The immortal is beside me

Chapter 51 I Come to Play Chess with the Heavenly Master

The sound of tires rubbing was heard, and a black business car stopped in front of the gate of Tianjiyuan.

The commissioners who had been waiting for a long time immediately stepped forward. Everyone's eyes were focused on the car door as it slid open, revealing a figure in a Taoist robe.

"I am Luo Mingxian, the head of Tianji Academy. On behalf of everyone in the academy, I welcome Elder Zheng of Yulu Sect."

Luo Mingxian walked forward, crossed his hands in front of his chest, held his right hand with his left hand, and raised his thumbs, performing a standard Song Dynasty cross-hand salute.

Deep down, he was actually not very willing to salute the person in front of him.

As the largest supernatural organization in Yizhou, Tianjiyuan had occasionally clashed with the Yulu Sect. He wanted to frown the moment he saw the Yulu Sect logo on the man's robe. But this was a negotiation, after all, so he had to do everything he could.

The elder of the Yulu Sect nodded slightly and hummed, "Zheng Yiqiu of the Yulu Sect would like to thank Tianji Academy for welcoming you."

Luo Mingxian finally couldn't help but frown.

The elder expressed his gratitude, but in such a formal negotiation situation, he had already performed the ceremony, but the other party did not return the same courtesy, but only responded perfunctorily. The meaning of this is self-evident.

In a delicate atmosphere, the two sides exchanged a few simple greetings and walked into the reception room of Tianjiyuan together, sitting on both sides of the long table.

Luo Mingxian and his secretary sat in the center, with several official monks as guards behind them and armed special police officers standing at the door. Across from them, Zheng Yiqiu also took a seat, leisurely sipping the tea served to him.

"I heard that the Yu Lu Sect's Nine Revolutions Pill is incredibly miraculous and has the effect of prolonging life. The Tianji Academy hopes to purchase some of it. I wonder what your sect's price is?"

A conversation with a monk didn't require much business formality at the beginning. Luo Ming first exchanged a few polite words before getting straight to the point.

Seeing the Yu Lu Zong's expression, he didn't want to tangle with them any further, so he sent them away after buying the medicine. With the support of the Chinese government, he had the confidence to be neither humble nor arrogant.

Zheng Yiqiu's face showed no extraneous expression. He simply said, "Since Dean Luo knows about the Nine Revolutions Pill, does he know how to refine it?"

This irrelevant answer made Luo Mingxian secretly sigh inwardly, but he remained calm on the surface and said, "I still want to ask Elder Zheng for your guidance."

"This pill was created by our ancestor five hundred years ago. The recipe incorporates numerous natural treasures, including rare items like the Vermillion Fruit, which ripens only once every five hundred years. The refining process is also extremely difficult. Even within our sect, only those at the pinnacle of alchemy can attempt it."

He spoke leisurely, and Luo Mingxian's face grew increasingly gloomy. He waited patiently for him to finish before saying, "It sounds like a truly rare panacea. So, what does your clan wish us to exchange for it?"

"This kind of heavenly elixir is a priceless treasure. If it were ordinary material, it would be too vulgar."

Zheng Yiqiu said, "We will not consider matters like money and property. From now on, the towns and villages within a 500-li radius of Qingcheng Mountain will be under the jurisdiction of the Yulu Sect. The local people will be fully controlled by the sect, and the government will not interfere."

"In this way, Yu Lu can become an ally with the Chinese government, and this elixir can be given to you as a gift of alliance. How do you think?"

Luo Mingxian's brows twitched slightly, and the special police and guarding monks behind him also changed color.

"Elder Zheng, you're really joking. I think your clan should understand what this sentence means."

Luo Mingxian's words fell silent. "Nowadays, the world of cultivation is jointly governed by the sects and the government. This is stipulated in the 'Cultivator Management Law.' Several people who attempted to break the law before were all included in the banned list. The Yulu Sect should have heard of their fate."

"It seems that our sect is lagging behind in information. We have been stationed here for eight hundred years, yet we have never heard of any monk laws."

Zheng Yiqiu glanced at the guards standing behind him and said, "Since there are already cultivators willing to join, then we should just follow the local customs."

Luo Mingxian felt his forehead throbbing. It was impossible for the Yulu Sect to be unaware of the existence of the "Monk Management Law," yet they were still asking for such a high price. It was obvious that they were playing dumb and pretending to be ignorant.

"Today we are merely here to negotiate, aiming for an equal exchange." He saw the situation and his tone turned cold. "If your clan is not interested in making an offer, please return."

"We have already made an offer. As for whether the longevity benefit is worth the price, the Tianji Academy should be the one who knows best."

Zheng Yiqiu shook his head and put the teacup aside. "That's alright, Dean Luo. I can give you another stick of incense. According to you, that should be half an hour, right? You can still think it over in half an hour."

With a slight sound, Luo Mingxian stood up from his chair.

"Excuse me."

After giving a few instructions to the secretary and guards around him, he turned around and walked out without looking back, calling for several monks and special police guards, and went straight to the inside of the courtyard.

As he walked, he took out the three copper coins again, his soul connected with heaven and earth again, and with a flick of his finger, he tossed the coins into the air.

Question: Did the Yu Lu Sect really come here to sell elixirs?

The coin fell to the ground with a clang, but did not turn over. It just spun around on the ground, moving unsteadily.

This proves that he cannot get the result with his knowledge of Yi Shu.

Luo Mingxian frowned slightly.

Although he didn't know the details, it was clear that the Yulu Sect hadn't come here specifically to provoke him; they must have some unusual motive. Based on Zheng Yiqiu's words, Luo Mingxian would have directly reported any smaller sect to the Environmental Sanitation Bureau, accusing them of feudal restoration as a pretext for action. However, the reality of the situation forced him to consider the situation.

But putting aside the fact that this is a public and formal occasion and that he needs to consider the Tianji Academy's image of rule of law and external relations, Zheng Yi Qiu is an elder-level figure, and behind him is the Yu Lu Sect, a major sect in Shu.

What should I do? Should I keep that person, or...
Luo Mingxian rubbed the copper coin repeatedly, sweat stains appearing on his face.

"Dean Luo, the Heavenly Master just sent a message asking you to come over."

He was awakened by the call of his subordinates. He took a deep breath and led his men across the courtyard to the door of the innermost quiet room.

Pushing the door open, Yuan Tiangang, dressed in blue, was still sitting in front of the chess table, flipping through a book that looked like a chess manual.

Luo Mingxian secretly breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward and said, "Tianshi."

"Just now, an outsider came to Tianji Academy." Yuan Tiangang put down the book and said calmly, "It must be someone from that sect. Seeing your aura is so fluctuating, are they causing trouble for you?"

The news of the transaction with Yu Lu Sect was not informed to Yuan Tiangang in advance. He knew that the Heavenly Master had always disapproved of wasting time on the matter of prolonging life.

But it seems that nothing in this courtyard can escape his perception.

"Tianshi, we..."

Luo Mingxian took a deep breath and told him everything he had just seen.

While he was speaking, Yuan Tiangang did not show any fluctuation until he finished speaking, then he sighed softly.

"The people from the Yulu Sect came here with no real intention of handing over the elixir formula. Moreover, even if they could truly refine the longevity elixir, it would not be able to offset the traces of the Heavenly Dao's backlash."

Luo Mingxian looked embarrassed: "They have ill intentions towards you, that is to say..."

"In the world of cultivation, there are so many people who want me dead. I can feel thousands of karmas directed against me all the time. It wouldn't be surprising if the Yulu Sect was one of them."

Yuan Tiangang glanced at his disciple and said, "Normally, you should have thought of this earlier. This time, you've lost your composure."

Luo Mingxian couldn't meet that gaze, and could only stare at the ground silently. He had been calm and composed during the negotiation, but when facing Yuan Tiangang, he suddenly became like a child who had done something wrong.

"Child, I have told you many times before, don't do anything in vain."

"Life and death are determined by fate. Even Zhou Wuqing couldn't escape the shackles of heaven. Now, my end is only a matter of time."

Yuan Tiangang shook his head. "We'll tell those people from the sect to leave later. It wouldn't be a good thing for Tianji Academy to quarrel with them now. I've already made arrangements. Before my lifespan runs out, I'll leave behind a trace of my aura to intimidate those villains and make them dare not act rashly."

"As for you, instead of wasting your time trying to prolong my life, you should put your energy into practicing Yishu so that you can still support Tianji Academy after I am gone, instead of making useless efforts."

"Life and death are the destiny of all living things. Now my destiny is coming. Fighting it will only bring disaster. No matter who we are, we cannot escape this fate."

His voice suddenly stopped, and his whole body seemed to be frozen in place. Luo Mingxian raised his head in some surprise, followed his gaze, and saw a somewhat abrupt figure at the door.

It was a young man.

He was wearing a simple sweatshirt and sweatpants, with a lazy look between his brows. He looked like a college student who had just gone out for a walk after staying at home for the entire vacation.

But this was Tianjiyuan! Not to mention the SWAT officers and several elites at the Jindan and Yuanying realms guarding the compound, all those inside were Yishu cultivators who specialized in cultivating their spirits and souls. Their spiritual awareness was several times stronger than that of ordinary cultivators, yet no one had noticed his entry.

Even the Heavenly Master didn’t feel it!
His heart suddenly tightened to the extreme, Luo Mingxian turned his head abruptly and looked at Yuan Tiangang beside him.

The moment he turned his head, he heard a slight sound of something falling to the ground.

pat.

The folding fan in Yuan Tiangang's hand fell to the ground, but he ignored it and just stared at the figure that came in.

After learning martial arts from Yuan Tiangang for more than ten years, this was the first time that Luo Mingxian saw the knowledgeable Taoist priest show such an expression. It was as if he had seen a ghost.

Under the gazes of several dull eyes, the man walked into the room as if no one was around, came to the chess table in the middle, stretched out his legs to hook the chair next to him, and slowly sat down on it.

"I have nothing to do, so I came to play a game of chess with you, fellow Taoist."

He picked up a chess piece on the table and asked, "Are you in the mood for this?"

There was a long silence, not even the shadows of the bamboos by the window swayed. After a while, Yuan Tiangang suddenly laughed, leaned over to pick up the folding fan on the ground, and sat down on the other side of the chess table.

"Happy to accompany you."

(End of this chapter)