Kays Translations

Chapter 80: Negotiations should be conducted in this way

That evening, Li Xian presented the remaining spiritual mushrooms to his wife as if offering a treasure. “Qingqing, I’ve heard that spiritual mushrooms have beauty benefits.”

“Are you saying I’m not pretty right now?” Xia Qingqing, still dressed simply, perhaps out of habit, responded.

Li Xian felt a black line of sweat on his forehead; he knew this topic was not one to argue about. “I just love you so much that I don’t know how to express it.”

“You’re off the hook this time,” Xia Qingqing finally accepted the spiritual mushrooms with a smile.

Li Xian gently embraced Xia Qingqing, savoring the rare moment of tranquility.

The next day, Li Xian was busy distributing rewards and military pay to the soldiers, which was met with cheers. At this point, Li Xian had truly secured the loyalty of the thirty thousand soldiers. However, the current thirty thousand soldiers were just a nominal number, as several thousand casualties needed to be replenished. This task would naturally fall to Beichen Yuqing.

Afterward, Li Xian began preparing for the upcoming negotiations.

“Young Master, I’ll go to the Cai Kingdom,” Xu Ren volunteered.

Li Xian shook his head. “Negotiations shouldn’t be approached this way; it’s too passive.”

“Then what should we do?” Xu Ren didn’t quite understand; what strange idea did the Young Master have this time?

Li Xian certainly had a good idea. He called over Liu Leigang. “How many motorcycles do we have now?”

“We’ve increased to thirty vehicles!” Liu Leigang said excitedly.

“Send them all out to the front lines of the Cai Kingdom to greet their soldiers. You know how to fight, right?” 

Liu Leigang was thrilled. “Rest assured, Young Master, I know what to do!”

Li Xian immediately turned serious. “Then go ahead; don’t worry about the ammunition, use it freely. Just be careful.”

“Yes.”

Half an hour later, thirty three-wheeled motorcycles roared onto the road, a sight that made other armies envious. Wang Jian proactively suggested, “Young Master, we can also do this! We can set an ambush along the way. If Cai Kingdom soldiers chase after us, we can launch a surprise attack.”

Li Xian kicked Wang Jian away. “Go guard the pass! What if the troops from the Cai Kingdom come pressing down? Also, hurry and enter closed-door training. Once you reach the Golden Core stage, I’ll let you go out!”

“Really? It’s a deal!” Wang Yong said with a chuckle as he ran out.

Seeing this, Xu Ren laughed heartily. “Congratulations, Young Master! You’ve truly taken control of An Yang now.”

“It’s all thanks to your help. Without your assistance, even if Li Xian could reach this height, it would take several more years, and the process would be much more tortuous,” Li Xian replied.

Xu Ren was a clever man and knew when to clarify matters. “Young Master, do you know the difference between the method of entering the world and the method of leaving the world?”

“Isn’t the method of leaving the world just the old cultivation methods? It emphasizes seclusion, self-cultivation, and a pure heart, all in pursuit of ascension. The method of entering the world is a more recent approach, focusing on cultivating amidst the worldly chaos,” Li Xian explained.

“It’s more than that.” Xu Ren looked toward the distant green mountains. “Many people don’t realize that the reason cultivation techniques are so widespread today is because of those of us who practice the method of entering the world. Of course, that was a long time ago. We spread all the techniques so that everyone could cultivate; and with everyone cultivating, resources would be consumed in large quantities.”

“In just ten thousand years, all the resources in the immortal realm would be exhausted,” Xu Ren continued.

“Why?” Li Xian felt a sense of dread. What were these people trying to do?

“Of course, to cultivate!” Xu Ren’s expression grew serious. “There’s a saying: ‘One’s life, two’s fortune, three’s cultivation.’ 

One’s life refers to fate, how one is born. For example, Young Master, you have the Northern Dipper Nine Stars fate.

Two’s fortune refers to one’s luck, including merit and fortune.

Three’s cultivation, naturally, refers to cultivation.

Among these, fate is the hardest to change, and cultivation is the easiest. Fortune lies in between.

For cultivation, an individual can succeed on their own. This is the foundation of the many sects. When resources in the immortal realm are abundant, personal cultivation is the easiest way to attain immortality.

However, when the resources of heaven and earth are completely consumed, the only choice left for cultivators is to cultivate fortune.

But cultivating fortune requires a large power base; thus, nations began to rise.

Of course, while fortune cannot be seen or touched, those who follow the path of fortune find it easier to cultivate and break through. Fortune can substitute for innate talent or rare treasures. Furthermore, fortune exists within every individual.

The power of a nation is to gather the fortune of its people to provide for the officials and even the rulers’ cultivation; thus, a centralized power structure is formed. Just look at the emperors of various nations; even those with the worst qualifications can still reach the Golden Core stage. Even the emperor of the Great Xia, who is so carefree and practically lacks any qualifications, can become a Golden Core expert.”

Li Xian mulled over these words for a long time. “But what does this have to do with the method of entering the world?”

Xu Ren chuckled, “Traditional cultivation emphasizes a clear mind and desires, staying away from the worldly affairs, and severing all karmic ties. However, to harness the fortune of the world, one must enter the mundane, which is to enter the world; first entering the world, then leaving it. In this process of entering and leaving, one absorbs fortune and promotes their cultivation.

But human desires are endless. Once the door to desire is opened, it leads to an endless descent into depravity. Therefore, behind the establishment of every nation, amidst the splendor, lies a multitude of sins.

These sins need someone to bear them! Naturally, the most suitable bearers of these sins are the emperors! The sins and responsibilities that come with being an emperor mean they can never truly ‘leave the world’ and are always entangled in the karmic affairs of the mundane.

Thus, on one hand, the emperor bears unparalleled glory, while on the other, they carry boundless sins and responsibilities; therefore, emperors can never ascend. But emperors can enjoy all the riches and honors of the world, which is a form of alternate success.

After filtering through the emperor’s experience, what remains is a small amount of pure fortune, which is what we strategists need. Although this fortune may be scant, it poses no future troubles; over time, it is enough for us to ascend in broad daylight.”

“Now I understand!” Li Xian finally felt relieved. “Is it common for those who follow the method of entering the world to ascend?”

“Very rare!” Xu Ren’s expression turned somewhat sentimental. “As a strategist, who can claim they’ve never done anything morally questionable? Who hasn’t plotted evil? In this world, there’s no such thing as perfection.”

Just as Li Xian was about to agree, his expression suddenly changed. “There is! How can there not be? In my eyes, Xia Qingqing is flawless.”

Xu Ren’s expression darkened.

A light laugh came from the doorway as Xia Qingqing walked in, her face beaming with joy. “Husband, is the school going to move to Anyang City? Although Qingyun Valley is nice, it’s not conducive to the children’s growth.”

“Oh no, I forgot about that! The name of the school is too old-fashioned; let’s change it to ‘Hope Star School.’ The school needs to be spacious and bright, using only the best materials.

Let Xiang Yun from the concrete factory handle the construction. Tell him to build the school using reinforced concrete, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and stainless steel railings. The school building should be at least five stories high. I want to make the school a landmark building for us.”

Li Xian’s impulsive decision sparked a series of complaints.

Xiang Yun was the first to come over and complain, “Young master, the concrete factory isn’t even finished yet.”

Next, Song Gang from the smelting division also voiced his grievances, “Young master, the tridents for the Sea Clan aren’t completed yet, and there’s a shortage of stainless steel.”

Li Xian was quite distressed: “Everything is hard at the beginning! Let’s temporarily use magic to build a school and move the students over first.”

This time, Liu Bin from the machinery division came to complain again, “Young master, many of the school’s teachers are excellent workers from the machinery division, and even researchers who are working part-time. We welcome the relocation, but these people can’t leave!”

Then, Tang Rong from the research department also complained, “Young master, we can’t make decisions on a whim; many of the research staff are also part-time teachers, and they can’t leave either.”

Li Xian was furious: “Why are there so many problems? Split them up! Directly split some of the research staff to focus solely on teaching while allowing them to conduct theoretical research part-time.”

From then on, the research staff under Li Xian began to divide into two groups: theoretical research and production research.

Tang Rong came not only to complain but also to take away all the war artifacts they had obtained for further research.

While Li Xian was entangled in a myriad of issues, the situation on Cai Guo’s side was also becoming increasingly dire.

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