Wei Yuan would never agree to Lu Changhe coming to harvest qi. It was not merely that this concerned the Dao paths of many people and ran completely contrary to Wei Yuan's fundamental convictions; no one knew what else the immortal might secretly do. If the very foundation of Qingming were damaged, Wei Yuan would be left with bitter regret.
As for whether Lu Changhe would be displeased, Wei Yuan truly could not bring himself to care. Ever since Wei Yuan had forced the Crown Prince to commit suicide, the enmity between them had grown far too deep.
Still, Wei Yuan felt somewhat perplexed. It was only some innate spiritual essence; how could it drive Lu Changhe to lower himself and send an envoy to Qingming to negotiate?
So Wei Yuan went to consult Bao Yun. Only after questioning her closely did he learn that among the great aristocratic clans, harvesting qi to reshape bone and foundation was a fairly common practice.
The ancestral lands of the great clans were actually grotto-heavens. As these grotto-heavens breathed the origin qi of heaven and earth, they would give rise to innate spiritual essence, far exceeding Qingming's present state in both quantity and quality.
Most of this spiritual essence was consumed by immortals, while the small remainder was refined into foundation-purifying pills akin to the Three Immortals Pill, helping younger clan members elevate their aptitudes. If the pill's quality was superb, there was even a slim chance of elevating a Heaven Foundation into an immortal foundation.
One could easily imagine how precious such pills were. It often took twenty to thirty years to amass enough spiritual essence to open a single cauldron, yielding anywhere from one to at most five pills.
Even with all the immense wealth of the Bao family, only four such pills remained in their vaults. In her day, Bao Yun had been near the pinnacle of the immortal foundation to begin with, endowed with stellar bone structure and karmic luck, so she had no need for such medicine.
Since this was routine within the great clans, Bao Yun spoke of it with absolute ease.
After listening in silence, Wei Yuan asked, "If they didn't refine these pills and instead let the spiritual essence choose its own masters, wouldn't that produce several hundred new Dao Foundations every year?"
Bao Yun sighed softly. "Setting aside the fact that the immortal ancestors consume the lion's share first, even if the spiritual essence chose its own hosts, the resulting Dao Foundations would basically all be Earth Tier. A Heaven Tier would be exceedingly rare. In the eyes of the clan elders, a hundred or even a thousand Earth or Mortal Tiers cannot compare to a single immortal foundation."
Wei Yuan understood then. In the eyes of the great clans, trading a hundred Earth Tier Dao Foundations for a single chance to advance a Heaven Foundation to an immortal foundation was a tremendous bargain.
Bao Yun said gently, "To a great clan, the immortal ancestor is everything. Without an immortal ancestor, or if the ancestor is not formidable enough to protect their many interests, the family becomes a choice piece of meat in the eyes of powerful enemies. Thus, pouring the entire clan's strength into serving the immortal ancestor alone is taken for granted.
"This is different from Qingming. Here, even standard template Dao Foundations have great utility, so having more Dao Foundations is naturally a good thing."
"'Here with us...'" Hearing that phrase brought warmth to Wei Yuan's heart.
Bao Yun rolled her eyes at him. "Who else would it be if not 'us'?"
Wei Yuan reached out to take her hand, but Bao Yun gently nudged it aside. "It's broad daylight, and we're in the study. How could you?"
Wei Yuan was stunned. He wanted to say that wasn't what he meant, but explaining felt just as awkward.
Bao Yun gave a soft laugh. "I have a meeting coming up right away. This whole afternoon is packed with meetings—defense lines, military provisions, recruitment mobilization, wartime roads, requisitioning carriages... I'll probably be busy until evening. There are a few short breaks between meetings, but not much time. If you truly can't endure it, we could always indulge in a quick sip."
Wei Yuan was thoroughly embarrassed and had no choice but to take his leave.
Just then, a report arrived: the reinforcements dispatched by Western Jin had reached the border, and Prince Li Chengfeng, the Fourth Prince of Zhao, had arrived for a visit. Wei Yuan looked over the roster of the Imperial Guard sent as aid and was surprised to find it was once again the Imperial Guard's First Army, numbering a full thirty thousand men.
He promptly called for the detailed roster—a thick volume. Flipping through it at random, Wei Yuan spotted many familiar names, indicating that the aristocratic playboys who originally served in the First Army had basically all been sent.
Wei Yuan could not help but wonder what the King of Jin meant by this move. Delivering all these playboys into his hands—were they meant to be hostages?
Wei Yuan ordered his subordinates to settle the thirty thousand Imperial Guardsmen, while he flew to the border to meet Li Chengfeng.
Not having seen each other for many days, Li Chengfeng had grown a short beard. His demeanor had shed some of its sharpness and gained a touch of mellow maturity. Seeing Wei Yuan arrive, Li Chengfeng rose and stepped forward, going so far as to pull Wei Yuan into an embrace.
Such warmth caught Wei Yuan somewhat off guard, leaving him unsure how to react.
Li Chengfeng chuckled. "I came specifically to bring you some good news, worthy brother."
"Good news?"
Li Chengfeng nodded. "First, Royal Father has finally approved building a courier highway between Bishui and Zhao. The national treasury will cover half the cost, while I must raise the other half myself."
Wei Yuan had proposed this more than a year ago, and the King of Zhao had finally granted approval. Still, by the standards of the Nine States, this was remarkably swift.
"What other good news?"
Li Chengfeng replied, "Royal Father believes that you and Qingming have held back the Shaman army, achieving monumental merit, so he has already memorialized the Tang court to request honors and titles for you. Furthermore, Royal Father specifically allocated two flying boats, each capable of carrying a hundred thousand piculs, lending them to you free of charge until the Shamans withdraw."
Wei Yuan was overjoyed. Flying boats were quintessential strategic assets. Even now, Qingming possessed none of its own; whenever they needed them, they had to lease them from merchant guilds or the Cui family.
Though the two flying boats were merely a loan rather than a gift, they were timely help in dire need. Wei Yuan thanked him solemnly, then asked, "Why has the King suddenly undergone such a change of heart?"
Not long ago, the two sides had fought several skirmishes, leading the King of Zhao to blockade trade between their territories. Now he was approving roads and dispatching flying boats. The sudden turnaround was disorienting for Wei Yuan.
Li Chengfeng merely said, "I heard it was the Immortal Ancestor's will; beyond that, I know nothing. Do you need troops? My own forces can also be placed at your disposal."
Wei Yuan smiled. "It wasn't easy for you to build up your strength. Right now, my situation is very passive and casualties are heavy; you shouldn't get involved. If you want to help, just send more displaced refugees my way."
Li Chengfeng was surprised. "You still want more people?"
"Of course. The more, the better."
Li Chengfeng pondered for a moment. "The refugees in the nearby regions have mostly been gathered up already. They'd have to be transported from deeper within Zhao territory, so the numbers might not be very large."
Wei Yuan understood the situation and proposed that Li Chengfeng organize a merchant caravan, emulating Wei Yuan's method in Western Jin by establishing relay stations along the route. This would expand the range for collecting refugees from within a thousand li to as far as five thousand li.
After settling the price per refugee with Li Chengfeng, Wei Yuan saw off the satisfied Fourth Prince. The two flying boats had already sailed into Qingming and moored at the border, awaiting Qingming's personnel to take delivery.
Support from the State of Zhao was modest, but exceedingly practical. Wei Yuan lacked neither gold, silver, nor provisions, nor did he lack soldiers and able-bodied men; what he lacked were flying boats capable of transporting massive quantities of materiel swiftly. Qingming's industrial and mining production was now colossal, with transport volumes over a hundred times greater than ordinary commanderies of equal size, making transport vehicles the primary bottleneck.
A single sortie by these two flying boats could sustain a hundred-thousand-strong legion in combat for days—a crucial lifeline.
Scarcely had Li Chengfeng departed when an envoy from Qinghe Song Cui arrived.
This time, the Cui family brought a list detailing several realm stones in their possession for Wei Yuan to choose from.
At the same time, the Cui family began fulfilling their promises, sending a colossal flying boat that delivered ten Dharma Idol cultivators, three hundred Dao Foundation cultivators, and an elite force of three thousand soldiers in one go.
These several thousand people formed the core for the city the Cui family intended to build. Before the city was founded, they would be organized into a legion under Wei Yuan's command to fight the Shamans.
The Cui family's envoy this time was a white-haired cultivator who had reached the pinnacle of the Dharma Idol realm. Forthright and hearty, he bluntly stated that the Cui family could accept a ten-percent fatality rate and thirty percent wounded.
Furthermore, these forces had arrived fully equipped with their own supplies. This was merely the vanguard; subsequent contingents from Song Cui would arrive in waves, totaling two hundred thousand troops along with seven hundred thousand accompanying dependents and artisans.
Qinghe Song Cui truly acted on a grand scale, dispatching nearly a million people at once to build a city. Clearly, having been stifled for years, they were determined to seize this enclave no matter what.
The site Wei Yuan prepared for Song Cui to build their city was roughly twelve thousand li to the south-southwest of Qingming. It lay relatively close to Li Zhi's Zhenshan Territory, allowing the two to support each other. Moreover, the Cui family could campaign south against the mountain folk or push west and north against the Shamans—an ideal location for military operations.
The Cui family seemed somewhat astonished by this distance. The aged Dharma Idol cultivator was clearly a man of broad vision and shrewd restraint; he merely cast Wei Yuan a profound look without saying much, though he had likely deduced the future potential reach of Qingming.
Wei Yuan did not lay it bare either. They agreed that Qingming would provide comprehensive support for the Cui family's new city in the future, and in return, the Cui family would grant thirty percent of the new city's revenues to Wei Yuan. Additionally, Wei Yuan would be permitted to garrison troops within the city.
Frankly, Wei Yuan had not expected such generous terms from the Cui family. Once this was settled, Qingming had effectively formed a substantive alliance with Song Cui, securing a powerful external ally.
The two sides immediately began discussing the fine details. Progress went very smoothly; over the course of a single afternoon, most of the specifics were hammered out, a treaty was drafted, and it was ready for signing.
The Cui family would sign directly in the name of their Immortal Ancestor, while Wei Yuan would sign personally for Qingming. However, at the Cui family's special request, Zhang Sheng and True Monarch Xuanyue were included as guarantors.
Once Qinghe Song Cui made their move, the other aristocratic families who had been waiting on the fence followed suit. The Xu family and the Ji-Zhao Cui family were the first to arrive, dispatching contingents of private troops and each gifting a flying boat.
The Bao family, being farther away, arrived a little later, but they gifted a massive flying boat capable of carrying five million piculs outright. The representative from the Bao family was Bao Shu. He said little, merely clapping Wei Yuan on the shoulder.
Though Bao Shu did not say it aloud, the unspoken meaning was unmistakable: this was Bao Yun's dowry; you'd better treat her right, kid.
Altogether, the various families dispatched three hundred thousand private soldiers in reinforcement—a remarkably substantial show of support.
Not long after, an imperial envoy from the Tang court arrived, declaring that Wei Yuan's merits in resisting the foreign race warranted additional titles and honors.
On the day of the envoy's arrival, the spectacle was grand. The vermilion doors of an opulent flying boat swung wide open. Amid swirling mist stepped forth several eunuchs in resplendent attire. An imperial envoy clad in a crimson python robe emerged from within, holding a yellow silk scroll in both hands. Striding briskly across the jade steps, he came before the gathering.
"The Imperial Edict has arrived—!"
The crowd parted like waves. Wei Yuan stood in their midst, composing his expression and bowing slightly.
"By mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Military Commissioner Wei Yuan, devoted to the public good and loyal to the realm, untiring day and night, has resisted foreign foes with outstanding merit... We hereby promote you to Military Commissioner of Qingyang of the Senior Second Rank, and confer upon you the titles of General Who Pacifies the West and Count of Dingyuan."
The proclamation caused an immediate stir.
Although this series of honors came with little substantive backing, it formally established Wei Yuan as a legitimate senior regional commander of Great Tang, granting him righteous legitimacy.
Judging by the reactions of all parties, the full-fledged support of several great clans did not cause nearly as much of a sensation as a single sheet of empty honors from Great Tang.
"Your subject accepts the imperial decree—"
Wei Yuan bowed and received it. Holding the imperial decree in his hands, before his eyes lay brilliant sunlight and a magnificent tapestry of rivers and mountains.
Supported by neighboring states, reinforced by prominent aristocratic clans, and honored from above by the Tang court, Wei Yuan's glory was boundless.
Qingming at this moment was like flowers blooming on rich brocade, like oil sizzling over roaring flames.
Chapter 857