Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

Chapter 244 - 188: Leaving Midway

In a lavish mansion within the Artifact Talisman Alliance’s Zongshan, Fang Qingyuan and Situ Jingyu were attending a banquet hosted by Qi Wushuang.

After seeing Huo Hu, Huo Bai was in low spirits and had no desire to attend such a banquet. Furthermore, he had been keeping himself hidden, ensuring no one from the Artifact Talisman Alliance recognized him from beginning to end.

He had come to see Huo Hu of his own volition. Huo Bai didn’t want his presence to make the Artifact Talisman Alliance think that Huo Hu was some valuable asset to be exploited. So, he was now hiding outside, planning to wait for Fang Qingyuan to conclude the talks before they returned together.

At the head of the hall sat only two people: Qi Wushuang and another Golden Core Cultivator. This man, named Kuai Tong, was another major figure within the Artifact Talisman Alliance.

During the decisive battle at Celestial Attraction Mountain all those years ago, it was he who had led the Artifact Talisman Alliance against the Wei Family. With his outstanding command abilities and sharp intuition, he won a battle that secured decades of peace.

However, Kuai Tong had been severely wounded in that battle by a desperate strike from Wei Xuan. He had spent all these years recuperating, which was why he had relinquished the position of Alliance Leader to Qi Wushuang, retreating behind the scenes to focus on his recovery.

Qi Wushuang and Kuai Tong were fortunate enough to have survived. The other four Golden Core Cultivators of the Artifact Talisman Alliance had perished long ago in that war. Attending in their families’ stead were now several Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Fang Qingyuan sat before a low table, with Situ Jingyu by his side. Across from them were four Foundation Establishment Cultivators, all of them ancient and gray-haired. Fang Qingyuan guessed each one had to be around two hundred years old.

Fang Qingyuan’s gaze flickered past the Foundation Establishment Cultivators. His attention was now focused primarily on Kuai Tong, seated at the head of the hall.

Kuai Tong was handsome, appearing to be only in his thirties, but Fang Qingyuan knew his true age was over two hundred years.

Kuai Tong’s complexion was currently ruddy, showing no sign of his grave injuries, but this was merely the effect of medicinal elixirs. Rumor had it that Wei Xuan’s strike had drastically reduced Kuai Tong’s lifespan, afflicting him with something like a Blood-Burning Curse. For every day that passed, he would lose five days’ worth of his Innate Primordial Qi.

As a result, Kuai Tong had to use the majority of his cultivation base to suppress his injuries and had rarely appeared in public over the years. But now that Fang Qingyuan had arrived with a proposal that concerned the Artifact Talisman Alliance’s next several decades of development, Qi Wushuang had successfully urged Kuai Tong to personally meet and discuss the matter with him.

However, looking at Kuai Tong now, Fang Qingyuan’s intuition told him, ’Kuai Tong doesn’t seem to think much of my proposal.’

Sure enough, once the banquet was halfway through, Qi Wushuang laid out Fang Qingyuan’s proposal and asked for everyone’s opinion.

The Artifact Talisman Alliance’s power structure was different from that of other sects and Cultivator Clans. While other sects could operate on the sole authority of their Sect Leader, any major decision within the Artifact Talisman Alliance required the approval of the other prominent families.

Although Qi Wushuang was the Alliance Leader, her authority within the Artifact Talisman Alliance only accounted for a third of the total power.

Fang Qingyuan quietly sipped his fine wine, waiting as the four Foundation Establishment Cultivators across from him conferred. A moment later, they came to an agreement.

"Our four families have discussed the matter. We believe we can initiate cooperation with the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect. We will trade ten Flying Boat Hovering Ships for a mine capable of producing one hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones annually, to be exclusively managed by our Artifact Talisman Alliance for thirty years."

A Late-stage Foundation Establishment elder conveyed the result of their four families’ deliberation to Fang Qingyuan. Upon hearing it, Fang Qingyuan sneered internally.

’Ten Flying Boat Hovering Ships are worth a thousand Top-grade Spirit Stones in total. In exchange, they want a mine that will produce three thousand stones. That’s a threefold return, and then some.’

’And since the Artifact Talisman Alliance builds these Flying Boat Hovering Ships themselves, their actual cost is no more than half the price. The Artifact Talisman Alliance certainly plays its cards well.’

’But even then, their appetite is too small. Ten Flying Boat Hovering Ships might seem like a huge asset, but in a war of expansion, it’s nothing more than a drop in the ocean.’

Fang Qingyuan didn’t hurry to respond. Instead, he looked toward Qi Wushuang at the head of the hall. She was frowning slightly, clearly displeased with the four families’ conservative stance.

With no Golden Core Cultivators to lead them, the four families’ vision had shrunk significantly. In the past, an offer of a mere ten Flying Boat Hovering Ships would have been too paltry to even present.

So, Qi Wushuang ignored the four families and turned her gaze to Kuai Tong beside her.

Kuai Tong said impassively,

"We are a power based in the White Mountain Territory. The Southern Border Beast Taming Sect has formidable backing, I’ll grant you, but it is separated from our Artifact Talisman Alliance by the Death Swamp. With thousands of li of territory between us, your sect can never be as important as our neighbor, the Five Elements Alliance.

"When we fought the Wei Family, it was the Spirit Wood Alliance and the Li Huo Alliance that aided us. If not for pressure from those two, the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect would have likely continued to side with the Wei Family.

"And now you come to our door seeking cooperation. I find it utterly laughable."

After listening to Kuai Tong, Fang Qingyuan’s expression remained unchanged. He slowly replied,

"We were constrained by the circumstances back then, which led to some misunderstandings with your esteemed Alliance. However, your Alliance was ultimately victorious. I believe we shouldn’t fixate on the past but rather look to the future. A senior like yourself, Senior Kuai, should be able to see that this is a matter of mutual benefit."

Kuai Tong chuckled softly. "Oh, I see it clearly," he said.

"But your Southern Border Beast Taming Sect has no cash on hand. You want to mortgage your future. In my eyes, that’s just trying to get something for nothing.

"And besides, if we cooperate with you, how are we supposed to explain that to the Spirit Wood Alliance?"

Fang Qingyuan was inwardly stunned. ’Kuai Tong knows the real story! Zhao Liangde being wounded by the Spirit Wood Alliance is a top secret. The public story is that he was injured exploring the ruins of a Secret Mansion. Not just anyone should know the Spirit Wood Alliance was behind it.’

But Kuai Tong knew. Fang Qingyuan glanced at Qi Wushuang beside him and saw that her expression was unchanged; she was obviously not aware of the significance of his words.

A chill ran down Fang Qingyuan’s spine. ’Qi Wushuang doesn’t even know about this? What kind of Alliance Leader is she?’

’Isn’t Kuai Tong supposed to be recuperating behind the scenes? How does he have intelligence that Qi Wushuang lacks? And why isn’t he sharing it with her? What is he playing at?’

Fang Qingyuan was momentarily speechless. Meanwhile, Qi Wushuang was still trying to mediate.

"Our Artifact Talisman Alliance is primarily concerned with profit," she said, addressing Kuai Tong. "The Southern Border Beast Taming Sect might be distant, but their reputation is sound. I believe cooperation is still possible. What’s more, for us, even if we were to lose all ten Flying Boat Hovering Ships, it would be an acceptable loss."

Kuai Tong let out a dry laugh, glanced at Qi Wushuang, and said,

"I have made my position clear. The Kuai Family will not be involved. If the rest of you wish to proceed, you don’t need to consult me."

With that, Kuai Tong rose and left the banquet. A sense of foreboding washed over Fang Qingyuan. ’For Kuai Tong to act so transparently, with such a lack of subtlety... either that’s his true personality, or he’s deliberately sending a message to the others.’

’As a Golden Core Cultivator, his schemes couldn’t be this shallow. So he must be sending a message. But are the ’others’ he’s signaling really just Qi Wushuang and those four Foundation Establishment Cultivators?’