Chapter 1029: Chapter 1029: Terms of Cooperation
"Is it very difficult? If you have any difficulties or requests, feel free to mention them!" Lin Ruxue said generously upon seeing Pei Yan’s troubled and pensive expression. "If you can’t make the decision, you can call in your superior."
"I need to discuss this matter with my superior before I can give a definite answer, but before that, I need to settle a few issues. This will save us from back-and-forth communication and greatly increase the likelihood of this matter going through." Pei Yan responded after a moment of contemplation.
"Speak, I am all ears for any issues you have." Lin Ruxue was genuinely intrigued by the young man in front of her. She shifted her position slightly, turned sideways, and looked at Pei Yan, patiently asking.
"Then let’s get straight to the point, and please don’t be upset if I say something inappropriate. If it were just me, I wouldn’t hesitate, but since it involves my colleagues, I must be cautious. I hope you understand."
Pei Yan glanced at Lin Ruxue, who nodded encouragingly for him to continue. He finally exhaled and went on: "You just mentioned that the Five Mansions of the Immortal Palace wish to bury this matter quickly to avoid getting involved. The Immortal Palace election is held once every five hundred years... five hundred years...," Pei Yan said self-deprecatingly, "In my world, only that famous monkey has been suppressed for that long, and a dynasty lasting five hundred years without collapse is rare in world history. I’ve heard that some of the Six Mansions have existed for more than five hundred years through consecutive elections."
"That’s correct." Lin Ruxue affirmed.
"What kind of entanglements might develop between the Six Mansions over five hundred years? Setting aside the notion of unity, they are at least connected by the sinews. At least in this election, their cooperation and attitude of suppressing external threats indicate such an entanglement."
Lin Ruxue waved discontentedly at Pei Yan, "Don’t you think I know all this? You’ve gone around in circles to tell me it’s difficult, and you can’t do it?"
Pei Yan shook his head with a wry smile, "I mean to say we’re undoubtedly doing something that will attract hatred, cutting off people’s means of living is like killing their parents. We’re even more severe; once we succeed, we’ll upend their entire nest. How could we not attract resentment? You’ve said yourself that even your personal guards are constrained while doing their jobs. As outsiders, won’t we be targeted by underhanded tactics and sneaky attacks?"
"Now you’re outsiders again? What exactly are you trying to say?"
Faced with Lin Ruxue’s impatience, Pei Yan remained calm and extended a finger, saying: "Safety, the first requirement and a prerequisite for cooperation, is safety! You’ve also mentioned that each of us has our own expertise. The people we have in this area are not all superhumans, and even if they are, in a situation where wolves lurk around the Immortal Palace, they lack the strength to guarantee their own safety. If the Immortal Palace cannot guarantee their safety, we will not send our people to die in vain."
"That’s reasonable!" Lin Ruxue thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement. "I will have Lin Daozi personally handle this matter; he will lead the charge for the safety of your investigative personnel. For every person sent to investigate, I will assign two – no, five Embroidered Robe Envoys to be specifically responsible for their daily lives and safety. Rest assured, I will choose the most competent individuals for this task. Even if some truly try to send experts to assassinate, five people fighting to the death can at least give your people a chance to escape."
"Good!" Pei Yan clapped his hands in approval and continued, "Now to the second condition, Sister Lin, the place you want us to investigate is the Immortal Palace, arguably the highest authority in the world except for you. To investigate and gather evidence, we inevitably have to delve into some sect’s past secrets and seek people to confirm certain issues. Even if no underhanded tactics are used against us, if we’re met with non-cooperation and obstacles everywhere we turn, we won’t be able to move an inch. So..."
Saying this, Pei Yan extended a second finger and smiled, "So, to complete the task you’ve given, the second condition I request is authority, I want our investigators to have investigative authority superior to the Immortal Palace."
This time, Lin Ruxue did not agree as readily as before. Sitting there, her gaze flickered for a while before she looked up at the lush green canopy above and said, "I believe that since you have made this request, you will give me a satisfactory answer." Then she turned her head to look at Pei Yan with a cold smile, "If I truly do so, the internal spy of the Immortal Palace would be confirmed, but haven’t you thoroughly grasped the foundations of the Daoist Realm by then?"
For this question, Pei Yan shrugged silently. Seeing his attitude, Lin Ruxue reclined again, closed her eyes, and said, "When your people come, I’ll let Lin Daozi deliver a jade token representing my authority as a symbol, seeing the jade is like seeing me."
"Sister Lin, you truly have the grandeur of someone who accomplishes great things." Once Lin Ruxue expressed her stance, Pei Yan immediately put on a smile and praised her. "Then, the third thing will be straightforward. The investigation of events can change rapidly and may trigger conflicts as soon as a discovery is made. To promptly prevent the situation from worsening catastrophically, if possible, I hope to be granted the authority to dispatch the Immortal Palace and part of your personal guard in times of crisis. Of course, we would never abuse this power, and if it is proven afterwards that we have unnecessarily exacerbated the situation, we are willing to take responsibility and accept punishment."
"Agreed, what else do you want, just say it all." Having agreed to previous conditions, this request seemed inconsequential. Lin Ruxue consented without even lifting her eyelids.
"Hehe, nothing more. If these three conditions are met, I think there will be no further objections from our department. As for the reward for accomplishing this matter, that’s a minor issue. Once it’s done, Sister Lin, you can send anyone to negotiate." After saying a lot, Pei Yan indeed felt a bit thirsty. He picked up the tea in front of him and took a big gulp, enjoying the faint tea fragrance in his mouth. Unconsciously, he picked up the exquisite teapot on the table and poured himself another cup.
"Wasteful like an ox drinking water." Lin Ruxue opened her eyes, glanced at Pei Yan, who seemed just shy of pouring the tea directly into his mouth, and mocked. She then turned to Lin Junzhao and sighed, "Where did you find such a treasure? Though crude, he is neither servile nor overbearing and has a methodical approach when handling matters. In this regard, he surpasses my few disciples. Yiqiu and Xun Rou delight me on the path of cultivation, yet they always fall short when dealing with such trivial matters. Alas, if only Yiqiu had half the keen insight into the human heart and worldly affairs as this young man, she wouldn’t have been so easily deceived by those Daoist Children, sustaining such a loss."
