Setting a Trap

"If the price is right, our border army naturally has need of it." Qian Shuisheng agreed directly without a second thought, then asked with a smile, "Only, I wonder how Mr. Zhou intends to sell it?" Zhou Chen licked his lips upon hearing this. "Heh... My lord wants this number." Saying this, he slowly extended a palm, spreading three fingers before the dozen-odd generals assembled in the tent. Looking at the gesture, Qian Shuisheng's expression remained unchanged. "Three million taels can still be considered—" "Thirty million." "..." Qian Shuisheng fell silent. Zhou Chen broke the silence with a dry chuckle, mirth gleaming in his eyes. "Elder Qian, Cloud Qi Bombs are exceedingly costly to manufacture. Three million taels wouldn't even cover the production costs." The tent fell silent. Qian Shuisheng said nothing more, though his gaze calmly swept across the others present. "Sigh..." Following the brief quiet came a sigh. An armored, middle-aged woman spoke with a hint of mockery in her tone: "Mr. Zhou, three hundred thousand border troops of ours are locked in bloody combat here to reclaim Beifeng. It is one thing for the imperial court to send no troop reinforcements, but now they even expect us to privately fund the purchase of military ordnance... Aren't they afraid of chilling the hearts of our soldiers?" Zhou Chen glanced back at the woman. He, Zhou Chen, considered his own skin quite thick, but this woman had completely cast shame aside. After a brief pause, his mind raced, and he offered a false smile that did not reach his eyes. "Ah, elder sister, those words go a bit too far. My lord holds no office in the imperial court, and the Cloud Qi Bombs on this excursion come from his senior's private stores. How can there be any talk of chilling the hearts of the border army's soldiers?" At this point, Zhou Chen stood ramrod straight, cupping his fists toward the sky as he declared in a clear, resonant voice: "On the contrary, it is precisely because my lord worries for the nation and its people, caring deeply for the lives of the three hundred thousand soldiers beneath Beifeng City, that he instructed me to come inquire of everyone. I hope you will all understand this earnest goodwill." The middle-aged woman snorted coldly. Right then, General Hou, the man with the scarred face, suddenly let out a sinister chuckle. "In other words, Mr. Zhou is not an imperial envoy?" If he was not an imperial envoy, he did not possess that skin to serve as an amulet. Killing him would, at most, be counted as a private dispute rather than an offense against the court's righteousness. Hearing this, Zhou Chen cursed inwardly. Staring at the speaker, he enunciated each word: "Brother, I am merely my lord's mouthpiece. My life is cheap—certainly nowhere near as precious as the lives of all you noble clans, and even less so compared to these three hundred thousand soldiers." *Don't give me that bullshit. It doesn't matter if you kill me, but without Cloud Qi Bombs, can you defeat the hundreds of thousands of barbarian troops who hold absolute heavenly advantage?* General Hou narrowed his eyes, a glint of murderous intent slipping out. "Mr. Zhou, while dying for righteousness is indeed—" "Enough." Qian Shuisheng spoke up once more, cutting across General Hou's words, and turned to Zhou Chen with a smile. "Mr. Zhou, if we agree to your lord's terms, in what manner will the Cloud Qi Bombs be transferred? And how is payment to be made?" "Elder Qian is straightforward." Zhou Chen felt a slight inward relief. Cupping his hands, he smiled. "As for delivery of the Cloud Qi Bombs... you can set a time, and when the moment arrives, my lord will naturally arrange personnel to deploy them right on schedule." "Tch." A soft chuckle escaped a young female general. Her willow-leaf brows carried a touch of ridicule. "Mr. Zhou, there must be a limit to getting something from nothing. How can we easily take you at your word? What if the Cloud Qi Bombs are completely fictitious, and our border army's wealth is swindled away for nothing?" Zhou Chen had long prepared a response and said without hesitation: "Our side previously supplied your army with two Cloud Qi Bombs. Surely some among you have seen the real article and know their structure is unstable, making it impossible to store them in Sumeru rings. If your army is willing to dispatch an elite squad to retrieve them, my lord can provide the location where the Cloud Qi Bombs are hidden." "..." The young female general sneered. "With such heavy snow outside, dispatching an escort force? Do you think the barbarian wolf riders prowling abroad are blind?" Zhou Chen spread his hands nonchalantly. "Since your army is unwilling, then arrange for high-tier cultivators to accompany me to fetch them. That would carry an even smaller risk of exposure. Three delivery methods, entirely at your army's discretion." "Let us set that matter aside for now." Qian Shuisheng looked thoughtful and asked in an even, detached tone, "Then Mr. Zhou, how does your lord intend to receive our payment?" Zhou Chen grinned and once again cupped his hands toward the sky. "My lord said he wants no land deeds, no shares in merchant guilds, nor any deeds of property connected to Northern Border enterprises. He will accept only silver banknotes or cultivation resources. Of course, if your army is willing to part with military supplies and baggage, my lord is willing to purchase them at a fivefold premium over market price." As his words fell, a brief silence descended. The expressions of the dozen or so commanders holding formidable military power turned somewhat strange. There was quite a lot of information packed into those words. *He doesn't want any tangible assets...* In recent years, the Chancellor's Manor's Tian'an Chamber of Commerce and the imperial court's Royal Chamber of Commerce had broken their heads trying to worm their way into the Northern Border. Now that an opportunity existed to openly intervene in the Northern Border market, it was unthinkable that the person backing this Mr. Zhou wouldn't seize it. It was likely not that he didn't want it, but that the person behind Mr. Zhou *couldn't* accept it. Tangible property, even if registered under a trusted subordinate without participating in management and merely collecting annual dividends, would introduce a new risk of exposure with every single payoff. Seconds ticked by. Qian Shuisheng stared at Zhou Chen, his gaze turning half-smiling. "May this seat ask why your lord refuses tangible assets in the Northern Border?" Without hesitation, Zhou Chen gave the exact answer Xu Yuan had instructed: "With a strategic resource like Cloud Qi Bombs leaking out, my lord cannot bear the responsibility either." "..." The tense atmosphere in the tent gradually eased at those words. Faint, knowing smiles even appeared on the faces of several generals. *Figures.* It seemed the figure behind this Mr. Zhou was a high-ranking official of the Chancellor's Manor peddling illicit contraband. When one held power, one naturally had to make full use of it before it expired. Hollow out the public coffer to line the private pocket. Many of the Chancellor's Manor's formation runes led the entirety of Great Yan, just like the Ghost Mist Array back then. Though the Gewu Academy guarded them with utmost vigilance, they were ultimately smuggled out and sold at exorbitant prices. Yet that was not what pleased them most. Since the figure behind this Mr. Zhou was selling illicitly on the side, it meant they dared not make a public scene. The price could be negotiated down—and with plenty of room to spare. Qian Shuisheng's aged face twitched, and he smiled. "Mr. Zhou, thirty million taels is no small sum. Might we trouble you to wait outside the tent for a moment? We need to confer." Hearing this, Zhou Chen cupped his fists, sharing a knowing smile with Qian Shuisheng. "In that case, I shall await your favorable tidings outside." With that, Zhou Chen walked out of the tent under the watchful gazes of the roomful of powerhouses. "..." As the tent flap dropped, the previously relaxed atmosphere turned solemn again in an instant, even thick with murderous chill. On the high seat, Qian Shuisheng narrowed his eyes and suddenly sneered. "Who do you think... is the person behind this Mr. Zhou?" "It shouldn't be Lou Ji or Zong Qingsheng," the scarred man spoke up. "Neither has children, both are loyal to the death to Xu Yinhe, and their positions are too high. It's unlikely they would sell out the interests of the Chancellor's Manor." The entire Chancellor's Manor was practically theirs; if they wanted anything, they could take it directly without needing such covert schemes to reap profits. The young female general chuckled softly. "Elder Qian, I feel it doesn't matter who it is, so long as they can supply us with Cloud Qi Bombs." A burly man with a fiery temper grunted. "Thirty million taels is a bit much. Last year, when the war went poorly, the annual military expenditure for our several hundred thousand border troops in the north only came to around seventy million taels." The scarred man chuckled slyly. "This expense is indeed quite steep. We'll have to squeeze more benefits out of those southern sects. Our northern sects are holding the line for them; when the Tianyuan Grand Tournament arrives next year to repartition resources, we must demand much more from those old fossils in the Jiangnan region." As his words fell, a wave of low laughter rippled through the tent. The sects formed a vast collective, governed by their own internal rules. The border sects contributed men and blood; the affluent regions had to contribute material supplies. Because their northern sects had weathered the dying emperor's counterattack, they naturally had both cause and righteousness to demand compensation from sects elsewhere at the Tianyuan Grand Tournament. With the topic broached, several friendly generals began laughing and scheming for the coming year. Yet while some laughed and chatted, others remained silent—and those keeping quiet were by no means few. The atmosphere in the tent was soon interrupted by a gentle, mellow voice: "The battle isn't even halfway through, and you are already preparing to celebrate?" The speaker was none other than that handsome young man from Wanyao Valley. Not wishing to eclipse the host, however, he looked toward the silent old man on the high seat. "Elder Qian, you surely have something to say?" "..." Qian Shuisheng slowly lifted his eyes and exhaled a breath. "Everyone, the person behind Mr. Zhou might indeed be supplying us with Cloud Qi Bombs for private gain, but they also want to watch us fight the barbarians to the death. Once the cloud qi is dispersed, how do you think that Barbarian Heterodox King will react?" The burly, hot-tempered man cupped his hands, an excited grin on his lips. "Elder Qian, once the snow clouds are scattered, those barbarians will lose their heavenly advantage and will inevitably avoid the brunt of our army. We can simply assault Beifeng City and dig in to hold it." "What if they don't retreat?" Qian Shuisheng countered, then continued, "The Barbarian King is no fool. Once we retake Beifeng, they will be trapped like turtles in a jar." Saying this, Qian Shuisheng let out a wistful sigh. "A Cloud Qi Bomb fundamentally shifts the entire battlefield. Currently, the barbarian army near Beifeng is roughly estimated at over four hundred thousand. If we fight a pitched battle against them, even if we win, our losses will be staggering. When that happens, the imperial court will reap the spoils like the fisherman in the fable..." The young female general frowned, a flash of ferocity crossing her features. "So we just stall like this? If we had chosen to reinforce Beifeng back then, none of this would be happening now." The armored middle-aged woman glanced at her and sneered. "Little girl, that decision was made by all of us together. What, now that trouble has arrived, you're eager to wash your hands clean?" The scarred man chuckled upon hearing that. "Madame Wang, while it's true we made the decision together back then, if I recall correctly, it was you and your husband who—" "Enough! Both of you hold your tongues." Seeing the atmosphere turn combative, Qian Shuisheng immediately barked a reprimand. "In our current situation, what we need is to unite against external threats! All of you, state your countermeasures." "..." Silence spread; no one answered. Amid the quiet, someone suddenly spoke up out of nowhere: "Could we find another way to lure the barbarians north?" Another sneered back, "Lure them how? The barbarians know there's a weather weapon like the Cloud Qi Bomb around Houting County. Do you expect them to attack Houting County's fully fortified defense perimeter under clear blue skies? Heh... As long as that Barbarian Heterodox King doesn't have water in his skull like you, he'll know our position is much easier to attack." The speaker's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "Dai Xiangfei, you have the nerve to lecture me? Giving away a third of our supplies just like that—I really don't know..." "Shut up!" Qian Shuisheng snapped in a low voice once more, helplessness in his eyes. He had actually anticipated this scenario. Given their present predicament, an eruption of internal friction within the coalition was inevitable sooner or later. That Mr. Zhou arriving with the Cloud Qi Bomb had merely ignited the fuse ahead of time. When the wind is favorable, everyone across the four seas is a brother; when the wind turns foul, all they do is tear into each other's throats. The flaws of the coalition's chaotic command structure were beginning to lay themselves bare. Massaging his temples forcefully, Qian Shuisheng swept his gaze over the generals and spoke: "Further bickering is useless. There are only two paths before us now: first, we continue to hold our ground and watch how things unfold; second, we use the Cloud Qi Bomb to storm Beifeng City." "Won't both paths end with us fighting a pitched battle against those barbarians?" "Yes." Qian Shuisheng's tone did not waver as he said heavily, "In our current situation, there is simply no avoiding it." Several miscalculations had led directly to their present dead end. They had been schemed into abandoning Houting County to reinforce Beifeng, after which their decisions misjudged the Barbarian King's ambition as well as the speed of Marquis Wucheng and Zong Qingsheng's southward march. As a result, they were pinned outside Beifeng City with the barbarian host encircling them. If they wished to break the deadlock, they had to fight a hard battle. After a moment's contemplation, the scarred man asked, "Elder Qian, may I ask which path you favor?" Qian Shuisheng glanced at him, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest of the high seat. "The latter." "The latter?" The scarred man frowned in thought, but soon realized this was indeed the best choice available. Qian Shuisheng said in a low voice: "Our army is trapped in a dilemma, but the barbarians are even more anxious than we are. The longer they wait, the greater the likelihood of the imperial army marching south. When that time comes, this encampment of ours, devoid of defensive formations, won't offer the slightest protection. "If we use the Cloud Qi Bomb to clear a path and reclaim Beifeng City at top speed, the barbarians may recognize the futility and withdraw along the mountain paths they came from, back into the depths of the Northern Border. "This is the approach that minimizes our losses. "Naturally, we still need to carefully map out the operational details." *** Zhou Chen departed. Carrying several Sumeru rings and accompanied by two second-rank Origin Realm experts, he slipped quietly out of the sect coalition camp under the cover of the wind and snow. Yet as they left, a pair of eyes glowing with eerie blue light quietly stood atop a distant hillside, watching them. Only when the three figures completely vanished from his sight did the burly figure silently turn and melt away into the blizzard.