As the Di'an City headquarters of the empire's foremost merchant guild, the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce was not merely a single magnificent building, but an entire district.
Yes, not a single street, but an entire neighborhood.
In land-scarce Di'an City, where every inch of soil was worth its weight in gold, the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce laid claim to several hundred mu.
As their carriage drove through, shops lined both sides of the streets in tight, orderly rows, every single storefront bearing the emblem of the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce.
From brothels to gambling dens, from daily sundries to high-end luxury garments, catering to common folk and high-order cultivators alike—every conceivable commodity to buy and every pleasure to indulge in could find a corresponding establishment here.
The carriage of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War drew a fair share of curious glances as it rolled through the bustling streets, though it was hardly enough to cause people to stop dead in their tracks.
Within the territory of the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce, carriages carrying high-ranking court officials and sect leadership were a common sight heading deeper into the district. While a third-rank dignitary was relatively rare, it was not enough to reduce the crowds to hushed silence.
The carriage trundled through the crowded streets for about seven or eight minutes before finally coming to a halt before a modest three-story building.
It was a pawnshop.
On its plaque, two large characters were inscribed in flourishing, vigorous strokes:
*Chang'an.*
This was the pawnshop Old Man Hua Hong had named after Xu Yuan's second brother, using his courtesy name following his passing. The old man had long made it his habit to handle public business right here. As long as Hua Hong wasn't at the Prime Minister's Manor, one was guaranteed to find him here.
Xu Yuan followed behind Wang Yuqian, stepping leisurely into the pawnshop.
Business inside was neither brisk nor slow. Before the five appraisal counters, a sparse queue of three to five people stood before each, yet the atmosphere was bustling. Clamorous disputes rang out before every counter as customers pawning their goods haggled loudly with the appraisers over prices.
Yet the moment the two stepped through the entrance, the pawn hall fell silent with eerie speed.
All because of the official robes Wang Yuqian wore—the robes of a third-rank dignitary.
This was far from the largest pawnshop in the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce. Most who came here were wealthy merchants or low-level cultivators; to them, a third-rank dignitary was practically a celestial official from the heavens. Sweeping his gaze across the hall, Xu Yuan even saw several patrons drop straight to their knees in their direction.
Following the brief hush, a wiry, capable young man hurried out from the back. Wearing a somewhat weathered shopkeeper's robe, he stood before the two rubbing his hands together in slight agitation, asking deferentially:
"Distinguished guests, have you come to pawn an item?"
Wang Yuqian gave an impassive nod, casually retrieving an intricately carved jade pendant from inside his official robes.
"Find someone with sharp eyes. Don't let your people misjudge it before this official."
The young man's pupils contracted the instant he laid eyes on the jade pendant. Chuckling ingratiatingly, he said, "Masters, please, up to the second floor."
With that, he bowed with hands held back and called out skillfully toward the upper level:
"Qu'er, two honored guests! Prepare the Hongjin Tea—"
Then, moving nimbly, he guided Xu Yuan and Wang Yuqian upstairs.
Upon reaching the second floor, the racket from below and the street outside vanished instantly into tranquility. Greenery and burning incense adorned the corners, and seven or eight sets of sandalwood tables and chairs were screened off by partitions etched with soundproofing arrays.
Curiously, though the young man had spoken of the second floor, there was not a single servant in sight on this level. What was more, his footsteps never halted, leading Xu Yuan and Wang Yuqian straight toward the third floor.
Yet just as they neared the third floor, the young man paused. Turning back toward Wang Yuqian with an easy smile, he said:
"Honored guest, Old Master Hua will only see this young master. I must ask you to accompany me back down to the second floor."
Wang Yuqian gave a quiet nod, showing not the slightest displeasure.
A third-rank dignitary held great prestige, but before the inner core of the Prime Minister's Manor, that status carried little weight.
Bowing respectfully to Xu Yuan, he followed the young man back down to the second floor, leaving Xu Yuan standing alone at the entrance to the third.
As their figures disappeared around the bend of the stairs, a resigned voice drifted out from the third floor:
"Quit staring, kid. Hongjin is my confidant—he won't expose your identity."
Xu Yuan chuckled softly, rubbed the Sumeru ring on his fingertip, and stepped onto the third floor.
The third floor consisted of only a single room.
Its layout bore some resemblance to his father's study. Over a dozen bookshelves were densely lined with meticulously categorized documents and dossiers, while an elderly man with snow-white hair and beard sat upright behind a wide desk.
Taking in his surroundings, Xu Yuan walked forward while pulling a chair out of his Sumeru ring. He set it down unceremoniously opposite the desk, sat down, and grinned at the elder.
"Old Man Hua, long time no see. How's your health lately?"
"If you didn't come to vex me to death, brat, I'd probably live another ten-odd years."
Hua Hong let out an irritated grunt. "Didn't I tell you to tread carefully? Plenty of people in Di'an City know I spend most of my time here. Wang Yuqian's station isn't low, but bringing you along might still arouse suspicion."
"Relax, I took that into account," Xu Yuan said breezily. "The Crown Prince is quite fond of my current identity right now, so Wang Yuqian bringing me around as an illegitimate son to pay respects at various docks won't look out of place."
Hua Hong's piercing gaze bored into Xu Yuan for several breaths before he let out a sigh.
"Fine. Out with it—what did you seek me out for?"
Leaning forward slightly, Xu Yuan tapped on the desk and smiled. "This is a pawnshop. Naturally, I've come to pawn something."
"Pawn something..."
Hua Hong frowned slightly, but his expression soon relaxed, followed by a snort. "Hmph. Lou Ji cleaned out all your funds, didn't she? You've come to sponge off this old man!"
As he spoke, Hua Hong grumpily drew several hundred-tael banknotes from his robes and tossed them onto the desk.
"That's all. Not a copper more."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan adopted a solemn look. "Old Man Hua, I'm serious."
Hua Hong looked even more solemn. "This old man is serious too."
"..." Xu Yuan was speechless.
Prejudice in people's hearts was truly a damn mountain.
With that thought, Xu Yuan leaned back into his chair, crossed his legs, and casually retrieved a cultivation manual from his Sumeru ring, tossing it onto the desk.
"Since you don't believe me, take a look at this manual first, will you?"
Watching the boy's roguish posture, Hua Hong picked up the paper manual and flipped through a few pages. Then his gaze tightened, and he looked up at Xu Yuan.
"Changtian, where did you get this manual?"
"Picked it up."
"I'm being serious."
"I'm being serious too."
"..."
A hint of annoyance flashed in Hua Hong's eyes. Tucking the manual into his Sumeru ring, he said quietly, "Fine, don't say if you don't want to. It's a decent manual. Thirty thousand taels—I'll take it."
With that, he tossed three ten-thousand-tael banknotes down in front of Xu Yuan, then quietly scooped the earlier hundred-tael banknotes back into his robes.
Accustomed to the stingy old man's antics, Xu Yuan wasn't surprised in the least. He glanced at the three ten-thousand-tael banknotes before him, completely unhurried, and asked with a grin:
"Old Man Hua, you fixing to force a buy again?"
Hua Hong didn't blush or bat an eye, making up a story on the fly:
"Though this manual has some merit, it would rate Upper Second Grade at best—it doesn't even make Grade One. Thirty thousand taels is already very generous."
"Fair enough."
Xu Yuan grinned, picked up the three banknotes, and turned to head for the door.
A trace of suspicion flickered in Hua Hong's eyes.
This kid had never been one to take a loss since childhood. Back when he hadn't even begun cultivating, he had dared to risk his life against an Origin Realm powerhouse over a few thousand taels of New Year money. Now that his cultivation had advanced, why was he acting so composed?
"Wait," Hua Hong called out abruptly.
"Hmm?" Xu Yuan paused.
"What medicine are you peddling in that gourd of yours?"
"What medicine?" Xu Yuan turned halfway around, replying with a beaming smile, "Since you don't know quality when you see it, old man, I'll just have to find another pawnshop to sell it to."
Hua Hong glared with wide eyes. "You little bastard, that's breaking the rules! Selling a cultivation manual to two different buyers will get you hunted down!"
"Ah..." Xu Yuan parted his lips, blinking innocently at Hua Hong with mock astonishment. "Old Master Hua, you planning to hunt me down?"
"..."
Hua Hong's cheek twitched, his relaxed fists slowly hardening into tight knots.
Sensing the shift through his spiritual vision, Xu Yuan instantly laughed. "Old Master Hua, just joking, I know my limits."
Hua Hong stood up and advanced toward Xu Yuan step by step. "You don't know jack! Every time you stir up trouble out there, it's this old man who has to wipe your ass!"
Xu Yuan didn't flinch, seemingly oblivious to the pummeling about to land on him, and said cheerfully:
"It's just a single manual.
"Besides, who told you I only have this one?"
"..." Hua Hong's steps froze.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan immediately waved his hand and said under his breath:
"Since you don't recognize its worth, I'll naturally have to see if other merchant guilds have better eyes."
With those words, Xu Yuan turned to push open the door, only to find the originally flimsy wooden door was now heavy as a mountain.
At this sight, Xu Yuan whirled around and cursed under his breath:
"Old Man Hua, you old fossil, trying to rob me blind?"
"Come now, Changtian, how could you say such a thing?" The gloom vanished from Hua Hong's face, replaced by a genial smile, paying no mind to Xu Yuan's disrespectful address. "As Xu Yinhe's son, when you have good things, of course you must give priority to our Tian'an Chamber of Commerce."
As he spoke, Hua Hong walked over and, with his wrinkled hands, firmly dragged Xu Yuan back to the desk and sat him down.
Seated once more, Xu Yuan stared expressionlessly at the miserly old man.
Hua Hong wore a smile full of grandfatherly affection, his tone exceedingly gentle:
"Changtian, we're on the same side here. Let's speak behind closed doors..."
"Literally closed doors?"
"Isn't this old man just worried you'll stray down the wrong path? If techniques like this leak outside, it wouldn't be good for our Prime Minister's Manor."
"Heh-heh."
"How about this: for techniques of equivalent grade, one hundred thousand taels each. However many you have, this old man will take them. Payment upfront before you hand them over."
"Heh-heh."
"Changtian, a hundred thousand taels a book is already very high. Pawned items usually take a thirty to forty percent discount."
"Heh-heh."
"All right, flat price. I watched you grow up—I'd never cheat you. One hundred and fifty thousand each."
"Heh-heh."
"Changtian, you're crossing the line..."
"Heh—"
"Xu Changtian! If you dare utter another 'heh', do you believe I'll beat you so bad even that boy Xu Yinhe won't recognize you?!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk..."
"..." Hua Hong fell silent.
Massaging between his brows, Hua Hong forced down the urge to thrash the brat and sighed.
"Name your price."
Hearing this, Xu Yuan finally pushed himself upright and stated:
"Five hundred thousand taels per manual."
Hua Hong's brow furrowed. "You certainly know how to open your lion's maw wide, don't you?"
Xu Yuan shook his head and lowered his voice: "Old Man Hua, as an Origin Realm powerhouse, you should know full well the worth of this technique. In the outside world, it could serve as a core heritage art for some sects."
Hua Hong scoffed, driving down the price: "Then those sects you speak of must be third-rate rubbish."
Xu Yuan simply gave up arguing and threw his hands up. "I've given my price. If you don't take it, I'll go to other merchant guilds."
Hua Hong let out a long sigh and muttered, "Fine, five hundred thousand it is. How many do you have in total?"
Xu Yuan chuckled, then acted as though he had just remembered something. "Oh, right. By five hundred thousand taels, I mean Prime Minister's Manor internal purchase taels."
"You say what?!"
The wrinkles on Hua Hong's face trembled as he glared, whiskers bristling.
The various factions under the Chancellor's Manor operated independently, yet internal transactions often took place among them. For instance, the Gewu Academy frequently procured various equipment from the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce, and the prices used were the so-called internal purchase rates. In such internal dealings, while the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce did not take a loss, there was virtually no profit to be made. An internal purchase price of five hundred thousand taels translated roughly to anywhere between seven hundred thousand and nine hundred thousand taels in outside circulation.
Meeting Hua Hong's murderous glare, Xu Yuan merely smiled back with an open, untroubled gaze.
He knew full well the true value of these manuals. Whether handed down as mission rewards for high-ranking retainers in the Prime Minister's Manor or put up as showstopper treasures at auctions, flipping them once would net Hua Hong at least double his investment.
In the end, Hua Hong shook his head, admitting defeat: "You're getting harder and harder to hoodwink, kid. But I must inspect the contents and categorize them first."
"Fine by me."
Xu Yuan agreed without hesitation, slapping all twenty thick paper manuals onto the desk before Hua Hong in a single stack. "Take your time checking them. I'm in no rush."
"..." Hua Hong was rendered speechless.
Twelve hours later.
Hua Hong exhaled a long breath, looking distinctly weary.
Verifying cultivation manuals was an exhausting task, for the verifier had to guide Source Qi through the circulation pathways described in the manual for a full cycle. In doing so, one not only had to study the contents thoroughly, but also remain on guard at every second against errors in the technique that could induce qi deviation. Even for an Origin Realm cultivator like him who had trained for over a century, vetting twenty manuals in one sitting was taxing on the body.
Fortunately, all twenty manuals were completely authentic and free of flaws.
With that thought, Hua Hong glanced over at the brat who had already fallen fast asleep on his guest divan. He hesitated for a moment over whether to wake him, then gave a soft grunt:
"Kid, get up."
"..."
Xu Yuan woke groggily from his sleep. Instinctively circulating his cultivation method to clear his head, he yawned and ambled over to the desk.
Glancing down, Xu Yuan noticed the manuals on the desk had been separated into two distinct piles. With a touch of surprise, he asked:
"Why did you only split them into two categories?"
The cultivation methods Old Man Luo had provided were eccentric and diverse; if categorized properly, they should have fallen into many different classifications.
With a frosty face, Hua Hong pointed to the pile on his left:
"This pile consists of dual cultivation arts."
He then gestured to the stack on his right:
"And this pile contains standard cultivation methods."
Xu Yuan pulled out the chair and sat down, running his eyes over the two piles. "Is there any difference between the two?"
"The difference is, for these seven dual cultivation arts, this old man can only offer two hundred thousand taels each."
"Huh?"
"Kid, don't play dumb with me."
Hua Hong's tone was entirely flat as he tapped the stack of dual cultivation arts. "This old man knows you've already read through the dossiers and internal reports in Xu Yinhe's study. You ought to understand perfectly well how little value these dual cultivation arts hold. The only reason I'm willing to offer two hundred thousand taels each is that the other thirteen manuals are of great importance to our Chancellor's Manor."
"..."
Xu Yuan opened his mouth, intending to haggle, but in the end could only offer an awkward smile.
As a fine young man who had once dreamed of the Hehuan Sect, he had naturally wondered why not a single sect in the vast Great Yan Dynasty was founded upon dual cultivation. After assuming his identity as the Crown Prince of the Prime Minister's Manor, he had combed through his father's study and the Book Depository for various texts concerning dual cultivation.
And within those records, the reasons for the decline of dual cultivation arts were documented in exhaustive detail.
Shifts in secular morality, advances in cultivators' understanding of cultivation arts, and deliberate human machinations—the decline of dual cultivation was the combined outcome of multifaceted factors.
Ever since the chaotic era of sect dominance collapsed and gave way to an imperial realm of unified dynasties, the changing times could no longer tolerate such wanton debauchery. Sects founded on dual cultivation were almost universally branded heterodox and wicked, liable to be purged the moment they grew too prominent.
Yet the primary reason dual cultivation had practically gone extinct across Great Yan was a Grade One internal report resting in a corner of his father's study.
It was an aged report.
It had been written by a retainer of the Prime Minister's Manor, though whose hand it was remained unknown, as the signature had been struck out. Judging by the date inscribed at the end, it seemed that when Li Yaoxuan ascended the imperial throne and was preparing reforms to strengthen the nation alongside his father, that retainer had submitted it as policy counsel.
Presumably, his father had once toyed with the idea of using dual cultivation to rapidly produce a cadre of cultivators, and this internal report had dissuaded him.
It detailed the drawbacks of using dual cultivation to train cultivators from multiple angles.
From a macro perspective, the benefits of dual cultivation outweighed the harms in the short term, but once the timeframe stretched beyond thirty years, the harms far surpassed the benefits.
Dual cultivation methods indeed yielded rapid initial progress, but at the cost of overdrafting a cultivator's potential.
The essence of dual cultivation lay in circulating qi between both partners to create resonance, yet the human meridians, sea of consciousness, and dantian were all intensely xenophobic. Once or twice would not harm one's aptitude, but over time, foreign Source Qi would accumulate within the body, triggering rejection reactions that slowed cultivation speed to a crawl and left one prone to qi deviation.
Even an Innate Dao Body could not withstand such squandering.
Moreover, dual cultivation inherently appealed to primal carnal desires, easily drawing in countless gifted prodigies. Over time, top-tier combat power would dwindle.
As for popularizing it among the rank-and-file military...
Indulgent revelry and lust-corrupted armies were difficult to govern and could hardly form an effective fighting force.
Beyond that, the internal report had offered a sinister scheme to exterminate lineages at their root:
Plant moles within sects and propagate dual cultivation techniques among their low-level disciples, or even throughout the martial academies run by sects, thereby crippling their future martial power.
Spanning tens of thousands of words, it thoroughly mapped out the strategic plotting for years to come.
And at the very end of the report, his father had brushed a single character in his own hand:
*Approved.*
The vicious scheme was executed, but it ultimately failed.
Capable minds existed among the sects across the realm; seeing through the imperial court's design, they strictly forbade their disciples from practicing dual cultivation.
Evolving down to the present day, dual cultivation had fallen into utter obsolescence...
"Since you don't dispute it, this old man will calculate the dual cultivation manuals at two hundred thousand taels each," Hua Hong said softly as he stored the manuals into his Sumeru ring. "Seven million nine hundred thousand in total. I'll make note of it. Given your fake death, it isn't convenient for you to show your face; if you need anything, simply contact me directly—"
"Old Man Hua, you misunderstand," Xu Yuan interrupted with a smile. "This money isn't meant for me. Just put it under Xinyao's name."
Hua Hong raised a brow, surprised. "Xinyao? Why give her such a massive sum?"
"Well..."
Xu Yuan looked up at the inscribed lamp on the ceiling, mused for a moment, and let a faint smile touch his lips.
"Consider this silver a bit of support from an older brother for the path that girl has chosen to walk.
"Even if... she's destined to fail."
Chapter 479