Meet and Split It Half

Ling Yunzi had a little patience for ordinary people, but he was never vague when dealing with cultivators—especially one who had claimed he wanted to kill him.

He drew his sword.

The Flying Sword pressed against Jiang Zhiqiu's forehead. So long as Jiang Zhiqiu made the slightest move, the Flying Sword could take his life.

The enraged Jiang Zhiqiu calmed down in an instant.

Anyone with a sword tip pointed at their forehead would probably have no choice but to calm down.

The Azure Cloud Sect was right nearby, and of course Jiang Zhiqiu knew of it. But hadn't the Azure Cloud Sect stopped sending disciples out into the world all these years?

If not for the fact that it still opened its mountain gates once every ten years, people would practically have thought it had sealed off the mountain.

Especially Jiang Zhiqiu, who had spent more than twenty years at Qingyun Market. He felt that he should have thoroughly figured out the Azure Cloud Sect's situation.

Therefore, when Zhang Yang and Ling Yunzi appeared, his first thought was that Rogue Cultivators were impersonating members of the Azure Cloud Sect.

But when the Flying Sword appeared and threatened his life with an irresistible force, he began to think that perhaps people from the Azure Cloud Sect had truly arrived.

He was deeply puzzled. The Azure Cloud Sect had ignored matters below the mountain for over a century, so why had it suddenly changed its ways?

"According to my investigation, you have managed Azure Cloud Market for roughly twenty-two years." Zhang Yang watched Jiang Zhiqiu and said slowly, "Azure Cloud Market has inns, apothecaries, weapon workshops, and the like, as well as a small merchant association. All of them trade using Spirit Stones. I looked into it carefully. You levy a tax of one in twenty at Qingyun Market, and there are even certain benefits given to you separately.

"Calculating at ten thousand Spirit Stones per year, you have earned more than two hundred thousand Spirit Stones over the years.

"Split fifty-fifty. You should give me at least one hundred thousand Spirit Stones now."

Jiang Zhiqiu stared fixedly at the Flying Sword before him, not daring to move at all.

Hearing Zhang Yang take a bite out of one hundred thousand of his Spirit Stones in one mouthful, hatred surged through his heart. Yet there was nothing he could do but obediently hand them over. With a thought, one hundred thousand Spirit Stones piled up in the room, and dense spiritual energy immediately spread in every direction.

Zhang Yang put away the one hundred thousand Spirit Stones, then smiled at Jiang Zhiqiu. "You're very dishonest!

"Other than Spirit Stones, I don't believe you haven't obtained any medicinal herbs or materials over the years. And you won't split half of them with the Azure Cloud Sect?

"You should understand that I was already being very polite by not simply killing you outright or taking your spatial ring.

"If you don't know what's good for you, then I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to take your spatial ring and inspect it carefully."

Jiang Zhiqiu drew a deep breath. "Senior, please put away the Flying Sword. I admit defeat!"

Ling Yunzi considered it, then put away the Flying Sword.

Before him, it was fundamentally impossible for Jiang Zhiqiu to escape. Whether in Daoist arts or cultivation, Jiang Zhiqiu was far too inferior.

Without the Flying Sword threatening him, Jiang Zhiqiu became much more composed.

He ignored Zhang Yang and Ling Yunzi, sat down directly, and with a wave of his hand placed more than a dozen brocade boxes and several dozen spiritual herbs on the table. Then all sorts of materials were laid out on the table as well.

"All my gains are here." This time, Jiang Zhiqiu knew what was what. "Besides that, I can give another fifty thousand Spirit Stones. This is everything I have gained over the years."

Because, just as Zhang Yang had said, the Azure Cloud Sect had not simply killed him or seized his spatial ring... which showed that the Azure Cloud Sect had come to reason things out.

Jiang Zhiqiu had picked up bargains at Qingyun Market for over twenty years. Now, the time had come for him to spit some of it back out.

Zhang Yang unceremoniously put away the fifty thousand Spirit Stones. Then he took eight brocade boxes, half the spiritual herbs, and afterward selected half of the various materials as well.

Only then did Zhang Yang say, "As for your twenty years of managing Azure Cloud Market, we'll consider the matter settled."

Jiang Zhiqiu silently put away the spiritual herbs and materials that belonged to him. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Over these past twenty-odd years, I have poured a great deal of effort into managing Azure Cloud Market. Besides, I am familiar with it. If you can trust me, I can continue managing it. I can charge less for acting as its manager—thirty percent will do. How about giving the remaining seventy percent of the surplus to your Azure Cloud Sect?"

Managing Azure Cloud Market was a juicy piece of meat. Naturally, he did not want to hand it over just like that.

But judging by the Azure Cloud Sect's posture, it seemed likely that they intended to manage it themselves.

He wanted to make one final attempt. Since Zhang Yang had been fairly reasonable, perhaps he could preserve this juicy piece of meat.

Ling Yunzi furrowed his brow and asked Zhang Yang, "Azure Cloud Market was originally ownerless land. Now that everyone can live here, isn't it somewhat unreasonable to charge them money?"

He felt that collecting taxes was somewhat unreasonable. After all, the Azure Cloud Sect had never done such a thing.

What had been collected before was one thing—he was not foolish enough to demand it be returned—but continuing to collect it afterward seemed improper.

Zhang Yang and Jiang Zhiqiu both looked at Ling Yunzi somewhat speechlessly. What kind of thing was that to say?

"Martial Uncle, Azure Cloud Market has already formed a system. If no one manages it, chaos will break out," Zhang Yang explained. "If no one governs it, Azure Cloud Market will surely develop incomparably severe problems in the future. Some may even lose their lives because there are no Rules.

"Therefore, Azure Cloud Market cannot be left unmanaged. The way of Heaven diminishes the excessive to replenish the deficient; the way of man diminishes the deficient to serve the excessive. Since Azure Cloud Market's existence is connected to people, it naturally must follow the way of man."

He knew these martial uncles had screws loose in their heads. Otherwise, they would not have turned the Azure Cloud Sect into what it was now.

To persuade Ling Yunzi, he had deliberately quoted a line from the Tao Te Ching.

Sure enough, Ling Yunzi sank into the artistic conception of the scripture.

Jiang Zhiqiu, who had also heard that line of scripture, had a blazing flash in his eyes. He stared at Zhang Yang as though looking at a monster, countless thoughts churning through his mind.

After persuading Ling Yunzi, Zhang Yang turned back to Jiang Zhiqiu. "I have a suggestion. I wonder what you think?"

"Please speak!" Jiang Zhiqiu unconsciously used an honorific.

Zhang Yang smiled. "I want to accept you as a registered disciple on behalf of my master! Originally, my master should handle this matter personally, but he has entered seclusion and will not emerge for another half year. Once he comes out, you can formally perform the ceremony of taking a master. What do you think?"

In his view, Azure Cloud Market ought to have been managed by the Azure Cloud Sect in the first place. Why should Jiang Zhiqiu receive thirty percent of the benefits?

Moreover, having an outsider manage Azure Cloud Market was not particularly trustworthy.

But the old members of the Azure Cloud Sect were unreliable, while the younger ones had only just entered the sect and were equally useless.

If Azure Cloud Market was to be managed, Zhang Yang himself would have to do it.

Yet Zhang Yang had no desire to manage it at all. His goal still lay in cultivation; all this fuss had been for the sake of cultivation.

And Jiang Zhiqiu had managed Azure Cloud Market for more than twenty years, so he was already intimately familiar with it.

More importantly, though Jiang Zhiqiu had just been suppressed by Ling Yunzi, the bearing he displayed showed that he was not weaker than Zhang Yang at all. If Jiang Zhiqiu joined the Azure Cloud Sect, every problem would be solved as easily as a knife slicing through bamboo. The Azure Cloud Sect would also gain a cultivator with considerable cultivation... especially since Jiang Zhiqiu was a Rogue Cultivator, with no sect resources to support him, and had entirely explored his cultivation path by himself.

This was a talent!

Thus, Zhang Yang got an idea. He might as well trick Jiang Zhiqiu into going up the mountain too.

But before receiving Azure Cloud Master's approval, he could only promise him the status of a registered disciple.

Jiang Zhiqiu was somewhat speechless. You had just robbed and threatened me, and now you were asking me to join the Azure Cloud Sect...

He pondered for a moment, then said decisively, "Then many thanks, Senior Brother, for the recommendation. I am willing to join the Azure Cloud Sect!"

Rogue Cultivators might be free, but they had no one to rely on.

Though the Azure Cloud Sect looked to have declined, it was indeed an ancient sect with a long and distant inheritance.

The Azure Cloud Sect's cultivation methods would certainly be better than what he cultivated himself. That was also the reason Jiang Zhiqiu ultimately decided to join the Azure Cloud Sect.

Zhang Yang smiled. "Then prepare yourself, Junior Brother. In a while, come up Azure Cloud Mountain with us and register your name. Martial Uncle and I still have other matters to attend to. Once we are done, we will come find you."

After saying that, he called to Ling Yunzi and left.