A Deal

Hearing her teasing remark, Xu Yuan did not believe for a second that Li Qingyan had fallen in love with him. Her talk of "dying together for love" was almost certainly her way of telling him that she had prepared herself to die here. For a woman possessing virtually every quality of an exceptional military commander to say such words could only mean she held an exceedingly pessimistic view of his upcoming plan. Even so, the princess had not stripped him of his status as "commander." A trust mingled with doubt. Xu Yuan sighed silently, feeling somewhat helpless. When all was said and done, *Cangyuan* was merely a game, and reality held far too many intricate details that no game could ever encompass. Like this subterranean ancient city inhabited by mortals right before his eyes, and the presence of Bai Muxi, who had no business being here at all. Who could have predicted that after ten thousand years, humans would still be surviving inside the aberrant ghosts' old den? Who could have predicted that this leggy Chief Arbiter had originally escaped from this very palace? Beyond that, the butterfly effect was bound to introduce uncontrollable variables into this Silent Crypt. Deep in dire straits as he was, all he could do was adapt to the situation as best he could with the information on hand, turning certain facts to his advantage and striving to keep developments within his grasp. They flew on in silence. As the three sped through the ruined ancient city, the streets below gradually began to shift. The residential buildings changed from the wooden structures of the outer perimeter to stone dwellings. Reaching down with his intent-soul, he could occasionally sense the auras of mortals. Yet every one of them was huddled nervously inside underground basements, without a soul venturing outdoors. Reflecting on this, Xu Yuan glanced sideways at Bai Muxi flying alongside them. The wind rushed against them, pressing the female Chief Arbiter's gauzy dress tightly against her undulating, exquisite curves. Swaying gently. Before Xu Yuan could gaze for long, Bai Muxi's crisp voice drifted over: "Earlier, a massive tremor shook the Blood Demon Cave. Something must have occurred among the aberrant ghosts. They can easily scent the presence of mortals, so I ordered the common folk in the outer city to take shelter. The alert has not yet been lifted, so none are permitted to leave." *The Barbarian King's punch, was it?* Understanding dawned on Xu Yuan, though he immediately glanced back in the direction they had come. He wondered how that muscular brute of a barbarian king was faring right now. Back in *Cangyuan*, that Barbarian King was a Saint capable of blasting through this dungeon with absolute ease. But in this timeline, he had not yet reached his full strength and was also heavily injured. A siege by swarms of high-tier aberrant ghosts should certainly give him his fill of trouble. Reining in his thoughts, Xu Yuan spoke up to ask, "Chief Arbiter, I noticed that the stone houses below are almost all single-occupant dwellings. Why do men and women not live together?" "Men and women living together?" Bai Muxi frowned, her melodic voice direct and unvarnished. "Does Your Excellency refer to illicit copulation among mortals?" With that, a faint smirk touched her lips as she looked down upon the city, speaking as though stating the obvious: "Every day, the inner city dispatches the Blood Armor Guards to inspect and investigate. Anyone caught is punished severely. A second offense means expulsion from the city. Ordinary mortals would not dare defy the law." "......" Hearing this, Xu Yuan fell silent. Suppressing human nature and strictly controlling the population... Just then, Li Qingyan's voice reached him like a sigh via sound transmission: "The probability of an offspring born to two cultivators becoming a cultivator is vastly higher than that of mortals. In an environment like this cavernous underground city, the value of a mortal is virtually zero. To preserve the race, controlling mortal reproduction is the best and most optimal choice. Over the ages, this mindset has surely become second nature here." Xu Yuan glanced at her and chuckled softly. "Going by that logic, wouldn't high-tier cultivators end up as mere breeding studs?" Li Qingyan shook her head and replied softly, "The higher a cultivator's realm, the lower their chances of conceiving. To maintain the population, the 'Divine Palace' here likely organizes designated breeding sessions at specific times." Xu Yuan's eyelid twitched. *Group sessions, is it?* After a brief pause, the solemn edge in Li Qingyan's voice vanished, replaced by a teasing amusement transmitted into his ear: "If you had been born in this cavernous city, Changtian, given your temperament, wouldn't you have been thrown out of the gates long ago?" Xu Yuan glanced back, glaring at the princess. "What the hell do you know?" "Indeed, I know nothing of such things." Li Qingyan nodded with a radiant smile, narrowing her beautiful eyes. "Does that mean you know plenty, Changtian?" Xu Yuan met her gaze without backing down, returning a smiling transmission: "Once we're married, you'll understand." "Oh?" Li Qingyan arched an eyebrow, her phoenix eyes curving gracefully. Raising a jade-white hand before Xu Yuan, she measured a short distance with her fingers, and then let out a soft snort of laughter. "Heh~" "......" Xu Yuan felt thoroughly insulted. Inhaling deeply, he shook his head with outward composure. "I've known people before who talk a big game. I only hope you won't turn out like her, Qingyan." Li Qingyan lightly licked her crimson lips, a dangerous glint entering her phoenix eyes. "Such as?" "Tian—" Mid-word, he broke off abruptly, freezing with a frown. Why had he suddenly thought of that washboard-flat Saintess? As the thought crossed his mind, Xu Yuan realized a possibility, and sheer disbelief crept into his eyes. *Hiss... No way, right?* Tianyan's figure surfaced in his mind. He pondered and searched his thoughts, yet not a single relevant memory emerged. Li Qingyan also frowned slightly. "Tian?" Reining in his thoughts, Xu Yuan coughed lightly and shook his head. "Nothing." If he couldn't remember, he would treat it as if nothing had happened for now. "Hmph..." Li Qingyan stared at Xu Yuan and scoffed, not pressing further. "Keep your secrets then. But if you ever wish to take a concubine, Changtian, remember to inform me first." "If I tell you, will you agree?" "No. But it will make it convenient for me to tie you up and drag you into the military camp ahead of time." "......" Xu Yuan rolled his eyes, ignoring the woman, and cast his gaze deeper into the ancient city. "......" Bai Muxi knew the two were speaking via sound transmission, but she could not eavesdrop without alerting the chillingly formidable woman. Seeing them fall silent, she finally spoke: "Honored guests, we are about to enter the inner city." "Mhm," Xu Yuan replied. "I see it." Even with his own eyesight, he could vaguely make out a magnificent city wall nearly two hundred feet tall standing silently in the darkness ahead. Weighing her words for a moment, Bai Muxi said clearly, "What I mean is, before entering the city, I will provide robes for you both. I hope you will wear them over that blood armor." "......" Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, glancing at Li Qingyan's tall, slender silhouette wrapped in the black death armor. After a moment of silence, he casually drew a black robe from his Sumeru ring and tossed it to her. "Put this on, Qingyan." "......" Li Qingyan caught it effortlessly, staring at Xu Yuan for several breaths with a faint, knowing smile. "Since you wish to keep the view to yourself, Changtian, I shall humor you." With those words, amidst Xu Yuan's quiet snort, her alluring curves were enveloped under the bulky black robe. Beside them, Bai Muxi's gaze hardened at the sight of the robe appearing out of nowhere, her tone tinged with astonishment. "Is that... the Sumeru ring recorded in ancient texts?" "Yes," Xu Yuan acknowledged softly. Pulling on a robe himself, he asked in a low voice, "Chief Arbiter, do you people down here also know of this armor?" Behind her thin veil, Bai Muxi offered a faint smile. "Across the Seven Cities, whenever someone steps into the fourth rank, they may be led by the priest into the Blood Demon Cave to claim a set of this blood armor." "Blood armor? You mean the 'Blood Armor Guards' mentioned by the soldiers on your outer city wall?" Xu Yuan did not ask how they had discovered it. Over ten thousand years, the humans living in this cavern city must have explored the Blood Demon Cave infested by aberrant ghosts countless times. It was hardly surprising that they had discovered the black death creep could form armor. Bai Muxi nodded, a complex emotion flitting through her eyes as she murmured, "Yes. But that belongs to the past. After the priest died, I banned the armor. If outsiders see it—or if those in the inner city catch sight of it—it could cause unnecessary trouble." Xu Yuan chuckled faintly. "Because this armor devours a person's life?" "Yes." Bai Muxi looked at him with mild surprise, then warned, "Your Excellency, while this armor grants the wearer tremendous strength, even a fourth-rank expert will have their lifespan drastically shortened once they don it." "......" Li Qingyan frowned slightly at this and transmitted, "Changtian..." Detecting the concern in her voice, Xu Yuan smiled directly at Bai Muxi. "Thank you for the warning, Chief Arbiter. The armor devours life because the Source Qi of the fourth-rank Flesh Integration Realm is insufficient to satisfy its demands. I possess Source Crystals, so there is no shortage of Source Qi." If you don't spend resources, you have to spend your life for power. "Source Crystals?" Bai Muxi's eyes flashed with interest. "Are those the crystals that supply Source Qi?" Seeing her reaction, Xu Yuan grinned and asked with keen amusement, "Why? Are you very interested in them, Chief Arbiter?" Catching the amusement curling at the corner of his lips, Bai Muxi's gaze instantly dimmed, and she drew her wide sleeves together. "I hope Your Excellency does not misunderstand. I have no intention of seizing them by force." "I know," Xu Yuan said nonchalantly. "What I mean is, would you care to make a deal with me?" "A deal?" Bai Muxi looked puzzled. Xu Yuan lowered his voice. "Trade the 'blood armor' your people have accumulated over centuries and millennia for my Source Crystals. What do you say?" Stripping off black death creep on a large scale over a short period would attract the attention of that monster deep within the Blood Demon Cave. But from Bai Muxi's words, the city seemed to have quite a stockpile of black death creep. At the very least, it should be enough to craft "blue-tier gear." Even if he could not use it himself, he could give it to Li Qingyan. The princess cultivated military arrays and specialized in fierce, sweeping close-quarters combat; this armor suited her down to the ground. Without hesitation, Bai Muxi agreed on the spot. "Naturally, that can be done. However, regarding the price..." Xu Yuan smiled faintly. "No rush. We can discuss it at leisure once we reach the Divine Palace." Led by Bai Muxi, the supreme authority of the city, the three passed unimpeded into the "Divine Palace" of the inner city. Walking among the silent stone palace complexes, the faint sound of their footsteps carried far into the darkness. Suddenly, "Honored guests..." A crisp voice broke the silence. "May I... ask you a few questions?" Walking ahead, Bai Muxi's face was concealed behind her veil, her bright eyes lingering on the two with hesitation. Li Qingyan remained silent at this inquiry, while Xu Yuan answered, "What is it?" Bai Muxi asked hesitantly, "Above ground... are there still aberrant ghosts?" Xu Yuan replied in an even tone, "The aberrant ghosts were completely wiped out by humanity ten thousand years ago. Today, the human way flourishes upon the surface." Hearing this, a tremor of excitement stirred in Bai Muxi's beautiful eyes, and her speech quickened unconsciously: "Then are you two from the Medicine God Palace?" *The Medicine God Palace...* Hearing this unfamiliar sect name, Li Qingyan instinctively glanced at Xu Yuan. Xu Yuan, however, had heard Old Man Luo mention this sect before, as it had played a pivotal role in the great calamity of the aberrant ghosts ten thousand years ago. After a brief pause, Xu Yuan smiled and shook his head. "No." Bai Muxi's eyes flickered for a moment, tinged with a smile. "Then you must belong to the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion?" "Nor that either." "Then could it be Thousand Peaks—" "Chief Arbiter," Xu Yuan interrupted with a smile. "She and I do not hail from a sect, but from an imperial dynasty." At those words, Bai Muxi's expression turned somewhat peculiar. She glanced toward Li Qingyan. "Those mortal dynasties? But this lady's cultivation..." Xu Yuan explained with a smile, "Ten thousand years have passed in the outside world. Aside from the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, all the sects you mentioned have long since turned to dust." "......" With those words, Bai Muxi's bare, fair legs froze in place. She looked back at Xu Yuan in stunned silence, rendered speechless for a moment. Xu Yuan felt a touch of bemusement. Knowing neither the Han nor the Wei and Jin dynasties. This subterranean cavern city truly was an unconventional "Peach Blossom Spring." With that in mind, Xu Yuan explained softly, "The surface world is now ruled by imperial dynasties; the era of sects ended over four thousand years ago. The Great Yan Dynasty has held dominion over all fourteen provinces of the world for more than thirteen hundred years, and all sects within its borders pledge fealty to the Great Yan imperial clan." "......" These words seemed to strike hard at the narrow worldview of this long-legged Chief Arbiter, shaped as it was by her isolated environment. After a long silence, she muttered softly under her breath, "A world ruled by dynasties? Are dynasties not mere puppets of the sects? How could they ever surpass them..." "Ten thousand years can change many things." Xu Yuan interrupted her mutterings, fixing his gaze on her before smiling faintly. "Now then, although this information isn't particularly critical, don't you think it's somewhat impolite to question us so unilaterally, Chief Arbiter?" Bai Muxi remained silent for a short while, then asked, "What does Your Excellency wish for me to do?" Xu Yuan smiled, offering a classic exchange: "A trade, of course. You ask a question, and I ask one. How about it? You may choose not to answer, but you must not deceive." Hearing this proposal, Bai Muxi appeared to breathe a sigh of relief. "Very well." Xu Yuan raised a single finger, getting straight to the point: "First: what is the population of this ancient city, how many cultivators are there, and what are their cultivation realms?" "......" Li Qingyan instantly cast a sidelong glance at Xu Yuan upon hearing this question. Xu Yuan signaled her with his eyes to keep quiet. He knew full well how intrusive the question was—it was practically the equivalent of demanding to know the color of a woman's undergarments to her face. Yet it did not matter. As long as this woman wasn't foolish, she would certainly answer. Because they came from the surface, from a world where humanity flourished. On that point alone, Bai Muxi could not refuse them. The ink-like darkness accentuated Bai Muxi's pale skin. For a time, silence enveloped the three of them. Before long, however, Bai Muxi made her decision and said quietly, "That should count as three questions." Xu Yuan chuckled upon hearing this. After a thought, he replied softly, "Heh... If so, then you need only answer the two questions regarding the cultivators, Chief Arbiter." Behind her veil, Bai Muxi bit her lip and answered truthfully: "The Seven Cities Alliance has a total population of three hundred and seventy thousand, with over seven thousand cultivators. There are seventeen in the Flesh Integration Realm, three Grandmasters, and one... one in the Origin Realm." "......" Hearing those numbers, Xu Yuan and Li Qingyan instinctively exchanged a glance, each catching the astonishment in the other's eyes. In such dire straits, the humans dwelling in this cavern city still preserved such formidable combat strength. Moreover, if what she said was true, the ratio of mortals to cultivators in this underground ancient city was frighteningly high. Roughly fifty to one. If the Great Yan Dynasty possessed such a proportion of cultivators among its populace, it could fight a civil war with one hand while completely flattening all the neighboring alien tribes with the other!