After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 446: Chapter 445: Bargaining

Lil Qingge shook her head. ”But Mao Qijun was a capable man. Once he died, the civil unrest in the Shanyu Kingdom could no longer be contained, and that’s how it developed into the situation we see today.”

Hee Lingchuan smiled. ”Are those old court officials from the Noble Families just going to sit around and wait for their doom? Why not strike first and gain the upper hand?”

”Fushan Yue has been surrounded by a large entourage lately, never going out alone. Why do you think that is?” Lil Qingge poured herself a cup of tea. ”He’s no fool. Once he weathers this storm, he’ll have absolute power. Besides, he must have supporters in the Royal Court.”

One man’s misfortune is another’s opportunity.

”No wonder so many people are scrambling to curry favor with Fushan Yue. Are they afraid it’ll be too late if they wait?” Hee Lingchuan mused. ”The King of Chiyan is just letting it happen, but he can’t be happy about it.”

”What does it matter if he’s not happy, unless he plans to abdicate the throne?” Lil Qingge shook her head. ”Even if he were willing, I doubt Lingxu City and the Deities would be. You’ve already seen the consequences of defying Lingxu City when you passed the ruins of Thousand Star City on your way here, haven’t you?”

”It left a lasting impression.” The ruins of Thousand Star City, the Twilight Plateau, and the existence of the lowly slaves were like a conspicuous scar, a constant reminder to the people of the Beiga Kingdom—

That Lingxu City’s power was absolute and not to be challenged.

...

The next day, Fushan Yue unexpectedly showed up at the inn again.

Shi the Second and the others were already packing their bags to get back on the road. Hee Lingchuan asked in surprise, ”What are you doing here?”

Fushan Yue had been riding high the past few days, busy with social calls and accepting the flattery of officials great and small. It seemed as if he’d forgotten all about Hee Lingchuan and the others.

Just as Shi the Second was starting to worry he’d never see his three thousand taels again, Fushan Yue suddenly appeared.

”Your three thousand taels.” Fushan Yue handed Shi the Second a stack of silver notes. ”And an extra three hundred taels, as compensation for your trouble.”

It was no surprise, of course. Three thousand taels in solid silver ingots would be incredibly heavy; no one would lug that around.

With his greatest worry finally lifted, Shi the Second grinned from ear to ear. ”Your Highness is too generous!”

Fushan Yue then greeted Lil Qingge. The two exchanged a few laughing words, both clearly in high spirits.

Listening from the sidelines, Hee Lingchuan was surprised to find how well the two of them were getting along.

Fushan Yue even cracked a few jokes with Lil Qingge and told a brief anecdote, which made her cover her mouth in a delicate laugh.

Given his tough, reserved personality, he wouldn’t normally get so friendly with a stranger. Yet here he was, inviting Lil Qingge to visit the Chiyan Capital City again.

The two of them had only met a few days ago, thanks to Hee Lingchuan’s introduction. And how long had it been? Just a few days. Yet Lil Qingge had already negotiated one or two deals with Fushan Yue, both of which were ready to be implemented soon—including Songyang Prefecture opening a shop in the Capital City and an arms update for the Western Court Guard Team.

It was just as Lil Qingge had said: the Chiyan Crown Prince was an important connection worth spending significant effort to cultivate.

Moreover, she didn’t forget about Hee Lingchuan, naturally including him in the conversation with a few words here and there to keep him from feeling neglected.

’A beautiful woman who could effortlessly navigate between two men, keeping both of them perfectly happy. Such social grace was truly something to behold.’

After the idle chatter died down, Fushan Yue turned to Hee Lingchuan. ”My father sent me a message. He has a task for me.”

Lil Qingge overheard and leaned closer. ”The Monarch saw you?”

”No, he just sent someone to relay his orders.”

Lil Qingge quickly congratulated him. ”If the Monarch is giving you a task, it means most of his anger has subsided.” Otherwise, he could have simply assigned the official duty to someone else. Why use Fushan Yue?

Fushan Yue smiled. ”That’s what I was thinking, too. But my situation is delicate right now. I have a few things to sort out and can’t leave the Capital City immediately, as you both know—” He turned to Hee Lingchuan. ”So, I’d like to entrust this matter to you.”

He trailed off and glanced at the other two.

Lil Qingge immediately piped up, ”Oh, my! I haven’t put away my rouge box.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Shi the Second added, ”I need to go downstairs and get some wine.”

Both were quick on the uptake, finding transparent excuses to slip away.

With only the two of them left in the room, Fushan Yue chuckled. ”About two months ago, Lingxu City sent a Messenger this way. He went missing en route and was never heard from again. Naturally, Lingxu City won’t let the matter drop, which means my father can’t either. Fushan Ji was originally assigned to investigate, but now that he’s dead, I’m officially taking over.”

”Nope.” Hee Lingchuan refused instantly. ”Handle your own affairs. When would I have the time for something like that?”

”I’ll pay you. Two Middle-grade Profound Crystals.” Fushan Yue was clearly prepared, opening his palm to reveal two glittering objects.

The Profound Crystals were pale yellow and polygonal, each about the size of a walnut. Their color wasn’t uniform; the base of one of them graded into a deep green.

Hee Lingchuan had Profound Crystals of his own, so he knew this was their natural appearance. They formed deep underground, their coloration and quality subject to chance. A crystal that was too perfect would, ironically, seem fake.

The energy contained within Profound Crystals varied enormously between grades. The quality of these two surpassed anything Hee Lingchuan had ever seen before. ’Who knows which sycophant gifted these to Fushan Yue,’ he thought.

’These are worth a fortune.’

’So, back on his own turf, this guy can finally be generous?’ Hee Lingchuan glanced at the crystals and scoffed, ”You think you can buy me with just two Profound Crystals?”

”Consider it doing a huge favor for your brother and the Chiyan Kingdom.” Fushan Yue reached out and added another Profound Crystal to the pile.

It was also pale yellow, but even larger.

Hee Lingchuan abruptly changed the subject. ”What kind of demon was the Messenger?”

”A White-shouldered Eagle.”

Hee Lingchuan laughed. ”You ask for such a huge favor but only offer three Profound Crystals. You really don’t treat me like a brother.”

’Not that being this guy’s brother is a good thing. It’s a good way to lose your head.’

Fushan Yue sounded surprised. ”It’s just finding a Bird Demon. I’m not asking you to single-handedly save the day. It’s a shame I’m tied up, or I’d go myself.”

Hee Lingchuan was unmoved. ”Is that right? Then let me ask you: what was the Messenger from Lingxu City sent for?”

”To deliver a message, of course.”

”What message?”

”Er...” Fushan Yue hesitated. ”Fine, it’s been two months, so there’s no harm in telling you. It was military intelligence from the Eastern Front.”

”So this intelligence must have been very urgent at the time, correct?”

”...Mm.”

”Which is why they used a White-shouldered Eagle,” Hee Lingchuan said. ”They are birds of prey capable of long-distance migration, but they’re very rare. I happen to know that Lingxu City’s Messengers are graded. Cyan Doves, cranes, and Feathered Cranes can all serve as messengers, but the most critical intelligence is entrusted only to the fastest and most resilient raptors.”

Even if other nations could tame Bird Demons for long-distance delivery, none used them as frequently as the Northern Demon Kingdom—this was the demons’ heartland, after all. That was why Lingxu City could afford the luxury of grading its messengers.

He had gleaned this information from a book he’d read for leisure at the Wenxuan Building in Panlong City.

Evidently, Panlong City had also studied the Beiga Kingdom in considerable detail.

Fushan Yue didn’t refute it, which was a tacit admission.

”The sudden disappearance of this White-shouldered Eagle must have caused a major problem, didn’t it?”

”Of course.” ’A major problem was an understatement.’

”You never send just one copy,” Hee Lingchuan said to him. ”For military intelligence this important, why send only a single avian Messenger?” If something happened to the messenger en route, as it did this time, the consequences would be severe.

”Er... perhaps they were short on raptor messengers?” Fushan Yue scratched his head. ”By convention, there should have been two copies sent. The duplicate, carried by a crane, arrived several days later. By then, the Chiyan Army’s eastward advance was too late, and they missed the optimal window to attack.”

”What if the intelligence carried by the White-shouldered Eagle fell into enemy hands?” Feeling thirsty, Hee Lingchuan went back inside and returned with a bunch of grapes to munch on. ”The worst-case scenario is that its disappearance means someone has figured out Lingxu’s dispatch patterns—things like the raptors’ departure times, flight paths, and resting areas. If they could intercept a messenger once, they can do it again and again. I imagine that’s the real reason Lingxu City is in such a hurry to get to the bottom of this.”

A compromised delivery method was even more disastrous than a single compromised message.

”And yet, Fushan Ji couldn’t solve this case before he died.” Hee Lingchuan shot him a sidelong glance. ”If he couldn’t figure it out with all his resources and connections, what makes you think it’ll be easy for me?”

Fushan Yue stared at him, speechless. ’I just casually mentioned a job. How the hell did this guy deduce all of that!’

After a long moment, he finally asked, ”How did you figure all that out?”

”It’s quite simple, really.” Hee Lingchuan grinned. ”Your father is still furious with you. Do you really think he’d assign you an easy task right now?”

You have to learn to identify the main point of conflict.

Fushan Yue’s eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands. ”Brilliant, brilliant! You’re sharp, you’re capable. That makes you the perfect person for this job! How about this: I’ll double the Profound Crystals and throw in two pounds of refined silver. You have a golden armor copper man, don’t you? Feel like upgrading it?”

Refined silver was one of the necessary materials to upgrade a golden armor copper man. This finally piqued Hee Lingchuan’s interest. ”Just one of the materials is too little. You might as well cover the others, too.”

Fushan Yue did a quick mental calculation, and a shiver went down his spine. ”Your appetite is even bigger than mine!”

Even blood brothers settle their accounts, so what’s to be said for their fair-weather friendship? After a round of ruthless haggling, they settled on a deal: Fushan Yue would procure three of the materials needed to upgrade the golden armor copper man, all of which were incredibly difficult to obtain and couldn’t simply be bought with money.

Especially since Hee Lingchuan was currently broke.

If he had to gather them himself, he’d have to run himself ragged just tracking them down, let alone buying them... In the Chiyan Kingdom, refined silver wasn’t even for sale!

It was classified as a vital strategic resource. Production within Chiyan was minimal, and any new supply was immediately claimed by the Demon King or the National Preceptor. It never circulated among the populace and was exceptionally rare even on the black market.

For an outsider like Hee Lingchuan, obtaining it here would be next to impossible. He even suspected the stuff wasn’t easy to buy back in Beiga.

Registrar Liu from Panlong City had been right; its full name ought to be the ”Go-Bankrupt-For-It Golden Armor Copper Man Technique.”

Of course, with Fushan Yue’s help, things were different.

Hee Lingchuan held up a single finger. ”I have one last condition.”

”That’s enough!” Fushan Yue, already short-tempered, scowled. ”Don’t push your luck!”

”Don’t be so hasty. This will be a piece of cake for you,” Hee Lingchuan said with a smile. ”Remember that Flood Dragon emblem we saw in the Illusion at Thousand Star City? The one painted on the outside of the Official Residence.”