Li Yundong wiped his hands and, stepping out of the kitchen, saw exactly what he expected: Wan Zhenyuan standing in the living room, carrying a small briefcase, dressed impeccably in a suit. The little foxes in the room watched the uninvited guest with wary suspicion.
“Sect Master Wan!” Though unaware of Wan Zhenyuan’s purpose, Li Yundong clasped his hands in greeting. He smiled politely, “We meet again since the Lotus Picking Assembly. I trust you have been well?”
Wan Zhenyuan waved a hand, forcing a bitter smile. “True Master Li, please spare the formalities. There are no outsiders here, so there’s no need to be so ceremonious.”
Li Yundong smiled slightly. “Then why has Sect Master Wan deigned to visit? What is your esteemed business?”
Wan Zhenyuan glanced around. The living room was packed with people, all staring at him with bright, piercing eyes. He paused, then said, “True Master Li, might we find a quieter place to talk?”
Li Yundong chuckled. “How about my room?”
Wan Zhenyuan gave a slight bow. “May boundless fortune bless you. Please, True Master Li, lead the way.”
Amidst the curious gazes of the assembled crowd, Li Yundong led Wan Zhenyuan into his private room. After closing the door, he asked, “Sect Master Wan, now that it’s just the two of us, can you tell me what’s on your mind?”
Wan Zhenyuan, however, was in no hurry. He looked left and right, then smiled faintly. “True Master Li, what leisure you possess! Here in this blessed cavern, with beauties at your side, living freely—it’s truly the life of an immortal!”
Li Yundong remained impassive, not taking the bait, simply fixing his gaze steadily on Wan Zhenyuan.
After surveying the room for a while and receiving no conversational reply, Wan Zhenyuan cleared his throat slightly, seeming a bit bored. “True Master Li, let’s be direct. I have come to you seeking a favor!”
Li Yundong smiled sweetly. “Sect Master Wan, you jest. Your Gèzào Sect is the foremost lineage of the Outer Elixir School. You have wealth and power; what problem could you possibly have that requires you to seek my assistance?”
Wan Zhenyuan threw back his head and let out a hearty laugh. “True Master Li, you can’t speak that way! As the saying goes, the wheel of fortune turns. Surely even you will have a time when you need to ask for help?”
Li Yundong smiled. “Then, Sect Master Wan, what can I do to be of service to you?”
Wan Zhenyuan nodded slightly, stroking his goatee with his hand. He chuckled. “True Master Li, if my information is correct, the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art is currently in your possession?”
Li Yundong’s heart clenched. It was bound to come to this!
Li Yundong nodded. “That is correct, I have it!”
Wan Zhenyuan laughed heartily. “Then, True Master Li, I, Wan Zhenyuan, have a rather presumptuous request… Um, might you allow me to borrow the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art for a look?”
Li Yundong’s brow furrowed slightly. Seeing this, Wan Zhenyuan immediately interjected, “True Master Li, rest assured, I certainly won't let you suffer a loss! State whatever conditions you have! As long as Wan Zhenyuan can produce it, I will offer it with both hands!”
Li Yundong let out a dry chuckle inwardly: Your best Celestial Brush was stolen by someone else, and I already took your former Human Origin Golden Elixir. What good things do you even have left? And even if you did, how could you guarantee they wouldn't be stolen again?
Li Yundong laughed lightly. “Sect Master Wan, you amuse me. The Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art is the unshared secret of the Heavenly Mystery Mystic Fox. How could I rashly decide to lend it to an outsider?”
Wan Zhenyuan stared intently at Li Yundong, then suddenly smiled meaningfully. “True Master Li, since we are speaking plainly, perhaps we should drop all pretense. I believe you understand perfectly well that this Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art is not original to the Fox Zen Sect. It is the posthumous work of Master Níwán, Chen Pu. By rights, it is a treasure of our Daoist tradition, and the Gèzào Sect is the orthodox Xuanmen of Daoism. By both sentiment and reason, I have a claim to examine it.”
Seeing Li Yundong give a slight, rather displeased chuckle, Wan Zhenyuan quickly brightened his expression again. “Of course, the fact that the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art has survived to this day is largely due to the efforts of the Heavenly Mystery Mystic Fox, and the Fox Zen Sect possessing such a secret technique is an established reality. Therefore, I have come specifically to offer True Master Li a deal that is guaranteed to yield profit!”
Li Yundong smiled. “And what sort of guaranteed profit is that?”
Wan Zhenyuan chuckled. “True Master Li, the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art is likely of little use to you now; you have already memorized everything you needed. But to those of us who haven't studied it, it is priceless. If you lend it to me for a viewing, I am willing to gift you the garden estate used during the Lotus Picking Assembly as compensation. What do you say?”
Li Yundong’s heart stirred slightly. He recalled Su Chan once mentioning that she loved that garden and hoped to live in such a place someday. At the time, he had thought it impossible; land prices in Dongwu City were exorbitant, and that estate was situated in a prime, priceless downtown area—it would have cost tens of millions. This Wan Zhenyuan was willing to spend tens of millions to buy his copy of the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art?
If nothing else, he could sell the estate immediately and become rich! He wouldn't have to worry about feeding everyone in the Fox Zen Sect anymore.
Li Yundong, born into poverty, understood the hardship of earning money very well. Faced with such readily available wealth, even his deep inner reserve began to waver slightly.
However, Li Yundong had honed a calm disposition during his time in the Minor Thousand World. Though internal ripples stirred, his expression remained as still as water.
Seeing Li Yundong unmoved, Wan Zhenyuan pondered briefly, assuming Li Yundong wasn't interested. He smiled again. “Of course, True Master Li is a man of lofty principles and looks down upon such things. But I know you have been short on funds, which is why you haven't stayed at Tianlong Mountain…”
Wan Zhenyuan smiled and took out a stack of documents from his small briefcase. “I have re-leased Tianlong Mountain. If you agree, True Master Li, I can transfer this agreement to you immediately without a single fee. The Fox Zen Sect can return to Tianlong Mountain today!”
Li Yundong was immediately affected. He couldn't help but pick up the stack of documents for a look, his heart startled: This Wan Zhenyuan truly has far-reaching influence to cater to my desires to this extent?
Seeing that Li Yundong was indeed moved, Wan Zhenyuan secretly congratulated himself and then dropped another bombshell. “True Master Li, if you feel this is still insufficient, I have one more item I can offer in exchange!”
Li Yundong stabilized his demeanor slightly and asked, “What is it?”
Wan Zhenyuan smiled faintly. “The Earth Origin Spirit Elixir!”
Hearing this, even with his profound self-control, Li Yundong could not remain calm. He gasped, shocked. “The Earth Origin Spirit Elixir? You have the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir?”
Wan Zhenyuan smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying, and countered, “True Master Li, are you willing to trade?”
In Li Yundong’s view, the first two items Wan Zhenyuan offered were each sufficient to trade for the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art. While the technique was priceless to cultivators unfamiliar with it, for Li Yundong, who had already practiced it and made his own handwritten copy, it was merely a scarce commodity.
But Wan Zhenyuan was offering not only an estate worth tens of millions and Tianlong Mountain, but also the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir?
No matter how precious the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art was, it could not compare to the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir!
Furthermore, Li Yundong recalled hearing that Wan Zhenyuan intended to refine the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir but failed due to lacking a catalyst. Yet, after only a month, had he succeeded?
The asking price was too high, the conditions impossibly generous. Li Yundong grew wary and countered, “Sect Master Wan, as far as I know, no one has refined the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir since Liu Bowen during the Ming Dynasty. Where did you refine yours? Even if you could refine it, you must have another goal besides just the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art, correct?”
Wan Zhenyuan chuckled slyly. “True Master Li indeed possesses keen insight! You are correct; I do have another objective!”
Seeing Wan Zhenyuan admit it, Li Yundong relaxed slightly and asked, “What is it?”
Wan Zhenyuan stated, “I am currently in the process of refining the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir. If you, True Master Li, are willing to give me the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art and find the catalyst for me, I will hand over the Dongwu City estate and Tianlong Mountain to you, and furthermore, I will give you one of the Earth Origin Spirit Elixirs refined in the future!”
Li Yundong was deeply moved, but he quickly regained his composure. “You'll give me one? The Earth Origin Spirit Elixir is such a precious divine medicine. How many can be refined in one batch? What if only one is successfully refined?”
Wan Zhenyuan laughed. “True Master Li, you worry too much. Generally, when the Outer Elixir School refines elixirs, managing to yield even one immortal pill per batch is considered remarkable. But when the Gèzào Sect refines, we yield a minimum of two pills per batch, and sometimes, if fortunate, as many as nine!”
Li Yundong couldn't help but say with admiration, “Impressive. As expected of the leading sect of the Outer Elixir School! Remarkable skill, remarkable Daoist magic!”
Wan Zhenyuan chuckled proudly. “Thank you for the praise, True Master Li; Wan Zhenyuan is humbled!”
Li Yundong suddenly asked another question, “But, Sect Master Wan, what is this catalyst? And where is it located? With so many people available, why seek me out specifically?”
Wan Zhenyuan smiled. “True Master Li, I anticipated this question. The catalyst is a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, which can only be found on the sacred snow mountains of Tibet!”
Li Yundong asked, puzzled, “Since you know what the catalyst is and where it is located, why don't you go find it yourself, Sect Master Wan?”
Wan Zhenyuan couldn't help but sigh deeply. “True Master Li, are you genuinely unaware, or are you feigning ignorance?”
Li Yundong clasped his hands. “Sect Master Wan, please elaborate?”
Wan Zhenyuan stared at Li Yundong for a moment, then said, “True Master Li, after the Manchus entered the passes during the Qing Dynasty, Chinese Buddhism and our Daoism suffered repeated suppressions, and the influence of the cultivation world continuously declined, while Tibetan Buddhism gained immense power. Although after the founding of the nation, Tibetan Buddhist influence retreated back to Tibet, the secret enmity among the three factions is a reality known to all. This Thousand-Year Snow Lotus is a sacred object of Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism, growing upon a holy mountain. It is protected by the mountain-guarding divine monks and the mountain spirit of the Secret Sect. Do you imagine anyone can ascend that mountain and simply pluck it?”
Li Yundong’s surprise deepened. He asked, “Then how do you know I can certainly ascend and pluck it?”
Wan Zhenyuan looked at Li Yundong with deep meaning and smiled. “True Master Li, I heard that the newly discovered Bandalam in Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism... she is a good friend of yours!”
Li Yundong’s heart snapped tight. He suddenly questioned sharply, “How do you know that?”
Wan Zhenyuan burst into laughter. “True Master Li, when you were unknown before, your actions were naturally unseen. Now that your fame rings throughout the world, everything from your past has long since come to light. How could anyone not know?”
Li Yundong stared at Wan Zhenyuan, half-believing and half-doubting. He asked, “So what you mean is, if I give you the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art and this Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, you transfer the Dongwu City estate and Tianlong Mountain to me, and you give me one Earth Origin Spirit Elixir?”
Wan Zhenyuan smiled gently. “Precisely! However, True Master Li, even if you didn't go for the Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, I would still be willing to trade the Dongwu City estate and Tianlong Mountain for the Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir Art. As for the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir, that depends on whether True Master Li has the interest!”
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