A large contingent of men and horses winding its way west could never pass unnoticed.
Wei Yuan dispersed most of his subordinates among the captive ranks to help hurry the ordinary soldiers along. Circling the perimeter were the core fifty masked riders, roaming and screening their flanks.
On their westward journey, they encountered many scouts—some from rival horse bandit gangs, others from the Western Jin regular army. Bandits generally vanished the moment they spotted the masked riders, but the scouts from the government forces were far more brazen, with some tailing them at an unhurried pace merely a few li back.
Scouts this arrogant almost always hailed from the Northern Border Army, moving in groups of two or three, all of them Dao Foundation cultivators.
Though Wei Yuan had yet to clash directly with the Northern Border Army, that did not mean he would tolerate them walking all over him.
Three masked riders rode out to meet them, three against three. The three Dao Foundation scouts were indeed haughty; instead of fleeing, they brazenly charged to fight. Yet they had clearly underestimated their opponents and were cut down in an instant.
The masked riders lashed the scouts' corpses to their warhorses and let the mounts carry the bodies back. After that, no one dared follow them any longer.
In truth, both sides had originally been evenly matched in cultivation, and three against three would have been a fair fight. But with Wei Yuan empowering his men from behind—three streams of azure qi sweeping into them—the riders' strength instantly doubled, turning the clash into a one-sided slaughter.
Wei Yuan used the corpses of those three scouts to warn the Northern Border Army: do not cross the line, or your claws will be chopped off.
Near dusk the following day, a small pavilion suddenly appeared ahead of the column. A scholar sat within, calmly sipping tea, accompanied by a maidservant and an elderly servant.
Wei Yuan remembered clearly that no such pavilion had existed on this road, nor was the Shattered Lands the kind of place to feature one. For it to appear out of thin air meant its occupant was obviously waiting for him.
Wei Yuan ordered the others to keep marching while he rode toward the pavilion, dismounted, and stepped inside.
The middle-aged scholar stood and offered a faint smile. "This Marquis has waited here for quite some time. I have long heard of Domain Lord Wei's great renown, and seeing you today proves that heroes truly emerge from the youth. Men of my age have merely squandered our years in vain."
Wei Yuan bowed respectfully. "Your Lordship's elegance is peerless, rare in all the world."
The Marquis of Xiang laughed heartily. "There is no need for mutual flattery. Come, sit and speak."
Wei Yuan took a seat at the table, leaning slightly to one side so his back was not turned directly toward the old servant.
"Where is the item?" the Marquis of Xiang asked.
Wei Yuan waved his hand, and two masked riders carried a chest over, setting it down outside the pavilion. The old servant walked over, opened the chest, searched through it, and retrieved an inkstone box. He placed it upon the table before stepping back behind the Marquis. Only then could Wei Yuan finally sit straight.
The Marquis of Xiang opened the box. Resting within was half an inkstick carved with pine and bamboo, finished in gold lacquer. The moment the box opened, a wondrous fragrance drifted out, causing Wei Yuan's Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains to tremble faintly within him.
The Marquis closed the box and asked, "Do you know what this is?"
Wei Yuan answered honestly, "I do not."
The Marquis stared at the box, lost in thought for a moment before saying, "Ten years ago, the treason case of Zhao's Marquis of Weiyuan, Wu Fuling, came to light. Hundreds were implicated one after another; in the end, over a hundred and thirty were imprisoned and condemned, and eight thousand kin were conscripted and exiled. Three years ago, General Wu and seven of his lieutenants were finally beheaded.
"This Marquis was present during the battle to capture General Wu. The heavens collapsed and the earth shattered back then, blotting out the sun and moon. Laugh if you must, but General Wu had been a True Monarch for many years, and I was merely there to piggyback on the credit, only daring to linger on the edge of the battlefield to offer meager support."
Wei Yuan quietly raised his assessment of the Marquis by a grade. Anyone who could even lend support in a life-and-death clash between True Monarchs was no ordinary figure. He did not interrupt, quietly waiting for what followed. The Marquis would not recount such history without a deeper purpose.
The Marquis gently caressed the ink box, his tone slow and deliberate. "The seven subordinates of the Marquis of Weiyuan were all veteran commanders of countless campaigns; their dharma idols were steeped in bloody, murderous aura. The essence of the heart-blood of the Marquis of Weiyuan, his seven lieutenants, and every death row inmate condemned in Zhao over the following three years is gathered right here."
His finger tapped lightly against the box.
Wei Yuan's brows shot up, and he nearly slammed the table to rise to his feet. Yet his hand paused midair before he slowly lowered it.
A look of appreciation surfaced in the Marquis's eyes. "This ink was crafted in Zhao. The method of making it is an esoteric secret, capable of being produced only by those of royal blood. Injunctions and talismans written with this ink possess power beyond imagination and produce all manner of miraculous phenomena. Most crucial of all, it is an indispensable component for the King to cultivate a certain secret art.
"Now that this object has passed through your hands, you bear the infamy and the karma, but you have also caught the King's eye—tantamount to performing a service. Though this merit is modest, it is etched into the King's mind, and it shall serve as the bedrock of your standing at court in the future."
Wei Yuan understood that this was an overture to recruit him. But to him, mere promises were not enough.
The Marquis opened the ink box once more, used his fingernail to slice off a sliver the size of a rice grain, and handed it to Wei Yuan. "Keep this safe. In time, a fortuitous encounter will be granted to you, and it must be unlocked with this item. This Marquis observes that your foundation is vast yet impure. If you grasp this chance well, you might obtain a wisp of fundamental origin qi."
Wei Yuan put away the grain of blood ink and said, "There is no reward without merit. What does Your Lordship need me to do?"
"There is no rush for now. You need only develop your domain. If, within thirty years, you can become a warlord commanding a formidable army, that shall be the greatest repayment to this Marquis."
Wei Yuan nodded. "I will do my utmost not to disappoint Your Lordship's expectations."
With that, he moved to take his leave. The Marquis seemed slightly surprised and asked, "If Domain Lord Wei has anything else to say, feel free to speak plainly."
Wei Yuan pondered for a moment. "My Lord, I would like something tangible."
"Speak your mind."
"The domain is short on food, and people are already starving to death," Wei Yuan said. "So I would like some grain to meet the emergency. Not much—five million jin will suffice."
The smile froze on the Marquis's face.
Yet his expression quickly returned to normal. "In recent years, our domestic harvests have been poor, and all factions keep a tight watch on military rations. The Shattered Lands is a war zone, subject to even stricter controls. Even this Marquis cannot easily divert such a massive shipment of military grain."
Wei Yuan replied, "I understand. Then a little less—how about two million jin?"
His smile unchanged, the Marquis raised his teacup, took a slow sip, and set it back down.
Wei Yuan understood the message, so he said, "Then even less—five hundred thousand jin?"
The Marquis gently stroked the white jade thumb ring on his finger. "How about this: I shall grant you a sum of immortal silver to serve as military funds. What do you say?"
Wei Yuan sighed. "Silver cannot buy grain when there is none to be had. What about two hundred thousand jin?"
"This Marquis shall grant you ten thousand military ration pills. How about that?"
"Thank you, My Lord!" Wei Yuan rose, bowed, walked out of the pavilion, mounted his horse, and rode away.
Once Wei Yuan was far off, the old servant snorted. "That brat truly does not know what is good for him!"
The maidservant also asked, "Why does he keep demanding such cumbersome goods? Two hundred thousand jin of grain is hardly worth much silver."
The Marquis said slowly, "Our domestic harvests have failed year after year, and grain is fiercely guarded everywhere; in some places, local governments have even come to blows fighting over provisions. By fixating on demanding grain from me, he was probing to see if we have sway over the local authorities. Furthermore, even if one obtained grain, transporting it out would require passing through Ningxi Prefecture, which is the domain of the border army.
"Thus, by stubbornly insisting on grain, he probed to find that we lack deep roots in local administration and have no sway within the military. Heh, he truly is shrewd."
The old servant remarked, "The brat's appetite is not small, and he is wild and untamed. Subduing him may not be easy."
The Marquis smiled faintly, his tone detached. "To gaze upon the blood ink without flinching—he is a formidable figure. But if he thinks this alone can confound us, he underestimates this Marquis. When the time comes for the fortuitous encounter to unfold, he will naturally understand what we can offer him."
Chapter 257