Chapter 2019 - Negotiation

A faint smile curved Liu Wuxie's lips. He had stayed in Azure Cloud City for the past two days, only for the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion to come to him.

"Moonrise Pavilion, tomorrow at noon. He may have no more than two companions with him," Liu Wuxie said after pausing briefly.

"I'll make the arrangements at once. I know the owner well, so we can book the entire establishment for the day," Yuan Xiangtian answered without hesitation.

After a respectful bow, he left to handle the arrangements.

"Do you think the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion might be laying a trap?" Long Ying asked from the seat opposite Liu Wuxie, a worried frown creasing her face. Quiet had settled over the courtyard again.

In her view, a few more days of waiting would bring the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion down, giving them every advantage. Losing twenty core workshops had struck a fatal blow to its production capacity. With no way to fulfill its contracts, it was desperately selling off assets across the city.

"Tomorrow's talks are preliminary. Ran Hu won't give in so readily," Liu Wuxie said, shaking his head gently.

Even after death, a centipede's legs still writhe. As a second-tier force with deep roots, the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion would not vanish simply because hardship had overtaken it. Nor would Ran Hu, a proud Immortal Lord, willingly relinquish everything he had spent his life building.

Long Ying gave a slow nod. Most likely, the requested meeting was a probe, a final effort to reach a settlement. If the talks failed, they would fight to the bitter end.

By noon the next day, Yuan Clan guardians had cleared the area within a hundred meters of Moonrise Pavilion and sealed it off. Outsiders could no longer approach.

"All preparations are complete, Young Master Liu," Yuan Xiangtian reported. He planned to accompany Liu Wuxie, along with one of the clan's Grand Elders, to ensure his safety. With two Immortal Lords present, he was confident Ran Hu would refrain from an open attack.

Liu Wuxie nodded, then told Long Ying and Long Yuanxiong to stay at the estate. Three representatives on either side would preserve the meeting's balance.

......

The past forty-eight hours had battered the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion yet again. Dozens of guest elders, deacons, and core disciples had quietly abandoned it.

Blood held a clan together, but the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion functioned more like a loosely organized commercial sect. Disaster exposed the particular fragility of such a structure.

Ran Hu sat without moving in the silent main hall. Much of his hair had gone white above a gaunt, haggard face. He had bought temporary peace with the Heavenly Demon Cult's leader and the other aggressive creditors, yet the crisis still loomed over their heads.

"The Yuan Clan's delegation has set out, Pavilion Master," the Grand Elder reported as he entered.

"Let's be on our way, Envoy Tu," Ran Hu said, drawing a deep, unsteady breath to regain his composure.

Beside him sat a figure swathed in black robes, his features hidden beneath a dark, suffocating aura. The man stood in silence.

Outside the cordon surrounding Moonrise Pavilion, cultivators crowded the streets. All were eager to witness the negotiations that would decide the future of Azure Cloud City's blacksmithing trade.

"Do you really think a youth named Liu Wuxie brought down a second-tier sect with nothing more than a flick of his wrist?" whispered the onlookers throughout the crowd. Rumor had made him out to be the mastermind of the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's collapse.

"How could a Profound Immortal manage something like that? He's almost certainly a decoy the Yuan Clan is using to hide its own involvement," many replied with scoffs and shaking heads.

"Here comes the Yuan Clan!" someone shouted from the street.

Yuan Xiangtian led the way, followed by Liu Wuxie, while the Grand Elder guarded the rear. The clan's disciples opened a broad path through the gathered cultivators.

"The Heaven Room on the third floor awaits you, Patriarch Yuan," the owner said, hurrying to receive them inside Moonrise Pavilion. He was middle-aged, with cultivation at the pinnacle of the Immortal King Realm.

He guided all three to the top floor, which overlooked the entire avenue below.

"The Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion is here!" Ran Hu announced with imposing authority. All weariness had vanished from his face, and a sharp, deadly light now shone in his eyes.

The owner descended to welcome Ran Hu's party with equal courtesy, then escorted them to the third floor.

After all six entered the Heaven Room, he activated its powerful defensive array and shut out every external, probing divine senses. Spectators cursed in frustration as their senses struck the barrier.

Five meters separated two heavy tables. Yuan Xiangtian, Liu Wuxie, and the Yuan Clan's Grand Elder sat at one; Ran Hu, his Grand Elder, and the black-robed man at the other. Between them stretched a translucent energy screen, keeping heated words from immediately giving way to violence.

As the old saying goes, enemies inevitably meet on a narrow road.

Ran Hu scarcely took his seat before he directed the full pressure of an Immortal Lord at Liu Wuxie.

Yuan Xiangtian answered at once, matching his aura. Their forces crashed together, driving a violent shockwave through the room and making the defensive barrier tremble.

"Honored guests, I've personally prepared today's delicacies, which were brought from afar. Please enjoy the meal," the owner interjected smoothly, clapping his hands. Two maids arrived bearing jade platters and arranged exquisite dishes and fine wine before the guests. They bowed, then withdrew.

"Moonrise Pavilion is reserved for you alone today, so there's no need to hurry," the owner added. He left, sealing the double doors behind him.

Ran Hu and his companions remained motionless, their pale, grim faces turned toward the opposite table. Liu Wuxie appeared unaffected by the oppressive atmosphere. He picked up the wine jug and calmly filled Yuan Xiangtian's cup, then the Grand Elder's.

"Pavilion Master Ran," Liu Wuxie began, breaking the silence. He raised his cup toward Ran Hu in a casual toast and drained it in one smooth motion. "You didn't call us here simply to stare at one another, did you?"

Of the six, no one appeared more at ease than Liu Wuxie. He leisurely savored the food and wine while watching Ran Hu's black-robed companion out of the corner of his eye. If his deduction was correct, that stranger was a Heavenly Alliance envoy at the pinnacle of the Immortal Venerable Realm.

"Was all of this your doing, Liu Wuxie?" Ran Hu growled. He ignored the wine, his murderous intent seeping through the energy screen.

"Can you support that accusation with any evidence, Pavilion Master Ran?" Liu Wuxie asked, setting his cup down and refilling it, his gaze serene.

No answer came from Ran Hu. His suspicions rested entirely on speculation; nothing proved that Liu Wuxie had engineered the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's ruin.

Yuan Xiangtian would never disclose the truth, and Yuan Guanghuan remained silent. The ordinary disciples knew nothing. Their patriarch had ordered them to receive Liu Wuxie as an honored guest and treat him with absolute respect.

"Don't drive us too far, Liu Wuxie! You're in Azure Cloud City, not the Azure Jade Palace!" the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's Grand Elder roared, openly threatening him.

"Am I supposed to take that as a threat?" Liu Wuxie asked coldly. He put down his porcelain cup, and killing intent suddenly surged from him. Razor-thin blades of pressure condensed within it, pierced the transparent barrier, and swept toward the Grand Elder.

Cups and jade platters disintegrated into dust on the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion's table. The abrupt display took everyone by surprise, their expressions changing sharply. Even Yuan Xiangtian appeared startled.

"This meeting wasn't called to trade empty threats, Liu Wuxie," Ran Hu interjected, cutting off his Grand Elder. More bickering would accomplish nothing and could only pull both sides toward mutual destruction.

Once, the pavilion's overall martial strength had exceeded the Yuan Clan's. However, the recent succession of financial blows had ravaged its foundations.

"Now that you're willing to listen to reason, Pavilion Master Ran, I'll make this plain. Settle all the overdue tribute you owe the Azure Jade Palace, and I'll leave your Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion a path to survive," Liu Wuxie said. His killing intent receded smoothly as he issued the ultimatum.

Recovering the debt was still his sole objective. He understood the heavy price of outright destroying a second-tier force.

"Out of the question!" Ran Hu refused at once. Twenty years of tribute represented an astronomical sum. Even if the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion survived, paying it would leave the organization on the brink of ruin. Worse still, a Heavenly Alliance envoy sat beside him. Yielding to the Azure Jade Palace would amount to openly betraying the Heavenly Alliance and invite immediate execution.

"Then there's no point in talking further," Liu Wuxie said calmly, standing. He had every advantage and no reason to rush.

Yuan Xiangtian and the Grand Elder stood beside him.

"Hold on!" the black-robed man called hoarsely, speaking for the first time.

"Is there anything else?" Liu Wuxie asked, fixing him with a piercing gaze. The stranger's cultivation was so formidable that every probe of divine sense slid off him like water over polished stone.

"Did you arrange for the Kabiya Guild to intervene?" the man asked coldly, testing the depths of Liu Wuxie's background. If the youth could compel the guild to seize those workshops ahead of time, his true standing far exceeded that of an ordinary outer disciple.

"Trying to test me?" Liu Wuxie asked with a quiet chuckle.

The black-robed man's voice was as pleasant as a spring breeze, but the rasping chuckle resembled a ghost's wail in the dead of night.

"What is your true identity? What drives you to go this far?" the man pressed. An ordinary outer disciple dispatched on a routine collection mission would hardly gamble his life so recklessly to bring down a regional power.

"You lack the standing to know who I am. I'll give the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion three days to repay its debts. Take this as your warning. The consequences will be far beyond your ability to bear," Liu Wuxie answered with cold arrogance.

With a flick of his wide sleeve, he strode from the Heaven Room, leaving Ran Hu and his companions to brood in silence.

"Absurd! Absolutely outrageous!" the Grand Elder bellowed, slamming his palm on the mahogany table and cracking it.

"Did you discover anything about him, Envoy Tu?" Ran Hu asked, turning toward the shadowy figure. The envoy had specifically requested these talks to assess Liu Wuxie's abilities.

"That boy has to die," Envoy Tu said, a bloodthirsty gleam flashing beneath his hood.

"But he's staying within the Yuan Clan estate. What's your plan for attacking him?" Ran Hu asked, his brow furrowing.

Ran Hu wanted Liu Wuxie dead more than anyone else did. The youth had slain his only son.

"You needn't worry. I specialize in assassination," Envoy Tu purred, licking his dark lips. The suffocating killing intent of an Immortal Venerable spread throughout the room.

As his party returned to the busy street, Yuan Xiangtian's brows remained tightly knitted.

"Young Master Liu, that black-robed companion of Ran Hu's, has terrifying cultivation and powerful killing intent. I fear he'll strike at you in secret," Yuan Xiangtian warned through a voice transmission after they had passed beyond the crowd.

Cornered, the Tigerwood Blacksmith Pavilion could be expected to resort to desperate violence in hopes of reversing its fortunes.

"My only worry was that he might decide against attacking. Those three days were more than a warning. I reserved that time to prepare my trap," Liu Wuxie replied, a bright, dangerous smile spreading over his face.