Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 518 Cloud Corner Changes Hands
Six months later, in Xuanwei City
When Master Kang came here this time, he was much less apprehensive than before. He had received the imperial edict from Kuang Liuting, and as always, he traveled light and simply. Apart from his two sons and Duan Anle, he did not even bring a personal concubine, which can be described as extremely simple.

The reason for coming here is to prepare for taking over the entire territory of Yunjiao Prefecture. After all, this was the former fiefdom of the Duke of Qin. Although it was a remote border region, its significance was not simple, which is why Kang Dabao was sent here specifically to pay homage.

Zhu Tong, the chief clerk of the Duke's mansion, arrived at the city gate early to greet them. The two rows of clerks standing at the city gate were all obedient, showing no trace of their usual domineering and arrogant demeanor.

Both are Golden Core cultivators, both have no origins, and both are lackeys of the Immortal Dynasty, yet there is a difference in their levels.

Zhu Tongdan was classified as a low-ranking official and was granted the title of Earl of Xiang County, but this was only a nominal title with a fief and no right to establish his own government. Compared to the Marquis of Wuning, the head of the Kang family, the difference in their status was obvious.

However, the disciples and former officials of the Left Chancellor Gui Nian's lineage have always only been willing to compete in the imperial court, so Zhu Tong did not care much about this matter.

Moreover, it was just a remote military prefecture, not something he should envy. What Zhu Tong valued most now was how to use his position as a close associate of the Crown Prince, Kuang Liuting, to plan things for the Left Chancellor.

Although Zhu Tong achieved the Core Formation in one go, it was only through years of accumulated good deeds, the acquisition of rare spiritual objects, and the use of some clever tricks that he was able to accomplish it.

Because of the low quality of the pills, Zhu Tong found it difficult to even cultivate a slightly higher-grade technique, and in the future, he had almost no hope of becoming a True Immortal.

To be honest, if we disregard the precious treasures that his mentor, a disciple of the Prime Minister Gui, had bestowed upon him on him several times, Zhu Tong's fighting skills might not even be comparable to those of Wu Feng and Jie Yi.

This is the drawback of forcing growth, and Zhu Tong was well aware of it. Her gaze towards Master Kang also concealed a hint of envy.

However, the latter could not feel any sympathy for this disciple of the Prime Minister Gui. Back then, a large portion of the shops that Emperor Chongming owned in Xuanwei City, as well as the large sums of benefits he offered, had ended up in the pockets of this close associate of the Prefect of Yunjiao Prefecture.

Given Kang Dabao's typically stingy nature towards outsiders, he would naturally remember everything clearly. And Zhu Tong, being as intelligent as she was, would certainly not be completely unaware of the actions of those close to him.

However, when the two met this time, they were very amicable, and neither of them showed the slightest displeasure on their faces.

This is to be expected. They have all cultivated for so many years and become advanced cultivators. How could they not even have this much composure?
Therefore, even though Master Kang felt that if they fought in a fair fight, he could easily take Zhu Tong's life in just a few rounds, he still greeted her warmly when he saw her again.

He even referred to him as "former magistrate," showing no sign of his private dislike and hatred for his former superior.

Zhu Tong was also very experienced. Afterwards, he even smiled and walked side by side with Headmaster Kang. When he pointed to the increasingly prosperous city in front of them and spoke, his tone was still very gentle:

"This city originally had eleven large wards and twenty small wards, totaling three hundred streets and countless shops. Among them were twelve branches of Nascent Soul sects such as the Lu Gong Sect and the Longhu Sect. In the past, they rarely opened more than a few times in a sixty-year period. It was only after the completion of the government office in recent years that they were able to do business more often."

Before Your Excellency's arrival, the city had fewer than three thousand cultivators, most of whom were independent and penniless; now, however, it boasts fifteen thousand inhabitants, including many from humble backgrounds, possessing a wide range of cultivation skills and producing a constant stream of talented individuals. Even ordinary Golden Core sects would find it difficult to cultivate such a large city.

Sect Leader Kang nodded in agreement, confirming that Zhu Tong's words were not an exaggeration. In the past, when the Niu and Yue families coexisted, Xuanwei City and Han City could be compared.

However, ever since Kuang Liuting took over Yunjiao Prefecture, the gap between these two cultivation cities has become increasingly apparent.

Since Kuang Liuting was granted the title of Duke and became the heir apparent, the difference between these two places has become incomprehensible. Xuanwei City currently only has 15,000 cultivators, naturally because the city can only house 15,000 people.

In fact, this cultivation city, which inherited the legacy of the Dingnan Niu family, did not have outstanding spiritual veins to begin with, and had not even reached the third rank. Even with 15,000 people cultivating here, the spiritual energy within was already stretched thin.

This forced prominent families like the Fei family to seek out other spiritual veins and place disciples elsewhere so as not to delay the cultivation of their descendants.

As the chief clerk of the Duke's mansion, Zhu Tong was one of the more senior officials under Kuang Liuting. Naturally, he wouldn't bring up these matters with Headmaster Kang without reason. He coughed lightly, his tone becoming slightly more solemn, before speaking calmly:
"Many colleagues in the Duke's mansion advised the Duke to move this city to Fengming Prefecture as well," Zhu Tong said, glancing at the face of the Grand Master Kang. He did not see any change, but he was not surprised. He continued, "However, the Duke rejected this proposal and asked the gentlemen of the Duke's mansion to postpone the discussion."

"Your kindness is immense, and I have no way to repay it."

Zhu Tong nodded upon hearing this, thinking to herself that Kang Dabao was indeed as obedient as before, which made things easier, and he certainly didn't have the guts to do anything against Kuang Liuting's wishes.

When they arrived at the gate of the Duke of Qin, Master Kang discovered that the guards on duty had been replaced by the Imperial Guards under Shu Zhengde, which was quite intriguing.

After ascending the jade steps, Master Kang easily saw Kuang Liuting sitting alone on the golden throne.

The two had not seen each other for some time, but Kang Dabao seemed to be able to sense that the sharpness in this Duke of Qin's aura had become much fainter, and he was much more reserved, which was quite different from when the latter first came to Yunjiao Prefecture.

The once slender Taoist priest now exuded an air of nobility, and even his speech carried a touch of warmth: "Lord Wuning is busy with countless affairs of state, and I have troubled you to take time out of your busy schedule to come here for a meeting. It must have been hard for you."

Master Kang had served Kuang Liuting for many years, but he had never heard such words of consideration before. So when Kuang Liuting spoke, the former was taken aback for a moment before saying, "I dare not claim to have 'worked hard' in front of you, Lord."

"Registrar Zhu, please take your three young friends away. I will entertain the Marquis of Wuning." Kuang Liuting gently raised his hand, dismissing Zhu Tong from the doorway, and then ordered the latter to take Kang Dabao's three juniors out of the palace.

"Lord Wuning, please sit down. The Qingyulou tea shop in Liangxi has just served some new tea. Let's have a taste together."

Unable to refuse Kuang Liuting's kind offer, Kang Dabao had no choice but to let a pretty maidservant brew the spirit tea. Before he could even take a sip, he praised, "Golden millet contains true essence, dragon brain penetrates the armor, truly worthy of the Duke's generous gift, truly extraordinary!"

Duke Qin nodded for a moment, then smiled and said, "If Marquis Wuning really likes it, then take the person and the tea back together."

As soon as he finished speaking, Master Kang saw the smile on the pretty maid serving tea suddenly freeze, but then the strange look disappeared in an instant, and she looked pitiful with a submissive expression.

Regardless of whether Kuang Liuting was trying to win people's hearts, Kang Dabao was unwilling to accept this generous gift, so he simply smiled and said apologetically:
"I come from humble origins, and only after currying favor with a few flattering words did I dare to speak before you, sir. Such a precious thing is best enjoyed once tasted; to actually take it back would be like a cow chewing on a peony." Kuang Liuting laughed upon hearing the words "humble origins," but then added, "It's just a peony. Whether one admires it or chews it, it's all a refined pursuit. What's the difference between high and low?"

He turned his head and gave instructions to the pretty maid beside him: "Go and divide half of the new tea offered by Qingyulou, and give it to Marquis Wuning to take back later."

After the latter left as if granted a pardon, the Duke of Qin dismissed all the maids, servants, and other attendants before turning back to carefully examine Headmaster Kang for a while: "I truly never expected that Marquis Wuning would have such good fortune."

The latter bowed again, and then the prepared speech rolled out from his throat: "It is all thanks to your patronage and guidance, sir, that I have achieved this."

"Ha, Marquis Wuning, hold on. If you continue with this pretentious act in front of me, it's pointless."

After gesturing to stop Kang Dabao from speaking, Kuang Liuting continued, "You are different from people like Zhu Tong. They have been trained by those powerful families to be obedient. While they are reliable and easy to use, they cannot match your innate pride and your cunning."

"What you mean, Your Excellency." Headmaster Kang instinctively wanted to argue, but stopped halfway through his sentence.

Then the Duke of Qin laughed again: "Why bother making up stories to fool me? You're only sixty years old, yet you've already achieved the middle grade of the elixir. You're skilled in everything, and killing your peers in battle is as easy as pie. It would be strange if someone like you were still as obedient and easy to order around as you were back then. If you heard that, would you believe it?"

Since Kuang Liuting had spoken to such an extent, the fear on Kang Dabao's face gradually faded. The latter was not in a hurry to explain, but simply replied in a calm voice, "Your Excellency has discerning eyes; I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."

Duke Qin shook his head again and sighed, "Even though I have lost a lot of my edge over the years, I am not so oblivious as to not notice this slight difference. Your pride grew along with your newly formed Golden Core, and it is quite conspicuous."

He paused abruptly at this point, then changed to a kind tone and said, "You have talent, so you should be proud. This principle applies everywhere. I am not afraid of my subordinates being arrogant, but I am afraid of them being mediocre and incompetent, which would only ruin my situation."

Kang Dabao remained silent and did not utter a word.

Kuang Liuting's enthusiasm for conversation didn't seem to wane at all. Instead, he scrutinized the Grand Master Kang from head to toe for a while longer: "Indeed, you are much stronger now than I was before I achieved the Golden Core."

Kang Dabao's heart sank upon hearing this. For the first time ever, he felt a surge of resentment and dissatisfaction towards the nobleman before him. He thought to himself, "Is he only much stronger than you before you formed your core?!"

Before he could ponder for long, Kuang Liuting's question reached his ears again: "I didn't intervene in the matter of the Three Immortals Cave last time, so what was your opinion?"

At this moment, there was no time for Headmaster Kang to remain silent. Although his arrival was sudden, his response was also swift and decisive.
"In my humble opinion, the truth of this matter is self-evident and need not be elaborated upon. However, Your Excellency's status is not what it used to be, and your words and actions may carry too much weight. After all, this involves the Master's disciples, and you must have your own difficulties and cannot easily express your opinion."

Kuang Liuting's eyes showed a hint of surprise: "Heh, these superficial excuses, you just as convincingly make them up as those of the high-ranking officials in the government."

When the Duke of Qin spoke of this, the sadness in his eyes was almost impossible to conceal. He then sighed softly before speaking to Kang Dabao again:

That old bird from your in-laws' family came to make a scene before, demanding that everyone in my Qin State Duke's mansion quickly withdraw from his son-in-law's fiefdom and stop using his son-in-law's supplies. It left the dukes and nobles looking quite embarrassed. But it doesn't matter, he felt wronged and wanted to throw a tantrum, so let him make a scene.

However, what it said was true. The Duke of Qin's mansion would be moving to Fengming Prefecture this season, at which time the entire territory of Yunjiao Prefecture would be transferred to the jurisdiction of the Marquis of Wuning's mansion. You should make sure to hand over the reins properly with Zhu Tong and prevent any unrest.

"Yes," Kang Dabao replied, suddenly perking up and becoming attentive as he heard Kuang Liuting, who was usually decisive and didn't procrastinate, finally get to the heart of the matter.

Kuang Liuting stood up from the golden throne: "At that time, apart from the officials and subordinates of the Duke's Mansion, the Duke's Mansion will not take away any of the other cultivators in Yunjiao Prefecture. The two cultivation cities, Xuanwei City and Hancheng, will also be handed over to the Marquis of Wuning's Mansion for proper management, and they will not be involved in any mountain-moving activities. However, the Duke's Mansion cannot decide whether the cultivators within stay or leave. If they wish to stay, Marquis of Wuning, you will need to put in some effort yourself."

As Kang Dabao was overjoyed, he also understood the meaning behind Kuang Liuting's words about the departure and stay of those cultivators.

Although Yunjiao Prefecture is now far more prosperous than before, in the end, most people came here for the Duke of Qin's mansion, and they will inevitably migrate there as well.

It is foreseeable that Yunjiao Prefecture will become visibly desolate in the future, and there will likely be many loose ends that will require Headmaster Kang and his disciples to clean up.

"This humble official will remember your teachings, sir."

"Hmm, I'm not worried about your abilities." Kuang Liuting didn't hesitate to say some flattering words today, then he warned, "The funds for establishing your own government have already been received from the court, and most of them should be allocated within a quarter. From then on, Yunjiao Prefecture will be your fiefdom, belonging solely to your family. You must take care of the lives of millions and not act rashly."

As the words were about to come out, Kuang Liuting recalled the prosperous and peaceful scenes he had witnessed in Ping and Jin counties, and realized that his words were indeed too hot to swallow.

So Kuang Liuting put away the admonition and waved his hand, saying, "Go now. From now on, as a noble relative of the Immortal Dynasty and an important minister of the vassal state, you must not forget to keep to your duty and be loyal to the country."

Having finally heard these words, Kang Dabao had no intention of lingering any longer. He immediately bowed deeply and prepared to leave the hall. At this moment, however, the Duke of Qin called out to him, "Marquis of Wuning, please wait a moment."

"My lord?"

"If I were to say that I have not yet lost my ambition to cleanse the world and bring order to the universe, would Marquis Wuning believe me or not?"

"I believe it."

"Then I'll take that as your belief. Go on your own."

(End of this chapter)