Long Time No See

A few days later, several carriages departed the domain and set off toward Hanyang Pass. They were laden with letters from Xu family prisoners of war to their families—some reporting their safety, others pleading to be ransomed—amounting to over twenty thousand in all. Inside an opulent mansion in the north of Qianqiu City, a middle-aged man reclined on a chaise lounge, his eyes half-closed as he enjoyed the rare winter afternoon sunshine. Beside him, a seasoned Dharma Idol cultivator gave a report: "Word has returned from the front. This time, Wei Yuan captured a total of one hundred and sixty thousand men. Among them, our Xu family private retainers number fifty thousand, while the regular imperial troops number one hundred and fifteen thousand. Two hundred and ten Dao Foundation cultivators were captured. Moreover, many in the clan are making an uproar; having received letters from their captive kin, they have no desire to fight further, wishing only to pay to ransom their loved ones." Without opening his eyes, the middle-aged man gave a soft hum. The old man said, "Several of us discussed the matter. The ransom sums each household is willing to pay far exceed the baseline price Wei Yuan demanded, so Wei Yuan’s terms seem acceptable. However, we cannot let the individual families negotiate on their own; it must be handled collectively through us." "Oh? Roughly how much can we collect then?" "Factoring in the private army, after taking in the payments and paying him out, we can net roughly two point seven million taels." The middle-aged man's brow twitched. He said, "Fifty thousand captured... Hmm, if we ransom thirty thousand, virtually everyone who matters will be back. Have Qingliu speak with Wei Yuan. Tell him we intend to redeem thirty thousand private retainers, but we want to hand-pick five hundred of them." "Yes, my lord." "Wait." The middle-aged man stopped the elder, tapping his fingers on the armrest before saying, "If we give him so much immortal silver, what if he uses it to buy weapons and grain? Wouldn't that arm him to the teeth? Handing over so much immortal silver would also look terrible for our clan’s face. No, this won't do!" After pondering a moment, he said, "I hear Wei Yuan is quite fond of spiritual flora. As it happens, there is a stalk of Bingli Divine Wood in my vault. It is a decent immortal plant, worth at least one point five million taels. Use that as collateral to offset the payment!" The elder was shocked. "Immortal items have a price but no market! Wouldn't that be letting Wei Yuan get off far too easily?" "No matter. This divine wood has only grown for fifty years. To be of any use, it requires at least three hundred years. Giving it to Wei Yuan is merely leaving it in his temporary safekeeping. In the future, before it fully matures, we can take it back whenever we wish." "Your Excellency is truly brilliant!" "Go and negotiate." In a sizable military redoubt in Ningzhou, a full-bearded Brigade General stared out at his empty drill grounds, weighed down with worry. Just then, a deputy general hurried over and whispered, "General, news has come from the front. Not one of the eight thousand men we dispatched has returned. I fear... things bode ill for them." The Brigade General snorted. "Knowing Old Liu and his bunch, I'd be the first to disbelieve that they fought to the death! Hmph, more than likely, they couldn't run fast enough and got caught." The deputy general said, "Right now there's no certain word from the front, and our camp is short eight thousand men. What are we to do?" To his surprise, the Brigade General retorted, "Short eight thousand men? What are you talking about? Aren't those men safe and sound in camp? Not a single one ever stepped foot outside!" The deputy general understood at once, though he still felt somewhat uneasy. This redoubt was a vital strategic stronghold. It had originally been garrisoned by a quota of fifteen thousand troops, out of which the upper and lower ranks pocketed five thousand phantom posts. In Western Jin, such a ratio was considered quite conscientious. But now, with only two thousand troops left in camp, they were pocketing thirteen thousand phantom posts! Though forced into it by circumstance, the deputy general's heart still pounded in fear. Scenes like the one in this redoubt were playing out repeatedly across Ningzhou at this very moment, as numerous imperial commanders found themselves reluctantly making a tidy fortune. The transaction with the Xu family was concluded smoothly. Wei Yuan raised no objections to the new terms. Having received the Bingli Divine Wood, he allowed the Xu elder to pick several hundred men from among the captives. During the selection process, many prisoners clamored desperately, but unfortunately their names were not on the list. Once the five hundred men were chosen, Wei Yuan paired the remaining fifty-odd thousand Xu private retainers into duels, decreeing that the victors could return to the Xu family. Yet simply winning was not enough. Wei Yuan then selected twenty thousand from among the victors and instructed each of them to designate one loser who had to stay behind. Consequently, many promptly pointed out those with whom they held personal grudges, ensuring that their enemies would never return to the Xu family. After this ordeal, the thirty thousand ransom slots were finally settled from the fifty thousand men. The remaining men, however, had first been defeated in combat and then singled out by the victors, leaving them behind with a double layer of bone-deep hatred. The Xu elder, named Xu Qingliu, looked on throughout Wei Yuan's manipulations without voicing the slightest objection. Having lined his pockets to the brim, why would he say a single superfluous word? In his eyes, those twenty thousand men were already as good as dead, utterly discarded by the clan. With the Xu family’s ransoming complete, most of the Dao Foundation cultivators among the imperial troops ransomed themselves as well. At this point, the remaining one hundred and thirty thousand men were entirely abandoned, and they too came to terms with this grim reality. Moreover, after ingesting Sun Yu's medicine, none of them had much appetite over these past few days, nor did they feel hungry. Yet they were visibly weakened, their hearts dead to hope, and so they resigned themselves to their fate. Shortly thereafter, the transaction with Tianyu was also concluded smoothly. Tianyu arrived for the trade aboard a skyship, which was garrisoned by no less than three Great Shamans. Their presence prompted Wei Yuan to earnestly contemplate the prospect of crashing the vessel, slaying all aboard, and raking in a massive haul of heavenly merits. In the end, the trade was completed without incident. Tianyu delivered an aquatic immortal plant seed the size of a water vat. A specialty of the Wu domain, this seed could potentially grow into one of nine different immortal plants ranging from the first to ninth ranks, with the specific outcome depending on the karmic luck, season, and earthly qi at the time of cultivation. In addition, there were ten thousand jin of spiritual ores, which could be smelted and used directly as primary materials for magical artifacts. Tianyu, however, brought no additional sacrificial offerings. According to him, all nearby sacrifices had already been sold to Wei Yuan last time; acquiring more would require months of travel alone. After seeing Tianyu off, Wei Yuan penned two confidential letters and dispatched men to secretly deliver them to the Jin capital. A few days later, Zhao Tong quietly appeared. This time, he did not head straight for the main peak, but stopped at the outer perimeter of the domain and had someone announce his arrival beforehand. Wei Yuan hurried over immediately and said, "Eunuch Zhao, when you arrive, you can simply come find me directly. Why bother having someone announce you?" Zhao Tong smiled. "This servant had originally thought to do just that, but taking just a couple of steps inward made my heart race in dread, so I quickly backed away. I still want to live a few more years! Truth be told, Lord Wei, this territory of yours has truly become a dragon's pool and a tiger's den. Ordinary high-level cultivators wouldn't dare trespass lightly." Wei Yuan chuckled. "My grounds are your backyard, Eunuch; you may stroll through as you please. Come, shall we head to the main peak for tea?" "I have major business on my mind. I'll just have a single cup of tea, take the goods, and be on my way." Knowing Zhao Tong’s style, Wei Yuan escorted him to the main peak to sit, then presented a tightly sealed box. Zhao Tong first laid down an isolating barrier, then cautiously lifted the lid. Inside lay several fist-sized red gemstones, but a foul stench immediately washed over him. Even with his cultivation, his face paled for an instant, and he nearly gagged. Zhao Tong snapped the lid shut, carefully applied a talisman to seal it tight, and sighed. "Both an immortal medicine and deadly arsenic. Every time I lay eyes on it, I feel both love and dread." Tucking the box securely against his chest, Zhao Tong said, "Lord Wei is truly a pillar of the realm. His Majesty did not misjudge you, nor did this servant. Not long after I entrusted this matter to you, results were delivered. This swift and decisive efficiency is truly a delight to behold! I will not impose further and will return to report on my mission." Wei Yuan rose and accompanied Zhao Tong all the way to the boundary of the domain. Zhao Tong then said, "This is far enough; I must be on my way. Lord Wei, you need not worry about much in the days ahead. Just wait at ease for good news." Zhao Tong rose slowly into the air, flying faster and faster until he vanished beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye. After flying several li out, he suddenly vanished from Wei Yuan's perception entirely. Two days later, Wang Qian, the Marquis of Xiang, arrived as well. Wei Yuan handed him a box as well, saying, "Inside is a fifty-year supply." Wang Qian opened it, took a look, and sighed. "Utterly exquisite, utterly toxic. Ingesting it is like drinking poison to quench thirst. The wonders of creation truly know no equal." "That is all for now. There is no telling when the next batch will be available, so it is best not to count on it," Wei Yuan said. Wang Qian nodded. "Too much is as bad as too little. Fifty years is enough to accomplish many things; any more might invite disaster instead. I have nothing particularly fine to offer, only an ancient immortal recipe passed down from my ancestors that might be of some use to you." What Wang Qian produced was not jade paper, but an ancient stone mirror. This ancient immortal recipe was recorded not in words, but preserved through a transmission of true intent. Wei Yuan probed the ancient mirror with his divine sense. Instantly, a hazy world appeared within the mirror, centered around a raging alchemical fire. The flame burned a brilliant gold, radiating scorching heat. Floating around the flame were dozens of glowing spheres of light, each containing a medicinal herb. Seven of the spheres were distinctly larger than the rest, clearly serving as the principal ingredients. Among the principal ingredients, three sat in the very center: one resembling a plump droplet of fresh blood, another a feather, and the third a clump of moss-like material. Subsequently, dozens of herbs were cast into the alchemical fire one after another, continuously melting and shifting in medicinal nature at every breath. As the final herb melted, all the medicinal properties reached a critical juncture at that precise moment. All things returned to Unity, ascending and sublimating into a pill with a jade-like texture, enclosing a miniature green pine tree within. This pill was named the Kunyuan Longevity Pill. The world within the mirror dispersed, its true intent exhausted, and the ancient mirror shattered with a sharp snap. Wei Yuan was left yearning for more. The alchemy technique within that world was fundamentally different from modern alchemical Dao—simple, unadorned, and profoundly ingenious. Yet Wei Yuan did not recognize the vast majority of the dozens of herbs, and of the seven principal ingredients, he had never even heard of them. Wang Qian said, "No one knows which grotto-heaven world this ancient immortal recipe originated from, but after many hands, it fell into the possession of my ancestors and was handed down to this day. The true intent transmission of the immortal recipe could only be received three times, and this was the last. The recipients of the first two transmissions were both renowned master alchemists of their eras. Although they failed to recreate this ancient recipe, they still managed to develop several longevity-extending pills from it." Wei Yuan was taken aback and said, "I know nothing of alchemy. Isn't passing this true intent to me a complete waste?" Wang Qian smiled. "Only by giving it to you will it not be wasted." He then handed Wei Yuan a sheet of jade paper and said, "This is a medicinal recipe penned by an ancestor who loved alchemy, based on the secret transcription of the ancient formula. It has never been leaked to outsiders. I have secretly tested two batches myself and produced three pills, personally verifying their efficacy. Keep it safe." Wei Yuan accepted it and scanned it with his divine sense. The medicine was named the Jiamu Minor Longevity Pill, created according to the secret transcription of the Kunyuan Longevity Pill, capable of extending lifespan by five years. A so-called secret transcription was a formula recorded by those who had received the true intent transmission according to their own understanding, wherein many extinct or presently unobtainable ingredients were replaced with close substitutes. "After I return to the capital, I will spread word that I gave you the formula. You should promptly find someone to refine a few batches of the Jiamu Minor Longevity Pill and claim it was your own realization. The Xu family's founding ancestor never paid much heed to you in the first place; with this, he might spare your life to see if you can decipher anything from that ancient recipe." Wei Yuan had long known Wang Qian to be farsighted, but he was still deeply impressed. Wang Qian coughed and adopted a solemn expression. "Also, Lady Consort Yuan asked me to pass along a message to you." Wei Yuan was startled, instinctively recoiling before feigning composure to ask, "What did Her Ladyship say?" Wang Qian cleared his throat. He was naturally handsome, his features bearing several points of resemblance to Consort Yuan. Gazing at him now, one could see a distinct shadow of the consort in his countenance! Wang Qian spoke: "'Long time no see, I miss you dearly.'" Panic seized Wei Yuan at once. What did she mean, "long time"? They had parted just two days ago!