Silk for Sale

However, having reached the position of Grand Tutor, one has already seized power and influence over the entire country, so of course one can joke around as one pleases. Even if one day the emperor were to lead out a donkey and say, "I have found Twilight Sparkle and presented it to His Majesty," I doubt anyone would dare to stand up and shout that the patient has escaped.

But Li Fan couldn't just chuckle along foolishly, or the other party might turn on him and yell, "How dare you! Insolent! Drag him out and behead him!" Then he'd be beheaded, and all he'd have to do was accept his fate, crawling on the ground and writing three miserable characters...

Fortunately, Yao Xuanzhou was also there and immediately shielded Li Fan, handing him a letter of thanks.

"Your subject thanks the Duke of Shouyang for the bestowal of honors and, on behalf of my master, delivers a reply: Our Ink Bamboo Mountain will certainly obey the orders of the Grand Tutor Manor, safeguard the peace of the Li Country, and prevent the demonic sect and evil spirits from wreaking havoc on the Southern Kingdom."

"Qingyue, I have some confidential matters concerning the movements of the Divine Cult. I must speak with the Grand Tutor in private. Please wait for me outside."

The Grand Tutor looked bored and shook his head, saying, "Xuanzhou, you're really no fun. Alright, alright, affairs of state come first. Li Daozi, you should also consider it. It's a pity to spend your prime years hiding in the Southern Mountains to seek enlightenment after cultivating such skills. If you have some free time, why not become the Black Sword in my hand and make a name for yourself in history?"

As the Grand Tutor spoke, he raised his hand and presented an item. Li Fan glanced at it and saw that it was a jade pendant made of mutton fat jade, probably a token for entering and leaving the Grand Tutor Manor. Yao Xuanzhou also nodded, indicating that Li Fan should accept it.

Li Fan thanked the Grand Tutor for his appreciation and retreated to the living room to wait. Xuan Tian, worried that these Dao Lords would discover his identity, stayed in the flying boat to watch the gourd. Li Fan also couldn't release his Divine Sense to spy on others in their residences. However, the service at the Grand Tutor Manor was quite good. After sitting for a while, a servant brought tea and snacks for Qingyue Zhenjun to enjoy.

"Sir, is there a Zhang Chongyang, Commander Zhang, in the Grand Tutor's staff? He walks with his nose in the air and speaks in a particularly rude manner?"

Since Li Fan had nothing better to do, he casually inquired about that scoundrel he'd only met once or twice before. After all, they were all young talents working for the Grand Tutor now; you're a commander of a thousand men, and I'm a marquis! Who's afraid of who!

The waiter glanced up at Li Fan, then bowed again as he served tea, replying, "Reporting to Your Excellency, Commander Qian has gone with the Western Expeditionary Army to attack the Demonic Sect of Kun Country. Is Your Excellency a friend of Commander Qian? Is there anything you wish to convey to me?"

"Oh, no, no, it's just that I have a friend who said this guy likes to owe money and not pay it back. If he comes to Sanyuan to visit the Grand Tutor, he'll help him collect the debt on the way. I'm the kind of person who loves to help friends, so I just wanted to see what this guy is like."

Li Fan answered casually, then looked at the servant with curiosity, "But he serves in the army, how can you still deliver messages to him? What, does that Zhang fellow owe you money too?"

The waiter smiled politely and said, "Sir, you jest. We just had a drink together occasionally. I wonder how much money the commander owes your... friends?"

Li Fan sipped his tea. "Not much, not much. Rounding it down, it's about a hundred million... Hmm, this tea is good, have another cup."

The waiter's facial muscles twitched for a moment, then he forced a smile and said, "Yes, Master, please wait a moment."

So Li Fan waited for a while, about a quarter of an incense stick's time, and then the servant returned. In addition to tea and snacks, a veiled maid followed behind, carrying a tray. She presented the tray to Li Fan, on which were placed five Golden Dragon side by side.

Li Fan was momentarily confused, "Ah, this..."

The attendant explained with a smile, "Each hairpin contains twenty million gold coins, and one hundred million coins are here. Please check them, Your Majesty."

Li Fan silently picked up a Golden hairpin and examined it. Inside the hairpin were twenty large treasure chests, each containing thousands of gold coins the size of pearls. They were all solid, heavy gold, and each chest had runes imprinted with Divine Hardness energy. Judging from the quality of the Divine Astral Zhenqi alone, each piece was indeed worth a thousand Divine Hardness.

"This is the Grand Tutor..."

The attendant explained, "I heard that Commander Qian owed Zhenjun's friend some gold and silver, and this was repaid on his behalf by the Duchess."

"Hiss... How could I possibly trouble the Duchess..."

"Madam's maiden name is Zhang."

"Oh... I understand." Li Fan paused, then tucked the five Golden hairpin into his sleeve with a smile.

"Please tell Madam that my friend and the commander hit it off immediately, their friendship is so deep it's like they'd risk their lives for each other, they're sworn brothers! If there's anything you need from him in the future, whether it's reaching for the moon in the heavens or capturing turtles in the deep sea, just give the order, and he'll do everything in his power to get it done!"

The masked maid nodded, and the attendant smiled obsequiously as they withdrew.

Wow, Zhang's got some serious skills. No wonder he's got five Divine Transformation cultivators with him. A billion dollars! He just gives it away like that! Looks like his family owns a mine; they're definitely not short of gold... Sigh, I guess that's what life is all about...

Li Fan felt a pang of envy.

Yao Xuanzhou also came out. "Let's go. Tomorrow we can go to Taiwei Yuan to receive our titles. The Grand Tutor will arrange for officials to receive us. We'll just go through the formalities. We still need to go to Tian Shi to buy some resources for Ink Bamboo Mountain."

Li Fan's eyes lit up. Going to the supermarket? Great! Perfect timing, I have a hundred million yuan I don't know what to do with!

Yao Xuanzhou, however, was not so relaxed. Back on the flying boat, he muttered to himself with worry, "With prices soaring these days, I wonder how much I can buy..."

"You don't have enough money, Abbot? I'll lend you a hundred million!" Li Fan went into the cabin, put on his gourd, and seeing how worried he looked, he went up to talk to him, hoping to activate some missions to farm faction reputation.

Yao Xuanzhou shook his head. "Qingyue, I appreciate your kindness. It's not a matter of whether I have enough money, it's a matter of whether I can even buy it... How much??"

Seeing an opportunity, Li Fan took out Golden hairpin and showed it to Yao Xuanzhou, asking, "What do you want to buy? Materials for forging swords?"

Yao Xuanzhou was also astonished when he saw the Golden Dragon. "Where did you get so many gold coins... I appreciate your kindness, but this time I'm mainly going to buy raw silk. People probably won't even look at gold; I'll have to use the elixirs refined by the abbot to exchange for it."

"Raw silk? The kind of silk used in silk production? And you need an elixir to exchange for it?"

Li Fan frowned in confusion, thinking he had misheard.

"Oh, buying silk? That's a huge expense. I used to have to trade my flying sword for it, if I couldn't get any."

Okay, you heard right. The Xuan Tian Iron Egg in the Immortal Cultivation Encyclopedia also officially confirmed that it is indeed raw silk, the kind that silkworms spin.

After asking around and confirming with Xiao Yao and Iron Egg, Li Fan's strange experiences grew even more.

The uses of silk are self-evident. Even cultivators need to wear clothes. The masters of the Three Great Sects can't fight naked, can they? Besides, silk is useful in many ways, including in high-quality talismans, scriptures, banners, gauze, and other magical treasures.

Although the method of silkworm breeding had long been popularized and promoted in the Central Plains, and the three vassal states of Zhen, Xun, and Kun all had a large number of famous silk products, even people in the private households Li Country raised silkworms.

But in a world where immortals and mortals are so distinct, it's obvious that the silk from ordinary silkworms is no different from that of the renowned Wanyu cultivated in the Immortal Palace.

Although they may both look like plump, sticky, and white silkworms, the silkworms spin Heavenly Market Silk. Its texture, properties, weaving techniques, and effects in creating talismans and tailoring clothes far surpass those of ordinary silkworm silk. The difference between the two can only be described as the difference between a firefly and the bright moon.

It can be said that the Wanyu Immortal Silkworm is the celestial emperor among silkworms!

Ahem, that's an exaggeration, but the Wanyu Immortal Silkworm was indeed one of the first spirit insects and auspicious beasts domesticated and bred by the Ancient Immortal Palace, and has been passed down through generations of Immortal Venerables.

Unlike the Dragon Repository, which was embroiled in internal strife and even wiped out, the Three Enclosures Weaving Bureau, specializing in silkworm breeding and silk weaving, has always been regarded as the most closely watched money bag by the Immortal Palace. No matter who holds the position of one of the Three Dukes or who controls the government, it must be kept under control and protected.

Therefore, after the Dragon Repository was abolished, the Imperial Guards also lost the dragon meat for body tempering, and their status and strength plummeted. However, the Celestial Clan, which controlled the Weaving Bureau, fed and cared for the Wanyu Celestial Silkworms well, making them plump and healthy. It is said that they have even raised special spirit insects at the Divine Transformation level, and can even weave Divine Transformation treasure-level silk at the Nascent Soul level, which attracts Dao Lords and Divine Lords from the entire Xuanmen to bid for and purchase them each time.

The Immortal Silkworm is undoubtedly the most important treasure that has enabled the Three Realms Immortal Palace to survive to this day.

Therefore, the current glory of the Tianshi Yuan Immortal Clan is absolutely inseparable from this batch of silkworms. Needless to say, one must have paid a hefty price to buy some Tian Shi silk from the Three Enclosures.

Yao Xuanzhou was also troubled by this matter. "Alas, the immortal silkworms need to be cultivated and carefully cared for generation after generation. Moreover, how to cultivate silkworms that have not yet spun their cocoons to the Transformation Stage is a closely guarded secret of the Immortal Palace. There is no such tradition in Li Country. The silkworms produced by the common people are simply not good enough and are not as good as burning paper talismans."

Moreover, let alone the Divine Transformation level immortal silk, Heavenly Market Silk is always bought up by the Xuanmen immediately. Even the top-grade Nascent Soul Stage level silk is a priceless treasure. If our Ink Bamboo Mountain wants to make Nascent Soul Stage level talismans, we have always had to import them from the Zhen, Xun, and Kun kingdoms.

However, most of the silkworm farms and silk workshops in Zhen Country were seized by Penglai. Xun Kingdom had a limited production of high-grade raw silk at the Nascent Soul Stage. The previous Ruler of Xun Country also strictly controlled the export of raw silk. Only mid-grade silk could be smuggled from the east to the Golden Core stage, which was barely usable.

While the Kun Country in the west allows free trade, it has trade routes not only with my Ink Bamboo Mountain, but also with Kunlun, Gen Country, and the Sanyuan region. To buy Kun silk, one must compete with the Divine Sect, the Nangong Family, various immortal clans and independent cultivators, and even Western Regions merchants. The highest bidder wins, and the caravan's goods may be robbed along the way, making it quite difficult and arduous.

But now, even the Silk Road connecting these three kingdoms has been severed.

Even if all the silk reserves of Ink Bamboo Mountain were used to make talismans, it wouldn't be enough to sustain a major war. This time, we finally managed to persuade the Grand Tutor that Ink Bamboo Mountain could participate in the raw silk trade of Tianshi Yuan under the Xuanmen (Mystic Sect) identity, but how much they could acquire is uncertain."

Running a sect is so complicated... Xuan Tian, what do you think?

Xuan Tian suggested, "Why don't we ambush them at the entrance of the store and kill them all?"

Okay, ignore this suggestion.

Li Fan suggested, "The Nine-Turn Immortal Pill refined by the Abbot is so potent, perhaps some knowledgeable cultivators from the Xuanmen sect would be willing to trade it?"

Yao Xuanzhou shook his head. "It's no use. Silk that has already been made into talismans and magical artifacts loses its effectiveness. Many superior talismans require raw silk to be made using secret methods. This kind of raw material is always traded in large quantities by the sects, who send Inner Sect elders. Besides, those immortal clans are all cunning, so they will definitely have to offer something really good in exchange."

I thought that out of respect for the Grand Tutor, the Weaving Bureau could spare me a batch of textiles, but the quantity would be hard to guarantee. It's a pity I don't have any connections within the Immortal Clan, otherwise I could manage things a bit..."

Connections... Xuantian, do you know anyone like that?

Xuan Tian suggested, "What are you thinking? All the people I know are long dead... Why don't you just kidnap a few and make some friends?"

Okay, let's ignore this Xuan Tian.

Li Fan thought for a moment, "Then why don't we go to the Xinling County Duke and ask him to introduce us to some connections?"

Yao Xuanzhou was taken aback, then turned to look at Li Fan, "Xinling County Duke? Qingyue, how did you become acquainted with the heir of the Northern Palace?"

Li Fan asked in surprise, "Huh? You haven't seen the Abbot before? I ran into him when I was strolling around Yuntai Peak. There was also Xu Xianniang there, and we even had a few drinks together."

"You ran into them? And you ran into both of them at once? Why have I never run into them before...?"

Yao Xuanzhou was also momentarily dazed, but the affairs of his sect were more important at the moment. He shook his head and said, "These two are indeed suitable. I heard that they have a wide circle of friends in Sanyuan. If you can get them to help you, they might really be able to lend me a hand."

"Alright, let's split up. I'll go to the Weaving Bureau to bid, Qingyue, you go visit the Xinling County Duke. It would be best if he could introduce you to an official in the Weaving Bureau who could help you."

"Oh, leave it to me, that's easy."

At worst, he can just reluctantly do a few minor repairs for the sake of Ink Bamboo Mountain...

The Xinling County Duke was quite famous in the Three Enclosures; any heavenly soldier could easily find out about his residence.

Incidentally, Li Fan flew through the air on his sword, he encountered seven or eight groups of Nascent Soul Stage Immortals blocking his path. When they inquired about his background and name, they would pull out a notice as if checking his census records, glancing at the details of 'Qingyue Ink Bamboo Mountain Lou Guan Dao.' After looking at it for a long time, they would say, 'Please, my lord, slow down and do not disturb the immortals of the four directions.' Their eyes were as if they were looking at a stray dog that had sped onto a highway.

The Immortal Palace where Xinling County Duke resided was also heavily guarded. When Li Fan sent out his visiting card, more than two hundred celestial soldiers emerged, fully armed, with swords and crossbows drawn, ready to pounce on him. The eunuchs hiding at the door also covered their faces, frowned, and glanced at him sideways, as if they had smelled something foul from afar.

Li Fan was enraged by that look, and he immediately recalled the mannerisms of the Nangong Family, a surge of murderous intent rising in his throat.

They're all the same, from the South Palace to the North Palace.

If he were to actually make a move now, killing all these people wouldn't be a problem. Or perhaps he could go even further and discuss with the Grand Tutor about wiping out all the immortals in heaven and bringing peace to the land.

Xuan Tian said, "Hmph, silly boy, you actually took that Grand Tutor's joke seriously? Let me tell you, the Dao Lords of the Xuanmen are men of their word and always keep their promises. But the lords of the Immortal Palace, heh heh, they're all full of empty talk and lies."

Believe it or not, the same words he utters in front of you about wanting peace and prosperity will be followed by oaths and vows in the Zǐwēigōng, pledging allegiance to the emperor and ensuring the dynasty's eternal stability.

Speaking human language to human beings and ghost language to ghosts are basic skills in the imperial court. In a place like the Three Palaces, if you reveal your true feelings and let others guess what you are thinking, you are doomed!

"Alas, but who told you Mohists to be so insightful? Let me warn you, if you take the promises of these people seriously, you will surely die, and you won't even know how you died."

"Oh dear, no wonder there's such a wonderful atmosphere today! It turns out it's Brother Qingyue who has come from afar to visit! What a great honor for me! My humble abode is truly blessed, and I am so sorry for not welcoming you sooner!"

Then Li Fan saw that the Xinling County Duke, Bei Gong Wuji, had come out in person. He looked exactly the same as the one he had seen at Yuntai Peak. His face was filled with the warmth of seeing a close friend and relative. His smile was as warm as afternoon tea. He even took Li Fan's hand and invited him to enter the mansion together. It was truly the ultimate in courtesy, making one feel grateful to the point of tears.

However, the fact that they weren't wearing shoes made it look particularly fake.

It seemed even more fake when Li Fan saw the guards and attendants around him change color, quickly sheathe their swords, and bow and scrape, showing him the same enthusiastic, disgustingly obsequious expressions.

This is the Immortal Palace...

Xuan Tian said, "From ancient times to the present, it's always been the same tone. No matter who sits in the heavens, the Immortal Palace is still the Immortal Palace, and it will not change in the slightest."

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