Longzang

Chapter 258 No reward for no merit

The large group of people traveling westward in a winding manner naturally attracted attention.

Wei Yuan dispersed most of his subordinates among the prisoners to help the ordinary soldiers advance faster. The core group of fifty knights remained on the outer perimeter, scattered and wandering around.

On their journey westward, they encountered many scouts, including other bandits and soldiers from the Western Jin Dynasty. The bandits would usually disappear immediately upon seeing the masked knights, while the scouts from the government army were much more arrogant, some of them leisurely following from several miles away.

Generally, such arrogant scouts are mostly from the northern border army, in groups of two or three, and are all Dao Foundation cultivators.

Although Wei Yuan and the Northern Border Army have not had any conflicts yet, it does not mean that he can tolerate them taking advantage of him.

So the three masked knights went out, three against three. The three Daoist scouts were indeed arrogant, not fleeing but instead bravely meeting the attack head-on. However, they clearly underestimated their opponents and were killed in an instant.

The masked knight tied the spies' corpses to his warhorse, then had the horse carry them back. Sure enough, no one dared to follow.

In reality, both sides were roughly equal in cultivation, making a three-on-three battle a fair fight. However, with Wei Yuan's support from behind, the knights' strength doubled with the three bursts of azure energy, turning the battle into a one-sided crushing defeat.

Wei Yuan used the corpses of three scouts to warn the northern border troops not to cross the line, or they would surely have their claws chopped off.

The next day, as dusk approached, a small pavilion suddenly appeared at the front of the procession. A scholar was enjoying tea in the pavilion, accompanied by a maid and an old servant.

Wei Yuan clearly remembered that there was no pavilion on this road, and it was unlikely that there would be such a thing in the Broken Realm. Now, a pavilion suddenly appeared, obviously waiting for him.

Wei Yuan instructed the others to continue forward, while he rode his horse to the pavilion, dismounted, and entered the pavilion.

The middle-aged scholar rose and smiled, saying, "I have been waiting here for a long time. I have long admired the name of Lord Wei. Today, I see that he is indeed a young hero. We are all old and have wasted our lives."

Wei Yuan bowed respectfully and said, "Your Excellency's demeanor is unparalleled, rarely seen in the world."

Marquis Xiang laughed and said, "We don't need to flatter each other. Let's sit down and talk."

Wei Yuan sat down at the table, his posture slightly askew so that his back would not be facing the old servant.

Marquis Xiang asked, "Where are the things?"

Wei Yuan beckoned, and two masked knights carried over a box and placed it outside the pavilion. The old servant went over, opened the box, rummaged through it, and then took out an inkwell, placed it on the table, and retreated behind Marquis Xiang. Now Wei Yuan could finally sit up straight.

Marquis Xiang opened the ink box, inside which was half an inkstone, its surface carved with pine and bamboo and lacquered with gold. As soon as the ink box was opened, a wondrous fragrance wafted out, and the vast land of Wei Yuan seemed to tremble faintly.

Marquis Xiang closed the ink box and asked, "Do you know what this is?"

Wei Yuan honestly replied, "I don't know."

The Marquis of Xiang stared at the ink box in a daze for a moment before saying, "Ten years ago, the rebellion of Marquis Wu Fuling of Zhao was exposed, implicating hundreds of people. In the end, more than 130 people were imprisoned and convicted, and 8,000 of their families were exiled to the army. Three years ago, General Wu and seven of his generals were finally executed."

"I was present during the battle to capture General Wu. The fighting was so fierce it shook the heavens and earth, and the sun and moon were obscured. Don't laugh at me, but General Wu has been a True Lord for many years, and I was actually just there to bask in the glory, only daring to hide far away on the edge of the battlefield and lend a hand."

Wei Yuan's opinion of Xiang Hou quietly rose a notch. Anyone capable of assisting a True Lord in a life-or-death battle was no ordinary person. He didn't interrupt, but waited quietly for what was to come. Xiang Hou's sudden recounting of this past event must have a deeper meaning.

Marquis Xiang gently stroked the inkwell with his hand and said slowly, "The seven subordinates of Marquis Weiyuan have fought for many years, and their appearances are filled with blood and killing intent. The essence of Marquis Weiyuan and his seven subordinates, as well as all the death row inmates of Zhao in the next three years, are all here now."

He lightly touched the ink cartridge with his finger.

Wei Yuan raised his eyebrows, about to slam his hand on the table and stand up. However, he slowly lowered his hand after raising it halfway.

The Marquis of Xiang's eyes revealed admiration as he said, "This ink was made in the State of Zhao. The method of making ink is a closely guarded secret, and only members of the royal family can produce it. Proverbs and incantations written with this ink are incredibly powerful and possess various miraculous properties. Of course, most importantly, it is an essential item for Your Majesty to cultivate a certain secret technique. This thing has passed through your hands, and you have borne the infamy and the consequences, but you have also caught the King's eye, which is equivalent to making a contribution. Although this contribution is not great, it has been established in the King's heart and will be the foundation for your future position in the court."

Wei Yuan understood that this was a way to win him over, but for him, it wasn't enough.

Marquis Xiang then opened the ink box, cut off a piece the size of a grain of rice from the ink with his fingernail, and handed it to Wei Yuan, saying, "Keep this safe. In some time, you will have an opportunity that requires this to open. I observe that your foundation is vast but impure. If you seize this opportunity well, you may be able to obtain some of your fundamental vital energy."

Wei Yuan put away the blood ink and then said, "I cannot accept a reward without merit. What does the Marquis need me to do?"

"There's no rush right now. You just need to develop your territory. If you can become a powerful warlord with a large army within thirty years, that would be the best reward for me."

Wei Yuan nodded: "I will try my best not to disappoint the Marquis's expectations."

After saying this, he prepared to get up and take his leave. Xianghou was somewhat surprised and asked, "Does Lord Wei have anything else to say? Please speak frankly."

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "My lord, I want something more substantial."

"But there's no harm in talking."

Wei Yuan said, "The realm is short of food, and some people have already starved to death. So I want some food for emergency relief, not much, just five million catties will do."

The Marquis of Xiang's smile froze on his face.

However, he quickly regained his composure and said, "In recent years, the domestic harvest has been poor, and all parties are keeping a close eye on military supplies. The Broken Domain is also a war-torn area, so it is under even stricter control. Even I, the Marquis, find it difficult to handle such a large amount of military supplies."

Wei Yuan said, "I understand. How about two million catties?"

Lord Xiang's smile remained unchanged. He picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and then put it down.

Wei Yuan understood, and then said, "How about a little less, 500,000 jin?"

Marquis Xiang gently stroked the white jade thumb ring on his finger and said, "How about this, I'll give you a sum of immortal silver as military funds, what do you say?"

Wei Yuan sighed, "Even with silver, we can't buy grain. How about 200,000 catties?"

Marquis Xiang said, "How about I give you ten thousand ration pills?"

"Thank you, Lord Marquis!" Wei Yuan rose, bowed, then left the pavilion, mounted his horse, and rode away.

After Wei Yuan had walked away, the old servant snorted and said, "That kid really doesn't know what's good for him!"

The maid also asked, "Why does he always want those cumbersome things? Two hundred thousand catties of grain isn't worth much money."

Marquis Xiang said slowly, "The country has suffered from poor harvests for years, and now grain is being held very tightly in various places. Some local governments have even started fighting over grain. He is targeting me for grain to see if we can handle the local governments. In addition, if we want to transport the grain out, we have to go through Ningxi Prefecture, which is the territory of the border army."

So he insisted on wanting grain, and then tested us to find out we had no connections in the local government and no influence in the army. Heh, indeed cunning.”

The old servant said, "This boy has quite an appetite and is unruly; he might not be easy to subdue."

The Marquis of Xiang smiled slightly and said calmly, "To be able to observe the blood ink without moving is the mark of a ruthless hero. However, if he thinks that this will stump us, he is underestimating me. When the opportunity arises in time, he will naturally know what we can offer him."

(End of this chapter)