Dragon Canon

There were now over 10,000 suits of plate armor in the realm of Qingming. In the days that followed, after the armament workshop shifted its focus, a massive amount of farming implements and various tools were produced as well, greatly accelerating the pace of the land reclamation, logging, and city construction across the domain.

At long last, the grotto-heaven boys had finished sowing the newly cultivated 100,000 mu of land. As Wei Yuan looked down at the vibrant ground and sensed the sprouting seeds beneath the earth, his heart was filled with a profound sense of peace.

Suddenly, he sensed something: a strange convoy was approaching the domain.

The convoy consisted of over a dozen wagons filled with various goods. However, there were only about a hundred people in the convoy including the drivers and the escorts. The guards were all burly and formidable; none of them were ordinary cultivators.

Several Qingming cultivators rode out on horseback and intercepted the convoy. A middle-aged man stepped out into the open and said, “We are from the Six Realms Merchants’ Association, here specifically to establish trade routes. We would like to request an audience with the Realm Lord.”

Moments later, the caravan was led to a clearing outside Yong’an City to set up camp, while Wei Yuan and Cui Yu hurried over to meet them.

Both parties took their seats in a makeshift tent. The middle-aged man then summoned two young women to set up a table and prepare the tea. Wei Yuan cast a glance at them and immediately realized they were Dao Foundation stage cultivators. They had concealed their cultivation so well that the average cultivator would never have noticed a thing.

As soon as the tea touched his lips, Cui Yu praised, “An excellent tea!”

The middle-aged man smiled faintly. “This tea is named Aqua Blue. A single cup is equivalent to a month of cultivation. I only have this one pot. I wonder what the Realm Lord thinks of it?”

Impassive, Wei Yuan merely nodded and replied nonchalantly, “It’s decent.”

The middle-aged man tensed internally. He instinctively felt that Wei Yuan was a worldly man whose favor could not be won with a cup of tea.

In truth, Wei Yuan thought the tea tasted fine, but the spirit qi it provided was paltry at best, saving him just one hour of arduous cultivation. Still, it was better than nothing.

The middle-aged man began, “We are an exploration caravan under the Six Realms Merchants’ Association. My name is Hsu Su, and I am the steward of this caravan. We have come to establish a trade route to your domain and, in the future, open a branch office here. We hope the Realm Lord will grant us some favor.”

Wei Yuan maintained an impassive appearance, though he was inwardly somewhat surprised. Yuan Qingyan had sealed off this region as tightly as an iron barrel, so how had this caravan managed to slip through?

Cui Yu asked on his behalf, “The southern and eastern thoroughfares are all blocked. How did you manage to get through?”

Hsu Su smiled faintly and replied with a hint of pride, “We are an exploration caravan, not your conventional caravan. As for the ‘blockades’, heh. Can you really call a blockade that relies on a single stronghold to supervise several hundred li of land a blockade? From our perspective, it is riddled with holes. It is one thing if the strongholds were guarded by Avatar Truemen, but in this case, it is all too easy for us to slip through unnoticed.

“In fact, we should thank Lord Yuan for setting up the blockade. If not for him, I might have had to face fierce competition from other merchants, and we wouldn’t be the only ones here now.”

Wei Yuan asked, “I know nothing of the Six Realms Merchants’ Association. Might you tell us a bit about yourselves, Mister Hsu?”

The Six Realms Merchants’ Association is headquartered in the capital of Zhao. It is one of the two largest merchant associations in the state. We primarily deal in bulk commodities, but we can handle military provision as well. If you have a need for special treasures, it is up for discussion as well, Realm Lord. As for our capabilities, I believe the fact that we are able to bring this caravan here unscathed speaks for itself.”

Wei Yuan remarked, “Your cargo wagons look rather unique.”

“All exploration caravans use specially designed wagons. Each one is equipped with a mystic array that reduces the weight of the cargo by seventy percent. If necessary, two Dao Foundation stage cultivators can activate the array to fly a short distance of a hundred zhang. It is thanks to these wagons that we have the confidence to navigate across treacherous terrains.”

Wei Yuan asked, “So, what have you brought with you on this trip, and what do you intend to purchase?”

Hsu Su smiled faintly. “I’ve heard that you have recently established the realm of Qingming, but you have not yet won the favor of Western Jin, Realm Lord. That is why we’ve brought you some gifts as a token of our goodwill and to demonstrate our association’s sincerity. Here’s the list.”

Wei Yuan took the jade paper and scanned it with his perception. THe list included a large quantity of grain seeds, as well as seeds for textiles and medicinal herbs. Although the quantities weren’t enormous, there was an excellent variety of items, many of which were specifically suited for cultivation in humid environments. In short, they were exactly what he urgently needed.

These were just the mundane goods. In terms of cultivation resources, the caravan had also brought some herb saplings and herb seeds—roughly fifty or sixty varieties in total. Given time, the realm would be self-sufficient in producing various entry-level cultivation elixirs.

Finally, Hsu Su ordered someone to bring a heavily-sealed box to the table. Upon opening, it was revealed that the box contained seven saplings, each about a chi long. Their bodies were a vivid jade-green tinged with cyan, and they gave off a rich scent of spirit qi. It was clear they were no ordinary spirit plants.

“These are seven saplings of the Aqua Blue. Once mature, each one will yield three taels of Aqua Blue annually—the very tea we were just drinking.”

Wei Yuan was finally moved. He took the box and examined it closely, confirming that these tea saplings were all upper-grade spirit plants. They were slightly inferior only to the Red Jade Lantern and shared the same grade as it.

Seeing that Wei Yuan was pleased, Hsu Su smiled and asked, “Do you like this meeting gift, Realm Lord?”

Wei Yuan replied, “This gift is too lavish. I feel unworthy of accepting it.”

This meeting gift alone was worth 10,000 taels of immortal silver—enough to support 90 new disciples of the Palace of Absolute Beginning for a year. The seven tea saplings alone were worth over 8,000 taels.

Hsu Su smiled. “We offer you this gift simply in exchange for a promise.”

“What kind of promise?”

“In the future, we ask that the preferential treatment you grant to other merchant associations must not exceed that given to the Six Realms Merchants’ Association. If you must, then whatever terms you offer to others, we ask that you show us the same favor as well.”

Wei Yuan shook his head immediately. “I cannot agree to that. I shan’t accept this meeting gift. Please take your leave, Mister Hsu.”

Taken aback, Hsu Su said, “RealmLord, our terms are not unreasonable. We simply ask to receive the same treatment as everyone else.”

Wei Yuan replied calmly, “You are asking for a once-and-for-all agreement that will last indefinitely. In that case, what you offer is nowhere near enough—not that I have any intention of making such a promise in the first place. That said, I’m very happy that you have come, and I am willing to purchase the goods on your wagons at market price. If there is anything here that catches your eye, you are free to take it.”

Hsu Su gritted his teeth and said, “If that is your wish, then I’ll drop this matter. However, we still would like to open a branch here in the future—what do you think of that?”

Wei Yuan cracked a smile. “I welcome it of course! In fact, I’ve already selected the locations for people like you. If you have no other business at the moment, then you may take a look right away and choose a plot of land that suits your fancy.”

Hsu Su’s expression turned serious. ‘I wonder what the taxes are like here. Is it the same as in Western Jin?”

This was a critical question. In Western Jin, the commercial tax was 30% of the goods’ value. There were also numerous checkpoints throughout the state; many of them merely pretexts for extortion. Wei Yuan pondered this for a moment before replying, “A twenty percent tax should suffice.”

“Twenty percent of the revenue? That’s acceptable...” Hsu Su nodded. They had to transport the goods across mountains and rivers and navigate through layer upon layer of blockades. To be honest, it all cost a lot. Although this tax rate was substantial, it was within tolerance.

However, Wei Yuan corrected him, “No, it’s twenty percent of your net profit.”

Hsu Su was shocked. He sprang to his feet and exclaimed, “Are you serious?”

“Very much so,” Wei Yuan replied.

His confirmation delighted Hsu Su. There was a world of difference between 20% of revenue and 20% of net profit—the two numbers could be seven times, eight times, or even a dozen times apart! It was such a good offer that his earlier failure to secure the promise did not matter anymore.

He immediately replied, “Excellent! I will certainly report your incredible generosity to the head manager upon my return, Realm Lord. The Six Realms Merchants’ Association will undoubtedly lend you our full support!”

It was at this moment Cui Yu suddenly spoke up. “Mister Hsu, given that your merchants association was the first to arrive here, your strength goes without saying. Surely you aren’t just here to conduct ordinary business?”

Hsu Su smiled. “I presume you must be Young Immortal Cui, Cui Yu. As expected of someone from an aristocratic family, your insight is truly remarkable. Indeed, we do engage in some less-than-legitimate business ventures as well—it all depends on what the realm lord desires.”

Wei Yuan asked bluntly, “What if I want someone dead?”

Hsu Su paused for a moment, then cracked a smile. “Most people have a price. It all depends on how much you’re willing to pay, and whose death you desire.”

Wei Yuan replied, “I want a family member of Yuan Qingyan, the commandery administrator of Ningxi, dead. But only his direct descendants.”

Hsu Su frowned. “Not only is he an Avatar Trueman, he’s also a commandery administrator. This is a little....”

Wei Yuan said calmly, “What’s the matter? Are you seriously telling me that you’re afraid of a single Avatar with no future?”

Hsu Su gritted his teeth and replied, “It’s not like we haven’t conducted similar dealings before. According to Western Jin’s administrative regulations, the families of a high-ranking official stationed in a border region must reside within a hundred li of the royal capital. I’ll report this upon my return, but the price... I’m afraid it won’t be cheap.”

Wei Yuan’s expression improved slightly. “Do you require advance payment?”

“No need! We trust in your reputation, Realm Lord. When this matter is settled, we will present you with a price. At that time, you may pay in immortal silver, or offset the cost against our future tax obligations. Are there any other requests you might have, Realm Lord?”

“There are two minor matters. First, once this is done, I want you to leave a mask at the scene—any mask will do. Second, there is no need to kill the child. Simply erase their memories and send them to the south. Find them an ordinary peasant family and let them live out the rest of their lives in poverty.”

“That’s easily arranged. The south is mountainous, and there are many Li[1] villages in the mountains with no contact with the outside world. If we send them to one of those villages, they might not venture more than fifty li from there for the rest of their lives.”

“Very well. Now, allow me to take you to the site for inspection, Mister Hsu.”

By now, the city planning had moved on from the vicinity of the central hall housing Qingming to Yong’an City as a matter of course. Hsu Su first returned to his caravan to retrieve his feng shui compass and surveying tools. Wei Yuan and Cui Yu waited outside.

While waiting, Cui Yu asked, “Why have you suddenly decided to take action against Yuan Qingyan’s family?”

Wei Yuan replied, “He tried to use an extinction strategy. Had he succeeded, this whole domain would be littered with starving corpses right now. For that alone, even exterminating his entire family would be justified! Just because his scheme failed doesn’t mean he didn’t commit evil. Since the opportunity has presented itself, I’ve chosen to make a move and collect some interests first. However, I have a feeling that his children may hold little weight in his heart. I could be wasting my immortal silver for nothing.”

Cui Yu frowned. “There have always been unwritten rules in the court, such as ‘disaster does not extend to one’s family’ and ‘a person’s crimes are expunged upon their death.’ If you act this way, you may well be violating a taboo.”

“That just means that the grudge isn’t deep enough. What’s this nonsense ‘disaster does not extend to one’s family’ and ‘a person’s crimes are expunged upon their death?’ Haven’t there been countless instances of widespread collateral damage and fields littered with corpses due to the power struggles in the court? In the past three hundreds alone, the Great Tang has witnessed nine major cases where over a hundred thousand people were implicated. The reason these rules are unwritten is simply because they cannot be spoken of openly—and they are fundamentally unreliable.”

Wei Yuan paused for a moment before continuing, “Yuan Qingyan may be called a mad dog, but he isn’t truly mad. By targeting his family, I am one, testing the depths of his fears, and two, informing him that my only bottom line is that I have no bottom line.”

Cui Yu sighed. “You’re destined for great things in the future, and reputation matters greatly for someone like you. Yuan Qingyan will surely mobilize a group of censors to slander you. When that happens, the accusations will likely be vile, and your reputation will be ruined.”

Wei Yuan laughed at that and said, “Don’t worry about my reputation! If that day ever comes, we would already be commanding vast armies who are indomitable under the heavens. When we march through the pass, I’m sure the Confucian scholars will naturally defend me with their ever-changing interpretations of the classics.”

1. I think they’re specifically referring to people bearing the Li surname. ☜