Chapter 413

Regarding cocoon food.

The Gao family and other cargo owners... have a route through Siam; the risk is higher, but the profit is great.

Then, over a million worth of goods disappeared in the warehouse at the Cham Canal dock.

To this day, no one has figured out what happened.

Gao Wanli came to Cham not only to compete with Xu Yuan for the position of Master of Discipline, but likely also to secretly investigate this matter.

But as soon as she arrived in Cham, she was subjected to various forms of "bullying," and it's very likely she never truly began investigating this matter before she died in Ghost Wushan...

But this also forced the behind-the-scenes cargo owners to temporarily abandon this route.

Xu Yuan had long secretly questioned the River Inspector; the River Inspector, controlled by Shengshi, truthfully reported from within: "For these past few months, no one has been smuggling cocoon food from our side."

Xu Yuan couldn't help but feel a certain "nostalgia" for Gao Wanli.

If this woman were still alive, we could trace backward along her trail and possibly uncover the source of the cocoon food.

After seeing off Geng Jiu, Xu Yuan suddenly thought of one possibility: if no one has been smuggling cocoon food these past few months, could someone be transporting it openly?

This item is not banned from trade in the Huang Ming, but taxes on it are extremely high.

This time, Xu Yuan first took out the tortoise shell for divination.

After burning it with his abdominal fire, the tortoise shell cracked with a series of crisp, popping sounds.

Today is auspicious! All wishes fulfilled!

This artifact is not only for use in magical duels.

But unless in a duel, Xu Yuan rarely used it in daily life.

True, taking one divination daily seems to bring good fortune every day.

But don't forget that artifacts are part of the strange.

The more frequently you use it, the higher the chance of corruption.

If you take one divination daily... this tortoise shell will likely, within less than a year, grow greedy enough to absorb Lord Xu into itself, becoming part of it.

And today, I used it because Lord Xu truly felt he needed some "good fortune."

After putting away the tortoise shell, Xu Yuan quietly questioned the River Inspector.

The River Inspector replied: "I need to look into this."

All cargo ships passing through the Cham dock must register at the government office.

But the volume is enormous; the River Inspector cannot possibly review every one daily.

Xu Yuan then left the government office and slowly made his way toward the dock.

Less than half an hour later, he sat in the back chamber of the Yuan Sheng Hao.

Uncle Yang, seeing his boss arrive, immediately prepared the ledger and presented it.

"I'm not here to audit the books," Xu Yuan waved his hand.

Uncle Yang smiled and said: "You may choose not to audit, but we cannot fail to prepare."

Xu Yuan smiled as well and casually flipped through it.

The Yuan Sheng Hao's business is doing well.

It doesn't earn a thousand taels a day or a hundredfold profit, but its gross margin hovers around forty percent.

Xu Yuan's Business Law thus steadily improved.

The increase is modest, but consistent.

At this pace, even without the trade on Guanghuo Street, in another half year, his Business Law level could rise to Fifth Tier.

Uncle Yang added: "We keep only fifteen hundred taels of silver on hand daily; the rest is deposited in the Dahe Bank."

Here are the receipts, please review them, Boss.

Currently, our accounts hold seven ten-thousand taels of silver, mostly tied up in goods; the inventory's total value is roughly two hundred thousand taels.

The Dahe Bank thrives along the canal.

Wherever the Huang Ming's canal extends, the Dahe Bank opens branches.

All Huang Ming merchants know that the true owner behind the Dahe Bank is the River Dragon King, so they trust it completely with their money.

Other banks and money houses fall far short in reputation and convenience.

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow and closed the ledger: "Well done."

Uncle Yang, observing his boss's expression, noticed the joy on his face and quietly exhaled in relief.

He assumed it was due to his own competent management, and that his boss was satisfied.

But he did not know that Xu Yuan had already received the River Inspector's report: "Indeed, there is one trading house dealing in cocoon food."

Today's good fortune has come to pass!

With the River Inspector's help, the details of this trading house were quickly uncovered.

The trading house is named Rong Shun Hou; its owner's surname is Wang.

But its roots lie in the Southern Capital, a partnership among several old noble families there.

Every half-month, a cargo ship passes through Cham, carrying various Huang Ming bestsellers: porcelain, tea, silk, and the like.

Alongside these are several rare goods, including cocoon food.

But the quantity each time is small.

Between three taels and half a catty.

The River Inspector secretly reported to Lord Xu: "They've likely manipulated the figures."

"Many well-connected trading houses in Zhengzhou do the same."

"On paper, they obey the law; if the court sends inspectors, they can pass inspection."

"But in reality, while they declare three taels of cocoon food, the ship may be hiding twenty catties, even fifty."

"These old aristocrats have nothing left but their ancestors' names; they should behave more cautiously."

Xu Yuan understood.

The term "old aristocrats" refers to the noble titles granted during the founding of the Ming Dynasty or the Jingnan Campaign.

Aside from a few families, most have now declined, retaining only their inherited titles without any important official posts.

Most can only hold nominal military ranks such as general or commander-in-chief.

Some are even worse off—their titles are too low, and each generation inherits a reduced rank, until now they are mere commoners.

With no official position, only a title, if they truly offend, no one can intervene on their behalf, so they act discreetly.

"Counting the time, they'll have a cargo ship arriving tomorrow."

"But I wonder if the ship will carry cocoon food."

Upon hearing this news, Xu Yuan instructed Uncle Yang: "I won't return today. Arrange a room for me, and send someone to notify the government office."

"Yes." Uncle Yang went to make arrangements.

At night, Xu Yuan quietly released Pi Long, hiding it beneath the canal's bottom.

The next morning, Xu Yuan once again activated the divination tortoise shell.

He sought good fortune for today:

"Good fortune at the door—today, something good will surely happen!"

By midday, the cargo ship from Rongshunhou arrived.

The Canal Administration officials were surprised, for today the Canal Supervisor had suddenly become diligent.

He had come to the dock early to supervise personally.

Xu Yuan got the report he wanted from the Canal Supervisor: "The ship carries four taels of cocoon food."

Xu Yuan stepped out and told Uncle Yang: "Prepare a sum of silver."

Acting on Xu Yuan's instruction, the Canal Supervisor negotiated with Rongshunhou's people to purchase this batch of cocoon food.

Though Rongshunhou was reluctant, their ships routinely passed through Zhancheng Dock, so they had no choice but to agree.

But they demanded a higher price.

Xu Yuan agreed and told Uncle Yang: "Take the silver to the dock. Someone will contact you."

Uncle Yang immediately set off, asking not a single unnecessary question.

If Rongshunhou had refused to sell, Xu Yuan would have had to release Pi Long to summon sheng shi and secretly take some cocoon food.

When Uncle Yang saw the man who came to meet him, it was the Canal Supervisor's personal attendant—he was startled.

Then came quiet delight.

He realized that henceforth, his merchant house would have no worries at the dock.

Uncle Yang returned with a box: "Master."

Xu Yuan took the box and rose: "Good. I'm returning."

Back at the Zhancheng Office, he opened the box—inside was a full box of cocoon food.

Half a tael each, eight in total.

Xu Yuan picked up one, swallowed it whole, and used his belly fire to refine it.

Aunt Wang had said cocoon food forms when peaches, apricots, pomegranates, chestnuts, and similar fruits ripen but never fall, enduring winter's wind, frost, snow, and rain; come spring, certain insect-like evil spirits burrow inside, spin silk, and fuse into cocoons.

Having passed through life and death multiple times, they carry a certain "realm of life and death" quality.

Spirit cultivators can use cocoon food to directly elevate yin soldiers into divine generals.

Wu Xiu's Twelve Golden Men, wooden oxen, and flowing horses require cocoon food to awaken, granting these artifacts their own "life."

Some Wu Xiu, upon reaching the Fifth Tier, when crossing the "realm of life and death," take large quantities of cocoon food beforehand to increase their success rate.

In the Ming Dynasty, cocoon food's uses are all tied to "life and death."

After refining this one cocoon food, Xu Yuan gained some understanding of its nature.

"Do Westerners, after taking secret medicines, truly communicate with their so-called God of Profession—or is it merely… an illusion born from lingering on the realm of life and death?"

Xu Yuan muttered to himself.

He then ingested another.

Half of the eight cocoon foods in the box were soon consumed.

The medicinal effect finally reached sufficient strength—suddenly, Xu Yuan felt he was not holding the Yin-Yang Guillotine, yet he saw the world normally visible only through his "right eye."

Even further—he saw Zhancheng's "Zhuo Jian"!

Within the Zhuo Jian, the first to sense him was the Yin-Yang Yan; its two heads turned together, their gazes crossing space to land on Xu Yuan.

At first, confusion; then sudden realization.

After a moment's thought…

The Yin-Yang Yan's massive body retracted, sinking into a chaotic stream of void.

Dou Mian Gui drifted above a murky blood pool, where countless half-fish, half-insect evil spirits floated and sank.

Dou Mian Gui opened its bloody maw, as if roaring at these evil spirits.

Suddenly, it sensed something and turned toward Xu Yuan's direction.

But then it noticed the Yin-Yang Yan's anomaly—and gave a knowing, sinister grin.

On a desolate desert plain, a clump of black oil evil spirit rapidly coalesced from cracks in the sand, then—puff! —transformed into a blood cloud.

The blood cloud surged and shifted, forming the shape of an eye in its center.

It stared at Xu Yuan for a long while, then—puff! —dissolved into gray mist, swirling vaguely toward him.

Within the gray mist, all the evil spirits Xu Yuan had ever seen instantly manifested!

Xu Yuan was instantly startled, his whole body jerking violently as his belly fire surged violently.

Before the gray mist surged forward, Xu Yuan finally broke free from that state.

"Huh—" Xu Yuan exhaled a breath of yin energy.

The gray-black yin energy churned and dispersed.

Xu Yuan's body slowly warmed from its chill; the sensation of his heartbeat returned.

What he saw before him now was the normal yang world.

"Could the so-called communication with the God of Profession among Westerners actually be communication with these great evils of Zhuo Jian?"

"But… does the West even have a Zhuo Jian?"

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes again: "What was that thing that just charged at me? I'll ask the Yin-Yang Yan about it when I get the chance."

……

At this moment in Zhuo Jian, the ferocious gray mist suddenly lost its target.

It exploded in place, reverting into a swirling mass of black oil.

Dou Mian Gui watched from afar.

The Yin-Yang Yan reappeared from the Void Waterfall, both heads turning toward the black oil.

"He is the Chief of Law in the Qushui Bureau of Zhan City."

"Neither you nor I are Master Ruan Tian—we lack the power to make the Huang Ming Court fear us."

"If you eat him, the Huang Ming Court will hunt us to death!"

From the black oil emerged a cavernous, deep mouth.

It roared:

"You two cowards!"

"This place is our world!"

"The Xiao Xi Temple has already been polluted by the living—must this place be invaded by him too?!"

Both faces of the Yin-Yang Yan sank downward; it hooked its tail through the Void Waterfall.

In Zhuo Jian, as if a layer of Void skin had been peeled back, it enveloped all three great evils.

"Tell the truth!"

Only the three of them remained here.

Dou Mian Gui and the Yin-Yang Yan both knew the black oil well, and stared at it together.

The black oil's deep, terrifying cavernous mouth shrank to normal size.

Its voice became muffled, as if speaking with liquid in its mouth: "I'm afraid too."

"But after he appeared in Zhuo Jian, I sensed he is somehow connected to 'Shen Xu'!"

The Yin-Yang Yan and Dou Mian Gui exclaimed in unison: "Shen Xu?!"

"He's only fifth-rank—how could he possibly have contact with Shen Xu!"

But the black oil suddenly sank downward, piercing through the Void skin the Yin-Yang Yan had raised, and submerged itself again into the desolate desert.

"Bad!" The two great evils cried out together.

The Yin-Yang Yan retreated once more swiftly into the Void Waterfall.

Dou Mian Gui shrank to the size of a copper coin in an instant and drifted beneath a pile of broken bricks and stones.

Above Zhuo Jian, in the endless void, a wound slowly tore open.

Through the wound, one could directly see the starry sky.

The stars shimmered with strange, unnatural hues—utterly different from the brilliant stars seen by the living in the yang world!

After a moment, something drifted past above the wound.

It circled several times, as if searching for something.

Dou Mian Gui deeply regretted not hiding deeply enough!

But now, it dared not move even slightly.

Not just them—every other evil in Zhuo Jian remained utterly still.

Time slowed in a literal sense.

The thing from Shen Xu finally departed, disappointed.

The "wound" began to slowly heal.

Long after, the three great evils dared to surface again.

The Yin-Yang Yan raised the Void skin once more, enclosing them all.

The black oil raged violently, roaring: "Now do you believe me? That… was here to find him!"

We must do something—seal him off from wandering into Zhuo Jian again!

He doesn't know the horror of Shen Xu—but we do!"

Dou Mian Gui's massive face was grim—he had truly been terrified just now.

The Yin-Yang Yan was reluctant, but Dou Mian Gui and the black oil pressed him: "You go warn him!"

Of all present, only the Yin-Yang Yan had ever dealt with Xu Yuan.

The Yin-Yang Yan snorted, flicked its tail, and turned away.

Not agreeing on the spot was the Yin-Yang Yan saving face—you two pressure me, so I must comply?

But not refusing meant tacit agreement.

……

He swallowed four cocoon foods and personally experienced the sensation of the realm of life and death.

Xu Yuan checked his own changes again.

For the practitioners of the Western Regions, they had taken the "Secret Elixir," while Xu Yuan was the "Bait," having also consumed certain characteristics of the Cocoon-Eater and incorporated them into himself.

The first change was that his cultivation speed had increased by a few degrees.

This change was not obvious, but Xu Yuan was already at the Fifth Flow; for any subtle change in himself, he would have an accurate grasp.

For instance, when cultivating the "Five Cauldrons Boiling," after consuming the Cocoon-Eater, the original fifty days of work could now be completed in about forty-eight and a half days.

As Xu Yuan further investigated why this change occurred, his expression soon tightened.

This acceleration stemmed from his body becoming more "affine" to Yin Qi!

The origin of cultivators is highly likely to be the Strange.

During the cultivation process, the power absorbed into the body is, in fact, Yin Qi.

Therefore, progressing too quickly, or continuous cultivation without interruption, could trigger a Strange Transformation.

Cultivators of the Great Ming all control their own infection.

They keep their bodies in a state of low infection as much as possible.

But it is impossible to be perfectly free of infection.

Every time Xu Yuan shed his skin, for a very short period, he was likely the only one among all cultivators of the Great Ming to achieve a state of "perfectly free of infection."

But it was only "highly likely."

The higher the infection, the better the absorption and assimilation of Yin Qi; this is common knowledge among cultivators.

But no one dares...

The second change was that the connection between Xu Yuan and the Crafted Objects felt "intimate."

This was the first time Xu Yuan had such a feeling.

Some Crafted Objects even gave Xu Yuan a feeling akin to "pets"!

Using them became smoother, as if guided by one's own will, and their power surged.

This further gave Xu Yuan an illusion that the "Life Weight" required by these Crafted Objects had decreased!

"It hasn't decreased," Xu Yuan realized: "The Crafted Objects are stealing the weight! If I fall for it, day by day, they will steal my life!"

This change, ultimately... was still due to the increase in his own infection.

Crafted Objects originate from the Strange.

After the infection increased, they naturally became closer to the Crafted Objects.

At this moment, Xu Yuan did not dare to bring out the Fourth Flow "Bell Long Spikes."

In his current state, he might even hear that thing speaking in his ear!

Additionally, there was another change: the Six-Eyed Eyed Minge Strange Pill was stirring restlessly within his body.

It seemed to have strong designs on the Dragon Pearl Core.

If expressed with a famous quote, it would be:

"I can replace him!"

All these changes stemmed from the intensification of the body's infection.

After consuming four Cocoon-Eaters, he had briefly fallen into the Turbid Realm.

It was as if he had achieved the "Crossing to Yin" effect that Aunt Wang had mentioned before leaving.

"The Cocoon-Eaters are produced in the Great Ming. Ancestors of past generations discovered this material long ago, but used it with extreme caution; the reason is likely this!"

The medicinal effect is strong, but the side effects are too great.

"The practitioners of the Western Regions must take Secret Elixirs containing Cocoon-Eaters every time they advance; looking at this, the residual infection on their bodies must be very high.

If infection can be induced, victory can be achieved without fighting."

Then Xu Yuan suddenly thought of another question: "Cocoon-Eaters are all sold from the Great Ming to the Western Regions.

Without Cocoon-Eaters, there are no Secret Elixirs; without Secret Elixirs, there are no practitioners...

Does that not mean the practitioners of the Western Regions appeared far later than the cultivators of the Great Ming?

Or did the Western Regions have other substitutes before?"

Xu Yuan could not know.

He sat in meditation, using the Fu Zhong Huo in his belly to steam himself, clearing the infection from his body.

It took more than an hour to return to his original level.

However, one benefit remained: his affinity with Yin Spirits had slightly increased.

In the future, when using the Six-Eyed Eyed Minge to release the Yin Soldiers within, the Yin Soldiers would not resist him so much.

Xu Yuan put away the remaining Cocoon-Eaters.

Only four remained; he did not know their exact value among the practitioners of the Western Regions, or whether they could bribe an insider.

"I fear it is a bit too little..."

Xu Yuan guessed.

This box of four taels of Cocoon-Eaters cost Lord Xu three thousand taels.

According to "Rong Shun Hou," when they sold them to the Western Regions, they were worth at least forty thousand taels!

But the River Warden also told Lord Xu that the people of "Rong Shun Hou" were exaggerating.

Four taels of Cocoon-Eaters were worth about two thousand taels in Zhengzhou.

Transported to the Western Regions, the price was ten times higher, meaning twenty thousand taels.

However, merchants in the Western Regions would add several times the price when selling to the practitioners.

The two taels of Cocoon-Eaters remaining in Lord Xu's hands were roughly equivalent to ten thousand taels of silver in the Western Regions.

This sum sounds like a lot, but the delegation came to the Great Ming bearing a national mission; in Lord Xu's view: ten thousand taels were probably insufficient to move them.

Lord Xu checked the time; it was almost dinner time. He stood up, pulled open the door, and walked out—

The moment the door opened, Old Qin burst into the courtyard, shouting in his loud voice: "My lord, my lord, come out and take a look! Red-haired foreigners! This is the first time Old Qin has ever seen red-haired foreigners; these foreign devils are truly ugly..."

Xu Yuan was stunned: "Red-haired foreigners? Where?"

"Outside the main gate. They say they want to see you." Old Qin grinned, baring his teeth; today happened to be his turn to guard the main gate: "These foreign devils simply cannot understand our Great Ming's official ranks; they just said they want to see the biggest official in our city."

Xu Yuan felt strange; how had the red-haired foreigners ended up here?

They were commonly seen along the coastal regions, but Zhan Cheng was still several hundred li from the seaside.

Besides, the Great Ming and the red-haired foreigners had fought several battles in the Southern Ocean; they were hardly on friendly terms with each other.

"Bring them in."

"Yes!"

Qin Ze had not been gone long before he returned with people.

All the way, Old Qin could be heard muttering: "You foreign devils speak Chinese quite fluently."

"On our Great Ming's territory, you must observe our Great Ming's etiquette; when you see my lord, you must kowtow and kneel..."

There were five red-haired foreigners in total, their skin rough and ruddy, clearly the result of years at sea, battered by sea winds and intense sunlight.

The one in front was not tall, nearly two heads shorter than Old Qin.

Admittedly, Old Qin was a Wu Xiu and naturally large-boned, but his height was also below average among ordinary people of the Great Ming.

His head was full of brown-red curly hair, and even his beard was curly.

He had an eagle-beak nose, and his eyes were sharp, fierce, and arrogant.

Yet before Lord Xu, he refused to kneel; he only placed his hand on his chest, bowed slightly, and spoke in awkward Chinese: "Alejandro, Viscount of the Kingdom of Castile, pays his respects to the Lord of the City in the East..."

Qin Ze flew into a rage: "Kneel!"

Seeing that this Western foreign devil had ignored his earlier warning and still refused to kneel, he stretched out his palm-like large hand, intending to press down on the other's shoulder and force him down.

The Great Ming actually had no habit of kowtowing; even in daily life, they did not kneel when they saw Lord Xu.

But Old Qin simply felt that you foreign devils should kneel!

But as his large hand pressed down, Alejandro's body went "poof" and turned into a cloud of black mist, then immediately reformed seven chi away.

Old Qin was stunned: "There's some skill to this..."

Alejandro's face was grim: "This Viscount has come to help you!"

(End of this chapter)