Diplomacy is a Calling

I'm in a good mood, so big chapter today. Yey)

Blue Mist Elder

Two days later

Returning to the sect after two days, I was immediately summoned to the Sect Master upon my arrival. I sat across from him, noting his deeply furrowed brow.

"Did you take that pill yet?" the master asked me.

To be honest, I had completely forgotten about it. On my way back, I stopped by Aunt Ho's house of entertainment and lost an entire day there. That place is fantastic; even though I can have nearly every other disciple here, what those devilish women do there—oh! A perverted grin spread across my face at the memory.

"Focus" the master snapped, pulling me out of my pleasant reverie.

"Uh, no, Master. I was waiting for your verdict first, to ensure there wouldn't be any issues" I quickly replied.

"Alright. I'm taking the pill you have left, along with the 200 the man will provide for finding good specialists in ancient languages. Also, try to negotiate a steady supply in any quantity. The pricing will be entirely up to them. Agree to any price up to 1,000 spirit gems per pill. The cheaper, the better. If there are alternative proposals, write down everything he offers and present it to me. We'll decide how to proceed."

Hearing the price, I was stunned. I typically earn about 10,000 gems a month, mainly because I manage the outer circle and oversee various not-so-legitimate dealings. But these pills—just one bottle is worth 20 months of my salary. What the hell is in these pills? The master continued.

"If you manage to secure a good deal regarding quantity and price, I'll appoint you as my deputy and consider transferring you to work with the inner circle disciples. If you do exceptionally well, I might even recommend you to the ancestor for apprenticeship."

"I understand, Master. I'll make this my top priority and ensure the best possible outcome" I said, determined to seize this opportunity.

"Good. Remember, this is not just about the deal but also about building a long-term relationship with that individual. Treat this task with the utmost importance" the master emphasized.

Listening to the potential rewards, I realized that this was my chance to leap through the dragon gate and soar to the heavens. On the other hand, I was itching to find out what was so special about these pills.

"Master, what's so special about these pills?" I asked reverently, surprised when he demanded a Dao oath to ensure that the information wouldn't leave me without his permission.

"Listen carefully. The one pill I took allowed me to absorb information four times faster for six hours. Beyond that, it even improved reflexive actions and skills I had ingrained unconsciously. This means that training with these pills not only speeds up learning but also corrects minor flaws in your cultivation or skill acquisition. It's simply incredible because it's a passive bonus. And remember, these pills are makeshift, not even reaching first rank quality. Usually, pills of this quality are discarded, yet they offer such an effect. Imagine if such pills were offered to any rival sect—they could surpass us within a few years. This is a potential strategic resource for our sect and our greatest secret. The fact that this man offered us such a treasure, knowing the reaction it would provoke, means we cannot afford to miss this chance. Do you understand the gravity of this?" the master asked.

"Of course, Master. I'll start searching for candidates today and will initiate negotiations as soon as possible" I said, processing the information. Finally, fortune was smiling on us.

"Master, if we secure this deal and obtain these pills, by next year's continental summit, we'll crush everyone there. They will finally feel our greatness!" I exclaimed with excitement.

"Don't celebrate too soon. The deal isn't secured yet, and if we disappoint this person, our sect might cease to exist one way or another. Plus, we need to consider what else we can offer. A person who can provide four energy accumulators and these pills likely doesn't lack spirit gems. We need to think about what else we can propose in return" the master cautioned, sinking into thought as we sat in the office.

Xia Tao

Mastering the thread techniques turned out to be quite fascinating, and within a couple of days, thanks to high-quality strawberries, I was able to create one stable thread and two if I concentrated hard. The technique was incredible—not only was it barely noticeable, but it also developed in a clear and comprehensible way. If Mei's experiments bore fruit, it could become even more versatile.

I began alternating between studying the thread technique and the new movement technique. My daily routine shaped up as follows:

Morning: 3-4 hours of cultivation at the top of the fortress, followed by thread technique training in a separate room until midday.

Lunch: A brief break before returning to thread training for another couple of hours.

Afternoon: Training in movement techniques.

Night: Let's call it endurance training.

Overall, it was going well, except for one thing—the movement technique was difficult to train since it was hard to dodge attacks that weren't there. Mei mentioned that once I reached a certain level of proficiency in these techniques, she would arrange something to address this issue. Judging by her mysterious smile, these future trainings would be effective but unpleasant.

Today, during lunch, we received a signal indicating the approach of guests. I wondered who it could be. A few minutes later, a cloud hovered at the edge of our territory, not moving any further. It was interesting to see someone being so polite. Mei sent a disciple to invite the guest to our guest pavilion, a new addition to the border of our territory for visitors who not allowed inside.

When we arrived, we found that it was Blue Mist Elder. Despite our request for him not to come, it seemed the pills had intrigued him significantly. His expression was one of a doting grandfather looking at a beloved grandchild, clearly showing that he had been urged to approach us with utmost courtesy and friendliness.

Sitting across from Blue Mist Elder and waiting for the disciple to pour our tea and step aside, he began the conversation.

"Thank you for giving me your time. We managed to fulfill your request much faster than expected" he said, presenting ten different dossiers. Each dossier contained information about individuals willing to join our clan, along with descriptions of their experiences and their conditions. I studied the elder, who didn't react to my scrutinizing gaze, instead pretending to enjoy the tea and the scenery.

"These three" Mei set aside a few dossiers, "are not interesting. They are only willing to join on a temporary contract with the possibility of further use and resale of information after 100 years. The remaining seven, however, we would like to invite for a discussion. When can we do this?" Mei asked calmly.

"I will bring them here within an hour. We are keen on concluding this deal swiftly," he replied and took his leave, flying off on his cloud at three times our maximum speed. Impressive—this is what training in movement techniques can achieve.

"Do you think any of them might be spies?" I asked.

"Oh, I doubt it. Any dissatisfaction from us would result in them losing the pill contract. Judging by how politely he spoke, they clearly aim for a long and fruitful partnership" Mei responded thoughtfully. "Although, anything is possible" she added after a pause.

While waiting for their return, we saw a flock heading our way within forty minutes.

"I'm afraid that goose certainly caught the attention of their sect master, but I fear these negotiations won't be very peaceful. I'll call Lin Qing to get the golem ready; we might need it" Mei said, closing her eyes in concentration. Three minutes later, the geese, without even slowing down, flew towards the top of the mountain, showing no regard for politeness. It was clear they saw us but chose to ignore us.

Disregarding all norms of courtesy, they approached the mansion. The one leading the formation shouted as they neared.

"Hey! Where's the one in charge here?" he demanded loudly, his voice echoing through the surroundings.

Mei and I exchanged a look. This was not going to be a simple meeting.

"Who here thinks they can negotiate? Step out, you subhumans!" shouted the brazen fool.

Well, every family has an idiot, I thought.

"Oh, it seems they don't want to talk peacefully. We'll have to communicate differently" Mei said, a smirk spreading across her face. Clearly, these geese had no idea what they were in for.

Mei's voice rang out over the mountain, "Hey, flying rats, have you lost your minds? Or are you drunk? The garbage dump where you can feast is in the other direction. You've led your flock to the wrong place!"

Wow, she really let them have it. I could almost hear the leader's neck snap as he turned his head towards us.

"You little insignificant bitch, you've lost all sense of fear?" he snarled, leading his flock towards us. As they landed nearby, I noticed the familiar goose among them, looking extremely apologetic. Interesting, it seemed he hadn't wanted the negotiations to go this way.

"Listen here, you foul-mouthed slut, call out your leader before I tear this place apart. Then we'll discuss what you get for what you've offered us" he demanded, followed by laughter from his comrades. Oh, this wasn't going to end well for them.

Without changing her expression, Mei replied, "Oh, it seems we overestimated the intelligence of your patriarch to have sent someone like you for negotiations. Very well." She waved her hand, signaling Lin Qing.

Instantly, all the geese froze. Ah, yes, I had experienced the binding threads technique myself. In the hands of Lin Qing, who was on the same level as this goose leader, it was formidable. What's more, I couldn't see the threads even when I looked closely, nor could I see the golem.

Mei stood up and approached the goose leader. "So, you brain-dead fool, did you really think we'd offer such a deal without the means to negotiate properly?" The goose's eyes filled with hatred, but he couldn't open his beak, and despite his struggles, he couldn't break free from the bindings.

Turning to the goose who had accompanied Ye Chen and our acquaintance, Mei continued, "I had a higher opinion of your clan's intelligence and your patriarch's judgment."

"Well then, we'll do it your way. The initial offer is off the table" Mei said firmly.

"Now, the terms are as follows: 15 healthy Blue Taka saplings no younger than 300 years, 50 kilograms of black pearls, and 20 healthy young mollusks that produce those pearls. You can keep your Airborne Combat Goose; I'm reasonable. Additionally, this 'negotiator' of yours will apologize and stand in a position of dogeza at border of our mountain for 24 hours." At her words, the eyes of all the geese widened to the size of apples, seemingly ready to pop out. The leader's glare was so murderous it seemed he could have leveled our mountain if looks could kill.

Mei continued, "If you think I'm joking and try to take goods by force, try me. I will find your enemies and give them the means to wipe your clan off the face of the earth. I'm not against war; bring it on. And if you think the sect will stand by and do nothing because we're 'outer disciples,' go ahead, try me. There will be no further negotiations. You have one week to deliver everything I've demanded, or the deal is off forever. And just so you don't forget and know I'm serious" she approached their leader and shaved his rear feathers clean, leaving the other geese stunned.

Looking directly into the leader's eyes, she said, "Personally, I'm fine with any option. War is even preferable; it will cost us less. And as for you, I'll make a trophy out of you and hang my socks on it."

Oh god, She is so hot like this, I wanted to take her right there in front of everyone!

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Blue Mist Elder had returned and was standing on a cloud with seven people, all of whom looked utterly shocked at the exchange.

Mei then waved her hand, knocking out the featherless leader, and turned to the other geese. "You may leave, but remember, any wrong move and your clan will lose its representatives today. I hope you understand my hand won't tremble" she said, twirling a feather in her hand.

(IMAGE HERE)

She stepped back to the pavilion, waved her hand, and said, "Leave." The geese, now able to move, quickly scooped up their shaved leader and flew away, silent and swift.

Sitting down in the pavilion, Mei invited Blue Mist Elder and the guests to join us. "Apologies for the rude interruption" she said in a neutral tone, still twirling the feather in her hand.

Placing the feather on the table, she turned her attention to the group that had been brought to us. There were several older individuals, a few middle-aged, and only one young man among them.

"Providing them with outer disciple badges won't be an issue, correct?" Mei asked the elder.

"Oh no, not at all. In fact, half of them already have them" he assured us.

After discussing with each of them, we decided to employ all of them. Mei and I agreed that they would form the foundation of our research department, focusing on studying mysteries and languages rather than combat.

Once the meeting concluded, the clan's disciples escorted the new recruits away, except for two who went to fetch the blind son of one of the elderly scholars. His condition for joining us was that we take care of his son and try to help him as much as possible.

Blue Mist Elder, having received the promised pills, lingered, seemingly reluctant to leave.

"Blue Mist Elder, is there something else you wanted?" Mei asked.

"Yes, well, the sect is very interested in either purchasing the recipe for these pills or establishing a supply chain for them, in any quantity" he said.

Mei paused for a fraction of a second. "Uncle anticipated that this would be of interest to you. His response was 'Nothing is impossible. We can discuss the terms after the auction.'"

"Understood. After the auction, then. No problem. Have a good evening. On the day of the auction, I'll come to escort you. The best secluded spot will be reserved for you" he said, quickly bidding farewell before flying off.

I turned to Mei, "Oh my god, you were incredible" and I couldn't wait any longer. I grabbed her, kissing her passionately, not waiting for nightfall.