Chapter 246: Negotiations

Yang stood to the right of Senior Brother Lu Feng, with Senior Brother Fan Xiao seated at a table on his left side, both here to discuss the final terms with Senior Chu Ci, City Lord of the Winding City, and his dozen aides. 

Everyone- from his own Senior Brothers to Lord Chu Ci and his aides had a table in front of them, with a couple of servants standing behind to serve each of them. 

Except for him.

Yang let his mind wander to what brought him to this exact moment.

Yang was lounging on a large daybed opposite Senior Brother Weilong with a precious Go board suspended in the air between them as he learned to play the game. It was a nobles' and scholars' pastime, and as a penniless peasant boy, he never had the opportunity to learn. He looked intently at the board as his mind ran through the game rules he had just been taught by Senior Brother Weilong, considering his next move while Senior Brother Weilong watched amusedly, offering hints.  

Suddenly, he heard a door swing open and looked up to see Senior Brother Lu Feng coming out of his room in a fresh set of sect robes. 

He strode over to the daybed, looking down at Yang with a critical eye before he nodded to himself. “Good. You look presentable enough.”

“Senior Brother?” Yang asked, bewildered.

Senior Brother Weilong let out a soft chuckle and sat straight, starting to put away the go pieces inside a large jade bowl.

Yang also sat up, baffled. “What is going on?”

“You will be coming with me to the meeting.” Senior Brother Lu Feng stated plainly.

“Me?” Yang tilted his head in confusion. “I thought Senior Brother Fan Xiao was going to accompany you?”

“He is to accompany me to negotiate.” Senior Brother Lu Feng let out a crooked smile, his gaze full of amusement. “If I need you to aid me in negotiation, I have a lot more to worry about.”

Yang would be offended if he didn’t agree with the statement.

“Then why?...”

“You are to act as an assistant, take notes, grind ink. Whatever I need.”

“Alright,” Yang agreed easily and stood up, straightening the non-existent wrinkles from his sect robes.

“Alright? That's it?” Senior Brother Lu Feng raised an eyebrow, surprised.

“What else am I supposed to say?” Yang asked, wondering if cultivators could be bipolar.

“No question about why I am asking you to do a servant’s work?” 

“I am pretty sure that's the only work I am eligible for in that room.” Yang replied dryly.

Senior Brother Lu Feng looked pleased with his attitude as he nodded at him. “Good. You are aware of your limits,” he said before he explained further. “I wish you to serve me at the negotiation table so you may observe how these things are conducted. Inevitably one day you too will have to deal with such things either on the Sect’s behalf or for your own personal interests. It’s my duty as your Senior Brother to ensure you are prepared for all kinds of things.”

Yang nodded in understanding, fully intending to take advantage of this opportunity. He was well aware such opportunities to learn were not something most cultivators were afforded.

Crafts, skills, techniques- all of those could be learned from manuals and found in secret realms. But diplomacy, showing authority, psychological maneuvering, etc.- such soft skills were something which one could learn only from their environment and observing others, if they were perceptive enough.

Even in White Cloud Sect, it was not something formally taught. He could easily pinpoint the disciples from mortal or cultivation origins, from village or city, wealth or poverty; their circumstance showed through their dialect. The way they walked, talked, sat. From their every action.

It was only when surrounded by inner sect disciples that he had trouble distinguishing. The disciples had a similar air of cultivators' detachment, a refined and formal way of speaking. The amicability and regard drummed into White Cloud Disciples shaped how they dealt with their seniors and juniors. There was an initial uniformity in the attitude of White Cloud Sect’s disciples that gave way to their individual personalities and behaviors when one got to truly know them. 

Something ingrained in the cultivators raised and trained by the White Cloud Sect.

Yang himself had been adjusting his manners, posture, and pronunciation, emulating the more refined fellow disciples. His progress had improved by leaps and bounds after getting close to Senior Brother Zhen Hao’s friends. Especially after becoming an inner sect disciple himself. All his brothers had the most refined manners and speech, and after spending so much time emulating them, it also came naturally to him.

To see a negotiation, even only a final one which was practically a formality at this point before the official signing, was a great opportunity for someone like him.

“—sure about 30%?”

Yang came back to the present and shook his head, concentrating on inscribing notes about the discussion in the meeting.

“Yes,” Senior Brother Lu Feng said clearly. “That was the term decided in the preliminary correspondence, and White Cloud Sect intends to demand that much. Why? Is Winding City no longer willing to honor the initially decided terms?”

“No.”

“Elder He Lian didn’t mean that.”

“No. Of course, not.”

Yang watched, keeping his face impassive as a wave of panicked denials came at Senior Brother Lu Feng’s displeased expression.

“Daoist Lu Feng,” Elder He Lian said with an ingratiating smile. “I was simply expressing my surprise at the generous terms.”

Senior Brother Lu Feng raised an eyebrow without saying a word. Yang noticed Senior Chu Ci looking displeased with that elder’s clumsy tongue.

“I would think a year ago would have been a better time to show surprise than at the final meeting?” Senior Brother Fan Xiao said in his blank voice while taking a sip of his wine. Yang hurried closer and took the pitcher to refill his goblet, waving off the servant coming closer to do so as well.

Senior Brother Lu Feng held up a hand and spoke next, putting a halt to anyone intending to create any needless drama. Little Uncle’s Augh! Augh! would have done wonders right at this moment.

“Let me restate the terms plainly in case of any memory degradation or issue with reading comprehension.”

• “Winding City shall offer 30% of all mined and refined Lunar stone, quarterly, as tribute to the White Cloud Sect, weighted under the supervision of an envoy from the sect.

• The sect gets first rights of purchase for the 70% of remaining Lunar stones at a discount of 20% below the market rate.

• The Sect will have a say in who the remaining stones are sold to, with the White Cloud Sect having the authority to veto any dealings with any enemies or rivals of the White Cloud Sect.

• The above terms shall also apply to any new mines of Lunar Stone or any other precious resource found within the city or among its territories.

• The city shall remain self-governed by its existing leadership with no interference by the White Cloud Sect, contingent upon maintaining zero affiliation with any demonic sect or rival factions of the White Cloud Sect, and abstaining from any persecution of the residential or non-residential mortal populations.

• An envoy will be permanently stationed in the city, rotated every century, and will also act as an inspector to ensure the stated division of resources as discussed in the contract.

• White Cloud Sect will establish a shop within the city and provide the residents with access to techniques, tools, talismans, pills, and formations at a discount of 20%, and a discount of 35% for the City Lord’s Palace.

• The sect will also be willing to take custom artifact, alchemy, talisman, and formation requests from the City Lord and its residents on a case-by-case basis, as long as the commissioned items are for personal use only. Any commercial use and reselling will require further negotiations.

• The Sect will have a team sent to create and maintain, at its own cost, an additional outer protection formation, outside the bounds of the city limits, to work in tandem with the city’s main protection formation.

• The Sect will have no access, control, or authority over the Winding City’s main formation.

• Any offence against a White Cloud Sect member will be jointly investigated and punished by the Winding City and the White Cloud Sect.

• Any offence committed by a member of White Cloud Sect will be reported to the Sect to be investigated, judged, and punished, barring murder, where a joint team of the Winding City and White Cloud Sect will jointly investigate, judge, and punish.

• The Sect will provide martial manpower equal to the city’s own fighting force for threats up to the Nascent Soul realm.

• Threats equal to or above Soul Formation will be dealt with solely by the Sect as long as the Winding City abides by all the stated terms of the contract.

• White Cloud Sect shall have sole rights to recruit disciples in the city and within its territories.

• Winding City shall commit up to half of its forces upon request if White Cloud Sect is to be involved in an armed conflict.

• White Cloud Sect shall provide aid in disasters, natural or cultivator-induced.”

Senior Brother Lu Feng let his gaze sweep over everyone in the room before asking. “Any objections?”

“I thought the Lunar stone tribute was calculated after being mined, refined would add an enorm—” an Elder began tentatively before being interrupted midway by Senior Brother Lu Feng, who asked with a scary smile. “Are we back to renegotiating terms?”

The Elder opened his mouth but was unable to say anything before Senior Chu Ci interjected with a glare at him. “30% of refined Lunar stone is more than fair!” 

The elder meekly bowed his head, not daring to say anything else.

Senior Chu Ci looked at Senior Brother and gave a respectful salute with his cupped hands. “Daoist Lu Feng’s honorable sect offered generous terms, and Winding City is more than pleased to formalize the association.”

One of the Elders squirmed in her seat, clearly burning to say something but too scared to have Senior Brother Lu Feng go into a negotiating mood lest he change something again.

Senior Brother Lu Feng looked at the woman with a raised eyebrow. “Does Fellow Daoist have something to add?”

The Elder looked embarrassed but braced herself and voiced her question. “I do not have anything to add, Senior, but rather I seek clarification regarding one of the points.”

Senior Brother Lu Feng tilted his head and made a gesture to say go on.

“Several of the prominent local cultivation clans train their members, and some have a historical preference for one sect or another. Should we encourage them towards your honorable sect?”

“We do not forcefully recruit disciples.” Senior Brother Lu Feng firmly stated. “Anyone using such forceful tactics on behalf of the White Cloud Sect will feel its wrath. Other sects will merely be restricted from recruiting in the city. Your residents are free to cultivate as they wish or seek out to join any other sects.”

All the Elders looked visibly pleased with the reassurance, and a few even let out relieved smiles.

Senior Chu Ci stood and extended his hand and was passed a pair of goblets filled with wine; he came close to Senior Brother Lu Feng and offered him a goblet, offering him a toast. Senior Brother Lu Feng stood and took the goblet with a slight bow of his head and toasted him back, taking a gulp of the wine.

 Yang looked as all the Elders got off their seats and made their way over. Senior Brother Fan Xiao caught Yang’s eye, calling him over.

Yang let out a relieved sigh and went to join Senior Brother Fan Xiao and the two aides speaking to him.

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