Chapter 145: Chapter 141: When Asking for a Favor, Act the Part
「One month later.」
The location was the same: a land of green mountains and clear waters.
Du Yuhuan was still dressed in a man’s qing-colored robe, but her bearing had softened considerably. The sharp, world-scorning edge she once had was gone.
Looking into her eyes, one could feel a new, brilliant sense of gravitas about her.
It was as if... her heart had grown stronger and more resolute.
She was more certain than ever of the path that lay ahead.
The number of Innate Grandmasters and Postnatal Masters present... had grown.
A fervent light burned in every eye.
Previously, many of them had been half-believing and half-doubting whether Du Yuhuan truly had an Immortal Master backing her.
But the events of a month ago had confirmed it for them.
Du Yuhuan really did have powerful support.
Although that Immortal Master didn’t seem to have a very good temper.
And he didn’t approve of Du Yuhuan’s grand ambition to conquer the world.
But no matter how fierce the Immortal Master’s attitude was, he hadn’t crippled Du Yuhuan’s Cultivation in the end.
’He must still be sentimental about their old relationship!’
’So, if not now, when is the right time to cling to Du Yuhuan’s powerful coattails?’
"Hall Master, are we still proceeding with the original plan to launch the uprising on September eighth of next year?"
"An uprising? What uprising? I don’t want to start an uprising anymore. Didn’t you hear? The Wu Imperial Family has an Immortal Sect supporting them. We are no match for them on our own." A smile played on Du Yuhuan’s lips.
Her features, which could only be described as pleasant before, now looked somewhat stunning.
"Then, what should we do?"
Du Yuhuan gave a gentle smile, her eyes twinkling with wisdom. "While we may not be their match... didn’t my Ancestor say that the Immortal Sect isn’t very strong?"
"The Hall Master means..."
"I will find a way to ask my Ancestor to act. Before that Immortal Sect... we are as worthless as clay chickens and pottery dogs. But before my Ancestor, that Immortal Sect is just as worthless!"
"The Hall Master is brilliant!"
"The Ancestor’s divine might is as vast as the ocean!"
"May the Ancestor live for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations!"
"As for you," Du Yuhuan ignored their flattery and swept her gaze over them. "From now on, go and befriend down-on-their-luck scholars. Have them study the policies that my ancestor, Duke You De, once promoted. I want those scholars to write me excellent policy treatises on how to re-implement my ancestor’s policies in this day and age, and how to ensure they last for a hundred generations, not perishing with the people who enacted them."
~~~~~~~~~~~
On his way back to the Guardian Envoy’s Mansion, Du Youqian had a faint feeling that someone was waiting for him.
Moreover, he had a gut feeling that this would be a good thing for him.
This was the effect of his Great Divine Ability, "Knowing the Celestial Mandate." When encountering matters related to himself, he would often have a premonition.
If he performed a Divination, the results would be more accurate and easier to interpret.
In the future, when his Divination Art reached a higher realm—Tier Two, or even Tier Three—"Knowing the Celestial Mandate" might manifest in even more mystical ways.
As the Flying Boat slowly descended, Du Youqian almost rubbed his eyes.
He saw someone he never expected to see here.
Xi Mengran’s master, the Perfect Foundation Establishment Cultivator Meng Xiao, was standing at the entrance to the Guardian Envoy’s Mansion, as still as a stone.
’This guy... what good could he possibly be for me?’
Out of courtesy, Du Youqian nodded at Meng Xiao. "Fellow Daoist Meng."
Meng Xiao hurriedly returned the gesture. "Fellow Daoist Yu..."
Before he could say anything else, he looked up and saw that Du Youqian had already strode into the Guardian Envoy’s Mansion, disappearing from his sight in the blink of an eye without even inviting him inside.
Meng Xiao was dumbfounded.
After a long moment, he shook his head.
’It seems this trip is not going to be easy.’
The coldness and aloofness of "Yu Fei" had far exceeded his imagination.
He never would have thought that he, a Cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection, would come to someone’s door so eagerly only to be given the cold shoulder by a Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator.
’If I want to achieve my goal, I might have to pay an even greater price than I’d anticipated.’
Meng Xiao calmed himself and, following proper etiquette, handed a formal visiting card made from a Jade Slab to the attendant behind the gate. "Please inform Yu Guardian Envoy that fellow sect Cultivator Meng Xiao requests an audience."
The attendant didn’t dare to give a Cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection with such a powerful aura a hard time, and he hurried inside to pass on the message.
After a while, he returned. "The Guardian Envoy says he is tired from his long journey. Please, Fellow Daoist Meng, come back in a few days."
Meng Xiao was here to ask for a favor; he couldn’t just force his way in and become an unwelcome guest. He had no choice but to turn and leave, dejected.
After that, Meng Xiao began to visit every day, as if he were clocking in for work.
But the reply he received was always more or less the same.
It was either, "The Guardian Envoy is in seclusion comprehending a Secret Technique / in seclusion for Cultivation / in seclusion meditating / in seclusion spacing out. He is not seeing visitors today."
Or, "The Guardian Envoy is busy with official duties. He is not seeing visitors today."
Sometimes it was even, "The Guardian Envoy ate something bad and is feeling unwell. He is not seeing visitors today."
In any case, both sides knew that Du Youqian was deliberately avoiding him.
But at least Du Youqian gave a reason for not seeing him, regardless of whether the reason made any sense upon closer inspection... At least they hadn’t completely thrown away all pretense of civility.
Even Luo Jinyu and Gu Xiaofang were completely baffled. "Brother Fei / Brother Yu, why won’t you see him?" they asked.
Du Youqian smiled faintly. "Will seeing him benefit me?"
Gu Xiaofang scratched his head. "Maybe... but maybe not."
"Then, will not seeing him harm me?"
Luo Jinyu thought for a moment, then shook her head decisively. "No."
"So, why should I be in a hurry to see him? I’m not the one who’s anxious."
Luo Jinyu and Gu Xiaofang could only remain silent.
Meng Xiao’s heart went from being filled with uneasy hope, to gradual anxiety and despair, and finally to a state approaching numbness.
He had also considered taking more drastic measures, but after careful thought, he gave up on the idea.
If he continued to wait, his chances were slim. But if he resorted to drastic measures, the possibility of achieving his goal would be less than one in ten thousand.
As for methods like poisoning, soul-seizing, or Enchanting Soul techniques, those were completely out of the question.
Chun Xiao Master was the foremost expert in these fields; how could her disciple not be on guard against them?
Meng Xiao continued to go to the Guardian Envoy’s Mansion every day to submit his visiting card.
But he no longer held out any hope for a response; he was just going through the motions out of habit.
This continued until a month later.
On this day, following his routine, Meng Xiao submitted his card, waited for the usual rejection, and was turning to leave in silence.
But the attendant called out to him, "Come back! The Guardian Envoy said he’ll see you. What are you doing?"
At first, Meng Xiao couldn’t believe it. Then, a wave of ecstasy washed over his chest, making him want to laugh out loud.
But then he thought... ’What’s there to be so happy about? The junior just agreed to see me, that’s all.’
’The matter I want to plead for hasn’t even begun to take shape yet.’
His mood immediately soured again.
Led by the attendant, Meng Xiao arrived not at the reception hall, but at a quiet room in the innermost part of the Guardian Envoy’s Mansion.
Meng Xiao mulled it over. ’Could this be a good sign?’
’It means Yu Fei doesn’t intend to beat around the bush with pleasantries anymore and is willing to get straight to the point in a more private setting.’
"Guardian Envoy, Elder Meng has arrived."
"Please, come in," Du Youqian’s voice came from inside.
With complex emotions, Meng Xiao entered the room and, adhering strictly to etiquette, bowed to this junior who was nearly a hundred years younger and vastly inferior in Cultivation.
At the same time, it suddenly occurred to him: ’If I keep this mindset of seeing him as a junior, I’ll unconsciously reveal some conceit or arrogance. If that happens, my chances of getting what I want will be slim to none.’
’Besides, this Yu Fei has taken Chun Xiao Master as his master. His actual seniority in the sect is extremely high, one might even say a generation above my own.’
’What right do I have to call him a junior!’
In the brief moment it took to bow, Meng Xiao quietly adjusted his mentality.
Du Youqian was seated on the Golden Willow Leaf Cool Mat that Meng Xiao had gifted him. He gave a slight bow in his seat to return the courtesy.
"Fellow Daoist Meng, please have a seat. There’s no need for such formalities. You and I don’t have much of a past relationship; we could barely be considered acquaintances. But you’ve sought an audience for many consecutive days, so you must have an important matter to discuss. Let’s not beat around the bush and waste each other’s time."
Meng Xiao sat cross-legged on an ordinary cushion. He glanced at the peerlessly beautiful Kun Cultivator leaning against the corner, holding a sword, her aura as sharp as a Divine Sword. He opened his mouth, then hesitated.
"It’s fine," Du Youqian said in a placid tone. "She is the person I trust most. You can say anything you need to in front of her, Fellow Daoist Meng."
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Meng Xiao felt the Kun Cultivator straighten her back a little more.
For a brief moment, a trace of gentleness appeared in her agile eyes, which otherwise seemed to brim with sharp Sword Qi.
After a moment of contemplation, Meng Xiao once again confirmed that he had very little room to bargain.
He lowered his head and said, "There is something I must confess to you, Fellow Daoist Yu."
Du Youqian had already guessed, but he still nodded slightly. "Please speak plainly, Fellow Daoist Meng."
As expected, Meng Xiao admitted that before the Life and Death Arena, Xi Mengran had come to him, saying she had an ominous premonition. She had hoped Meng Xiao could save her soul, allowing her to become a Ghost Cultivator.
And Meng Xiao, after hesitating, had paid an extremely high price to make Du Youqian agree to three conditions, while secretly saving Xi Mengran’s soul.
Seeing that he was about to ramble on, Du Youqian held up a hand to stop him. "I already know about this matter; there is no need to elaborate. Since you never made any promises, saving her soul doesn’t count as a violation. I imagine some of the Core Formation Ancestors present at the time must have seen through your methods. Since they didn’t stop you, it means you didn’t break any rules. There is no need to mention this again. Fellow Daoist Meng, if there’s nothing else, please leave."
An expression appeared on Meng Xiao’s face like someone who had just eaten something as bitter as yellow lotus but had to force a polite smile.
"Fellow Daoist Yu, it has been four years since your duel with Ran’Er. In these four years, I have worked tirelessly, trying to awaken her consciousness and help her become a Ghost Cultivator."
"But I have been unable to succeed. I can only watch as her soul weakens day by day. Soon, perhaps, it will scatter and disperse completely."
Du Youqian said earnestly, "Oh, I see. Fellow Daoist, are you looking for some Daoists to perform a rite for Xi Mengran after her soul scatters? I happen to know a few Daoists and Daoist Nuns from the Chongzhen Sect. I could make the introductions for you, Fellow Daoist Meng."
Meng Xiao nearly bit through his own teeth.
He repeatedly told himself, ’Endure it. Endure it!’
’If I can’t hold back, it’s all over!’
After a long moment, he suddenly felt deflated.
’What’s the point of keeping up this stiff front?’
’Is it meaningful?’
’Since I’m here to beg for a favor... I should act like someone who’s begging.’
At this thought, Meng Xiao leaned forward and slowly prostrated himself.
