"Daddy, are the bad guys gone?" River poked half his head through the gap in the bedroom door, the hood of his Ultraman pajamas tilted to one side, eyes wide as grapes.

Jade Lin stood behind him, gripping a rolling pin she'd grabbed from the kitchen — the head still dusted with flour. I smiled at them, closed the door and locked it, then tossed my canvas bag onto the sofa. "Gone. Just a couple of flies that got lost. Old Zhang and the others scared them off."

Jade Lin set down the rolling pin and walked over to brush the dust from my shoulder. Her fingertips paused when they grazed my collarbone. "You're not hurt, are you? The noise just now..."

"I'm fine." I caught her hand and steered her toward the sofa. "Like swatting a mosquito. Small potatoes." Inside, though, I was quietly giving the system a thumbs-up — if it hadn't warned me in advance, I'd never have expected Baizhen Pavilion to come knocking this fast, let alone with a Foundation-Establishment tail in tow.

River threw himself into my arms, holding up the red coral Grandpa Hai had given him. "Daddy, this thing glows!"

I took the branch of coral and turned it under the lamplight. The system chime sounded right on cue: Low-grade spirit material — 'Crimson Coral.' Contains weak fire-attribute energy. Can be used to refine 'Crimson Flame Pills,' or as a fire-ignition node in array formations. I fobbed River off with the first thing that came to mind. "That's right — a star that fell from the sea and turned into this. Pretty cool, huh?"

I was still playing with the kid when the doorbell rang again. Not the brutal hammering from before — this time it was a measured, unhurried knock.

Jade Lin's expression shifted. On instinct she pulled River behind her. I shook my head at her and crossed to the peephole. My pupils contracted sharply.

Standing outside was none other than Everett Li, Vice Hall-Master of the Azure Dragon Hall. He'd changed into plain clothes — a blue linen shirt, cloth shoes — and he was carrying a paper-wrapped parcel, looking for all the world like a man just back from the market. But that faint, almost imperceptible pressure of a Core-Formation cultivator clung to him like smoke. No matter how carefully he suppressed it, it made my scalp prickle.

"It's Senior Li," I murmured to Jade Lin. In my mind, the old man's voice exploded like a firecracker: Kid, a weasel paying New Year's calls on a chicken — nothing good about it! This old fox finished his little performance with Victor Jin out on the East Sea yesterday, and now he's on your doorstep the same night. Nothing good is coming, I'm telling you!

I drew a slow breath and opened the door.

Everett Li smiled warmly, cupping one hand in the other. "Brother Ethan, sorry to impose." His gaze swept over me and Jade Lin, then settled on River, softening slightly. "I figured you'd just got back, so I brought some dried seaweed — East Sea specialty."

"Senior is too kind. Please, come in." I stepped aside to let him through, my mind already running the calculations at full speed. A Core-Formation heavyweight like Everett Li didn't make house calls without reason — especially not the very night Baizhen Pavilion had shown up at my door. His appearance was anything but coincidental.

Jade Lin moved stiffly to pour tea. River, fearless as ever, craned his neck up at the visitor. "Mister, your jacket has a dragon on it!"

Everett Li looked down at the green dragon embroidered along his cuff and let out a rolling laugh. "Sharp eyes, young man. It's embroidery from my hometown." He set the parcel on the coffee table and turned to face me, his tone shifting into something more serious. "Brother Ethan, yesterday on the East Sea — I owe you my thanks for breaking the Lock-Sea Array. Without that, I'd have been grinding it out with Victor Jin until dawn."

"Senior flatters me." I waved it off. "I was only looking out for myself. No thanks needed."

Everett Li took the cup Jade Lin offered but didn't drink. He simply watched me. "Baizhen Pavilion has been bloodied this time. They won't let it go. Victor Jin used a crooked pill to force his breakthrough — his foundation is shaky — but with the White Tiger Hall propping them up from behind, their methods will only get dirtier."

My stomach dropped. Here it comes. The old man's cold laugh cut through my head: Hear that? He's laying the groundwork. Next he'll try to load you into the barrel and fire you at somebody.

"Senior, whatever you have to say — please, just say it." I decided to cut straight to the point.

Everett Li set down his cup and leaned forward slightly. "I won't beat around the bush. The Azure Dragon Hall has long wanted to expose the ties between Baizhen Pavilion and the White Tiger Hall, but they've buried themselves too deep — evidence is hard to come by. You, Brother Ethan, have a grudge against Baizhen Pavilion, and you have certain... capabilities." He paused, watching my reaction. "I wonder if you might do us a favour — keep an eye on Baizhen Pavilion's movements, and in particular any evidence of dealings between them and the White Tiger Hall?"

Just as I thought. I laughed inwardly, but put on a troubled expression. "Senior, it's not that I'm unwilling — it's just that my cultivation is shallow, and I have a wife and child at home. If I somehow offend the White Tiger Hall..."

"Have no fear on that account!" Everett Li cut in at once. "If you agree to help, the Azure Dragon Hall guarantees your family's safety. I have here a Azure Dragon Token." He produced a jade tablet from inside his robe — pale green, carved with a dragon so lifelike it seemed ready to move. "With this, you have access to every Azure Dragon Hall outpost along the eastern coast. Should you encounter danger, show the token and you can mobilise Foundation-Establishment cultivators for backup."

The system chime struck like an alarm: Warning! The Azure Dragon Hall's true aim is to use the host as a weapon against Baizhen Pavilion and the White Tiger Hall. They call it cooperation — in practice, it is murder by borrowed blade. The Azure Dragon Token has its merits, but it may become hard evidence that the White Tiger Hall uses to target you, and it will bind you to the Azure Dragon Hall, stripping you of your freedom.

I stared at the Azure Dragon Token in Everett Li's outstretched hand. Then I thought back to yesterday's battle — that fight between him and Victor Jin that had looked fierce but never crossed a certain line — and my mind settled.

I didn't take the token he was offering. Instead, I reached into my own robes and produced a jade tablet of my own — the very Azure Dragon Token that the "mysterious figure" had "casually" tossed my way outside the residential complex last time. Back then I'd assumed it was just a brush-off, something to get rid of me. Now, it turned out to be the finest shield I had.

End of Chapter 38: The Azure Dragon Token