Young Master Bai — Chapter 11
Chapter 11: The Most Profitable Myriad Treasures Hall
Qishui was thousands of li away. Bai Chen originally didn’t understand what Li Wuming meant by livestream, until they arrived at the most eye-catching place in town — the Heaven-Earth tavern — and then it dawned on him. It turned out the Myriad Treasures Hall had crafted a massive communication stone to broadcast the righteous-demonic duels in real time across the land, and even set up private booths in the tavern selling tickets for people to watch.
A duel between experts was far more entertaining than any stage performance. Every time a monthly challenge was announced, the tavern’s seats sold out instantly. If a Wandering Immortal-level figure happened to be competing, even booking a seat a month in advance might not guarantee entry.
The duel hadn’t even started, but the tavern was already packed. Bai Chen swept his gaze around and noticed demonic cultivators taking the opportunity to open betting booths, luring passersby to place their wagers. Back in his day, when cultivators fought, common folk used to rush to pack up and flee, fearing disaster. Now they simply watched for fun.
Li Wuming knew the little fox wasn’t interested in the lively crowd, so he began explaining: “Cultivators inevitably compete over spiritual veins. The Heaven's Way Alliance knows that no matter how powerful the righteous path becomes, conflict can't be completely stopped. So they designated special grounds for these fights. After the truce between the righteous and demonic sects, a rule was set: if a major faction wants to seize a spiritual vein, they must duel outside the city. A referee from the Ghost Realm — who doesn’t require spiritual veins to cultivate — will oversee the match. The winner takes control of the city, and the loser must withdraw peacefully. This reduces casualties among powerful human cultivators and keeps civilians out of harm’s way. All in all, it’s a good policy.”
Bai Chen wondered at the wisdom of this arrangement. “If the fighting went on endlessly, no one would have peace.”
“The Alliance divided all spiritual veins into three grades: Heaven, Earth, and Mortal. Mortal-grade battles occur once a month, Earth-grade every three months, and Heaven-grade just once a year. Each duel is widely publicized, with disciples of the Myriad Treasures Hall carrying communication stones to livestream the entire battle across the land. Of course, watching costs a tea fee.”
In the past, martial heroes ignored prohibitions and broke the law by virtue of their strength. Similarly, cultivators, with power in their bodies, were bound to clash. Such a battlefield gave them a proper place to vent their energy. And with all eyes on them, underhanded tricks became less feasible. Often, the opponents even showed mercy, rarely fighting to the death. The bloody tragedies of entire clans being wiped out for spiritual veins had become a thing of the past. Clearly, it was a wise strategy to reduce internal conflict among humans.
Bai Chen heard that this approach was the idea of former Hidden Wisdom Sect headmaster Fu Hongye. That sect truly had an abudant talent pool. Sadly, since Fu Hongye’s retirement, no similar genius had ever emerged again. Now, the Unknown Truth Sect and Myriad Treasures Hall had stolen the spotlight.
Come to think of it, the Myriad Treasures Hall was quite remarkable. Throughout history, the strongest experts had changed every generation, but they alone had always held the title of the richest in the land. Nowadays, while other sects racked their brains about how to control spiritual veins longer, the Myriad Treasures Hall focused solely on defense, intent on making money through arena ticket sales. They truly lived up to their merchant nature.
Bai Chen silently calculated the expected spiritual stone income and couldn’t help marveling at the massive sum. “Others fight while they get rich. No matter how the world changes, the Myriad Treasures Hall remains the god of wealth.”
They were chatting casually away from the crowds when someone unexpectedly joined the conversation. “You flatter us, Beauty. Our Myriad Treasures Hall has always strived not to be the strongest fighters, but only the wealthiest.”
The speaker was none other than Lin Kaitian, young master of the Myriad Treasures Hall. After the Jade Spring banquet, he had descended the mountain and happened to run into Bai Chen during his travels. Naturally, he greeted them warmly. “Why didn’t the Nine-tailed White Fox notify us of your visit to the human world? We would’ve welcomed you properly.”
Seats at the Heaven-Earth tavern were long sold out. Even demonic cultivators who had hoarded tickets for resale were arrested by the Heaven's Way Alliance. Bai Chen had wondered what trick Li Wuming had up his sleeve to get them in. When he saw Lin Kaitian, he instantly understood. He shot a sidelong glance at the calm sword immortal. “No wonder you brought us here. You knew someone would come to invite us.”
Li Wuming, an expert at freeloading, simply smiled. “You two are far too eye-catching. It’s impossible not to get noticed.”
It was the truth. The Nine-tailed White Fox’s charm went without saying, and even the six-tailed Red Fox Chenzui was strikingly flamboyant. With both of them appearing in the town nearest the Great Snow Mountain, anyone could guess who they were.
Bai Chen realized Li Wuming had no intention of keeping their presence secret. Unable to grasp his motives, he simply raised a brow. “This man said he wants to get to know me. You’re okay with that?”
Bai Chen tone clearly carried a hint of jealousy. Li Wuming’s usual composure cracked. He turned serious and stared at the flirtatious Lin Kaitian. “Young Master Lin, let’s talk about the matter of flirting with someone else’s Dao companion.”
Bai Chen had shown his disinterest by chatting only with Li Wuming. Lin Kaitian, a business prodigy who studied ledgers from the age of three, quickly caught on to the Nine-tailed White Fox’s dissatisfaction and promptly invited them into the tavern. “Someone, lead our three honored guests to my private room and serve them the best dishes. I’ll cover all the expenses.”
The private room reserved by the young master was indeed top-notch. It had its own communication stone broadcasting the duel, and the attendants were tactful — retreating as soon as the guests were seated, without a word of disturbance.
Bai Chen, accustomed to grand scenes, had little interest in junior cultivator duels. As Lin Kaitian warmly poured wine, he coldly asked, “I heard the Myriad Treasures Hall has been purchasing yao bones?”
Among all living beings, humans had the weakest sensitivity to spiritual energy and could only cultivate using spirit stones. But yao were different. Noble-blooded great yao were born with an innate ability to absorb spiritual energy from the surrounding world. Over the years, their powers awakened naturally without instruction. Their fur, bones, and blood — nurtured for centuries — were treasures in human eyes.
No one would be happy to see others buying up their bones. Lin Kaitian understood the source of Bai Chen’s displeasure but pretended not to. “Forging always consumes spiritual materials. The Great Snow Mountain has always been closed off. Now most sects’ stores are depleted. A single piece of yao bone is worth over ten thousand spirit stones.”
Lin Kaitian had clearly gone to the Great Snow Mountain banquet to probe the yao strength. Bai Chen’s heart tightened at his words but maintained a smile. “Then I must be worth quite a bit.”
Of course the Nine-tailed White Fox was valuable — but who would dare say that to his face? Lin Kaitian certainly wouldn’t. He hurriedly shook his head.
“You jest, Young Master Bai. Who would have the heart to harvest from a beauty like you? Even losing a single strand of your hair would be a shame.”
His words were insincere. Chenzui, seeing him offend their Ancestor, sneered, “So even cultivators know how to cherish beauty? I thought all you people ever dreamed of was storming the Great Snow Mountain and filling your stores with yao bones.”
The facade was shattered. Lin Kaitian looked slightly awkward. Bai Chen let the younger generation play the villain while he mildly rebuked, “They’re hosting us for food and entertainment. Be more polite.”
“Apologies, I was wrong,” Chenzui admitted.
Since Bai Chen had already spoken, Lin Kaitian decided not to press the matter. He knew the Nine-tailed White Fox wanted him to state his position. After some thought, he decided to be candid. “When I went to the Great Snow Mountain banquet, my father gave me a few words of instruction. Would you like to guess what they were?”
Bai Chen, having been away from the world, didn’t quite understand human behavior and stayed silent. Li Wuming, who had been idly eating and drinking, looked up and answered in his place. “Rare goods are for hoarding, right?”
The sword immortal was spot on. Lin Kaitian smiled and nodded. “Yao bones are valuable, but only for as long as they remain a rarity.”
This subtly conveyed the Myriad Treasures Hall’s stance. As businessmen, if the Great Snow Mountain was willing to sell, they would welcome peace and might even protect the supply.
Bai Chen accepted the gesture and finally drank the wine Lin Kaitian had offered. But he didn’t agree to the deal. Instead, he changed the topic. “Did Young Master Lin gain anything from the Jade Spring banquet?”
Lin Kaitian was aware of Bai Chen’s high standing in the Great Snow Mountain. If the Nine-tailed White Fox agreed, the Fox King would approve any purchase. But this fox was sly — he refused to make a one-time deal and seemed to imply marriage instead.
Though fond of beauties, Lin Kaitian dared not speak recklessly on that matter. He calmly deflected, “To be honest, our family has always arranged marriages with the Illusory Moon Villa. My marriage has already been planned. No matter how many beautiful yao there are, I can only admire from afar.”
Bai Chen hadn’t expected anything, so he wasn’t angry. He simply sipped his wine. “What a pity.”
Lin Kaitian figured Bai Chen was willing to negotiate, but the fox wouldn’t make the first move — waiting for them to name a price. Left with no choice, he continued the small talk. “Still, I didn’t come away empty-handed. I used to think that even if yao took human form, they were too wild to communicate. Who knew they not only understood etiquette, but were well-versed in human literature — no worse than sons of noble houses.”
He spoke casually, but his admiration was sincere. Bai Chen was confident the young yao could hold their own in the human world. He smiled. “Yao live far longer than humans. Even if they treat your arts and letters as mere pastimes, a hundred years is enough to gain something.”
Li Wuming had ignored all the serious matters but perked up at the gossip. He chuckled, “That’s a good thing. Humans have always shown extra favor toward beings that match their aesthetic tastes.”
Even a trace of fondness could mean the difference between life and death. Bai Chen suddenly had an idea and spoke up:
“The Great Snow Mountain wishes to discuss a business deal with the Myriad Treasures Hall. Would Young Master Lin be willing to refer us to his father?”
This stumped Lin Kaitian. “The Myriad Treasures Hall’s external affairs are all handled by me. You can just tell me.”
“This is a big deal. I’m afraid it’s beyond your station.”
Lin Kaitian was puzzled. What kind of business was beyond him? But when he saw the look in Bai Chen’s eyes, he recalled the Ghost Tactician’s prophecy about impending upheaval in the yao race. His expression grew serious. “My father is currently in Lin’an attending the Heaven's Way Alliance conference. He’ll be there for about a month. If the Great Snow Mountain visits, I’ll be sure to host you properly.”
“The demonic sect is losing. Another demonic cultivator’s probably going to flip the table. I should get down there and keep things in order. If you three need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
If the yao truly faced internal strife, it would affect interspecies diplomacy. Lin Kaitian didn’t dare take that responsibility alone. With that, he took his leave.
That the Myriad Treasures Hall had no intention of attacking was good news. Bai Chen let him go and turned to Chenzui once the room was empty. “Did you understand what I was saying to him?”
Chenzui, usually acting like a young master and being revered by the young yao, now resembled a student being quizzed. He quickly answered, “The Myriad Treasures Hall was testing your stance, trying to acquire our yao bones.”
Chenzui only understood the surface. Bai Chen knew this couldn’t be rushed and said mildly, “Think more deeply, combining their usual behavior with our current situation. Write a thousand-word policy essay and give it to me tonight.”
Chenzui, more passionate about drama than essays, was dumbfounded. “Ancestor, I’ve never written that sort of thing.”
The beauty’s plea was pitiful, but Bai Chen was a fox and hence immune to such tactics. Leisurely peeling a grape, he dipped it in wine and fed it to Li Wuming, stroking the other's cheek while speaking softly:
“That’s exactly why you must learn. Lesser yao seduce with appearances. True calamity-level yao don’t need top-tier looks. Just a few words could enter people’s hearts and make them kindred spirits.”
Faced with this wisdom, Chenzui had no choice but to agree miserably. Meanwhile, Li Wuming, caught off guard by the wine-soaked grape, dropped his chopsticks. Truth be told, the wine packed quite a punch. He quickly steadied himself and laughed, “Is that how you teach your juniors?”
Bai Chen rarely flirted so openly. The sword immortal still hadn’t reacted. Unwilling to admit defeat, the little fox reached for his Dao companion’s chest. “Foxes never cared about conquering the world — we just like conquering heroes.”
Before he could succeed, Li Wuming grabbed his hand and set the rice bowl down, kindly adding more food while casually saying, “I used to be a hero once.”
He didn’t get the man, but he did get a bowl of rice. Bai Chen snorted and withdrew, eyeing him with mockery. “Other heroes lie drunk on beauties’ laps every night. You, on the other hand, just want to hug a fox tail and sleep.”
The little fox had tried to flaunt his charm in front of a junior and failed miserably. His indignation was obvious. Li Wuming quickly offered his favorite sweet-and-sour pork to appease him. “Fine, I’m no hero. I’m just a leisurely man who raises foxes. Come on, don’t just drink — eat something.”
Bai Chen wasn’t truly angry. Still, he couldn’t help grumbling, “Useless. Instead of getting me drunk and carrying me to the room, you keep piling food on my plate.”
Li Wuming hadn’t expected that’s where this was going. He could only shake his head with a sigh. “If you had just one more peanut, you wouldn’t be this tipsy.”
“Li Wuming, I really want to smash a plate over your head.”
The sword immortal’s callous words had earned him a glare from the little fox. He merely smiled, unfazed. “Hold it in. You’re a devastatingly beautiful fox. Don’t ruin your image.”
These two couldn’t even eat a meal peacefully. Chenzui watched in stunned silence. He had never seen a fox flirt like this with a lover. He mentally noted: our Ancestor really operates on another level.
~ Chapter End ~
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