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Chapter 488 His Majesty Asks You to Look After Someone

Wenren Luo looked at Xu Yuan with a deep gaze.

He wasn't very tall, but his appearance was above average.

Standing next to Xu Yuan, she was half a head shorter than him.

However, in Wenren Luo's mind, he was now like a giant, his pupils slanted downwards, coldly glancing at Xu Yuan from the corner of his eye.

He didn't ask where Xu Yuan's ghost silver came from, but instead hummed and said, "You bastard, don't you know you're losing my goodwill towards you?"

Xu Yuan chuckled inwardly, but outwardly feigned panic: "Oh dear, what should we do?"

Wenren Luo shoved his ghost silver notes back into the air.

"What I hate most is when I'm showing off to someone, and they pull out an even bigger one!"

Xu Yuan frowned, looking at Wenren Luo with a puzzled expression: Are we still talking about Guiyin?
Wenren Luo scratched his chin.

His posture was strange; most people scratch from the chin down to the neck.

Wenren Luo awkwardly turned his hand around, elbows on the outside, and scratched upwards from his neck to his chin.

This reminded Xu Yuan of... a person scratching a dog's chin.

Xu Yuan dared to swear to heaven that he had absolutely no intention of disrespecting the disciples of the Supervisor.

But they really look so alike.

Wenren Luo felt irritable and very unhappy after his attempt to show off failed.

No, I must bring that scene back.

Wenren Luo racked his brains, trying to figure out what else he could show off...

But even "Oni Silver" couldn't subdue this kid, and other things seem to be able to as well... Hey, I've got it!
Wenren Luo took out a pill: "Take a look and see what's inside."

This cinnabar is clear, transparent, and sparkling.

Xu Yuan took it and looked inside. Inside this outer elixir, there was a grain of gold sand sealed.

Xu Yuan guessed: "Is this... a mountain of gold?"

Is this official's subordinate obsessed with money?
But Wenren Luo shook his head disdainfully: "Money, money, money, all you know is money?"

Xu Yuan: ?
“This is a tael of gold!” Wenren Luo emphasized as he explained, “The ‘fetal’ refers to the placenta, and the ‘gold’ refers to the metal of the five elements!”

After saying that, Wenren Luo felt a little regretful.

My own ability to choose words and construct sentences is not as good as Wenxiu's; the last sentence is particularly convoluted, which inadvertently lowers the value of this treasure.

But Xu Yuan was already shocked and moved when he heard the name.

This time, Xu Yuan wasn't cooperating with Wenren Luo's performance.

As a highly skilled alchemist, Xu Yuan had heard Aunt Wang talk about the treasure called "Fetal Gold".

The key to advancing to the third level of alchemy is "refining oneself".

Even if one advances to the third rank, there is still one part of the alchemist's body that will not advance to the third rank along with the advancement of his own level.

Sword Ball!

The essence of the sword pellet lies not in the alchemist himself, but in the materials.

Even with third-rate internal fire tempering, if the material of the sword pellet itself is not third-rate, it still cannot be upgraded.

The concept of "top-tier" is completely different from that of "ninth-tier" or "fourth-tier".

"Fetal gold" refers to the material used by third-rate goldsmiths.

It also possesses numerous enhancement attributes, making it something that even the top-tier alchemists dream of!
Among these, the two strongest boosting attributes are:

"Fetus" and "Gold".

When Wenren Luo said "placenta," it should actually be understood as the congenital embryo.

This treasure can completely envelop an item, creating a small, self-contained world within it.

Unaffected by external influences.

In a world teeming with evil spirits, the value of the characteristic of being "untainted by external influences" is self-evident.

It forms its own little world, and can grow and nurture itself continuously.

If it is integrated into the sword pellet, the alchemist will not advance to the second rank. However, given enough time, and if another second-rank material is integrated, the sword pellet might abandon the alchemist and advance to the second rank on its own.

As for the characteristics of "gold", they were also influenced by "fetus".

"Fetus" can also be understood as the beginning of everything, or the state of everything being in gestation.

Therefore, the "gold" in this treasure can develop and grow into all the characteristics of "gold".

It can be strong or tough, rough or refined, offensive or defensive, and so on.

Xu Yuan was somewhat incredulous and asked, "Senior Brother Wenren, is this for me? As long as I go to Shunhua City with you to handle that case, this gold will be mine?"

Wenren Luo was originally very vain.

Finally, they pulled out something that intimidated the guy!
However, Xu Yuan's subsequent words instantly brought Wenren Luo back from her euphoric state to the cold reality.

I really can't give this to you!

This treasure did not belong to Wenren Luo.

Instead, it was Duan Fako, the third disciple of Wenren Luo's teacher, the Supervisor.

He has been imprisoned under the "Observatory" by the Superintendent for seven years.

Nobody knows what level he's at now.

Even Wenren Luo and his disciples could only call out to their teacher through the layers of shadowy trees of the Yamafu Mountains.

The shadows of the trees twisted and struggled, and the darkness within seemed to lead straight to the underworld!
Duan Fake was a wood-carrying laborer whom the supervisor "casually" picked up from the side of the official road outside the capital city.

She was only eight years old at the time.

The name was also given to him by the Supervisor.

Everyone understands what the Supervisor meant: Duan Fa Ke represents the common people of the world.

He was an ordinary citizen, not someone from a poor family.

We must leave even the most marginalized people in the world with a glimmer of hope that can soar to the clouds.

If even this sliver of hope is lost, then widespread chaos is not far off.

Duan Fake is a martial arts practitioner.

The supervisor once told him that martial arts were the most suitable path for ordinary people.

The basic requirement for this course is: to be well-fed.

For ordinary people, this is actually a luxury.

But this is already the one with the lowest entry requirements among the seven major schools.

Duan Fake's aptitude... is something that everyone finds hard to understand.

He doesn't seem very bright, but he has unconditional trust in the Chief Supervisor.

This meant that he had to completely comply with all of his teacher's requirements.

And so, step by step, he steadily rose to the third tier.

Seven years ago, he almost suffered a dramatic change.

Then he was locked up under the Observatory by the Supervisor, but not to be personally supervised.

Rather, it's because there's supposedly a mysterious place called "the Eclipse Chamber" beneath the Observatory.

Several years ago, the Chief Supervisor uprooted a "Jambuddha Tree" that had been completely corrupted from somewhere in the turbid realm.

The supervisor's order to Duan Fake was: cut down this Jambudvipa tree, and you can get out.

Seven years have passed, and during the lunar eclipse, Duan Fake's extent of felling trees is probably unknown to anyone except the supervisor.

Disciples like Wenren Luo would occasionally go and talk to their master.

Before this trip, Duan Fake asked him to go to a certain place in Guizhou Province to find a friend and retrieve one or two taels of "fetal gold".

The teacher didn't say what it was for, but Wenren Luo guessed that the teacher was preparing bait to enhance his own cultivation.

How could I dare give this to Xu Yuan?

It's really embarrassing to show off something you don't give away.

But Wenren Luo had no choice but to swallow his pride and take back the outer core containing the sealed embryonic gold from Xu Yuan.

"Ahem, this isn't your payment."

Xu Yuan tilted his head, staring wide-eyed with a puzzled and innocent look.

Are you deliberately showing it off to make me jealous instead of giving it to me?
Wenren Luo blushed and said, "You can have anything else, but this is what my teacher wanted, so I really can't give it to you."

Xu Yuan immediately lost interest: "Then I won't go to Hue City either."

Wenren Luo scratched his cheek and slunk away.

Before leaving the courtyard, he heard Xu Yuan grab Dafu by the neck and say, "Come on, just spit one out, just one..."

He turned around and saw Xu Yuan holding a small pottery jar, and couldn't help but look puzzled.

This kid's behavior... is always baffling.

Wenren Luo knocked on Mr. Feng's door again: "Fourth Uncle, it's me again."

"Get lost!" Mr. Feng said without any politeness. "My third senior brother won't be out for a while, and there's no one to back you up. If you keep causing trouble, I'll really beat you up!"

Third senior brother, Mr. Feng is no match for you.

But beating up his junior apprentice is a piece of cake.

Is Zang Tianlan also a junior disciple?
Cross out Zang Tianlan's name!
Wenren Luo grinned and pretended to slap himself lightly on the face: "Uncle-Master, I'm not talking nonsense anymore. I really have something important to discuss with you."

Mr. Feng said, "You can say it right at the door."

“Well… that works too.” Wenren Luo said, “I’ll have Xu Yuan come with me to Shunhua City, but that kid is a bit difficult to deal with; he’s asking for too much.”

Mr. Feng asked in surprise, "Aren't you coming back to Beidu with us?"

"My master asked me to stop by Shunhua City to check on someone." Wenren Luo said, "But when it comes to checking on people, fate cultivators are good at it, so Xu Yuan really has to come with me."

"It depends on the individual?" Mr. Feng asked, puzzled, then suddenly remembered something: "Could it be..."

He realized what was happening in time and didn't reveal the man's identity.

Wenren Luo, however, was about to blurt it out casually: "Yes, it's a severe case of fainting..."

Mr. Feng roared, "Shut up!"

The door in front of Wenren Luo suddenly opened wide, turning into a huge mouth, which swallowed Wenren Luo whole before he could finish speaking.

Wenren Luo's vision blurred and he entered the house.

Then he reached for the fruit on the table, saying nonchalantly, "This is the Champa Purification Office. Those dogs from Beidu wouldn't dare to stick their noses out here."

Mr. Feng sighed: "You are all still young! How can you casually discuss matters of the imperial family?"
Even your grandmaster would have kept silent in the face of such a situation.

Wenren Luo was puzzled: "Then why did Grandmaster specifically ask me to come and take a look?"

Mr. Feng glared at him: "What do you think? Do you think the teacher would want to get involved in these things if the person above doesn't give the order?"

Wenren Luo suddenly realized: "Is it... that His Majesty forced Grandmaster to do it?"

“You are quick-witted and resourceful, which is why your master entrusted this matter to you.” Mr. Feng thought for a moment and said, “Well, it may also be because your achievements among the three generations of disciples are neither outstanding nor particularly remarkable.”

Wenren Luo was unhappy. What did he mean by "neither here nor there"?
“I’m always better than Xu Haoran and Zhong Die.”

Mr. Feng was furious and really wanted to take advantage of the fact that his third senior brother couldn't come out and beat the kid up.

"In short, you are flexible enough to handle this matter, but not steady enough."

As Mr. Feng was criticizing Wenren Luo for being "lacking in composure," this fellow nonchalantly remarked, "Your Majesty is indeed overly cautious. Marquis Chonghun and his son are both dead, leaving only this one descendant. What trouble can he possibly cause?"
Is it necessary to force our master to send someone to take a look?

The current emperor is not the eldest son of the late emperor.

So he wasn't the crown prince at the beginning.

Back when he was still the "King of Zheng", he was often bullied by the then Crown Prince, who was also the father of Marquis Chonghun.

However, the crown prince was later deposed and demoted to "King Xuan" because he was too domineering and had poor private morality.

On the contrary, His Majesty survived until the very end and finally ascended the throne.

The struggle for the throne within the imperial family is the most ruthless and merciless.

After His Majesty ascended the throne, he issued an edict demoting "King Xuan" to "Duke of Hunde".

At this time, the heir of "Duke of Hunde" had come of age, and His Majesty bestowed upon him the title of "Marquis of Chonghun"!

This is practically pointing fingers at the father and son and yelling at them.

Not only did they curse him, but they also deliberately left it in the history books so that future generations would laugh at them.

His Majesty probably knew he had gone too far, so he kept a close watch on the father and son.

When Duke Hunde was still alive, he forbade them to leave the capital and take up their fiefdoms.

Keep it by my side and watch over it.

After the death of Duke Hunde, His Majesty banished Marquis Chonghun to western Yunnan.

After the Marquis of Chonghun finally had a son, His Majesty was furious and banished the father and son to southern Jiaozhi.

Even more so—the Zhu family, including Zhu Zhanmei's family, was specifically moved here by His Majesty to secretly keep an eye on Marquis Chonghun.

The Zhu family was considered a branch of the royal family, but the relationship was too distant, and they had long since lost their titles.

But when Your Majesty was still the King of Zheng, they had some merits and were considered people Your Majesty could trust.

Not long after arriving in southern Jiaozhi, Marquis Chonghun also passed away.

This branch is now left with only the crown prince as its sole heir.

Now, the Crown Prince is about to come of age.

The emperor was still uneasy, so he personally intervened and forced the chief inspector to send someone over to take a look.

What to look at?
Of course, we need to see if the child has any so-called "royal aura".

Mr. Feng was very hesitant.

Xu Yuan's visit was indeed helpful.

His Majesty may not believe what others say, but the words of a sixth-rate cultivator are highly credible.

What he hesitated about was...

If you get involved in something like this, you could be crushed to pieces if you're not careful!
Even if you are careful in everything you do, you may not have a good ending.

However, Xu Yuan and his group happened to be criminals from back then.

Although this matter is very risky, if handled well, it will win the Emperor's favor.

If I can perform another great service in the future and reach the Emperor's ears a second time, I will have the opportunity to ask His Majesty to issue an edict to pardon my crimes.

This achievement doesn't necessarily have to be a task as difficult as dealing with Lord Ruan Tian.

Xu Yuan has the potential to accomplish this.

After hesitating for a while, Mr. Feng asked, "What price did Xu Yuan ask you for?"

“He…” Wenren Luo said guiltily, “He wants the fetal gold.”

"Hmm?" Mr. Feng immediately glared at Wenren Luo: "Tell me honestly, what exactly happened? How did Xu Yuan know about the Fetal Gold?"

"Ahem." Wenren Luo knew he couldn't get away with it, so he had no choice but to tell the truth.

Mr. Feng raised his hand and slapped him.

Snapped!
"Ouch! Uncle-Master, you really hit me!" Wenren Luo covered his face.

"Can't you get rid of this bad habit of yours? You're a disciple of the Superintendent of the Imperial Household Department; you'll only embarrass us if you go out like this!"

"But it's already like this..."

Mr. Feng shook his head helplessly: "You've revealed your wealth. Given Xu Yuan's personality, he will never agree to anything without getting the gold."

Mr. Feng stroked his eyebrows and slowly thought, "This is something you brought upon yourself. I can help you find a solution, but you have to handle it yourself."

"Does Uncle-Master have a solution?" Wenren Luo's hope rose.

“I also know the whereabouts of a piece of fetal gold. Give this piece of fetal gold to Xu Yuan, and after you have visited that person in Hue City, go and retrieve the piece of fetal gold.”

"where is it?"

"At the bottom of Dongting Lake."

Wenren Luo's expression changed; Dongting Lake had already been transformed into a desolate, uncivilized place.

Moreover, it is one of the most dangerous outlying areas in Zhengzhou.

Mr. Feng said calmly, "I've thought of a solution for you. Whether you want to use it or not is up to you."

Wenren Luo's eyes darted around: "Let me ask you first, now that things are over here, what arrangements has Grandmaster made for Senior Brother?"

"You're trying to trick Zang Tianlan into going to Dongting Lake with you?"

“How can it be a lie?” Wenren Luo said urgently, “It’s friendship between fellow disciples to help each other.”

Mr. Feng waved his hand impatiently: "Go ask him yourself, but as far as I know, Zang Tianlan shouldn't have anything else to say."

Wenren Luo breathed a sigh of relief: "My martial uncle helped me a lot this time."

……

Xu Yuan brought the small ceramic jar to give to Uncle Xi.

This was promised before.

Xu Miaozhi was also there.

The cooperation between the three parties has been finalized, and Xu Miaozhi, as the person in charge of executing this deal, is here to discuss the details with Uncle Xi.

Xu Miaozhi had sent someone to invite Xu Yuan in advance, which is why Xu Yuan went to Dafu to ask for "Venom".

Dafu spat in a very cooperative manner—which made Xu Yuan feel that something was not right. Why would this stubborn goose cooperate so much?
Perhaps he's done something bad in secret again that I haven't discovered yet?

When Uncle Xi saw Xu Yuan again, his eyes changed again.

He already knew that Xu Yuan had successfully refined the fire and was now a fourth-rate cultivator, just like him.

It took Uncle Xi decades, with the backing of the Wei family, to rise to the fourth rank.

There were many difficult hurdles to overcome, and shortcuts were used to overcome them.

In fact, the method he practiced was somewhat opportunistic.

He was in the northern capital, a place where heroes from all over the world gathered.

Over the years, he has witnessed many outstanding young talents and watched them make rapid progress.

But Uncle Xi's Dao heart is not about to collapse. After all, it would take at least ten years for the younger generation to catch up with him.

But unexpectedly, in a place like southern Jiaozhi, they encountered such an extraordinary person.

So young, yet already on par with me... Saying we're on par is a bit of self-aggrandizement. He's a pill cultivator, and high-level pill cultivators are rare. In terms of cultivation alone, Xu Yuan has actually already left me behind.

After learning that Xu Yuan had been promoted to the fourth rank, Uncle Xi immediately communicated with Lord Wei again.

Wei Shiqi then instructed him to increase the intensity of cooperation.

So at this meeting, Uncle Xi spoke first: "My master said that we might as well expand the scale of our business and set up a trading company together to buy our goods in Beidu."

In addition to the thousand-arrow crossbow and ghost mulberry leather that we've already agreed upon, we can also add some specialties from southern Jiaozhi.

Xu Miaozhi glanced at Xu Yuan and said, "This is certainly excellent, but how do we transport the specialties of southern Jiaozhi to the northern capital?"

"Don't worry about that," Uncle Xi said. "My master will coordinate a canal route."

Xu Miaozhi smiled broadly: "That's wonderful!"

Although the canal is vast, its transport capacity is ultimately limited.

Not everyone is entitled to a private route on the canal.

For example, Jia Zongdao, when he first came to Jiaozhi to trade, only had one ship, which he bought a license from another large merchant.

This tug can only be used once, and it follows a fixed route.

The canal administration was responsible for overseeing all vessels navigating the canal.

For example, the fact that too many ships are docked at the Champa port today will bring a series of problems.

If there's no room left at the dock, then whose boat will stay inside the dock, and whose will just find a rock outside and tie it to something?
Departing the next day will inevitably cause congestion on the river.

Everyone has to take turns, deciding whose boat to put in first, and whose to put in next. Some people even need to stay an extra night.

It all depends on the boat's pilot.

Some items on the prow can provide a direct glimpse into the boat owner's background.

The canal route promised by Wesley will then be reflected on the pilot's prow.

This guarantees that the cargo ships of the newly established trading company can travel freely from southern Jiaozhi to the north.

Without a strong background, your ship wants to enter Beidu? You'd be waiting in line for ten days to half a month right now.

The original cooperation plan was for three parties to form a partnership, but they would use the name of a trading company in Beidu.

The owner behind that trading company is none other than Lord Wei Shiqi.

The plan does not include any special products from southern Vietnam, and this canal route is not included.

This is all due to the influence of a fourth-rate alchemist who is not yet twenty years old.

So, after several hours, the two sides reached a preliminary agreement on the distribution of profits.

Wei Shiqi got 40%, Xu Yuan got 40%.

Only 20% of the Xu family members actually do the actual work.

However, because the Xu family is responsible for the actual business, many positions in the business require Xu family members, and the salaries of these people are also a considerable expense, which can be considered as a source of income for the Xu family.

When Xu Yuan returned from Uncle Xi's place, Wenren Luo came looking for him again.

He had successfully persuaded Zang Tianlan to accompany him on a trip to Dongting Lake.

Wenren Luo generously tossed the gold nugget to Xu Yuan: "Take it."

Xu Yuan was surprised: "Really for me?"

"Of course! Your senior brother wouldn't do something as despicable as deliberately coveting you!" He said with a righteous expression, and then began to boast: "This treasure is extraordinary. I used all my skills to persuade my master to bestow this treasure upon you."

Then he added, "Just accompanying me to Hue is not enough; you also need to do me a favor."

Without saying a word, Xu Yuan first stuffed the fetal gold into his robes: "Senior brother, please speak! I will go through fire and water for you!"

Wenren Luo said, "I accidentally passed by a certain place in Ghost Witch Mountain before and found a spiritual herb. However, there was a great evil spirit guarding it. I am not confident of defeating it by myself. After we finish the case in Shunhua City, you come with me. We are brothers and we will work together to deal with that evil spirit!"

Master Xu was familiar with Ghost Mountain, so he readily agreed: "Absolutely no problem!"

"Then it's settled."

Xu Yuan returned to his room and refined the Fetal Gold Bait into his sword pellet.

This treasure has an unparalleled effect. After being integrated into the sword pellet, Xu Yuan felt that the sword pellet could be further integrated with other weapons.

For example, the Yin-Yang Guillotine, or the bell with long thorns.

All of them can be taken into the "womb" and then slowly integrated, nurtured, and grown!
"It's really a good baby!"

Xu Yuan gave a big thumbs up and, without hesitation, incorporated the Yin-Yang Guillotine and the bell-shaped spikes into the sword pellet!
(End of this chapter)