Chapter 188: 50: Live Sales of Song He

“Brother Wei, are you planning to return?”

“No rush.”

“Where else would you like to go? I can lead the way for you.”

“I’m thinking of finding a disciple. Just Guo Jin alone is ultimately not enough.”

With a chuckle, Jiang Liyan’s enchanting and beautiful face instantly bloomed like a myriad of flowers, captivating and hard to look away from:

“I’ve said it long ago, although that child Guo Jin is loyal and honest, as the chief disciple, he’s still somewhat dull… So, Brother Wei, are you looking for someone clever and quick-witted this time?”

“Indeed,” Wei Dongliu nodded, “If they could be called ‘Huang Rong,’ that would be even better.”

Jiang Liyan: ?

Was there a special meaning to the name Huang Rong?

She didn’t ask further but made a mental note of it.

Just as the two were about to take off on their swords again, they saw Wen Yang return after having left, approaching the two, and said to Jiang Liyan with a smile:

“I almost forgot… I heard that Fellow Daoist Jiang is proficient in the ‘Ten Aspects Release Method,’ which even Nascent Soul cultivators find hard to see through. Is it true or false?”

“Brother Wen flatters me,” Jiang Liyan certainly wouldn’t admit it, only saying with a smile, “It is but a minor skill, not worthy of mention.”

Wen Yang pondered for a moment and then said:

“Actually, I have a business deal here that I would like to share with Fellow Daoist Jiang.”

“A business deal?” Jiang Liyan was slightly surprised.

“Yes.” Wen Yang tilted his head to look at Wei Dongliu, and upon seeing that he wasn’t intending to leave, continued, “It is a deal concerning the Orthodox Sect.”

Jiang Liyan immediately understood.

The Three Pure Orthodox Sect and the Demon Cult’s Six Paths, though outwardly irreconcilable, also have relentless struggles in secret.

However, if both parties had a need for an exchange of interests, secret transactions could still be made:

For example, a disciple of the Demon Cult obtained a sword that a particular Orthodox Sect disciple was desperately seeking; so, would it be possible to sell it to him?

Yes.

The only risk was that the other party might choose to deal first and then kill, taking both money and goods…

After all, on the surface, good and evil stand opposed, and killing the other party is politically correct, so there is no need to worry about the infamy of “killing for wealth.”

Even if the person’s sect found out, they wouldn’t punish them in this regard.

Therefore, a safer method came into being, which was to entrust the deal to a neutral Loose Cultivator who would deal with the other party on their behalf, so as to not give the other party a justified reason to turn the table over.

This Loose Cultivator must be powerful enough to deter the other party from harboring thoughts of murder and looting; otherwise, if the incident was exposed, it would be hard to justify to the sect, especially since the Orthodox Sect is particularly sensitive to such matters.

At the same time, this Loose Cultivator must be someone they can trust to prevent them from simply running away with the goods and money halfway through the transaction… which makes the selection even more difficult.

Wen Yang chose Jiang Liyan, proficient in the Ten Aspects Release Method, because she could use illusion techniques to disguise herself as a Loose Cultivator and deal with a certain Orthodox Sect.

Another reason was that Jiang Liyan came from the Heavenly Demon Cult and wouldn’t abandon her sect for some money, making her far safer than a regular Loose Cultivator.

With this in mind, Jiang Liyan shook her head and declined:

“Unfortunately, Brother Wen. Although the Ten Aspects Release Method can disguise oneself, it is not without flaws, so I cannot put myself in a risky situation.”

“I can give you thirty percent of the proceeds from the transaction,” Wen Yang held up three fingers.

Jiang Liyan hesitated for a moment but shook her head again.

In the past, she might have agreed—after all, that was thirty percent of the profit!

Keep in mind, even in the realm of Cultivation, a Loose Cultivator broker’s transaction fee is at most five percent.

However, ever since last time on the Five Mushrooms Immortal Island, when an apprentice of the Penglai Jade Pure Sect saw through her illusion disguise, Jiang the Witch became much more cautious in this area.

Having money is certainly good, but if one might lose their life over it, then it’s certainly not worth it.

“Alright.” Wen Yang withdrew his finger, his face showing no sign of disappointment, “It seems that this deal of mine won’t be successful.”

“Hold on a moment.” Wei Dongliu suddenly spoke up, “Brother Wen, you just need to find someone to help, right?”

“Exactly.” Wen Yang turned his gaze towards him, wondering if this person had inherited the Daoist lineage from the Tai Yi Mystic Profound Myriad Laws real person?

I remember that Myriad Laws real person; initially, he cultivated high-grade demonic techniques and then, for some reason, had an epiphany and switched to cultivating the Xuanmen Qi Refining Technique.

As a result, the disciples in the sect who were of higher generations all followed him in cultivating high-grade demonic techniques early on; the junior disciples, who were just starting, all exclusively practiced the Xuanmen Qi Refining Technique.

The two groups were distinctly divided, each firmly opposing the other, both believing their own cultivation path to be the best, leading to a subtle struggle over the Daoist lineage.

Latterly, the Myriad Laws real person went out in search of inspiration to create a new Qi Refining Technique that would transform clean and turbid Qi into each other… However, he never returned, which also laid the groundwork for the eventual split and destruction of the Myriad Laws Mystic Profound Sect.

Of course, let’s not dwell on the past. Since this Brother Wei has inherited the lineage of the Myriad Laws real person, could it be that he also cultivates the Xuanmen Qi Refining Technique?

High-grade demonic techniques operate with a large amount of Pure Qi and a small amount of Turbid Qi, the former used for breathing and refining the body, and the latter suited for magical competition and killing.

Once the Turbid Qi is refined into Demonic Qi, although its killing power is superior, it’s pungent like the stench of a toilet. Once tainted with it, it’s impossible to hide from the Divine Sense of mainstream Orthodox Sect cultivators.

But if one starts with cultivating the Xuanmen Qi Refining Technique, then there would be no problem at all…

Wen Yang’s thought process was quite similar to Jiang Liyan’s, or rather, like all the elite disciples of the Demon Cult nowadays who have emerged from the perilous environment, they all like to think things through meticulously in their minds, then subtly probe step by step without stirring any sound.

So, after pondering for a while, he slowly asked:

“Brother Wei, do you have experience dealing with the Orthodox Sect?”

“I wouldn’t call it experience,” Wei Dongliu said calmly, “just a bit of understanding of the Orthodox Sect, that’s all.”

Wen Yang pondered for a moment, then turned his gaze to Jiang Liyan.

Jiang Liyan smiled slightly and took half a step closer to Wei Dongliu.

Therefore, Wen Yang immediately caught on and said solemnly:

“A friend of Brother Jiang is my friend, Wen. I trust you. What do you think about the promised thirty percent in profits?”

“The profit is not important, what matters is that I, too, would like to make friends with Brother Wen,” Wei Dongliu said with a faint smile.

Wen Yang immediately burst into a hearty laugh, and while his laughter was generous and hearty, when paired with his gentle and delicate features, it was somewhat jarring:

“Good, we shall find a place to talk in detail.”

The three found a dilapidated temple nearby, and once they were sure no one else was around, Wen Yang slowly recounted the matter:

“The Chief Disciple of the two hundred seventy-fifth generation of the Kunlun Taiqing Sect, Song He, came to me in private some days ago, wanting me to get rid of his junior brother, Qiu Changtian, through my hands.”

“Oh?” Jiang Liyan drew out her words with a hooked smile, “I wouldn’t have thought that beneath the Orthodox Sect’s righteous exterior lies behavior even more despicable than ours. At the very least, when we deal with our own, we do it openly and challenge them.”

“Exactly.” Wen Yang shot her a nonchalant glance, not exposing her embellishment but instead continued, “Many years ago, while exploring an ancient relic, I encountered that Kunlun Song He and built some rapport, which is why he reached out to me for assistance this time.”

Jiang Liyan just smiled, saying nothing.

Rapport? I suspect it’s more than just that; it must involve shared interests.

What common interests could there be between an elite disciple of the Taiqing Sect and an elite disciple from the Nether Ghost Path? It could only be the unauthorized exchange of secret intelligence between the Orthodox Sect and the Demonic Path… Of course, this is a sensitive matter, and surely Wen Yang wouldn’t admit it.

“So what you’re saying is, the rapport has run its course, and now, Brother Wen, you plan to sell out Song He to the Kunlun Taiqing Sect, right?” Wei Dongliu, who had been silent all along, suddenly interjected coldly.

Wen Yang’s eyes widened slightly, thinking how sharp-witted this person was to guess his intentions in advance… Yet he let out a cold laugh:

“Rapport, like material wealth, eventually runs out one day. Originally, I thought that Song He would surely secure the top Foundation Establishment position in the next Kunlun hierarchy; thus, I deigned to build rapport with him in advance.”

“But unexpectedly, this Qiu Changtian emerged out of nowhere, brutally blocking Song He’s path to ascend!”

“Regarding this Qiu Changtian, I’ve also heard about him recently,” Jiang the Witch revealed a thoughtful expression, “According to the bounty information, it’s said that this person possesses ‘Daoist Heart Clarity’ that’s rare in a millennium?”

“Precisely,” Wen Yang said with a cold expression, “Daoist Heart Clarity, without need for further explanation, you can find information about its formidable aspects in the texts.”

“With Qiu Changtian there, Song He no longer held any value for connection. If he had not contacted me, that would have been the end of it. But he delivered this leverage into my hands, and if I didn’t take full advantage of it, how would I live up to the title of ‘Judge’ bestowed upon me by my sect?”