In the Western Jin Royal Palace, dawn had barely broken when piercing wails and a tumultuous roar of voices erupted from the grand hall of the morning audience.
In the hall, Academician Sun crawled forward, dragging his blood-soaked legs. With every inch he crawled, he left a long smear of blood behind him—a gruesome sight.
Tears streaming down his face, Academician Sun wailed his grievance: "...Your servant said at the time that I was on an envoy mission by royal decree, representing the King of Jin. But that Wei Yuan actually claimed that no matter who backed me, he would beat whoever he pleased however he pleased—and even if Your Sacred Majesty came in person, it would do no good!
"Then he broke both my legs and left me to die. Only with great difficulty did I find an opportunity to escape, surviving countless brushes with death along the way, before I could return to behold Your Sacred Majesty..."
Seeing Academician Sun's wretched state, the court's pure stream civil officials were consumed with fury.
"I saw through Wei Yuan's savage ambitions long ago, but I never imagined he would become so audacious and reckless!"
"Humiliating a court envoy warrants the extermination of his nine clans!"
"Strip him of his military authority, recall him to the capital, and send axemen to seize and behead him!"
The King of Jin frowned slightly, nursing a headache from the clamor. When he had first promoted this crowd, the court atmosphere had indeed been revitalized.
These pure stream civil officials were all silver-tongued and zealous against wrongdoing; ordinary people could never win an argument against them. Naturally at odds with aristocrats like the Xu family and the Lu clan, they were adept at lecturing on moral high ground and slapping labels on people. With them around, the two great aristocratic families had been kept somewhat in check, instantly easing the constraints the King of Jin felt upon himself.
Yet as the pure stream multiplied, issues arose. Foremost among them was that once these scholars gained influence, they loved recruiting people from their hometowns, classmates, teachers, and fellow disciples. Soon, more and more pure stream officials filled the court, and factional infighting grew increasingly rampant.
Because of Academician Sun's plight, today's morning audience dragged on far longer than usual, but in the end, nothing was resolved. Wei Yuan's envoy had also arrived, adamantly insisting that they had never even laid eyes on this Academician Sun.
In Chunhua Hall, incense smoke drifted lazily, the silence harboring simmering tensions.
The Marquis of Xiang stood in the hall, watching Consort Yuan coax the young Prince Chu to sleep after feeding him milk.
Once the young Prince Chu fell asleep, Consort Yuan looked up at the Marquis of Xiang and asked, "I hear that quite a few people in court have been attacking Wei Yuan lately. Is this true?"
"In recent years, the King has recruited many pure stream remonstrance officials, granting them the special privilege to critique all officials. Recently, Wei Yuan drove refugees to fend off the Shamans, catching the attention of these people. To that end, the King even dispatched Censor Zhu to Qingming to conduct a thorough investigation."
Consort Yuan frowned slightly, her tone laced with impatience. "I know all of this; there is no need to repeat it! What I want to ask is whose intent lies behind this. Is it the King, the Left Chancellor, or someone else?"
The Marquis of Xiang looked somewhat embarrassed and said, "This... still requires further investigation..."
Consort Yuan's voice turned cold. "Then do we have our own people planted among these pure stream remonstrance officials?"
"...No."
"Then among the pure stream, is there anyone who can be won over or bribed?"
Even more embarrassed, the Marquis of Xiang could only say, "We do not know yet."
Suddenly, with a sharp crack, the jade ruyi scepter in Consort Yuan's hand split apart!
Acting as if nothing had happened, Consort Yuan handed the ruyi to a maid beside her, then said, "Without resources from Zhao, Uncle can accomplish nothing at all, is that it?"
"Well..."
"I am tired. Uncle, see yourself out." Consort Yuan picked up the young Prince Chu and walked toward the rear palace. The Marquis of Xiang could only give a couple of dry laughs and withdraw from Chunhua Hall.
In the capital, inside the Crown Prince's Estate.
The Crown Prince sat hunched over his desk, having spent an hour reviewing official documents. At that moment, a chime sounded softly, and a maid reported, "Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Rites has arrived."
"Show him in."
Moments later, Minister Zhang settled into a seat in the study. After taking a sip of the fine tea the Crown Prince had treasured, he said, "Your Highness may rest assured. Zhu Xiaocun is my most outstanding protégé. Despite his youth, his methods are even more seasoned and ruthless than mine were back in the day. With him on this mission to Qingming, no matter how clean Wei Yuan is, he will dig up several capital crimes."
The Crown Prince smiled. "Very good. I leave this matter in your capable hands, Lord Zhang."
"You are too kind! However, this old man has one question. Wei Yuan rose from humble origins, yet he now holds heavy military power. I hear that even Prince Ying and Yue Jinshan privately praise his military prowess. Wei Yuan has always guarded the borders and has rarely visited the capital. Why would Your Highness suddenly want to move against him?"
The Crown Prince chuckled and said, "It is not that I wish to target him, but rather that the timing happens to be right. When Imperial Father appointed him Military Commissioner back then, it was done out of necessity. Now that the Shaman army is bearing down on the borders and Qingming is teetering in the storm, this is the perfect chance to reclaim a portion of the authority the court bestowed upon him."
Enlightened, Minister Zhang chatted for a few more moments before taking his leave.
Just then, an exquisitely beautiful, gracefully slender woman entered the study carrying a bowl of broth. "Tired, aren't you? I brewed some medicinal soup for you—drink it while it's hot."
The Crown Prince took the bowl, drank it dry, and asked, "When will Lord Left Chancellor have time? I wish to discuss some matters with him as soon as possible."
The woman replied, "Father said the current situation is delicate and the King may already be suspicious, so it is best not to meet for the time being."
The Crown Prince nodded. "Very well. Let us first see how Wei Yuan handles that fierce hound, Zhu Xiaocun."
***
Meanwhile, in Qingming, Zhike Town in the east was festooned with lanterns and banners, decorated with magnificent splendor, showing not the slightest hint that Qingming was suffering under the ravages of war.
Caravans arrived at the town one after another, guided to cargo yards outside town to park their carriages. Every inn in town was completely packed. Many who arrived late could only secure lodging in town for the few leaders of their convoys, while the rest were forced to pitch tents outside to spend the night.
From time to time, high-level cultivators flew in alone, landing outside the town and being welcomed inside only after announcing their names and identities.
Crowds surged through the town in a bustling spectacle. Countless torches lined both sides of the main street, illuminating the entire thoroughfare as bright as day even at midnight.
The shops along both sides of the street had been requisitioned to display Qingming's specialties: various types of armor, swords, grain, medicinal herbs, and more. Innumerable people stopped before each stall, listening with keen interest to the designated guides introducing the goods.
For this Treasure Appreciation Gathering hosted by Wei Yuan, any faction in the vicinity that could make it in time refused to miss out. Even those with zero ties to Qingming sent representatives to see what wondrous treasure had emerged that could prompt Wei Yuan to stage such an extravagant gathering.
With so many people present, Wei Yuan naturally wouldn't waste such a golden opportunity by displaying only a single immortal treasure. Given the massive turnout, he conveniently put all of Qingming's currently exportable goods on display to see if there were opportunities for trade.
Sure enough, everyone was immensely interested. Countless people inquired about the breastplates produced by Qingming, and some even whipped out immortal silver on the spot to place advance orders.
The actual Treasure Appreciation Gathering lasted only half an hour. Wei Yuan did not beat around the bush; getting straight to the point before several hundred guests, he revealed the yin bullet.
When its effect of reducing lifespan by ten thousand years was unveiled, an uproar instantly swept through the venue!
Expressions varied—some looked excited, some shocked, while a handful looked exceptionally grim. Most, however, were relaxed and thrilled, having come simply to watch the spectacle.
They all knew very well that their own Scenery Command ancestors weren't even worthy of taking a hit from this immortal treasure.
Only after everyone had examined the property of ten thousand years' lifespan reduction and discussed it for a while did Wei Yuan reveal the yin bullet's second property: guaranteed hit.
A sudden silence fell over the hall. Even the few who had previously worn sneering expressions turned grave, incapable of laughing any longer.
Within the venue, some felt an itch to act, but at the thought of the several Scenery Command experts holding down the fort around them, they could only squash any illicit ideas.
After displaying it all around, Wei Yuan projected his voice: "Appreciating the treasure today was merely a pretext. My true intention is to take this opportunity to invite everyone here so we may trade and supply each other's needs. All tradable goods are laid out across town; please feel free to browse. However, as Qingming is currently locked in battle against the Shamans, I must ask you all not to step outside this town. Otherwise, should any misunderstandings arise, it will be unpleasant for everyone."
Just then, someone called out loudly, "I hear Qingming can train those who originally had no hope of reaching the Dao Foundation to achieve it. Is this true?"
Wei Yuan halted and said, "How could we possibly train everyone to reach the Dao Foundation? If luck is poor, only seven or eight out of a hundred might succeed."
The man grew instantly excited. "So it is true! If my clan wishes to ask the Realm Lord to train Dao Foundations on our behalf, may I ask what price we must pay?"
Wei Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "Initially, one only needs to pay some basic fees. Once the Dao Foundations are forged, charges will be levied based on the number of successes."
"What if no one manages to forge a Dao Foundation?"
"If none succeed, naturally no additional fee will be charged. However, such an outcome has never occurred."
"Are there any flaws in the Dao Foundations forged here?"
Wei Yuan replied, "We do indeed recommend some of our exclusive template Dao Foundations based on the students' individual conditions, which can drastically increase the odds of success. All template foundations are Mortal Tier Dao Foundations, identical to ordinary ones."
"Do they also extend lifespan?"
"Naturally!"
The man posed several more questions in succession, all of which Wei Yuan answered patiently. In an instant, the representatives of nearly a hundred factions and clans of all sizes felt their hearts race with excitement.
Having answered the man's questions, Wei Yuan departed the venue. The crowd immediately swarmed the Qingming cultivators in the hall, beginning to inquire about the details of the Dao Foundation training.
In a corner of the hall, a small door opened, and the man who had just questioned Wei Yuan slipped out quietly. He promptly shed his disguising Dao art to reveal his true form—none other than Cui Yu.
Cui Yu discovered that as long as he wore someone else's face, saying those words and doing those things didn't make him feel the slightest bit of shame—in fact, he thoroughly enjoyed it.
Qingming's Treasure Appreciation Gathering ended in a chaotic frenzy, but its reverberations lingered on.
The crowd bought up several hundred thousand taels of immortal silver worth of supplies from Qingming in one breath, and more than fifty thousand people registered for the Dao Foundation training! Some clans and merchant guilds signed up several thousand individuals in a single go.
Currently, training a Dao Foundation cultivator in Qingming cost fifty percent more than what was charged to the Cui family, yet people still flocked to it like ducks to water. Unable to accommodate so many candidates, Wei Yuan had no choice but to use a lottery system, drawing three thousand slots from the tens of thousands who had registered to form the newest cohort of the Dao Foundation training class.
Such a frantic registration scene also made Wei Yuan realize that the price for training Dao Foundation cultivators was set too low.
Wei Yuan's original pricing had been converted based on the Palace of Grand Beginning's merit system and endorsed by the Cui family. But in hindsight, the Palace of Grand Beginning had likely undervalued ordinary Dao Foundation cultivators, and the Cui family had done the same.
Whether immortal palaces or great noble clans, they all looked down from on high. Their eyes saw only immortal foundations and Heaven Foundations; anyone below Earth Foundation was hardly counted as human. But among medium and small clans and minor factions, things were entirely different. Earth Foundation cultivators were the backbone and main strength of their clans, and even Mortal Foundation cultivators were of tremendous utility.
Wei Yuan immediately assigned a task to the Fireworks of the Human Realm: calculate how much a Mortal Tier Dao Foundation cultivator was actually worth.
While Wei Yuan busied himself scheming and hustling for money, news of the Treasure Appreciation Gathering grew wings and flew across the Nine Kingdoms in an instant.
In the ancestral secret realm of the Xu family, Xu Wangu, who appeared as a youth, stared at the projection of the yin bullet. Sensing its aura carefully, he remained expressionless, yet the entire hall shook continuously.
Below him, the prostrate elders trembled in fear, none daring to lift their heads.
After a long silence, Xu Wangu squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "This thing was shown for my benefit!"
Below, an elder ventured boldly, "In truth, it may not necessarily be targeted at Immortal Ancestor. That Lu Changhe wouldn't be able to withstand such a blow either, I'd wager."
Xu Wangu's tone softened slightly as he said, "Indeed. No one would want to touch this thing. However, such a treasure cannot be left in Wei Yuan's hands. Go devise a scheme—whether by exchange or by theft, in short, find a way to get this immortal treasure into our hands."
The elders had just accepted the order when another elder entered the hall and reported, "Reporting to Immortal Ancestor! News just arrived from Qingming: the immortal treasure capable of reducing lifespan by ten thousand years has been stolen, and its whereabouts are currently unknown!"
Chapter 526