Zhao Zhisong said in grief and indignation:
"Every Lineage has been worn down by these levies over the years! Even if Jiang Che hadn't come, there was no way we could scrape together the eight portions due in three years. Who knows what we'd do then? Now you're telling my Zhao Household to put up a portion first. How am I supposed to do that? If Duckweed Marsh yields no essence, what can my Household use to make up the shortfall? When the time comes, we'll all be finished!"
"Brother Zhao! Brother Zhao!" Cao Jian was exasperated at his failure to understand. "Do you think I have a solution? What did Jiang Che come here for? In name, he's an inspector. In truth, he's a genius from the peak, one final step away from Qi Refining, so he's come early to collect his Spirit Essence! Give it to him and send him off with all due courtesy, and that'll be the end of it."
"But if we don't give him this portion of essence, will he let the matter rest? Then he'll start inspecting for real! Can every Lineage's affairs withstand him checking them one by one?"
Zhao Zhisong was a little frightened. "Surely... surely he wouldn't really investigate? What if he uncovered something?"
"That's why we have to send this god of pestilence away as soon as possible! We originally had another three years. By borrowing from here and scraping together a little there, we still had room to maneuver. Now that he's here, we have to show our hand immediately. If we don't hurry up and feed him his fill, then send him away, the hole we'd have to face in three years will be laid bare right now!"
Zhao Zhisong's face darkened. After a long while, he