud.

~Boom...~ Thunder cracked outside, and the lights guttered once more.

In the courtyard below, the bamboo bent under the rising wind. Somewhere unseen, something began to whisper Li Wei’s name.