Chapter 610: Scissors Difference

"The two Ascended Beings of the Rainbow Path battled to the uttermost edge of the cosmos, where star rivers shattered and the Dao collapsed, as if the universe had just been born..."

"Master Yang Qiao, I can understand the shattering of the star river—what do you mean by 'the Dao collapsed'?"

A merperson raised a hand.

Old Qiaoju stared blankly.

He'd spoken offhand—how could anyone take it seriously?

He tried to deflect.

"What's there to ask? 'The Dao collapsed' means the Dao collapsed! Chickens turn into dogs, dogs into chickens, men into women, women into men—you keep interrupting, can't you just listen? Qiaoju, continue—ignore him!"

"Exactly! Master Yang Qiao, go on—what happens next, what happens next?"

"Very well... um... when the universe was born..."

To walk the Way of the Ruler, to serve the Ruler faithfully.

The old merperson had come to the tribe the day before, recalling Liang Qu's instructions.

He did nothing else but tell stories.

He compiled his centuries of observations, polished them, and told them to the young ones.

Half-archaic, half-modern, it had a unique charm—the merpeople listened with rapt attention, reading books at night and listening to stories by day, ceaselessly for twenty-four hours, fully immersed in the flood of Da Shun information.

The written accounts still raised doubts.

But when spoken by Old Di, the young merpeople's longing for life on land grew by another third.

Was it true that the two Ascended Beings of the Rainbow Path fought to the edge of the universe? Or was it merely true that they frequented brothels for music and teahouses for stories?

The old beliefs clashed with the new—the relocation plan was completely dead.

The chieftain couldn't force it.

He could control them for a time, but not for life.

Never mind other things.

If the tribe split and the young merpeople fled to the land without elders to protect them, if they met wicked people, the consequences would be unthinkable—and the tribe would suffer irreparable damage.

Without the young, the tribe's extinction was only a matter of time.

A time of crisis and survival.

Brother Quan Brother Quan Guangqin and Brother Quan Brother Quan Yuxuan took advantage of the muddy waters, persuading the chieftain three times.

Hence today's journey of Brother Quan Brother Quan Linghan to Jianghuai, and the first meeting between Liang Qu and the Brother Quan chieftain.

【Water Movement】 slashed through the sky, scattering the fish schools.

Previously, Liang Qu had feared his arrival would provoke a violent reaction from the merpeople, so he had never shown himself, leaving the dragonfolk to handle negotiations.

Now that Brother Quan Brother Quan Linghan had gone to meet the River Office official himself, there was no longer any hesitation.

Long Long Binglin stood on the hillside, saw the "meteor" fall, and signaled the patrolling merpeople to remain calm.

Boom.

The water mass burst apart in all directions.

Four figures floated gently to the ground.

Long Yao and Long Li were especially curious, pulling Long Long Eying's hand left and right, gazing around.

Long Long Binglin was startled: "You two came too?"

Long Yao and Long Li grinned: "The Elder is kind—he took us out to see the world."

Long Long Binglin chuckled.

"The Elder lets you go."

"Let's go," Liang Qu waved. "Don't keep the Brother Quan chieftain waiting."

"Your Excellency, please follow this path."

The patrolling merpeople, holding long tridents, lined up on all four sides, bowing to lead the way.

Such a formation was highly conspicuous.

Many merpeople who had gathered around Old Qiaoju to listen to stories looked up—but seeing Long Long Binglin's empty hands, with no gifts, they lowered their heads again.

The chief's tent, with its peaked, gently sloping roof, covered a large area; its brown fabric blended with the mountain stream.

The merpeople swam to either side and drew back the curtains.

Liang Qu stepped inside.

Upon entering the tent.

Vines grew into long benches; glowing jellyfish floated across the ceiling.

The five Tiger-Hunters turned their heads in unison.

Brother Quan Brother Quan Linghan sat in the center; the other four faced him, with several Wolf Smoke experts seated around them—including Brother Quan Brother Quan Guangqin and Brother Quan Brother Quan Yuxuan, both only at the Running Horse level.

The setup was impressive.

But even without 【Transformation Spirit】, with Long Long Binglin and Long Long Eying accompanying him, Liang Qu did not pause.

So young!

Brother Quan Brother Quan Linghan was surprised by the visitor's age; his gaze sank lower.

"Lord Liang... you wear Long Dragon Lingxiao?"

Liang Qu sat and bowed, speaking frankly: "This summer, I subdued a serpent demon that was wreaking havoc. Near the site, I happened upon a ruin of the merpeople and recovered many jiaoxiao and Long Dragon Lingxiao—among them, one bolt of Long Dragon Lingxiao. But I do not know what became of their original tribe—whether they fled or migrated."

The merpeople in the tent showed no reaction.

Jiaoxiao and Long Dragon Lingxiao were worn by the merpeople themselves and had long been traded. Brother Quan Brother Quan Linghan pondered: "Perhaps they fled with preparation?"

Liang Qu raised an eyebrow.

"Explain."

"In Peng Ze, some fish, when hunted, abandon their young to gain a chance to escape—or when a tribe faces trouble and pursuit, they deliberately leave behind large amounts of treasure to slow down the 'predators.'"

"But for some reason, the 'predators' never visited the ruin, leaving it untouched for decades or even centuries—until Lord Liang found it."

"Slow down the pursuit..."

Liang Qu noted it silently, not dwelling on it.

One was far away, the other right before him—the relative weight was obvious.

Get straight to the point.

"Chieftain Brother Quan, you went to Jianghuai Great Marsh yesterday and met the River Office's Xu Xu Tiling—what was your impression?"

The merpeople exchanged glances.

A touch of resignation, a touch of relief.

The situation was stronger than any individual.

This meeting, Brother Quan Brother Quan Linghan's trip to Jianghuai—everyone had already decided. The only question was how to voice it.

As for terms:

No jiaoxiao, no merperson tears—only a small amount of preserved merperson tears remained.

The nine merperson tears Brother Quan Brother Quan Guangqin had secretly given last time were returned the next day; Brother Quan Brother Quan Linghan had seen them.

No problem.

Since the demands were few, no need to be impolite.

Brother Quan Brother Quan Linghan bowed.

"Jianghuai Great Marsh is the greatest marsh in the world, rich in opportunities and treasures. If the chance arises, we naturally wish to go."

"Excellent! Great ambition brings great talent and great enterprise! Chieftain Brother Quan, you have courage! You will never regret today's decision!" Liang Qu leaned forward, delighted. "But I hear your tribe wishes to trade with humans. To protect your people, I must speak plainly."

"Your Excellency, please speak."

"Is there anyone here who lived during the time of Long Jun?"

Eyes shifted.

Among the five Tiger-Hunters, an elderly merperson with sagging gill fins on his cheeks bowed.

"I am he. What does Lord Liang wish to know?"

"No need for formal inquiry—tell me, a hundred years ago, when merpeople traded with humans, how was life? How much profit was made? How does it compare to now?"

The old merperson thought: "Trade meant mutual benefit. Now we must produce everything ourselves. Many human-made goods our tribe lacks—we lived far better then than now."

"So you believe merpeople profited from human trade?"

The merpeople sensed the implication.

"Isn't that so?"

"No," Liang Qu shook his head. "Though merpeople seem to profit greatly from trade with humans, in truth, they suffer severe losses."

"Losses?"

At these words, not only the merpeople, but the dragonfolk too were puzzled.

Merpeople sold things, bought things, improved their lives, acquired resources—how could this be a loss?

Without selling, none of those benefits would come.

"What do humans sell you?"

"Elixirs, weapons, armor, porcelain, books, various useful small items."

"And what do merpeople sell?"

"Treasure fish, treasure plants, minerals, spices, jiaoxiao, merperson tears..."

"Compared to treasure fish, treasure plants, and minerals, you don't sell much jiaoxiao or merperson tears, correct?"

"Correct."

The old merperson nodded.

Jiao silk requires jiao scales; jiao tears cost a life.

One jiao person sheds only a limited number of scales per year, and produces at most one or two tears in a lifetime—output is scarce, merely a small fraction of long-term trade.

The bulk, in fact, lies in other aquatic resources.

"Thus, the human race sells only processed goods, while the jiao people sell only raw materials," Liang Qu said, choosing words the jiao person could understand, "the jiao people sit at the upstream of the entire trade cycle."

"Upstream?"

"Upstream is swift and narrow; downstream is wide and murky; a single drop from an upstream glacier becomes a river stretching ten thousand li to the sea."

For cultivators, cultivation passes through the Four Passes and Seven Channels; to break through the Blood Pass, two elixirs are required: Blood-Exchange Elixir and Blood-Condensing Elixir, both needing the twin horns of the Niujiao Chang fish as an ingredient—yet whenever the twin horns rise in price by three fen, the Blood-Exchange and Blood-Condensing Elixirs each rise by three Great Qian.

Three fen… three Great Qian?

Brother Quan Brother Quan Linghan felt he had grasped something, yet grasped nothing at all.

Brother Quan Brother Quan Guangqin, standing nearby listening, scratched his head.

His mind itched terribly.