Shen Xiaoyi recalled her encounters with Li Qingxian. ’Maybe he’s just afraid of dying,’ she thought.
"How could someone sought by the Life-Seeking Sect be ordinary?" Shen Xiaoyi said.
"What do you think?" Meng Huaichuan asked, looking toward the silent Lin Zhenyuan.
"It’s like encountering a Great Cultivator," Lin Zhenyuan’s deep voice rumbled.
"How is that possible?" Shen Xiaoyi was baffled. "The man is quick-witted and certainly has the makings of a Great Fate Master, but he’s still a long way from being a Great Cultivator, isn’t he?"
Lin Zhenyuan thought for a moment before saying, "I wasn’t referring to his power, but rather the feeling that he holds a powerful artifact within him. He must have had a fortuitous encounter, just like me."
"I see." Meng Huaichuan made a mental note of Li Qingxian, then asked, "What about Songg Baige?"
"I don’t know the first thing about Literature Cultivation," Lin Zhenyuan said, shaking his head.
Shen Xiaoyi said, "He’s also no ordinary talent, but Literature Cultivation is different from being a Martial Cultivator, so it’s hard to gauge. As for Wang Buku, I’d met him once before, but seeing him again today, he’s like a completely different person. I fear he’s also had a fortuitous encounter."
"Indeed." Meng Huaichuan nodded.
On one side, they discussed Li Qingxian and the others.
On the other, the discussion turned to the Life-Separating Platform.
"I never imagined a Treasure like the Life-Separating Platform actually exists. Could it be covered in Destiny Stars, allowing anyone who ascends to freely separate a fate?"
"That can’t be right. There must be heavy restrictions."
"In that case, the Life-Separating Person must be one in a million, likely the Human Son chosen by the Celestial Fate Sect," Li Qingxian said.
"That’s right. The so-called Myriad Phenomena Cyan Cloud Examination must be a setup by the Celestial Fate Sect. The Human Son gets the meat, while the rest of us just get to drink the soup. It’s a real shame."
"We’re lucky to get any soup at all. If you really want the meat, you’d have to be on the level of Marquis Nanxiang or Eastern Peak Lin Zhenyuan, and even they only get the scraps."
"The Human Son eats the meat, Great Cultivators and powerful families eat the scraps, and we get to drink the broth. It’s actually not bad for us."
"Marquis Nanxiang is determined to become the Life-Separating Person this time."
"He put the word out first. That way, if anyone else tries to compete and he acts ruthlessly, no one can say anything."
"I doubt the other major powers will agree to that."
"Not all the major powers are willing to fight for the title of Life-Separating Person. It’s likely to be an inside appointment by the Celestial Fate Sect. Marquis Nanxiang understands this, which is why he didn’t make his statement absolute."
"We shouldn’t even be thinking about the Life-Separating Person and the Life-Separating Platform. We should be trying to fish for other benefits, like Ancient Magical Treasures or just ordinary Destiny Stars."
"Speaking of Ancient Magical Treasures, the most powerful one unearthed from the Myriad Phenomena Map must be the ’Outer Celestial Lamp,’ right? It still hangs high in the void beyond the heavens. I only heard that during the founding of the dynasty, the Grand Ancestor used it once. A single ray of Divine Light descended and critically injured a First-Grade Martial Cultivator..."
The crowd chatted until the banquet ended, then left one after another with their Guards and attendants.
Li Qingxian felt dizzy, his head full of the conversations from the banquet. He had learned a great deal and now had a better understanding of the powers within Daqi.
Li Qingxian couldn’t stop thinking about the treasures in the Dingnan King Mansion. The next day, he got up and went to find Zhou Chunfeng to tell him what happened.
"The Life-Separating Platform? I’ve never heard of it, but I’ll ask some friends about it in the coming days. As for things from the Dingnan King Mansion... those aren’t easy to get your hands on." Zhou Chunfeng frowned slightly.
"Why? Is there a problem?"
Zhou Chunfeng said contemplatively, "It’s not that there’s a problem, exactly. But are you aware that for years now, people have been accusing King Dingnan of ’nurturing bandits to increase his own importance’?"
"That’s normal," said Li Qingxian. "Of the four major military powers in Daqi—the Ministry of War, the Five Armies Commander’s Mansion, the Border Army, and the various city garrisons—only the city garrisons are truly under the Imperial Court’s control. The Five Armies Commander’s Mansion merely leans toward the Court, while the Ministry of War is completely controlled by Martial Cultivators. Among the three great border armies, the northern River Guard Army is aligned with the Court, but the West Plain Army ignores all orders. As for King Dingnan’s Southern Border Army, while it’s nominally loyal, it’s basically become a private army that constantly colludes with other nations. The Emperor certainly wants to make a move, but he can’t. The north is already a mess. If he touches the Southern Border, the West Plain Army will surely declare independence. Daqi would then be attacked on three sides and would be... in its twilight years."
"You see things quite clearly. That’s why the Emperor constantly bestows favor upon the Dingnan King Mansion."
Li Qingxian sighed. "People like Jin Yuan and Luh Gaoming are considered minor powers in the Divine Capital, and they’d be major figures anywhere else. Yet they act like it’s the highest honor just to receive a toast from Marquis Nanxiang. It just goes to show how powerful the Dingnan King Mansion truly is. Do you think Meng Huaichuan has a chance of seizing the position of Life-Separating Person?"
"It’s precisely because the Dingnan King Mansion is so powerful that the Celestial Fate Sect and the Imperial Court cannot allow him to take that position," said Zhou Chunfeng. "That’s why he’s settling for the next best thing: recruiting the Life-Separating Person as an Honored Guest Minister."
"So, about trading your calligraphy and paintings for the Royal Mansion’s antiques..."
"If I get too close to the Dingnan King Mansion, the current Emperor might get ideas. And so will other people," Zhou Chunfeng said.
"Then let’s forget it," said Li Qingxian. "We’re leaving anyway. There’s no need to stir up trouble at a time like this."
But Zhou Chunfeng just smiled calmly. "It’s because we’re leaving the Divine Capital that we have no reason to fear these things. Come on, I’ll take you to the Dingnan King Mansion today. We’ll trade what we should trade and buy what we want to buy."
"We can buy things too?"
"The father of the first King Dingnan made his fortune back in the previous dynasty. Relying on his family’s accumulated wealth, the first King Dingnan assisted the Grand Ancestor and was granted his title, which has been passed down to this day. To speak disrespectfully, in terms of heritage, the Dingnan King Mansion is like a miniature Imperial City. Most of the Royal Mansion’s best treasures are in Nanzhou City; the one in the Divine Capital City is at most a secondary residence. But even for a secondary residence, the items accumulated over centuries are immense. That’s why the Dingnan King Mansion periodically sells off miscellaneous items at the Royal Mansion Pawnshop on the main street. Besides, the Heir of King Dingnan, Duke Nanchuan, has a long-term residence in the Divine Capital. While he’s partly a hostage, he’s also there to manage his family’s influence."
Li Qingxian had a sudden realization. "So they call it ’selling,’ ’pawning,’ and ’trading,’ but it’s really about accumulating connections for future use. It’s a form of elegant bribery. I’ve heard of similar things. For example, if I wanted to ask a favor from you, Uncle Zhou, I’d say an antique dealer wants to pay fifty thousand taels of silver for a book you’ve hand-copied. You’d be happy, sell the book to the dealer, and receive fifty thousand taels of silver. Then I’d buy that same book from the dealer for fifty-one thousand taels. After that, if I came to you for help, you’d definitely assist me. On the surface, Marquis Nanxiang wants a fair trade with you, but in reality, he’s trying to win you over. After all, Jiangnan isn’t that far from the Southern Border."
Zhou Chunfeng just smiled and said, "The Dingnan King Mansion doesn’t really need to go to such lengths."
"You can’t criticize someone after taking their food. So we’ll just pay them after we eat," Li Qingxian said.
"You and your clever remarks. Let’s go. Oh, right, make sure you’ve said your goodbyes to the people at the North Hall. Don’t be in a frantic rush when it’s time to leave," said Zhou Chunfeng.
"I’ve already spoken to Hex Lei and Fei Yan. I’m just not sure why Jingg Guan hasn’t been seen for days. I have no idea what he’s so busy with at the Internal Factory, for a Palace Garrison Commander," Li Qingxian said, shaking his head.
A flicker of understanding crossed Zhou Chunfeng’s eyes, but he continued walking forward without comment.
The two of them had barely taken a few steps out of the Chunfeng Inn when Han Anbo hurried over. After greeting Zhou Chunfeng, he shot Li Qingxian a meaningful look.
Li Qingxian walked over and asked in a low voice, "What’s wrong?"
Han Anbo said, "Ye Han wanted to prepare for the Cyan Cloud Examination, so he had someone plead his case to Lord Songg Yanxue. Lord Songg had no choice but to grant him leave. Last night, my men discovered that Ye Han, for some reason, ran into Marquis Nanxiang Meng Huaichuan, Shen Xiaoyi, and Lin Zhenyuan at the Huahai Building. It’s not clear what exactly happened, but it seems the Marquis really appreciates Ye Han. He even invited Ye Han to be a guest at his mansion today."
’This Ye Han’s Qi Fortune is truly terrifying,’ Li Qingxian thought. ’He’s latched onto a powerful connection like Prince Dingnan so quickly.’