The Inflated Emperor

Meng Qingying also found the whole thing quite funny. Her previous deal with Qin Yi had reached a dead end, and the two sides had parted ways; her deal with Great Joy Temple had also reached a dead end, and they almost had a falling out.

As a result of the sudden changes in Southern Li, Qin Yi's side had room for negotiation for the sake of the little girl; the Great Joy Temple, for some unknown reason, suddenly stopped insisting that she cultivate dual cultivation, and instead directly agreed to let her obtain the list in exchange for the Treasures Suppressing Luck.

Suddenly, she found herself able to please both sides, able to turn to either of them.

But in reality, her coming to Qin Yi already conveyed her attitude, Qin Yi could sense that meaning.

Qin Yi looked at her for a while and asked, "So... you came to me because you think I'm more reliable than them, or do you want me to increase the stakes?"

Meng Qingying chuckled and said, "What do you think?"

"I think it's the former," Qin Yi said calmly. "With such important matters at hand, if you're still trying to figure out who's more advantageous in a deal, demanding that someone increase their offer and calculating every little detail, that's like a haggling auntie at the market, not the Meng Qingying I know. You use the Mountains and Rivers Luck as a puppet, but you have your own grand vision and ambition; you're not the kind of person who's petty and greedy for small gains."

"It sounds so nice." Meng Qingying laughed. "Did you deliberately choose a nice song to flatter me? Peach Blossom Man?"

Qin Yi remained expressionless and returned her words, saying, "What do you think?"

Meng Qingying looked into Qin Yi's eyes, Qin Yi's gaze remained unchanged.

Instead of saying anything nice, it was rather cold and defensive.

They are essentially enemies. Their ability to negotiate is based on the goal of cooperation and is achieved through the magnanimity of both parties. This does not represent a change in their hostile nature.

Meng Qingying finally sighed, "You see things clearly. The Great Joy Temple suddenly relented for no reason. I always suspect they have ulterior motives and I don't trust them. I don't want you to increase your stake either, because I don't worry about being stabbed in the back when I do business with you."

One knew he wouldn't be stabbed in the back, and the other knew the other was a man of great character.

This is a completely new perspective established after several encounters and negotiations.

Ironically, they are the enemies, while Meng Qingying and the Great Joy Temple are the allies... It's quite lamentable that they trust their enemies more than their allies.

Qin Yi looked up at the sky; it was already evening. The Da Qian Emperor's grand banquet should have ended, and he was probably indulging in pleasure in the palace.

Then the transaction can proceed now.

Meng Qingying said, "To be honest, I've been using a two-pronged approach. Otherwise, you might have faced obstacles in helping me accomplish this, but now the Great Joy Temple has no reason to obstruct it."

Qin Yi nodded. "I know what to do. You can go directly to the dragon aura and wait."

Meng Qingying smiled slightly, "I hope our third transaction will be a complete success."

Qin Yi said calmly, "I hope things won't happen more than three times, and that I won't need to make deals with the Witch again in the future."

"Ha..." Meng Qingying chuckled, but didn't care, and quickly disappeared.

Qin Yi looked at the night sky, secretly sorting out the whole story.

Meng Qingying's attempt to obtain the Luck Dragon was thwarted by the palace 'Treasures Suppressing Luck. All she needed to do was either take the treasure or destroy it. This was no easy task for Meng Qingying, but quite simple for Qin Yi.

Previously, Guan Ji, lusting after Meng Qingying's body, deliberately guarded the treasure vault, preventing her from entering, intending to extort money from her. Meng Qingying refused, leading to a stalemate. Now that Great Joy Temple had agreed to let her in, she hesitated, feeling the attitude had become strange and fearing some ulterior motive. So she went to Qin Yi to go in for her.

Qin Yi only needed to make a few empty promises to the emperor, claiming that something in the treasury had caused the dragon energy to solidify, and the emperor would surely allow him to enter and inspect it. The Great Joy Temple in the Great Qian Dynasty used political infiltration methods rather than violence, so it couldn't openly disobey the emperor's orders; entering the treasury was far too easy for him.

Qin Yi felt no remorse for having wronged the emperor. He wanted to help the people of Daqian who were being harmed by the lewd monks of Great Joy Temple, not to serve as a subject to an arrogant and pleasure-seeking emperor and an overbearing Crown Prince.

The reason why the Great Joy Temple is so widespread in the Great Qian Dynasty is because it relies on the royal family. Now, its influence is so deep that not only the emperor and the Crown Prince trust it, but it has also infiltrated the court and the countryside. Countless women in this country have suffered as a result. How can things be turned around without destroying the dynasty's fortunes and establishing a new order?

Not only must they ruin the dynasty's fortune, but they must also find a way to kill Guan Ji, leaving the Great Joy Temple leaderless and disorganized in the Great Qian Dynasty, in order to achieve their goals.

Although Meng Qingying didn't explicitly say so, she definitely supported killing Guan Ji. This Witch held grudges; how could she possibly tolerate a lecherous monk who had made advances towards her? She just needed to wait for the right opportunity and wouldn't act rashly...

But he didn't dare to go down into the treasure vault carelessly. Theoretically, Guan Ji wouldn't attack him and everything would be fine, but who knew if there was a trap inside, meant to feed Meng Qingying, and he was foolishly going in...

After thinking for a while, Qin Yi strode out of the palace gate and went straight to Humble Origins.

The Humble Origins tavern was bustling with activity, but as soon as Qin Yi was seen, the tavern immediately pulled him into the back room, ignoring the other customers outside.

Qin Yi asked curiously, "What are you doing? I'm not gay."

The Humble Origins small eyes looked him up and down for a long time. "What exactly is your relationship with my king?"

"... How come you, who runs a tavern in Dragon Abyss City, know about what happened at the border?"

The Humble Origins chuckled and said, "Don't you know that the border army sent a message by carrier pigeon describing a White-Robed Golden-Ringed Fairy?"

"Are these people reporting military intelligence or gossip?"

"There's nothing we can do." A cold glint flashed in Humble Origins's small eyes. "You know what the atmosphere is like in the upper echelons of the Great Qian Dynasty these days... Their concern for beauty might far outweigh their concern for military matters. Even the emperor had his thoughts when he heard the news, but he was persuaded to back down by the Imperial Concubines of the Great Joy Temple who said that it was just an exaggeration by soldiers in the remote borderlands."

Qin Yi frowned.

Even though he knew the emperor couldn't possibly have designs on Cheng Cheng, it still made him uncomfortable. The Great Joy Temple was actually saving the emperor's life; did he really dare to try searching for Cheng Cheng?

The Humble Origins laughed and said, "Look at your expression, you still say it's okay."

"It's not quite the relationship you're imagining... Never mind." Qin Yi said helplessly, "I do have a close relationship with Ye Ling. Could I ask you for a favor through her connections?"

The Humble Origins asked, "Why not your own face?"

Qin Yi was taken aback, unsure how to respond.

The man from the Humble Origins patted him on the shoulder. "I like you. You don't think we're friends yet, but that's because relationships need to be cultivated. Let's start now."

Qin Yi entered the palace again and arrived at the palace where the emperor usually indulged in pleasure. Inside, the lights were indeed bright, and the sounds of singing, dancing, and laughter floated in the night sky, giving one a feeling of being in a drunken stupor and unaware of the world around them.

He sighed and said to the guard, "Qin Yi requests an audience."

The message was relayed through the ranks, and soon the emperor's voice rang out from inside. "Quickly, invite him in."

Qin Yi stepped inside and was surprised to find Lingxu there as well, who seemed to have just reported something to the emperor.

Upon seeing Qin Yi enter, the emperor smiled and said, "According to the reports from the border troops, the Immortal truly possesses extraordinary Law Powers, and all those he associates with are immortals and Fairies who fly around. The border troops all say that they now believe that there are truly immortals in the world."

Qin Yi said, "Brother Lingxu is no less than me."

"Oh, you are too modest, Immortal," the Emperor said with a smile. "May I ask which immortal mountain that Fairy in white robes and golden rings comes from?"

Qin Yi said indifferently, "The border troops have limited experience and are simply exaggerating."

A flash of displeasure crossed the emperor's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and asked, "Then let's set that aside. Now that you are no longer the Immortal Nanli Kingdom Teacher, would you be interested in taking on the position of Grand Preceptor of our Da Qian Kingdom?"

Qin Yi glanced at Lingxu, noticing his stiffened expression, and smiled nonchalantly, "The Nanli Kingdom Teacher a figurehead to me. I, Qin, have long since withdrawn from the Immortal Palace and ceased to concern myself with worldly affairs."

The emperor's face finally darkened. "You wish to bear the title of Nanli Kingdom Teacher, yet you look down upon my Great Qian? You should know that all land under heaven belongs to the emperor, and how can the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace be an exception?"

This is getting out of control... Qin Yi suspected that if he continued to refuse, the man might even say that if someone couldn't serve him, he would be killed.

Whatever, the more reckless the better. I was already planning to mess with him anyway, so it's fine if we all hate each other; I don't need to feel guilty.