The Wanxiang Sect's Scheme

No one disliked money, and even less would anyone turn it down thinking they had already made enough. This held true for individuals, and even more so for sects. Thanks to Xu Xinyao's initiative as an intermediary, the Wanxiang Sect had neither needed to purchase expensive array schematics nor pay exorbitant fees to array masters; they only had to shoulder the cost of materials. Yet Shengshan County, though formally just a county seat, spanned a vast area owing to its once-thriving demonic beast trade. Xu Yuan knew little about arrays, but he had read countless internal gazettes in the Chancellor's Manor. Naturally, those documents contained data regarding the upfront investments and eventual yields of grand arrays. By his rough estimate, the materials required to construct an illusion array capable of enveloping an area as massive as Shengshan County would cost an astonishing million taels of silver. Of course, that was calculated at regular market rates. As a colossal entity, the Wanxiang Sect possessed its own supply chains, but even with those factored in, building this Phantasm Grand Array would have cost upwards of six hundred thousand taels. Six hundred thousand taels... The Wanxiang Sect was not an individual; it was a collective bound by profit. There was no way it would spend such an astronomical sum merely to indulge his fourth sister's charity work. They had chosen to invest only because they expected to gain far more in return. Yet now, the Wanxiang Sect had abandoned this lucrative prospect and simply run off... "Hey, Young Master Zhou?" As he pondered, a crisp, melodious female voice carried over from the bustling street, tinged with excitement: "Young—Master—Zhou, what are you doing standing there?" "..." Xu Yuan reflexively looked toward the sound, only realizing after seeing the speaker that the shout was directed at him. Across the crowded street, two youths were looking in his direction. One was a girl with pure, delicate features, eagerly waving at him as she hopped on her toes. After a brief moment, Xu Yuan recognized the pair from the abandoned Li Family Village—disciples of a sect. Zhou Xiaohe and Li Erzhu. After a second's pause, Xu Yuan returned a smile and nodded to them. He recalled that they belonged to the Wanxiang Sect and held no minor status. Why were they still here? Seeing that Xu Yuan recognized her, Zhou Xiaohe immediately tugged the wooden, impassive Li Erzhu along as she hurried across the street toward him. Once they drew near, Li Erzhu politely cupped his hands. "Brother Zhou, long time no see." Zhou Xiaohe leaned forward with a bright smile. "Young Master Zhou, what brings you here?" Xu Yuan's eyes crinkled with a smile. "Just passing through to purchase some supplies in town. What about you, Miss Zhou? Why are you here?" Zhou Xiaohe pointed at Li Erzhu beside her without hesitation. "This blockhead heard demonic beasts were running rampant around here and clamored to come slay them. He hunted beasts all along the way until we ended up in Shengshan County to sell off some demon cores. Who knew we'd run into you, Young Master Zhou! Hehe..." Xu Yuan cast a slightly surprised glance at the silent Li Erzhu and chuckled. "Brother Li truly possesses a chivalrous heart." Li Erzhu shook his head, his tone flat. "I merely wished to do what little I could." Zhou Xiaohe waved her hand, glancing between Xu Yuan and the plaque of the Fenghai Chamber of Commerce. "Is what you're looking for difficult to procure? Do you need a major merchant guild?" Xu Yuan nodded, then lowered his voice. "Yes. Miss Zhou, if I recall correctly, this Fenghai Chamber of Commerce belongs to your Wanxiang Sect. Why is it closed today?" Zhou Xiaohe blinked and shook her head. "I don't know. Father never lets me meddle in these matters. It's probably because of the beast tide. Five days ago, a senior brother came specifically to tell us to return to the sect at once and not linger in this region." Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow. It seemed the Wanxiang Sect had withdrawn from Shengshan County largely due to this beast tide. That was hardly surprising. Over the past month, he and Ran Qingmo had treaded with absolute caution inside the Wanxing Mountain Range. Partly because of Tianyan, and partly because of the packs of demonic beasts roaming within. Though most beasts were not high-grade, an army of ants could consume an elephant; whenever they ran into a horde, they had no choice but to flee. If dragged down by thousands of beasts in an endless swarm, even with the Saint's remnant soul and Ran Qingmo, they would meet their ends in the mountains. Seeing Xu Yuan fall silent, Zhou Xiaohe thought for a moment before giggling. "What are you trying to buy, Young Master Zhou? Medicinal herbs, pills, or other sundries? I'm quite familiar with the shops in Shengshan County—I could give you some pointers!" Snapping back to the present, Xu Yuan hesitated slightly. "Wouldn't that be an inconvenience?" Zhou Xiaohe stared intently at his face, shaking her head. "Not at all, not at all! We have nothing to do for the next couple of days, so delaying our departure by a day or two won't hurt, right, blockhead?" As she spoke, she nudged Li Erzhu with her elbow. Li Erzhu hesitated, replying stiffly, "Xiaohe, the Sect Master told you to..." Zhou Xiaohe immediately glared at him. "Aiya, if you don't want to wait, you can go back first!" "..." Li Erzhu promptly clamped his mouth shut. Zhou Xiaohe cleared her throat and beamed. "Young Master Zhou, what is it you want to buy?" "..." Xu Yuan looked between the two, hesitated briefly, and then quietly named a dozen herbs: "Soul Dove Grass, Vigor Returning Orchid, Soul Azure Vine..." Having listed them in a measured tone, Xu Yuan quietly observed her expression. These were herbs that could aid the Saint's remnant soul in recovering its strength. Deprived of a physical vessel, the old man could not regenerate his soul power naturally; once depleted, it was gone, and restoration depended entirely on external aids like pills and herbs. The group fell into a brief silence. Zhou Xiaohe's pretty eyes flickered, and an awkward expression quickly crossed her face. She lowered her voice. "Young Master Zhou... I only recognize a few of the herbs you just mentioned." Xu Yuan was not surprised. The world harbored far too many herbs. He merely said, "Any of those will do. Price is not an issue." Zhou Xiaohe's face flushed slightly as she shook her head. "Young... Young Master Zhou, it isn't a matter of price. Shengshan County doesn't have any place that sells those herbs." "None at all...?" Xu Yuan sighed. Pausing, he asked, "What about flying demonic beasts? Grade C will do." The Exotic Beast Bureau classified the realm's demonic beasts into two sectors, military and civilian, across two categories, aerial and terrestrial, graded from top to bottom into six ranks: Grade A through Grade F. Xu Changge's black eagle was a Grade A military flying beast, extraordinarily costly. With the funds Xu Yuan currently possessed, he could at best afford a Grade C civilian flying beast for travel. Even so, Zhou Xiaohe still shook her head. "None." "Grade D flying beasts are fine too." "None of those either." "Grade E?" "Young Master Zhou, Shengshan County only has beast eggs and young cubs." "..." Xu Yuan. "..." Zhou Xiaohe. A small place really had nothing. Xu Yuan let out a soft sigh. "Thank you for the warning, Miss Zhou. It seems Shengshan County has nothing I need for now." Zhou Xiaohe felt somewhat embarrassed as well. She said in an undertone, "How about coming with us to Wanxiang City as our guest, Young Master Zhou? Wanxiang City is packed with merchant guilds, and many massive chambers of commerce have branch offices there." Xu Yuan did not answer immediately. He had only entered this settlement to purchase supplies. With nothing to buy, there was no reason to stay. Furthermore, the Wanxiang Sect's withdrawal made it glaringly obvious that something was amiss in Shengshan County; only a fool would remain here. Pondering briefly, Xu Yuan glanced at Ran Qingmo, who had been standing quietly beside him. "Ying'er, what do you think?" "I'll follow your lead," Ran Qingmo answered softly. Seeing this, Xu Yuan exhaled and cupped his hands to Zhou Xiaohe. "Then we shall trouble you two along the way. But before setting off, we still need to purchase a few daily sundries." Zhou Xiaohe grew visibly delighted upon hearing this. "No trouble at all! Let's go. Being stuck with this blockhead all day bores me to death anyway. Oh, right, Young Master Zhou, where is the little sister who was with you before?" *** The Wanxiang Sect was not built atop a mountain summit, but beside a torrential waterfall along a colossal precipice. Due to the vapor rising from the falls, the Wanxiang Sect remained perpetually cloaked in mist. Viewed from high above, its rows of buildings stood neatly arranged, resembling a fairy realm. Along the winding corridor leading to the Council Hall, a core sanctuary of the sect, two middle-aged men walked side by side, their unhurried footsteps accompanied by quiet conversation. The bearded man asked in an undertone, "Fifth Brother, I heard the provincial capital sent another secret envoy?" Old Fifth fell silent for a moment before replying, "Mm. They want our Wanxiang Sect to reinforce Jiugu Town. The imperial border army stationed there can barely hold on—this year's beast tide is hitting unusually hard." The bearded man considered this, then sighed. "Beasts... damn beasts again! "Our Wanxiang Sect's founder choosing to establish the sect next to this Wanxing Mountain Range was truly the most foolish decision imaginable. Having to deal with these beasts day in and day out—cull one batch, and another crops up the very next year. "Sigh... how did the Sect Master reply?" Old Fifth pondered and answered in a low voice, "The Sect Master ordered that lad Qi Changyu to lead a contingent of about a hundred inner disciples there." The bearded man frowned. "He actually sent people? That place is a disaster zone every single year. Let's hope Changyu doesn't throw his life away there." Old Fifth chuckled slyly. "Don't worry. The Sect Master didn't provide them with flying beasts. Traveling on foot, they probably won't make it in time anyway." The bearded man grinned and nodded. "The court wants our men without offering a shred of benefit? Where in the world does such a bargain exist? The Sect Master calculates well indeed." Pausing, the bearded man wiped the smile from his face and whispered, "The major strongholds along the border should be fine, right? "Losing a few peripheral small towns only costs some lives at most. But those positions in Nandu Commandery cannot be lost. If beasts breach them, much of our Wanxiang Sect's foundation lies in that region." Old Fifth sounded quite relaxed. "Rest easy. Preparations began before the new year. The supplies for our Wanxiang Sect's Thousand Illusions Army are abundant. We've also reached an understanding with Tianyin Temple and the Fengqing Sect; we will support each other." The bearded man shook his head faintly. "The imperial court is truly laughable... "Decades ago, they began purging those of us from the sects out of the official administrative system. Back then, they surely never anticipated the situation deteriorating to this state, did they? "Truly foolish." To prevent sect influence from penetrating deeper into local governance, the imperial court had steadily rooted out sect disciples from regional administrative organs over the past several decades. Had sect disciples governed as local officials, their sects would naturally have rendered full support to ensure peace under their rule. Now, however, rarely could any sect disciple attain a post governing an entire region. And toward the regional inspectors and commandery governors dispatched by the court, the sects naturally offered no such courtesy. Treating imperial decrees with feigned compliance was already considered respectful; many sects outright turned a deaf ear to their edicts. And this was precisely one of the reasons refugees now roamed everywhere. Old Fifth took a deep breath. "The court cannot hold out forever. They will revert to the ancestral system. Once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, that Black-Robed Chancellor Xu Yinhe will have to yield as well." The bearded man chuckled softly. "The Chancellor's Manor is in its zenith right now. Given another century of accumulation, it might well become yet another great aristocratic clan, or perhaps even found its own sect." "Heh, who knows where Xu Yinhe would choose to build it. Most likely in Jiangnan Prefecture. At the last Grand Tianyuan Meet, the Nine Swords Sect and the others down in Jiangnan were dripping with wealth." With that, the two exchanged knowing smiles. This was the universal consensus among the sects. The current Emperor and the Chancellor's Manor might have strayed in their thinking, but it was no fatal flaw, for reality would compel them to correct their erroneous course. The realm did not belong to Great Yan alone; it belonged to Great Yan and the sects together. Without the sects' cooperation, even if Great Yan retained its prosperity, signs of chaos had already surfaced in a mere twenty-odd years. Once they recognized their mistake, reverted to the ancestral system, and paid a modest price, everyone would sit back down and carry on as before. The Li family would remain the imperial line, and the Chancellor's Xu Manor would still be the foremost clan in the realm. Neither spoke further as they followed the winding corridor straight into the Wanxiang Sect's core sanctuary: the Council Hall. Pushing the heavy doors open, two rows of chairs lined both sides of the hall, fully occupied. In the seat of honor sat an elderly man sporting a goatee. From his high seat, the Wanxiang Sect Master watched the two late arrivals and smiled faintly. "Fifth Brother, Youngest Brother, take your seats. We were just speaking of you." The two smiled and made their way to their respective seats. Old Fifth asked with a smile, "Sect Master, calling us here in such a rush—is it to discuss the matter of Shengshan County?" A profound look gleamed in the Sect Master's smiling eyes. "Naturally. Our Wanxiang Sect has invested over two million taels of silver into Shengshan County; it warrants our utmost attention." The bearded man stroked his chin with a teasing smirk. "This is all thanks to the Fourth Miss of the Chancellor's Manor. Were it not for that old man Xu Yinhe being so insufferably proud, I'd have gone to the capital myself to propose marriage to the manor." The Sect Master offered an ambiguous smile. "The girl studied array arts under that old fellow Jiang He, so her attainments are naturally exceptional. Were it not for her Phantasm Grand Array, our plan might have had to be delayed for several more years." "Enough of that, Sect Master. Have all the refugees gathered there?" "They are essentially fully assembled. Over two hundred thousand in total. Within the city walls reside around one hundred and seventy thousand locals, and adding merchant guards, scattered wanderers, and the garrisoned border troops, those with cultivation number over twenty thousand." "And the demonic beasts?" "Sufficient beast-attracting incense has already been prepared." "So the Sect Master means the array can be activated?" "Naturally." "It won't leave any traces, will it?" "Rest assured, it will be spotless. The demonic beasts will have done it." "Hehe..." Laughter rippled through the hall, for everyone present knew full well how immense a profit this scheme would bring to the Wanxiang Sect. The Sect Master tapped on the arm of his chair, paused, and projected his voice clearly: "Very well. Now that everyone is here, we shall conduct the final vote." The moment the words fell— *Rustle, rustle, rustle!* For the plan to have progressed this far, a vote was mere formality. The elders present passed the resolution to activate the grand array with unanimous approval. Seeing this, the Wanxiang Sect Master slowly rose to his feet, casting his gaze in the direction of Shengshan County. "Send the word. "Activate the array... conjure the ghost mist!"