A Deal Struck

"You refuse?" The Detective Elder laughed in exasperation. In the eyes of the White Tiger Guards, orders from superiors were military commands, and military commands were as immovable as mountains. To a Scout's ears, Yuanshi Tianzun's words were like a Fire Master hearing "Death to all netorare!" The old detective turned and glared at Fu Qingyang. "Is this the kind of soldier you train?" Fu Qingyang's expression remained unchanged, his tone placid. "Docile men don't make good soldiers, and soldiers are no saints. I see nothing wrong with Yuanshi having some backbone." He did not say a single word about the deal. The veins on the old detective's forehead throbbed. "B-grade Merit Points and twenty million. That is the Jianghuai branch's bottom line. If you refuse, we can do without the Yin-Yang Dial, but the Jianghuai branch will recommend to headquarters that you be marked for disrespecting the organization and defying discipline. You can stay stuck at the bottom forever." Zhang Yuanqing bowed and said loudly, "Well said! In that case, Detective Elder, please do recommend to headquarters that I be expelled from the Five Elements Alliance. I, Yuanshi Tianzun, would be more than happy to become a rogue cultivator, and I'd be endlessly grateful! If you can pull that off, I'll hand over the Yin-Yang Dial with both hands, free of charge." "Insolence!" The Detective Elder flew into a rage. The study filled with a chilling aura of slaughter, thick with murderous intent, making one feel as though standing at the edge of an abyss. The hairs on the back of Zhang Yuanqing's hands stood on end, goosebumps breaking out across his back. "Yuanshi Tianzun, do you think being exceptionally gifted gives you the right to look down on everything? Do you honestly believe headquarters won't severely punish you?" the Detective Elder snapped harshly. Zhang Yuanqing silently retrieved the Yin-Yang Dial. Enduring the suffocating pressure with difficulty, he projected his voice: "If the Detective Elder wishes to use his authority to bully me and take it by force, then take it! I am merely an insignificant Saint; I wouldn't dare utter a single complaint." With that, he offered the Yin-Yang Dial forward with both hands. The veins bulged on the Detective Elder's forehead, his fury reaching a boiling point. *Cough, cough!* At that moment, Secretary Li gave a soft cough, dissipating the murderous aura in the room into nothingness. He smiled affably and said, "I can hear it now, Yuanshi. You're holding a grudge against headquarters. As the old saying goes, the tallest tree in the forest catches the wind; young men who shine too brightly burn out too quickly. Headquarters has only been polishing you so that greater responsibilities can be entrusted to you in the future. It's all out of good intentions. "Think about it. Killing an official member of the organization without authorization—and a probationary deacon at that—even if he got what he deserved, is a grave offense that warrants dismissal and imprisonment. Yet headquarters merely demoted you and gave you a token one-month confinement, and now even that month has been waived. Can't you see how much headquarters values you? "You are a Night Walker. In order to nurture you, the organization spared no expense purchasing strategy guides from the Taiyi Sect. When you needed materials, the organization advanced them to you without hesitation. "Ordinary members would bash each other's heads in trying to earn benefits and perks like these. You have to show a little understanding for headquarters too." He spoke with a genial smile and a humble posture, every word appealing to sentiment and speaking from the heart, never once mentioning the Yin-Yang Dial. *One playing the bad cop and the other playing the good cop, trying to bully me because I'm young...* Zhang Yuanqing cut straight to the chase: "Allow me to ask, Secretary Li: have my contributions to the organization been greater, or has the organization given me more in return?" There was no unearned love in this world. Everything the authorities had granted him had been earned through his own efforts. If they were to sit down and tally every item, the benefits he had brought the organization far exceeded what it had given him. If they were going to talk about contributions and sentiment, who truly owed whom? Secretary Li's smile did not waver as he answered warmly, "I understand what you mean. Headquarters will never shortchange anyone of merit. All your achievements are recorded in the ledger and will be redeemed in due time." "That doesn't sound right, Secretary Li. Just over a single Yin-Yang Dial, I'm threatened with staying at the bottom for the rest of my life. What good are those Merit Points to me then?" Zhang Yuanqing feigned righteous outrage. Secretary Li waved a hand, his smile gentle. "Those were words said in anger; you shouldn't take them seriously." The Detective Elder let out a cold snort. "I know they were spoken in anger. Still, that business with the Jinghai branch opened my eyes to what merit really is. It's useful, certainly—more useful than money. But as long as it hasn't been redeemed, the initiative will always remain in the hands of the higher-ups." Zhang Yuanqing sneered. "The moment I step out of line, I get knocked down a peg. This time it's a one-year ban on promotions; next time it'll be two years. In short, as long as I still care about my Merit Points, I'm doomed to obediently take whatever beating they dish out. "The more merit I accrue, the higher the sunk cost, and the more chains wrap around me. I'm like a donkey with a carrot dangling in front of my nose. I run and run toward it, but I never get a bite. "And the day I finally get to eat it will be the day I've been thoroughly tamed. Am I right, Secretary Li?" The smile on Secretary Li's face gradually faded. He said in a deep voice, "Yuanshi Tianzun, do you realize how insubordinate those words sound? Do you realize they might cause headquarters to revise its evaluation of you? Do not ruin your own prospects." "Fire Masters are reckless and short-tempered. Wood Demons are licentious and undisciplined. Water Ghosts are fickle and sullen. Earth Monsters are stubborn. Scouts are overbearing. Every class has its character flaws, and if the Five Elements Alliance can tolerate them, why can't it tolerate Yuanshi Tianzun being headstrong?" Zhang Yuanqing met his gaze firmly, his tone uncharacteristically solemn. "If it can't tolerate me, you are welcome to expel me." Silence fell over the study; for a time, no one spoke. Fu Qingyang gazed deeply at Yuanshi Tianzun, his expression inscrutable. Yuanshi Tianzun's speech had been rehearsed in advance. Playing the clown would accomplish little with headquarters; only a measured display of toughness would force them to compromise. Headquarters would not suppress Yuanshi Tianzun over a single item—the math simply didn't work in their favor. Yet beyond this, Fu Qingyang's suggestion that Yuanshi Tianzun take a hard line with headquarters carried a deeper purpose. He wanted to use this opportunity to see the real Yuanshi Tianzun. Certain aspects of a person's nature never showed under ordinary circumstances; they only surfaced under pressure. Now, watching the unruly Yuanshi Tianzun, Doctor Sun's words surfaced once more in Fu Qingyang's mind: *Is it possible that this is the real Yuanshi Tianzun? As he became a Spirit Realm walker, growing more capable and reaching higher levels, his subconscious felt he no longer needed to pretend, so he gradually began revealing his true nature.* *The real you—unruly, extreme, and perverse...* Fu Qingyang sighed inwardly. Secretary Li put away his smile, his expression no longer gentle. He said indifferently, "Yuanshi Tianzun, what is it that you want, then?" "Twenty million in cash, one Saint-stage item, restoration of my hundred-million quota for materials, three opportunities to use the Yin-Yang Dial, and B-grade Merit Points," Zhang Yuanqing said. "If you won't give merit, that's fine too: thirty million in cash, two Saint-stage items, and the rest unchanged." The former was a compromise; as for the latter... if headquarters chose the second option, it would indicate their rift was already deep. Thus, this was also Zhang Yuanqing's probe into headquarters' mindset. Secretary Li gave him a long, searching look. "I will relay this to headquarters and get back to you within three business days." With that, he gave Fu Qingyang a slight nod, stepped along the red carpet, and exited the study. After leaving Fu Qingyang's villa and driving away from Fujia Bay in their business van, the Detective Elder suddenly chuckled. "Not bad. Compared to Fu Qingyang's exorbitant demands, this price is within acceptable limits." In truth, what the Jianghuai branch actually had to provide for this transaction was twenty million in cash, one Saint-stage item, and three uses of the dial. As for the hundred-million material quota, that had originally been Yuanshi Tianzun's reward to begin with; it was merely being reinstated. Secretary Li opened the mini-fridge and poured two glasses of wine. "We'll haggle a bit more later—save whatever we can... Tell me, were those words Yuanshi Tianzun just said an act, or were they from the heart?" The Detective Elder's smile vanished. "I suggest headquarters revise its assessment of him. Everything he said just now was the unvarnished truth. This boy can be guided, but he cannot be coerced. Push him too hard, and he will wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace. In the future, we must handle him with extreme care. "Either crush his pride in one decisive blow, or grant him benefits without bestowing authority, wielding him as an incomparably sharp weapon." "I'll pass your recommendation up," Secretary Li said, taking a sip of wine with a sigh. "Sounds like we've brought ourselves a Monkey King." *** In the smaller villa: Li Chunfeng sat at his desk, clattering away on the keyboard: *Yuanshi Tianzun didn't fancy those three items. He is looking for a high-grade or top-tier Saint-stage item. If you wish to clear your inventory, you may consider selling to him.* *He just returned from the Sea of Yashan with the Jianghuai branch's Yin-Yang Dial and the Xie family's Holy Infant head. He has plenty of money and items.* Having drafted the brief email, he clicked send. Li Chunfeng closed his laptop and stepped out of the bedroom into the living room to entertain the head of the Xie family. Xie Lingxi held her father's arm, snuggling close like a dutiful, sweet little daughter. Having just finished introducing the two older sisters who had "taken great care" of her, she saw Li Chunfeng emerge and said solemnly, "This is Li Chunfeng, a Scholar—our team's Zhuge Liang." Gentle and handsome, Xie Su nodded with a smile. "Thank you for looking after my daughter. Here is my card. If you ever run into difficulties, feel free to reach out." Li Chunfeng, who normally disliked socializing, offered a rare smile as he accepted the card with a bow. "Greetings, Patriarch Xie." The group chatted over tea. Guan Ya, true to her upbringing as a daughter of nobility, showed no trace of intimidation before the head of the Xie family. She matched his conversation effortlessly and brought up high-level topics with grace. They exchanged pleasantries for a dozen minutes or so until Zhang Yuanqing returned. "Aiya, Uncle, my apologies, my sincere apologies!" Zhang Yuanqing said, a broad smile replacing the cold detachment he had shown in the study. He warmly clasped Xie Su's hand. "Uncle, you are so dashing and dignified. Seeing you just now, I finally understand why little sister Lingxi is so pretty—it's all your genetics! "With outsiders present earlier, I had no choice but to demand an exorbitant sum. I hope Uncle can understand." In fact, before their meeting, Xie Su had already received a text from his daughter tipping him off, so he had been prepared for the conversation in the study, knowing that Yuanshi Tianzun had only been putting on a show. Even so, he hadn't expected Yuanshi Tianzun to truly be just as his daughter had described: well-mannered, tactful, and remarkably skilled at social grace. Calling even the secretary to the Five Elements Alliance's Grand Elder an "outsider"—what sweet-sounding words. How could someone like this ever commit something as foolish as killing an official member without authorization? There had to be more to the story. His impression improved considerably at once. "Worthy nephew, we still need to discuss the price for the Holy Infant," Father Xie said. "Naturally." Zhang Yuanqing sat down beside Guan Ya. "Fifteen vials of life fluid, fifty million in cash, two Saint-stage items, and three opportunities to use the Holy Infant's head." Among these, the fifty million in cash was actually the least valuable. Xie Su pondered for a few seconds. "Any Saint-stage item will do?" The quality of Saint-stage items varied wildly. Some were monstrously powerful, like the Yin-Yang Dial, while others were practically useless chicken ribs. Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "I trust Uncle wouldn't try to brush me off with trash." Xie Su nodded with a smile. "The price is very fair. But I must add two conditions: First, the fifteen vials of life fluid will be paid in installments—five vials per month. It's not that I don't want to give them to you all at once, but our production of life fluid is limited. Second, each time you use the Holy Infant's head, you must leave behind an item of sufficient value as collateral." The Holy Infant was a component of a high-tier rule-based item, vastly more valuable than the Yin-Yang Dial. Yuanshi Tianzun's asking price was indeed fair. "Deal!" Zhang Yuanqing agreed heartily. With the deal struck, the smile on Xie Su's face deepened. Patting his daughter's head, he said, "Lingxi, Dad plans to stay in Songhai for a few more days to visit some old friends. Come with me. You can stay at the hotel with me for the next few days." *Tsk tsk, introducing his network in Songhai to his daughter? It must be nice being a second-generation Spirit Walker; the elders' connections automatically become your own...* Zhang Yuanqing felt a pang of envy. Unlike kids from grassroots families like him, whose connections had to be forged by bowing and scraping. Of course, Xie Su had another reason for staying in Songhai: when doing business, if it wrapped up too smoothly, how could he show off how grueling the negotiation had been to the family? *** Three days later, headquarters delivered its response, accepting Yuanshi Tianzun's first offer: Twenty million in cash, one Saint-stage item, three opportunities to use the Yin-Yang Dial, and B-grade Merit Points. The added conditions were: each time he borrowed the Yin-Yang Dial, he required Fu Qingyang's approval, and if the dial were ever lost, he would have to return everything the Jianghuai branch had given him, and his A-grade Merit Points would be stripped. The Xie family also agreed to Zhang Yuanqing's demands. To the rest of the Xie family, this was a price their patriarch had secured through bitter, painstaking negotiation. In the study, Fu Qingyang placed a thin set of armor onto the desk. "Headquarters has taken a step back. A gambit like this can be pulled off once, but never twice; keep such stunts to an absolute minimum in the future. Giving you a piece of armor was done intentionally to spite you, which proves that certain people are already thoroughly displeased." Zhang Yuanqing already possessed protective gear, and it had been granted by headquarters itself. Fu Qingyang added, "Those ten old men hold immense power and authority. If you truly enrage them, never mind you—even I won't have an easy time." "Ten old men?" Zhang Yuanqing was still unclear about headquarters' hierarchy. "There are ten elders at headquarters in total. The Alliance Masters rarely concern themselves with day-to-day affairs, so the Five Elements Alliance is effectively run by those ten men. For minor matters, they hold general meetings; for major affairs, the ten old men shut the doors and deliberate among themselves. The elders of the various branch divisions all belong to their respective factions. Even the position of Grand Elder rotates among those ten. If branch elders are provincial lords, then the ten old men at headquarters are the cabinet," Fu Qingyang explained. Zhang Yuanqing reached an epiphany. He suddenly recalled Elder Dog mentioning that Fu Qingyang wanted to enter headquarters. Back then, he hadn't thought much of it, assuming Money Prince merely wanted a transfer to work there. Reflecting on it now, Money Prince was wildly ambitious—he wanted to become the eleventh man. No wonder the pushback was so immense. How could it not be? There were only so many seats, and only so much power. If Fu Qingyang wanted a seat at the table, the others would have to surrender a portion of their power and interests. "Did the Grand Marshal join headquarters back then?" Zhang Yuanqing probed cautiously. Fu Qingyang's expression turned oddly strange. "After advancing to Dominator, she began clearing faction dungeons. She entered a dungeon at the beginning of the year and came out at year's end—already a demigod, having directly inherited the mantle of the old Alliance Master." *If that counts as trash, Boss, then the two of us are mere ants...* When that thought crossed Zhang Yuanqing's mind, he kept his head lowered, deliberately guarding against a Scout's mind-reading. "Still, even a genius like the Grand Marshal is nothing but trash before you, Boss," Zhang Yuanqing said against his conscience, his head still bowed. "Indeed. Talent is brought from the womb and cannot be the measure of the strong. The truly strong are defined by the mind." Fu Qingyang agreed wholeheartedly, then asked, "Why aren't you lifting your head?" "Before the truly strong, I can only bow my head!" Zhang Yuanqing proclaimed loudly. Leaving Fu Qingyang's study, Zhang Yuanqing used the Star Escape Technique to return to his bedroom and laid the three items granted by headquarters and the Xie family out on the desk. He planned to distribute these items among his team members. Now that he had accumulated numerous Saint-stage items, it was appropriate to arm his subordinates. That was far more valuable than letting them sit idle in his inventory. Guan Ya was the daughter of a prominent clan; while she would certainly be pleasantly surprised to receive a Saint-stage item, she wouldn't lose her composure. Little Green Tea was a minor and definitely didn't have any Saint-stage items of her own, so she would joyfully squeal about how wonderful her big brother was. Giving one to Queen offered the best value—a Saint-stage item, even of lower-middle tier, was a treasure beyond her wildest dreams; she might get so excited she'd offer herself up in marriage... His thoughts drifted along aimlessly. As for cash, with the twenty million from the Jianghuai branch, the fifty million from the Xie family, plus his own savings, he realized with pleasant surprise that he was now a big shot worth over a hundred million. He intended to save this money to purchase a top-tier item from the big shot backing Li Chunfeng. The Sliding Tackle Shoes had been priced at a hundred million. Of course, Mr. Bill had offered that price out of friendship; under normal circumstances, top-tier items in the Saint stage were priceless and could not be bought on the open market. Fortunately, Zhang Yuanqing also possessed other Saint-stage items and scarce goods like life fluid. All he needed to do now was await Li Chunfeng's reply. *** Deep within the gardens of the Xie family estate: Outside the Xie ancestral hall, Xie Su stood before two tightly closed wooden doors, holding the Holy Infant's head in both hands, and bowed deeply. "Old Ancestor, your great-grandson has brought back the Holy Infant for you." A weathered, hoarse voice echoed from inside the ancestral hall: "I have heard of your efforts at the Songhai branch. You did well. From now on, the Holy Infant's head will be entrusted to your safekeeping." "Th-this... how can this be?" Xie Su sounded panicked, hastily declining. "This is an item belonging to the Third Branch. Old Ancestor, giving it to me might be improper." "The Holy Infant's head should have been held by the family head in the first place. Giving it to the Third Branch back then was already showing favoritism. Since they failed to look after it properly, it is time to hand it to someone more capable." The Old Ancestor's voice was aged and raspy, yet it carried an authority that brooked no argument. "Take it when it is given to you. There is no need for false modesty." Xie Su immediately prostrated himself, barely containing his excitement as he voiced his thanks loudly: "Thank you, Old Ancestor!" The Old Ancestor gave an "Mm." "Does that Yuanshi Tianzun from the Songhai branch get along well with your girl?" "Their relationship is excellent," Xie Su said with a smile. "Then marry her off to Yuanshi Tianzun." "Old Ancestor, Lingxi is not yet of age; it's not appropriate for her to marry," Xie Su said, caught entirely off guard. The Old Ancestor's voice drifted through the wooden doors: "Seventeen—she should have been married long ago." Xie Su smiled wryly. "This isn't like the old days after all, Old Ancestor. Times have changed, and so have the laws." Booming laughter came from within the hall: "Boy, when this old man was conquering the Spirit Realm, the Great Qing Dynasty was still around! I have seen more dead people than you've seen living ones! You dare speak to me of laws? Bring him to see me at this year's Crab Banquet in September. We will settle the matter then." Xie Su bowed respectfully. "Your great-grandson understands." Storing the Holy Infant's head into his inventory, he left the ancestral hall glowing with high spirits. After September, Xie Lingxi would turn eighteen. *** In the living room, Zhang Yuanqing was having lunch with his teammates when he said, "Queen, Lingxi, come to my room after lunch." He was getting ready to hand out the items. Xie Lingxi adopted an embarrassed expression. "Brother Yuanshi, Sister Guan Ya is still right here! H-how could you make such an outrageous request?" *You really seize every single opportunity to drive a wedge between Guan Ya and me, don't you? But did you forget she's a Scout? Before you even open your mouth, she already knows what you're scheming...* Zhang Yuanqing couldn't be bothered to pay her any heed. As he ate, he opened the forum to check recent updates. To his surprise, as soon as he logged in, a top post caught his eye: #The Jianghuai Branch's Rogue Dial Has Been Subdued by Yuanshi Tianzun—Only a Rogue Can Tame a Rogue# Zhang Yuanqing stared dumbfounded at the post, before squeezing out two words after a long pause: "Holy shit..." His worst fear had come true after all. The Jianghuai branch had to be smearing him!