Snake and Scorpion

A day later, Lou Ji left. Before departing, she remarked, "Big sister will borrow this for now and return it to you later," and walked right off with Xu Yuan's newly acquired black eagle pavilion. Half a ten-day later, the negotiations with the Wanxiang Sect drew to a temporary close. Beyond what had been agreed upon at the start, through a series of follow-up arrangements regarding troop withdrawals, city defense equipment, and the like, Xu Yuan painstakingly squeezed nearly nine million taels of silver from the sect's upper echelons. Rumor had it that more than half of that sum came from donations pooled by the Wanxiang Sect disciples, while the aristocratic clans within the sect had only contributed about twenty percent this time. On top of that, there were the four hundred thousand taels for array expenses that Xu Xinyao, that spendthrift woman, had given away for nothing. Yet Xu Yuan didn't get a single copper coin of that money; the ravenous, wolf-like higher-ups divvied it all among themselves. Another early morning arrived. A pitter-patter of spring rain immersed all of Wanxiang City behind a veil of water, cloaked in misty drizzle. Beneath the overcast sky, raindrops dropped from the eaves like scattered pearls, stirring ripples across the puddles below. Inside the room, Yuan Hao stood with a smile and cupped his hands. "...That is the gist of the phased withdrawal plan. I came to see you, Third Young Master, to bid my farewells as well." Xu Yuan glanced up at him and asked, "You're heading to the Northern Border?" Yuan Hao did not hide it and nodded. "Commander Zong specifically requested my presence." Hearing this, Xu Yuan's first instinct was to ask why he wasn't traveling alongside Lou Ji, but he immediately realized how foolish that question would have been. The Black Scale Army held a very peculiar status within the Chancellor's Manor; apart from the Tian'an Martial Hall that supplied their recruits, they were forbidden from associating with almost any other faction. Unless Xu Yinhe gave an explicit order, others within the Chancellor's Manor went out of their way to avoid suspicion, keeping their distance from all officers of the Black Scale Army. Pulling his thoughts back, Xu Yuan gave a slight smile. "Going to fight the Barbarians does suit your specialties, in a way." Humanoid creatures like the Barbarians were ill-suited to being kept as slaves even when captured. Though physically strong and intelligent, they were bloodthirsty by nature. Moreover, divine artifacts like slave crests had apparently not yet been invented in this world; at most, high-ranking cultivators could implant Source Qi bombs inside them, but the cost was far too high. As a result, Great Yan generally took no living prisoners when dealing with Barbarians. Hearing the banter, Yuan Hao chuckled, a touch of helplessness surfacing on his delicate face. "After all, those Barbarians aren't worth keeping as prisoners anyway." Then he shook his head. "A pity it's only fighting Barbarians." "Commander Yuan, it might not be just the Barbarians." Xu Yuan smiled slightly at his words. Their days together had given him a very clear understanding of this Commander Yuan. He was a lunatic, but not entirely insane. Thus, leaking a bit of inside knowledge to him wouldn't hurt. Yuan Hao's eyes narrowed. Subconsciously rubbing his hands together, he lowered his voice and sent a direct mental transmission: "Young Master, what do you mean by that?" Xu Yuan waved a hand, declining to elaborate. "You'll understand once you reach the Northern Border. Mr. Zong should explain the specifics to you." Excitement flared in Yuan Hao's eyes at those words. Regarding the Northern Border war, even if his rank kept him from viewing certain confidential intelligence, the reports available to him were enough for him to deduce some clues. If not for his exceptional competence, the Chancellor would never have gone out of his way to bail him out in the first place. And now, the Third Young Master's words practically confirmed his deductions. Cupping his hands, Yuan Hao was about to take his leave when he suddenly remembered something. He asked in a low voice, "Right, Third Young Master, about that Wang Jiadian..." *Colonel Wang?* Xu Yuan was slightly surprised. Colonel Wang had intended to scale the Wanxiang Sect's mountain gates at the cost of his life to demand justice for Shengshan County. But by the time he reached Wanxiang City, the East City had already been taken by the Black Scale Army for nearly ten days. Under such circumstances, Colonel Wang naturally recalled what that "Young Master Zhou" had told him back then, as well as the young man's early departure. Thus, he had naturally sought out the Black Scale Army. Upon meeting him, Xu Yuan had naturally revealed his true identity and tried to recruit him, offering the future destruction of the Wanxiang Sect and vengeance for Shengshan as incentives. However, Colonel Wang had not agreed immediately at the time. Thinking of this, Xu Yuan asked, "What about him?" Yuan Hao said softly, "He asked me to pass along a message to you, Young Master: if you ever march your troops against the Wanxiang Sect, his Shengshan Army will gladly serve at your beck and call. Beyond that, he can only repay your kindness with his death—he is willing to scale the mountain gates of Wanxiang." *Voluntarily scaling the mountain gates, so as not to dirty your hands.* Xu Yuan tapped his fingers against the desk, feeling a touch of disappointment. "So he's rejecting me?" Yuan Hao offered no extra commentary, simply asking straightforwardly, "Third Young Master, how do you intend to deal with him?" *Should we kill him?* Outside, the spring rain pattered steadily against the ground. For a time, only the breathing of the two men remained in the room. After a long while, a sigh escaped Xu Yuan's lips. He waved a hand. "Tell him to return to Shengshan County. There's no need for him to climb the mountain gates." Yuan Hao offered no dissuasion. Cupping his hands, he turned and left. As he was leaving, he happened to cross paths with Ran Qingmo, who had come looking for Xu Yuan. Yuan Hao took the opportunity to bow in salute: "Third Young Madam." "..." Ran Qingmo looked at the military commander, hesitated for a moment, and nodded to him. "...Mm." Brushing past him, she walked into the room. Seeing Xu Yuan seated behind the desk looking somewhat melancholy, she stepped closer and asked softly, "Xu Yuan, what's wrong?" Xu Yuan looked up and saw the big block of ice. His words were quite frank: "Tried to recruit someone, got turned down. Feeling a bit down." "..." Ran Qingmo halted subconsciously. She glanced at Xu Yuan's lips, tightened her grip on her sheathed ink sword, and watched him with a wary gaze. "..." Xu Yuan. Dumbfounded into a laugh, Xu Yuan pointed at the chair beside him. "Come sit. I'm not asking you to comfort me. Honestly, I kind of expected this outcome anyway." Ran Qingmo gathered her skirt and sat down. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Colonel Wang?" Xu Yuan nodded, his tone faint. "Colonel Wang has lived off imperial grain for decades and guarded Shengshan for decades. Expecting him to become my subordinate was indeed wishful thinking on my part." This was the first time he had failed to recruit someone. Even with a great debt of gratitude, even with his status as the Third Young Master of the Chancellor's Manor, and even with promises of a splendid future, it wasn't enough to make a man drop to his knees in unconditional allegiance. At most, he was willing to repay it with his life. Ran Qingmo quietly pondered this. She glanced at her ink sword and asked, "With him alive, won't you be in danger?" Xu Yuan shook his head. "A man like him won't betray me, just as he won't betray his own principles." "Oh," Ran Qingmo replied. Xu Yuan asked softly, "Why did you come looking for me?" Ran Qingmo said softly, "Xinyao said we can set out now." "Back to the Imperial Capital?" "Mm, back to the Imperial Capital." *Rumble—!* A crash of thunder ripped through the dark sky, illuminating a pitch-black cave within the Wanxing Mountain Range. Li Erzhu sat curled up quietly in a corner of the cave, wiping the sword in his hand, his downcast eyes filled with profound bewilderment. He did not know what to do. Return to the sect? The sect had been as gracious as a mountain to him, taking him from a simple mountain boy and raising him to his current cultivation; he had to repay that kindness. Yet the things the sect had done left him at a loss. He had wanted to die, but failed to die. Surrounded by demonic beasts, he had comprehended Dao Charm, broken through to the third rank, and survived as a result. After surviving the horde of demonic beasts, some Grandmaster had inexplicably tried to kill him, only to be slain by him instead. Li Erzhu scratched his head. "Maybe... maybe I should head back to the sect first to look for Xiaohe and ask her..." *Screeech—!* Amidst the silence, a piercing eagle cry echoed from the heavens. Li Erzhu gripped his sword instinctively, but in the next breath, he saw a woman's figure appear at the mouth of the cave. She strolled inside, her curves voluptuous and seductive, every step brimming with bewitching charm. Her voice carried a lilt of laughter: "My, there's actually a cave here?" Li Erzhu averted his gaze instinctively upon seeing her, hastily dusting off his backside and scrambling to his feet. "Miss, you... if you need to get out of the rain, I'll let you have it. I'll head out right now." Hidden in the darkness, the seductive woman's emerald-green eyes arched slightly as she let out a delicate laugh. "Are you Li Zhu?" Li Erzhu's movement toward the exit paused mid-stride. He looked at the woman with a bewildered gaze. "Ah... ah! Yes, that's me, Li Zhu." "Then you're the one." The woman gave a coquettish chuckle and turned straight around to leave. "You seem like a decent fellow. But for the sake of my Changtian, I can only say sorry~" "..." Li Erzhu froze, staring in confusion at the woman's retreating back. In the very next instant— "M-Mith... I..." He raised a hand, wanting to ask something, but his mouth had already gone numb, followed immediately by a total loss of bodily control. His instinct was to circulate his cultivation technique, only to discover that something inexplicable had already latched onto the meridians inside his body. As his cultivation circulated, the substance spread instantly to every corner of his being. It felt warm and pleasant, exceptionally comfortable, like basking in the gentle sun. Amidst that wave of warmth, Li Zhu's consciousness faded into a blur, and his entire body collapsed stiffly onto the cold cave floor.