Chapter 11: Soul Skill, Power of Money

The Speed Clan shares a kinship with the Haotian Sect, and Bai He is, in fact, Tang San’s great-uncle. Bai Chenxiang is his young cousin. Providing aid to the Speed Clan is easy enough, and creating a means of livelihood for them is simple; delivery services, courier work, or armed escort—all are highly lucrative trades.

The crux of the matter is his fear that, once the Speed Clan is revitalized, Bai He will simply flock back to Tang San or the Haotian Sect at the slightest beckoning. That would be a complete waste of effort. The Power Clan is in much the same state. Although they have no blood ties to the Haotian Sect, they are absurdly loyal, referring to themselves as servants of Tang Hao. This is something Li Xun finds difficult to comprehend—is it not better to stand tall as one's own master?

Given these points, among the four single-attribute clans, the only ones he wishes to win over are the Breakthrough Clan and the Defense Clan.

Yang Qianjun carefully tucked the silver card into his tunic. "Well... Brother Li Xun, if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."

Li Xun could not possibly let him leave just like that. Setting aside the second volume of Yang Wudi’s medical texts, he wanted to use this opportunity to make contact with Yang Wudi himself.

"Brother Yang, stay a moment."

"To be honest, the work authored by Senior Yang Wudi has benefited me greatly. Would you be willing to sell me the second volume?"

Yang Qianjun appeared hesitant. This excursion had already yielded far more than expected, and he did not wish to risk anything further. It had been a rash impulse that led him to steal his grandfather’s book for profit; he had no idea what might happen when he returned. If he were to steal the second volume as well, his grandfather would surely break his hands. Furthermore, the second volume dealt mostly with the creation of poisons, which was why he had deliberately left it behind in the first place.

Seeing Yang Qianjun’s hesitation, Li Xun decided to play a stronger hand. "Brother Yang, I am willing to offer two thousand gold coins for the second volume of the medical pharmacopeia. Moreover, I can pay a deposit of five hundred gold soul coins right now."

Li Xun withdrew a pouch from his soul storage device. It contained exactly five hundred. Feeling that the impact was insufficient, he began to pour the gold soul coins out onto the table, one by one. Yang Qianjun listened to the rhythmic clatter of the gold hitting the wood, his heart hammering against his chest. When he saw the coins piling up on the table, his eyes widened. Five hundred gold soul coins did not sound like much, but displayed on the table, it was a spectacular sight. The surface shimmered with gold, resembling a miniature mountain of wealth. Yang Qianjun was only twelve years old; he had never seen such a scene before. Though he had been excited when he received the silver card, he had managed to restrain himself, as it was merely a card and not cold, hard cash.

"I..." Yang Qianjun slowly closed his eyes, suppressing the greed rising within him.

He had barely uttered a word before Li Xun interrupted. "I will add another five hundred. These five hundred gold soul coins are just the deposit, and you can take them with you now. Once the second volume is delivered, I will pay you the remaining two thousand."

"Brother Yang, you wouldn't want your future bride to live a life of hardship, would you?"

As he finished speaking, Li Xun took two more silver cards from his storage device and slowly placed them at the corner of the table. The table, already resplendent with golden light, gained a different luster with the addition of the silver.

Yang Qianjun’s resolve crumbled. "You... you are paying too much," he managed to choke out.

"Not at all. I believe the knowledge of Senior Yang Wudi is worth this price." Li Xun watched him with a smile. "Brother Yang, as I said before, the knowledge is merely being sold, not disappearing."

"Very well, I will go get the second volume for you." Yang Qianjun tilted his head back and took a deep, steadying breath.

"Excellent. I like a straightforward man like you, Brother Yang. It is unsafe for you to carry so much gold; I shall exchange it for a copper card for you." Li Xun handed him a copper card. Looking at the card, Yang Qianjun felt a strange sense of gratitude. At his age, carrying a large bag of gold coins would be no different than inviting every rogue soul master to rob him. Li Xun’s gesture was clearly out of concern for his safety.

"Thank you, Brother Li Xun! Do you have paper and a pen?"

"I do. Why do you ask?" Li Xun feigned confusion.

"I will write you a promissory note. If I am discovered by my grandfather, you can use this document to claim the second volume from him," Yang Qianjun said, his expression resolute. His grandfather, Yang Wudi, was stubborn and incorruptible. Even if he were caught stealing the book, his grandfather would never break his word once a formal agreement existed. At most, he would just have to suffer a bit himself.

"Brother Yang, I trust your character. There is no need for a note; I would not want to damage our friendship," Li Xun said with a pretense of modesty.

"Brother Li Xun, thank you for your trust, but my grandfather has a fiery temper." Yang Qianjun seemed to recall something and shivered. "If I am grounded... or have my legs broken, you can take this note to his door. Consider it... a way to save me..."

"Very well..." Li Xun nodded reluctantly, retrieving paper, a pen, and an inkstone from his storage device.

Once everything was settled, Li Xun saw Yang Qianjun out of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He couldn't help but feel like a middle-aged man tricking a child, even if he had paid for it.

...

Li Xun pushed open the gate to his courtyard to find Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong drinking tea in the pavilion.

"Little Xun, you look so happy. Did you acquire a useful book?"

"Brother Li Xun, close your mouth; you're grinning from ear to ear."

"Teacher, Rongrong, why are you here?" Li Xun closed the gate and walked toward the pavilion.

"We happened to have some free time and came to discuss the situation at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy," Ning Fengzhi said with a smile, sipping his tea.

"Brother Li Xun, when are we leaving? Staying in the sect all the time is so boring." Ning Rongrong lay across the table, looking utterly listless. Within the sect, it was nothing but cultivation and study, with Li Xun always watching over her. She was desperate to see the outside world.

"I have nothing left to handle here, so we can leave whenever you like." Li Xun sat in a chair, swatted away Ning Rongrong’s pestering hand, and took a sip of tea. He had already gathered most of the information on the immortal herbs and was merely waiting for the rest. It was time to make contact with Dugu Bo and his granddaughter.

"Yay! Let’s leave tomorrow. I’m going to go pack right now!" Ning Rongrong jumped to her feet, excited.

"Go ahead, but don't bring too much," Ning Fengzhi said indulgently. "Little Xun, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan possesses a natural arrogance due to their martial soul. If you come into conflict with them, do not act rashly."

"You possess immense potential, and your future achievements will surely far exceed theirs. There is no need to dispute a moment of pride." Ning Fengzhi looked at Li Xun earnestly. "However, while we do not seek trouble, we do not fear it either. Do not let yourself be wronged."

The main reason he had agreed to let Xue Qinghe take Li Xun and Ning Rongrong to the academy was to show the world the potential of the younger generation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, thereby attracting those who wished to bet on their sect's success. It would be best if no conflict arose.

"Teacher, I will not be reckless," Li Xun nodded. His priority was to increase his strength; he had no time to concern himself with Yu Tianheng. The only reason he agreed to go to the academy was to get close to Dugu Bo and find an opportunity to bring him into his own camp.

The two chatted about a few more precautions before Ning Fengzhi stood up as the sky began to darken.

"Oh, by the way, Teacher, what is your opinion of the Breakthrough Clan?" Li Xun asked suddenly.

"The Breakthrough Clan..."