Such a Good Deal

A group of dignitaries filed into the grand hall to discuss the demise of their ancestor. Every face bore an expression of grief and indignation, yet their eyes quietly took in the surroundings. The hall's interior was decidedly minimalist, but the materials and craftsmanship were unmistakably top tier. Setting everything else aside, the main conference table in the front was coated with a micro-thin layer of slightly textured material; none of the cultivators had any idea what it was, but it looked remarkably high-end. Beyond that, every single object in the hall—even a simple chair—displayed craftsmanship, curvature, and polished surfaces that only elite master artisans could produce. What was truly extraordinary was that thousands of chairs were identical down to the last detail. That was something no ordinary master artisan could achieve; only an artifact crafting grandmaster above the Dharma Idol realm could pull it off. But what artifact crafting grandmaster would ever spend their time making chairs? In the blink of an eye, the cultivators lost most of their bluster. A realization dawned in their hearts: their family's supposed wealth probably amounted to nothing at all in Qingming. A long table stood in the center of the hall. The cultivators nominated about a dozen representatives to sit at it, while the rest took seats scattered behind them. After a short wait, three Qingming cultivators entered, ascended the raised dais, and took their seats behind a table. The dais stood several zhang higher than the floor, forcing the Lu cultivators to crane their necks just to see them. Moreover, all three Qingming cultivators were quite young, and their cultivation was thoroughly unremarkable. Displeasure showed on the visitors' faces, but mindful of their family's reputation for humility and decorum, none spoke up. At that moment, the Qingming cultivator above said, "Since everyone is here, let us discuss the compensation plan. The Xiaoshan Lu family's breach of contract is an established fact, and the compensation amount was already fixed in the agreement. Today's meeting is primarily to discuss the payment terms. "Our position is that, in consideration of the major funeral the Lu family has yet to hold, we can grant a three-month grace period. The fifty million compensation must be delivered to the Mint within six months." The cultivators were stunned. A young cultivator slammed his hand on the table and surged to his feet, fuming. "A problem occurred with your mindscape world, leading to the death of our ancestor! How is it that we have to compensate you?!" The Qingming female cultivator in the center remained expressionless. "The contract stipulates that any damage sustained by the mindscape world during the lease period is entirely the responsibility of the lessee." "But our ancestor is already dead—!" "The contract stipulates that the lessee shall personally bear the consequences of any accidents occurring during the lease period." "But this accident was caused by you—!" "The contract stipulates that the leasing cultivator promises that, even if an unexpected disturbance in the mindscape world is genuinely caused by Qingming, they voluntarily waive the right to hold Qingming liable, shall bear the consequences themselves, and shall be responsible for all costs of repairing the mindscape world. Before the repair costs are fully settled, the mindscape world may not be used. During this period, the lease payments for the mindscape world must still be made as scheduled." The young cultivator grew increasingly enraged as he listened. He roared, "You're blacker than a den of thieves! We don't want this mindscape world anymore!" The female cultivator in the center remained impassive. "That is permissible. You need only place a drop of blood upon this document. A friendly reminder: according to the contract, if you terminate the lease, the deposit is forfeited, and you must pay the first ten years of rent in a lump sum before termination can proceed." The young cultivator's face flushed crimson. Just as he was about to speak, a middle-aged cultivator seated in the middle barked, "Silence! You are merely the ancestor's great-grandson, and not even the eldest. With so many elders present, it is not your place to talk!" The young cultivator stiffened his neck. "Why can't I make the call? Today, I insist on making this decision! We don't want this mindscape world anymore!" The middle-aged cultivator sneered. "The ancestor passed away unexpectedly, so the mindscape world must be transferred to a worthy successor. But no matter who gets it, it would never fall to your branch, which is why you want to sabotage it. If you can't have it, no one else should either—isn't that right?" Seeing them devolve into an unruly brawl, the Qingming female cultivator brought her wooden gavel down hard against the table. "Anyone who causes further disturbance will be expelled from the hall!" Only then did the cultivators sullenly sit back down. The female cultivator said, "You wish to transfer the lease to another person, correct? That is fine. Once the compensation is settled, the relevant procedures can be completed. In addition, Qingming has recently rolled out two new services. First, we can provide training for the new lessee, instructing them in techniques for using the mindscape world. Second, we can allow Dharma Idol cultivators to experience combat with brand-new dharma idols and dharma bodies in the outer worlds." Every cultivator present hailed from an illustrious clan, and in an instant, their breathing changed. They understood full well that experiencing another dharma idol meant gaining insights into different Dao paths. This was far beyond taking stones from another mountain to polish jade—this was outright cheating! An elderly cultivator seated in the center spoke for the first time, asking, "What are the fees for these two services?" The Qingming female cultivator replied, "The first service is free. The second costs very little—only a hundred thousand Qingyuan per year. Furthermore, as long as you fight well and accumulate a high enough combat record, it can all be redeemed for rewards. You might even turn a profit." The cultivators' breath grew heavier still. *Such a good deal exists?!* It was no wonder they were tempted. Qingming was undeniably extortionate, but their goods were genuinely unmatched. A service that offered a direct shortcut along the Dao path was unique under the heavens. In the past, this was called a karmic opportunity, something one had to risk life and limb to obtain. Now, Qingming placed the opportunity right in front of them—demanding money instead of lives, even if the amount of money was deadly in its own right. The female cultivator did not add another word; the cultivators filled in the rest of the details themselves. She handed them an information packet, instructed them to return and deliberate on the compensation among themselves, and promptly adjourned the meeting. *** In Qingming Immortal City, Wei Yuan felt a stirring in his mind and manifested above the domain boundary. He watched Xu Youyi stroll over, grumbling, "You've really dragged me into a mess!" Wei Yuan said, "I have heard of Master Lu of Jiangzhou. They say he was an unparalleled handsome man in his youth, but unfortunately lacked the destiny to be with Immortal Xu." "There were regrets back then, so I always wanted to make it up to him a bit. That was why I sought this opportunity for him, hoping he could live a little longer. Who would have thought such an accident would occur?" Wei Yuan said, "In doing this, Immortal Xu, the voices of opposition in your own household must have been considerable." Xu Youyi snorted. "Some people gossiped, but I can suppress them." Wei Yuan chuckled. "Immortal Xu guards Eastern Jin and is a grandmaster of the pill Dao. With those two identities combined, forget taking a few concubines—even if your palace were filled with male favorites, no one would dare say a word. In my view, your husband's family seems to have overstepped." Xu Youyi frowned slightly. "Back then, my husband's family helped me greatly in ascending to immortality. My husband knows his place; it is mainly my two sons who have been raising a fuss. I did not expect word to reach the Realm Lord's ears." Wei Yuan said, "Pardon my bluntness, but your two sons possess mediocre natural talent. Pouring the clan's entire strength into forcibly elevating them to immortals is not impossible, but an immortal piled up like that would be slapped down with a single hand." "Are you trying to say Henshui should inherit the family headship?" Wei Yuan chuckled. "Senior Brother Xu might not even want to inherit the Xu family at this point. Qingming Alchemy is currently no smaller in scale than the Xu family, falling short only in high-end pills. But in time, surpassing the Xu family is only a matter of time." Xu Youyi snorted. "What are you getting at?" Wei Yuan said, "The two young masters are profligate and untalented; they are already ruined. Since that is the case, why not raise a few new ones? Perhaps one will turn out promising. Even if they don't, having a new child will keep those two much more well-behaved." Xu Youyi froze for a moment before saying, "But Master Lu has already passed—" Wei Yuan cut her off. "You might not have cared that much for Master Lu either, or your reaction to his death wouldn't be like this. We can approach this matter from other angles, and I can offer some assistance. I possess a few insights into karmic luck. If Immortal Xu conceives a new child, before the birth, I can bestow karmic luck upon them to ensure their natural talent rises to another level." "This..." Hesitation was plainly visible on Xu Youyi's face. Wei Yuan thought to himself that Xu Henshui's information had indeed been accurate: the Xu family still preserved several ancient treasure pills capable of enabling an immortal to conceive. However, the primary ingredient for those pills was extinct; each one used meant one fewer in existence. Xu Youyi said, "Let us table that discussion for now. I want to know how that mindscape world suddenly shattered." Wei Yuan said, "I battled a formidable foe where we pitted our mindscape worlds against each other, and that mindscape world was shattered during the fight. I can give it top priority for repairs; it won't take three months to mend." "I have already inspected that mindscape world. You were not lightly injured in that battle; can you truly mend it in three months?" "If I repair seventy to eighty percent of it, it will be usable." "What if the enemy from beyond the heavens returns?" "Rest assured. Next time, I will use someone else's mindscape world to block them."