章節 104: Chapter 104 - Xin negotiates again.
"How's life, granpa Chonglin?" Wu Lei smiled as he crunched on deep fried chicken. The trio was sitting in a higher end tavern, with servants circling around them, bringing them wines and appetizers.
"Tired. I'm old, kids. But I've got a golden opportunity to reach rank two before I die, so I work a lot. The pay is decent, I guess."
"You don't look that old. You look fifty five, add five years, it's just sixty." Xin tried to guess.
"Oh, I'm in my seventies, actually." Feng Chonglin replied in his signature hoarse voice, and grabbed a plum sauced veal medallion with his chopsticks. "Mhhm, it's not bad, not bad at all."
"Seventies? See, Xin, granpa Chonglin is a pimp! You look much younger, master."
"Yeah, you do." Xin was confused. Does "pimp" also mean "young" or "good-looking" in Clay Nest slang?
"Khe-khe, thank you. But watch your words, you loudmouth, I'm a master, don't call me a 'pimp' in public. Although I guess I'd make a good one."
Xin chuckled.
"So, how's the business?"
"Oh, I don't know. Some kid stole a chunk of it. Around fifteen percent. You happen to know anything, please tell me, I'll spank his cheeks." He looked at Xin with a blank stare. "Other than that, we're doing fine. They're making us expand, the sect and the clan are vying for influence, they constantly make us switch orders. But eh, we've produced plenty of combat medicine, and the margins of profit look fine."
He asked Lei to let go, but is still resentful himself? Funny.
"I knew that it would eventually become a combat drug operation, sounded inevitable. Hope the sect isn't too harsh on you." Lei said.
"Oh, it's fine. They made me write down some inheritances in exchange for leaving me be, but at least I'm getting some dividends on top of my salary now. Typical sect behaviour, as expected. And no shares, of course. Can't just up and quit, too — got a two year contract. How are you chumps doing, by the way? I've read some reports about you, I'm impressed. How are you holding up?" He took a sip of sweet liquor.
"Oh, I commissioned a new dao shard today, the Explosive Matchstick. Tried to activate it. Futile. Working on another rare shard, but the sect told me they need me to provide some rare ingredients. They can get them from the capital, but the prices would be fucked." Lei wondered what Feng Chonglin's reaction would be. He decided to make a pause after his phrase more natural and reached for another veal medallion, all while asking Xin to refill his cup.
"Lei, I'll see what I can do. Give me a list, I'll ask my people." Feng Chonglin nonchalantly soaked a piece of bread in the juices on the bottom of the veal bowl.
"Sweet. Thanks." Lei nodded.
"And I'm leaving for the steppe. Will enter closed cultivation there, or rather open-field cultivation. Hopefully it works." Xin was worried about his endeavour, and wanted Feng Chonglin to ask him more. Maybe he could give him some advice?
"I see. Good luck with that, the steppe is dangerous." Instead, his former master gave a generic answer. Xin wondered if it was his way of dismissing him or if it was a genuine wish of good luck. He felt a bit of anxiety creep up.
"I'll be training my wood path, survival skills, physical cultivation and totem foundation at the same time. Could I ask you for advice?"
"Sure." He opened his palm and nodded. Looks genuine so far.
"Well... I want to refine a white tiger spirit out of my totem. I already have all the materials to manifest the tiger spirit and feed it fully, and my control over it has increased. I'm going with the ascetic training method." And he needed some rare materials, too.
"I'd recommend reaching the Condensation stage before trying it. You have a decent natural talent, but white tiger is a complex beast, and a normal tiger is not very compatible with you. I already told you that, squirt. What's the point? Why are you rushing?"
"I've wasted so many years, and yes, I've obtained some skills to show for it, but I need to catch up. This whole invasion thing, I need to be ready. And with the tournaments incoming, I want to be the strongest rank one possible. That's my shortcut to rank two."
"Xin, you're still a mortal, and thinking of a rank two shortcut? You've got to slow down, and it's bad that I am the one who tells you this. Calm down, brother." Lei was worried, why is his friend so eager?
"I've missed several crucial chances in my life, before we even met. I'm not making this mistake again, I'll seize any opportunity life gives me. And the steppe... It doesn't call just to the tiger, it calls to me. I want to become one with nature, tame it and tame myself. Being a hunter for all these years, it was a half-assed way to fulfil my desire."
"No idea what you're talking about, brother. Seriously." Lei furrowed his eyebrows.
"I hear you, chump. Alright, listen here. I can help you with white tiger manifesting materials, and taming materials, as well. I don't have the full inheritance, though, and if you want to obtain it..."
"I already have it." Xin opened his bag of holding, procuring a sealed scroll out.
"Oh. Zadana, I assume. That woman."
Xin was impressed. Feng Chonglin certainly has connections, he even knows lady Kaitun!
"Yes, her. Please look here, I need dry lantern carps, three vigour water flasks to revive the carps, and iron wool dust. As much as possible. And the white tiger body 'base', of course."
"You're going with the base method? Interesting. That's perfectly doable... " Feng Chonglin said, but was interrupted by a loud sound. Lei was bored of their discussion, started playing with utensils and dropped a knife on his plate. For a moment, he felt like he only made the noise to draw some attention, but didn't want to admit this fleeting realisation.
"Sorry. Continue." Lei smiled and raised his hands.
"So, I think the materials will cost you... As a package, they're a bit cheaper, but still. Fifty stones."
"Fifty? Is this a joke?" Xin was astonished. It's an outright extortion! He expected at most half of this price.
"Those are quite exclusive materials, and will need to be procured from several different sources. A different intermediary fee each. Fifty."
"Please see reason, granpa Chonglin. Where will I get such money?" Xin realised that no alternative supplier exists, unless he travels to Zadana. And even then, there is no guarantee those goods will be there. Especially the 'base'.
"I don't know what to tell you, squirt. You're a war hero, should have some gains, eh? And once you're rank one, you'll be able to loan more. What's the issue?"
Bloody hells! I get it now! He's still avenging me for the extortion I pulled as his assistant! Fuck, what do I do?
Xin remained deep in his thoughts, staring at his plate.
I shouldn't have shown weakness.
I shouldn't have started inquiring as soon as Lei did.
The bargain is pointless now, granpa Chonglin has all the leverage. And he checked my profile in the sect beforehand, he knows how much I've earned. I've been completely outplayed.
"But if... If we worked together on such a massive scale, could I consider us allies in the sect?" Xin regained some composure, his voice still carrying hints of anxiety, and decided to counter-attack.
"I don't get it." Feng Chonglin feigned stupidity, making Xin explain himself and not opening his hand.
"Well, you know... If I bought this from you, can I expect you to share information with me in return?"
Lei grinned. Xin is burying himself. He felt a bit of pity, but then remembered Xin's extortion and sat back, enjoying the process.
"What exactly do you want?"
Wait, I didn't think that far! Xin felt his heart beat faster and faster with every breath.
The refinement materials? Dao shards? Alchemy? What do I say? Politics?
"And what do you think?" Xin raised an eyebrow. He finally recomposed himself, but his act was easy to think through.
"Think you've got a shot at the rank one tournament if you tame the white tiger. Xuanwu clan invitational, in three months or so. There will be an intra-sect qualifier in a month, but you won't be able to attend it, of course. How about I get you in anyway? On the condition that you tame the white tiger, of course."
Xin felt warmth spread through his chest. This idea sounds nice. What's the catch?
"Sure, I'll participate. Three months is more than enough. I'll make it in time, that's for sure."
"Not so fast. I have a condition."
Of course you do. Fuck.
"I'm listening."
Lei grinned, his eyes were glowing brightly in a dimly lit room (not literally, this time), it was an exciting exchange to observe.
"We split the prize pool. Fifty-fifty, whatever the amount of contribution points you gain. If there is a grand prize, you keep it. Deal?"
"Yes." Xin agreed momentarily to give Feng Chonglin a sense of relief, then counter-attacked. "But on one condition. If I return early, you'll train me for two hours every day before the tournament. Martial arts, cultivation knowledge, anything I need. Two hours.
If you slack off like last time, I'm out."
"Slack off? It was you who neglected the lab to bother me. Whatever, we have no common business that would suffer. I agree."
Xin sighed. He managed to gain something out of nothing. Still, once he spends, he is completely broke again. But the opportunity seems great, and he won't be able to participate in the rank one tournament otherwise. If Chonglin lied about this part, I can just leave my part of the deal, right?
"Well, then we have a deal. But I'll only buy the materials once I break through, they are useless to me if I'm still a mortal."
"Then hurry up. It's a limited offer."
Sure. An old merchant trick. Won't work on me.
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