"...Wei Yuan is hereby appointed Military Commissioner of Dingxi, granted command over all military affairs, and bestowed the privilege of the half-ceremony upon entering court. Respect this!"
The drawn-out cadence echoed over the domain. Behind Wei Yuan, the noble scions were still in a daze, and in the distance, the Palace of Grand Beginning cultivators were equally bewildered. Wasn't this post... a bit too grand?
Wei Yuan knelt on one knee. Once the proclamation finished, he said, "My thanks to the King!"
Zhao Tong rolled up the imperial decree and handed it to Wei Yuan, smoothly clasping Wei Yuan's hand as he smiled. "When meeting the Great King in the future, you must address him as Sacred King. There must be no negligence on this point."
Wei Yuan hurried to reply, "Thank you for the guidance, Eunuch Zhao!"
Seizing the moment as he bowed, he smoothly withdrew his hand without drawing attention.
Zhao Tong said, "The privilege of the half-ceremony upon entering court—among the regional commanders of our Great Jin, yours is one of a kind! From this moment forth, Lord Wei is also a senior official of the standard second rank."
Wei Yuan replied at once, "I am overwhelmed with trepidation. In the future, I must rely greatly on Eunuch Zhao's patronage!"
Zhao Tong looked at Wei Yuan and laughed. "Military Commissioner Wei has his own connections at court; there won't be many places where Our Humble Self is needed. Even so, looking at the Military Commissioner, Our Humble Self feels a kinship. We should certainly keep in close contact and visit often in the days ahead."
"Naturally!"
"Now that Our Humble Self is here, having long heard of the many marvels of the Qingming Immortal Stone, would the Military Commissioner care to show Our Humble Self around and broaden my horizons?"
The surrounding atmosphere grew somewhat taut. Wei Yuan paused for a moment, then beamed. "If the eunuch wishes to see it, how could I refuse?"
A moment later, Wei Yuan and Zhao Tong stood beside the Qingming Immortal Stone. At this point, Qingming remained the size of a tabletop, yet its entire body was translucent, swirling with azure qi, continuously generating wisps of dense, misty vapor that dissipated into heaven and earth.
Zhao Tong took a deep breath, drawing several wisps of mist into his nostrils. He savored them, then showed a hint of disappointment.
He raised his left arm, and the red-browed young eunuch rushed over, supporting his hand and acting as a human armrest.
"Let us go stroll elsewhere."
Leaving the secret chamber where Qingming lay, Zhao Tong took a casual walk around Qingming, glancing about in a passing tour. After circling the Weaponsmith Workshop as well, he specifically requested to see the herb garden.
And so, Wei Yuan accompanied Zhao Tong to the herb garden.
Before stepping into the formation, Zhao Tong chuckled. "An herb garden best reflects an immortal demeanor. If it were filled with the ageless elixir of Mount Nanshan, just imagining it would..."
He stepped through the formation, only to be met by gusts of yin wind, bone-chilling cold, and waves of nether qi washing over him. Had a few fiends or ghosts drifted past, it would have looked entirely like the netherworld itself.
The rest of Zhao Tong's sentence caught in his throat.
Only after a long pause did he turn his head and ask Wei Yuan, "This is an herb garden?"
"This is an herb garden!" Wei Yuan affirmed.
"This is truly an herb garden?"
"Without a shadow of a doubt, this is an herb garden!"
Zhao Tong was still incredulous when two eerie red lanterns suddenly flared within the dark mist, and a rank, bloody gale whipped up around them! Zhao Tong's face drained of color. Though trembling as well, the young eunuch beside him still stepped in front of his master and stammered, "Wh-what foul monster is this? Retreat at once, or..."
The words were overbearing, but the tone was entirely one of pleading negotiation.
At that moment, an old Daoist walked out from the black mist, chuckling. "Well now, is this eunuch interested in this old Daoist's spiritual plants?"
Zhao Tong's spirits lifted at those words. "Dare I ask what manner of spiritual plants the venerable immortal grows?"
The old Daoist's interest was piqued at once. With a sweep of his broad sleeve, the formations shrouding the three plots of soil before them parted, revealing the scene within.
All three plots were a blackish red, from which thick, plasma-like fluid welled up from time to time. Three small vines grew in the soil. Two looked relatively ordinary, but the upper half of the third had turned pitch-black and as translucent as colored glaze. The moment the formation opened, several of its branches swung around as if fixing their gaze on Zhao Tong!
The old Daoist chuckled. "These three were originally demon-devouring vines, but this old Daoist cultivated them with Nether Soil and buried some severed flesh and bone of a Great Shaman beneath. In the end, one actually turned out like this. This old Daoist named it the ink jade demon-devouring vine. Do not underestimate its size—preying on Dao Foundations is routine work for it right now, and once fully grown, even a dharma idol caught in its coils will lose half its life if not killed outright. Furthermore, it is intensely toxic and excels most at corroding lifespan. A single sniff shaves off ten years of life, and a single bite..."
Zhao Tong's cheek twitched. He blurted, "Enough, enough! Immortal Master, please close the formation!"
The old Daoist waved his hand to close the formation, sealing away the restlessly stirring vines once more.
Looking deeper in, Zhao Tong saw yin qi permeating everywhere. Although spiritual qi was abundant, there was clearly nothing he sought. In such an environment, probably only venoms and demonic vines could thrive.
Exiting the herb garden, Zhao Tong waved for the young eunuch to hang back. Accompanied by Wei Yuan, he asked, "Lord Wei, how is it Our Humble Self heard you have an immortal tree here? What wondrous uses does it possess?"
"It is merely a severed branch of an immortal tree bestowed by an Immortal Monarch of our palace, best suited for slaughter. I have now refined it into this immortal sword."
Wei Yuan manifested the Crimson Night Immortal-Slaying Sword. Zhao Tong took the sword, turned it over in his hands to examine it closely, and praised repeatedly, "A fine sword! A truly fine sword!"
After fiddling with it for a moment, he returned it to Wei Yuan and sighed. "Alas, Our Humble Self is getting on in years and no longer has any taste for fighting and killing. All I wish for is to live a few more years in peace and stability."
Talking as they walked, the two made their way back to Zhike Town. Once they were seated again, two cultivators carried in a chest. The chest was not large, yet it was exceedingly heavy; when set upon the table, the legs creaked under its weight.
Wei Yuan said, "Our domain was only recently established, so we have nothing truly fine to offer—merely a modest token to welcome the eunuch."
Estimating the weight of the chest, the young eunuch beside them began breathing a little faster.
Zhao Tong's gaze was sharp as a hawk's. Without even needing any divine abilities, he knew at a glance that the chest contained at least fifteen thousand taels of immortal silver. The corners of his mouth hooked upward as though caught on barbs, unable to come down.
"Aiya! Lord Wei, how could Our Humble Self accept this?"
"It is merely a few local specialties."
Zhao Tong chuckled. "Lord Wei is truly an extraordinary man; no wonder you have been granted lands and titles at such a young age, attaining the second rank. You have no idea—back then, Lord Chen Dao also claimed he was sending me local specialties, but most of them really were just local specialties! Haha!"
Wei Yuan chuckled along with him.
Zhao Tong said, "Since Lord Wei has shown such great generosity, Our Humble Self will not beat around the bush. In the future, if you ever come across precious medicines that extend lifespan, acquire as many as possible. They are of tremendous use."
Wei Yuan's thoughts stirred. "Might the eunuch enlighten me a little further?"
"This place where you reside happens to produce precious medicines. Ah, Lord Wei has not been in the Western Regions long, so Our Humble Self will speak more plainly. The Shamans possess a secret longevity medicine known as the Yingluo Bead. Though it carries endless hidden perils, it can serve as a desperate remedy when driven into a corner. Thus, when Lord Wei deals with the Shamans in the future—be it through plunder, deceit, or trade—you must obtain a few Yingluo Beads, or else many great lords will be sorely disappointed."
"Yingluo Beads?" Wei Yuan had never heard of such a thing. It was not listed in the Palace of Grand Beginning's Hall of Merits exchanges, nor was it found in the secret vault of Xu Jingfeng's father. It had never appeared in any records.
The young eunuch quietly withdrew from the room and pulled the door shut.
Zhao Tong lowered his voice. "The Yingluo Bead is also known as the Blood Yingluo, and high-grade ones are called Soul Yingluos. It is... a little trifle that appears during the Shamans' sacrificial rites to Heaven. If consumed through secret methods, it can replenish lifespan lost to various causes!"
Wei Yuan's mind raced, and he roughly understood what it was. Keeping his expression neutral, he asked, "If one consumes too many of them, wouldn't it invite the heavenly retribution of the Human King Sword?"
"After so much time, there are plenty of ways to conceal it," Zhao Tong said with deep meaning.
Thoughts whirling through Wei Yuan's mind, he said, "I will keep an eye out."
Zhao Tong sighed and spoke slowly. "Were there any other way, no one would wish to take this step. Naturally, other precious medicines would be best. Our Humble Self originally heard that Qingming possessed the wondrous property of Jia Wood Life-Mystic, and that you held an immortal tree, which is why I wished to come see for myself. But such treasures of heaven and earth are, after all, things one can only stumble upon by chance, not seek out."
Wei Yuan said, "The eunuch is in the prime of life. Why are you already thinking about extending lifespan?"
"Our Humble Self does not need it for now, but sooner or later I will. And certain elderly lords can wait no longer. Very well, Our Humble Self has said all that needs saying, and it is time to return to report to the Great King. According to ancestral custom, however, Lord Wei must enter the capital to have an audience with the Sacred King within three months. This is a matter of great import; do not forget it, Lord Wei."
Having spoken thus, all that needed to be explained had been conveyed. Zhao Tong handed over all the seals, insignia, and court robes of the Military Commissioner, then prepared to return to the royal capital.
Before departing, Zhao Tong weighed the chest in his hands and gave Wei Yuan a parting word: "When entering the royal capital, it will be late autumn. The journey is long and the wind cold; Lord Wei must dress warmly."
Having seen Zhao Tong off, Wei Yuan broke out in a fine sweat. Being around that grand eunuch required him to stay taut as a bowstring at every moment.
Wei Yuan immediately gathered the Palace of Grand Beginning cultivators to study the King of Jin's edict.
Zhang Sheng spoke first: "This is considered the most orthodox path forward. It is a good thing."
Cui Yu also remarked, "The half-ceremony upon entering court! Hah, even among aristocratic clans, those granted such courtesy can be counted on one's fingers. This is truly somewhat... improbable. Has the King of Jin taken leave of his senses lately?"
The sour jealousy in his words was palpable.
Ji Liuli countered, "Our immortal sect already possesses the right of non-prostration, yet Little Wei Yuan still has to perform a half-ceremony!"
Zhang Sheng said, "Exemption from kneeling applies only to True Monarchs and Immortal Monarchs."
Ji Liuli gave a huff and ceased bickering.
The so-called half-ceremony was the single-knee kneel Wei Yuan had performed today when receiving the edict. Beyond that, aside from audience with the King of Jin, he was not required to kneel to anyone—a truly exceptional privilege. If such courtesies were raised any higher, according to historical records, the recipient's ending was rarely good.
Next were the various substantive powers granted to Wei Yuan, compiled into a separate document that accompanied the edict.
First and foremost was command over all military affairs, which was the core provision. Put simply, all military matters were under Wei Yuan's command, including establishing and training an army; he was permitted to raise his own force. However, regarding force quota, the imperial court had allotted only one division.
Under the Great Tang military system, one division comprised five battalions of one thousand men each, commanded by an officer who could be a vice-general, guerrilla general, regional commander, or the like.
Reading this clause, Yu Zhizhuo said, "Only five thousand? How could that possibly be enough? The next batch of breastplates alone will amount to twenty thousand sets."
Zhang Sheng replied, "Five thousand is the number officially recognized by the court, and equipment and pay are distributed according to that quota. Aside from division troops, if one wishes to conceal soldiers, there are numerous titles under which to do so: personal guards, militia corps, local militiamen, or even household retainers and compound guards."
"So that's how it is!" Yu Zhizhuo had an epiphany and said, "Junior Brother Zhang is truly talented, knowing everything!"
Praised so intensely with those burning eyes, Zhang Sheng felt uneasy, wondering what wild idea this senior brother was cooking up.
Sun Yu chimed in, "Then this will be easy. Let us start by gathering forty thousand compound guards... Oh, would dipping compound guards' weapons in poison be in poor taste?"
Wei Yuan did not know whether to laugh or cry. Forty thousand compound guards—just how vast a compound would that require? He cleared his throat to steer the derailed conversation back on track. "There is still another major matter at hand: traveling to the capital for an audience with the sovereign."
The cultivators frowned slightly. This was indeed a serious matter; after all, everyone knew that once away from Qingming, Wei Yuan's combat strength would plummet.
Traveling to the royal capital, life and death were perhaps not immediate concerns. After all, with such a grand, public enfeoffment proclaimed to the world, both feudal lords and the Son of Heaven valued their reputations dearly, and the King of Jin would not slap his own face.
Wei Yuan had suddenly risen to high office. While within Qingming, no one could touch him, but once he went to the royal capital, there would surely be people stepping forward wanting to test his mettle and weigh his true measure.
Chapter 307