Chapter 457 - 452: A Slap on the Wrist

Unless absolutely necessary, Du Youqian had no desire to kill Master Huaisu. Otherwise, he would have a hard time explaining himself to the Alliance.

Seeing that Master Huaisu was being so sensible, he said with a smile, "Master Huaisu, since you attacked me and were defeated, you ought to pay a price, don’t you think? If there were no consequences for attacking me, wouldn’t that just advertise that I can be provoked by anyone? One Tier Four Treasure will be enough to show that the price is steep. Then, I can accept your apology."

Master Huaisu pursed her lips, took out a Jade Ruler, and tossed it to Du Youqian.

It was indeed a Tier Four Treasure. Although its quality wasn’t the best, it was still Tier Four.

This type of Treasure, balanced for both offense and defense, was versatile if you put it nicely. To be blunt, it was mediocre at both, making it one of the less valuable types of Treasures.

Still, it could be sold for one hundred to two hundred thousand Spiritual Jade.

What could one to two hundred thousand Spiritual Jade buy?

If used to train young Cultivators, it was enough to lavishly use Elixirs to produce over a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and then provide a Core Formation Spiritual Object to the most outstanding among them.

As for how many would actually succeed in Core Formation, that was anyone’s guess.

Alternatively, the entire two hundred thousand Spiritual Jade could be used to purchase a Nascent Soul Spiritual Object, investing in a Golden Core Late Stage or Perfection Cultivator to see if they could break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.

Whether the Nascent Soul Formation would be successful would then depend on the individual’s own destiny.

Two hundred thousand Spiritual Jade wasn’t a huge sum, but it wasn’t a small one either. For most Core Formation Cultivators, it might be their entire net worth.

Even for a Nascent Soul Cultivator, it was a loss that would sting.

Master Huaisu had used a Treasure worth two hundred thousand Spiritual Jade to save her own life. She certainly didn’t lose out on the deal, and Du Youqian had profited.

"Now, let’s talk about Master Changfu’s Nascent Soul. I presume, Master Huaisu, that you are willing to pay any price to ransom it? After all, he is your Dao Companion."

The mature, beautiful Master Huaisu stubbornly shook her head. "I am not his Dao Companion."

"Oh, that’s wonderful," Du Youqian said with a grin. "I’ve been wanting to use a Cultivator’s Nascent Soul for Artifact Refining to try and break through to the rank of Tier Four Refining Grandmaster."

Master Huaisu forced her eyes open against the overflowing Sword Intent, but they were quickly stung with pain, forcing her to shut them again.

"Say no more. I am willing to pay a certain price, but it won’t be just *any* price. He is not worth me saving him at all costs."

"Two Tier Four Treasures..." Du Youqian used his overwhelming Divine Sense to monitor Master Huaisu’s emotional fluctuations and shifting thoughts. "That’s far from enough. Master Changfu’s value lies in his expertise in Magical Combat. If he recovers his Cultivation, he could even slay a Nascent Soul Late Stage Cultivator. It would be a terrible waste not to save such a powerful combatant. After all, how much Spiritual Jade would it take to raise a Nascent Soul Late Stage Cultivator? At least one or two million."

Master Huaisu couldn’t help the twitch at the corner of her mouth. "Two million? Even if I sold everything I own, it wouldn’t be worth that much. If I really had that kind of money, I’d be better off picking a few outstanding Core Formation Cultivators to train. Why would I bother saving that disobedient, stubborn mule?"

Du Youqian smiled faintly, knowing he had her.

He opened the Jade Box and pinched Master Changfu’s Nascent Soul in his hand.

Sensing the surging Sword Intent, Master Changfu’s Nascent Soul struggled frantically. But it was completely unable to break free from Du Youqian’s grasp and could only allow the Sword Intent to wash over it, weakening its Divine Sense and shaking the very foundation of its Nascent Soul.

It looked as if Master Changfu’s Nascent Soul was about to crumble under the Sword Intent.

"Enough!" Master Huaisu finally couldn’t take it anymore. "Two Tier Four Treasures. I’ll give them to you in a month. In addition, for the next one hundred years, I will give you one hundred thousand Spiritual Jade every ten years."

Du Youqian did a quick calculation. That was about right. Any more, and Master Huaisu definitely wouldn’t be able to afford it.

After all, for Master Changfu to quickly recover his Cultivation, he would also need to expend a vast amount of resources.

This much compensation would probably be enough for an ordinary Nascent Soul Master to cover the costs of cultivating all the way to the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

But it wasn’t enough for Du Youqian.

For Cultivation in the Nascent Soul Realm, the Spirit Root was no longer as crucial.

What was needed were treasures that could aid in Enlightenment of the Dao.

But Du Youqian possessed Cosmic Spirit Roots, and the Cultivation Technique he practiced was the incredibly profound Space-Time Attribute *Golden Jade Flying Scripture of the Eight Realms of Truth*. The resources it consumed grew exponentially compared to those required by Nascent Soul Cultivators of other attributes.

This compensation, added to his own previous savings, was just about enough for him to forge a Treasure, return to Momenan to retrieve his people, and then cultivate to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

He estimated that he had more or less cleaned out Master Huaisu, so he decided to quit while he was ahead. He smiled. "Let’s make a contract, witnessed by the Alliance."

"Agreed. Fellow Daoist Xiao, please put away your Flying Sword. I am injured and cannot withstand your sharp Sword Intent."

"Haha!" Du Youqian laughed heartily and put away his Flying Sword. "My apologies for the offense, Master Huaisu."

Master Huaisu shook her head and finally opened her eyes again, her beautiful gaze fixed deeply on Du Youqian. "Fellow Daoist Xiao, if you do not meet an untimely end, it’s not impossible that in a few hundred years, I may be kneeling before you, addressing you as True Monarch."

Du Youqian was not one for false modesty. He simply smiled and nodded. "The kneeling won’t be necessary."

’But you will definitely have to call me True Monarch.’

After signing the contract with Master Huaisu, Du Youqian let her go to tend to her wounds.

As for Master Changfu’s Nascent Soul, he would certainly wait until Master Huaisu’s two Tier Four Treasures arrived before handing it over.

Whether Master Changfu’s Nascent Soul would be damaged in the meantime, or if it would affect his future recovery—what did any of that have to do with him?

It was generous enough of him not to kick the man while he was down.

Killing Master Changfu in public would indeed have caused some trouble.

Killing fellow members was a major crime in the Alliance.

Of course, Master Changfu was also at fault, and his punishment would have been severe as well.

But even if Master Changfu had made the first move, according to the Alliance’s rules, he still shouldn’t have killed him.

Now that he hadn’t destroyed Master Changfu’s Nascent Soul, it left some room for maneuvering.

Kai Feng Master would surely help him navigate the situation and mitigate the fallout.

Du Youqian arrived at the Duan Clan’s grand meeting hall. Along the way, every Cultivator who saw him bowed respectfully.

Some were grateful to him for saving the Duan Clan, but there were undoubtedly also some from the clan’s side branches who hated him to the bone and could only force a smile. Du Youqian couldn’t be bothered with them.

A short while later, Duan Shurui and an ashen-faced Duan Shuma hurried over.

Duan Shurui radiated a palpable killing intent. She must have just gone on a rampage, dealing with the Duan Clan members who had sided with Master Changfu and Master Huaisu.

Following behind them were several of the Duan Clan’s Core Formation Masters, as well as Du Youqian’s cousin, Sui Yu, who was already at Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Sui Yu appeared to have been unharmed. After all, his Cultivation was so low that it would have been beneath Master Changfu to make a move against him.

"Greetings, Master!"

"We pay our respects, Master!"

"Sui Yu respectfully greets the Ancestor!"

The Cultivators bowed to Du Youqian one after another.

Only Duan Shurui came forward, her face full of concern. She checked him all over. "My son, are you all right? You fought two Middle Stage Nascent Soul Cultivators in a row. You’re not hurt, are you?"

"What could happen to me? They were just two jumping clowns, not even worth mentioning." Du Youqian replied with a faint, detached smile.

Inwardly, his heart was bleeding.

’Fifty years of my lifespan!’

But in front of others, he had to project an image of absolute power and mystery.

"Uncle, how are your injuries?"

A fierce glint flashed in Duan Shuma’s eyes. "It’s nothing serious. Thank you for your concern, Xiao’Er."

Du Youqian’s Divine Sense could naturally perceive his uncle’s condition. He realized that his uncle was just putting on a brave front; his injuries were actually quite severe.

But this was normal. As the Patriarch, if he were to go before the Alliance council, he would naturally play the victim and lament his suffering to squeeze out more benefits for himself.

But in front of his own family, he had to stand firm. Even if his teeth were knocked out, he would have to swallow them along with the blood. He could not let anyone see his weakness.

Du Youqian decided to stay in Dali City for a while to refine some Tier Three Healing Elixirs and help his uncle get through this crisis.

"Then, everything will proceed as usual." Du Youqian’s voice was not loud, but it was filled with authority.

"We shall respectfully obey the Master’s decree!" the Duan Clan members replied, bowing reverently.

~~~~~~~~~

Du Youqian remained in Dali City, but a letter denouncing Master Changfu was swiftly sent to the Alliance Headquarters.

He was making a preemptive strike, lest Master Changfu and Master Huaisu turn the tables and accuse him first.

Combined with the cleverly edited footage from a Memory Stone and Kai Feng Master pulling strings and smoothing over relations for him, the matter did not escalate.

According to past cases similar to Du Youqian’s—where an Alliance Nascent Soul Master was killed in a counterattack, but their Nascent Soul was not destroyed—the typical punishment was a fine of 100,000 to 300,000 Spirit Stones. If the perpetrator was an Artisan, they would be sentenced to ten to twenty years of hard labor for the Alliance.

There was even one case where the killer was required to slay a Tier Four Demon King.

In comparison, the punishment Du Youqian received was far too light.

In the end, the Alliance merely gave him a slap on the wrist: his mandatory service time was extended by ten years within the next century.

A drop in the bucket.