The Celestial Pivot Headquarters.
As the base of the most important cultivator organization in Fengshan, this place was at the very center of Changping Prefecture, commanding the best location and built in a most luxurious style. Even the magistrate's hall and mansion could not compare.
It was early evening, and the headquarters were brightly lit and brimming with music and laughter.
A banquet was being held in the main reception hall, several dozen servants serving various kinds of delicacies.
The guest of honor at this banquet was Tang Jie, of course.
With the arrival of Weng Tongrang's group, the matter of the Bai Estate was basically settled. Tang Jie got what he wanted, so he naturally knew what was good for him and yielded. But Weng Tongrang clearly didn't intend to let this sort of powerhouse just leave, and invited him to a feast. To show his respect, Tang Jie had no choice but to attend.
Seated as the guest of honor, Tang Jie was diligently toasted by Weng Tongrang and a host of other dignitaries.
Weng Tongrang's butt basically didn't touch his seat, so frequently was he standing up to offer toasts and explain various delicacies.
"Braised Phoenix Raccoon Heart, made from the heart of the Phoenix Racoons that live on Mount Wu, and they have to be under two years old. It's incredibly tender and one of the finest tastes in the world. Sir Tang, you must try it out."
Tang Jie extended his chopsticks and grabbed some. After tasting it, he nodded and said, "It truly is a mortal delicacy."
Everyone was relieved to see that he had voiced his approval. One general with sharp eyes was even ready to order his men to make some more Phoenix Raccoon Heart to send over. But to their surprise, after making this comment, Tang Jie put down his chopsticks and stopped eating.
The General Officer of Changping, Wei Yuanzhen, asked in confusion, "Sir, why have you stopped eating? Have we been impolite?"
Tang Jie shook his head. He looked over at Yiyi, who was happily eating away.
"Is it good?" he asked Yiyi.
Yiyi nodded vigorously.
Tang Jie gently said, "If it's good, then you should eat less."
Everyone froze, even Yiyi.
Yu Renjie asked in confusion, "Sir, what do you mean?"
After some thought, Tang Jie replied, "One who drowns himself in pleasures loses their sense of purpose. As a cultivator, my ambition is upon the Immortal path, and I have no other desires besides the Dao. Food, sex, authority, the wonders of the mortal world… The more dazzling and beautiful they are, the more they eat away at the will. If I wish to advance on the path, I feel that I should distance myself from such things. For this reason, the more exquisite the food, the less I should eat of it. The more enchanting the woman, the more respectful and distant I should be from them…"
As he spoke, he looked at the pretty maid who was constantly casting seductive looks at him.
The maid paled and retreated several steps.
Weng Tongrang and the other officials also paled, shocked at the strength of this person's focus and resolve.
Tang Jie wasn't finished, adding, "Of course, there's also that mortal authority. If I can go without, it would be better for me to not have it."
Weng Tongrang and his colleagues grimaced, surprised that Tang Jie had already seen through their objective.
Yes, Weng Tongrang was trying to recruit Tang Jie into becoming an official.
When facing a powerful enemy, the best method wasn't to defeat him, but to recruit him.
Almost all officials were well-versed in these methods, and they had done everything they could to try and recruit Tang Jie. After the incident, Weng Tongrang had sent a message via long-distance talisman to the capital of Fengshan, and the edict he received was to recruit him at any cost, even if it meant granting him an official post, rich rewards, estates, and so on.
But they hadn't expected Tang Jie to see through them at a glance, and their mouths ran dry of words.
For almost ten thousand years now, the Rosecloud Domain had held to the principle that Immortals and mortals should not mix, that mortals should handle mortal affairs. All cultivators needed to do was receive tribute, adjust the weather, and peacefully cultivate, and there was good reason for this.
One of the important reasons was to avoid being stained by too much of that mortal and secular air, particularly the air of officialdom.
Authority could erode the will far more easily than beauty or food.
Officialdom emphasized politics and smooth-talking, carefully observing the situation and weighing one's words, analyzing the thoughts of one's superiors and acting cautiously.
The path of the cultivator emphasized a tough resolve, courageous advance, dauntless will, and fearlessly pressing forward no matter the opposition.
The two fundamentally conflicted.
This was why the six major sects of the Rosecloud Domain, despite being able to stand at the apex of the world through their heavenly powers, insisted on being aloof from mortal dust. They feared that the dust of mortality would stain their souls. Although some politicking and scheming was inevitable wherever there were people, overall, because there were fewer of them, there were fewer problems, and because everyone was focused on cultivating, there was also less socializing.
In contrast, these people were both cultivators and officials, yet their meek and roundabout methods were devoid of a cultivator's daring.
From a more distant perspective, the decline of humanity and the rise of fiends in the Verdant Cloud Domain were probably because cultivators had inserted themselves into the government. If cultivators were officials, what time and energy did they have to be cultivators? It ground away at both their wills and their actual strength.
But Tang Jie didn't continue his lecture, only giving everyone a small reminder. In truth, it wasn't like they didn't understand this, but to go from thrift to luxury was easy whereas going from luxury to thrift was hard. Having these people give up on the wonderful lives they were used to wasn't very possible.
The officials all blushed in shame at Tang Jie's words.
Weng Tongrang stood up and brought his hands together. "Sir diligently cultivates, earnestly seeking self-improvement, and we are ashamed to admit our inferiority. But the fiends are powerful and humanity is in peril. If we do not unite to resist the fiends, humanity will eventually be annihilated."
He spoke with absolute sincerity and frankness.
Tang Jie had heard a little about these generals before coming, and he knew that while they had quite a few problems, they were generally quite dutiful, having fought against the fiends several times on the battlefield. Although they had no achievements to their name, they had still done their best.
Tang Jie replied, "One does not need to be part of the government or army to work for the sake of humanity."
Zou Yuanye said, "Civilian cultivators are like loose grains of sand, difficult to make use of. Sir is a great talent, so remaining a civilian would be a great waste."
Unexpectedly, Tang Jie didn't deny this, nodding and saying, "That's true."
Everyone was delighted, believing that Tang Jie had changed his mind.
But Tang Jie then shook his head. "But I am used to going alone, and I have no desire to be stained by mortal dust. Let us do this. If the fiends attack, you can come and find me, but if there's nothing, don't bother me."
"What of the matter of reward?" Shen Peng asked.
Tang Jie replied, "That depends on what I need to do. It'll be negotiated. But you may relax. As the fate of the human race is on the line, I won't charge too high of a price, as long as all the spoils of war go to me."
Tang Jie's words put his status squarely as that of a mercenary, which was ideal for him. After all, while he could go without authority, he always needed resources.
"Of course!" everyone agreed.
While they had failed to recruit Tang Jie as an official, at least they had Tang Jie standing on the side of the human race, going in the same direction. And they were also relieved to hear that Tang Jie wouldn't charge too high a price if the fate of the human race was on the line. As a fellow human, Tang Jie would definitely live up to this promise.
With their worries alleviated, everyone relaxed and stopped being so careful.
Drunk on alcohol, Provincial Supervisor Zou Yuanye said, "Right, Sir said that you wouldn't charge too high of a price if the fate of humanity was on the line. Doesn't that mean that if it's not something like the fate of humanity but a more personal affair, we can also ask for Sir's help?"
Tang Jie smiled and replied, "Of course. So long as it isn't something outrageous and tyrannical, you may come and find me. The price will depend on what's being asked, but it won't be cheap."
"Of course, of course!" Everyone smiled, countless ideas popping up in their minds.
It sounded like Tang Jie was still willing to talk so long as money was involved, and they might even command him to do their own missions. If this was really the case, things would get a lot easier starting from today.
It was just that they didn't know the price.
Yu Renjie asked, "How will Sir determine the price?"
After some thought, Tang Jie replied, "That depends on the strength of the opponent. Right, how much is your monthly salary?"
Wei Yuanzhen replied, "We are paid three thousand spirit coins monthly while General Weng gets five thousand. In battle, we will also receive additional rewards according to our achievements."
They didn't have high salaries, just like how officials normally didn't rely on their pay to make a living.
Tang Jie didn't mind. After thinking it over, he said, "Then I will set the standard at ten times the monthly pay. One Spirit Ring for thirty thousand spirit coins, one Heart Demon for fifty thousand, one Soul Transformation for one hundred thousand, and I won't take jobs for anyone higher than that. This is the private price. If it's in battle against the fiends, the price can be a little cheaper, using five times the monthly pay as the standard. Of course, unless there is a specific request, all of the spoils will be mine. Everything else will depend on the situation."
Everyone grew excited over these words.
It was neither too expensive nor too cheap.
It had to be understood that Fengshan wasn't devoid of powerhouses like Tang Jie, but few of them were willing to sell their services for cash. They were all supported by officials and spent all day cultivating, not appearing unless humanity was in peril. And even then, they demanded astronomical prices just to intervene on the occasion, not even considering the usual upkeep.
In comparison, Tang Jie was basically giving his services away!
They didn't know that this was because Tang Jie's cultivation method was different, only requiring resources and not time.
For those other powerhouses, time was a resource, and they spent every day seeking to advance on the Immortal path. And sometimes, they just so happened to be in the middle of seclusion when some incident or another forced them to come out. The loss from this would be immense, so it naturally required astronomical compensation.
Tang Jie didn't have these worries. Daily cultivation brought him little progress, and all he needed was resources. His original plan was to go raiding for resources, or else he wouldn't have gone off and massacred Hundred Battle City.
If he could grab a mission that gave him some extra cash, why wouldn't he take it?
Finally, other powerhouses were just one person. Regardless of the mission, they would be going with their one body and all of its power, so they were not liable to lower their prices depending on difficulty. Tang Jie was different. He had an avatar, the ghost guard, Yiyi, Tutu, and even the bean soldiers. His ability to portion out his combat power allowed him to charge lower prices and also take on more missions.
In this way, he could increase his sources of revenue and grow stronger.
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