The morning light found Wang Ben in his father's study, surrounded by scrolls and ledgers that smelled of ink and old paper.
"Expedition contracts are different from merchant agreements." Wang Tian spread a worn document across the desk, its edges soft from years of handling. "A merchant sells you what he has. An expedition company promises to find what you need. The difference matters."
Wang Ben studied the sample contract, recognizing the formal structure of cultivation-world legal documents. Witness seals, spiritual binding clauses, compensation terms. The language was dense but not impenetrable.
"The first thing you need to understand," his father continued, "is that expedition companies survive on reputation. A company that fails to deliver loses future contracts. A company that cheats clients loses everything."
"So they're trustworthy?"
"They're motivated." Wang Tian's smile carried the weight of hard experience. "Motivation and trustworthiness aren't the same thing. A company will absolutely deliver what they promise. The trick is understanding exactly what they promised."
He pointed to a clause buried in the contract's third section. "Standard completion guarantee. Reads as though they promise to acquire your materials or return your payment. But look at the wording."
Wang Ben leaned closer. "'Company commits to expend reasonable efforts toward acquisition of specified materials.' That's not a promise to deliver."
"Exactly. 'Reasonable efforts' is subjective. If they search for three days and find nothing, they've arguably fulfilled their obligation. You've lost your deposit, your time, and your options."
[INFORMATION PROCESSING: Contract analysis framework]
[Cross-referencing Chen Database: Expedition contract dispute patterns]
[Historical pattern: "Reasonable efforts" clauses exploited in approximately 23% of frontier contracts per Chen Database records]
[Recommended countermeasure: Milestone-based payment structure with material verification]
Wang Ben filed the System's analysis alongside his father's teaching. The knowledge overlapped but approached the problem from different angles. His father spoke from decades of practical experience. The System drew on centuries of documented patterns.
"What about the payment structure?" Wang Ben asked.
"That's where most young cultivators make their mistakes." Wang Tian pulled out another document, this one covered in his own annotations. "The standard approach is to pay half upfront, half on delivery. Seems fair, yes?"
"It gives them money to fund the expedition while ensuring they have incentive to complete it."
"In theory. In practice, half your money is gone the moment you sign. If they fail to deliver, you might get a partial refund. Might. Depends on how their contract defines failure."
Wang Tian walked Wang Ben through the alternative structures. Milestone payments tied to verified progress. Escrow arrangements with neutral third parties. Performance bonds that penalized non-delivery. Each approach had trade-offs, and his father explained them with the patience of someone who wanted understanding, not just obedience.
"The companies won't like these terms," Wang Ben observed. "It puts more risk on them."
"Good companies will accept reasonable protection for both parties. Desperate companies or dishonest ones will push back hard." Wang Tian's expression sharpened. "If a company refuses any accountability, walk away. No matter how good their reputation seems."
Li Mei appeared at midmorning with tea and quiet concern.
Wang Ben noticed how she moved through the study, setting cups and arranging the small things that made a room comfortable. Her cultivation signature was steady, familiar, the qi condensation presence he'd known his entire life. But where Wang Tian's foundation establishment energy filled spaces with confident warmth, Li Mei's aura seemed... smaller than it once had.
She caught him watching and smiled, but the expression didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Don't let me interrupt. This is important."
"You're not interrupting." Wang Tian reached for her hand as she passed, a gesture so natural it barely registered as intentional. "Ben'er needs to understand the people side of these contracts too. Companies are run by cultivators. Cultivators have pride."
"And pride can be useful or dangerous." Li Mei settled into a chair near the window, the morning light catching the silver threads in her hair that hadn't been there a year ago. "A proud company will work harder to maintain their reputation. A proud company will also remember if you insulted them during negotiations."
"Your mother negotiated half our supply contracts in the early years." Wang Tian's voice carried fond memory. "She has a gift for making people feel respected even while she's extracting concessions."
"I had practice." Li Mei's smile turned wry. "Marrying into the Wang Clan as a 'mere' qi condensation cultivator taught me how to navigate rooms full of people who assumed I didn't belong."
The words were light, but Wang Ben heard the undertone. She was still that qi condensation cultivator. Still navigating rooms where others had advanced beyond her.
[OBSERVATION: Subject Li Mei displaying emotional stress markers]
[Analysis: Likely related to cultivation disparity within family unit]
[Wang Ben progression: BR 9 → QC 2 in approximately 8 months]
[Wang Tian progression: QC 8 → FE 1 in approximately 3 months]
[Li Mei: QC 3 stagnant for approximately 15 years]
[Note: Family advancement may be exacerbating subject's sense of inadequacy]
Wang Ben looked away from the System's clinical assessment. He didn't need cold analysis to understand his mother's pain. She was watching her husband and son climb heights she couldn't reach, and every day the distance grew wider.
"The companies," he said, pulling the conversation back to practical ground. "Which ones should we approach?"
Wang Tian straightened, the moment of softness giving way to focused consideration. "There are three major expedition companies operating in this region. The Iron Wolves, the Vermillion Scouts, and the Clear Spring Company."
He began describing each one. The Iron Wolves were aggressive and efficient, favored by merchants who needed fast results. The Vermillion Scouts specialized in dangerous territory, charging premium rates for expeditions into spirit beast domains. The Clear Spring Company was older and more established, known for careful planning and reliable delivery.
"For your needs, I'd recommend Clear Spring." Wang Tian's voice carried certainty. "I worked with their founder decades ago, when I was still building my alchemist reputation. Honest people. Careful people. They won't promise what they can't deliver."
[ALERT: Information reliability concern]
[Subject: Clear Spring Company]
[Wang Tian assessment: Based on interaction approximately 35-40 years prior]
[Founder age at time of interaction: Already past prime, foundation establishment cultivator]
[Statistical probability founder still active after 35+ years: Less than 15%]
[Note: Leadership transitions frequently alter organizational culture and practices]
[Recommendation: Verify current company status through Merchant Association records before commitment]
Wang Ben felt his stomach tighten. His father was recommending Clear Spring based on genuine experience, but that experience was decades out of date. The company his father remembered might no longer exist.
"Clear Spring," Wang Ben repeated carefully. "You mentioned their founder. Is he still running things?"
"Old Master Qin?" Wang Tian paused, calculating. "He'd be... well, he was already past his prime when I knew him. Foundation establishment, but never advanced further. Likely passed by now, or retired."
"So the company is under new leadership."
"Presumably. But the principles should remain the same. Qin built that company on integrity. That kind of foundation doesn't disappear overnight."
Wang Ben's hands remained still on the desk, but his mind raced. His father wasn't wrong about Old Master Qin. The founder sounded like exactly the kind of person Wang Tian described. But if the founder was gone, what had his successors become?
The System's warning echoed in his thoughts. Leadership transitions frequently alter organizational culture. A company built on integrity could become something else entirely under new management, trading on the reputation its founder had earned while abandoning the principles that earned it.
He needed to verify. But he couldn't explain why he was suddenly suspicious of a company his father trusted.
"What about the Iron Wolves?" Wang Ben asked. "You said they're aggressive. Is that a problem?"
"They get results, but they cut corners. Faster isn't always better when you need specific materials. If they can't find exactly what you need, they'll bring something close and argue it's equivalent." Wang Tian shook his head. "For formation work, close isn't good enough."
"And Vermillion Scouts?"
"Expensive. Very expensive. They're worth it if you need materials from genuinely dangerous regions, but for what you're looking for? You'd be paying a premium for capabilities you don't need."
Wang Tian's assessments of the other companies aligned with the System's records. His father's knowledge was accurate where his experience was recent. It was only Clear Spring, filtered through decades-old memory, where the gap appeared.
Li Mei excused herself after the second pot of tea, citing household matters that needed attention. Wang Ben watched her go, noting the careful way she held herself, the dignity that never quite hid the weight she carried.
"Your mother worries," Wang Tian said quietly, once her footsteps had faded down the corridor. "About you. About all of us."
"I know."
"She was already worried before everything that's happened. The clan war, the demons, the... complications." Wang Tian's eyes found the window, tracking something beyond the glass. "Now she watches you and me advance while she remains where she's always been. It's difficult for her."
"Is there anything that can be done? Pills, techniques, something to help her break through?"
"We've tried. Years ago, when I still had resources and connections." Wang Tian's voice carried old grief. "Her foundation is stable but narrow. Some cultivators are like that. They reach a point where their meridians simply won't expand further without intervention that's... beyond what we could afford. Or find."
[QUERY: Cultivation stagnation remediation options]
[Searching Chen Database...]
[Historical techniques identified: 7]
[Historical pills/elixirs identified: 12]
[Materials required: Predominantly Grade 5 or higher]
[Estimated cost range: 15,000-50,000 middle-grade spirit stones]
[Caution: Historical data. Material availability and costs may differ in current era]
[Note: Most options carry significant risk of meridian damage if improperly administered]
The numbers were staggering. Even the cheapest option would consume everything the Wang Clan had rebuilt and more. And the risks meant that even if they found the resources, failure could leave Li Mei worse off than stagnation.
"Focus on your array," Wang Tian said, reading something in Wang Ben's expression. "One problem at a time. Once the first favor is complete, once our position is more secure, then we can look at other options."
Wang Ben nodded, but his thoughts had already returned to the Clear Spring problem. His father was about to make a decision based on outdated information, and there was no way to explain how Wang Ben knew better.
Unless he found a different approach.
"Father," he said slowly, "before we contact any company, shouldn't we verify their current status? A lot can change in a few decades."
Wang Tian raised an eyebrow. "You're suggesting we investigate them first?"
"The Merchant Association keeps records of complaints and disputes. If a company has changed its practices, there would be evidence." Wang Ben kept his voice thoughtful rather than certain. "It would take a few days, but it might save us from walking into a bad contract."
For a long moment, Wang Tian studied his son with an expression Wang Ben couldn't quite read. Then he smiled, and something shifted in the space between them.
"That's good thinking, Ben'er. I was testing to see if you'd trust reputation alone, or if you'd want verification." He paused. "Though I admit, I'd half-forgotten that Clear Spring's founder is likely gone by now. The company I remember may not be the company that exists today."
Wang Ben blinked. His father had been testing him?
"You wanted to see if I'd question your recommendation?"
"I wanted to see how you'd handle the gap between what you're told and what you can verify." Wang Tian's smile faded into something more serious. "Ben'er, you've changed in ways I don't fully understand. You see things others miss. You know things you shouldn't know. I've made my peace with not understanding how. But that means I need to know that you'll use what you know wisely."
[ALERT: Subject Wang Tian displaying unexpected awareness]
[Analysis: Father has recognized Wang Ben's anomalous knowledge patterns]
[Assessment: Not hostile. Seeking to understand son's decision-making process]
[Recommendation: Proceed with calculated honesty]
"If I had just agreed with your recommendation without questioning it?"
"Then I'd know you were either trusting me blindly or hiding what you know too carefully." Wang Tian rose from his chair, moving to the window where morning light painted everything in gold. "Neither would have been good. A son who trusts blindly can't protect his family when his father is wrong. A son who hides everything can't be trusted with responsibility."
Wang Ben absorbed this, feeling the weight of what his father was actually saying. Wang Tian knew something was different about him. Didn't know what, didn't know how, but knew. And instead of demanding answers, he was teaching Wang Ben to navigate the gap between secret knowledge and family trust.
"Check the Merchant Association records," Wang Tian said, turning back from the window. "Find out what Clear Spring has become. And while you're there, verify the other companies too. Real information is worth more than old memories, even mine."
"And if Clear Spring isn't what you remember?"
"Then we'll know, and we'll choose accordingly." Wang Tian's hand found Wang Ben's shoulder, the grip warm and steady. "That's what experience actually teaches, Ben'er. Not to be right, but to keep learning even when you're wrong."
The Merchant Association building occupied a prominent position in Redstone City's commercial district, a three-story structure of grey stone that had witnessed generations of trade disputes and contract negotiations. Wang Ben arrived alone, having convinced Zhao Yu to continue observations at the recruitment rally instead of accompanying him.
The Association's records were theoretically available to any cultivator with legitimate business interest. In practice, access required navigating a bureaucracy designed to discourage casual inquiries.
Wang Ben navigated it anyway.
The clerk who finally produced the complaint records was a middle-aged mortal with ink-stained fingers and the weary patience of someone who had answered the same questions a thousand times. He set three bound volumes on the counter with careful precision.
"Expedition company disputes for the past twenty years. Organized by company name. You'll need to sign the access log."
Wang Ben signed and began reading.
The records confirmed what the System had already told him. Clear Spring Company had accumulated a pattern of complaints that would have destroyed any business operating on actual merit. Material substitution. Contract manipulation. Delayed deliveries that somehow always fell just within the letter of their agreements while violating every spirit of them.
The Iron Wolves had their own issues, mostly related to aggressive tactics and occasional property damage. The Vermillion Scouts had almost no complaints at all, though their prices explained why few could afford to hire them in the first place.
But buried in the records was something else. A fourth company Wang Ben hadn't heard mentioned.
The Silent Path Company.
Small. Newer. Founded only eight years ago by a former Clear Spring expedition leader who had apparently left over disagreements about business practices. Their complaint record was spotless, their completion rate was high, and their prices were competitive.
[CROSS-REFERENCE: Silent Path Company - Records reviewed]
[Data source: Merchant Association documentation, directly observed]
[Founder Lin Suyin: Former Clear Spring captain, departed citing management disagreements]
[Complaint record: Zero filed in 8 years of operation]
[Pattern analysis: Founder's departure timing correlates with Clear Spring's documented decline]
[Assessment: Company profile suggests prioritization of integrity over rapid expansion]
Wang Ben copied the relevant information and returned the volumes to the clerk. He had what he needed, and more. His father had been wrong about Clear Spring, but the process of verifying that had revealed a better option neither of them had known existed.
Experience teaches you to keep learning.
Maybe that was the real lesson.
The evening meal was quieter than usual.
Li Mei had prepared food with her characteristic care, but she ate little herself, her attention drifting to places Wang Ben couldn't follow. Wang Chen, sensing the adults' mood, played with his rice more than he ate it.
Wang Tian listened as Wang Ben summarized what he'd found at the Merchant Association. The decline of Clear Spring. The problems with Iron Wolves. The unexpected opportunity of Silent Path Company.
"Lin Suyin," Wang Tian repeated thoughtfully. "The name isn't familiar, but if she left Clear Spring over their new practices, that speaks well of her character."
"Her company is smaller. They might not have the resources for what we need."
"Or they might be more motivated to prove themselves with a significant contract." Wang Tian set down his chopsticks. "I'll make inquiries. Someone in my network will know of her."
Li Mei stirred from her distraction. "Is this the expedition for the... array materials?"
"Yes." Wang Ben didn't elaborate on what the array was for. His mother knew the broad strokes but not the details. Some burdens were better carried by fewer people.
"When will you contact them?"
"Tomorrow, if father's inquiries go well."
Li Mei nodded slowly. "Be careful with contracts, Ben'er. Words on paper can bind as tightly as chains."
"Your mother's right." Wang Tian's voice carried gentle emphasis. "Formation work is your strength. Contracts are a different kind of battlefield. Let me handle the negotiation when we meet with them."
Wang Ben felt the offer as it was intended. Not a dismissal of his abilities, but a recognition that different situations required different expertise. His father couldn't build arrays, but he could navigate the human complexities of business dealings with decades of practice.
"Thank you, father."
After the meal, Wang Ben found himself on the compound's inner wall, watching the guards make their evening rounds. Three fewer figures walked those paths than a week ago. The volunteers had left for the prince's recruitment, off to war and whatever fate awaited them at Azure Dragon Fortress.
The gaps in their patrol patterns were visible if you knew how to look.
[TACTICAL UPDATE: Compound security status]
[Current guard force: 32 combat-capable cultivators]
[Previous force: 35]
[Patrol coverage: 89% of optimal]
[Vulnerability windows: 3 identified, duration 4-7 minutes each]
Three guards. Three gaps in their defense. Three families who would receive the wages of soldiers instead of the wages of servants.
Wang Ben wondered how many would come back.
Behind him, he heard soft footsteps, and Li Mei appeared at his side. She didn't speak immediately, just stood with him, watching the same guards walk the same walls they'd walked for years.
"Your father told me what happened today," she said finally. "About the Clear Spring recommendation."
"He said he was testing me."
"He was. And he wasn't." Li Mei's voice carried the complex understanding of someone who had shared a life with Wang Tian for nearly twenty years. "He genuinely remembered Clear Spring as trustworthy. He also knew his memory might be wrong. Letting you find the answer for yourself served both purposes."
"That's..." Wang Ben searched for the right word. "Complicated."
"Most things worth understanding are." Li Mei's hand found his arm, her touch light but present. "You're growing so fast, Ben'er. Sometimes I look at you and I can barely recognize the boy I raised."
"I'm still that boy."
"Are you?" The question wasn't accusatory. Just wondering. "The boy I raised wouldn't have known to check Merchant Association records. Wouldn't have thought to question his father's recommendation so carefully. Wouldn't have handled any of this the way you've handled it."
Wang Ben didn't have an answer that wouldn't be a lie.
"I'm still your son," he said instead. "Whatever else I've become, that hasn't changed."
Li Mei was quiet for a long moment. Then she leaned against his shoulder, just slightly, the way she used to when he was small and she was the entire world.
"I know," she said. "I know. And I'm grateful for that, even when everything else feels like it's shifting under my feet."
They stood together on the wall until the last light faded, watching guards they might lose and walls that might not be enough, and somewhere in the distance, a war continued its hungry advance.
Tomorrow, they would reach out to the Silent Path Company.
Tonight, they would simply be family.
END OF CHAPTER 74