Chapter 49: Insight into the Token
Qian Gongyu was listening with such envy that she almost wanted to become a Venerated Guest herself—these were such superior conditions that she couldn’t think of a reason to refuse.
Though a little reluctant, she still prayed in her heart for Jiang Ten to quickly accept—if you miss this village, there’s no more boat!
“If I agree to become a Venerated Guest,” Jiang Ten didn’t refuse but asked, “will the five tokens be given to me immediately?”
Qun Yushu shook his head, “Of course not. They’re given based on years of service—one per year, and all five will be given after five years.”
“Then forget it. Please leave.” Jiang Ten turned around and walked back.
“Wait, if I give you all five tokens immediately, will you agree to become a Venerated Guest of my family?”
Jiang Ten looked back at him, her voice devoid of joy or expectation, “Fine.”
Qun Yushu looked at her for a long while, then suddenly let out a helpless smile, “You’re the first person of your kind I’ve ever met.”
He pulled a jade pendant from his chest and handed it to Jiang Ten, “Let’s change this into a transaction. If you can state all the functions of this jade pendant, I’ll give it to you.”
Shang Xinlei, Jie Yuanshao, Jie Zilong and the others had flickers in their eyes but said nothing, watching as Jiang Ten received the jade pendant.
Qian Gongyu faintly sensed something was wrong and tried hard to signal Jiang Ten to reject it with her eyes, but Jiang Ten didn’t even glance at her.
“The first function is the Spirit Shield, which requires three points of spirit energy to activate. Once activated, three shields appear, each blocking one attack of any kind. The shields last for three seconds, and you have to wait fifteen seconds to use it again.”
“The second function is the Explosive Spirit Shield. If you activate the pendant again during the cooldown of the Spirit Shield, it creates an explosive shield that damages the attacker. Both functions then go on a sixty-second cooldown.”
Qun Yushu listened very attentively. Only after Jiang Ten finished did he ask, “What does ‘second’ mean?”
“About the length of one breath.”
“I see.” Qun Yushu nodded, “Thank you. This jade pendant is now yours.”
With that, Qun Yushu bid farewell and turned to leave. He didn’t just leave himself—he also sent the other guests away.
Before leaving, Chen Linchuan gave Jiang Ten a deep look. He summoned two guards, gave them some instructions, and the two stood guard outside the Qian Family’s carriage.
After the idle people had all departed, Jiang Ten resumed practicing her blade, as if nothing had just happened.
“Jiang Ten, you…” Shang Xinlei didn’t even know what to say, “Such an obvious trap, and you just jumped right in…”
“Talking won’t help,” Jie Zilong interrupted, “Fourth Miss Shang, please ensure the Shang Family makes a decision before the day after tomorrow. I’ll also rush to contact my clan.”
“What’s going on?” Qian Gongyu was bewildered, “Why do you all look even more nervous than before?”
“Because things just got worse—it’s not just about the Mansu Woodland anymore.” Shang Xinlei looked at Jiang Ten with an unusually complex expression, “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d never believe…”
“That there’s someone in this world who can instantly see through the powers of a token!”
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“Why is Jiang Ten so weak!”
The first thing Qun Yushu did after sitting down was complain. He picked up a wine flask and gulped it down, letting it spill on his clothes, completely uncaring, and poured his grievances to Chen Linchuan, “Even if she were Second-Stage, that’d be something—but no, she’s just a freshly-advanced First-Stage Messenger! What am I supposed to do with that? What can I do?”
“Young Master Qun, I’m not one of your lapdogs. I’m not in the habit of echoing your complaints.” Chen Linchuan walked over to a cabinet, pulled out a glazed wine bottle, and poured blood-red wine into a luminous cup. “Just say what you mean, and stop farting around.”
As a Chen Family elder and Third-Stage Messenger, Chen Linchuan didn’t need to care about Qun Yushu’s feelings.
The reason Qun Yushu led the discussion at the banquet was because the two families had agreed to jointly oppose the Jie and Shang Clans—it didn’t mean the Chen Family was subordinate to the Qun Family.
Among the seven Upper Third-Rank clans, there were only partnerships, never servitude.
Qun Yushu wasn’t offended either and spread his hands, “It’s not like we haven’t encountered people like Jiang Ten before. For instance, the ‘Demon-Subduing Messenger’ two hundred years ago—Fourth-Stage Foundation Establishment, unrivaled in the world. He later vanished into the Outlands, but before that, he had some dealings with the Qun Family.”
“According to our clan records, the Demon-Subduing Messenger always disguised himself thoroughly when dealing with our clan. He had a token that prevented any divination, and he would only engage in token appraisal. No matter how high our offer, he’d never help explore secret realms.”
“The Demon-Subduing Messenger was completely guarded, so the Qun Family had no choice but to treat him with courtesy. That way, at least there were no hostilities even if no alliance was formed.”
“Besides the Demon-Subduing Messenger, our family has encountered many other prodigies across centuries. Some were like him, only approaching noble clans when they could protect themselves. Others had nothing but talent and gladly accepted the Qun Family’s support, becoming key external elders.”
“So, have there been people who were both gifted and weak, yet still refused the patronage of noble families?”
“Yes, and there are many.” Qun Yushu swirled the wine flask, finished the last drop, and rubbed his temples. “Most of the current demonic criminals still roaming free are exactly that kind—arrogant, proud, and unyielding to the death.”
“Unyielding unto death? I think she’s just waiting for a higher bid.” Chen Linchuan shook his head. “I could tell from the moment she refused the banquet—she’s deliberately creating obstacles to force us to bow first. Once even we lower our heads to offer goodwill, the Jie and Shang Families will surely feel threatened. They’ll have to offer even better terms to win over Jiang Ten.”
“Now that I think about it, every move this woman made was impeccably timed. First, she made a stunning impression in the Mansu Woodland. Even if she weren’t in the same team as those from the Jie or Shang Families, she would’ve interacted with both first. By the time we got word and arrived, we’d already have to pass through those two. Inadvertently, we even helped Jiang Ten keep the Jie and Shang Families in check. She didn’t exert the slightest effort or engage in elaborate negotiations, yet she used the power struggle between us clans to maximize her own gain. She appears reckless and ignorant, but in truth, she’s calculated and cunning.”
Watching Chen Linchuan praise Jiang Ten like this, Qun Yushu kept shaking his head, and by the end, he couldn’t help clutching his belly and laughing out loud.
“Seems Young Master Qun has a different opinion,” Chen Linchuan said coldly. “Could it be you think beauties are incapable of scheming? Then is the story about you being tricked out of a hundred thousand spirit jades by a courtesan in Jiangnan just a rumor?”
“No, no, I’m quite fair—men or women, I hit them the same. Why would I think women can’t be devious?” Qun Yushu barely managed to stop laughing. “I can also tell Jiang Ten isn’t a good person, but her wickedness isn’t as complicated as you think.”
“Just now she specifically asked if becoming a Venerated Guest meant she’d get the five tokens immediately. Once she got a no, she rejected me.”
Chen Linchuan was slightly stunned. This seasoned, middle-aged man wore a look of disbelief. “Could she be thinking…”
“Right? It’s the first time I’ve seen someone so wicked it’s almost honest.” Qun Yushu couldn’t hold back his laughter. “If she could’ve gotten five tokens—or even one!—she would’ve agreed to become a Venerated Guest without hesitation! Just like when I offered the jade pendant for appraisal—she accepted without a second thought! As long as she can get a token, she doesn’t care about consequences or responsibilities!”
“So just a short-sighted, ignorant village girl,” Chen Linchuan said with contempt in his eyes. “No need to waste energy on her. She’ll surely end up in the hands of the Jie or Shang Families. Better to go negotiate directly with them.”
“Hopefully. If it’s with the Jie or Shang Families, our family elders will at least be more cautious.” Qun Yushu sighed deeply. “I just worry she’ll reject the Jie and Shang Families too and awaken greed in my uncles… I really don’t want to deal with her through less-than-honorable means.”
“If such an opportunity really arises, no need for you to act. My Chen Family is willing to handle it.” Chen Linchuan opened the carriage door, signaling the conversation was over. “I’m not afraid to offend some ignorant village girl.”
Qun Yushu shrugged, patted his rear, and left. Before leaving, he even snagged a bottle of wine from Chen Linchuan.
He stepped outside and glanced toward the Qian Family’s carriage. Though it was far, he could faintly see a silhouette practicing her blade.
“Short-sighted, huh…” Qun Yushu murmured.
To throw away one’s reputation over a few tokens, to completely disregard long-term gains—that was indeed short-sighted.
But the problem was—once she knew she wouldn’t get the tokens immediately, she could abandon the lifetime security of being a Venerated Guest without a hint of hesitation.
Rather than calling her short-sighted, it was better to say she didn’t care.
She didn’t care about luxurious clothes and fine food.
She didn’t care about social status.
She didn’t care about breaking promises.
She didn’t care about life or death.
She didn’t care about the future.
The only thing she cared about was the blade in her hand.
For some reason, a chill crept up Qun Yushu’s spine. His heart pounded violently, as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff, a visceral sense of danger welling from within.
‘Please, Jie and Shang Families… be more domineering,’ he thought bitterly. ‘Don’t give us the chance…’