Chapter 2006 - Striking A Deal

Long Ying's perception was exceptional. The secret inquiry she had commissioned into Liu Wuxie's background had found no ties to the sect's upper echelons. It seemed the Azure Jade Palace had entrusted him with the Law Enforcement Token for another purpose.

"That isn't something I can discuss," Liu Wuxie replied evenly. He had told them all he could. Everything else had to stay secret, as revealing his mission to investigate the Heavenly Alliance would only bring danger.

If word got out that his schemes had cornered and executed the Heavenly Alliance's envoys, they would hunt him for the rest of his life. Spite had nothing to do with his silence toward the siblings. He had difficulties of his own. As for Zheng Ruhai and Ren Chou, he knew the sect's upper echelons would order them to remain silent.

For a long moment, Long Ying regarded him meaningfully, then chose not to press him further.

"What do you plan to do next? Head to the Mountain Guardian Sect to collect its tribute?" she asked.

She still couldn't figure out why he had visited the Cloud Mist Manor. As far as she could determine, he had completed only the Chai Clan's mission.

"The Mountain Guardian Sect's mission is already halfway settled. Next, I intend to visit the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion," Liu Wuxie replied. He saw no reason to waste time traveling to the Mountain Guardian Sect. He would wait until their anxiety drove them to seek him out.

"The Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion has already cut its ties with the Azure Jade Palace. You'll have a hard time forcing it to pay tribute," Long Ying said after pausing briefly.

"I know that," Liu Wuxie replied. The difficulty of the task was precisely why he had saved the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion for last.

"If I help you finish this mission, what do I get in return?" Long Ying asked, a faint, teasing smile touching her lips.

Her motives remained unclear, but the offer lit Liu Wuxie's eyes. The siblings' assistance would greatly improve his chances of success. The Long Clan had once stood as an unrivaled superpower, and despite its decline, he believed its foundations still ran deep.

"Tell me what you want," Liu Wuxie replied after a brief pause. If her terms were reasonable, he was willing to accept them.

"Give me five thousand Primal Chaos Crystals, and I'll help you finish the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's mission," Long Ying said flatly. The price was exorbitant enough to startle even Long Yuanxiong. Five thousand crystals could tempt an Immortal Lord to seize them.

"I haven't got a single Primal Chaos Crystal left," Liu Wuxie replied with a careless shrug. He dismissed her proposal and gestured for her to suggest something else.

"You may be able to fool my younger brother, but do you honestly think you can fool me?" Long Ying asked, rolling her eyes at the blatant lie.

A brief glimpse of Blackie had been all her keen senses needed to recognize that it fed exclusively on Primal Chaos Crystals. If Liu Wuxie truly had none left, Blackie would have starved long ago.

"I'll give you two thousand!" Liu Wuxie countered, raising two fingers after rubbing his nose. He conceded inwardly that he had underestimated how perceptive she was.

"Make it four thousand," Long Ying replied, offering a small concession.

"Two thousand five hundred, then!" Liu Wuxie countered, adding another five hundred.

"Three thousand, or we part ways here," Long Ying said. She rose and pulled her younger brother by the arm, preparing to leave.

"Agreed!" Liu Wuxie replied at once.

The third mission offered a rare piece of Indigo Yang Truegold as its reward, an invaluable material he desperately needed. He could keep producing Primal Chaos Crystals, but he might never get another chance to secure an Indigo Yang Truegold. Whatever the cost, he had to secure it.

Long Ying's lips curved into a sly smile. She had planned the negotiation this way from the outset. Had her opening demand been three thousand, Liu Wuxie would have bargained her down to two thousand. Asking for five thousand first had given her the room she needed.

......

Heavy footfalls drew nearer as Chai Qian approached the pavilion with several elders behind him.

"Young Master Liu, I can't begin to express my gratitude. Without your help, the Chai Clan would have been destroyed," Chai Qian said, bowing deeply before the youth who had changed their fate single-handedly.

"Patriarch Chai, there's no need for such courtesy. You should concentrate on preparing for the harvest. And remember the Azure Jade Palace's tribute, of course," Liu Wuxie said, steadying Chai Qian by the elbows with a gentle, half-teasing smile.

"Yes, yes. Please, make yourselves comfortable here, all three of you. Once the harvest is secure, I'll come back and thank you properly," Chai Qian replied hastily. He was anxious to reach the spiritual fields and gather the crops before any further complications arose.

After staying up all night, Liu Wuxie returned to his courtyard. He intended to rest for the day, then depart once the Chai Clan had finished harvesting.

"Elder Sister, what makes you want to stay and help him?" Long Yuanxiong asked after they returned to his room.

"Because you won't find a better opportunity to train," Long Ying replied earnestly. The Primal Chaos Crystals were only part of her reason for staying. Above all, she wanted her younger brother to temper himself through the experience.

She had examined all three missions. Each concerned longstanding debts that stretched back to her days as an outer disciple, and none would be easy to collect. Yet in a few days, Liu Wuxie had resolved the Chai Clan's troubles and even secured the Cloud Mist Pearl King along the way.

She still wasn't sure what he intended for the Mountain Guardian Sect, but she felt certain he had already laid the groundwork. Working beside someone like him would surely help her brother grow. Long Yuanxiong possessed remarkable talent. However, he still wasn't as experienced and knowledgeable as Liu Wuxie.

Dawn brought the Chai Clan's immortal rice harvest and a stream of onlookers. Cultivators gathered around the spiritual fields, watching with interest.

"This is strange. How come the Chai Clan's immortal rice hasn't turned black this year?" people murmured. Many of them had visited in previous years and witnessed the crops rot.

Voices carried across the fields. "They must have found a way to fix the problem!"

Before half a day had passed, they had gathered the entire harvest. As golden grains poured into the granaries, Chai Qian finally smiled after so many years.

Shortly afterward, Chai Qian's knock interrupted Liu Wuxie's quiet cultivation. At the door, he handed Liu Wuxie an interspatial ring.

"Young Master Liu, this holds the tribute we've owed the Azure Jade Palace for the past decade. The extra is a modest expression of our thanks," Chai Qian said, pressing the ring into his palm.

Liu Wuxie swept his divine sense through the ring. On the left lay the full payment owed to the sect, consisting of 2,500 kilograms of immortal rice and one million immortal stones. On the right sat his personal reward of 50 kilograms of immortal rice and two hundred thousand immortal stones.

Settling a decade's tribute had all but depleted the Chai Clan's resources, making the gift even more meaningful.

"Then I'll take it," Liu Wuxie replied, knowing that a refusal would leave Chai Qian uneasy.

"Young Master Liu, we've arranged a banquet in your honor. Please come and join us," Chai Qian said. He extended the invitation early in case Liu Wuxie departed that afternoon.

"To be honest, Patriarch Chai, I still have other debts to collect. I'm leaving shortly, though I hope to visit again if circumstances permit," Liu Wuxie replied, declining politely.

Although he had extended his schedule, he could not put the missions off indefinitely. Complications would follow if the Heavenly Alliance learned of his movements. As he worked to raise his cultivation, every moment counted.

"Then I won't hold you up. If you ever need our help, just ask. As long as it's within my power, I won't turn you down," Chai Qian said warmly.

Before leaving, Liu Wuxie told Chai Qian to direct anyone from the Mountain Guardian Sect to the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion. Once he had settled that matter, he made his way to Long Ying's courtyard.

"Are we setting out now?" Long Ying asked.

"Yes," Liu Wuxie replied, nodding.

The three departed the Chai Clan's estate, bound for the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion. It stood outside Mulberry Sea City, roughly half a day's journey away.

"You two go on ahead. Three days is the earliest I can join you," Long Ying said after escorting Liu Wuxie and Long Yuanxiong to the teleportation array. The Primal Chaos Crystals she had received from Liu Wuxie had loosened her bottleneck, allowing her to reach the fifth-level Great Golden Immortal Realm. Completing the breakthrough would require a few days of quiet seclusion.

"Take care, Elder Sister," Long Yuanxiong said, bidding her farewell. Liu Wuxie offered only a nod.

Light flared as the teleportation array activated. The intense spatial distortion made Long Yuanxiong grimace, while Liu Wuxie remained untroubled. Since refining the Soul Stone, his physique, now in unity with heaven and earth, was comparable to the high-level Golden Immortal Realm. With his protective immortal energy added to that strength, even a Great Golden Immortal would struggle to shatter his body.

A little over an hour passed before the turbulent spatial energy subsided and they arrived in Azure Cloud City. The moment Liu Wuxie and Long Yuanxiong stepped out of the teleportation array, scorching heat swept over them.

The legendary Azure Cloud Fire had given Azure Cloud City its name. Abundant underground fire veins made the city ideal for blacksmithing, and blacksmith shops lined the streets. Among those establishments, the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion commanded a formidable reputation.

"Brother Liu, does Azure Cloud Fire really burn beneath the ground?" Long Yuanxiong asked as they entered the bustling streets. The previous night, Long Ying had repeatedly urged him to consult Liu Wuxie whenever he could. Although his cultivation was higher, his experience and knowledge fell far behind.

"Azure Cloud Fire is a heavenly flame. Most heavenly flames are fairly small, but Azure Cloud Fire is vast enough to span an entire city. Its flames mingle cyan and crimson in a striking blend," Liu Wuxie explained, nodding.

He also hoped to establish a relationship with Long Yuanxiong. One day, he might need the Long Clan's help.

"Where do we head first?" Long Yuanxiong asked.

"We should find an inn and get settled," Liu Wuxie replied. His knowledge of the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion was limited. Turning up at its doorstep unannounced might alert its people and make them wary, so gathering information discreetly was the wiser course.

For all his eagerness to finish the mission, he understood the need for patience. Waiting for Long Ying to join them after her breakthrough would greatly improve their chances. The Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion had already betrayed the Azure Jade Palace, and might resort to killing if driven into a corner.

The two found lodging at an inn and headed out after dark.

"Brother Liu, doesn't Azure Cloud City feel unusually lively tonight?" Long Yuanxiong asked as they made their way through the crowded streets. Excitement showed among the local cultivators, and blacksmithing dominated almost every conversation.

"Let's split up, Brother Long. Find out who's closely tied to the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion and its sworn enemies. I'll look into its history and its business dealings over the years," Liu Wuxie said, dividing the tasks so they could proceed more efficiently.

"Got it," Long Yuanxiong replied. They went their separate ways, disappearing into the bustling crowds.