Three Visitors

"Brother Wei, there is neither grudge nor enmity between us. Why must you hex me?" Tianyu asked gloomily. Wei Yuan said apologetically, "I truly had matters to discuss, and had no other way to contact you. Besides, I do not know any other Shamans, so I had no choice but to seek you out." Tianyu's expression softened slightly. He handed Wei Yuan a formation stone and said, "In the future, if you have business, just activate this stone. If I don't come, it means the hatred between our peoples has reached a point where I simply do not wish to show up." Wei Yuan stowed the formation stone, then passed over a box. "Take a look at these first." Tianyu opened the lid. Inside, four small compartments each held a piece of flesh. All four pieces were squirming, each seemingly with a mind of its own. Tianyu brought it close to his nose and took a deep breath. "Fragrant! Absolutely intoxicating! This is... a True Monarch's essence-blood!" "Can it be traded for things?" "Of course! More than enough! How much more do you have? I'll take it all!" "I need sacrificial offerings, medicinal ingredients, rare minerals, spiritual plants, and... blood yingluo." Tianyu gave Wei Yuan a meaningful look. "It seems you have embarked upon this path as well. Normal, though. Even if you don't wish to take it, plenty of people will force your hand. There is plenty of blood yingluo, though the fresher it is, the higher its quality. How much are you planning to take?" Wei Yuan had previously crammed knowledge regarding blood yingluo. The item was priced directly by the number of years its contained essence could extend one's lifespan. And because blood yingluo carried terrifying side effects, the less one consumed, the better; thus, for the same weight, the more years of life it granted, the higher its price. The standard benchmark was one jin of blood yingluo extending lifespan by ten years. The lowest quality offered only three years, while the finest granted fifty, and the price of the supreme grade was not five times the standard, but five hundred times. In the end, the two agreed on a rate of one hundred jin of True Monarch flesh-blood for standard blood yingluo granting one year of lifespan. Wei Yuan exchanged enough blood yingluo to extend life by a hundred years. Next came sacrificial offerings, various mineral ores and medicinal herbs unique to the Wu domain, and Tianyu promised a seed of an immortal plant, trading for a total of fifty thousand jin of flesh-blood. Once the agreement was reached, Wei Yuan said, "I have an additional condition." "What condition?" "I want intelligence and maps regarding the tribe constructing Shaman City." Tianyu immediately shook his head. "That is aiding the enemy! I cannot agree to that!" Wei Yuan said coolly, "Isn't giving you so much flesh-blood also aiding the enemy? If so, we don't have to do this business. Consider this box a gift to you." Tianyu's eyes narrowed slightly. "You are using our hands to help you eliminate an enemy!" Wei Yuan smiled. "You've finally caught on. Eliminating my enemy while getting the items I need—why wouldn't I do it? However, without intelligence on that tribe, all deals are off." "That is Lord Hongye's Land of Rain. Lord Hongye's might is far beyond your imagination. Years ago, Lord Hongye offended Long Zhe, had his cultivation sheared away, and was banished to the eastern frontier. If you ever face Lord Hongye in the future, you must never view him as merely a Great Shaman, or even treat him as an ordinary Desolate Shaman." "This Lord Hongye—how far does he live from here?" "Probably... two hundred thousand li?" "Then that's fine. I can't travel that far anyway." Tianyu said, "You want quite a lot this time. I need some time to prepare. We'll trade ten days from now." "Very well." Just as Wei Yuan turned to head back to the territory, Tianyu called out to stop him. "Remember to use the formation stone! Don't hex me again!" Wei Yuan said, "I only used five hundred people this time. Any fewer and I feared you wouldn't feel it. Could it be you were in the middle of something when the curse hit?" "No, absolutely not!" Tianyu vehemently denied. Seeing Tianyu's ferocious expression, Wei Yuan wisely refrained from probing further, lest the deal fall through. Upon returning to his quarters, Wei Yuan received a report: Yuan Qingyan, Governor of Ningxi Commandery, was requesting an audience and was already waiting in Zhike Town. Wei Yuan frowned slightly. He first summoned a disciple of the Hall of Heavenly Craft and instructed him to scout locations to construct a Hall of Welcome at each of the eastern, western, and southern borders of the territory for hosting guests. Zhike Town was too deep within the territory, which was somewhat improper. Arriving at Zhike Town, Wei Yuan found Yuan Qingyan waiting in the guest wing. When Wei Yuan entered the room, Yuan Qingyan rose immediately to bow, remaining standing until Wei Yuan had seated himself. "What brings you here?" Wei Yuan asked. Yuan Qingyan produced a slender booklet and presented it before Wei Yuan. "This is a collection of poetry by this student... this subordinate official. I humbly ask for your corrections, My Lord." Considering Wei Yuan's youth, Yuan Qingyan could not bring himself to refer to himself as a student after all. Wei Yuan casually set the booklet on the side table. "Governor Yuan didn't come all this way just to deliver a book of poems, did he?" Yuan Qingyan did not return to his seat, but remained standing to the side like an attendant student. "Poetry expresses one's aspirations. In truth, this subordinate harbors modest ambitions of his own." "Unfortunately, I know nothing of poetry and am poorly read. I fear I cannot fathom your grand ambitions, Governor Yuan. Oh, and in this neck of the woods, realizing ambitions does not seem particularly easy." Wei Yuan spoke with double meaning, which Yuan Qingyan naturally understood. "In the sliver of land this subordinate governs, one truly can accomplish nothing. Sooner or later, your territory will expand over it. The so-called border is merely a line on a map; within your territory, everything must naturally follow Your Lordship's lead. Therefore, what little ambition I possess must ultimately rest upon you." "Unfortunately, I have no grand ambitions myself. What I want most in life is to idle about and wait to die. Governor Yuan had best see himself out." Yuan Qingyan said, "Above, this subordinate can impeach political rivals; below, I can pacify the realm and reassure the people. I venture to say I still have some use to Your Lordship." Wei Yuan had not expected Yuan Qingyan to be so persistent. Setting down his teacup, he said, "Governor Yuan, the enmity between us is hardly small. At a time like this, shouldn't a scholar prefer death to preserve his integrity? I've asked around; your reputation as a mad dog was won back then by putting your life on the line." "Ordinary men seek power and profit; many scholars seek fame, and I am no exception. If Your Lordship sat upon a throne today, then dying for my loyalty would win me posthumous renown. But today, you hold independent sway over a region and have already grown formidable. If I were to die now, what would the history books write?" Wei Yuan had studied history for many years, and a sentence flashed through his mind: *In the first year of Tianqi, Wei Yuan raised troops; the local commandery governor and other officials died for their integrity.* A mere commandery governor was not even worth naming by the court historians here. Yet Wei Yuan immediately realized that such phrasing was exceedingly unlucky, and promptly banished it from his thoughts. Then he subconsciously thought that it ought to be written like this: *In a certain year, Emperor Yuan, the Great Progenitor, raised his banner, and the realm rose in response...* Wei Yuan dared not let his imagination run wild any longer. He said, "Please return, Governor Yuan. I will consider the matter." Having achieved his purpose, Yuan Qingyan took his leave. Wei Yuan shook his head. After crushing the three hundred thousand-strong army, the surrounding world seemed to have changed completely in an instant. Just then, another report arrived: an envoy from the Xu family had come. Thus, Wei Yuan flew from the south toward the northeast. The Xu family's envoy was a Dharma Idol elder who had refused to enter the territory and was waiting outside. A moment later, Wei Yuan arrived in the northeast, where the envoy had pitched camp. Wei Yuan entered the main tent and found an emaciated old man engrossed in reading a book. When Wei Yuan walked in, the old man did not raise his head, continuing to read as if alone. Wei Yuan said nothing. Walking over to the side, he picked up a candlestick from a side table, examined it, and moved the candle flame toward the canvas of the tent. The old man could no longer pretend not to notice and snapped angrily, "What are you doing? How can you be so insolent?!" Wei Yuan smiled. "I saw you were reading so intently, Elder, and thought the light inside was a bit dim. I only wanted to add some fire for you." The old man's face darkened. "At such a young age, instead of studying the sage's texts, you have learned nothing but rogue, ruffian tricks!" Wei Yuan said mildly, "If you have no one to talk to, Elder, you can go home and scold your grandson—assuming you have one." "Junior, you court death!" The old man flew into a rage, his aura surging as he prepared to strike. Wei Yuan's eyes lit up, but then he sighed, standing still. He knew these heavenly merits were tantalizingly out of reach. Sure enough, the old man slammed his palm heavily onto the table, and then... nothing more. Old and young stared at each other, locked in a standoff. Finally, the old man spoke first. "The Immortal Ancestor has decreed: release all Xu family members, return their equipment, and pay one million taels of immortal silver in compensation, and this matter may be put behind us!" Wei Yuan immediately countered, "The Immortal Ancestor never said that!" The old man froze for a moment, then realized what was said and fumed, "This is the Immortal Ancestor's oral decree! What, would I dare falsely transmit an immortal decree?!" "Wouldn't you dare?" Wei Yuan retorted. "Ignorant junior! How dare you—" Wei Yuan cut him off. "Why don't you swear on the name of Xu Wangu?" The old man went pale with shock. He lunged forward to clap a hand over Wei Yuan's mouth, but halted abruptly mid-leap. Staring at the crimson immortal sword leveled at his chest, his expression turned exceedingly grim. Wei Yuan slowly withdrew the Crimson Sword Immortal Slayer, consoling himself inwardly, *Forget it, it's only a hundred heavenly merits. Just a hundred, I don't lack that little...* The celestial laurel tree, however, rustled frantically, urging Wei Yuan to strike. So far, at least, no immortal plant had competed with it for the bestowal of heaven and earth. Wei Yuan wanted to snatch it, but couldn't outcompete the tree. Wei Yuan said, "Rest assured, your old ancestor cannot hear what I say. Of course, if I say too much, it might draw his attention. So let us cut the nonsense. You couldn't obtain what you wanted with an army of three hundred thousand; did you think you could obtain it with just a slick tongue? Bring another million troops and maybe we'll talk." The old man's face shifted between green and pale. "Then what do you want?" Wei Yuan said, "Fifty taels of immortal silver per person below Dao Foundation, minimum ten thousand to redeem. For Dao Foundation cultivators, have their own clans come redeem them, starting at five thousand immortal silver each. Not a copper less, or no deal." The old man said, "Then ten thousand to start, but I get to pick the individuals." Wei Yuan sneered. "In your dreams! I'll let you pick ten. You can make plenty from ten." The old man sighed. "All ten thousand quota slots must go to my Xu family's private army—no regular imperial troops or laborers mixed in. In addition, I need to pick fifty. Ten for my own profit, twenty to grease palms above and below, and for the remaining twenty, I have many relatives and owe plenty of favors, which I can use this to repay." Wei Yuan narrowed his eyes, staring at the old man in prolonged silence. The old man grew increasingly uneasy, finally saying, "Forty is fine too. A few fewer favors repaid is still acceptable." Wei Yuan suddenly broke into a broad smile. "In truth, your clan never expected you to succeed in negotiating this, did they?" The old man gritted his teeth, then nodded. "Then you may pick fifty. Oh, by the way, remember to tell them when you get back: every time they send a different person to negotiate, the ransom goes up by ten taels." The old man let out a long breath of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted. Wei Yuan was quite pleased as well. Such a cooperative negotiation partner was hard to come by. That the Xu family was now negotiating in earnest only went to show how weakened they had become.