Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 206: Human Affairs and Fate
The two chatted as they entered the mansion and came to the hall, only to see Zhang Ningyuan standing outside waiting.

"Brother Zhang, why did you come out?"

"A distinguished guest has arrived, and I shall certainly welcome him."

"Junior Brother Xu, let me introduce you. This is Fellow Daoist Zhang Ningyuan from the Hunyuan Sect. He's an old friend of mine."

Xu Hao glanced at Zhang Ningyuan without saying a word, but he became alert in his heart. Then he understood why Wang Yue was so anxious to invite him to the banquet again and again.

The fellow disciples of the Beast Taming Sect invited an outsider to a banquet. There was no doubt that this person was the one who set up the trap.

"I have long heard of Fellow Daoist Xu's great name. Nice to meet you." Zhang Ningyuan bowed with a smile on his face.

Seeing that Xu Hao didn't respond, Wang Yue quickly said, "Come on, Junior Brother Xu, Brother Zhang, let's go to the inner room and take a seat."

The three of them entered the inner room. Wang Yue politely asked Xu Hao to sit upstairs, but Xu Hao declined. After some politeness, Wang Yue finally sat sideways, and Xu Hao and Zhang Ningyuan sat opposite each other.

"Junior Brother Xu is a distinguished person. He has just come to our department and he has come to visit us today. If this matter gets out, it will bring honor to me. I toast this glass of wine to Junior Brother Xu. Thank you for giving me this favor." Wang Yue raised his glass and said.

"Brother Wang, you are too polite. I am new here and don't understand many things. I hope you can give me guidance in the future." Xu Hao also raised his glass, and they both drank it in one gulp.

"Junior Brother Xu, if you need me in the future, just ask. I can't say anything else, but I've been here for decades, and I know a thing or two about all the affairs of West City, big and small. As long as Junior Brother Xu asks, I will do it for you, no matter how hard it takes."

"Thank you, Brother Wang."

"Junior Brother Xu. This Brother Zhang Ningyuan is an old friend of mine. We have a Hunyuan Sect in Bianxi City. I wonder if Junior Brother Xu knows about it. Their Jade Fragrance Pill is very popular among the female cultivators in Bianxi City. It is even sold in the market of Xijiang County. It can be said that the female cultivators in the entire Xijiang County use their Jade Fragrance Pill. Brother Zhang is the person in charge of the Jade Fragrance Pill."

After Wang Yue made a few polite remarks, he turned the topic to Zhang Ningyuan.

Zhang Ningyuan immediately raised his glass and said, "Fellow Daoist Xu's name has spread throughout Bianxi City. I have heard it all before. It is truly a great honor to meet you today. I dare to offer you a toast."

Xu Hao didn't raise his glass in response, but said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, if you have anything to say, please speak up. If not, I have things to attend to later, so I'll be leaving."

As soon as these words were spoken, the originally harmonious and friendly atmosphere suddenly became frozen.

Zhang Ningyuan stood there frozen with his wine glass in hand, his smile frozen on his face. He felt very embarrassed. It had to be said that this was a very rude act.

It was a joyous occasion for everyone to sit together, socialize and drink. Zhang Ningyuan behaved very respectfully, but he did not show any face at all and drew a clear line with just one sentence.

Although he was unfriendly, he did have the confidence. As Jiang Feng's disciple, his status was self-evident. Being invited to attend Wang Yue's banquet was already a great honor to him. Yet, a stranger who had never met him before showed up.

Facing this unknown person from a small sect, he didn't need to be hypocritical or insincerely polite.

In reality, he was already dissatisfied with Wang Yue's behavior. If he wanted to introduce someone to someone, he should have said hello in advance. However, he was usually a calm person, so he pretended to be calm. However, he did not need to be polite to Zhang Ningyuan, an outsider.

"Junior Brother Xu, I won't hide it from you. Fellow Daoist Zhang Ningyuan has long wanted to get to know you, so he asked me to invite you to the banquet. Of course, I've also been wanting to invite you to the banquet at my mansion for a long time, and this is the perfect opportunity to invite you. I hope Junior Brother Xu won't blame me."

Wang Yue had to speak up. As the inviter of the banquet, he had to ensure that the guests had a good time. Naturally, he had an unshirkable responsibility for this situation.

He knew in his heart that this was Xu Hao expressing his dissatisfaction with him, but he still gave him some face and did not attack him directly.

Zhang Ningyuan put down his wine glass and smiled again. "Fellow Daoist Xu is straightforward and outspoken, and I admire him. Since Fellow Daoist Xu asked directly, I dare not hide anything. The reason I asked Fellow Daoist Wang to come forward is, firstly, I want to make friends with you, and secondly, I have something I want to consult you about."

After saying that, he glanced at Wang Yue and signaled with his eyes.

Wang Yue clapped his hands, and two young women walked out from the back of the hall. The woman on the left was holding an exquisite wooden box, and the woman on the right was holding a stone box. They came to Xu Hao's desk and put them down.

"Senior Brother Wang, what does this mean?" Xu Hao looked at the two boxes on the table without moving, but looked at Wang Yue instead.

"This is a small gift from Fellow Daoist Zhang Ningyuan. It's the consulting fee for Junior Brother Xu."

Zhang Ningyuan continued, "It's just a small gift, I hope you won't despise it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two women opened the box.

In the wooden box on the left was a three-foot-long blue and green sword, and in the wooden box on the right was a red blanket with a faint glow on it.

"The Qingquan Sword, a top-grade magical weapon, and the Feitian Carpet, a top-grade flying magical weapon, were just bought from the Beast Taming Pavilion in Qingfengfang. Fellow Daoist Zhang Ningyuan put a lot of thought into them just to see you. Even I feel jealous. There's nothing I can do about it. I'm just an insignificant little person." Wang Yue said with a smile.

Zhang Ningyuan continued, "It's just a small gift. If I can make a friend like Fellow Daoist Xu, it would be a great honor for me."

Xu Hao looked at the two top-grade magic weapons in front of him, and his expression finally changed slightly. As Jiang Feng's disciple, he was not short of spirit stones on a daily basis, but obtaining two top-grade magic weapons at once was still somewhat tempting to him.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at Zhang Ningyuan, and then examined this man again. He was only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, but he was so generous. There must be someone behind the scenes instructing him.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, these two items shouldn't be made by you alone!"

"Of course! Even if I sold all my flesh, it wouldn't be worth as much as these two magical instruments. Since Fellow Daoist Xu asked, I dare not hide it. The headmaster of our sect bought these and asked me to give them to you."

"No merit, no reward. Why is your sect leader so generous?"

"Fellow Daoist Wang has already said that this is just the consulting fee. My sect leader has two questions for you."

"Two questions and two top-grade magic weapons. Your sect's leader is really willing to spend the money!" Xu Hao took a sip of wine calmly, his thoughts racing in his mind.

The reason why the location of Bianxi City is so important to the Beastmaster Sect is because it is closest to the Muhe Grassland.

The Beast Taming Sect made its fortune by buying, selling and breeding spiritual beasts, and to date, this is also its most important industry.

In fact, there are not many monsters in Xijiang County itself. Most of the spiritual beasts traded by the Beast Taming Sect come from the Muhe Grassland, so Bianxi City has become an important midpoint for the trade of monsters between the Beast Taming Sect and the Muhe Grassland.

A crucial stronghold between Bianxi City and Yuandong City lies in the Tianshan Mountains. This mountain range stretches a thousand miles from east to west and a hundred miles from north to south, dominating the vital thoroughfare. Yang Jinzhang's greatest achievement and contribution after taking over Bianxi City was his unification of the chaotic Tianshan region, fostering one faction and allowing them to enter the mountains and control this crucial route.

Before the eastern part of Tianshan was ceded to the Qin State, all kinds of people lived in Tianshan.

Since the Tianshan Territory was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Muhe Grassland at that time, many independent cultivators from the Muhe Grassland moved in, causing great chaos and bringing a lot of trouble to the Beastmaster Sect.

The Beast Taming Sect started out by buying and selling spirit beasts, and after it grew big, it monopolized the industry. However, at that time, there were still many people who secretly bought spirit beasts from the Muhe Grassland and sold them in Xijiang County.

Although they are all small teams and will not pose any threat to the Beast Taming Sect, they are a provocation to the sect's authority and also damage the sect's interests.

The Beast Taming Sect monopolizes the sale of spirit beasts and can set prices independently, but with many spirit beasts being secretly bought and sold in the market, its price and sales have naturally been impacted.

These gangs conduct their business covertly and are not easy to catch. However, the profits are very high, so there is no shortage of people who take the risk.

At that time, the Beast Taming Sect spent a lot of energy on cracking down on the private trading of spirit beasts, but they could not catch them all.

Xijiang County is so big, and there are so many disciples in the Beast Taming Sect. How can they have enough manpower to do this on a large scale? So they always solve one problem after another. They catch some here, but more pop up there.

After Yang Jinzhang took office, he took advantage of the contradictions among various forces in Tianshan, constantly dividing and disintegrating them, while winning them over and suppressing them at the same time, and finally eliminated and annexed several other forces. He then supported the current Tianshan School to enter the Tianshan Mountains, occupied this important road, and then controlled the entire retail trade between Bianxi City and Far East City, and directly wiped out the trading of spirit beasts halfway.

In the past, after those independent cultivation teams entered the Qin State, they scattered throughout the Xijiang County and engaged in secret transactions, making it impossible to catch them.

Now we stop the merchants on the way and prevent them from entering Bianxi City.

If anyone was found secretly trading spirit beasts, they would be killed immediately, so the trading of spirit beasts by independent cultivator gangs gradually decreased.

This contribution also allowed Yang Jinzhang to firmly secure his position as the head of Bianxi City. He remained in the position for nearly a hundred years, not only because he had the support of the sect, but also because he had made real achievements.

Now that Yang Jinzhang has been transferred and Jiang Feng has taken over as the head, he naturally does not want to use the Tianshan Sect, which has a close relationship with him and was built up by him, but he has not made up his mind to get rid of it.

This is because the Tianshan Sect controls the main roads. If it is eliminated, the spiritual beast trade of the private gangs that have been controlled will become rampant again, and he will not be able to hold on to his position as the leader unless he finds a force loyal to him that can replace the Tianshan Sect.

To this end, Xu Hao launched an investigation into the basic situation of all forces in Tianshan, including the Hunyuan Sect.

He had already investigated Song Xian, so he had some understanding of him.

He knew that this person was talented and capable. In just over a decade, he had made the weak Hunyuan Sect well-organized. However, he did not expect that this person would come to him on his own initiative.

Could it be that he had already guessed that his master was planning to attack the Tianshan Sect? So he sent someone to contact them, hoping to replace the Tianshan Sect?
"As a friend to you, what are two magic weapons compared to me? If you don't mind that my sect is weak, please let me know if you need anything in the future." Zhang Ningyuan said with a smile.

He had noticed the way Xu Hao's eyes lit up when he saw the two magical weapons just now, and since the two sentences he just said were not as strong as before, he knew that he was moved.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, please tell me what you want to say! I have to be clear in advance that if it involves the secrets of our sect, I have nothing to say."

"As I've just said, these two magical instruments are merely a gift. My sect's headmaster wishes to meet you. I'd like to ask you a question and offer you a generous reward. Would you be willing to honor me with this?"

"A top-grade magic weapon, a top-grade flying magic weapon. Just to meet me? Your sect is very generous!" Xu Hao smiled for the first time. He couldn't help but make Song Xian a little curious and wanted to know what was going on in his mind.

"Okay, let's do as Fellow Daoist Zhang says."

Seeing that the matter was settled, Wang Yue also smiled. Zhang Ningyuan had promised that if Xu Hao agreed to meet with Song Xian, he would receive a reward. He raised his glass and said, "Junior Brother Xu, Fellow Daoist Zhang, we have concluded the business. Let's drink!"

Zhang Ningyuan picked up the wine glass: "I toast to Fellow Daoist Xu." Xu Hao finally picked up the wine glass and drank it all with him.

…………

"Master, it's done." In the backyard of Qingfengfang, Hunyuan Pavilion, Zhang Ningyuan pushed the door open and walked in with a happy look on his face.

"Don't be impatient, Senior Brother Zhang. Sit down and talk slowly." Song Xian extended his hand to invite him to sit down. "I've met Xu Hao. What did he say?"

"He agreed to meet with the headmaster, and the time is set for three days later."

"Okay." Song Xian nodded, feeling very happy. It was true that money can make the world go round. Using spirit stones to pave the way had an immediate effect. In just a few days, he hooked up with this new powerful person in Bianxi City.

In order to meet Xu Hao as soon as possible, he spent money like water during this period of time and had already spent 10,000 spirit stones.

As the saying goes, you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. The more you give, the greater the reward. If you can really convince Xu Hao and let him say a few good words to Jiang Feng, so that Jiang Feng can make up his mind to replace Tianshan Sect with Hunyuan Sect, let alone ten thousand spirit stones, even one hundred thousand spirit stones would definitely be worth it.

Now time is everything. The sooner one can enter Jiang Feng's vision, the greater the chance of becoming the replacement of Tianshan Sect.

Song Xian has now seized the initiative, thanks to the intelligence he obtained from Wen Yiren. He knew that Jiang Feng and Yang Jinzhang were extremely incompatible, and from a few short conversations he saw that Jiang Feng was considering the Hunyuan Sect, and thus inferred that he might be planning to take action against the Tianshan Sect.

"What should we do next? How does the Sect Leader intend to convince Xu Hao to whisper in Jiang Feng's ear on our behalf?"

Zhang Ningyuan looked eager to try. Being involved in such a big event and becoming a key person in the incident made him feel inexplicably excited.

Song Xian said, "What else can we do? We can only persuade him with emotion, reason, and lure him with benefits. If Xu Hao is willing to accept the two magical instruments and agree to meet with me, then 50% of the deal is already done. The remaining 50% depends on whether our conditions can convince him."

"We're not asking him to kill or set fire to anything. We're just asking him to spread the word for us. There's no risk involved. It's something that comes naturally. As long as the benefits are sufficient, he'll do it."

"The key is how much influence he can have on Jiang Feng and whether Jiang Feng will listen to his opinions."

Zhang Ningyuan nodded and said, "What if Jiang Feng doesn't listen to his advice?"

"Do your best and leave the rest to fate. With the opportunity before us, we can only try our best. As for the outcome, it is in the hands of others. Brother Ning Yuan, go prepare some good spiritual wine and spiritual food to entertain Xu Hao."

"Okay." Zhang Ningyuan responded and left.

(End of this chapter)