Chapter 817: How to Dispel Sorrow (Thank You, Ally, I Wanted to Name Myself)

Wei Yuan returned to Qingming with heavy thoughts, sensing a disturbance in the western realm, as many rushed toward Ding'an City, flying and running alike.

At the western frontier outpost of Qingming, the stationed soldiers were unusually excited; the outpost chief swiftly donned his armor and cried out: "Send word to the rear immediately—the Wu tribe has arrived! Everyone except the messenger, follow me to welcome Lord Lord Tianyu!"

Nearly a hundred Qingming warriors, fully armed and armored, had already left the outpost and stood in formation, awaiting arrival.

In the distance, a caravan slowly emerged, banners blotting out the sun, moving with great grandeur, rolling in clouds of dust that made the earth tremble slightly. From the dust arose a tower-like war chariot, its one hundred and eight hairy legs striking the ground in perfect unison, like war drums, radiating an awe-inspiring aura.

On the upper platform of this massive war chariot, Lord Tianyu's enormous body slumped upon a jeweled throne, sipping rare immortal wine with ease while watching the dances of the beautiful Wu maidens.

Behind his carriage stretched a line of carts so long it seemed endless—no fewer than a thousand heavily laden freight wagons.

Dozens of strength-wu had already galloped ahead on horseback to clear the way; upon reaching the outpost, most remained there to wait, while a few were escorted by Qingming soldiers into Qingming's interior to deliver the news.

In an instant, Lord Tianyu's carriage arrived at the outpost; he leaned out, glanced once, and laughed: "Still you fellows? Reward!"

Immediately, one of the beautiful Wu maidens leapt down from the chariot, approached the outpost chief, and handed him a stack of Qingyuan. The chief felt its thickness and knew at once it was at least seven or eight hundred—he was so moved his knees nearly buckled, and he stammered: "Thank you, Lord Lord Tianyu!"

The outpost chief was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and still retained some dignity; the other soldiers had less restraint, and many dropped to their knees on the spot. Seeing this, Lord Tianyu said: "Reward again!"

The beautiful Wu maiden immediately handed an extra Qingyuan to each soldier who had knelt.

Qingming's current pay system: an ordinary mortal earns one Qingyuan per year through normal labor; the highest salary for a Body Tempering cultivator is three times that, ten times for a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the initial stage, and one hundred and sixty times for one who has fully perfected the Immortal Foundation.

Lord Tianyu's gift was ten years' salary for the outpost chief. Thus, the western outpost of Qingming had now become the most lucrative post in Qingming.

The caravan passed the outpost and headed straight for Ding'an City. Originally built purely as a military fortress, Ding'an City had, after the defeat of the Rain Kingdom and Qingming's territorial expansion, transformed from a western gateway into a western core.

Ding'an City's location was ideal, and Bao Yun was adept at managing affairs, so she moved the trade location with the Wu caravans from the border into the city itself. Each time they arrived, the strength-wu no longer unloaded their goods and left immediately—they stayed in the city for several days, waiting to be loaded while indulging in food, drink, and entertainment.

The strength-wu were fond of alcohol and mostly simple-minded; after staying several days, most of their hard-earned earnings remained in Ding'an City.

The city's residents, with each caravan's arrival, grew increasingly favorable toward the Wu tribe, nearly forgetting their ancestral blood feuds.

They saw the strength-wu as all honest, gullible fools—once drunk, they scattered Qingyuan like confetti.

When Wei Yuan arrived in Ding'an City, he happened to see Lord Tianyu's carriage entering the gates—the massive vehicle with its one hundred and eight hairy legs thundered through, fitting perfectly, with no more than a foot of clearance on all sides.

Wei Yuan blended into the crowd of onlookers and asked: "How can such a huge cart even fit through? How is it so perfectly aligned?"

Nearby, several ordinary civilians answered; an elderly man said: "It couldn't fit before, so they tore down the gate and rebuilt it—now the cart passes easily."

Wei Yuan's expression darkened: "Tore down the city gate to let the Wu cart through? Who came up with that idea?"

"Who? The city governor's idea, of course—who else? If Lord Lord Tianyu's cart can't enter, no other Wu will come in—how would we make money?"

Hearing it was Bao Yun's idea, Wei Yuan's anger vanished instantly. He vanished from his spot and began walking through the city, observing.

Wei Yuan had been in seclusion for a long time and hadn't visited Ding'an City in years; since it had been given to Bao Yun, she managed it autonomously, and he had never interfered.

Ding'an City was now bustling beyond measure: streets teemed with crowds, vendors shouted, children laughed, and haggling never ceased. Every household hung lanterns and decorations, fireworks lit the night brighter than New Year's—clearly more vibrant than any other city in Qingming.

Wei Yuan had barely turned a corner when he saw before him a four-story brothel, draped in flowers and adorned with colorful metal ornaments, garishly decorated. Most striking was the huge sign at the entrance, written in bold letters: "Blood-Wu and Law-Wu Forbidden. Dao-Wu Require Inspection."

Wei Yuan froze. How could there be Blood-Wu and Law-Wu in this city? Even Dao-Wu, ranked above other Wu, were known to them.

He then noticed another sign beside it, written in small characters: "Humans Forbidden."

Wei Yuan's fury flared instantly—within Qingming, was there a place humans could not enter? He strode forward to enter, but the door attendant rushed over and blocked him, whispering: "Brother, you're new here, right?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Anyone who gets angry at the sign and tries to force entry? Clearly a newcomer. This sign is meant for the strength-wu—they love places that openly ban others. We take it down after a few days when they leave. Besides, right now it's full of Wu women—you're not that desperate to go in and experience it, are you? You'll regret it. Why spend money to suffer? Everyone earns Qingyuan the hard way—don't waste it, right?"

The attendant was sharp-tongued; in a few words, he quelled Wei Yuan's anger.

Wei Yuan asked why such a sign existed; the attendant sighed: "The strength-wu crave prestige—they love places that openly exclude others. Once we put up the sign, they flock in by the dozens, refusing to leave until they're down to their underwear!"

In the end, Wei Yuan heeded the advice and left the brothel.

He had taken only two steps when Bao Yun's voice sounded beside him: "Lord of the Realm, incognito inspection?"

Wei Yuan turned and saw Bao Yun standing by the street, smiling sweetly at him. She wore a luminous water-colored robe, dazzlingly bright, yet amid the bustling crowd, no one noticed her presence.

Wei Yuan walked over and said: "How did Ding'an City become like this?"

"Regular trade with the Wild Ancestor Tribe! A prosperous city, happy people—isn't that good? Lord Tianyu's here now—come, meet your old Wu friend."

Without waiting for a reply, Bao Yun seized Wei Yuan's hand and instantly transported them to the city governor's mansion.

Bao Yun's mansion had been expanded; the courtyard was much larger, and now a shaded pavilion had been erected, where thirty-two strength-wu had just placed Lord Tianyu's throne beneath it. After many days apart, Lord Tianyu's body had grown even larger, curled upon the throne like a mountain of flesh. On his seat sat seven or eight beautiful Wu maidens, two of whom were gently swinging his massive tail.

Wei Yuan marveled—Lord Tianyu didn't even need to move his own tail anymore. Indeed, money was wonderful.

Bao Yun appeared and smiled: "It's been months—you've grown even wider."

Lord Tianyu burst into laughter: "And you've grown even more beautiful!"

Bao Yun laughed: "Don't flatter me—in your Wu eyes, I'm hideous."

Lord Tianyu sighed: "Different races have different ideas of beauty! Beauty and ugliness are merely differences in bodily structure. But speaking of that, lately our tribe's morals have been declining."

Many young strength-wu no longer wish to work—they'll do anything as long as they have Qingyuan. I don't know how to handle this."

Bao Yun said: "Every race has this problem—whether one has Qingyuan or not, whether much or little, there will always be Wu who don't want to work. Let nature take its course—why worry about other Wu's affairs? As long as our own cultivation path flows smoothly, that's enough."

Lord Tianyu laughed heartily: "True! It's not Qingyuan's fault—Qingyuan is never wrong! This time I've brought everything you requested, and what we need—"

Only then did Lord Tianyu notice Wei Yuan standing beside Bao Yun—but for a moment, he couldn't make out Wei Yuan's face. Seeing them standing close, he instinctively said: "You've found yourself a little lover? This fellow looks decent! Here, a gift for meeting you—reward…"

As Lord Tianyu reached into a jade basin beside him to grab a handful of Qingyuan to toss, he suddenly recognized Wei Yuan's face—and froze in place.

Wei Yuan's figure flashed, appearing before the throne, snatching the Qingyuan from Lord Tianyu's hand, slipping it into his pocket, then reappearing beside Bao Yun, smiling: "Thank you, Lord Lord Tianyu!"

Lord Tianyu stared at his empty hand, then at Wei Yuan—his face turned as if he'd seen a ghost, exclaiming: "I couldn't move? You—you're already a Yu Jing?"

"No, just late-stage Law Form. Same as you. Wait—you're also late-stage Law Form?"

Wei Yuan was equally astonished. Only a few years had passed, and Lord Tianyu had reached late-stage Law Form? Even the latest Qingming rocket couldn't accelerate that fast!

"Nothing special—now that I have money, I take more pills, so my cultivation naturally progresses faster."

Wei Yuan stared at Lord Tianyu, his expression grave.

Lord Tianyu's body now radiated a faint, hazy glow—Wei Yuan could barely perceive his true form. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was the light of destiny—how much Wu destiny had Lord Tianyu accumulated?!

Wei Yuan's attitude instantly changed—he became extraordinarily warm. The two destiny-children of different races sat together, discussing the Dao of destiny. Bao Yun, whose own destiny aura was also exceptionally thick, listened quietly beside them, gaining much insight.

But soon, Wei Yuan realized Lord Tianyu's path was unsuitable for him.

"... In our strength-wu tribe, to gain destiny, you must manifest greatness before the Wu!

Before, when you claimed you were strong and powerful, foolish Wu would challenge you. Now I show wealth—I display how much Qingyuan I have, and everyone willingly submits; no Wu dares challenge me anymore. Whoever has more Qingyuan, whoever has less—just count it out, and it's clear. So I have no rivals!

Later, I noticed everyone was curious how I spent my Qingyuan, so I opened my mansion for them to tour freely. I even have beautiful Wu maidens swinging my tail—right before their eyes!

Then some Wu, delighted by what they saw, tossed Qingyuan at me. At first I didn't understand—they had less than a fraction of my wealth, so why reward me?

Until one day, I suddenly had an idea: I put up a plaque listing every Wu who rewarded me, ranked from most to least, displayed at my mansion's gate. That day, the number of rewarders surged, and destiny poured in…"

Wei Yuan listened for a long time, growing more confused, and finally blurted: "Wait—you mean those Wu who earn only a few Qingyuan per month still give you rewards?"

"Yes! Not just money—they give destiny too! You wouldn't believe how fiercely they give!"

Wei Yuan was even more baffled: "You earn ten million Qingyuan from this single trade—don't they know?"

"They know…"

"They know—and still reward you?"

"How should I know? Strength-wu don't use their brains."

…

After much discussion, Wei Yuan still couldn't fathom it—he could only conclude the Wild Ancestor Tribe's strength-wu were foolish but blessed with destiny.

Lord Tianyu's path to destiny clearly wouldn't work among humans—if Wei Yuan tried the same, he'd likely be stripped of all wealth by the masses.

Seeing Wei Yuan lost in thought, Lord Tianyu reached out his massive hand and slapped Wei Yuan's shoulder hard: "In short, I'm doing incredibly well in the Wu realm—the Heavenly Wu are already discussing whether to create a new 'Rich Wu List'—and I'll naturally be number one! Then my Wu destiny will be limitless! In the Wu realm, no matter what trouble you cause, I'll take the blame for you!"

Lord Tianyu's bold declaration meant nothing to him—but in Wei Yuan's left eye, a new karmic thread instantly bound Lord Tianyu tightly to himself.

Wei Yuan couldn't help but laugh bitterly—how great was the trouble he'd caused in his Yellow Springs Realm? Even Yan Shi couldn't explain it. If Lord Tianyu learned the truth, and realized a single casual remark had forged this karmic link, would he still be so carefree?

Lord Tianyu remained utterly oblivious, still slapping Wei Yuan's shoulder as he sighed: "Old Wei, Wu life and human life are the same—nothing else matters, only happiness matters!

How to dispel sorrow? Only by becoming wildly rich!"

Volume Seven: How to Dispel Sorrow—End

(End of Chapter)