Three days after their decision, Wang Tian arranged the meeting.
The contact came through channels Wang Ben hadn't known his father possessed. Old connections from his trading days, relationships that had survived even the years of decline. A message passed through a herbalist who knew a merchant who knew someone who worked in the spaces between legitimate commerce and outright criminality.
Fang Wei agreed to meet them at the Jade Mist tea house, a modest establishment in Redstone City's southern district where the buildings grew older and the questions grew fewer.
"Stay close to me," Wang Tian said as they walked through streets that saw less patrol activity than the commercial center. "And let me lead the conversation. Men like Fang Wei read people the way scholars read texts. Every word you speak tells him something."
"I understand."
"Do you?" Wang Tian's voice carried no accusation, only genuine concern. "You've handled merchants and clan politics well enough. This is different. The grey market operates on its own rules."
Wang Ben had encountered those rules in his previous life, though not in circumstances he could explain. The fundamental principle was simple: trust was currency, and currency was never given freely.
"I'll follow your lead."
The Jade Mist tea house occupied a corner lot that had probably seen better days several decades ago. Its facade was clean but worn, the kind of establishment that survived through discretion rather than distinction. The proprietor barely looked up as they entered, gesturing vaguely toward a private room in the back.
Fang Wei was already waiting.
Wang Ben's first impression was of ordinariness so complete it had to be deliberate. The man who sat at the low table could have been any middle-aged merchant in the city. Pleasant features, unremarkable robes, the kind of face that slid out of memory the moment you looked away. Even his cultivation signature was muted, suggesting mid-stage foundation establishment without any of the sharp edges that usually accompanied that level of power.
"Master Wang." Fang Wei rose and offered a bow that was precisely correct for their respective positions. "And Young Master Wang. Thank you for accepting my invitation."
His invitation. Wang Ben noted the subtle reframing. They had requested this meeting, but Fang Wei had positioned it as his hospitality.
"Master Fang." Wang Tian returned the bow with equal precision. "Your reputation precedes you."
"I hope not too far." Fang Wei smiled, and for just a moment, something sharper flickered behind his pleasant expression. "Reputations can be inconvenient in my line of work. Please, sit. The tea here is surprisingly good for the location."
They settled across from him at the table. A pot already steamed between them, cups arranged with careful attention to detail. Fang Wei poured with the practiced ease of someone who had conducted hundreds of such meetings.
[ASSESSMENT: Subject Fang Wei displaying controlled presentation]
[Cultivation signature: Mid-stage foundation establishment, deliberately suppressed]
[Behavioral markers: Professional negotiator, experienced in information asymmetry]
[Caution: Subject likely possesses more information about this meeting than anticipated]
"I understand you're looking for something difficult to find," Fang Wei said, sliding a cup toward each of them. "Void-touched essence, refined grade. Not many people need such things."
Wang Tian's expression didn't change, but Wang Ben felt his father's attention sharpen. They hadn't mentioned what they needed. Lin Suyin had known, but she'd claimed Fang Wei would require them to explain their requirements.
"You seem well-informed," Wang Tian said carefully.
"Information is my primary trade. Materials are merely... a secondary service." Fang Wei sipped his tea with evident pleasure. "When Lin Suyin sends someone my way, I like to know who I'm meeting. When that someone turns out to be a Wang Clan alchemist and his remarkably talented son, I like to know why."
"And do you know why?"
"I have theories." Fang Wei set down his cup. "But theories are just stories we tell ourselves to explain what we don't understand. I prefer facts. So tell me, Master Wang, why does a respected alchemist need void-touched essence?"
Wang Tian glanced at Wang Ben, a silent question. Wang Ben gave the slightest nod.
"My son is designing a specialized array," Wang Tian said. "The void-touched essence provides spiritual isolation that standard materials can't achieve. The application is legitimate."
"I'm sure it is." Fang Wei's tone suggested he didn't particularly care either way. "The kingdom doesn't regulate void-touched essence because they don't believe it exists outside theoretical texts. Those of us who work in practical applications know better."
"Can you supply it?"
"I can supply anything, given sufficient motivation." Fang Wei leaned back slightly, his pleasant demeanor unchanged. "The question is always what form that motivation takes."
Wang Tian reached into his robes and produced a pouch that clinked softly. "We're prepared to pay fair market rates. Five hundred middle-grade spirit stones for refined essence, quantity sufficient for a standard array application."
"That's a generous offer." Fang Wei made no move to take the pouch. "It's also insufficient."
"Name your price."
"The stones are acceptable as a base payment. But void-touched essence is rare enough that I can't simply sell it to anyone who asks." Fang Wei's eyes moved between them, assessing. "I need to know that our relationship will continue to be... mutually beneficial."
Wang Ben felt his stomach tighten. Here it was. The favor. The future consideration that Lin Suyin had warned them about.
"Explain what you mean by mutually beneficial," Wang Tian said.
"Nothing dramatic. Nothing illegal. Nothing that would compromise your position in the city." Fang Wei spread his hands in a gesture of openness that somehow felt more calculated than reassuring. "I simply want to know that if I help you today, you might be inclined to help me someday. A question answered. A door opened. A small favor when the cost to you is minimal and the benefit to me is significant."
"That's remarkably vague."
"Vague protects us both. If I told you exactly what I might ask, you could refuse and we'd both leave this room having learned something about each other. This way, you agree to consider my requests favorably, and I agree to never ask anything that would destroy what you've built."
[ANALYSIS: Subject Fang Wei proposing open-ended obligation structure]
[Comparison to Shen Wuyan favor debt: Similar framework, different scale]
[Risk assessment: Unknown. Fang Wei's future requests unpredictable]
[Note: Declining will terminate void-touched essence acquisition. No alternative sources identified]
Wang Tian was silent for a long moment. Wang Ben could see his father weighing the options, running through the same calculations he'd already performed. They needed the essence. There were no other sources. Every day of delay brought them closer to the spring deadline.
"We would need assurances," Wang Tian said finally. "Limits on what you might ask."
"Of course." Fang Wei nodded as if he'd expected nothing less. "I will never ask you to betray the kingdom. I will never ask you to harm the innocent. I will never ask you to act against your family's core interests. Beyond those boundaries, I ask only that you give my requests honest consideration."
"And if we consider and decline?"
"Then we discuss it like reasonable people. I'm not in the business of forcing anyone to do anything." Fang Wei smiled again, and this time the sharpness was more visible. "I'm in the business of creating relationships where saying yes is easier than saying no."
The silence stretched. Wang Ben watched his father's face, seeing the conflict there. They had agreed to this path, but agreeing in principle was different from accepting in practice.
"Ben'er." Wang Tian's voice was quiet. "This affects you as much as me. What do you think?"
The question surprised him. His father had said he would lead the negotiation, but now he was asking Wang Ben's opinion in front of Fang Wei. A test, perhaps. Or genuine respect for his judgment.
"I think Master Fang has made a reasonable offer," Wang Ben said carefully. "The limits he's described protect what matters most. And we don't have alternatives."
"No," Wang Tian agreed. "We don't."
He turned back to Fang Wei. "We accept your terms. Spirit stones for the essence, and an open consideration for future requests within the boundaries you've described."
Fang Wei's smile widened fractionally. "A pleasure doing business with the Wang Clan." He produced a small jade container from within his robes and set it on the table. "Refined void-touched essence, sufficient for your array needs. I had it prepared in anticipation of our agreement."
Wang Ben stared at the container. He'd had it ready. Before they'd even walked through the door, Fang Wei had known how this negotiation would end.
"You were very confident," Wang Tian observed.
"I was well-informed." Fang Wei rose from his seat, the movement smooth and unhurried. "The Wang Clan needs something only I can provide. The Wang Clan has demonstrated willingness to make necessary compromises for family security. The outcome was predictable to anyone paying attention."
[ALERT: Subject Fang Wei has been observing Wang Clan activities]
[Information sources: Unknown]
[Scope of surveillance: Unknown]
[Assessment: Current meeting was anticipated. Wang Clan decision-making patterns have been analyzed]
The realization settled over Wang Ben like cold water. Fang Wei hadn't just agreed to meet them. He'd been watching them. Studying them. He'd known about the void-touched essence requirement, known about their decision to pursue grey market channels, known they would ultimately accept his terms.
"One more thing." Fang Wei paused at the door. "Young Master Wang, your array design is quite sophisticated for someone your age. Whoever taught you has unusual knowledge of spiritual isolation theory."
He left before Wang Ben could respond.
The walk back to the compound was silent.
Wang Tian carried the jade container in his robes, a weight far heavier than its physical mass. Wang Ben walked beside him, processing what had just happened.
"He knew," Wang Tian said finally. "Everything. He knew before we arrived."
"Yes."
"That means he has sources we don't know about. People watching us, reporting to him."
"Or he's simply very good at gathering information from public sources." Wang Ben didn't believe that, but it was possible. "Lin Suyin might have told him more than she admitted. Merchants talk."
"Merchants talk. But they don't usually know about sophisticated array designs before the designer mentions them."
Wang Ben had no answer for that. Fang Wei's parting comment had been pointed. A message wrapped in an observation. He knew Wang Ben's knowledge was unusual, and he wanted Wang Ben to know that he knew.
[ANALYSIS: Pattern recognition risk assessment]
[Subject Fang Wei has identified anomalous knowledge patterns in Wang Ben]
[Information likely shared: Unknown]
[Probability of independent analysis: High (Fang Wei operates through information gathering)]
[Probability of external reporting: Moderate (depends on Fang Wei's other relationships)]
[Recommendation: Monitor for signs of increased external observation]
"We got what we needed," Wang Ben said. "The essence is genuine, the terms are within acceptable limits, and the array can be completed."
"Yes." Wang Tian's voice was heavy. "We got what we needed. I'm just not certain we understand what we've given in return."
They passed through the southern district's narrow streets, emerging eventually into more familiar territory. The afternoon sun was beginning its descent toward the western hills, casting long shadows across the city.
"How many obligations do we carry now?" Wang Tian asked quietly. "Three favors to Shen Wuyan. An open consideration to Fang Wei. The City Lord's implicit expectation of no more incidents. The prince's recruitment taking our guards. How much of our future have we already sold?"
"Enough to survive the present." Wang Ben heard the weariness in his own voice. "That's all we can do. Survive long enough to become strong enough that these obligations don't control us."
"Your mother's words, almost exactly."
"She's wise."
"She is." Wang Tian's hand found Wang Ben's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Whatever happens, Ben'er, remember that we made these choices together. The debts are ours to share, not yours to carry alone."
The void-touched essence was everything Wang Ben had hoped.
He examined it that evening in his workroom, the jade container open on his desk. The essence itself was difficult to describe. It appeared as a faintly luminescent liquid that somehow seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. When he extended his spiritual perception toward it, he felt... nothing. An absence where presence should be.
Perfect for isolation. Perfect for creating barriers that spiritual phenomena couldn't penetrate.
[MATERIAL ANALYSIS: Void-touched essence]
[Grade: Refined (suitable for precision formation work)]
[Quantity: Sufficient for primary isolation layer plus 15% contingency]
[Purity: 94% (acceptable for Youming Sanctuary Array specifications)]
[Integration compatibility: High]
[Note: All primary materials now secured. Array completion feasible within current timeline]
Wang Ben allowed himself a moment of relief. Months of work, weeks of political maneuvering, days of moral compromise, and finally he had everything he needed. The resonance crystals from Lin Suyin's expedition would arrive within the week. The formation chalk and binding agents were already in storage. And now the void-touched essence that would make the isolation layer actually functional.
Shen Ruoxi would have her protection. The first favor would be fulfilled.
And then only two more remained.
He sealed the essence container and locked it in the secure cabinet with his other materials. Tomorrow he would begin the final integration work, adapting his design to the specific properties of the components he'd acquired. There would be adjustments to make, calculations to verify, contingencies to plan for.
But tonight, he simply sat in his workroom and breathed.
The compound was quiet around him. His parents had retired early, the weight of the day's events pressing on them as heavily as it pressed on him. The guards walked their reduced patrols, three fewer than a month ago, vulnerabilities that everyone tried not to think about too often.
Winter was deepening outside. In a few months, spring would arrive, and with it, Shen Ruoxi's breakthrough attempt. One chance in three. Those were the odds she faced, even with everything Wang Ben could build for her.
[TIMELINE ASSESSMENT]
[Current date: Mid-winter, Year 2]
[Estimated array completion: 2-3 weeks]
[Shen Ruoxi breakthrough window: Early to mid-spring]
[Preparation margin: Adequate]
[Outstanding concerns: Fang Wei surveillance, Crimson Bastion material stockpiling, System visibility warnings]
The concerns refused to quiet themselves. Fang Wei knew things he shouldn't know. The Crimson Bastion was preparing for something that required the same materials Wang Ben needed. And the System kept warning him that his patterns were becoming visible to anyone paying attention.
Too many threads. Too many watchers. Too many obligations.
But the essence was real, the array would work, and Shen Ruoxi would have her chance at survival.
For tonight, that would have to be enough.
Wang Ben dreamed of futures he couldn't quite see.
In the dream, he stood in a vast chamber filled with formation lines that pulsed with light he didn't recognize. Shen Ruoxi floated at the center, her body motionless, her spirit somewhere between flesh and transcendence. Shadows moved at the edges of his vision, shapes that weren't quite there, voices that weren't quite voices.
You build walls against us, something whispered. But walls have gates, and gates can open.
He woke to winter darkness and the lingering sense that he was being watched.
The compound was silent. His spiritual perception found nothing unusual. No observers, no threats, no shadows that moved with purpose.
Just a dream. Just the anxiety of accumulated stress manifesting in sleep.
But as he lay in the darkness, waiting for his heartbeat to slow, Wang Ben couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming. Something that all his preparations and all his compromises might not be enough to stop.
Spring was approaching.
And with it, the first real test of everything he'd built.
END OF CHAPTER 76