Chapter 247: Senior Brother Interrogates Yang

It was hours later, after an exhausting, too-long evening of socialization, that Yang was going back to the guest quarters, walking shoulder to shoulder with his Senior Brothers Lu Feng and Fan Xiao.

The final negotiation after that brief hiccup had gone smoothly, with everyone all smiles despite Senior Brother Lu Feng making last-minute changes to the contract simply to put one of the elders back in his place. Yang had been mostly ignored amongst that group of cultivators, treated like a kid brought along to the office with his dad, greeted and treated kindly but not something worth their interest.

Yang had spent the last few hours standing next to Senior Brother Fan Xiao, whose dead-faced expression and one-word terse answers were enough to drive away even the most social of cultivators. Senior Brother Fan Xiao could be as amicable as he needed to be when it was required, but he lacked both the desire and ability to pretend when he was not the one tasked with the responsibility.

Yang watched in quiet amusement as Senior Brother Lu Feng was inundated with toasts after toasts as the elders of the City Lord did their best to butter his ass like it was a piece of bread.

Senior Brother Lu Feng also played along well, discarding the razor-sharp smile he wielded when offended and treating everyone with great joviality and charm, even the clumsy-tongued Elder He Lian came out happy with the interaction. 

The evening had ended with drinks and a small banquet, with the main celebration left to be held when the alliance would be formally announced during the Founding Day celebrations to the citizens along with the rest of the world. 

Senior Chu Ci looked particularly eager to announce his association with the White Cloud Sect in front of the visiting delegation from other sects and powers, especially those who had been eyeing his territory like a prime piece of meat, forcing his hand into seeking a subordinate relationship with the White Cloud Sect.

As they reached the private wing, Senior Brother Fan Xiao sped up as soon as they were within the vicinity of their quarters; there were no guards to afford them privacy, and Senior Brother Lu Feng and Fan Xiao had added formations and protections for their safety, so apart from them the wing was empty as they had even refused to have servants serve them.

As Yang stepped in behind Senior Brother Fan Xiao with Senior Brother Lu Feng right at his heels, he found Senior Brother Qing An sitting next to Senior Shao You, speaking with him, while across from them Senior Brothers Yuan Shen, Zhen Hao, and Weilong munched on snacks alongside Little Uncle.

They all turned as one to look at upon their return, Senior Brother Qing An being the first to welcome them. “You’re all back! How did it go?” 

Senior Brother Lu Feng shot a pointed look at Senior Brother Zhen Hao, who grinned and got off the high-backed armchair Senior Brother Lu Feng seemed to have developed a preference for. He dropped into it as soon as it was free, with his back leaning on one armrest while he dangled his legs over the other.

Senior Brother Fan Xiao was much more proper, maintaining his decorum as he settled next to Senior Shao You, while Yang took a seat between Senior Brothers Yuan Shen and Weilong.

“It went fine,” Senior Brother Lu Feng replied offhandedly. “Most of it was already finalized in the preliminary discussions and correspondence, and today was merely a formality before the official declaration.”

“And how did you find it, Junior Brother Yang?” Senior Brother Yuan Shen turned to him and asked his opinion.

“It was…interesting?” Yang offered, trailing off at the end for lack of a better word. He didn’t particularly enjoy it or feel it was something he would want to repeat, but neither did he loathe the experience.

“Are you asking us or telling us?” Senior Brother Zhen Hao teased with a chuckle.

Yang rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “I don’t know what else to say. I didn’t find it interesting compared to discussions about cultivation or crafts, but at the same time I didn’t despise it. I felt it was useful enough and would likely serve me well one day, but apart from that I don’t have much of an opinion on it.”

“You better have an opinion on it,” warned Senior Brother Lu Feng, shooting him a glare. “I didn’t take you there simply to act as my cupbearer and scribe. You had better learn something, lest you need me to beat the lesson into you, and I assure you, you wouldn’t like that.”

“You really wouldn’t,” Senior Brother Weilong muttered resentfully, and Yang turned to look at him, shocked.

“He beat you?... I mean, you got beaten up by Senior Brother Lu Feng.” Yang asked at a loss. “How? Why? I would understand Senior Brother Qing An or Yuan Shen.” Yang glanced thoughtfully to his right as he muttered to himself, “Senior Brother Zhen Hao, definitely.” Yang ignored the offended Hey! “But Senior Brother, you doing something to get beaten up, I have trouble believing.”

“Of course he got beaten up,” Senior Brother Qing An chimed in with a smirk at Senior Brother Weilong, ignoring Little Uncle, who took great delight in stating, “So did the rest of you.” 

Senior Brother Qing An shifted his gaze to Yang. “Chen Yang, you didn’t know Weilong in his early years, but he was rather…”

“He was an insufferable, prissy little prick,” Senior Brother Lu Feng said boorishly before Senior Brother Qing could find a more appropriate word.

Yang was stunned to see Senior Brother Weilong simply rolling his eyes without denying the accusation, but he went alert when he felt Senior Brother Lu Feng’s glare on his face as he pointed his finger at Yang. “And you! Don’t you dare think you’ll be able to distract me by diverting attention to someone else.” 

“No opinion, what a joke!” he muttered to himself before he continued glaring at Yang. “Go on, take out your notes and tell me what you think of each of the main clauses?”

Senior Brother Lu Feng looked pretty dead serious, and Yang didn’t feel like getting his share of beatings from Senior Brother Lu Feng in front of an audience so easily entertained, so he hastily drew out the paper where he had pretty much copied the contract clauses word for word.

Yang looked at the first clause as he stated. “We would get 30% of refined Lunar stone as tribute every three months.”

“Refined Lunar stone?” Little Uncle interjected. “I thought it was supposed to be raw mined Lunar stone?”

“It was,” Senior Brother Fan Xiao said. “Senior Brother Lu Feng was apparently not in a mood to play along with any games.”

“The terms were all but agreed upon months ago by the Sect elders.” Senior Brother Lu Feng scoffed. “I have neither the time nor the desire to indulge in some mid-grade cultivators' attempt at being sly.”

“Mined to refined. That's a high price for some slyness,” Senior Brother Zhen Hao observed with an amused smile.

“Was the City Lord displeased?” Senior Brother Yuan Shen asked.

Instead of answering, Senior Brother Lu Feng looked at Yang with a raised eyebrow.

Yang thought it over before he tentatively said, “I felt he was more displeased at the Elder who ran his mouth rather than at us.”

“He wouldn’t dare feel displeased at us,” Senior Brother Fan Xiao added. “ We are above him both in cultivation and in hierarchy due to our sect.”

Yang looked unsure about what else to add but was relieved to see Senior Brother Lu Feng nod. “You did perceive it right. We are too far apart in power due to both our respective cultivation realms and the place we are associated with, and that stops people from daring to show us displeasure.”

“What did you think of the lunar stone division?” Senior Brother Lu Feng prompted Yang.

“It sounds fair enough to me,” Yang shrugged his shoulders. “I really have no idea what the standard rate of resource division usually goes on in such relationships.”

“30% division is extremely generous; most sects would have taken at least 40% if not 50%, probably even more if they had no care for their reputation and were not against arousing resentment.” Senior Brother Lu Feng calmly explained. “We are not merely one to take advantage of our vassals blindly; much of what we receive would be reinvested in creating and maintaining the outer formation for the Winding City’s protection, and even with that it will take a few years before the sect could fully recoup their investment.”

“Formations are that expensive?” Yang blurted out in shock.

“Formations, while rarely cheap, can be like any other craft, from reasonable to mind-bogglingly expensive. The resources required to create one that protects a whole city from scratch and maintain it are astronomical. That is the sects payments for the tribute and the further discount outlined in the contract. The rest of the terms about the trade restrictions of the lunar stone are not out of the ordinary,” Senior Brother Lu Feng further explained.

“What about the clause about any future lunar stone mine or other resource discovered by the city?” Yang asked.

“That is not common to put down in a contract, but most superior sects would not let go of any resource; putting it down in the contract now saves us any future trouble. They can’t accuse us of pressuring to divide resources outside the scope of the contract,” Senior Brother Lu Feng said. 

“Letting go of the potential resource is out of the question?” Yang asked dryly.

“Letting go?” Senior Brother Lu Feng chuckled sharply. “We are in an alliance, not running a charity. We are fair but will never put ourselves at a disadvantage. While it may not be a common term to add with subordinate organizations, it's an entirely reasonable precaution. The external threats Winding City faces increase as a response to its perceived value. Any new resource means more covetous eyes on the city, more powerful people willing to take chances that White Cloud Sect has to act as a deterrent or even defend against.”

Yang nodded, understanding the reason. It made sense. Winding City was able to remain independent for a long time and only needed to find an ally when their mines proved too lucrative for them to defend alone.

He continued to give his thoughts about the next point. “The city will be allowed independent rule because the sect doesn’t want to interfere and be burdened with ruling a distant city?”

“We are cultivators; geographical distance is seldom an issue for us. And White Cloud Sect has enough people that we will probably be able to form a line from the Soaring Cloud Peak to the Winding City with the number of people who like to rule a city on our Sect's behalf.” Senior Brother Lu Feng shook his head. “You are correct in part, but it goes much deeper than that.”

Yang went quiet as he thought it over.

“Why doesn’t the sect want to interfere?” Senior Brother Qing An hinted from the side.

“Because…” Yang trailed off, unsure about the reason. He had found the White Cloud sect to be not fussy about the minutiae, but what was the reason for that? He doubted ‘sect culture’ would be an acceptable answer to Senior Brother Lu Feng.

“We dislike breeding resentment,” Little Uncle stated plainly.

Yang blinked. “Just to avoid resentment?”

“We will not restrict ourselves just to avoid hatred, but neither do we like doing acts that invite enmity simply because of perceived slights or unfair treatment of those weaker or in a lower position than us,” Little Uncle explained.

Yang went quiet. This was the first time he was hearing it in stark terms, but it was an entirely accurate explanation of the Sect's conduct. Whether it be their own outer sect disciples or the mortals living under them, the sect could never be accused of being unfair or overbearing in either its words or actions.

“It’s a delicate balance,” Senior Brother Fan Xiao added. “You must remember how Senior Brother Lu Feng dealt with the Elders when he was displeased with that Elder He Lian.” Yang nodded as Senior Brother Fan Xiao continued. “You must know when to press and when to yield. There is no hard and fast rule for these things. You will only learn with time and experience where to exert your power and where to back off.”

“White Cloud Sect values its reputation. Fiercely,” Senior Brother Lu Feng said. “We care for how the world's mortals and cultivators alike perceive us. And it certainly brings us advantages, far more than you might currently realize.”

The Senior Brother looked at him intently, leaving Yang to wonder what remained unsaid.

“We were not pursuing or even in contact with the leadership of the Winding City, but it's our reputation for fairness that brought Winding City to us on their own, asking us to take them under our wing. That is one of the more apparent advantages of our conduct.”

“What is the less obvious advantage?” Yang asked curiously.

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