Chapter 434: Business

In the main seat of the reception hall, two Bao Clan elders had taken their seats. One sipped his tea leisurely, while the other kept his eyes cast down, as if lost in thought.

After finishing his cup of tea, the elder on the left said, “It’s about time. So, tell me how you propose to do business with us. Both of you.”

Wei Yuan suggested, “Why don’t you go first, Brother Zhao?”

Zhao Fusheng replied, “We at Qiongshan have always had extensive business dealings with the Bao Clan, so there’s not much to say. No matter how much profit you offer, I’ll simply double it.”

Wei Yuan said, “Don’t you think that’s a bit contrived? Simply add one tael to whatever offer I make.”

It was an obvious provocation, but Zhao Fusheng had no reason to back down. He accepted the challenge and said, “All right.”

Wei Yuan clasped his hands in salute toward the two great elders and began, “This junior shall speak frankly. Currently, one of Qingming’s core industries is armor-forging. The cuirasses we produce are mainly sold to the Zhao State and the Western Jin State. Demand far outstrips supply at the moment.

“If the Bao Clan is interested, I ask that you invest five hundred thousand taels of immortal silver to expand our armament workshop by one-fifth. This expansion would yield an annual net profit of approximately two hundred thousand taels, with a return on investment in two and a half years.”

Zhao Fusheng snorted and said, “A mere two hundred thousand taels! Qiongshan will happily concede two hundred thousand and one tael in profit to the Bao Clan.”

Wei Yuan continued, “If you’re not interested in armor-forging, you could also acquire the mines surrounding Qingming. For example, we possess mines for the essence of Five Metals, rare metals, Thunder Sand and more. With the Bao Clan’s connections, you should be able to secure them. As for the output, I’ll purchase whatever is produced. This venture alone would yield a net profit of roughly three hundred thousand taels annually, and if a major deposit were discovered, that figure could double.”

“Hmph! Qiongshan will concede another three hundred thousand and one taels!”

“The Bao Clan could also acquire the spirit wood forests in the vicinity of my Qingming and sell all the spirit wood produced there to me—again, I’ll take whatever is produced. Alternatively, you could cultivate a spirit forest within the realm itself. This would take a bit longer, but once the forest matures, the returns would far exceed two hundred thousand taels.

“In addition, I’m planning to open a brocade house soon, which will require one million taels of immortal silver and yield an annual net profit starting at around four hundred thousand taels. Originally, I was planning to hold half of the ownership of the brocade house, but if Senior Sister Bao is allowed to go to Qingming to train, handing over the entire business to the Bao Clan wouldn’t be out of the question.”

At first, every time Wei Yuan made an offer, Zhao Fusheng would let out a cold laugh and add a tael to it. But after repeating this several times, even he sensed that something was off and gradually fell silent.

Every business venture Wei Yuan had proposed was specific, detailed, and even formed a supply chain. The man had clearly come well-prepared. On the other hand, Zhao Fusheng could only keep saying, “Add one tael, add one tael.” By comparison, he came across as a complete fool.

Zhao Fusheng felt anxious inside, but he had rarely bothered to look into the businesses of his immortal island—how could he possibly say anything about them? Besides, he was a young island lord possessing unparalleled talent, his true path was to make rapid and vigorous progress in his cultivation. Why would he waste his time on petty business matters?

But then, Zhao Fusheng thought again and realized Wei Yuan hadn’t neglected his cultivation despite his business either.

At that moment, the elder who had been resting his eyes opened them and said slowly, “The business ventures you propose aren’t bad, but they’re all a bit lackluster. Only the spirit wood forest seems somewhat promising. Do you have any higher stakes opportunities?”

Wei Yuan hadn’t thought about this question before. But after pondering for a moment and glancing at the options presented by the mortals, he selected a few and replied, “Nothing is more high-stakes than conquering cities and seizing territory. The last time I raided the shaman realm, I brought back several million taels worth of supplies. The natural resources of the western regions are entirely different from those of the Eastern Sea, so they complement each other well.

“If the Bao Clan is interested, you can invest and establish a military force in Qingming. I can provide the weapons, equipment, and logistical supplies at a low cost. This force could either join my main army in battle, or the Bao Clan could appoint their own officers and operate independently. I only ask that they must follow my orders during major battles. All their spoils of wars will go to the Bao Clan, but how much they gain will depend on their own efforts.”

The Bao Clan elder nodded slightly, seeming somewhat tempted.

Wei Yuan continued, “There is another proposal. You can build a city within my Realm of Qingming. I can supply twenty thousand able-bodied citizens at the beginning; after that, it will be up to the Bao Clan to manage it. I can supply all the materials needed for construction at a discounted rate, and once the city is built, you’ll simply pay taxes according to the established regulations.

“Forming an elite force of ten thousand troops will cost approximately one million taels, with an annual maintenance cost of two hundred thousand taels. Building the city will require an initial investment of one point five million taels. How you choose to proceed thereafter is up to you.”

The Bao Clan elder who had been sipping tea suddenly said, “Show me the map.”

Wei Yuan manifested a map of the Realm of Qingming. It was fairly detailed and fully annotated. After examining it, the two elders were startled and exclaimed, “It’s already four hundred li?”

The elder sipping tea scanned the map point by point, scrutinizing even the geography in great detail. He carefully studied the locations of the existing cities while constantly making mental calculations.

The other elder said, “It takes two hundred taels to arm a single elite soldier? What are the criteria for these so-called elites, and what equipment do they have? Please explain in detail.”

“All elite soldiers must be at least at the blood-tempering stage. Each soldier is equipped with a pack horse used for riding during travel and dismounted for foot combat in battle. Their equipment consists primarily of cuirasses—”

The more Zhao Fusheng listened, the more uneasy he felt. The two sides were actually negotiating with each other!

After listening carefully, the elder nodded and said, “Those at the blood-tempering stage can lift five hundred catties and run a hundred li in one breath—that’s exactly the standard for the border troops of Great Tang. Combined with their equipment, such a force definitely qualified to be called elite. How many such elite troops does Qingming currently have?”

“A little over one hundred thousand.”

The two elders were slightly taken aback. They were well aware that the Palace of Absolute Beginning had provided Wei Yuan with very little assistance back then. In the beginning, it had just been his classmates journeying 10,000 li[1] to come to his aid, while various clans had secretly sent people to watch from above. Therefore, every clan had closely observed how the Realm of Qingming had developed in its early days.

In just two years, the Realm of Qingming had already amassed one hundred thousand elite border troops. With such military strength, Wei Yuan could be considered a competent military commissioner in any of the nine states.

What the two elders didn’t know was that Wei Yuan’s “a little over one hundred thousand” really meant two hundred thousand. He had not mentioned those with higher cultivation levels either.

“What restrictions would apply to this city and its troops?” one elder asked.

During the time in which the two elders were questioning Wei Yuan and pondering, the mortals had already swiftly finalized two proposals.

Wei Yuan replied, “The city shall primarily abide by Qingming’s laws. The city may come up with its own finer laws and regulations, but it must not conflict with Qingming’s existing laws. Furthermore, any special privileges enjoyed by the scions of noble clans may only be exercised within the city. Once they leave the city, they will be treated the same as everyone else. Additionally a city defense force may be established, at a rate of one hundred city defense troops per ten thousand residents.”

This level of authority was basically the standard for all frontier fortresses or military cities; just slightly more limited than the powers enjoyed by the noble clans within their own ancestral lands.

Wei Yuan continued, “On a related note, military units may not move at will within the realm. They must be stationed at their designated camps. Furthermore, if I issue a call to arms during wartimes, they must answer and obey all military orders. Of course, if I choose to mobilize them, I will fully compensate for all casualties sustained during the major battle afterward.”

Zhao Fusheng had been silent for quite some time, but now, he felt that he had to say something. Otherwise, he would truly appear completely uneducated.

He pondered for a moment before asking, “Obey your call to arms during a major battle? How do we know you aren’t using the bao Clan troops as fodder? Why can’t the Bao Clan’s officers be allowed to lead their own forces?”

Wei Yuan replied, “How the troops are deployed depends on the situation on the battlefield at the time. If they need to be deployed on the front lines, they will be. If they need to bring up the rear, they will. As for allowing their officers to act independently, that simply cannot be done. During a major battle, nothing is more important than a unified command. The worst thing you can do is to have orders coming from multiple sources. You probably haven’t fought many wars, Young Master Zhao. Perhaps you’ll gain more experience on the battlefield in the future.”

Zhao Fusheng was furious, but he didn’t know how to refute this. The Eastern Sea was vast, and their battles were mostly naval engagements. Moreover, Zhao Fusheng’s responsibility on the battlefield was primarily engaging the enemy’s high cultivators in bloody duels. That was why he had never commanded a large-scale land battle before.

The two elders exchanged a subtle glance with each other. If they did build a city and a military force in the Realm of Qingming, it would be tantamount to establishing an exclave in the western regions. However, the other clans would almost certainly view this as an overreach. This was a matter of great significance and required consultation with the other elders.

The elder sipping tea said, “Young Friend Wei, your proposal has indeed surprised me. I must give it some careful consideration. If you have no other business, you are welcome to stay here for a few days. Guanchao Harbor has many scenic spots; you might as well take a stroll and have a look around.”

Wei Yuan replied, “Qingming will likely experience a major battle in the near future. Perhaps you should wait until after that battle before making a decision. However, the price might have gone up a bit by then.”

“I understand.”

After leaving the reception hall, a Bao Clan cultivator led Wei Yuan to his guest quarters. This time, the Bao Clan had arranged the finest guest quarters for Wei Yuan—a five-courtyard complex with a three-story main building, one side of which faced a cliff and offered a breathtaking view of the sea.

As soon as he entered the house, Wei Yuan heard Bao Manshan’s voice: “Come over here.”

Wei Yuan obeyed and walked to the cliff’s edge, where he saw Bao Manshan and an elderly man playing a game of Go. Bao Manshan’s eyes remained fixed on the board as he gestured toward a chair beside him.

Wei yuan sat down beside the board to watch, but since he had only a superficial understanding of the game, he could hardly make sense of what was happening. However, just in case the elder playing against Bao Manshan decided to test him, Wei Yuan focused his mind and manifested the game within the Great Realm.

Immediately, three immortal plants activated as nodes, driving the perception of several thousand mortals to operate at high speed. They simulated every possible step and derived tens of thousands of movements in every instant.

Just then, the old man across from him planted a stone. Bao Manshan pondered briefly before responding with a move of his own; one that caused Wei Yuan to furrow his brow slightly.

The move Bao Manshan had just made was not among the scenarios the mortals had calculated. After the mortals recalculated the odds based on Bao Manshan’s new move, they concluded that he was eighty percent likely to lose.

Although Wei Yuan’s expression changed only slightly, both elders noticed it instantly. Bao Manshan looked slightly surprised and asked, “You know how to play Go?”

“Just a little,” Wei Yuan replied honestly.

Just then, the old man made another move. Seeing that defeat was inevitable, Bao Manshan suddenly turned to Wei Yuan and said, “Play for me. Show the Seventh Elder your skills.”

The elder across from him was well aware of Bao Manshan’s favorite trick: he had used this tactic more than once to avoid losing the game. The elder didn’t take it to heart, though. After all, victory had already been assured, so he might as well use this opportunity to test Wei Yuan’s Go skills.

The moment Wei Yuan planted a stone, both the elder and Bao Manshan were utterly taken aback. From their perspective, the move made no sense at all.

Bao Manshan blurted out instinctively, “That’s a complete nonsense move!”

But after a closer look, the elder realized he couldn’t simply ignore it, so he casually played a move in response.

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment, then played another peculiar move.

The elder had been studying the kifu[2] for many years, but never had he seen such a move before. Naturally, he was taken aback. Bao Manshan was also shaking his head repeatedly as he watched.

In the blink of an eye, more than ten moves had passed. The old man’s pace was steadily slowing, but Wei Yuan wasn’t having an easy time himself. By now, even Yin Yang and every immortal plant had gotten involved in the game. Over 20,000 mortals were analyzing the game and providing countermeasures at every moment.

After a few more moves, Wei Yuan—who had seemed to be playing randomly—actually managed to slowly turn the tide of the game!

A few more moves later, the old man let out a grunt, his face turning ashen with shock and disbelief, and threw in the towel.

He let out another heavy grunt, swept his wide sleeves, and began a new game, saying, “I didn’t realize your skill was so exceptional, young friend, and I consider myself to have some mastery in the Dao of Go! Come, come, let’s play another game—a proper one this time!”

According to the rules, as the junior, Wei Yuan was supposed to make the first move. So, Wei Yuan picked up a stone and, following the opening suggested by the mortals, placed it on the 3-3 point[3]

The Seventh Elder grunted, his expression immediately turning displeased. This opening looked thoughtless no matter how he looked at it, but given the skill Wei Yuan had displayed in the previous game, there was no way the young man hadn’t studied the kifu. The fact that he still did it was clearly a sign of contempt toward him.

The Seventh Elder, whose Go skill was unmatched throughout the Bao Clan[4], slammed his stone down hard, intent on teaching this presumptuous youngster a lesson.

1. Just to clarify, this is an exaggeration, like how you say an abyss is bottomless. ☜

2. Game records. Like those famous games of chess that are recorded. ☜

3. It’s basically referring to the x and y-axis of the board. I lifted this line from Wikipedia: As the distance of a stone from the edge of the board has important tactical and strategic implications, it is normal to term the corner points of the board (1, 1) points, and count lines in from the edge. ☜

4. LOL. I guess that’s still tens or even hundreds of thousands of people but still, that’s like saying you’re the undefeated champion of chess in your family. LOL! ☜