Chapter Fifty-Four: Negotiation

Cooperating with Fang Jinrui could indeed allow me to demand the Three-Colored Cloud Blossom as payment, perhaps even negotiate for greater benefits. However, his aim is to assassinate Zi Tuofeng. If I intervene, regardless of success or failure, I will inevitably face the restrictions imposed by Shenfeng City. Even if Fang Jinrui can deal with that, there remains the possibility of encountering a half-step Divine Transformation cultivator…

Tu Lu shook his head. Working with Fang Jinrui was unreliable. Even if the people behind him did not fear a half-step Divine Transformation, they might not be able to protect him. The dozen cultivators who died earlier were proof enough.

He had no intention of following in their footsteps.

As for aiding Zi Tuofeng?

That was out of the question. Everyone knew it was the people from the Vast Void Manor who attempted to assassinate Zi Tuofeng! Perhaps even the Manor Lord was involved; he would not gamble with his own life.

Not to mention, Zi Tuofeng had once entertained the thought of killing him!

At that moment, Fang Jinrui returned, his expression dark and grim.

“Master.”

As he approached the mansion gates, two servants hurriedly lowered their heads.

Fang Jinrui’s gaze fell on one of them, frowning. “Where are your clothes?”

“Master, just now, the two of us were suddenly knocked unconscious. When we came to, we were already like this.” The servant trembled as he spoke.

“Hmm.” Fang Jinrui nodded.

The two servants breathed a sigh of relief.

But in the next instant, Fang Jinrui appeared before them. Before they could react, his fingers touched their bodies, draining all life from them.

He glanced at the corpses, frowning. “It wasn’t them, but they don’t seem to belong to Jin Donghe or the old monster Zi's faction either. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared not to return to the mansion. To follow me yet avoid being discovered, their cultivation should be neither too high nor too low—likely in the late Filling the Sea stage. If he is clever, he will not report this to Zi Tuofeng, but use it as leverage to negotiate with me for maximum benefit.”

With that, he entered the mansion.

As for the two servants, he did not spare them another glance. Ordinary mortals meant little to cultivators.

He picked up a vase and opened a hidden passage.

—

“Master Tu, it has been a while.” Fang Jinrui cupped his hands with a smile, not a trace of his earlier gloom remaining.

By now, Tu Lu’s avatar had awakened, though his face was pale as he sat at the edge of the stone bed, his aura seemingly diminished to the extreme of the late Filling the Sea stage.

Of course, it was all an act.

“Hmph!”

Upon seeing Fang Jinrui, Tu Lu showed no pleasant expression, his voice cold. “You’ve come at the right time. I have something to ask you: What exactly was that Purple Cloud Pill you gave me?”

“Please don’t be anxious, Master Tu.” Fang Jinrui’s smile did not falter. “The Purple Cloud Pill is indeed genuine, but it was laced with the poison of Seven-Inch Grass.”

“What!” Tu Lu’s expression changed dramatically.

“Master Tu, do not be angry. This was not my idea; it was at the instruction of the Young City Lord. Otherwise, I would not have saved you.”

Upon hearing this, Tu Lu’s avatar took a few deep breaths to calm himself. “What do you mean by that?”

Seeing Tu Lu composed, Fang Jinrui continued, “In the City Lord’s treasure vault, there are two kinds of Purple Cloud Pills. One is normal, but extremely rare, only taken by the City Lord himself. The other is laced with Seven-Inch Grass poison. The Young City Lord instructed me to bring the latter as your reward—his intentions could not be clearer.”

“Moreover, Master Tu, you are not the first to be framed and killed by the Young City Lord.” He added.

“What!”

Tu Lu’s avatar was furious, rising abruptly.

After a long moment, he gradually calmed, sitting once more on the stone bed, frowning. “Isn’t Zi Tuofeng your master? Why would you do such a thing?”

Fang Jinrui squinted, not directly answering, but instead asked, “Master Tu, have you heard of the Young City Lord’s betrothal to the Vast Void Manor Lord?”

Tu Lu’s avatar nodded.

A trace of reminiscence flashed in Fang Jinrui’s eyes. “That betrothal was fifty years ago. At the time, the old Manor Lord and the old master were both at the Purple Mansion stage. Though only a verbal agreement, it was made at a gathering of young heroes, with many talents present. Soon after, the old Manor Lord took office, while the old master was severely injured in battle and withdrew to this Yellow Cloud City.”

“Not long ago, the old Manor Lord’s daughter—now the current Manor Lord—surpassed her father’s brilliance. At just over twenty years old, she broke through the Purple Mansion stage and entered Divine Transformation. She is now an early Divine Transformation cultivator.”

Tu Lu’s brows twitched involuntarily.

—

A Divine Transformation cultivator in her twenties—a terrifying thought. Compared to her, Zi Tuofeng, of similar age, had only just stepped into the Mountain Moving stage. The contrast was stark…

“Heh, by comparison, our Young City Lord is nothing but a waste.”

Fang Jinrui voiced the thought for him.

He continued, “Recently, the old master went to the Vast Void Manor for a reunion. Though I don’t know the reason, the news from there was that the old Manor Lord and old master made another agreement. The content: If the Young City Lord can bring a wedding gift and reach the Vast Void Manor’s prefecture, the marriage remains valid. Even the Manor Lord herself consented, but… she will send people to intercept him. Though those sent cannot exceed the Purple Mansion stage, you have seen how a dozen death warriors dared attack even in Yellow Cloud City. Once outside this city, what suspense remains?”

Tu Lu raised his brows.

He did not fully trust Fang Jinrui’s words, but sensed that at least part of it was true.

“This is a secret. Why tell me?”

Fang Jinrui shook his head. “It is and isn’t a secret. Those involved are aware. If the Young City Lord truly intends for you to join him, he will tell you himself.”

He sighed. “Even at Purple Mansion speed, it takes three days to travel from Yellow Cloud City to the Vast Void Manor. The Manor is formidable. In those three days, sending hundreds of cultivators at the half-step Purple Mansion stage would be no trouble. I respect the old master, but the Young City Lord is petty and not worth dying for. So I contacted those people.”

A glint flashed in Fang Jinrui’s eyes.

Tu Lu frowned slightly.

He had anticipated this, but hearing Fang Jinrui say it still spelled trouble—a severed retreat.

Now, knowing Fang Jinrui had betrayed Zi Tuofeng, Tu Lu could not refuse to cooperate. Fang Jinrui would not let him go otherwise!

Even if his two Three-Sunflower avatars could escape Fang Jinrui, his plans in Yellow Cloud City would be ruined!

He was silent for a long time before speaking. “So… what does Master Fang intend? Since you have reached out to the other side, do you wish me to help assassinate someone? Don’t forget, I just failed and cost them over ten cultivators, and the Young City Lord won’t trust me either—he wants me dead!”