Chapter [B3] 37 — The Private Auction

Chapter [B3] 37 — The Private Auction

I walked into the chamber, and found five people standing inside. Obviously, not the Matriarchs or Patriarchs of the clans, the entire city wouldve been in a panic had the emperor decided to come here of all places, and this entire thing wouldve been impossible to arrange. I kept a smile on my face, as I bowed slightly towards the members. Of the people present, I only knew Xi Shie, who had been sent from the Shie clan. The boy gave me the barest hints of an acknowledging nod as I raised my face.

I thank all of you for being present here, and of course, to the respective elders who are taking their precious time to look over this auction, I said, looking towards all the representatives present. Weve made the preparations already, all you will be required to do is to channel your Qi into the formation present and the arts will do most of the work, I said, gesturing to the meeting round table with five seats already setup behind which the members of the five clans stood.

At my words, each one began to channel their Qi to bring the projection of the chosen elder who will be attending the auction. I took the time to inspect the people present in the room.

The five families were based on the five elements. The Shie obviously had poison, but their base Qi nature was metal. I wasnt terribly surprised as Id already learned of this from Liuxiang, whod told me with a smile how the most poisonous of all poisons were some metals, and how shed often practiced with them as a child. But besides the Shie, there was the Yue, the clan of Water who resided on the northern end with a grand manor. Xuanwu told me they were descendants from his people from the north, though the land was no longer held by the empire. After them were the Huo, the fire clan. Their clan resided in the west. The old man was a descendant from their clan, though he seemingly left and has cut all ties with them. Yang Shen belonged to the Huo as well.

Lastly there were the Tu. They were the Earth clan, and resided in the east. This was the interesting part, and for the life of me I couldnt find any books on this, almost as if all traces were removed, but the Tu were supposed to hold claim to the central lands. So where the emperors palace is currently. And Zhao, the royal clan that currently held power and from where the emperor belonged, were the clan of the East. The Jade Court was separate from the Zhao, but the Zhao enjoyed many of the benefits that came from having a current emperor in power.

The Tu were also interesting because they were distinctly not from the Jade empire. I saw the representative of the Tu, and it was a young woman with dark hair and an earthy skin color, with bright eyes that told me she was from somewhere closer to the tropics. So the Tu were more representatives, or should be, but acted as vassals of the state directly in charge of overseeing their territory within it.

No records of their original homeland were present.

The extent to which things felt convoluted and wrong was astounding here, the rather clear history of multiple clans, their lands, and the divine beasts themselves seemed to have seemingly been wiped out. But it wasnt a mere wipe out, it was like something had eradicated the very memory of what may have existed beyond these lands. And the thought terrified me.

I put the thought away from my head as the scrying arts began to activate. As the Qi of the representatives swirled around the formation, one by one the elders from the five clans appeared and I bowed my head. Greetings, elders. I am honored to have you here today, I said.

The five figures sat on the tables, all looking at me with a varied mix of expressions. Some skeptical, others amused, others derisive. I let it all wash over me, as I smoothly continued ahead. You are all already well aware of the purpose I have called you here, I said, looking at all five of them.

Is it true that you wrote five divine books, boy? the elder from the Huo clan asked, arms crossed as he raised an eyebrow.

We find it rather hard to believe, even with the invitation we got, the Yu elder replied, covering her mouth with a fan.

It is certainly rare to find a sage this young, the Tu elder spoke, leaning back in his chair. I was confused how as a projection he was able to move the chair with him, but I didnt question what I saw.

We know it to be true, the Shie representative said, looking around.

Let us hear what the boy has to say first, the representative from the Zhao spoke, as the rest became quiet.

I nodded, continuing onwards. It is true, I replied. I wrote the five books in a moment of inspiration that lasted for nine days and nights, and had it not been for my vassals and people taking care of my well being I wouldve died from exhaustion.

The elders looked at me, some with open amusement, others with mild surprise. If it is true as you say, then where are these texts? We arent willing to believe much before we can see them first, the Huo elder asked.

I bowed my head to the man. They are put under seal to stop them from gathering too much power and escaping out into the world. Their spirits have not yet been tamed, and Im afraid I cannot show them to all of you before we come to some sort of agreement here first.

The Huo elder snorted, clearly displeased.

But, I added, as I raised my head. What I can show you, are the results of some of the things those books can create.

We have seen these things. Fascinating creations, the Yue elder said.

A gimmick is all we see. Had she not been standing still, you would not have succeeded, the Huo elder said, still derisive.

No- she wouldve been bested still, the Tu elder interrupted. We know defeat when we see it, and we arent too proud to admit it, the man said, looking towards the Huo elder before he glanced at me. Consider us interested, boy.

I bowed my head once more. This is a weapon that can be used even by mortals. Not to the same extent of power or precision, and just one gun and one mortal will not be able to rival a cultivator. But Five? Ten? A hundred? What about a thousand? I said, looking at all of them. Perhaps elders such as all of you may be able to, but there are ten mortals to even the weakest cultivator and elders such as you are one in ten thousand.

The elders all fell quiet, my words painting a horrifying picture of a grand army all carrying guns, with the ability to bring down the immortals from their throne.

What do you intend to do with this weapon? the elder from the Zhao spoke now, his eyes stuck on me. Be careful, young sage. Your words veer dangerously close to treason.

I bowed my head once more. Elders, if I had intended to do so, I would not be standing here in front of you, showing you how my weapons worked, I replied, putting my fists together. My intention is simple. To show you that the tides of the world are shifting. And this is far from the only thing I present to you. This is one of the weakest weapons I have. There are other things I have created. I have bombs that can be used by any man, strong enough to kill a cultivator in the sixth realm. I have archers and swordsmen with weapons of steel. Not iron, but steel. Forged in furnaces and laden with Qi, each man would wield steel weapons, spears, bows, swords, armor. What I speak of is not a mere one or two inventions, it is hundreds at once, all given out to thousands, all with the ability to grow into something grander. My sect, the Divine Tree sect, has no mortals. Those who were, have gained a new path, a path of Chi- The heavens rumbled above me, and I felt a powerful presence look down upon me for a moment. Even the elders all widened their eyes, as for the briefest moment, I felt the attention of the Azure Dragon resting upon my shoulders.

I grit my teeth, almost tempted to call upon Xuanwu, or to draw power from the Divine Tree, but I resisted the impulse. The moment passed, and I simply looked back up again.

The ages are changing. The era of cultivators and mortals is over. You have just not realized it yet, I said, continuing onwards as I leapt at the brief moment of shock. What I bring you is an invitation to a brand new world. All I ask is this will you be left behind by these changing tides or will you rise upon them, riding at the forefront? I said, extending a hand out to all of them.

The five families all looked at each other, and then at me. But I wasnt done, as I began to hammer out the details.

I will give one book to each of the five families. There will be an agreement, detailing how exactly it can be used and must be kept, but each of you will be able to possess one. In return, I ask for your support, to build our armies, to build new armies. To not ignore the war which looms over the horizon, I said.

What do you mean? the Huo elder asked.

The enemies are more powerful than we are giving them credit for. The demons are rising, I said, looking around the table. You have seen it, havent you? The demonic beasts have vanished this winter. Thats not natural, and they arent running away. Any of you who have seen a demon will know this. They are mindless and they are brutes, but the reason we have not defeated them, the reason the empire loses more and more ground every passing year is because they do not run. People run. Whether it be mortals, or cultivators. We fear death. They? They relish in death. And now those mindless brutes have someone leading them. Someone smart, someone cunning and with the ability to burn this empire if we are careless. A name you all already know, one thought to have been lost to history, I said, as all of them looked at me with wide eyes.

The fire demon, the Huo elder spoke, eyes wide in shock.

Yang Shen is back? Is this true, child? the Yue elder spoke, horrified.

We killed him! Wed killed him when he last dared show his face, the Tu elder said.

The demon has been seen at the Seventh Peak, and had killed an Alchemy Hall elder to take on his appearance. He is cunning, and more powerful than the last time, the Shie elder said, looking at the others.

Murmurs began but I interrupted them, bringing their attention back to the topic at hand.

The threat is real, and so are our enemies. In our strength, the empire has grown arrogant. But there is still time to change course, to act, I said, as I walked up to the table, putting the gun onto it.

I do not present to you any item, or treasure, you have far more than I possess. What I present to you, is the beginning of a new era. And now I ask do you accept the offer to join me within it? I said, and the five elders looked at me, their expressions serious.

They spoke one by one, before leaving in a hurry, all taking the matters to their Matriarchs and Patriarchs. This was beyond them. But I would not need to wait for long. I saw their expressions, and I felt the seed Id planted in their minds take hold.

The rest was simply a matter of time.