Compromise

The statement ran for about a dozen pages. Due to the tight schedule, Xu Yuan had not had time to have the document copied in a uniform hand. Every page bore different calligraphy, but each corresponded to a vital industry of the Wanxiang Sect within an important prefecture of Xize Province. All of this had been compiled in haste around noon by the Black Scale Guards across the territories. Under Xu Yuan's requirements, each prefecture's situation had been divided into several major categories, which were further subdivided into numerous detailed subcategories. At a glance, it was not cluttered. From agricultural workshops and mineral veins servicing commoners, to city taverns and pleasure houses, to sizable merchant guilds and banks—the master directory even included a column for the Wanxiang Sect's proprietary array patterns. In silence, the Wanxiang Sect Master and the Grand Elder roughly browsed through the roster. Exchanging a glance, both saw a flicker of indignation and helplessness in each other's eyes. This roster encompassed seventy percent of the Wanxiang Sect's enterprises in Xize Province, and over ninety percent of the listings were currently profitable. Inhaling deeply, the Wanxiang Sect Master spoke in a swift, heavy voice, "Young Master, the enterprises on this roster are worth far more than ninety million..." Xu Yuan cut him off halfway through. Buffing his fingernails, he remarked offhandedly, "Don't worry, I know your properties are worth far more than the total reparation. Wasn't time just too short? It's only been half a month since the incident in Shengshan County. The properties on this list are simply things we find interesting. Agree to it first, and dedicated personnel will negotiate the details of the valuation with you slowly." "......" The Wanxiang Sect Master fell silent. The implication was unmistakable. *Don't try to make up the numbers with loss-making garbage assets; we've already investigated everything thoroughly.* While the Wanxiang Sect's upper echelon had been running about like headless chickens passing the buck to one another, the Chancellor's Manor had already begun making preparations down to such minor details. Without a word, the Wanxiang Sect Master and the Grand Elder stood up almost simultaneously. The Grand Elder cupped his hands. "Young Master, this matter is of grave importance. We must return to the sect." Though exalted as the Sect Master and Grand Elder, neither had the authority to decide on an amount of this scale. Many of the enterprises on the roster belonged to other prominent clans within the sect. "Of course you may." Xu Yuan shrugged, signaling them to suit themselves. Then, under their gazes, he instructed Xu Xinyao behind him, "Xiaohe, come clean up the dregs of this signaling crystal." The meaning was clear: discuss as you please, but let this remind you that the Black Scale Army will assault the city in two quarters of an hour. Hearing this, the Grand Elder frowned sharply. "Young Master, could you grant us a little more time?" Xu Yuan shook his head, looking utterly helpless. "Grand Elder, military orders are not child's play. Even if I were willing to change the orders at a whim, a general in the field is not bound by distant commands..." Saying no more, the two elderly men bowed in salute. Carrying Zhou Xiaohe's corpse, they exited the Xuanyin Pavilion and streaked toward the depths of the mountain gate like twin afterimages. Watching their silhouettes vanish from sight, Xu Yuan sighed and sank back into the soft couch behind him. He instructed Xu Xinyao beside him, "Go inform the vanguard. We're taking a detour directly to the East City." "What?" Speaking for the first time, Xu Xinyao asked with slight hesitation, "Are we... not waiting for them here?" Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and replied helplessly, "There's no need for us to stay here. If they agree, they will naturally seek us out in the East City. If they don't... staying here means waiting to die." With that, Xu Yuan waved his hand at her. "Go on." "......" After a brief pause, Xu Xinyao curtsied, turned, and walked out of the room. Watching her graceful retreating figure, Xu Yuan suddenly spoke up. "Xinyao, do you see the sect's ugly nature clearly now?" Xu Xinyao's body stiffened slightly. Xu Yuan let out a light laugh. "Alright, no need to answer. Just keep the answer in your heart." With those words lingering, Xu Xinyao walked out of the pavilion in silence. The door closed, and Xu Yuan felt the couch beside him dip slightly as that intoxicating floral fragrance drifted over once more. Lou Ji sat with her slender, fair legs crossed, her jade feet half-exposed as her high-heeled lotus boots swayed gently. "Changtian, do you think they'll agree?" Inhaling the floral scent, Xu Yuan smiled softly. "Of course they will. Ninety million won't shake their foundation. Even if someone wants to fight to the bitter end, the rest of the sect won't allow it." Lou Ji chuckled at his words, lowering her eyes to toy with her long, sharp fingernails. "You've thought this through thoroughly. But Changtian, you were giving orders to Yuan Hao just now~" Xu Yuan glanced sideways at the older woman and smiled faintly. "Elder Sister, are you worried Yuan Hao won't obey orders?" Lou Ji nodded, smiling pleasantly. "Given your order, that fellow is probably chomping at the bit. To Yuan Hao, Wanxiang City right now is like a stripped courtesan to a lustful pervert~" Xu Yuan shook his head. "Though Yuan Hao is somewhat unhinged, he knows what he's doing in warfare. Even with orders, he has to wait for the follow-up reinforcements to enter the city. No matter how much he hurries, it will take at least two quarters of an hour or more." At this point, Xu Yuan grinned. "Besides, aren't I already preparing to head to the East City?" Lou Ji narrowed her phoenix eyes. "So, your words just now were all meant to frighten those two old men?" After a brief silence, Xu Yuan sighed. "Not entirely. But if war can be avoided, it is best avoided." "Because you can't bear it?" Lou Ji asked with great interest. "......" Xu Yuan did not answer immediately. He lightly rubbed his knuckles, and after a long moment, shook his head. "There's no point dwelling on such things, though that is partly a reason..." Hearing this, Lou Ji reached out and gently stroked his head, speaking in a tender voice, "Changtian really is kindhearted." Xu Yuan gave a wry chuckle, keeping his gaze fixed on his hands, his tone devoid of emotion. "No. The main reason I'm reluctant to use force is that the payoff would be too low. Our plan succeeded so swiftly largely because we caught them unprepared. Desperate resistance from the Wanxiang Sect would tear everything to pieces, and our casualties would mount. "Even if we won, Wanxiang City would be reduced entirely to ruins of war, and in their desperation, they would most likely burn down the treasuries inside their mountain gate. "Furthermore... "Even with a justifiable cause, wiping out the Wanxiang Sect would affect the attitude of sects across the empire toward us. Conversely, sparing them will lower their guard." With that, Xu Yuan reached up to massage his brow. Looking sideways, he found Lou Ji staring at him unblinkingly. "What? Was I wrong?" Lou Ji's beautiful eyes curved into crescent moons. "Changtian, you've really become handsome." Xu Yuan rolled his eyes. "Can you even see my face under this mask?" "Elder Sister naturally meant the way you conduct yourself," Lou Ji said softly, before suddenly asking, "Right, Changtian, why did you insist on killing the Sect Master's daughter?" "To make him feel the pain," Xu Yuan replied without a second thought. Lou Ji nodded in strong agreement. "A fair reason. I wasn't fond of how he addressed her either." Xu Yuan's expression turned slightly odd. Lou Ji pinched him with playful reproach. "What? I might be a bit of a vixen, but I still have a conscience, you know~" *Right, sure you do.* Xu Yuan rolled his eyes inwardly. Lou Ji snorted softly, twirling a strand of hair by her temple around her slender fingers, a hint of reminiscence showing in her eyes. "I used to be one of the 'untouchables' those sects look down upon. Is it strange for me to feel displeased?" Xu Yuan understood. "Not strange at all." The next instant, Lou Ji leaned in close to Xu Yuan, gazing at him with a smile. "But for you, Changtian, that reason isn't enough." After a brief silence, Xu Yuan confessed honestly, "I knew that Zhou Xiaohe." "......" Lou Ji understood his intention at once; she was in the intelligence trade, after all. Silencing a witness. Yet, seeing Xu Yuan's expression, she tactfully held her tongue. Xu Yuan lowered his eyes and murmured, "She and another person saw Ran Qingmo and me in Shengshan County. Though they didn't figure out our true identities, she could have recognized us at any moment given her position." "Well done," Lou Ji praised. Xu Yuan exhaled, looking in the direction of Shengshan County noncommittally. "Back then, the two of them traveled thousands of li to Shengshan County to help the border army slay beasts and save the common folk. And now, heh... Still, her choice was the right one." Lou Ji reached out and pulled Xu Yuan's head onto her shoulder, gently stroking his hair as she murmured, "Changtian, don't overthink it. Your eldest brother and your father handle these things well. When standing on opposing sides, you kill when you must. If you don't kill them, they will turn around and kill you." Pausing, Lou Ji spoke softly, "Come, tell me the name of the other person." "Dead," Xu Yuan said softly. "That fellow was a fool. Unable to accept what his sect had done, he insisted on venturing outside Shengshan County to slay beasts to atone for their sins. In the midst of the beast tide, he is almost certainly dead by now." At this point, Xu Yuan sighed. "The conviction Xinyao clings to probably exists because people like that exist." Lou Ji raised her brows. She said nothing more and did not press him, merely stroking Xu Yuan's head gently in her embrace. In her heart, however, she silently took note of this individual. *Dying for righteousness is admirable indeed.* *Yet for Changtian's safety, I must confirm that this person truly perished in the beast tide.* *** Wanxiang Sect, Council Hall. Once the roster was briefly passed around, the upper echelon of Wanxiang exploded into an uproar. Even though the blade was already drawing blood on their necks, it did not stop them from refusing to part with their interests. The Wanxiang Sect Master and the Grand Elder watched the chaotic cursing and bickering below in silence. "Ninety million taels? They want to destroy the foundation of our Wanxiang Sect!" "Sect Master, even if the Chancellor's Manor wins a total war against our Wanxiang Sect, they won't gain any benefits either! Let us fight! The Chancellor's Manor wouldn't dare!" "I believe we can consider negotiations, but the payment must be made in installments! We can hand over a portion of the enterprises on this roster—those supplying daily necessities to the commoners can go to them. But demonic beasts, array patterns, and medicinal herbs—these vital industries must never be surrendered! Giving them away will shake our foundation!" "What do you mean by that?! Those agricultural and secondary equipment industries all belong to my Gu family! Why don't you suggest handing over the demonic beast businesses instead?!" "Demonic beasts? You have the gall to bring that up? That is the sect's lifeblood! If we lose several large breeding grounds, the Yaomai Chamber of Commerce will lose its supply source entirely, severely crippling the sect's revenue! Not to mention our need to equip organized military units—you saw those flying demonic beasts that attacked today..." "We only have two quarters of an hour, and you still want to bicker?!" The Wanxiang Sect Master barked furiously, his dark gaze sweeping over the crowd before settling on Fifth Elder Xia Wenlin. His tone softened slightly. "Old Five, what do you think of this?" Xia Wenlin, who had been listening silently, stood up, cupped his hands to the elders, and spoke rapidly, "We must preserve as many industries as possible. These assets are the geese that lay golden eggs. "I made a rough calculation just now. From the sect's accumulated reserves over the years, the silver we can draw upon at once is probably around ten million. The actual amount might be slightly higher. If we pool our funds, we might barely scrape together around twenty million taels. That still leaves a shortfall of about seventy million from the ninety million." Having existed and expanded for a thousand years, the Wanxiang Sect brought in immense wealth, but its expenses were equally enormous. Cultivation, after all, consumed the most resources, and the sect's benefits for its disciples were exceptionally generous. With that, Xia Wenlin bowed with clasped hands. "My Xia family is willing to donate one million taels to help the sect weather this crisis." Silence fell. *Donate money?* *Donate shit.* Seeing the silent crowd, the expressions of the Sect Master and the Grand Elder darkened instantly. Those seated below were the heads of prominent clans. Beyond what they submitted to the sect, they routinely pocketed countless benefits. Yet when push came to shove, both leaders could tell that many below had already begun plotting their own escape. After a long pause, the Grand Elder spoke, "If the sect ceases to exist, those enterprises will merely become fat meat before the mouths of other sects and clans. The Nie family donates three million taels." The Sect Master spoke as well, "Everyone, please consider this carefully. My Zhou family also donates three million taels." Hearing the two leaders pledge their shares, the elders below contributed varying amounts of silver, however grudgingly. Listening closely until the pledges concluded, Xia Wenlin exhaled a long breath. "Now that we have pooled forty million taels, we must set aside a portion as a reserve fund. Liquid silver cannot run dry; once cash flow breaks, many enterprises will fail to operate." "How much should we keep?" the Wanxiang Sect Master asked in a deep voice. Xia Wenlin said nothing, turning his gaze toward He Jigu across from him. "I do not oversee the chamber of commerce. Elder He and his colleagues must answer this." Despite his penchant for power struggles, He Jigu was remarkably adept at business. Calculating briefly in his mind, he replied swiftly, "Considering that we must mortgage a portion of the enterprises to absorb the impact of this shortfall, we must retain at least ten million." Hearing this, Xia Wenlin followed up, "Elder He, roughly what portion of our sect's enterprises does sixty million taels represent?" He Jigu pondered for a moment and replied, "At market value, roughly thirty percent. Losing thirty percent of our assets will severely weaken our sect, but it will not shake our foundation. The Chancellor's Manor calculated accurately that we would not fight to the bitter end over this." Xia Wenlin let out a long sigh upon hearing this. "Dwelling on this now does no good. The Chancellor's Manor's goal in demanding these enterprises is certainly to establish a presence in Xize Province. They will inevitably intervene in businesses like banks and chambers of commerce; we must make preparations in advance." He Jigu raised his eyebrows. "Asset transfers?" Xia Wenlin shook his head, pointing at the roster on the table. "For the Chancellor's Manor to have investigated these matters so thoroughly, they must have prepared long ago. Petty tricks like asset transfers are naturally impossible to pull off. However, we can make some maneuvers regarding the clerks and shopkeepers at the base level. "Furthermore, we must dispose of the construction materials for the Ghost-Capturing Grand Array as soon as possible, and we must demand the return of the captive. Otherwise, we will remain indefinitely under their thumb." With that, Xia Wenlin cupped his hands toward the Wanxiang Sect Master. "Sect Master, now that matters have reached this state, we must prepare to weather the impact. I will provide you with a detailed plan shortly."