A Slight Modification

Cui Chengxiao's smile stiffened slightly. "The Domain Lord is truly straightforward in his speech." "The Shamans are attacking outside as we speak, costing hundreds and thousands of lives every passing moment. These warriors have fought through life and death alongside me; I cannot fail to keep them in my heart." Wei Yuan remained all smiles. Cui Chengxiao frowned faintly. An old fox who had lived long enough to attain uncanny shrewdness, he sensed in an instant that they were teetering on the verge of a complete breakdown in talks. Here, however, his capability showed. "Very well, then I shall speak plainly," he said. "The Immortal Ancestor has other pressing matters and cannot extricate himself to intervene directly. However, while he cannot act personally, he can block other immortals from placing their pieces. In that regard, it is scarcely different from direct intervention." The smile on Wei Yuan's face did not waver. Meanwhile, Bao Yun, Xiaoyu, and Cui Yu were already assessing the feasibility of the Cui family's proposal in their minds. Blocking other immortals from making their moves was indeed crucial, but exactly how crucial was difficult to say. All three were rising talents of the younger generation in their respective clans; their knowledge of immortal affairs amounted to mere fragments, far from clear. The three of them had only just begun to ponder when Wei Yuan's smile grew even more brilliant and sincere, looking for all the world as if he were about to agree. Yet Xiaoyu's heart leaped, finding the smile eerily familiar. Immediately, an unhealed scar buried in his heart was ripped open. Back during the unified sect examination, the six-year-old Wei Yuan had worn just such a smile as he said sincerely to Xiaoyu, "You almost managed to hurt me!" Xiaoyu suddenly gritted his teeth. This fellow truly had an uncanny affinity with Sky Azure Hall! Yet the situation was clear: Wei Yuan was on the verge of refusing and had no intention of negotiating further. Aside from Xiaoyu, Bao Yun and Cui Yu were also well aware of Wei Yuan's usual habits and understood that the matter was about to be dropped entirely. Before Wei Yuan could speak, however, Cui Chengxiao said, "...Aside from that, there is one more thing." Wei Yuan paused. Although he intended to refuse, courtesy dictated that he hear the man's terms in full. After all, traveling tens of thousands of li to offer aid was an act of goodwill no matter how one looked at it. Cui Chengxiao said, "The Immortal Ancestor possesses a rare innate immortal artifact. Every thousand years of nurturing, it can cleanse and refine a person's foundation once. Below the Scenery Command realm, it can raise the grade of a dharma idol by one rank. The Immortal Ancestor's intention is..." Here, Cui Chengxiao paused, gritted his teeth, and only then continued, "...He intends to adopt Cui Yu into the Qinghe Cui family, cleanse his foundation, and assist his dharma idol in advancing a step further. While one cannot guarantee a direct path to Scenery Command in the future, it will be very close to it." The smile on Wei Yuan's face remained entirely unchanged as he chuckled. "The Immortal Ancestor truly displays great generosity! But really, there's no need. Why go to such lengths? It's simply too extravagant! Please reassure the Immortal Ancestor that Qing Province is vast—there is more than enough room for both our families! It is just that the Qingming boundary stone is rather peculiar. As for the attributes and location of the boundary stone the Cui family plans to establish, we must sit down and discuss them in detail when time permits." Wei Yuan's enthusiasm caught Cui Chengxiao somewhat off guard. Stunned for a moment, he replied, "Indeed, this requires detailed discussion. This old man shall return at once to report to the Immortal Ancestor. The clan still has several unused boundary stones at present; a reply should be forthcoming within ten days." "No rush!" Wei Yuan beamed, his warmth so intense he seemed on the verge of stepping forward to grasp Cui Chengxiao's hand. Then he added, "Please convey my regards to the esteemed Immortal Ancestor. Oh, by the way, when should we send Cui Yu over to you?" Cui Chengxiao was taken aback again. Wei Yuan practically had the words 'afraid you'll back out' written across his face. He hedged, "Isn't a war still underway? Cui Yu shoulders heavy responsibilities..." "It's fine! He was sidelined long ago. Things are the same whether he's here or not, so he can leave right now! How about you take him with you on your way back this time?" With Wei Yuan speaking to such an extent, Cui Chengxiao realized that if he did not agree, this fellow would likely flip out on the spot. He immediately said, "That works as well. This old man shall set out tomor—" Catching sight of Wei Yuan's beaming face, he altered his words. "We set out tonight." Wei Yuan directly channeled the power of the domain to send Cui Yu away, calling out, "Hurry and pack your bags!" Once Cui Yu had vanished, Wei Yuan took hold of Cui Chengxiao and asked with an earnest expression, "No rush, Elder Cui. Why not tell me more about this adoption matter first? Has the Jizhao Cui family agreed to it?" "This matter was personally agreed upon between the Immortal Ancestor and the Old Ancestor of the Jizhao Cui family. The Immortal Ancestor's cultivation is towering, but the immortal arts he cultivates are excessively arduous, leaving virtually no descendants capable of practicing them. The Three Cuis originally hail from the same lineage, and the Jizhao branch has produced an unbroken stream of outstanding younger generations over the past century. Among these youths, the Immortal Ancestor took a liking to Cui Yu." Wei Yuan released his grip and smiled. "As long as it has been discussed and settled. In the future, I must ask Elder Cui for much guidance!" Cui Chengxiao did not smile. He said coldly, "Had my answer not met your satisfaction just now, Domain Lord, I fear you would have turned hostile on the spot, perhaps even coming to blows?" Wei Yuan's smile was innocent and sincere. "How could that be? How would I dare lay hands on an elder like you? Besides, I'm certainly no match for you, sir." Cui Chengxiao felt a jolt of alarm. Had this fellow truly contemplated making a move? Once Cui Chengxiao had departed, Xiaoyu and Bao Yun, who had remained silent throughout, finally asked, "Just like that, it's decided?" Wei Yuan sighed. "When an immortal makes a move, it is truly extraordinary, striking right at the vitals. When it concerns Brother Cui's Dao path, how could I not agree?" "The Song Cui have bided their time for so many years. They might demand two or three commanderies carved out," Xiaoyu reminded him. Wei Yuan grew lost in thought for a moment before replying, "Qing Province is vast. Even if we carve a piece out, it remains vast, more than enough to hold us all. Even if one day Qing Province proves too small, there are still vast expanses to the west and north; it is merely a matter of taking them ourselves. As long as we can all achieve Scenery Command, land... will not be lacking." Before Xiaoyu could speak, the voice of Star Lord Shaoyang rang out in his consciousness once more: "Listen to that answer! Now that is what you call magnificent breadth of mind! And the man has immense karmic luck behind him to boot! But what about you? Content with small gains! Is sitting at eighth place really so comfortable? Can you even sleep at night in your current state? "The business is concluded, so why are you still idling here exchanging questions and answers? Are you that free? Have you finished all your lessons? Are your war preparations complete? Have you figured out what you need to do in this great war to earn karmic luck? Does karmic luck fall from the sky for free? Do you think the masses will prostrate themselves before you just because you show your face?" The barrage of questions left Xiaoyu dizzy and bewildered. With a face full of helplessness, he stood up and said, "If there's nothing else, I'm heading back to work." "Alright. Take care of your health, don't exhaust yourself," Wei Yuan said. He could not understand what had gotten into Xiaoyu lately; the man was diligent to an unnatural degree. Now that the room was finally empty of others, Bao Yun said, "Happy, aren't you?" Wei Yuan let out a long breath and smiled. "I never imagined Brother Cui's Dao opportunity would arrive at a time like this. With his Dao path cleared, a weight has finally been lifted from my mind. Of course I'm happy. "That Cui Chengxiao is an old fox. Only after he laid out this condition did I realize he probably had no intention of offering it at first. If I hadn't been careful, he would have brushed it aside. I just don't know why he was reluctant to speak of it from the start; had he done so, I would have agreed on the spot." Bao Yun raised an eyebrow slightly. "It's quite normal. Everyone has selfish motives. Perhaps he wanted to claim a bit more merit, or perhaps some younger member of his own branch covets this opportunity and wanted to see if they could withhold it. For an opportunity leading straight to Scenery Command, plenty of people would take desperate risks. Such things happen all the time; had you grown up in an aristocratic clan, you would have seen nothing else since childhood." Wei Yuan found it somewhat hard to believe. "This was something promised to me by an immortal. If he withheld it, how could he answer for it upon his return?" "If you had agreed right from the start, the matter would have been more than half accomplished. With Cui Chengxiao's merits and a few additional bargaining chips, he probably could have secured it. Of course, it's a different story now." Wei Yuan sighed. "Schemes upon schemes. Why can't people focus on doing more real work? Look at Xiaoyu—he's finally on the right track." Bao Yun said, "It truly is strange. I don't understand what madness has suddenly seized him. How about visiting him more often to see if he ran into some trouble lately or suffered some shock?" Hearing her words, Wei Yuan also felt a touch of concern and nodded. Yet Bao Yun suddenly added, "I'm unhappy, though. Couldn't you tell?" Wei Yuan was taken aback. "Do you mean Cui Chengxiao assuming that you came to Qingming just to do work for me?" Bao Yun remained expressionless. "That statement wouldn't be entirely wrong, either. It just needs a slight modification." Wei Yuan naturally had no idea why Bao Yun was suddenly unhappy, but how was he supposed to guess such a thing? Having no other choice, he could only follow her lead. "What kind of modification?" Bao Yun still wore no expression. "You just need to remove the word 'work.'" Wei Yuan pondered it carefully for a heartbeat, and then his mind erupted with a roar, as though a heavenly tribulation were crashing down! He nearly leaped out of his skin, but Bao Yun caught hold of him firmly. "Th-this is an office—" "No one is coming." "But—" "No buts. I didn't dress up with so much care today just to waste it." *** At the boundary of Qingming, a flying boat lay moored. Plain on the outside, it was in fact built from exquisite materials and designed with great skill; only when soaring in the skies did its superior performance show. After boarding, Cui Chengxiao instructed the boatmen to prepare for departure as soon as they received their passenger at dusk. Then he returned to his cabin, sat lost in thought for a while, and finally activated a Scenery Command spirit treasure. A woman in palace attire appeared before him, asking anxiously, "Is there good news?" Cui Chengxiao sighed. "Regarding Lian'er's Dao path... let us find another way." The woman grew frantic at once. "Where else could there be another way? Lian'er only has a few years left, so how can he afford to wait that long? Didn't you hear that Domain Lord is merely a child not yet thirty? How could you fail to handle him? "Didn't we agree not to mention that condition? Why did you still tell him?!" Looking thoroughly exhausted, Cui Chengxiao replied slowly, "A man whom even the Immortal Ancestor must treat with gravity and scheme against with meticulous care—is he someone so easily handled?" The woman's face darkened. "I don't care! Lian'er is the sole bloodline of our branch. I will never sit by and watch him perish! Since you can't manage it, stay out of it; I will find a way myself from here on. Once that Cui Yu reaches Song, I will make sure he gives it up of his own accord!" Cui Chengxiao was horrified. "Do not act rashly! Don't ruin the Immortal Ancestor's grand design!" "None of your concern!" The woman's figure vanished.