Yu Wenhua Ji wasn’t unable to accept the terms of borrowing for five years and repaying double.
It was just that in peacetime, it might have been fine.
But now, the Great Sima Nation was in dire straits.
They had already suffered heavy losses due to the epidemic poison, and the theft from the National Treasury was adding insult to injury.
He had absolutely no confidence that after the Demon Race declared an all-out war and they fought for five years straight, they could still afford to repay double the loan.
The amount he needed to borrow was no small sum—paying the army of cultivators cost money, replacing the standard-issue power-enhancing artifacts damaged in battle cost money, and the city-scale formation arts and immortal techniques required for large-scale attacks and defenses cost even more money.
Such an amount of money far exceeded the revenue the Great Sima Nation’s court could obtain in five years, and on top of that, they had to pay extra interest…
Where could they possibly conjure up that kind of money from?!
The only way to solve the problem was to find Blue Shadow.
But if Blue Shadow was that easy to find, he would have been dead long ago.
Yu Wenhua Ji’s expression turned ugly, and he felt like tearing his hair out.
He really wanted to borrow the money and then turn into a shameless scoundrel, never considering repayment again, letting the Nine Palaces Chamber of Commerce stew in their own juice…
But that wasn’t possible.
What was a little emperor like him? Daring to owe a debt to the Nine Palaces Chamber of Commerce? Was he tired of living?
The Dry Hall Master watched the changing expressions on Yu Wenhua Ji’s face and laughed heartily.
“I understand the Great Sima Nation’s situation far better than you do. Of course, I know you can’t repay it!”
Seeing the other party’s demeanor, Yu Wenhua Ji instead relaxed.
The Chamber of Commerce would never make a loss-making deal.
Since the other party was acting this way, they must have another plan, a way to ensure he could repay this debt.
“The root of the problem lies with Blue Shadow. If not for him, with the financial resources accumulated by the Great Sima Nation over many years, crushing a mere Demon Race would have been a breeze, wouldn’t it?” The Dry Hall Master stroked his beard.
“So, as long as you can recover that National Treasury deposit, all problems will naturally be solved!”
Hearing this, Yu Wenhua Ji smiled bitterly.
“Sir, you don’t know. That Blue Shadow is elusive and mysterious, proficient in disguise techniques and stealth arts. He can be said to appear and disappear like a ghost!” Yu Wenhua Ji said helplessly.
“Wanting to catch him, how could it be so easy?”
“Hahahaha,” the Dry Hall Master laughed again. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.
“But… what if you knew Blue Shadow’s true identity?”
Yu Wenhua Ji sucked in a sharp breath. “Sir, please speak.”
“During the Shenzhou Cup finals, the arena was noisy, the battle situation was urgent, making it hard for people to notice the conversations happening on the field,” the Dry Hall Master’s face showed a trace of pride.
“However, although Shi Yue regrettably lost on the field, before his death, he left us crucial information—Blue Shadow’s identity.”
Yu Wenhua Ji suddenly clenched his fist, hatred and anger instantly climbing up the back of his head.
Back when he heard someone had heavily purchased five grade-eight artifacts, he had already suspected something and ordered a secret investigation.
Money doesn’t fall from the sky, and there aren’t any aliens with nothing better to do coming down to play the big spender.
So, the only possible source of that money—was the Great Sima Nation’s National Treasury!
Later, when the grade-eight artifacts appeared in the hands of the Bagpipe Squad members, he guessed that the Bagpipe Squad was eighty percent likely to have a close connection with Blue Shadow.
He had originally planned to send the Shadow Guards to arrest everyone related to the Bagpipe Squad as soon as the competition ended, subjecting them to severe torture for investigation!
Unfortunately, Jie Shui, Gan RuÇŽnruÇŽn, and A Miao all died in that battle, causing him to lose the easiest targets to capture…
The remaining Si Lian, Qing Yi, and Qiao Xiaoxian were all tough nuts to crack.
Those three… they should be glad they died. Otherwise, he would absolutely have made them experience a fate worse than death!
Fortunately, there was still Lin Gang. He had already sent Shadow Guards to capture him.
Whether it was using his life as a threat or interrogating him for information… capturing him couldn’t go wrong! So, this time, he had dispatched quite a few people, aiming for absolute certainty!
“Then dare I ask, Blue Shadow’s true identity is…” Yu Wenhua Ji swallowed his saliva, looking expectantly at the Dry Hall Master.
“This requires a separate price. If you can recover that money, the debt you need to borrow will be much less. For the Nine Palaces Chamber of Commerce, that would be a loss.” The Dry Hall Master said unhurriedly.
Yu Wenhua Ji cursed this old thing for being truly shameless in his heart.
He would bet that if the other party truly knew Blue Shadow’s whereabouts, they would have absolutely already sent the Nine Palaces Chamber of Commerce’s experts to surround and capture Blue Shadow! If there was a chance to recover the National Treasury funds, would these misers of the Nine Palaces Chamber of Commerce yield it to him? Ridiculous! They would one hundred percent intercept it!
Therefore, the other party must have learned Blue Shadow’s identity but couldn’t find his whereabouts for the moment, thinking to take the opportunity to extort him.
First, to pluck some feathers from the goose and earn a little sweetener.
Second, to have him mobilize manpower to help search for Blue Shadow.
If Blue Shadow appeared, the Nine Palaces Chamber of Commerce would absolutely send a large force to intercept and compete with him for the money!
But, even knowing it was a big pit ahead, Yu Wenhua Ji couldn’t refuse this condition.
The temptation of that money was too great.
Finding it meant finding everything he had lost.
Even if it was just a chance, he had to gamble!
“Whatever the conditions are, sir, please state them freely.”
The Dry Hall Master nodded and leisurely spoke. “I want the Imperial Seal.”
“Pfft—”
Yu Wenhua Ji almost spat out water. Luckily, he didn’t have tea in his mouth.
“Don’t worry, the Chamber of Commerce isn’t interested in your emperor position. Being a simple, unadorned wealthy gentleman is far more carefree than being an emperor,” the Dry Hall Master smiled.
“This seal, I’m just borrowing it from you for a while… I’ll return it after use. Perhaps, I might even return a few pretty little cauldrons to you along the way.”
Yu Wenhua Ji was slightly taken aback.
“You mean…”
“In my view, losing the National Treasury is a minor matter,” the Dry Hall Master’s expression suddenly turned extremely serious.
“But losing the Shenzhou Tripod—that could shake the very fortune of Shenzhou!”
Yu Wenhua Ji showed a look of shame.
The Shenzhou Tripod was lost from his hands.
How could he have known Prince Hao of Qin was a fake and still confidently placed the Shenzhou Tripod in his care?
Fortunately, the Imperial Seal was still in his possession.
“The First Emperor’s iron hooves once trampled across eight provinces, commanding the awe of ghosts and gods. His greatest regret in life was failing to gather the eight cauldrons apart from the Underworld Province Cauldron, to unify the eight provinces… And the Imperial Seal is the divine artifact the First Emperor created to search for the Nine Cauldrons.”
The Dry Hall Master patiently explained. “Although the casting failed, the Imperial Seal only reacts to the Shenzhou Tripod and the Lingzhou Tripod, and it only reacts when used nearby… But it’s enough to search for the Shenzhou Tripod.”
Yu Wenhua Ji was somewhat reluctant.
He still needed this to find Blue Shadow.
Lending the Imperial Seal to the other party increased the probability of them finding Blue Shadow first. By then, he might not even get a sip of the soup.
“Then, we’ll have to see if your information is worth that price.” Yu Wenhua Ji said, weighing his words.
“Blue Shadow’s name is Qiao Xiaoxian. Born in the Northern Beijia Demon Kingdom, Dragon Clan Saintess. Graduated from the Realm of Novice Cultivator at age six. Graduated from the Realm of No Regret at age nine. Graduated from the Realm of Returning to Truth and advanced to Honored One at age twelve. Reached the peak of Honored One at age fifteen. Because her advancement was too fast and her physical development didn’t keep up, she spent the following time solidifying her foundation and honing her combat skills.”
“At age nineteen, she underwent a super heavenly tribulation of one hundred times the normal strength. She had already successfully passed the tribulation but was restricted by the Celestial Rules, causing her cultivation base to return to zero… If not for the Celestial Rules, she would have been an outrageous existence whose talent left State Preceptor Yu Wen in the dust.”
“Number One Assassin of the Assassins Guild! Executed over five hundred super-grade-A missions, zero failures. Assassinated fifteen monarchs, twenty-five Honored Ones. Single-handedly caused the number of Shenzhou’s Honored Ones to plummet off a cliff, tripling the speed of dynastic changes. Because she liked the infiltration method of ‘if you kill all the guards, you won’t be discovered,’ she turned the profession of monarch bodyguards and imperial guards of our race into ultra-high-risk occupations, with salaries increasing fiftyfold.”
“An all-around cultivator. Her research into close combat, spell combat, artifact control arts, formation arts, and poison techniques has all reached the pinnacle. How high exactly is hard to judge because everyone who faced her died.”
“Naturally blue hair, peerlessly beautiful appearance, suspected to have perfectly inherited the Dragon Ancestor’s bloodline and mutated to become even more exceptional.”
“Fortunately, a year ago, she was ostracized by the Demon Kingdom’s monarch, sent out to die, forced to undergo the tribulation and perish. Simultaneously encountered the Fox Demon prodigy Jiang Ke’er, then mysteriously vanished without a trace until today.”
“In one year, her cultivation base returned to the peak of the Six Harmonies Realm. Although having been an Honored One made cultivation much easier… it’s still utterly terrifying. I’m afraid her talent has improved considerably, and after re-cultivating, her foundation is even more solid and powerful! Last appeared at the Shenzhou Cup finals arena. Should currently be at the Demon Race’s old haunt, Jiangdu City, recuperating from injuries.”
Yu Wenhua Ji’s mouth hung open in shock.
He had indeed heard the story of the Dragon Clan prodigy from Beiju Luzhou. At the time, the Human Clan had dispatched many assassins, causing heavy losses to the Dragon Clan and forcing her to hide alone in the Ancient Scholarly Realm at a young age.
He never expected she was Blue Shadow.
Moreover, undergoing a tribulation at nineteen was already freakish enough, but the strength was one hundred times… What kind of monstrous resume was this?!
The Dry Hall Master picked up his teacup lid and gently blew on the tea. “How is this information?”
“Worth it!”
Yu Wenhua Ji readily took out the Imperial Seal from his storage bag.
A warm, white, lustrous glow instantly filled the guest room.
“Rest assured, we want this seal merely because we fear Blue Shadow might have already handed the Shenzhou Tripod to someone else, making recovery difficult,” the Dry Hall Master smiled slightly, casually taking the seal. “Now that Blue Shadow’s identity is revealed, as long as we lie in wait at the Northern Beijia Demon Kingdom, catching her is just a matter of time.”
“Thank you for your guidance, sir!” Yu Wenhua Ji respectfully cupped his fists.
“You can set your mind at ease. Once we find the Shenzhou Tripod, we’ll return it to you immediately.” The Dry Hall Master waved his hand.
“Then I’ll trouble you to take good care of it! The seal absolutely cannot be lost again. If it’s lost again, there will truly be a disaster!” Yu Wenhua Ji reluctantly tore his gaze away from the jade.
“Don’t worry. This seal will be temporarily stored in the Supreme Treasure Vault. When we have a lead, this old man will personally take it out for use.”
“The Supreme Treasure Vault,” Yu Wenhua Ji finally felt the stone in his heart drop and laughed. “To be able to enter the Nine Palaces Chamber of Commerce’s Supreme Treasure Vault is probably an honor for this seal as well! Thank you, sir!”
“No need for thanks.” The Dry Hall Master waved his hand.
“Hall Master! Hall Master!”
Outside the door, a disciple’s urgent voice made the Dry Hall Master frown.
Whenever a disciple knocked urgently, he feared it was bad news. Or rather, it was eighty percent likely to be bad news… Otherwise, why would they be in a hurry?
“What’s gone wrong?”
“Ah?” The disciple was taken aback. “Nothing’s wrong! It’s just that a distinguished guest has arrived outside! Says they want to buy a big item from the Supreme Treasure Vault!”
“A big item?”
Hearing that business had come knocking, the Dry Hall Master’s eyes lit up.
“I’ll take this seal to the Supreme Treasure Vault first. Tell the guest to be patient, I’ll go personally receive them right away!”
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