Chapter 299: Deceive the Superiors and Hoodwink the Subordinates_2
"Senior Brother is right."
Zhou Yi took out his storage bag and tossed it over, saying, "Previously, my poor eyesight got the best of me, I actually entrusted the job to a bunch of fools who dared to embezzle in secret. This is sixty percent of the sum, please trouble Senior Brother to deliver it to the Sect's elders."
Though he mentioned sixty percent, it was in fact sixty percent of seventy percent. He needed to cozy up to Senior Brother Danxia Zi first.
As for who was closer or more distant, Zhou Yi was very clear about that.
He had originally planned to share some profit with Iron Crown Immortal, but Senior Brother Danxia Zi advised him that such mundane items wouldn't catch the Master's eye, and that it would be better to wait for merit-virtue beads or some rare treasure to present to Master.
Having heard this, Zhou Yi already had a plan in mind.
Kunlun Cave Heaven had many unique books from the Nine Provinces Continent. He planned to bury one in a cultivator's grave at the right opportunity, dig it up after a few decades, and offer it as a gift to Iron Crown Immortal.
Bai Suixin's divine sense swept over the contents, accurately counting three thousand six hundred Wish Power Beads neatly stacked in the storage bag, and his eyes immediately crinkled in a smile.
"Junior Brother, this is too much. You've been busy with..."
"Senior Brother, please don't be polite. Although I am both greedy for wealth and lustful, I am a man of my word. Besides, I also took advantage by becoming a disciple of the Immortal Master, an opportunity I could hardly have dreamed of."
As Zhou Yi said this, he reminded, "Senior Brother, three tenths of these belong to the Sect's elder. Please be mindful of that."
Bai Suixin patted his chest and said, "Junior Brother, don't worry. No matter how bold I am, I would not dare to hold back the elder's share. Otherwise, wouldn't I just be scattering my soul with a flick of his fingers?"
Zhou Yi outwardly nodded in agreement but was actually quite certain that Bai Suixin would embezzle. The man's skin was just one layer thinner than his own.
"Senior Brother, there is another matter to discuss."
"Please speak, Junior Brother."
Bai Suixin was in high spirits, thinking about how every ten years, he'd get another three thousand Wish Power Beads. Whether for his own use or to exchange for spiritual objects and pills, this was a tremendous boost on the path of cultivation.
"Although I have become a disciple of the Immortal Master, my aptitude limits me, and I am not highly valued by Master."
Zhou Yi said, "Therefore, it is difficult to probe for top-secret news. This matter still requires the support of our Sect. My Master loves to slay demons and banish evil forces. I wonder if it's possible to send a few more Demon Heads for him to kill."
"This..."
Bai Suixin frowned slightly and said, "Junior Brother, Demon Heads usually belong to the disciples of demonic sects. The few who seek our Sect's protection are already a minority, and we can't just kill them willy-nilly."
"Then I will think of another way."
Zhou Yi helplessly said, "I had hoped to quickly gain Master's trust and send top-secret messages to our Sect. It seems now that the only option is to bide my time."
Bai Suixin consoled, "Junior Brother is eager to make a contribution, which I can understand. However, such clandestine matters must be carefully planned for the long term, to prevent the Severing Heaven Sect from suspecting Junior Brother and thus wasting all previous efforts!"
"Senior Brother's teachings are correct."
Suddenly Zhou Yi changed the topic and asked, "Senior Brother, how far are you from achieving Divinity Transformation?"
"If quick, a hundred years, if slow, two hundred."
Bai Suixin's talents placed him among the top within the Severing Heaven Sect, and achieving Divinity Transformation within two hundred years was hopeful.
"If you succeed in Divinity Transformation, whether it's ascending or obtaining divine enthronement through incense offering, the path to reverting to void is already open."
Zhou Yi said, "So what Senior Brother seeks now should be to augment the foundation of the Nascent Soul, so as to ensure a safe and stable transformation into the Primordial Spirit, right?"
Bai Suixin sighed, "Even for a peerless talent, the chances are no more than thirty to forty percent. I, for one, would be grateful for even a thirty percent chance of successful Divinity Transformation. More likely, though, is the end of both my life and my dao."
"What they call failure is nothing more than a scarcity of Wish Power Beads."
Zhou Yi said somberly, "Even the Great Eternal Ancestor, with his foundations damaged, didn't he manage to revert to the void by piling up Wish Power Beads?"
Bai Suixin had an epiphany but was also puzzled, "But the price of Wish Power Beads is increasing day by day. Even if one accumulates them for several hundred years, it's hard to say whether one can amass enough for Divinity Transformation."
Zhou Yi asked with a smile, "Senior Brother, what do you think of Qi Wu Mountain?"
"It's certainly good."
Bai Suixin said with a smile, "To be honest, that thirty percent chance includes the two-hundred-year harvest from Qi Wu Mountain. Otherwise, it would be far from enough."
"Well, isn't that the answer?"
Zhou Yi said, "As long as we have a few more Qi Wu Mountains, the path to Divinity Transformation will be successful!"
"Hiss!"
Bai Suixin was no fool and instantly understood what Zhou Yi meant. He wanted to refuse but couldn't suppress the idea. He took out three Copper Coins from his sleeve and consecutively spat several mouthfuls of essence blood to perform the Severing Heaven technique.
Hum!
The Copper Coins radiated a spiritual light, slowly condensing into two words: "Merit."
Bai Suixin asked in confusion, "What does this mean?"
"As members of the Xuanmen Orthodoxy, naturally our merit lies in slaying demons and eradicating evil spirits."
Zhou Yi, with hands clasped, said, "Extremely auspicious; may all your wishes come true. Junior brother has cast divination countless times and never encountered this before, truly congratulations to senior brother for a smooth and thriving path!"
"It's also senior brother's first encounter."
Bai Suixin clicked his tongue in wonder. As a disciple of the Severing Heaven Sect, he had a deep-rooted faith in divination techniques. The supremely auspicious omen immediately resolved him to accumulate merit.
"I'll go back and investigate, those demons and monsters seeking refuge in the sect, especially ones occupying mountains and rivers. I'll find a reasonable pretext to have them come down the mountain and seek out junior brother to face their tribulation!"
"Thank you for the trouble, senior brother."
Zhou Yi said, "The profits gained henceforth will be divided according to the shares of Qi Wu Mountain."
"Hahaha, you and I are like relatives, senior brother. There's no need for such meticulous accounting between us!"
Bai Suixin laughed heartily. The sign of utmost auspiciousness boded well for his path, promising a future where he would ascend to the rank of an immortal, establishing a sect, and enjoy a lifespan of five thousand years.
They feasted and drank for several days.
Only then did Bai Suixin leave reluctantly, riding the clouds away. Disciple Sun was generous in giving and pleasant in speech, truly bringing utmost comfort to both body and mind. He even thought of building a villa on Qi Wu Mountain.
As soon as Zhou Yi saw off Bai Suixin, he returned to see Danxia Zi and also Senior Brother Fufengzi from their master's lineage.
"Thank you, two senior brothers, for intervening in the divine prediction with your illusion technique, otherwise, it would've been tough to persuade that Heaven Severing Demon."
That supremely auspicious omen was not real, but a false image created behind the scenes by two Divine Transformation Heavenly Monarchs adept in illusion techniques and divination, to ensure Bai Suixin made up his mind.
Such supreme auspiciousness cannot be sought after. Even if Bai Suixin were to perform divination again, he would not replicate the same result.
Danxia Zi said with a smirk, "You really have no shame, putting me in a position to bully the juniors. If this gets out, I'll surely become a laughing stock."
Zhou Yi chuckled, "If that demon really invites the Demon Head over, and the mountains and rivers come under control, I shall consider it a welcoming gift for senior brother from this junior."
"I don't have the time to deal with such mundane matters."
Danxia Zi stated, "I only want thirty percent of it!"
Fufengzi, stroking his beard and smiling, said, "Same for me."
"Thirty percent and another thirty percent, at this rate, I'll end up paying out of my own pocket!"
Zhou Yi kept clasping his hands, pleading for mercy, and said, "Since I've bothered you both today, let's do this: in the future, each time we take over a mountain or river, both of you will get ten percent of the share."
Danxia Zi raised an eyebrow and questioned, "Why is there one percent less now?"
Zhou Yi explained, "After all, we need the sect's name for legitimacy. Three percent will go to our master, while the remaining fifty percent will be controlled by the Severing Heaven Sect. As the number of mountains and rivers increases, not even Bai Suixin would dare to take them all for himself."
"That won't do!"
Fufengzi shook his head, "It doesn't matter if we get a little less, how can our sect share the same portion as the Severing Heaven Sect?"
Danxia Zi nodded in agreement, "That makes sense. If this reaches master's ears, you had better watch your skin."
"Don't worry, senior brothers. I'll handle the calculations. And with clan members among the sect's disciples managing the population, it may seem like an even split, but it is easy to cook the books and take a good advantage."
Zhou Yi stated, "After all, I am an undercover spy for the Severing Heaven Sect. I must keep up appearances and tell them they're getting the lion's share."
"This sounds amusing."
Fufengzi chuckled, "Little junior brother, you hardly seem like someone of the immortal path but more like an official from the secular world, deceiving those above and below, adept at playing both sides, thriving wherever you go!"
Danxia Zi, who served as the Heavenly Official in the Ministry of Personnel, shook his head, "What an official? He's more of a petty bureaucrat in a government office!"
"Even a petty bureaucrat is not bad; a common saying goes, 'The emperor and the petty bureaucrat share the world.'
Zhou Yi brought out several jars of Spiritual Wine, saying, "Today I'm grateful to both senior brothers. As a sign of forthcoming good fortune, let this Spiritual Wine be a toast to us, in the hopes that Wish Power Beads will roll in endlessly."
Fufengzi nodded and said, "I've heard that junior brother is skilled in digging graves and has acquired quite a few millennium-old Spiritual Wines. Today, we shall not return unless drunk." Read the latest on empire
Danxia Zi, also a lover of fine wine, could tell from the aroma that it was at least five thousand years old—a rare treasure in the world.
After an intoxicating time, the three addressed each other as brothers, their bond having grown much closer.
Zhou Yi asked, "Senior brother, what's the situation in Daheng now? If there's a chance, shouldn't we seize some mountains and rivers? Wouldn't that be relieving the Imperial Court of its worries?"
"You're hardly in a position to covet that."
Danxia Zi stated.
"There's no room left within Daheng's borders. Since the rumor of Divine Enthronement spread, all the great sects have already eliminated the Wild Gods within the territory!"