Chapter 52: I Have Come to Play Against the Heavenly Master

With the screech of friction against the pavement, a black executive sedan halted before the main gates of the Tianji Bureau.

The specialists, who had been waiting there for a long time, immediately hurried forward. Every gaze converged on a single point as the car door slid open, revealing a figure clad in Daoist robes within.

"I am Luo Mingxian, director of the Tianji Bureau. On behalf of everyone within the institute, I welcome Elder Zheng of the Yulu Sect upon your honorable arrival."

Luo Mingxian stepped forward, placing his hands across his chest with his left hand clasping his right and his thumbs pointing upward, executing a standard Song-dynasty crossing-hands salute.

In his heart, he was actually quite reluctant to bow to the person before him.

As the largest transcendent organization in Yizhou, the Tianji Bureau had frequently clashed with the Yulu Sect in the past. The mere sight of the Yulu Sect insignia on this person's robes made him want to frown. But since this was a formal negotiation, the proper formalities had to be observed.

The Yulu Sect elder nodded slightly and let out a hum, "Zheng Yiqiu of the Yulu Sect. I thank the Tianji Bureau for the welcome."

Luo Mingxian finally could not help but frown.

While the elder spoke of thanks, in such a formal negotiation setting, he had already performed the courtesy, yet the other party did not return the gesture, offering only this perfunctory reply. The implication behind this behavior was self-evident.

Amidst the subtle and delicate atmosphere, the two sides exchanged brief pleasantries before walking together into the Tianji Bureau's reception room, taking their seats on opposite sides of a long table.

Luo Mingxian and his secretary sat in the center, flanked by several official guard cultivators behind them, while armed special police officers stood at the entrance. Across from them, Zheng Yiqiu took his seat as well, leisurely sipping the tea that had been served.

"I have heard that the Yulu Sect's Nine-Turn Pill is wondrous beyond compare and possesses the property of prolonging life. The Tianji Bureau wishes to acquire a portion. May I ask what price your esteemed sect proposes?"

When conversing with cultivators, there was no need for excessive commercial etiquette at the outset. After exchanging a few conventional pleasantries, Luo Mingxian cut straight to the point.

Judging by the attitude of the Yulu Sect, he had no desire to entangle himself with them any further; once the medicine was purchased, he would politely show them the door. Backed by the Chinese official authorities, he possessed the confidence to remain neither servile nor overbearing.

Zheng Yiqiu's face bore no superfluous expression as he merely said, "Since Director Luo knows of the Nine-Turn Pill, do you know how this pill is refined?"

This irrelevant answer made Luo Mingxian inwardly scoff, but he maintained a calm exterior and replied, "Please enlighten me, Elder Zheng."

"This pill was created by the ancestors of our sect five hundred years ago. The recipe encompasses numerous heavenly treasures and rare ingredients, such as the Vermilion Fruit, which matures only once every five hundred years. Furthermore, the refinement process is unimaginably difficult. Even within our sect, none but those who have attained mastery in alchemy dare to attempt it..."

As he spoke leisurely, Luo Mingxian's expression grew increasingly gloomy. Exercising his patience until the other finished, Luo Mingxian finally said, "It certainly sounds like a rare and miraculous medicine. Then what does your esteemed sect wish for us to use in exchange?"

"Such a heavenly-grade spiritual pill is a priceless treasure. To speak of ordinary material goods would be rather vulgar."

Zheng Yiqiu declared, "Monetary wealth and the like need not be considered. From this day forth, the towns and villages within a radius of five hundred li around Mount Qingcheng shall be assigned to the jurisdiction of the Yulu Sect. The local populace shall be entirely managed by the sect, without any undue interference from the government."

"In this manner, the Yulu Sect may forge an alliance with the Chinese government, and this spiritual elixir can be presented as a gift of alliance. What do you think?"

Luo Mingxian's brows twitched slightly, and the special police and guard cultivators behind him similarly changed color.

"Elder Zheng is truly joking. I presume your esteemed sect understands the implication of those words."

Luo Mingxian's voice sank. "Presently, the world of cultivation is jointly governed by the sects and the state—this is stipulated by the *Cultivator Management Act*. Previously, those few who attempted to violate the law were all placed on the prohibited list. The Yulu Sect must have heard of their fates."

"It seems my sect's intelligence is lagging behind. Having been stationed here for eight hundred years, we have yet to hear of any cultivator laws."

Zheng Yiqiu glanced sideways at the few guard cultivators standing behind Luo Mingxian. "However, since some cultivators are already willing to enter the game, we shall simply do as the locals do."

Luo Mingxian felt a throbbing sensation beneath his temples. The Yulu Sect could not possibly be unaware of the existence of the *Cultivator Management Act*, yet they were still making such exorbitant demands; they were clearly feigning ignorance and doing so deliberately.

"Today we came merely for negotiations, originally intended as a fair exchange." Perceiving the situation, his tone grew correspondingly cold. "If your esteemed sect has no intention of making a reasonable offer, then please return."

"We have already stated our price. As for whether the longevity-prolonging effect is worth this price, the Tianji Bureau should know better than anyone."

Zheng Yiqiu shook his head and set his teacup aside. "No matter, Director Luo. I can grant you another stick of incense... Ah, in your terms, I suppose it should be half an hour? You have half an hour to consider it further."

With a soft rustle, Luo Mingxian rose from his chair.

"Excuse me."

After giving a few instructions to his secretary and guards, he turned and strode out without looking back, summoning several cultivators and special police guards to head directly toward the inner courtyard.

As he walked, he once again took out the three copper coins. His spiritual awareness reconnected with heaven and earth, and with a flick of his finger, the coins were tossed into the air.

The question: Did the Yulu Sect truly come here to sell the elixir?

The coins landed on the ground with a soft chime, but instead of settling on heads or tails, they merely spun repeatedly on the floor, erratic and unstable.

This proved that his proficiency in divination arts was insufficient to yield a result.

Luo Mingxian furrowed his brows slightly.

Although he did not know the specifics, it was clearly impossible for the Yulu Sect to have come here specifically to provoke them on a whim; they must be harboring some unusual objective.

Judging by Zheng Yiqiu's words just moments ago, if this were any minor sect, Luo Mingxian would have directly reported them to the sanitation and public security bureau, taking action against them under the pretext of suspected feudal resurgence. However, the reality of the situation forced him to weigh his options carefully.

Setting aside the fact that this was a public and formal occasion, and that he needed to be mindful of the Tianji Bureau's legal image and external relations, Zheng Yiqiu was an elder-level figure, and behind him stood the Yulu Sect, a major faction in Shu.

What should he do? Should he detain the man here, or...

Luo Mingxian repeatedly rubbed the copper coin, generating a film of sweat.

"Director Luo, the Celestial Master has just sent word for you to go over."

His subordinate's call snapped him out of his thoughts. He took a deep breath and led his men dashing across the courtyard toward the doorway of the innermost quiet room.

Pushing the door open and stepping inside, Yuan Tiangang, dressed in azure robes, was still seated before the chessboard, browsing through a book that resembled a manual of chess moves.

Luo Mingxian inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward, and said, "Celestial Master."

"Just now, an outsider entered the Tianji Bureau." Yuan Tiangang put down the book and said indifferently, "It is those people from the sects, I presume. Seeing your Qi fluctuate so intensely, did they give you trouble?"

The news of the transaction with the Yulu Sect had not been communicated to Yuan Tiangang in advance, as he knew the Celestial Master had always disapproved of expending effort merely for the sake of prolonging life.

Yet judging by this, everything happening within the bureau could not escape his perception.

"Celestial Master, we..."

Luo Mingxian took a deep breath and recounted everything he had just witnessed.

Throughout his speech, Yuan Tiangang did not exhibit the slightest emotional fluctuation. Only after Luo Mingxian finished did he let out a soft sigh.

"Those people from the Yulu Sect never intended to genuinely hand over the elixir recipe in the first place. Moreover, even if they could truly refine an elixir of longevity, it would still fail to erase the backlash of the Heavenly Dao."

Luo Mingxian's expression turned unsightly. "They harbor malice toward you, which means..."

"In the world of cultivation, far too many people wish for my death. At every moment, I can sense tens of thousands of karmic threads targeting me. If the Yulu Sect is one of them, it is hardly surprising."

Yuan Tiangang glanced at his disciple. "Ordinarily, you would have thought of this long ago. This time, you have lost your composure."

Luo Mingxian could not meet that gaze head-on and merely stared silently at the floor. In the negotiation room, he had remained consistently calm and composed, but before Yuan Tiangang, he suddenly felt like a child who had made a mistake.

"My child, I have told you many times before: cease these futile endeavors."

"Life and death are determined by destiny. Back then, even Zhou Wuqing could not leap beyond the shackles of the Heavenly Dao; my own ultimate end now is merely a matter of sooner or later."

Yuan Tiangang shook his head. "Later, simply tell those sect members to leave. Falling out with them right now is not advantageous for the Tianji Bureau. I have already made arrangements. Before my lifespan is exhausted, I will leave behind my Qi to deter those petty individuals and prevent them from acting rashly."

"As for you all, rather than waste effort vainly trying to prolong my life, you should pour that energy into mastering your divination arts, ensuring you can still support the Tianji Bureau after I am gone, instead of engaging in useless efforts."

"The ultimate limit of life and death is the destiny of all living beings. Now that my destiny is drawing to a close, struggling against it will only invite disaster. No matter who they are, none can escape this..."

His voice abruptly cut off, and his entire person seemed to freeze in place. Luo Mingxian raised his head with some puzzlement, following his gaze, and saw an abrupt figure standing at the doorway of the room.

It was a young man.

He wore a simple hoodie and sweatpants, with a lazy demeanor between his brows, looking precisely like a college student who had just stepped outside after spending an entire vacation cooped up at home.

Yet this was the Tianji Bureau! Not to mention the heavily guarded special police and multiple elite cultivators at the Golden Core or even Nascent Soul realms, everyone in this courtyard specialized in spiritual and divination arts, possessing a spiritual awareness several times stronger than ordinary cultivators. Yet not a single person had detected his entry!

Even the Celestial Master had failed to sense him!

His heart tightened to an extreme degree. Luo Mingxian abruptly turned his head to look at Yuan Tiangang beside him.

The moment he turned, he heard the soft clatter of an object hitting the floor.

*Clatter.*

The folding fan in Yuan Tiangang's hand had fallen to the ground, but he remained completely oblivious to it, staring fixedly at the figure who had just entered.

Having studied under Yuan Tiangang for over a decade, this was the first time Luo Mingxian had ever seen the knowledgeable and experienced Celestial Master wear such an expression—it was practically as if he had seen a ghost.

Under their collective, dazed gazes, the man walked into the room as if no one else were present, approached the central chessboard, stretched out his leg to hook a nearby chair, and sat down leisurely.

"Having nothing better to do, I came to find a fellow Daoist for a game of chess."

He picked up a chess piece from the table. "Are you in the mood for a match?"

A prolonged silence ensued; even the shadows of the bamboo by the window ceased swaying. After a long moment, Yuan Tiangang suddenly let out a laugh, bent down to pick up the folding fan from the floor, and seated himself on the opposite side of the chessboard.

"It would be my absolute pleasure."