The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

Chapter 120 On the Eve of Negotiations, a Stormy Breeze Breathed In

Floating Continent, Lanting County, Western Shu Kingdom.

This small county town has experienced an unprecedented influx of people, a phenomenon it never witnessed even a thousand years ago when it served as a hub for trade between East and West.

All of this is thanks to the legendary "Path to Immortality".

Now, this Chen line is no longer just related to江湖人士 (jianghu figures); many officials in the imperial court have begun to pay attention to the movements in Lanting County.

I have heard that the royal family of Western Shu, which has never paid attention to matters concerning you, will also send an envoy to Lanting County.

“Lanting County is located within the territory of Western Shu. All nine kingdoms of the East will send envoys to Lanting County. How can Western Shu have any officials from its court come here to testify?” said a swordsman in the hotel.

The Lanting Hotel is already the largest hotel in Lanting County, and now it's packed with people. The tables are full, and there are people sitting right outside the door. Some people are even standing and drinking and eating meat because they haven't been able to get a seat.

In the past month, these businesses in Lanting County have made a fortune, with some earning more in this month than they had in the past ten years combined.

When Lin Hai arrived in Lanting County with his second disciple Xiao Zixuan, there were no inns with available rooms. They went to hotels and hostels, but to no avail.

They wanted to make do and stay in the woodshed or stable, but these places were all already full, and many people were even living in the kitchen.

House prices have risen to ten times their usual level.

Finally, Lin Hai and his companion arrived at the Tongfu Inn where Qi Yuan and the others were staying.

They spent two more times the money to squeeze into a room with Qi Yuan and the other three.

"Senior Lin Hai, you've finally arrived." Luo Yifei said with great surprise upon seeing Lin Hai.

"I heard some news on my way here; it seems the Path to Immortality hasn't opened yet," Lin Hai said.

“That’s right, just like what we found out last time we went to investigate, the tunnel just leads to another continent,” Qi Yuan said.

"There are rumors that these tunnels connect one continent after another, and at the end of the continent lies the Immortal Realm. All these tunnels together form the so-called Path to Immortality," Lin Hai said.

“But we didn’t find any tunnels leading to other worlds in the Hundred Thousand Mountains of the Xuan Tian Continent,” Luo Yifei said.

"Perhaps there is more than one entrance to the path to immortality. We will have to find another entrance when we reach the Xuan Tian Continent," Lin Hai guessed. "We can stay here for now and wait for the delegations from various countries to arrive. Perhaps we can get more information from them."

"That's the only way." Qi Yuan nodded in agreement.

For the next few days, they stayed at the Tongfu Inn. People came and went at the inn, and all sorts of news kept coming in.

It is said that the delegations from various countries came to Lanting County not only to discuss the path to immortality, but also because the Tang Kingdom wanted to become the ruler of the world.

"The Yan Kingdom has been gone for 26 years, and the position of the ruler of the world has been vacant for 26 years. Even if the Tang Kingdom becomes the ruler of the world, what good will it do? If it cannot effectively control other countries, this position of ruler of the world will only exist in name." People in the inn were discussing this.

"Hmph, that may be true, but the Tang Kingdom is at the height of its power, faintly resembling the former glory of the Yan Kingdom. In addition, with the assistance of Li Chao, the leader of the Tang Clan, it would be difficult for the Tang Kingdom not to become the ruler of the world," another person retorted.

"Master Li of the Tang Clan is indeed very talented, but don't forget, of the nine kingdoms in the world, apart from the Tang Kingdom, the other eight kingdoms are not to be trifled with either. How could they easily let the Tang Kingdom get what it wants?" someone else sighed.

……

Hearing these comments, Lin Hai and the others felt a pang of sadness.

The Floating Continent of today no longer possesses the grandeur of the Yan Kingdom's unification of the world. Instead, various nations maintain a balance of power, appearing harmonious on the surface but secretly scheming and plotting against each other.

Now that the rumors of the path to immortality have surfaced, the relationships between nations have become even more delicate.

Lin Hai and the others didn't participate much in the discussion; they simply listened quietly, gathering useful information from it.

A few days later, delegations from various countries arrived in Lanting County.

As the host, the Western Shu Kingdom was naturally the first to arrive. Following closely behind were the nine eastern kingdoms: Qi, Chu, Yan, Liao, Liang, Wu, Han, Zhao, and Tang.

The arrival of the delegations made Lanting County even more lively. The streets and alleys were filled with envoys and their entourages from various countries, riding tall horses or sitting in luxurious carriages, shuttling back and forth through the streets.

Lin Hai and his companions also saw these envoys at the entrance of Tongfu Inn. Each of them possessed an extraordinary bearing and exuded a powerful aura, clearly indicating that they were experts with considerable cultivation.

"It seems that many countries have sent a lot of experts this time," Lin Hai remarked.

“Yes, the allure of the path to immortality is too great; no one can resist it,” Qi Yuan said.

They stood at the entrance of the inn, looking at the bustling crowds and envoys from various countries on the street, and felt a surge of excitement.

"I've gathered some information," Qi Yuan said to the others upon returning to the inn.

Luo Yifei, Shen Lixi, Bi Li, Lin Hai, and Xiao Zixuan remained silent, watching Qi Yuan and waiting for him to continue.

"The mastermind behind Qi's attack was their chief scholar, Luo Feng. A few months ago, when Tang, Chu, and Wu attacked Qi, it was he who led the court officials to relocate the capital, thus preserving the Qi royal family. The Shu region is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and even the three kingdoms combined could not conquer it after a long siege. Qi's goal is only one thing—that Tang, Chu, and Wu return Qi's territory, in which case they will recognize Tang's status as the overlord of the world."

“This is of no benefit to Chu and Wu. Even if Tang agrees, how could Chu and Wu possibly agree?” Bi Li said.

"There's nothing we can do about it. Everyone knows that Chu and Wu are loyal allies of Tang. The reason they attacked Qi was entirely at Tang's behest. Now that Qi has made these demands, even if Chu and Wu don't want to agree, they have to act according to Tang's wishes," Qi Yuan explained.

"What about the Tang Kingdom? Will they agree?" Luo Yifei asked.

"I don't know. We'll only know once all the countries are at the negotiating table," Qi Yuan replied.

"Hmm, this negotiation is likely to be a fierce battle," Lin Hai remarked.

“Yes,” Qi Yuan said. “The envoy sent by Chu was their chief scholar, Ning Xia, who is the oldest official in Chu. Speaking of Chu, there is another strange thing. The Chu king’s personal bodyguard, Shadow, has been missing for half a year. The Chu king sent Dugu Xin, a descendant of a former Yan official, to look for him, but he has also disappeared.”

"Shadow? That man in black who's always been following Chu Jun?" Lin Hai asked in surprise.

“That’s right, it’s him.” Qi Yuan nodded. “Shadow is Chu Jun’s personal bodyguard, and his strength is unfathomable. It is said that he has already become a Grandmaster. He has always been loyal to Chu Jun and is one of Chu Jun’s most trusted people. However, half a year ago, he suddenly disappeared. Chu Jun sent out a large number of people to search for him, but they could not find any trace of him.”

"Shadow's strength is so great, how could it suddenly disappear?" Luo Yifei asked in confusion.

"Who knows?" Qi Yuan shook his head. "They might have encountered a Grandmaster. After all, only a Grandmaster can defeat a Grandmaster."

"The disappearance of Shadow is undoubtedly a huge loss for the Chu Kingdom," Lin Hai sighed.

“Yes, Shadow was Chu Jun’s right-hand man, and his disappearance has greatly weakened Chu Jun’s strength,” Qi Yuan said. “However, Chu Jun was not unprepared. He had already trained a new batch of guards to make up for the lack of quality with quantity.”

"What about the Kingdom of Wu?" Shen Lixi asked.

"The envoy from Wu was their Western Route Army general, Liu Changqing. The deputy envoy was Shi Chuan, a general under Mr. Ding's Shi family army," Qi Yuan said. "Wu's attitude this time was relatively neutral. They neither made any demands like Qi did, nor did they express their opinions as actively as Chu did. However, Wu is, after all, an ally of Tang, and their attitude is still very important to Tang."

"Qi Yuan, isn't Liu Changqing an old friend of yours?" Luo Yifei asked.

"Yes, it is indeed my old friend Liu Changqing," Qi Yuan nodded.

"Have you contacted him? Has he revealed Wu's attitude?" Lin Hai asked.

“No, this negotiation is of great importance, and the envoys of each country will not easily reveal their bottom line. Moreover, Liu Changqing is now a general of the Wu Kingdom’s western army, and his actions and words represent the attitude of the Wu Kingdom. He would not easily contact me,” Qi Yuan explained.

"It seems this negotiation really is a war without gunpowder," Shen Lixi sighed. "By the way, we encountered Ishikawa in the Black Forest more than a month ago. He was searching for the Sleepless Tribe to build a five-colored altar for them. But he failed."

Qi Yuan nodded. Luo Yifei had already told him about what happened in the Black Forest.

"They probably couldn't have gotten the method for building this five-colored altar from the Sleepless Clan. There are rumors that the few Sleepless Clan descendants they brought back committed suicide in prison," Qi Yuan said.

"Committed suicide?" Luo Yifei asked in surprise. "Then all their efforts were in vain?"