Chapter 447 - 442: I Have a Move: Fight Poison with Poison

Duanmu Xi was no country bumpkin who’d never seen a beautiful woman before, but Master Su Quan was just too alluring!

"Fellow Daoist Su, please speak freely."

"I have a favor to ask..."

Duanmu Xi knew what the right thing to do was.

He should have put on airs, spoken in a flat tone, and left himself some room to maneuver.

But in front of Master Su Quan, he chose...

"Fellow Daoist Su, please don’t hesitate to ask."

"This is truly difficult to say, but... Brother Duanmu, could you possibly lend me five million Spiritual Jade? I owe him seven million. I’ve scraped together what I can, which comes to about two million, but I’m still five million short."

Duanmu Xi felt as if a basin of cold water had been dumped over his head.

He shuddered, his mind instantly clearing.

Was five million Spiritual Jade a lot?

Or, to rephrase the question:

For a Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator, was five million Spiritual Jade a lot?

Of course, it was a huge amount.

Du Youqian, a Golden Core Late Stage and the strongest Cultivator in Momenan, had scoured the region for years, and his entire net worth was only about two million Spiritual Jade.

And note, this two million included the value of all his equipment.

Don’t even mention other Golden Core Cultivators; even an average Nascent Soul Early Stage Cultivator probably wasn’t as wealthy as Du Youqian.

However, one’s wealth took a huge leap upon reaching the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

After years of accumulation, most Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivators, including Duanmu Xi, could muster a total net worth of four to five million Spiritual Jade.

But this net worth of four to five million Spiritual Jade included his personal Tier Four Treasures, his reserve of Elixirs, and the Secret Techniques and Cultivation Techniques he had purchased. It even included the resources he had set aside to attempt a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Late Stage, or even Divinity Transformation, as well as the materials for a Tier Five Treasure he planned to forge to protect his Dao in the future.

The amount of liquid assets he could produce at a moment’s notice was probably only a few hundred thousand Spiritual Jade at best.

That was why Duanmu Xi had been so heartbroken over the destruction of his Tier Four Defensive Treasure, which was worth about 250,000 Spiritual Jade.

Because he would have to liquidate all of his available assets just to replace that one Tier Four Defensive Treasure!

Seeing the difficult expression on Duanmu Xi’s face, Master Su Quan immediately lowered her head. "I’m sorry, Brother Duanmu. I have put you in a difficult position."

Duanmu Xi gave a bitter smile. "It’s not that I’m unwilling to help, it’s just that... five million Spiritual Jade is an incredibly difficult sum to raise."

He looked toward Ximen Chuixue. "Fellow Daoist Ximen, could you perhaps grant us an extension?"

Ximen Chuixue replied with a deadpan expression, "Sure. One more month."

Duanmu Xi just frowned.

He couldn’t scrape together five million Spiritual Jade now, and he certainly wouldn’t be able to in a month.

He would be hard-pressed to come up with one million, let alone five.

"Can you not extend it further?"

Ximen Chuixue said nothing, merely releasing his Flying Sword once more.

"Alright, I get it. Fellow Daoist, you won’t have any friends if you keep brandishing your Flying Sword at the slightest provocation."

Ximen Chuixue’s expression remained unchanged. "I don’t need friends."

Just as Duanmu Xi was about to speak, the Immortal City Guard Cultivators, drawn by the fluctuations from their earlier clash, began to arrive. Master Su Quan’s attendants—Pu Yu Master, Shangjian Master, and Hu Po Master—also rushed to the scene. Master Su Quan and Duanmu Xi calmed their subordinates and sent them away, then invited Ximen Chuixue to Duanmu Xi’s residence to continue their discussion.

Inside the residence, a Maid brought out Spirit Wine and fresh fruit.

Duanmu Xi was lost in thought.

’A massive debt of five million Spiritual Jade... To be honest, if it were me, I’d definitely rather just kill the creditor.’

’But then I think about this creditor’s Swordsmanship... Forget it. I’d better figure out how to raise the money.’

By now, Duanmu Xi had automatically assumed the role of Master Su Quan’s Dao Companion. ’Her debt is my debt.’

But he wracked his brains and still couldn’t figure out how to get that kind of money in such a short time.

Just then, Ximen Chuixue spoke up. "This is your city, isn’t it?"

Su Quan didn’t answer, simply turning to look at Duanmu Xi.

Duanmu Xi thought for a moment. "I suppose it is."

"It either is or it isn’t. What do you mean, ’you suppose’?"

Ximen Chuixue said this with his typical deadpan face, which infuriated Duanmu Xi. He raised his voice. "This *is* my city."

After saying this, he felt a little insecure.

Because he was merely a Garrison of Huailai City, not its founder, nor its absolute ruler whose word was law.

He wasn’t originally a Cultivator from Huailai City. However, after he advanced to the Nascent Soul realm, Huailai City lost its protector, so they invited him and another Nascent Soul Cultivator to serve as Garrisons.

Each year, Huailai City gave them a certain amount as a Tributor’s offering, which served as their fee.

Generally, the Immortal City would comply with any of his requests or instructions.

But this really wasn’t his city.

He didn’t even control the City Defense Array. It was kept by the descendants of the city’s founder and would only be temporarily handed over to him in a life-or-death crisis.

And in the several hundred years he had been stationed in Huailai Immortal City, he had never once encountered such a crisis.

Ximen Chuixue stared at him for a long moment before saying in a completely flat tone, "Since this is your city, the solution is simple. You can impose an additional tax on the residents and Cultivators. Collect the next ten years’ worth of taxes in advance to pay back the money."

"Of course not!" Duanmu Xi was starting to panic.

’An additional tax?’

He wasn’t even the one who collected taxes.

’On what authority could I impose a tax?’

Ximen Chuixue’s tone was still devoid of emotion. "So you don’t intend to repay the debt?"

The less impulsive and emotional Ximen Chuixue acted, the more flustered Duanmu Xi became. "No, that’s not it. It’s only right and proper to repay one’s debts. The issue is that we don’t have the money, and imposing a new tax is impossible."

By this point, Duanmu Xi had selectively ignored the fact that he wasn’t the one who owed money, but Master Su Quan... No matter how much she owed, it wasn’t just a matter of having little to do with him; it had absolutely nothing to do with him.

But now, Duanmu Xi’s mind was completely consumed with how to repay the debt.

What he failed to notice was that Master Su Quan’s Divine Sense, as fine as a needle and thread, had silently invaded his sea of consciousness. Without raising his alarm, she was gently nudging his thoughts.

With such a refined technique, coupled with the overwhelming power of her Divine Sense, Duanmu Xi was completely unaware that he was being manipulated.

Ximen Chuixue didn’t yield an inch. "Then go and levy the tax."

Duanmu Xi hadn’t lost his mind, but with his thoughts being subtly nudged, his thinking had become somewhat narrow and one-sided. He shook his head. "A tax won’t work."

"Let me do it," Master Su Quan said at this moment, her willow-leaf brows furrowed in resignation. "I will collect this tax. No matter what, Fellow Daoist Ximen’s money must be repaid. Fellow Daoist Ximen, I’ll have to trouble you to stay in Huailai City for a while. I will do my best to raise the money as quickly as possible."

Duanmu Xi opened his mouth, but the words of objection never came out.

’She’s a new Garrison, with no foundation, no connections, and she’s never made any contribution to Huailai City. On what grounds can she levy a tax?’

’But, I should still let her try. Not standing in her way is the best help I can offer.’

Ximen Chuixue considered it for a moment, then nodded his emotionless face. "Fine."

After Ximen Chuixue left, Duanmu Xi had Master Su Quan stay behind and said earnestly, "Levying a tax isn’t that simple. I believe that if you were still in the Chen Kingdom, your word would be law, but your foundation in Huailai City is still shallow. I’m afraid it will be difficult to make the people below obey your orders."

Master Su Quan looked lost. "Then what should I do?"

Duanmu Xi smiled. "I already have an initial idea, but it’s not fully formed yet. Fellow Daoist Su, you should go and give it a try first!"

’She has to hit a wall first. Only then will my proposal be seen as a true lifeline.’

"Mm!" Master Su Quan nodded gratefully.

Duanmu Xi then asked, "What is this Master Ximen Chuixue’s background? Why have I never heard of him? And how did you come to owe him so much Spiritual Jade?"

"Well, it’s true his name isn’t well-known, but his background is quite formidable. Although he’s from the Endless Desert Sea, he left to make a name for himself at a young age. During one exploration of a Secret Realm, he happened to save a disciple of the Holy Blood Sect. That Holy Blood Sect disciple later became an Inner Sect disciple and helped him many times, allowing Ximen Chuixue to successfully achieve Pill Formation and Nascent Soul Formation, and to master his uncanny Swordsmanship."

Duanmu Xi was shocked. "So he’s acquainted with an Inner Sect disciple from one of the world’s First-class Sects. His background is truly formidable. And since he’s cut from the same cloth as that kind of Demon Sect disciple, it means he must also be a cruel and brutal person."

Master Su Quan’s eyes flickered. "Yes, he is a very cruel man. I truly do not wish to offend him. In truth, I didn’t borrow this much Spiritual Jade from him. It’s just that with the compounding interest, the debt grew larger and larger, and I could do nothing but despair."

Duanmu Xi frowned. Deep down, he also had no desire to antagonize such a ruthless person. It would be best to pay off the debt quickly and have nothing more to do with him.

For the next few days, Ximen Chuixue did not leave his residence.

Meanwhile, Master Su Quan rushed all over the city, trying to levy the additional tax.

But everyone refused her, gave her the runaround, and absolutely no one cooperated.

The delicate and fragile Master Su Quan cut a slender and lonely figure from behind.

Duanmu Xi felt the time was ripe. That day, he sought out Master Su Quan, cleared his throat, and said, "Fellow Daoist Su, this isn’t going to work. Forget one month—even in a year or ten years, you won’t be able to collect enough money to pay back Fellow Daoist Ximen this way."

Master Su Quan said in anguish, "But I have no other choice!"

"I have an idea, but I don’t know if you’re willing to hear it."

Master Su Quan said quickly, "Brother Duanmu, please tell me!"

"I have a plan. It’s called fighting fire with fire. Isn’t that Fellow Daoist Ximen a ruthless man? We’ll let him levy the tax himself, as long as he can collect it. Let him bear the bad reputation. We won’t participate, nor will we stop him. Once he’s collected the five million Spiritual Jade, we’ll let him leave... We could even let him collect a little extra. Any amount over five million Spiritual Jade, he can turn over to us. Fellow Daoist Su, what do you think of this idea?"

Master Su Quan gasped. Her gaze, now fixed on Duanmu Xi, was filled with gratitude and admiration. "Brother Duanmu, you are... you are truly amazing! How could you have come up with such a brilliant plan! My own dull mind would have never thought of it."

Duanmu Xi stroked his beard with a pleased smile. "Fellow Daoist Su, you’re too modest. You’re just a bit simple-hearted, that’s all."