Chapter 303: Wang Fu Selling Treasures

It is said that the Wang Fu treasury is a forbidden zone, but Li Yan feels that from the moment he stepped through the gate, danger lurked everywhere.

At the side gate where they entered, the Wang Fu guards all carried muskets, among which were two new-style divine fire muskets.

Besides that, they were leading a fierce dog; it was massive, covered in black fur, and of an unknown breed, staring at them with a pair of dark yellow eyes.

This should be a Wang Fu guard squad.

Li Yan also saw similar squads patrolling along the corners beneath the surrounding walls.

Combined with the sentries on the watchtowers, they formed a tight defensive line.

Just on this first layer alone, few people could break in.

Furthermore, in some places they walked past along the way, Li Yan could faintly sense threats, but the only one he clearly saw was an ordinary old eunuch who crossed paths with them.

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

The Mystic Sects of this world possess many profound arts and can pass them down for thousands of years, but how could the Imperial Court, which sits in possession of the entire Shenzhou with royal power overriding divine power, lack strength?

The Martial World is merely a corner of the Shenzhou...

Just then, he saw a group of people walking toward them on the distant riverbank; the leader was none other than the Heir of Wang Fu, followed by over a dozen guards and eunuchs.

Hu Ming naturally noticed as well and hurriedly stood up to reach the doorway.

Seeing the Heir of Wang Fu from afar, he wore a face full of smiles and respectfully cupped his hands, saying, "This commoner greets the Heir!"

His posture was very low, even somewhat sycophantic.

Li Yan followed him out, but he didn't say much, merely cupping his hands in return without bowing.

"The two of you, no need for formalities."

The Heir of Wang Fu raised his hand with a smile.

Li Yan secretly sized him up; he had heard that this Heir was named Xiao Shixian and was quite obsessed with martial arts, but now it seemed that was pure nonsense.

The other party had Yin Sha Qi lingering around his body, carrying a certain scorching heat; he likely knew not just martial arts, but also martial magic.

He was not old, yet his speech carried quite a bit of poise; no wonder he could become the recognized successor to Wang Fu.

One must know, Wang Fu had no shortage of children.

He did not know that Xiao Shixian was also sizing him up.

The Heir of Wang Fu had originally had some thoughts of recruiting Li Yan to his side, as he was young and had great potential, but seeing that he refused to bow, he immediately extinguished those thoughts.

The Martial World has its rules, and the Imperial Court is the same.

"How can I bow and scrape to serve the powerful," sounds satisfying, but the price is inevitably an inability to integrate into the rules.

On Mount Gui, there is the tomb of Mi Heng; he was overflowing with talent, but his personality was arrogant, insulting Cao Cao and looking down on Liu Biao. Never mind realizing his ambitions, he didn't even live past twenty-six before being killed for angering Huang Zu.

Just as Wang Fu said, Li Yan was merely a commoner of the Martial World; their brains would have to be squeezed by a door to recruit such a person.

What they wanted were subordinates who could fight and work; why would they find someone to add trouble for themselves? No matter how great the ability, it wouldn't do.

The two sides had a measure of each other the moment they met.

After the eunuchs replaced the tea with fresh brew, the Heir of Wang Fu, Xiao Shixian, smiled at Hu Ming, "Mr. Hu, I heard you come from the Jade Emperor Temple in Zezhou and are of the Doumu Academy lineage?"

"The Heir is correct." Hu Ming hurriedly agreed.

After hearing this, Xiao Shixian feigned curiosity, "Most people of your Doumu Academy serve in the Imperial Observatory; I heard His Majesty has the intention to revise the calendar?"

Hu Ming hesitated for a moment, "That is indeed the case."

To tell the truth, this was the reason they were so anxious to build the Star-Gazing Platform; formulating a calendar is a major event that leaves one's name in history books.

For them, being able to participate in it and grasp more say was more important than any money or treasure.

After hearing this, Xiao Shixian frowned, "Revising the calendar is a massive project; the 'Shoushi Sha Lifa' of the Great Xing Dynasty was not long ago, why the rush to revise it again?"

"The Heir may not know."

Hu Ming seemed to have his thoughts stirred as he sighed, "In ancient times, there were the Yellow Emperor Sha Lifa, followed by the Xia, Yin, and Zhou Calendars; the methods of stems and branches, new and full moons, etc., gradually perfected. It can be seen that this calendar must also change with the times."

"For example, after Qin unified the six states, it established the 'Zhuanxu Sha Lifa', but by the Western Han Dynasty, it no longer matched celestial phenomena, and the solar terms were even more inaccurate, so Sima Qian and others were ordered to create the 'Taichu Sha Lifa', incorporating the twenty-four solar terms..."

"Because of the deviation between the vernal equinox and the ecliptic, during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Zu Chongzhi introduced 'precession' and established the 'Great Ming Sha Lifa', which was more precise. By the Tang Dynasty, because the solar eclipse was inaccurate, Monk Yixing established the 'Dayan Sha Lifa'..."

"During the Great Xing Dynasty, Guo Shoujing and others established the 'Shoushi Sha Lifa'; although it was perfected, since the opening of the seas, overseas star-gazing techniques have been introduced by foreign monks, which also have their merits."

"Therefore, His Majesty's intention is to take the best and discard the worst, revising the calendar once more to cope with the current situation..."

"So that's how it is."

After hearing this, the Heir of Wang Fu suddenly realized, nodding solemnly, "This matter is a merit for a thousand autumns; my Wang Fu naturally must contribute."

"I will take the initiative to gift that Immortal Treasure Crystal to the Jade Emperor Temple, and additionally donate one hundred thousand taels to facilitate this matter."

Hu Ming was stunned, hurriedly standing up to bow deeply, "The Heir is generous and righteous; we are endlessly grateful and will surely pray for the Heir in the temple. On the day the Star-Gazing Platform is completed, we will also erect a monument to spread the story."

Even though this Heir of Wang Fu acted like an adult, upon hearing these words, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up, "It is all my father's merit."

The scene before him made Li Yan laugh inwardly.

He could see it now; this Wang Fu never intended to sell it at all, and the Heir was asking knowing the answer. Gifting the crystal was also to build a good relationship with the Tai Xuan Zheng Jiao and establish a good reputation for himself.

In this matter, both sides were actually acting.

It is estimated that without his mediation, this matter would have been achieved in another way; it was nothing more than the Jade Emperor Temple giving enough face and Wang Fu going down the slope.

After the performance, the Heir of Wang Fu turned his head to look at Li Yan, smiling, "This must be the young hero Li from Guanzhong, right? I saw your ring match a few days ago; to have such achievements at such a young age is truly extraordinary."

"The Heir flatters me."

Li Yan cupped his hands with a calm expression, "I am merely a wanderer of the Martial World; there are people beyond people, mountains beyond mountains, and I don't know how many are more brilliant than me."

The Heir of Wang Fu nodded slightly, then asked with a solemn expression about the situation in Zigui County at that time.

Li Yan pondered for a moment before recounting it in detail.

Wang Fu guards Ezhou; some things can be known with a little inquiry, so there was naturally no need to hide them.

Upon hearing about Huang Liushi, Tongtian San Niang, and even the couple Liu Gang, the Heir of Wang Fu was also greatly shocked, "These monsters can actually reincarnate to cause trouble; how did they manage to do it?"

Hu Ming, who was beside them, was also hearing this for the first time; he wanted to say something upon hearing this, but sighed slightly and did not speak.

He thought of that junior uncle on Mount Taibai.

Just as Li Yan guessed, there were indeed hidden returnees among the Mystic Sects, but they were all practitioners with profound Daoist cultivation who had forcibly broken through the boundaries of life and death to practice in hiding.

At least, he knew of one.

And that junior uncle had insufficient cultivation and was lured by others onto an evil path, which was truly regrettable.

But he did not want to say much about such things.

After all, this Li Yan before him was a living Yin messenger.

And Li Yan, seeing the Heir of Wang Fu's expression, already knew what the other party was thinking, so he said in a deep voice, "Nothing else, just relying on profound cultivation to stir up Yin and Yang."

"People like us in the Martial World sometimes violate Imperial Court laws for personal gain, bringing about fatal disasters." "There are also rules in this world; whether one is a god or a mortal, an emperor or a general, no one can break free. If one practices those evil methods of longevity, not only will it harm all living beings, but one will also suffer punishment from the Yin Si."

Li Yan spoke bluntly; it was both a statement and a warning.

There is great terror between life and death; since the Pre-Qin period, there have been people who have painstakingly practiced for longevity. Throughout the dynasties, no one knows how many people have wanted to break free from these world rules, but those who succeeded are few and far between.

These princes and nobles enjoy the luck of the human world and the prosperity of the red dust; those who can put everything aside to focus on cultivation are few.

Never mind those reclusive Earth Immortals, even for the miserable Ghost Immortals, wanting to achieve cultivation is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

The only opportunity is to walk the evil path of longevity.

Li Yan had seen the weirdness and evil of various secret methods in the "Zhao Changsheng Immortal Treasury" along his journey.

These princes and nobles possess vast resources; if they truly stepped onto this path, the harm caused would far exceed that of ordinary people.

Not to mention whether they succeed or not, letting the Demon God suppressed at Mount Luo Feng escape would be the end of it.

Therefore, Li Yan noticed the other party's curiosity and directly issued a warning.

!.

A trace of unnaturalness flashed in the Heir of Wang Fu's eyes, and he said with a solemn expression, "Young hero Li's words are very true."

He was also reasonable and knew that Li Yan's words were correct, but the other party's tone and attitude inexplicably made him feel uncomfortable.

This was because Li Yan was influenced by his past life and had no concept of imperial power hierarchy at all.

Some arrogant scholars look down on princes and nobles, but in essence, they still want to integrate into the Imperial Court's rules to realize their ambitions.

And Li Yan truly did not take imperial power seriously.

Even though he spoke politely, the Heir of Wang Fu was meticulous and could still feel uncomfortable, thinking to himself, my father was right after all!

Seeing his expression, Li Yan was also somewhat helpless.

He didn't intend to offend this big client; sure enough, these things still needed to be handled by Sha Lifei to be done smoothly.

Thinking of this, he no longer held any hope and directly cupped his hands, saying, "Your Highness, I heard that Wang Fu collects treasures; I accidentally obtained a rare treasure and want to sell it to Wang Fu."

"Oh?"

The Heir of Wang Fu became interested, "May I take a look, what is it?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan took the crystal dinosaur egg directly from his bag, "This is something I found by accident; it is a fossilized embryo of an ancient exotic beast."

This crystal dinosaur egg was crystal clear on the outside, and the dinosaur skeleton inside was clearly visible; even if it wasn't a rare treasure of heaven and earth, it was extremely rare.

Sure enough, the Heir of Wang Fu widened his eyes, hurriedly taking it to examine it carefully, clicking his tongue in wonder, "This is an egg of an ancient dragon beast."

Li Yan was surprised, "The Heir also knows of this?"

The Heir of Wang Fu nodded, "During the Tang and Song Dynasties, some people dug up ancient wild dragon beast bones in the mountains, but they were already fossilized and no different from ordinary stone carvings."

"After restoration, they could be used as decorations."

"To tell you the truth, there are several doctors in the Imperial Academy who have been studying this object because it has ancient witchcraft characters on it."

"I am seeing one turned into jade for the first time; it is just right to accept it as a birthday gift for my father. I wonder how much young hero Li wants to sell it for?"

How would Li Yan know how much this could sell for? Saying too little would be a loss, and saying too much would be a joke, so he had to say bluntly, "I really don't know; the Heir can decide."

It was better to kick this ball to the other party; if the price offered was unsatisfactory, he could politely refuse.

The Heir of Wang Fu pondered for a moment and said, "This kind of treasure has not appeared for the first time."

"During the Qingyuan period of the previous dynasty, there was a lineage of treasure-seekers who dug up ancient beast bones from the mountains that looked like beasts and birds and had turned into jade. They sold them to the Great Xing royal family at the time for five hundred thousand taels of silver."

"However, that thing was a rare treasure of heaven and earth, refined into a magic weapon by someone, and could even turn into a Yin god to guard the Wang Fu; it was very precious, but unfortunately, it was seized by the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom."

"Although this object is also rare, it is only an ordinary item; how about one hundred thousand taels?"

Li Yan was happy in his heart, "I will follow the Heir's suggestion."

His psychological price was fifty thousand taels; that the Heir of Wang Fu could offer one hundred thousand taels already exceeded his expectations.

"Good!"

The Heir of Wang Fu was also in a good mood, immediately ordering someone to fetch the silver notes and hosting a banquet to treat the two.

Although it was just a banquet in a small pavilion by the water and not formal, the Wang Fu chef's skills were naturally extraordinary, and every dish was extremely exquisite.

Hu Ming intended to make friends, and the Heir of Wang Fu also wanted to improve the relationship between Wang Fu and the Tai Xuan Zheng Jiao, so this banquet was enjoyed by both host and guest.

By the afternoon, the two left Wang Fu.

Just as they left, Hu Ming cupped his hands, "Young hero Li, I need to arrange for people overnight to escort the crystal back to Zezhou; let us part here."

Li Yan frowned, "So urgent?"

Hu Ming sighed, "Young hero, you have heard of the various causes and effects; time waits for no one. We must send the things back early and ask someone to polish them."

"Moreover, the situation in Ezhou is turbulent; if we leave late, there might be unexpected twists and turns."

"But young hero Li, please rest assured; I will make arrangements before I leave. Master Lu will finish crafting the magic weapon for you before I depart."

As he spoke, he took out a token from his bosom, "This is the hand-order of my Zezhou Chamber of Commerce. Young hero Li, as you travel the Martial World, if you cannot find a suitable inn, you can go to the Chamber of Commerce halls in various places to stay at any time."

"With this token, they will receive you with all their heart."

"Many thanks."

Li Yan naturally would not refuse.

He had stayed in the Jiangzhe Hall for a period of time and was currently staying in the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce Hall; compared to ordinary inns, the environment was better and quieter, and presumably, the Zezhou Hall would not be much worse.

"We'll meet again."

After saying goodbye again, Hu Ming left in a hurry with his people.

And Li Yan also returned to the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce with the silver notes.

There was nothing going on in the Chamber of Commerce, and because many people in Wuchang City went to watch the dragon boat race, the streets were much quieter.

Li Yan thought for a moment and went out again.

After passing through several main streets, he arrived at an alley.

Compared to other places, there were significantly more people here, and both sides of the street were tea houses, wine shops, and brothels.

This street was called Xiangshui Alley, somewhat like the Pingkang Lane of Chang'an, and was the most famous red-light district in Wuchang City.

Of course, he wasn't here to visit a brothel.

Previously on Mount Gui, he and Wu Qu of Cangzhou became friends through a fight, and the other party was staying in the Jin Feng Lou, inviting him to gather and drink.

Li Yan asked a passerby and walked another few hundred meters before a large brothel appeared before his eyes. The plaque on the door was written with the large characters "Jin Feng Lou", and even in the daytime, the sounds of singing and music inside were constant.

And Li Yan, looking at the pattern on the door pier, frowned.

This brothel was actually a secret hall of the Jin Yanmen...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 304 =====