Shen Le finally slung his bundle over his shoulder, swaying as he made his way south of the Yangtze.
No helping it—they were offering far too much.
Five portions of the essence of the five metals suitable for forging swords; ten portions of rare divine medicines and immortal herbs; an official post; the title of True Person; a Daoist temple;
as well as several mountain peaks personally granted by imperial decree. They were only a few mountains surrounding the site of an immortal sect, but there was still a considerable difference between receiving them from the emperor and simply claiming them because the region was remote and deserted.
Shen Le had also received a portion of the long-sought essence of the five metals, a certificate of appointment, gold, pearls, jade, and the like. As for the ashes to be used to fire the Soul-Calming Figurine—
"Don't tell anyone. They say they're the remains of the Duke of Chu—"
"Who?"
"...Yang Su."
Fine. Shen Le shrugged, reluctantly accepting that this candidate would do.
Yang Su had also been a founding minister in the early years of Sui. His prestige during the early reign of Emperor Yang of Sui was probably comparable to that of Grand Tutor Wen beside King Zhou, or Duke of Zhou beside King Cheng of Zhou.
As for his character and temperament, whether he was suitable for firing a Soul-Calming Figurine, and whether digging him up and burning him to ashes would damage Emperor Yang of Sui's reputation—Shen Le felt that if Emperor Yang of Sui himself did not care, why should he?
He swayed along on horseback, lamenting all the way that he could not simply take a boat directly there, while constantly reminding himself, *The Grand Canal hasn't been built yet. Right, the very one this