Chapter 450: In Passing
Translator: SoupHunter Editor: Milkbiscuit
Green mountains as beautiful as a painting come alive; a creation birthed by the brush of nature.
Inside the courtyard, the ground was littered with dozens of corpses, while outside, Tian Qingfeng and the other School of Blue Jade disciples were gathered together, each of them more horrified than the next as they looked at Miao Yi, afraid of being next in line on his slaughter list. They didn't stand a chance of surviving against that transcendent artifact in his hand.
Casting his gaze away from the verdant mountains in the distance, Miao Yi turned to the crowd and said solemnly, "There are also some among you who deserve death! While it's understandable that you would wish to seek a different path, and I do not blame you for that, it is deplorable that you also partook in inflicting suffering on your former master just to please the three major sects! Such a sin is even worse than their own! By right, I should kill all of you as well. However, in light of the sacrifices Yuan Fang and your former comrades have made for me, and on account of those among you who have fought valiantly by my side, I have decided to spare your lives! As of now, the School of Blue Jade disciples will be the only ones in Mount Calming Sea. This is your opportunity. Whether you can take it or not is up to you. My debt to the School of Blue Jade has been repaid!"
Secretly relieved, all the School of Blue Jade disciples kept quiet.
Suddenly, the crowd lifted their heads to find a silhouette flitting through the skies and landing in the direction of Mount Calming Sea's main hall.
'Soaring the Heavens stage!' This could only be done by someone who was at least in the Red Lotus realm. Miao Yi and the rest were taken aback as they wondered who had dared to barge into the main hall like this...
In front of the gates of Mount Calming Sea's main assembly hall, stood the seductive figure of a woman. This highly alluring visitor was none other than Suppressing Third Hall's Hall Master, Wu Menglan.
She knew that those who could make it out alive from the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade would get to choose whichever place they wanted to be Manor Head in. Hence, ever since she found out that Miao Yi was one of them, she immediately waited for him along the route he would take once he left Mount Calming Sea. This was because she didn't want the people from Suppressing Second Hall to see her, the Hall Master of Suppressing Third Hall, humbling herself by coming all this way. Also, it was mostly because she didn't want Huo Lingxiao to find out about it.
However, after waiting for some time, there was still no sign of Miao Yi. Wu Menglan couldn't just waste her time waiting with no end in sight. As such, she lost her patience and came straight to Mount Calming Sea. However, she never expected to find such a scene before her.
Wu Menglan was at a loss for words when she found a pile of headless corpses strewn all over the floor of the main assembly hall. What confounded her more was that they were all female corpses. They had no heads and were covered in a layer of frost. It was not a normal way to die at all.
Wu Menglan walked inside the main hall, then crouched down and touched one of the corpses with her hand. As she stood up, she furrowed her brows and said, "They've been struck by Yin energy… But how could there be such a dense Yin energy around here? A normal cultivator isn't capable of controlling such power at all. Could this be an attack from a Ghost cultivator then? What exactly is going on here…"
As she mumbled to herself, she figured she didn't have the leisure to bother about such things right now. She strode straight to the back of the hall and into the courtyard of the Mountain Chieftain's quarters. She then ended up bumping into Wen Fang, who was waiting in the courtyard.
Wen Fang didn't know what happened either. She was the one who insisted on staying, and Miao Yi didn't particularly mind, so he let her. He didn't have the time to deal with her for the time being either way. That said, he did remind her not to run around in the coming days and said that she could only stay here.
Wen Fang could vaguely sense that Miao Yi had something to do, so she resigned herself to waiting.
At this moment, when she saw Wu Menglan coming in, both ladies asked in unison, "Who are you?"
The tones that they used were different, however. Wu Menglan's tone was domineering and gave off the impression of one who presided over others; whereas Wen Fang's tone was clearly somewhat cautious.
Wu Menglan continued to ask, "What happened in Mount Calming Sea? Why are there so many corpses in the main hall?"
"Corpses?" Wen Fang was startled. She quickly circled around Wu Menglan and headed straight to the main assembly hall to have a look. She was completely flabbergasted by what she found. As she resided in the Celestial Nation's Chamber of Commerce, she never had to partake in any slaughter or bloodshed. Naturally, this meant that she had never seen so many corpses in one place before either. She was a little horrified at the sight. Even if she wasn't too knowledgeable about matters concerning the administration, she knew that the main assembly hall was an important place, and not somewhere that people would easily die in.
With a pale expression on her face, Wen Fang walked back to the courtyard and asked Wu Menglan, "Who… who are you?"
"That's not your concern. Where is Miao Yi?" Wu Menglan asked.
"I don't know!" Even if she knew, she wouldn't carelessly reveal it either. After all, she still had no idea who the other party was. Out of precaution, she took out a golden badge and identified herself, "I am a member of the Celestial Nation's Chamber of Commerce, and I came here to do business. I don't know what happened."
"Someone from the Chamber of Commerce?" Wu Menglan mused. As the members of the Chamber of Commerce didn't usually take part in the messy affairs of the administration, she didn't ask any further. However, her ears suddenly perked up, and she tilted her head towards the back of the mountain. She then stood and waited in place!
Soon, Miao Yi and the others came in. When they saw Wu Menglan, even Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei couldn't help being surprised. After all, she was the one in charge of the fleet to the Sea of Constellations back then, so they both recognized her.
"We respectfully greet Hall Master Wu!" After a brief look at one another, Miao Yi, Sikong Wuwei, and Zhao Fei bowed and greeted simultaneously.
'Hall Master?' Yan Beihong automatically followed suit and bowed.
Wu Menglan had completely forgotten about Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei and couldn't help asking curiously, "You two know who I am as well?"
"Hall Master Wu, they are also members of the fleet you led to the Sea of Constellations back then…" Miao Yi gave a quick introduction. He also explained that Yan Beihong was someone from the First Earthly Branch.
Wu Menglan's eyes brightened. She had originally come from the capital city and was simply planning to recruit Miao Yi on her way back. She didn't expect to find two other survivors from the Subjugation Crusade here as well. She immediately asked, "What are your cultivations?"
"Blue Lotus Ninth Grade!" Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei revealed the mark on their foreheads which indicated their cultivations. It wasn't necessary for Yan Beihong to do this as he was someone from the First Earthly Branch; Wu Menglan couldn't have him even if she wanted it.
Wu Menglan quickly lost her interest when she found out that they were both at the Blue Lotus Ninth Grade. These people had just come back from the Sea of Constellations and possessed an incredible amount of resources at their disposal. They were also just one step away from the Red Lotus realm. Hence, if she were to recruit them, they would eventually become a threat to her position.
Miao Yi was a different case. It would still take quite some time for him to reach the Red Lotus realm. Wu Menglan figured it would take him at least another four to five hundred years before he could threaten her seat. Not to mention, she had an enmity with Huo Lingxiao. If she could take his subordinate away, that would be interesting in itself.
Wu Menglan immediately paid no heed to Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei, smiling as she said to Miao Yi, "My dear Little Brother, your Big Sister Meng has come to fulfill the promise I made to you back on the ship. Come with me to Suppressing Third Hall. I have two Manors ready for you already."
'Dear Little Brother?' Zhao Fei and the others looked at Miao Yi. They never expected him to have such a close relationship with this Hall Master.
"..." Miao Yi was at a loss on how to reply. Back then, these conditions were indeed a little enticing, but now...
Noticing his reluctance, Wu Menglan's face darkened as she asked, "I've come all the way here. You're not going to reject me, are you?"
"This…" Miao Yi laughed drily and said, "Of course not!"
Wu Menglan immediately smiled and said, "Then I'll assume you've agreed to it."
She didn't give him a chance to say no at all, causing Miao Yi to feel rather stumped. She then turned around and asked, "Why are there so many corpses in the main assembly hall?"
Miao Yi thought to himself, 'I never promised you anything. It's not like you can do anything about it anyway if I end up going somewhere else. I doubt you'll go as far as to barge in on someone else's territory and make a move against me.' With this thought in mind, he put on a blank expression and answered, "They're just a few insubordinate scumbags who took advantage of my absence from Mount Calming Sea!"
Wu Menglan simply nodded. It was normal for such a thing to happen. After all, who could've expected Miao Yi to make it back alive? It would be strange if his subordinates didn't try to take this opportunity to wrestle some authority away.
Given Wu Menglan's status, she didn't see any point in sticking around with these people any longer now that her objective was complete. She smiled and said, "Little Brother, it's decided then. I will wait for you in Suppressing Third Hall!" Then, with a flick of her sleeves, she shot to the skies and left, leaving the dumbfounded Miao Yi staring at the clouds.
"Little Brother, are you planning to go to her territory?" Yan Beihong asked. If Miao Yi went there, then he would know where to contact him in the future.
"It's not like I agreed with her. Let's just see how it goes!" Miao Yi shook his head. He then saw Wen Fang quietly tugging at Qian'Er and Xue'Er's sleeves in the corner. Noticing his two handmaidens slightly at a loss on what to do, he furrowed his brows and asked, "Wen Fang, why are you fidgeting around so much?"
Wen Fang smiled sheepishly and said, "Big Brother, they have something to tell you." She had no choice but to take the initiative now. There was no telling where Miao Yi would choose to take up his new post.
Miao Yi was a little surprised. He looked at the two ladies and asked, "What is it?"
The two ladies didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Xue'Er explained helplessly, "Master, Wen Fang would like you to help out with her business."
Noticing the frown on Miao Yi's face, Qian'Er immediately explained how often Wen Fang had visited the two of them these past few years, and how much she had helped them by keeping a lookout for any news about him. As for whether or not Miao Yi was willing to help out with Wen Fang's business, that was not something Qian'Er could control. It was entirely up to Miao Yi.
The words of one's trusted aide were powerful indeed! Miao Yi couldn't help feeling a little puzzled. In a situation where almost all his subordinates had betrayed him, this woman could still stay so faithful to him. Whether Wen Fang had any ulterior motives or not was a different story. However, just this show of concern alone was enough for Miao Yi to look on her much more favorably.
Qian'Er and Xue'Er were not the only ones who spoke up for Wen Fang. Beside them, Hong Xiu and Hong Fu timely added, "Little Sister Wen Fang has also been of great help to us both these past few years."
It was evident from their words that this Wen Fang girl was quite the decent character.
Yan Beihong simply said "Oh." in reply. He knew that his two girls wouldn't say something pointless at a time like this. They must really be close to this Wen Fang girl, which was why they chose to speak up for her. Yan Beihong immediately had a much favorable impression of Wen Fang and revealed a smile.
"I say, woman! What am I going to do with you?" Miao Yi pointed at Wen Fang helplessly. He was completely resigned by now. It wouldn't really be right if he didn't take care of her business now.
Wen Fang immediately rushed over. With a bitter expression on her face, she pouted her lips and said, "Big Brother, you're going to be promoted soon, whereas I can't even manage a small branch yet. I've even skipped out on all my Chamber of Commerce duties these past two to three months just waiting for you to come back and thus haven't made a single deal at all. I definitely won't be able to hit this year's target now. Can't you sympathize with your Little Sister a little? Are you really going to just stand by and watch your Little Sister lose her job?"
'I can't deal with this!' Miao Yi shook his head, then took out a full set of Second Grade Armor Artifacts from his storage bangle. He handed it out with one hand and said, "Here, take it! Convert them all into Orbs of Will for me!"
This was a big order indeed. It should be known that Miao Yi had spent a vast fortune just to make one full set back then. Even though this set didn't also include Charcoal's armor, it was worth quite a lot already. This was evident from the fact that not even Yang Qing possessed a full set himself currently.
Wen Fang's eyes immediately brightened, and she anxiously said, "This won't do. We have to follow the proper procedures. Big Brother, I'll go look for an appraiser so just hold on to it for now. Wait for me!" She lifted the hem of her skirt and bolted, completely beside herself with excitement.
Miao Yi didn't have the time to wait for her to run back and forth like that. He'd wasted enough time in Mount Calming Sea already. He immediately shouted, "Come back!"
Wen Fang immediately rushed back and asked nervously, "Are you going back on your decision?"
Miao Yi waved his hand and replied, "I'm trying to make it more convenient for you. How can I not rest easy knowing my miserly Little Sister is taking care of things? I'm going to leave Mount Calming Sea very soon, so I won't have time to play around with you. You can just discuss the details with Qian'Er and Xue'Er. Once you've sold off everything, just bank the money into their accounts."
To let her take care of such an expensive thing however she wanted; what trust indeed! Wen Fang was practically smiling from ear to ear.
Beside them, Yan Beihong chuckled and took out another set of Second Grade Armor Artifacts, handing them to Wen Fang as he said, "In that case, help me sell this set off in passing then. You can talk to Hong Xiu and Hong Fu regarding the specifics."
Web Fang repeatedly nodded. She was about to lose her mind from happiness.
Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei looked at one another. Since even Yan Beihong had made his move, the two of them couldn't just sit by and do nothing. Smiling, they each took out another set of armor artifacts and handed it out to Wen Fang, saying, "In that case, help us sell these off in passing as well then!"
The two of them were now filthy rich, so they didn't need to be too concerned about a single set of armor artifacts. They could do at least this much on account of her calling Miao Yi 'Big Brother'. It wouldn't be right if they didn't help her out a little. Even if they were asked to give the two sets to her as a present, the two of them wouldn't mind at all.
Wen Fang wasn't an idiot. How could things possibly be so convenient? These people were clearly helping her out of respect for Miao Yi. Her face was practically glowing with excitement as she nodded her head repeatedly. She didn't refuse a single thing at all.
When he saw her reaction, Miao Yi could tell that she'd never had any experience with big orders before! He shook his head, then smiled at Yan Beihong and the others and said, "My apologies, everyone. My Little Sister here is still a little inexperienced. In any case, I'm sure that you'll be visiting the Chamber of Commerce more often than not in the future. Since it doesn't matter to you who you do business with, why not help my Little Sister out? It won't be too much trouble anyway since the Chamber of Commerce has employees to send her out anywhere, no matter the distance."
The three of them laughed in response. Miao Yi then turned to Wen Fang and asked, "You're a businesswoman, right? Don't tell me you don't have any name cards at hand? How else will your customers contact you in the Chamber of Commerce then?"