Schemes

At the foot of Mount Qionghua lay a bustling marketplace. Fallen Immortal Pavilion carried the poetic suggestion of immortals descending into the mortal dust. The courtesans and entertainers of this pleasure house were all cultivators, catering exclusively to the most distinguished guests; ordinary folk could not buy their way past the threshold, no matter how much silver they possessed. Led by the madam, Tianrui, clad in black robes, walked expressionlessly amid the flurry of fluttering silks and painted smiles. Eventually, the two stopped before a private chamber on the top floor of the pavilion. The voluptuous madam bowed toward the black-robed youth. "Holy Son, Mr. Shen is inside waiting for you." Tianrui cast a glance at her, his voice devoid of emotion, golden pupils swirling like a descended heavenly god. "Understood. Withdraw." "Yes." The madam curtsied slightly, took two steps back, and turned to leave. After he had stood at the door for two seconds, a voice drifted directly through the door panels. "What are you lingering at the door for? Since when did you become so polite?" Hearing this, Tianrui pushed the door open and stepped inside, greeted first by an embroidered standing screen vibrant with spring scenery. Bypassing the screen, he found the chamber furnished in antique elegance. A white-robed man leaned lazily against the windowsill, pouring and drinking wine by himself as he looked out at the autumn scenery of the forested mountain. The autumn breeze stirred his long hair in utter tranquility. Tianrui looked at Shen Weixiu, his voice still completely devoid of emotion. "Why did you seek me out?" Shen Weixiu maintained that trademark squint-eyed smile. He cast a sideways glance at Tianrui and grinned. "Are all the Holy Sons of your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion like this? Why are you just like that woman from my Taiqing Dao Palace who cultivates the Supreme Emotion-Severing Art?" Tianrui looked at him with an unruffled gaze. "If you only have nonsense to say, you can skip it." Shen Weixiu waved a hand with an air of mild boredom. "I sought you out to discuss cooperation, naturally." "Cooperate on what?" Tianrui went straight to the point. "What do you think? The Meishen cherry tree, of course." Shen Weixiu walked from the window to sit down at the wooden table in the room. He poured himself a cup of wine and took a slow, leisurely sip. "Apart from that Jinghe and Tang Jiuqing, the disciples of this generation in the Qionghua Sect are nothing but a bunch of crooked melons and split dates." Tianrui said, "You are worried they will not honor the wager?" Shen Weixiu drained the fine wine in his cup, his squinting eyes narrowing even further. "Tianrui, drop the act with me. You're already preparing to make a move on that Jinghe and Tianyan, aren't you?" "..." Tianrui did not speak, but a divine brilliance instantly flashed through his pale-golden pupils. Shen Weixiu grinned. "Our spar was cut short last time, and I really wouldn't mind testing your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's Heaven-Deducing Art further. But I'd advise you against doing that." Shen Weixiu tapped the table with his knuckles. "Little friend Tianrui, if you want to beat me, go master all Four Chapters of Heaven-Deducing before you come looking for me." Tianrui paid no heed to this childish provocation. After a brief silence, his voice remained unruffled. "How did you know?" "Never mind how. My Taiqing Dao Palace has our own ways," Shen Weixiu said. Tianrui remained silent for a few moments, then spoke slowly: "How do you plan to cooperate?" Shen Weixiu grinned. "Tianyan and Jinghe are both third-rank. We each take one." "Agreed," Tianrui consented. "Be specific, however." Shen Weixiu pondered briefly and smiled. "I'll handle Tianyan, and you handle Jinghe. Afterward, our Dao palaces will split the spoils fifty-fifty?" Tianrui looked at Shen Weixiu. "Tianyan has only just broken through to the third rank. Jinghe is stronger. That is quite the calculated bargain." "Then I'll handle Jinghe?" Shen Weixiu shrugged. Tianrui shook his head. "No need. I will deal with Jinghe, but it will be a sixty-forty split. The Meishen cherry tree was exchanged using my Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's assets." Hearing this, Shen Weixiu fell silent for a short while. In the end, he let out a sigh, his voice easygoing and casual. "Fine, as you say. Sixty-forty. I'll take Tianyan—consider it a bargain I've picked up." *** Even though the combatants had already been decided, the shouting match inside Qionghua Hall continued unabated, bearing a striking resemblance to a parliamentary hearing from Xu Yuan's previous life. Were it not for the two high-and-mighty outsiders currently residing within the sect, Xu Yuan felt that this group of governing 'cabinet ministers' in the Qionghua Sect would have escalated their battle of words into an outright brawl. Wherever there were people, infighting was inevitable. Whether in his past life or this one. In his previous life, the old man had dropped Xu Yuan into a small department that had fewer than twenty people counting the director, deputy director, and team leads, yet people inside were still playing office politics. All the more so for the Qionghua Sect, an organization as vast as a whole nation. Though a single entity on the surface, beneath lay a landscape carved into countless mountain factions. The core of the shouting match between both sides had always been very clear: it revolved entirely around the Meishen cherry tree sapling. The sapling had been brought back by Senior Brother Li, and the Sect Master's faction had no intention of sharing the spoils with the Second Elder's faction. The Second Elder's side was even simpler. *You only tell me about this after trouble arrives on our doorstep? What are you playing at?* *Either handle it yourselves, or hand over the lion's share.* The Sect Master's faction refused to weep until they saw the coffin, willing only to part with the minor share. So both sides remained deadlocked, trading curses back and forth without a shred of the transcendent bearing expected of powerful immortals. Listening to the elders in Qionghua Hall clash with blade-sharp tongues, wave after wave of absurdity washed over Xu Yuan. Watching these unreliable higher-ups, Xu Yuan felt a faint urge to just give up and let it all burn. He had thought they were kept behind to discuss tactical details for confronting the enemy tomorrow, yet these people had done nothing but prattle on endlessly. With a formidable enemy at the gate, they were still busy with internal strife? *Pacify the interior before resisting external aggression, is that it?* *Do you think you can even defeat that Dao Palace head disciple?* The only two people in the entire hall who hadn't uttered a single word were likely Xu Yuan and another core disciple, Xiao Jianqing. Xu Yuan recognized him; he belonged to the Second Elder's faction. He was quite renowned among the core disciples because he lacked any clan background whatsoever. A grass-roots figure among grass roots, a relentless man who had fought his way up from a menial servant disciple all the way to the core. With his talent and aptitude, he should have become a true disciple ten years ago by the rules, but the quotas for true disciples had always been monopolized by the great noble clans. His plight was even worse than Jinghe's. Seeming to notice Xu Yuan's gaze, Xiao Jianqing glanced sideways, his rugged face stark and cold. Xu Yuan gave him a slight nod. Xiao Jianqing let out a soft huff, lowered his eyes once more, and kept silent. Xu Yuan was left speechless. Evidently, this kid's mental state had also been broken by this bunch of higher-ups. The elders and leaders in the hall bickered continuously from the fourth quarter of the hour of Si until midday, yet in the end they still failed to hammer out any concrete details. Just as they prepared to take a midday break and resume in the afternoon— "Sect Master (Second Elder), Jinghe (Jianqing) has a request." Xu Yuan and Xiao Jianqing, who had remained silent the entire time, spoke up almost simultaneously. Hearing them, the various higher-ups of Qionghua wore an assortment of expressions. Some showed surprise, but far more revealed impatience. Yet considering they would soon need these two young men to lay down their lives, they ultimately swallowed their irritation. The Second Elder spoke first, asking with a genial chuckle, "Jianqing, what do you want? As long as you defeat that Shen Weixiu, I can make the call to promote you to true disciple as an exception." Xiao Jianqing's rugged face remained completely unmoved. He merely said in a low voice, "Second Elder, the status of a true disciple is one matter. To face that Dao Palace head disciple, I require a sword forged from purple crystal profound iron, three Barrier-Breaking Thousand Hearts Pills, a glazed heart-protecting soft armor, and a Sumeru ring." Listening to this list, the corner of Xu Yuan's eye twitched slightly. This Xiao Jianqing certainly had guts. A trace of displeasure surfaced in the Second Elder's eyes. "As long as you defeat Shen Weixiu, this elder will grant you whatever you desire." Xiao Jianqing knelt quietly upon his cushion, meeting the Second Elder's gaze with composure. "If these items cannot be provided in full, I fear I will be unable to shoulder this task. Please select someone else, Second Elder." "..." Silence. The great hall fell utterly silent. The higher-ups on the Sect Master's side watched on with amused smiles, treating it like a good show. After a long pause, the Second Elder continued with a genial chuckle, "These resources are precious and require preparation. Tomorrow at noon—" Xiao Jianqing's logic remained razor-sharp. "If they cannot be prepared before the battle, I fear I will lack the strength to face the Dao Palace head disciple." "..." After another moment of silence, the Second Elder let out a low chuckle and inhaled deeply. "Heheheh... Good. I promise you." "Jianqing thanks the Second Elder." With that, Xiao Jianqing turned and walked away. While Xu Yuan was watching Xiao Jianqing's retreating figure, the Qionghua Sect Master's voice carried over from the main seat: "Jinghe, you may speak directly about what you desire." Xu Yuan took a moment to marshal his emotions. The wings of his nose twitched slightly, and his expression turned complicated, tinged with resentment and murderous intent as he looked straight into the Sect Master's eyes. "Sect Master, in the nearly twenty years since my revered master passed away, Senior Brother Li and Bai Fan have treated me like a brother of flesh and blood. Now both have died at the hands of that Shen Weixiu, and it is only right that I avenge them. This request of mine is not for external treasures; I ask only to go see the Meishen cherry tree sapling." Hearing these words, the Qionghua Sect Master's gaze softened noticeably, though he promptly followed up with a question: "Jinghe, may I ask why you wish to see the Meishen cherry tree?" Xu Yuan had prepared his draft in advance and spun his lie on the spot: "After Senior Brother Li returned to the palace, he privately handed me a secret art manual that is related to the Meishen cherry tree." A glimmer of surprise crossed the Qionghua Sect Master's eyes. He exchanged glances with the surrounding elders, then nodded. "Once this assembly concludes, you need only stay behind." Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed imperceptibly, and he cupped his hands in gratitude. "Jinghe thanks the Sect Master." *** Half an hour later. Two figures, one old and one young, stood atop the peak behind Vault Palace. Xu Yuan looked at the sapling before him, which stood under half a zhang tall, his pupils trembling. *It's not the source!* The Meishen tree sapling that he and Tianyan had exhausted so much effort to see was not the source of this illusion. The source was the center of the entire illusion; it would emit a distinct intent-soul fluctuation that rippled outward. Those simulated within the illusion could not perceive it, but an outsider who had already 'awakened' could sense it with utter clarity. Now Xu Yuan stood right in front of this Meishen cherry tree sapling, yet his intent-soul failed to detect the slightest anomaly. Xu Yuan fell silent for a brief moment, then glanced sideways at the Qionghua Sect Master and asked in a low voice, "Sect Master, is this tree indeed the Meishen sapling?" The Qionghua Sect Master nodded. "Naturally. Go ahead and comprehend it here for now." Having received confirmation, Xu Yuan took a deep breath, sat down cross-legged, and extended his intent-soul to inspect it thoroughly. Roughly an hour passed before Xu Yuan slowly opened his eyes. The Qionghua Sect Master, who had remained standing at the side the entire time, glanced over at him. "Jinghe, what is it?" Xu Yuan rose slowly and shook his head. "This cherry tree sapling has yet to mature. Even if I try to comprehend it, the gains will be minimal." Hearing this, the Qionghua Sect Master let out a soft sigh and asked quietly, "Then, Jinghe, do you have any other requests?" Xu Yuan shook his head. "None." With that, Xu Yuan looked at the old man before him with an earnest expression. "Uncle Bai, the day after tomorrow, I will slay Shen Weixiu to avenge Bai Fan." "..." The autumn wind blew biting cold. A flicker of sorrow passed through the old man's eyes, but he soon smiled and patted Xu Yuan on the shoulder. In the end, the Qionghua Sect Master still gave Xu Yuan two Sumeru rings as a reward, promising that once this matter concluded, both he and Tianyan would be promoted to Qionghua true disciples. Now that his own son was dead, the old man was preparing to win over him and Tianyan. After emerging from the Sect Master's grand hall, Xu Yuan let out a long sigh and, without the slightest hesitation, sprinted toward his own residence. The Meishen cherry tree had been swapped.