Chapter 127: An Unexpected Trial (Part 3)

The Spirit Beast World's territory is extraordinarily vast; the Bi Yi Island alone is two to three Earths in size, and the island's shape is irregular, with its north‑south length about 60,000 li and its east‑west width about 120,000 li.

Although it is the same island, the climate varies enormously. The area around Jiuyun Peak, spanning two thousand li, lies in the central region of Bi Yi Island, where the hot season, cold season, and transitional season are each distinctly defined.

Xi Guo lies a bit farther south; being a plateau region, its climate is cool but not cold, making it a very pleasant place in terms of comfort.

Besides producing various ores, the river‑valley area here has a thriving livestock industry, though its agricultural products are somewhat scarce.

The Xi Guo royal palace, welcome banquet.

The king of Xi Guo, whose real name is Xi Dazhuang, comes from the idle workers; he is not tall but has a square build, an unusually massive physique, with the thickness of his shoulders and back almost matching the width of his shoulders.

Facing a group of handsome men and beautiful women who are disciples of the Cloud Hidden Sect, the king of Xi Guo, though seated at the head of the table, behaves more like a shy guest.

To meet the guests, he deliberately donned what he considered a top‑grade black wolf‑skin coat, with a snarling wolf head still attached at the back of his head; however, compared with the sleek robes of Wei Yuning and the others, the stylish coat appeared far cruder.

The king had prepared a welcome speech, but he held back and only said, "Please enjoy the food and drink," then he began to pour his own wine, occasionally urging the palace maids to hurry in serving the various dishes.

Xi Shuisheng had interacted with Wei Yuning before, so he relaxed a bit, carrying a wine flask and refilling the guests' cups repeatedly.

The river‑valley ranch here raises a breed of black mountain goats, whose meat is exceptionally flavorful, comparable to spirit‑beast meat, making it another specialty of Xi Guo besides its minerals.

Large slabs of boiled lamb, golden‑brown roasted lamb chops, big bowls of milk wine—ingredients starkly different from those in the Cloud Hidden Sect's main hall—made the group of Cloud Hidden Sect disciples eat heartily.

At such times, Wei Yuning's signature sauce is inevitably present. The top‑grade version wouldn't be offered, but the ordinary kind is more than enough.

Seeing the king idly sipping stagnant wine, Wei Yuning called for Prince Xi, took out a bottle of sauce, and entrusted him to deliver it to the king.

The initially somewhat restrained king, after tasting the sauce paired with the meat, immediately shouted out, and after a few bowls of wine, became much more lively, stammering as he chatted with Steward Hong Zhi, who was seated beside him.

"If the nobles of Black Water Nation let us have a full meal, we wouldn't even consider rebelling; there's nothing we can do!"

…

The king's capacity for alcohol is poor, though his wine is decent; when he drinks too much he just talks nonsense, without smashing bowls or plates, but the welcome banquet turned into a venting session.

…

"Charge, charge, charge—kill, kill, kill! We idle workers may be useless at everything else, but we're not afraid to die! Who could have imagined that the lofty royal army would be so easy to defeat? When two miners' lives were exchanged for one of theirs, they got scared, fled, and we pursued them. In one battle we killed over seventy thousand enemies; now, no one dares to control us any longer."

"No one controls us, so we govern ourselves! I led my brothers to seize all the surrounding huge mines, so no idle worker would be bullied any more. The royal army fled at the sight of us; everything went smoothly, and later we founded Xi Guo."

"Who could have thought that Black Water Nation would actually recognize Xi Guo? We were thrilled—it became a vassal of Black Water. But the ruler of Black Water, Wen Laozui, is too cruel; he demands ninety percent of the ore, and also forces our girls and boys to serve as three‑year slaves for nobles and ministers. After three years, fewer than half return, and those who do are maimed. Damn, we had to rebel again…"

…

"In the old wars, as long as you weren't afraid to die, it worked; now it doesn't. The enemy rode all on blue wolves, knives in hand. Before a man even reached us, the wolf pups spat a cloud that froze us instantly. Brothers, comrades, such good comrades—one slash and the head is gone, wooo…"

As he spoke, the king actually began to cry.

He kept crying, then snored, and the king actually fell asleep right there.

On the second morning, everyone stayed in the imperial hall to rest; Prince Xi led Wei Yuning alone to meet the king.

Inside the palace's main hall, aside from the king, there were only two ministers.

While on the way, Wei Yuning had already clarified with Prince Xi: as long as Xi Guo hands over one‑tenth of its national revenue to the Cloud Hidden Sect and sells part of its produce exclusively to the sect at market price, the sect can safeguard Xi Guo's security.

This condition was confirmed after Wei Yuning and Hong Zhi discussed it in detail.

Hong Zhi was especially interested in the "Eleven‑Tax" rule mentioned by Wei Yuning; after learning more details, he decided to implement this tax within the Cloud Hidden Sect's sphere of influence.

In the past, the Cloud Hidden Sect focused too much on self‑sufficiency; as long as forces within its domain didn't oppose it, they were left to fend for themselves, yielding no profit. But if the Eleven‑Tax were enacted, the sect could easily amass great wealth.

Moreover, the sect's mountain‑patrol units already handle security, clearing beasts, monsters, and evil cultivators that threaten humanity; safeguarding these forces is merely a trivial task.

As for dealing with the Blue Wolf Nation, it is also very simple.

Unless one is a pervert, no cultivator would take pleasure in slaughtering mortals; therefore, according to Hong Zhi's view, they are not suited to go onto the battlefield to massacre the enemy army.

Not slaughtering the enemy army doesn't mean they won't deter them; ultimately, strength decides everything. According to Hong Zhi's plan, this group, together with a large Xi Guo army, would march straight to the capital of the Blue Wolf Nation—anyone who blocks them would be killed, anyone who befriends them would be shaken hands, and finally, a treaty would be signed outside the capital.

In this way, regardless of whether Black Water Nation or the Qian Yuan Sect backs this Blue Wolf Nation operation, they would be forced to come forward and negotiate, saving the time wasted on endless speculation.

Including Monk Chengxin, everyone was deeply impressed by Hong Zhi's scheme.

Wei Yuning also agreed with Hong Zhi's plan, though he didn't admire it much.

Without strong backing, this would be a suicide plan. Yet now a group of cultivators is bullying mortals—a total dimensional‑reduction strike; no matter how poor the plan, the outcome won't differ much.

The two ministers represented civil and military affairs: Prime Minister Xi Shi, tall and slender, cultured and refined; Grand General Xi Kaishan, a hulking man with a yellow beard as massive as a wild ox. Idle workers were originally slaves without surnames; after founding Xi Guo, the entire nation adopted Xi as their family name.

"Greetings, Immortal Leader!" Upon seeing Wei Yuning enter, the three bowed their heads and greeted him.

The king regained his restrained demeanor, glanced at Wei Yuning for a moment, and managed to say, "Immortal Leader, have you had breakfast?"