Naturally, he had no need to chase trends; he was the trend.
Guards stood watch with shields and weapons around the National Preceptor's pavilion tent, but the sandbar was ridiculously crowded today. Beyond the perimeter cordons stood throngs of people, so squeezing into the crowd provided He Lingchuan the best possible cover.
Then Li Qingge arrived.
Today, she wore a fiery red cloak with a white fur collar, her lips as vivid as flame, and bright scarlet coral hairpins tucked into her cloud-high chignon.
Such a shapely beauty, yet she strode forward with domineering assertiveness.
Nian Zanli also marched over in a purple-blue brocade robe.
The two stopped a zhang apart, regarding each other with sheer coldness.
A guard entered the tent to announce their arrival.
Before long, a figure stepped out from within: crowned in white jade, robed in frosty red, bearing slender brows, phoenix eyes, and a tall, straight posture.
The moment he appeared, even the autumn wind rustling through the woods seemed to slow its pace.
A stir rippled through the surrounding crowd.
"The National Preceptor! National Preceptor Shuangye has come out!"
Beijia was immensely wealthy and reigned supreme, yet it possessed four and only four National Preceptors. In the eyes of most commoners, the National Preceptors who governed Beijia's origin power lived in seclusion, mysterious and exalted. Ordinary folk were blessed with a glimpse only during the Grass Sea Festival.
He Lingchuan also fixed his gaze on this figure.
Was this the famous National Preceptor Shuangye, the backer behind Xi Yunhe?
In age, he was second only to National Preceptor Qingyang, yet Shuangye looked far younger—around twenty-five or twenty-six, refined, dashing, and elegant as a jade tree.
He Lingchuan still remembered that he was a demon; he merely looked human. Greater demons generally lived much longer than human cultivators, so it was hardly surprising that National Preceptor Shuangye appeared so youthful.
What kind of demon was a dusu, exactly, that it could appear completely indistinguishable from a human?
National Preceptor Shuangye spoke, his voice like the ringing chime of struck jade cong: "General Nian, have you been well since we last met?"
Hearing him say that, Nian Zanli clearly had not seen National Preceptor Shuangye in a long time.
He Lingchuan's eyes flickered slightly. It seemed Nian Zanli had spent the past two months being turned away at the door, with National Preceptor Shuangye refusing even to grant him an audience.
Nian Zanli stood firmly and clasped his fists. "Greetings, National Preceptor!"
Li Qingge also offered a graceful curtsy to National Preceptor Shuangye. "Li Qingge of Songyang Mansion greets National Preceptor Shuangye."
"So you are the Master of Songyang Mansion?" National Preceptor Shuangye gave a soft hum, looking between the two with an air of realization.
Parting her vermilion lips, Li Qingge said softly, "Forgive our intrusion, but we came to ask the National Preceptor to bear witness."
Nian Zanli added, "And to verify authenticity."
National Preceptor Shuangye smiled. "Bear witness? It seems to me you want me to serve as a guarantor." He turned and gestured toward the tent. "Come inside."
From his attitude, he clearly understood what matter they were referring to. Seeing this, Nian Zanli was greatly relieved.
As National Preceptor Shuangye turned around, he cast a glance into the crowd.
His gaze was sharp as frost and blade, so brilliant that one dared not meet it directly, yet his expression bore a faint, half-formed smile. He Lingchuan felt a sudden conviction that the man's eyes had locked right onto him.
Their eyes met briefly, then shifted away.
National Preceptor Shuangye turned and strode into the tent. He Lingchuan, however, let out a wry smile.
The National Preceptor's gaze toward him had been deeply meaningful—perhaps even carrying a hint of approval?
This really was... sigh.
Nian Zanli and Li Qingge followed him inside.
He Lingchuan channeled true power into his ears, attempting to catch a scrap of conversation amid the clamor.
Yet the tent remained dead silent.
Clearly, a barrier had been activated inside.
He Lingchuan glanced at Old Shan, whose shifting gaze betrayed the anxiety in his heart.
"Nine chances out of ten it'll work," He Lingchuan said, patting Old Shan's shoulder. "No need to worry."
A little over a quarter of an hour later, the tent flap parted, and Li Qingge and Nian Zanli emerged one after the other.
The gloom between Nian Zanli's brows had vanished entirely. He exhaled a long breath toward the sky, his departing steps far brisker than when he had arrived.
Li Qingge's bright eyes sparkled even more, the corners of her lips curving upward, her poise captivating with every glance.
He Lingchuan understood at once: the deal was done, and she had finally achieved her wish.
Li Qingge's gaze swept over the crowd and spotted him immediately. But in broad daylight before all these onlookers, it was unwise to exchange words. She offered an intentional yet subtle smile, then turned and walked toward her carriage.
The little squirrel on He Lingchuan's shoulder darted away in a flash.
He lingered on the spot for a moment, and seeing that National Preceptor Shuangye did not come out, he turned and left.
Li Qingge's carriage was parked halfway up the hillside, nowhere near Songyang Mansion's administrative station.
In Lingxu City, she had no nobility title to speak of; she operated primarily as a merchant, and only secondarily as the leader of a Daoist order. Consequently, she would not take a seat in the front rows along the sandbar.
Though surrounded by crowds here as well, it was at least less conspicuous than on the open sandbar, shielded somewhat by the trees.
When He Lingchuan walked past, she already had visitors, and both sides were chatting pleasantly.
He did not linger, walking past them to queue at a small vendor's stall ten zhang away for some multigrain jianbing.
Normally, the Grass Sea was a desolate expanse with more birds than people. But today it was packed with Lingxu City residents, presenting limitless business opportunities. How could petty merchants resist coming?
There were four or five jianbing stalls here, but only this one had a long queue. Needless to say, it had to be delicious.
He Lingchuan queued for the time it took an incense stick to burn before finally earning his turn to decide whether to add meat, eggs, or both. Naturally, he went all out and asked for everything.
Upon taking a bite, he realized the soul of this jianbing lay in its sauce. There were two varieties—sweet-and-sour, and sour-and-spicy. The tart base was whipped from fermented wild fruit gathered from the trees, imparting a distinct flavor that, blended with various curious seasonings, formed the vendor's secret recipe.
However, the sauce was pale green. He Lingchuan eyed it for a good while before deciding eating it probably wouldn't upset his stomach.
He had only taken two bites when Xiao Qiao the squirrel leaped down from some high branch onto his shoulder, pointing at a nearby stall. "That!"
That vendor sold dried fruits and nuts.
He Lingchuan bought it half a jin of spiced broad beans. Chewing noisily, the squirrel said, "The Master of Songyang Mansion told me to tell you that everything is settled on her end. She retrieved the bamboo cylinder and verified it without error."
He Lingchuan let out a breath, uncertain whether it was from relief or the stinging spice.
Exchanging a token for the bamboo cylinder seemed smooth and straightforward on the surface, completed in barely a quarter of an hour inside National Preceptor Shuangye's tent.
In truth, how much behind-the-scenes maneuvering had He Lingchuan performed?
If it were that simple, why hadn't Li Qingge been able to resolve it herself?
Nian Zanli was suspicious and distrustful. Without National Preceptor Shuangye's powerful guarantee, how could he have possibly surrendered the bamboo cylinder?
"Was the token handed over to the other party as well?"
"Mm, they exchanged them. With National Preceptor Shuangye serving as guarantor, the other side didn't bargain much. What's more, National Preceptor Shuangye told him the token can only be used by him personally."
He Lingchuan understood. The troop-requisition token provided by National Preceptor Shuangye could only be utilized by Nian Zanli himself. The Baling Kingdom recognized only him; only Nian Zanli in person could mobilize those tens of thousands of troops.
"That is only right." Borrowing an army was not like borrowing salt; it could hardly be handled casually.
"National Preceptor Shuangye also had the Marquis pass along a message to you, telling you to get your task done as soon as possible."
He Lingchuan nodded.
National Preceptor Shuangye was a man of his word, trading tens of thousands of foreign troops to recover Li Qingge's life-and-death treasure. That was a grand gesture, showing just how eager he was to bring down National Preceptor Qingyang.
Now, it was He Lingchuan's turn to fulfill his promise.
National Preceptor Shuangye had limited patience; he would not permit endless delays.
He Lingchuan said to the squirrel, "Go pass another message to the Master of Songyang Mansion. Now that the bamboo cylinder is in hand, start the next phase of the plan as soon as possible."
The squirrel leaped into the high branches and scurried off in a flash.
This forest was a realm where it could come and go as it pleased.
Previously, Li Qingge had been walking on eggshells against Nian Zanli, fearing that he might crush the Gu worm.
Now that the bamboo cylinder was secured and her life was no longer in jeopardy, she could act without reservation.
Nian Zanli had obtained National Preceptor Shuangye's token, so He Lingchuan had to ensure he could not actually borrow those troops, lest great calamity befall the Yuan Kingdom.
At present, one major advantage they held was that Nian Zanli's main army remained in Xunzhou, with only personal guards accompanying him here.
This was Lingxu City. Strictly speaking, both Nian Zanli and He Lingchuan were strangers in a strange land, possessing no home advantage whatsoever.
In fact, Nian Zanli was far less integrated here than He Lingchuan was.
That was one of the circumstances He Lingchuan could exploit.
***
Nian Zanli strode back into his pavilion tent, his face radiant with triumph.
Seeing his expression, several of his aides cupped their hands in congratulations. "Congratulations on successfully borrowing the troops, General!"
Nian Zanli laughed heartily. "Your congratulations come too early! Wait until I have He Chunhua's head before we celebrate!"
Only one aide wore an uneasy expression, unable to summon a smile.
The others noticed and said, "Lv Huansheng, what makes you so displeased?"
Nian Zanli's smile faded, and he cast his eyes over as well.
Lv Huansheng spoke at once: "The General securing elite troops is naturally a splendid thing. The foolish monarch of the Yuan Kingdom is devoid of virtue and unworthy of the throne! It is just... just..."
He glanced around at everyone, lowering his voice significantly. "The terms National Preceptor Shuangye laid out are truly harsh. An annual tribute of two hundred thousand taels of silver, one hundred thousand bolts of silk, three hundred jin of profound crystal ore, and three hundred fine horses from the northwestern pastures every year."
At this mention, the smiles faded from the others' faces. National Preceptor Shuangye had acted as a guarantor for Songyang Mansion, but he took his own massive cut as well!
He knew with absolute certainty that Nian Zanli had no choice but to borrow the troops.
"I calculated it: this annual tribute approaches half a tenth of the Yuan Kingdom's normal annual revenue!" Lv Huansheng ticked off the items on his fingers. "Furthermore, the Yuan Kingdom has few pastures and can produce very few good horses, yet we must hand over so many each year. Even National Preceptor Qingyang's asking price was not this steep!"
That final sentence made Nian Zanli's face darken instantly.
He had nearly ruined himself sending gifts to National Preceptor Qingyang just to win her promise to lobby the Demon Emperor, only for the effort to end in total failure!
National Preceptor Shuangye had similarly made an exorbitant demand in his letter, leaving Nian Zanli feeling suffocated when he first read it.
Yet this man could actually get things done.
Noticing his expression, an aide chimed in quickly: "The military campaign comes first; everything else can wait. How could borrowing an army carry no cost? Besides, these terms aren't just National Preceptor Shuangye's; they include what the Baling people demanded as well."
They were borrowing troops from Baling through National Preceptor Shuangye's mediation, which meant both parties had to be appeased.
Lv Huansheng shook his head. "National Preceptor Shuangye and the Baling people want their share, but once Beijia itself finds out, won't Beijia want a slice of the pie too?"
The Yuan Kingdom was such a scrawny sheep; could it withstand being sheared by three different wolves in turn?
Nian Zanli said coldly, "Are you suggesting I return the troops and give up this war?"
Lv Huansheng hesitated. "Zhao Pan has already been deployed to the northwest by the foolish ruler to counter the Grand Marshal. I maintain my view: with our Xunzhou army alone, taking Xiazhou before the coming spring will pose no problem at all. After resting for half a year, we could march south following the autumn harvest and strike straight at the Yuan capital! That, too, remains a viable path!"
Chapter 631