Flight was prohibited within the city. There was also a clear limitation on physical traveling speed inside the city without relying on an approved means of transportation. According to the guard at the entrance, the penalty for breaking this rule was six months of imprisonment. That is, unless one’s station was high enough to grant one an exemption from the rules. Over the course of his journey in the city, he saw only two figures traveling on flying swords or flying boats, indicating that such a privilege was indeed rare.
As he walked through the streets, a conspicuous set of tracks caught his attention, tracks that seemed to run all the way down the main street.
Surely they haven’t already discovered the power of steam and steam engines? Such technology, especially when used as a common means of transportation, was incongruent with the rest of what he’d seen.
His curiosity was sated once he saw a large set of joined “wagons” skimming along the tracks at a swift pace. For the low fee of five low-grade spirit stones, he boarded the marvelous contraption at one of its many stops. Then, he extended his incandescent force, probing the various pieces of machinery within the vehicle.
To his surprise, there was no engine to drive the locomotive. Instead, a team of ten cultivators were taking turns operating a strange mechanism. It consisted of a set of gearlike contraptions that converted the power of a rotating device to the wheels below. They used only the naturally recovered powers of these metal-aligned cultivators.
The device spun, and the train carried thousands of people from the edge of the city to the center at a speed of fifty li per hour. Considering the many stops it made, it only took an hour for Cha Ming to reach the center of the city.
Central Square was a marvel to behold. The buildings were all at least four stories tall to accommodate the sky-high real-estate prices. To his surprise, only a few supporting pillars were engraved with runes. The remainder of the structures, while likely assembled by a geomancer, were all self-supporting, showing that the understanding of physics and construction in the Quicksilver Empire had reached an extremely high level. The building was a prime example of how cooperation between mortals and cultivators could allow society to flourish and propel itself to new heights.
“Step right up, step right up,” a peddler said. “New from the revered alchemist’s workshop, a pill that has a ten-percent chance of imbuing an untalented youth with first-grade talent. One child below ten years old can attempt to digest this pill up to three times, effectively giving your child a twenty-seven out of a hundred chance of developing cultivation talent. This is a large increase compared to version seven, which only granted an eight-percent chance.
“Come up now and purchase this life-changing pill! The revered alchemist wants nothing more than to see civilization flourish. The introductory price will be three gold per pill as version seven is eased out of production. Soon, version eight will be available for the low price of ninety silvers, once it reaches mass production. This amount barely covers the raw materials and the wages of the low-grade alchemists in the workshop.
“As if that weren’t enough, this pill is still able to give a three-percent chance for anyone above ten years of age to develop cultivation talent. While it is very unlikely for you to break through to foundation establishment, think of your children! Everyone knows that cultivators have a higher chance of giving birth to children who cultivate. What we are doing now is setting up a firm foundation for their future. So think not only for yourself, but for your children and the empire. Come purchase this limited stock now while it’s still available. Only ten thousand doses are available in this introductory batch!”
A crowd of well-dressed mortals instantly flooded the stall, which sold out in a hurry. Through his enhanced senses, he could hear that even though more gold was offered to cut the line or for purchasing in bulk, none of which was tolerated. Only those who lined up properly were given a pill at the cost announced. And only three pills were allowed per person.
Such a sight left Cha Ming astonished. What he had seen in other cities prior had not reassured him about the morality of the cultivation world. It was a relieving eye-opener to see such philanthropic deeds. Developing cultivation talent in even the lowest citizens of the empire would bring unprecedented prosperity to the entire city. It was like full child literacy. By increasing the education in the bottom rungs of society, the quality of the labor would be increased. As such, many prohibitively expensive projects would become reasonably priced. He longed to see the result of this social experiment.
Soon, the shock of the massive city wore away, and Cha Ming made his way toward one of the central buildings in the city: the Jade Bamboo Auction House. Like the one in Green Leaf City, it was of plain construction, adorned with nothing more than a green bamboo garden at the entrance. He noticed many guests entering and exiting, most of them higher-level cultivators. Foundation-establishment cultivators were not uncommon. Even the greeters at the entrance, who were effectively guards dressed in pleasant clothing, were initial-foundation-establishment experts. If even guards had this level of power, it was little wonder that this was also the minimum cultivation requirement for a captain in the army.
As he approached, the guards bowed with pleasant smiles on their faces, allowing him inside. While his strength was higher than theirs, it still wasn’t enough for him to obtain preferential treatment. He walked in nonchalantly and lined up behind four others at a service desk reserved for foundation-establishment cultivators.
Time trickled by, and soon he was greeted by a beautiful lady with blonde hair, a very unusual color in the continent. It reminded Cha Ming of Wang Jun, who also had blond hair, albeit with some white streaks due to the time he helped out Huxian.
“How can I, Wang Bing, help you today?” she asked with a pleasant smile.
As I suspected, Cha Ming thought. She really is from the Wang family. “I would like to send a message to the Song Kingdom. The recipient is named Wang Jun. Could you help me with that?” He placed a jade slip on the desk, having learned what to do from his prior experience.
As she picked up the plate and scanned it, an awkward look flashed across her eyes. It was only for a moment, then her expression reverted to normal. “Please allow me to go to my manager to discuss.”
She returned shortly with a middle-aged man who also had blond hair. But instead of greeting Cha Ming, he rudely used the strength of his soul to scan him. Cha Ming’s incandescent force was helpless against this man’s soul.
Is he a core-formation cultivator?
Then, the man picked up the jade slip and handed it back to Cha Ming while smiling. “I’m afraid this contract is not valid here. It is only valid within the Song Kingdom.”
Cha Ming frowned after hearing this, as the terms of the contract stipulated that it was valid everywhere on the continent.
“I see,” Cha Ming said. “Can I trouble you to send a message to Young Master Wang Jun? Surely that is something that the Jade Bamboo Conglomerate can accomplish.”
“Of course,” the man said with a grin on his face. “Sending a message to a high-ranking member of our clan is absolutely free and will be completed within the hour. However, please remember that his form of address is Second Young Master, and referring to him otherwise is disrespectful to his superiors.”
Looking at the man’s twitchy smile, Cha Ming finally realized what the problem was. There was in-fighting within the Wang family. This was likely the reason that Wang Jun had ended up in Green Leaf City to begin with.
“What is your message?” the man asked, still pleasant as before.
“Please inform him that I will be residing in Quicksilver City for a short while and that I would like to ask him how he is doing,” Cha Ming instructed. “Also, please ask him if he has heard any news of Huxian.”
The man nodded. “Should I leave a name or perhaps some other details that he should be aware of? It seems like precious little to go on.”
“I’m confident he will
understand,” Cha Ming replied. After confirming the contents, the man issued him a receipt, which Cha Ming verified in detail.
“You marked down the wrong date,” Cha Ming said after looking at the paper. “It’s dated three days from now.”
“Is it?” the man replied. “My apologies, I was just negotiating a large contract due on that date. Please let me rewrite it.”
This time, the receipt was correct. Cha Ming walked off without saying anything more.
The blonde-haired beauty, Wang Bing, walked swiftly beside the middle-aged man as they proceeded to the message terminal. She wore a doubtful expression, which the man picked up on instantly.
“Do you disapprove of my actions, Bing Er?” he asked. Then, seeing her nervous expression, he added, “No need to reserve yourself so much. This is as much of a learning assignment as anything else for someone with your potential.”
“I think we might be causing a little too much trouble for our dear cousin,” she admitted. “After all, while he is in a disadvantaged position, he is still that man’s apprentice. It would not be wise to make a long-term enemy out of him.”
“True,” the man said. “It does come with its disadvantages. But little do you know that I’ve already committed far greater crimes against him, so this is like adding a drop to a lake. Besides, every opportunity I have to meddle with the second young master is an additional opportunity to ingratiate myself with the future leader of the family. Despite being that man’s apprentice, he still needs to obey the family leader and the council of elders. I need to do as much as I can to push my station up. The young master’s position isn’t yet solidified.”
“I understand,” she said. “But wouldn’t it have been wiser not to antagonize him and give the illusion of friendliness? If you had honored his contract and not attempted to delay his message or pry? He may have given us additional information to work with. At least until Second Young Master informed him not to trust us.”
That comment caused the older man to pause for a moment. He shook his head self-deprecatingly. “Truly, the young will exceed the old with every generation. I’m glad the Wang family’s education hasn’t declined over the years but has instead improved. You will do well in the future.”
They proceeded down a dark hallway to a stone room seemingly constructed from a single piece of marble. They passed by many shelves containing transmission jades before arriving at a much larger one that seemed more like a book than anything else. Then, after waiting till precisely the end of the hour, the middle-aged man transmitted the message.
Not orally, of course. That would have been much too quick. Instead he wrote it in the jade-covered notebook. There was no urgent marking or anything of the sort, and it was written exactly as the young man had said. He changed nothing—after all, this was according to the terms of the contract, and the Wang family paid great attention to fulfilling all contracts with care. Not that the young man’s contract earlier was invalid. Rather, it hadn’t been ratified by a core-formation cultivator, a requirement for continent-wide contracts. He was under no obligation to honor it.
Suddenly, Wang Bing felt a vibrating sensation from her bag of holding. She withdrew a black notebook, which she read immediately. “Uncle, it seems that he’s taken residence just a few blocks away at the Quicksilver Hotel. Coincidentally, this is where we have the least influence in the city. He is registered under the name Du Cha Ming but left shortly after asking about the Talisman Artist Guild.”
“Good work,” the middle-aged man said. “Don’t forget to fish for information on the man from our branch in the Song Kingdom.”
“Already done,” she said. She had always been systematic and professional about her work.
“All right, let’s take off,” the man said. “It should take a while for him to get the message, and if we aren’t in this room for the reply, we can wait until the next routine check.”
Just as they were about to exit the room, however, the clear sound of a bell caused them both to frown. They had no choice but to turn around and answer it, as doing otherwise was would have been a breach of their duties.
They walked back to the jade book, and after pressing a runic character, a jade-colored hologram popped up. It was a miniature image of the second young master, Wang Jun.
“How lucky to catch you both,” the small illusory man said with a chuckle. “I just happened to be checking over our transmission book when I saw your message. Could you believe my surprise when you coincidentally sent a message that interested me?”
“Indeed, what a coincidence,” the uncle said. Wang Bing knew, of course, that these were all pleasantries. The second young master’s near-prophetic abilities were well-known. “Do you have any instructions?”
“Of course,” Wang Jun said with a smile on his face. “First off, I wanted to pleasantly ask you to stop meddling in my affairs south of the border. It’s against the family rules, and the moment I find concrete evidence, I will have you expelled from the family.
“Second, I am ordering you to deliver a core-transmission jade to Du Cha Ming, whom you have undoubtedly investigated. You likely know exactly where he lives and where he is heading. It’s not that I trust in your abilities, old man. I trust in Bing Er’s abilities.”
The older man’s face twitched. “A core-transmission jade is a precious family asset that you can’t just give out at will. You will need approval to—” His voice was interrupted by a vibrating sensation from his bag of holding.
“Please check your transmission book, Wang Chen,” Wang Jun said. “I’ve already troubled my teacher for permission, so I doubt that you’ll have trouble following my instructions.”
Wang Chen grimaced after checking his book. “You know, Jun Er, you should really address me as uncle given our gap in age and cultivation. Since you have secured permission, giving him a core-transmission jade is not a problem. We will deliver it as soon as someone becomes available.”
“You’ll do it directly after this conversation, and you’ll do it personally,” Wang Jun retorted. “It is, after all, an important family asset, and we can’t have just anyone delivering it. You will also inscribe my contact information on the jade prior to delivering it. Also, please don’t call me Jun Er, as we are not so familiar, despite being family. It would be best if you remembered your station. Despite being a core-formation expert, you are still required to call me Second Young Master at my insistence, according to the family rules.
“Third, Bing Er, could you please check the message that just appeared in your transmission book?”
Hearing the sudden address in conjunction with a vibrating sensation, she immediately pulled it out and checked, causing her to groan softly at the troublesome nature of her opponent.
“I’ve taken the trouble of having all information on Du Cha Ming erased in both our files and other information networks,” Wang Jun said pleasantly. “Please don’t waste any more of our family’s funds or time investigating him.”
Then, as abruptly as the projection had appeared, it vanished.
Wang Chen shook his head but quickly retrieved a small jade orb covered with exquisite runes from the shelf. “I’ll be off,” Wang Chen said.
Wang Bing nodded in understanding. Orders from a superior in the family, when within the family rules, were absolute. Wang Chen couldn’t delay the delivery without being punished.
The recent exchange with Wang Jun also made her aware of how frightening Wang Jun’s abilities were. While they had been in the same class, Wang Jun had always been low key. The results of his examinations had never been publicized due to a request of that man, his teacher.
As she walked back to the desk she should have been manning, she began doubting the wisdom of her uncle’s decision to oppose him.
* * *
1 人山人海—People Mountain People Sea is a popular saying in China that describes large masses of people as far as the eye can see. It is used every day, but especially when national holidays lik
e Spring Festival flood the streets.
Chapter 8: Status
“What a pain,” Wang Jun said as he exited the small room and met up with Elder Bai. “Did you catch all of that?”
“Most certainly,” the white-haired man said. “It’s too bad we don’t have any concrete proof of their meddling. The mastermind—who is surely not Wang Chen—is far too skilled and leaves not a shred of evidence behind.”
“We should be thankful he is so careful,” Wang Jun said. “Otherwise, his actions would be so aggressive that all our attempts to profit in this city would collapse instantly. Even if the failure could be justified, it would be difficult for me to secure my position as a contender for the family’s leadership. The only reason that he hasn’t interfered enough is due to fear of me and my teacher, and I need to make sure that fear remains. The message today finally gave me an opportunity to show off.”
“How did you manage to get the information destroyed so quickly?” Elder Bai asked Wang Jun. They were now back at his office and brewing tea.
“Simple,” Wang Jun said. “Cha Ming and Huxian disappeared almost three years ago, and I was convinced foul play was involved. I was also convinced that they hadn’t died. In the event that they had survived, to reduce their likelihood of being found, I commissioned the destruction of their information. When my cousin went digging, I didn’t have to do anything.”
Elder Bai chuckled at the revelation, and they moved on to proper business. “How is the permitting process proceeding?” Wang Jun asked.
“With great difficulty,” the older man said. “Despite all our best efforts, I can’t put our chances higher than fifty-fifty. The crown prince is highly favored by the king, but fortunately the third prince cares deeply about his father. The king is hesitant in showing favoritism. This gives us an intangible edge. The administrative staff in the palace doesn’t dare take sides too heavily.”
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