Beggar Gan shifted around in his robe with discomfort. His knees clattering against his desk and his hands constrained by the pile of papers and ink.
His nostrils flared as he barely held himself back from flipping his table over. He looked over to Wuque, the mysterious cultivator who saved him from Tong Xuan.
"Can I get an assistant? I had to let go of Lan because of the constraints."
Wuque, unbothered by Gan's grumbling, nodded at him while sipping his tea. "Get whatever you want, just don't miss the quota."
Gan scratched his chin. The sensation was unfamiliar now that he was cleanly shaven. "Do I need to work as a merchant just to collect some slaves? I could get as many as you want while working as a beggar."
An echo ran through the table's hollow base as Wuque set his cup down.
"More is better, Gan. A single black organisation, like the coalition, wasn't worth confronting the Blade Master sect."
Gan massaged his temples; his eyes sharpened as he looked towards Wuque.
"You want me to set up multiple of them under the mercantile's umbrella? Is there a total in mind? Are you looking for a bloodline, or is it just business?"
A smile appeared on Wuque's face. He set his cup down and reached for his pocket, from which he pulled out a seal.
"Not a total, but a minimum. The more you bring, the better the rewards." The seal rolled over the table, halting as it bumped against Gan's fingers.
"The Setting Sun mercantile and all its resources are at your control. As for the extent of your methods, try to achieve this number in the next five years, without ruffling too many feathers."
Wuque leant over and took a sheet of paper and a quill. Grainy scribbles came to a stop as he folded the sheet, handing it over to Gan.
As Gan unfolded the sheet and read, his eyes widened. He peeked over the sheet and looked at Wuque.
"Why fold the sheet and write the number out in words? You could've just told me directly?"
At this response Wuque giggled.
"I did it for dramatic effect!"
Rubbery squeaks sounded as Gan rubbed his bald head. "Uhh… With the number you're asking for, dramatic effect isn't necessary. What could you even use so many—"
Gan cleared his throat and set the paper down.
"Forget it. I don't think anything good will come from knowing."
Wuque clapped enthusiastically. "Smart move. I would've taken away a few of your fingers if you asked. Nonetheless, can you do it?"
An exasperated sigh filled the room. Gan slumped back into his chair. "There are no laws against slavery in this empire, and the mercantile has branches across five domains."
A cold gleam settled over his eyes. His lips stretched to the corners of his eyes.
"Of course, I can do it."
Wuque rubbed at his arms; a tremor ran through his body. "That was top-tier Beggar Gan! I even got chills. Even though Ling Tai was no good at fighting, she always had a good eye for people. With you at our side I feel confident that we can reach our targets."
While Gan smiled shamelessly at his praise, Wuque whistled, calling for an attendant to enter the office.
The heavy mahogany doors to the office creaked open, and a young woman walked into the room. Wuque got off his chair and walked over to the exit; he faced Gan while patting the young woman's back.
"This one will be your attendant from now on. Anything you need to tell me, tell her. Anyways, I'll take my leave now."
His figure burst into a dark smoke. As the screen of black faded, he was nowhere to be seen.
The woman walked over and bowed to Gan.
However, he was far too enamoured to receive her greetings properly. His eyes fixed to where she stood, "Master Wuque has a flair for magic," he murmured.
The young woman looked towards Gan attentively, awaiting his orders.
He shook his head as he realised that she was waiting for him to speak. The feet of his chair bit into the hardwood floors as he rested his legs over the table.
Piles of sheets and bottles of ink fell to the ground. "Young lady, how many gambling dens and brothels are we partnered with? And what is your name?"
The woman nodded and walked over to the desk. "I'm called Ling. As for your question, we deal only in slaves and don't back any auxiliary businesses."
Gan tutted at this response. He bent over and took off his shoes. Ling recoiled; the odour stung her nose.
"Little Ling, gambling dens and brothels are prime spots to earn passive slaves. Connect with as many as possible. And now that I'm not a beggar, I will take the leap."
Ling, still reeling from the repulsive odour, strained herself trying to look at Gan. "What do you need me to do, sir?"
Gan took a deep breath and set his legs down. "Find me a place to take a bath and get me a new pair of shoes. I haven't changed them since I stole them from that noisy bugger," He spoke while gazing at the setting sun.
***
Far to the north, at the highest peak in the Greater Heavens, stood a bamboo grove. The horizon, lying upon the clouds, was only half the mountain's height.
Above the shimmer of the same setting sun, trillions of images flashed through the air, spiralling around Long Tian. His qi surged through his middle dantian as he observed the events in each projection.
"Hmmm…"
A clap shook the air; all the images collapsed into a single point of compressed qi and intent. He walked over to a throne made out of bamboo sticks and took a seat. His eyes never left the point of causality he just observed.
"It's too slow. I can't make him fight Gan yet. Grandfather will take another year to arrive; without him, Wuque will intervene."
With a single bored motion of his hand, the point dissipated into a long stream, flowing back to the heavens.
The sound of slow gnawing reached his ears. He looked down to see a panda cub chewing on his throne.
With one swift motion, he uprooted a bamboo tree with Void Telekinesis and pried the cub away from his seat.
The cub plopped onto his lap and chewed on a piece of bamboo that Long Tian had cut to size for him.
Vast Heavens leaned into his chair while petting the cub. "Longwang will also be in seclusion for the next few years. Ahh… Vera, why is it so hard to fix a fight for you? Jin is too far out of your league; Gan is protected."
He turned the cub around to face him.
"Tell me, young one. Should I just let him be for a while?"
However, the cub only stared at him while munching on the bamboo. Long Tian shook his head dismissively.
"You will never conquer the heavens if you sit around eating all day!"
He set the cub down and pointed at a thick, deeply rooted tree. "Go practise your martial arts on that."
The cub crawled over to the tree Long Tian pointed at with a dazed expression and started striking at it.
The chair creaked as he got up from it. "Well, Uncle Tao must have reached father's domain to inform him of the Yaoguai's interference. I should drop in and see what he has to say."
Just as he was about to leave the forest, he looked at two adult pandas lying on the floor listlessly, chewing on their own paws.
"Make a better chair for me next time! That will be the cost for your child to receive my continued teachings."
As he shot into the air, disappearing from the forest in an instant, the listless pandas got up and walked over to his throne. The two of them nudged at the chair, trying to find out why it was creaking.
Unable to resist or realise the right of an Immortal, they acted beyond nature's intent.
***
At the peak of the Divine Sage's Mountain, Ezra and Bao sat side by side.
Bao peered over, staring down the mountain's edge. He barely stifled his laughter as he watched three men climb the mountain unendingly.
"Old Scholar, how much longer are you going to make them climb for?"
Ezra looked down while chewing on a reed. "I let that brat, Vera, climb for about two months. Fortunately for these boys, their fundamentals aren't as bad as Vera's were. Except the blue one. I think another month will do."
Bao took a sip of the liquor Ezra offered him. He gazed at the scenery of the Demon Continent with nostalgia.
"I hope the young ones can hang on until Renta matures."
Ezra walked away from the mountain's edge. Qi exuded from his flesh as he manifested the Immortal painting.
The door to his study appeared over the peak, obscuring the morning sun. "You're three hundred years young; don't be bogged down by such petty matters."
He shook his head, gesturing for Bao to follow along. After taking one last swig, Bao set his cup down and followed Ezra to his study.
As they passed the doors, the biting cold of the peak was replaced with the warmth of firewood.
The scent of roasting hickory filled the room. The two of them took a seat on the cashmere-lined sofa, beside the fireplace. A token apparated in front of Bao; it let out a dull tap as it fell to his lap.
"Is this what I think it is?"
Bao's massive fingers held the token up gently; dense strands of manifested qi wafted around its surface.
Ezra levitated over a bottle of his prized cardamom-steeped Whisky
"Don't worry about the village after you reach the Greater Heavens. If there is a beast willing to approach even after sensing my presence, there isn't anything you could do about it, even if you were there."
Bao bowed his head to Ezra, expressing his gratitude. Almost bashfully, Ezra nodded, accepting his thanks.
The two continued to drink, talking about their old days. From the day Ezra tested Dao Tian himself to the days when Bao had just become the Zhuyan. Soon came the matter of Ezra's ascension.
Bao set his cup aside and spoke with a serious tone.
"Old Scholar, did you find anything about the beast from the other side? "
At this question Ezra's gaze sharpened. His qi surged as he layered his mansion with barriers.
"Bao, since we're old friends, I'm willing to tell you. But remember, no matter what, unless you're hidden from the heavens, do not speak of what I'm telling you to anyone."
As Bao nodded, accepting his conditions, Ezra turned to the table by his bookshelf. Two objects clattered around in his desk drawer. A low screech permeated the air as the drawer opened; the two objects flew from the table over to Ezra.
Ezra's hoof pointed at the objects. His usual bleat-like voice ran low. "Bao, can you tell me what the differences between these two items are? "
A thin veil of qi extended from Bao's body, encapsulating the objects.
"One seems to be from our land, made purely of Yang; the other seems to be from the Greater Heavens, made of Ten-Element-Cycles."
The object made with pure Yang qi drifted closer to Bao. Ezra's qi turned to the shape of a needle. A shrill whistle permeated the room as the needle embedded itself into the object, shattering it into dust.
"As you know, on its own, Yang qi cannot hold a stable form. With that in mind, have you ever questioned how the five planes came about?"
A bright golden intent collected over Ezra's horn. "Right now, I'm going to use my right to break the Yang qi's stability, causing it to explode."
Bao shirked into his seat, his neck receding into his body. "Senior, are you trying to kill me because I'm leaving before you?"
As soon as he spoke the words, Ezra's hoof landed firmly on his head. "Damn brat! Let me finish! "
Bao winced as he rubbed the swelling over his head, not daring to speak a word. A warm gust of air brushed against Bao's skin as Ezra huffed. "It won't work. Even when I use my right as an Immortal, it won't work."
The pure intent over his horns enveloped the object, which was now just a cloud of dust.
"I only realised after I saw the beast from the other side. Although its soul had long turned to dust, its pure Yin body was still viable."
His intent, steeped in the authority of an Immortal, attempted to destabilise the Yang qi. But…
A jade-like green light shimmered, barring his intent from breaking the Yang qi down. "At first I thought it was a limit of the world. Could there just be nothing beyond Yang qi? But, no matter how you look at it…"
Bao's eyes trembled. He instinctively reached out to the light only to stop himself at the very last moment.
"It's intent."
Ezra's golden intent retreated into his body; correspondingly, the jade-green light dissipated immediately.
"Based on the structure, I've come to a conclusion."
He got off the sofa and walked over to a small bed that lay by the fireplace. "Much like Sword Dog. It's likely that everything in this place is a…"
Bao clutched at the pillows beneath him. His nostrils quivered as he took a short breath, unwilling to breathe anymore of this air. His voice came out as a weak murmur.
"A manifestation…"