Chapter 146 Bargaining

"Old thing! I've been anticipating you!" Ye Chuxiao turned around, quietly activating his illusion technique.

From the perspective of the old Dragon King Yuan Zhen, Ye Chuxiao turned around and activated the talisman in his hand, aiming it at him.

The talisman cracked, and the divine might of the Juntian Sword seemed to arrive across mountains and seas, transcending time and space.

Before the sword even reached him, before the old Dragon King Yuan Zhen even felt the bone-piercing sword energy, he involuntarily shivered several times.

Without the slightest resistance, the old Dragon King Yuan Zhen turned and fled.

Ye Chuxiao's illusion skills were certainly good, but under normal circumstances, dealing with a dragon clan expert nearly equivalent to the Intent Realm would make even a simple deception impossible.

However, this old Dragon King Yuan Zhen did not possess a strong will and also had preconceived notions, which allowed Ye Chuxiao to startle him.

It wasn't until Yuan Zhen realized that the 'talisman' triggered by Ye Chuxiao had not actually unleashed any damage that he understood he had been tricked by Ye Chuxiao's illusion.

Although he woke up, he had already lost the initiative of the sneak attack.

Yuan Meng had already pounced on the old Dragon King again.

The two dragons, one chasing and one fleeing, were once again entangled in battle, and it seemed they wouldn't be able to determine a winner in a short time... mainly because the old Dragon King was cunning and slippery, making it impossible for Yuan Meng to capture him.

They still had to wait for the battle between Jin Buyi and Yuan Jia to end before encircling him.

Jin Buyi's defeat was already a foregone conclusion. As his strength was exhausted, Yuan Jia used heavy energy to create shackles, firmly suppressing Jin Buyi. Subsequently, handcuffs and shackles made of star steel mixed with energy-absorbing stone were placed on Jin Buyi's hands and feet, ensuring that more than 70% of his abilities were restricted.

Gold needles to suppress acupoints, spiritual talismans to suppress the spirit platform, feeding Sanling Dan (Spirit Dissipation Pill), planting blood-sucking dragon gu... after a whole set of measures, Jin Buyi was weakened and restrained clearly in a short time. If three or four-tenths of his skills remained, it could be said that he had means and background.

It could be determined that if Yuan Meng hadn't sworn an oath to the Heavenly Dao, and Jin Buyi wasn't one of the five Divine Enforcers of the Six Doors, killing or crippling his cultivation might have had some adverse consequences. Yuan Jia's handling of Jin Buyi would have been even more thorough.

After temporarily controlling Jin Buyi, Dragon King Yuan Jia helped Yuan Meng capture the old Dragon King Yuan Zhen.

In just a few dozen rounds, the old Dragon King Yuan Zhen was subdued by the joint efforts of Yuan Jia and Yuan Meng. A more severe and cruel set of restrictions was applied to him as well.

Regarding Yuan Zhen, this scoundrel old dragon, the two dragons were much more 'ferocious' and showed no mercy.

Yuan Jia directly grabbed the old Dragon King Yuan Zhen's tail, reached out with his dragon claw, and tore off his dragon tendons.

With the dragon tendons severed, the old Dragon King's cultivation was completely crippled by 80%.

The hundred-zhang true dragon body also shrank to three zhang in size, looking like a mud loach.

Yuan Meng pulled out a short knife, and with a flash of the blade, she scraped off the old dragon's scales all over his body.

Dragging the old dragon's shrunken body, Dragon King Yuan Jia disappeared from the chaotic battlefield, leaving Yuan Meng to handle the aftermath.

Accompanied by Dragon Queen Yuan Meng's dragon roar, a huge pressure was released from her body, and some of the constables who were still stubbornly resisting were shocked into submission, forced to give up resistance.

Facing experts at the Intent Realm, using human-wave tactics is generally ineffective. Because within a certain range, the will of an Intent Realm expert can replace the will of Heaven. How can mortals resist under the will of Heaven?

Especially at this time, the constables didn't have home-field advantage, and their numbers had already been reduced by more than half.

Of course, the reason why they easily gave up and surrendered was also because the negotiations between Ye Chuxiao and Yuan Meng were not hidden from everyone.

Since there was still hope for survival, naturally they wouldn't have the determination to continue fighting to the death.

After the fighting stopped, Yuan Meng took Ye Chuxiao to the Dragon Palace Treasury alone.

"Since I have promised to give you compensation, I will not go back on my word."

"However, based on my understanding of you humans, I suggest you choose elixirs as compensation. It would be best to use them all on the way back and convert them into cultivation," Yuan Meng said with a mocking expression.

Ye Chuxiao did not agree with Yuan Meng's words.

Indeed, human hearts are greedy and have no limits.

A child carrying gold through a busy city will naturally cause unforeseen disasters.

But within the rules, there is also 'balance.' Mastering the balance between interests and rules, Ye Chuxiao did not necessarily have to exchange everything for elixirs and consume them all.

"Seven old dragon hides, each two chi square, this counts as one-third of the debt," Ye Chuxiao put a stack of old dragon hides in the treasury into his storage ring.

Old dragon hides are the old skin shed by old dragons who have lived for over a thousand years. Only the dragon hides shed by old dragons who have lived for over a thousand years can continue to maintain activity for hundreds of years, making them rare talisman-making materials.

Many artifact talismans are made from old dragon hides.

Ye Chuxiao didn't have any artifacts, but he could try to collect a strike from an artifact and imprint it on the old dragon hide. This would compensate for the lack of a trump card.

Seven old dragon hides, each two chi square, could be used to make at least a hundred powerful talismans, including losses.

And used to make artifact talismans, it could make four to five. Of course, this belongs to extraordinary materials and is still a big difference from the finished product.

Ye Chuxiao used seven old dragon hides to compare with the Juntian Sword artifact talisman, which was appropriate and not taking advantage.

Ye Chuxiao would take out some of this batch of old dragon hides to try to make artifact talismans and keep them as trump cards.

The rest would be made into powerful talismans of various types to serve as regular trump cards.

"Tsk! Not listening to advice?"

"Suit yourself!"

Watching Ye Chuxiao choose a stack of old dragon hides, Yuan Meng didn't seem to feel any heartache.

It was as if what was being handed out was not the old skin shed by a millennium dragon but some ordinary, broken fish scales.

Ye Chuxiao continued to wander around in the Dragon Palace Treasury.

It must be said that the Dragon Palace Treasury was extremely large and contained an immense number of treasures.

All kinds of treasures, antiques, jewelry, weapons, magical treasures... it was dazzling to see.

Don't think that jewelry and antiques are not as good as weapons and magical treasures.

In a normal social environment, precious jewelry and antiques still have their irreplaceable value.

If used at the right time and given to the right person, the role and effect they can play may even be far stronger than those straightforward weapons and magical treasures.

Ye Chuxiao picked and chose, and from a pile of antique calligraphy and paintings, he found "Mist Mountain Crow Painting" by the saint painter Wu Ye, who lived a thousand years ago.

This thing is both an antique and a special painter's magic weapon.

For painter cultivators, this painting is of great reference value.

The Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Yuan Shen, is a painter.

Whether it was to win over a backer for himself or to continue to stabilize control of the prison in the Ministry of Justice, Ye Chuxiao needed to solidify his relationship with Yuan Shen.

This painting was a stepping stone.

"This is the second item. Not many of Wu Ye's paintings have survived to this day, and some have been scattered to other worlds over the past thousand years. Even fewer are preserved in our world," Yuan Meng glanced at the painting Ye Chuxiao chose, seeming to have guessed some of Ye Chuxiao's plans.

This time she did not mock him anymore.

If a person can restrain greed and still think calmly in this Dragon Palace Treasury full of various treasures and pave the way for their future development, then even if they are not befriended, they should not be offended if possible.

Of course, if Ye Chuxiao chose things only to please others, Yuan Meng would look down on him.

Because those who only please others, trying to reach the top by clinging to others, may walk quickly on shortcuts but will also fall down in an instant, losing everything because they are not on a firm foundation.

Survival is a special kind of cultivation.

Only by cultivating both internally and externally can one steadily climb to the Great Dao.

Going to extremes is not impossible, but the risks and benefits are often not proportional.

For example, Ye Chuxiao's trip to the Dragon Palace Secret Realm, preserving the living Six Doors constables through transactions.

Is this merit or demerit?

In terms of merit, it is of course very intuitive.

Saving so many people and preserving Jin Buyi's life, how can it not be a great achievement?

But to say that there is no demerit, it is not necessarily without.

Trading with the Dragon Clan is one demerit, compromising and retreating is another demerit, and allowing the Yunmengze Dragon King to obtain the Juntian Sword talisman is yet another demerit.

The biggest mistake is not being able to cover up this 'scandal' and instead bringing so many people back to the Divine Capital alive, greatly damaging the court's reputation.

Whether it is merit or demerit depends entirely on the two mouths of officials, how they speak, and whether anyone is supporting him.

Focusing on oneself without being disturbed by external factors may result in him losing his job at the Six Doors and the prison of the Ministry of Justice and even bearing certain criminal penalties.

At that time, roaming the heavens, how can it be more comfortable and happy than guarding the 'treasure land' of the Ministry of Justice prison?

Ye Chuxiao continued to wander around in the treasury, his eyes dazzled for a moment.

But in the end, he still chose a small bottle containing ownerless Dao Runes.

There were a total of three strands of ownerless Dao Runes in the bottle.

Compared to those Dao Runes stored by Ye Chuxiao that could only be used for decomposition or consumed as boat tickets, it was indeed much less.

However, each ownerless Dao Rune is equivalent to a talent.

Ye Chuxiao's cultivation has now broken through, and he has almost digested the Plasmic talent. Perhaps when he crosses to the next world, he will be able to completely digest it.

At that time, he can integrate new ownerless Dao Runes, not only improving his own aptitude but also opening the next talent.

"Alright! I have given you the reward!"

"You should give me the talisman!" Yuan Meng said impatiently.

Ye Chuxiao handed the talisman to Yuan Meng.

He saw that Yuan Meng, who had looked so calm just now, was now holding the talisman made of human skin with both hands, her whole body trembling slightly.

Her feet suddenly softened, and she leaned halfway towards Ye Chuxiao.

Seeing that the plump, slender, and healthy figure was about to crash into Ye Chuxiao in a glamorous manner.

Ye Chuxiao moved to the side, dodging the 'attack,' and letting Yuan Meng fall limply to the ground.

Yuan Meng didn't care about Ye Chuxiao's 'ungentlemanly' behavior, but hugged the human skin talisman to her chest, and suddenly her face was full of tears.

"This kind of emotional outburst doesn't look like a remembrance of old friends... it feels more like missing an old lover?" Ye Chuxiao couldn't help but think as he looked at Yuan Meng crying like a pear blossom in the rain.

"King Chen, Xiao Chi, was indeed a legend."

"Yuan Meng and Yuan Zhen were once Xiao Chi's mounts. The man who rode the two dragons, galloped across the battlefield, and killed the four barbarians, making the demons collapse, was indeed worthy of admiration. So much so that when he was captured for treason and was subjected to torture in the Ministry of Justice dungeon, many people in the world still didn't believe it was true." Ying Shu suddenly popped up and interjected in Ye Chuxiao's mind.

Her sudden opening startled Ye Chuxiao.

"You also know King Chen, Xiao Chi?" Ye Chuxiao asked.

"Of course! If it wasn't for him, my Yuanzhi Sect would still be the Great Heng state religion, and I would be a candidate for the Great Heng national master. How could it be like now, branded as a heretical demon?" Ying Shu said.

"Great Heng and Yuanzhi Sect have such a connection?" Ye Chuxiao didn't quite believe it, but he couldn't completely deny it.

Because rationally speaking, with the background and size of Yuanzhi Sect, it was indeed qualified and capable of supporting a huge empire.

"What is Yuanzhi Sect best at?" Ying Shu asked.

Ye Chuxiao replied without thinking: "Inciting crowds and gathering people to rebel!"

Although the Yuanzhi Sect's teachings were not created for 'rebellion,' in the process of its development in various worlds, it was bound to be involved in the change of power.

Therefore, for many people who did not deeply understand Yuanzhi Sect, the style of this sect seemed to be rebellion and troublemaking.

"What if the rebellion succeeds?" Ying Shu asked again.

Ye Chuxiao was stunned. In the traditional education of Great Heng, Yuanzhi Sect was a cult and only ever failed, never succeeded.

Ye Chuxiao was not just a person of Great Heng after all. He knew very well the principle of 'the winner is king and the loser is villain.'

So he quickly got rid of the inherent impression formed in his original memory and reorganized his understanding of Yuanzhi Sect.

"Is it really like you said, Yuanzhi Sect supported Great Heng?" Ye Chuxiao said.

"If you can find Great Heng's historical books from more than a hundred years ago, you will find that the Great Heng you know is completely different from the Great Heng recorded in the past."

"History can be arbitrarily deleted, changed, and decorated. Their role is always to serve the current rulers." After saying this, Ying Shu seemed to have lost interest in talking and no longer made sounds from the bottom of Ye Chuxiao's heart.

Yuan Meng, who had been crying for a long time, finally sorted out her emotions.

She wiped the tears from her face, and there were still tears in her eyes, but she was already threatening Ye Chuxiao fiercely, "Remember, what happened today is not allowed to be revealed by half a word, otherwise, I will take your little life."

Ye Chuxiao said frankly: "Okay! But... I have to add money!"

"A gag fee is needed!"

Yuan Meng threw a dragon scale soft armor to Ye Chuxiao: "Put it on! It can save your life."

Ye Chuxiao followed suit and immediately put the dragon scale soft armor inside his coat.

As everyone knows, dragon scales have extremely high physical and magical resistance. In addition to the refining of weapon refiners, the defense of this dragon scale soft armor should not be underestimated.

With this soft armor to protect him, Ye Chuxiao will not be easily beaten into pieces if he encounters some powerful enemies in the future.

It can also be said that he has hidden the trump card of the 'Nine Deaths Magic Art' even deeper.

If resurrection becomes an open card, and those who target Ye Chuxiao are fully prepared in advance, then this method is equivalent to being restricted and abolished.

Leaving the Dragon Palace Treasury with regret, Ye Chuxiao was then arranged to rest in a guest room.

In the next few days, Ye Chuxiao and other constables, although not strictly guarded and restrained, would be closely monitored no matter where they went.

Jin Sanniang and another surviving Gold Chapter Constable repeatedly asked Dragon King Yuan Jia to fulfill his promise and escort them back to the capital, but Yuan Jia delayed them with the excuse of being busy.

Although Yuan Meng had sworn an oath to the Heavenly Dao to escort Ye Chuxiao and other constables back to the capital together with Yuan Jia.

But he did not promise a specific time. Delaying a few more days, the constables, who were already in a passive situation, had nothing to say.

Having nothing to do, Ye Chuxiao and a group of constables contacted each other and played in the Yunmengze Dragon Palace range, which can be regarded as rejoicing in the midst of suffering.

When it was really boring, they would also spar with each other.

Venting their anger in the form of combat.

Through some daily exchanges, they frankly told some of their plans and ideas, which can be regarded as dispelling some people's knots, and at the same time, in this intensive exchange, they agreed on a statement.

Undoubtedly, the biggest black pot will definitely fall on Jin Buyi's head.

Jin Buyi frantically killed half of the constables, including a Gold Chapter Constable, this is a 'fact'.

Apart from this fact, whether this trip to Yunmengze was due to Jin Buyi's insistence or a consensus, the statement is also very subtle.

Agreeing on a 'confession' in advance is helpful for a group of constables to 'gain a foothold' in the Six Doors in the future.

According to the results deduced by everyone, the core point of 'confessing' after returning to the capital is that it must be admitted that it was a 'consensus', but some flaws that can be partially revealed are due to Jin Buyi's 'insistence' that led to this trip.

This is already 80% in line with the facts.

However, in terms of details, montage techniques will be used to reverse some of the order.

Directly stating that everyone agreed that Jin Buyi's 'insistence' caused this loss and setback, even if it is the truth, it is inevitable that other Divine Enforcers will be unhappy, colleagues will be suspicious, and the court will be dissatisfied and distrustful.

No one likes a group of subordinates who will 'backstab'.

The decisions of the superiors, even if they are wrong, must be completed by the subordinates at all costs. This is the value that is in line with the cognition of the high-level people.

It's very shameless, but it's in line with human nature.

Therefore, sharing the black pot 'openly' and throwing it 'secretly' is a smart way to protect oneself.

Moreover, this also avoids the risk that some of Jin Buyi's supporters in the constables' group will temporarily change their minds and hold them back.

After discussing the details of the response after returning to the capital, the constables began to discuss why Yuan Jia and Yuan Meng had not yet fulfilled their promises and sent them back to the Divine Capital.

After all, with the escort of the Dragon Palace Aquatic Clan and the help of the Dragon King and Dragon Queen, it would only take a little more than a day to travel from Yunmeng Daze back to the Divine Capital by official ship, which would not delay too much time at all.

On the contrary, keeping them in the Dragon Palace is a lot of trouble.

"The possibility of breaking the promise is not high. If they wanted to attack us, they would have already done it."

"It doesn't seem like they are taking us as prisoners and threatening the court to exchange benefits."

"This can only show that they still have some goals that have not been achieved, and they are worried that letting us go will increase variables," an Silver Chapter Constable analyzed.

Gold Chapter Constable Yan Chong nodded and said, "Silver Chapter Zhang is right. I think there is a problem with the Yunmeng Great Cauldron."

"Don't forget, the reason why Dragon King Yuan Jia forced the old dragon back was for the Yunmeng Great Cauldron."

"If he doesn't get the Yunmeng Great Cauldron now, of course, he will not be willing to let us leave so easily."

"Then keeping us doesn't make any sense! The Yunmeng Great Cauldron is not with us," a constable said angrily.

Jin Sanniang said: "The reasoning is this, but they don't believe what we say."

"It is very likely that Yuan Jia and Yuan Meng still want to pry open the mouths of the old dragon and the Gold Divine Enforcer to get the whereabouts of the Yunmeng Great Cauldron from them."

"Taking a step back, if the Dragon King and Dragon Queen escort us back to the capital together, then the Dragon Palace will be unguarded. Is it better to keep the old dragon in the Dragon Palace, or escort him to the Divine Capital together?"

This may be the problem that is bothering Dragon King Yuan Jia.

If the Yunmeng Great Cauldron is not found, then Yuan Zhen cannot be killed, but can only be imprisoned.

If the Dragon King and Dragon Queen leave the Dragon Palace to escort a group of constables back to the Divine Capital, it is said that it will only take one or two days to return, but in fact, there may be twists and turns and they may not be able to return smoothly.

If Yuan Zhen, the old dragon who was originally the Dragon King, is imprisoned in the Dragon Palace, and his old subordinates come to save him, Yuan Jia and Yuan Meng would be equivalent to doing all this in vain and everything would return to its original place... and also offend the Great Heng court.

If they take Yuan Zhen to the Divine Capital, they are worried that the other party still has old friends in the Divine Capital who will come to ask for him... or use plausible reasons to 'transfer' Yuan Zhen and punish him according to the Great Heng national law. What should they do?

There are concerns no matter which way they choose, which is also an important reason why Yuan Jia and Yuan Meng have been slow to fulfill their promises.

If Yuan Meng had not added Yuan Jia when she swore the oath, it might not have been so troublesome.

Of course, for this group of constables, the joint escort of the Dragon King and Dragon Queen is still more 'insured'.

They are all people who have stared into the abyss, and of course, they know what kind of routine 'being killed' and 'being victimized' is.

After another three days, Yuan Jia and Yuan Meng finally made a decision.

They took Yuan Zhen's dragon ball, cursed him dozens of times, and then imprisoned him in the deepest part of the Dragon Palace. Extremely complicated methods were needed to undo the restrictions and release Yuan Zhen.

Not only that, Yuan Jia also had a trick. Once someone removes the curse on Yuan Zhen and releases him,

The hidden curses will detonate together and kill Yuan Zhen directly.

For Yuan Jia, although the Yunmeng Great Cauldron is very valuable, killing Yuan Zhen and eliminating future troubles... this is also the first priority.

After dealing with Yuan Zhen, the two dragons escorted a group of constables, took the official ship they came on, and returned to the Divine Capital along the waterway.

Leaving Yunmengze, is the tributary of the Langya River.

Going upstream from the tributary, they entered the Langya River.

The vast river, rolling and mighty, greeted the rising sun, and the constables who came out of the Dragon Palace all had a feeling of surviving a catastrophe.

"Little Ye! Divine Enforcer Jin wants to talk to you," Jin Sanniang patted Ye Chuxiao's shoulder on the deck of the ship and said.

Ye Chuxiao frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"If it's inconvenient for you, I can refuse for you. You don't have to listen to his summons now."

"Although he is still a Divine Enforcer now, he will soon no longer be one after returning to the Divine Capital!" Jin Sanniang said.

Ye Chuxiao shook his head: "The more this time, the more we can't leave any excuses."

"This time, I am the only one who has gained something, and I have long been targeted."

"Being in the Dragon Palace, on other people's territory, everyone can still show that they are united and exerting their strength in one direction. There is also more sincerity between each other."

"Now that they have left the Dragon Palace and Yunmeng Daze, some people's minds are inevitably active."

As he spoke, Ye Chuxiao went directly to the room where Jin Buyi was 'resting'.

There was a very strong smell of medicine at the door of Jin Buyi's room.

These smells made Ye Chuxiao dizzy.

Closing his breath and switching to using his spiritual roots to absorb the energy of heaven and earth instead of consumption, Ye Chuxiao entered the room filled with the smell of medicine.

In the room, Jin Buyi was pouring a bowl of thick medicinal liquid into his mouth.

Handcuffs weighing thousands of pounds still seemed light to him.

This medicinal liquid is not for healing.

On the contrary, their role is to suppress the activity of Jin Buyi's powerful body, making every organ of his body lazy and sluggish.

If Jin Buyi does not take the medicine on his own initiative, then the Dragon King and Dragon Queen will appear and force the medicine into him.

In order to maintain face, Jin Buyi chose to take the medicine on his own initiative, so that everyone and the dragon would be at ease.

"In fact, I have always wanted to have a face-to-face chat with you."

"Ye Chuxiao! Thanks to you this time. If it wasn't for you, I might really die." Jin Buyi looked at Ye Chuxiao seriously. At this time, his eyes no longer had the madness he had when he was going berserk in the Dragon Palace.

Ye Chuxiao remained silent upon hearing this. He could not tell from the surface whether Jin Buyi's words were sincere.

As for observing Jin Buyi's 'light wave', it had no effect.

At this time, Jin Buyi only emitted a weak milky white 'light wave'. Just looking at this, people would think he was very friendly.

But Ye Chuxiao didn't believe it!

Even if the fact that Ye Chuxiao saved Jin Buyi was a fact.

However, in terms of the result, even people with broad minds will inevitably have some knots in their hearts.

Ye Chuxiao didn't know what Jin Buyi's original character was like, and he didn't discuss it.

The current Jin Buyi is affected by Xin Dan (Heart Pill), and his seven emotions and six desires are exploding and overflowing. He is absolutely not a tolerant and generous person.

Not being angry is already the greatest luxury, and expecting his gratitude is too unreliable.

"But what to do, I am not grateful to you!"

"Because I know very well that you, like me, are grasshoppers on the same rope."

"If I die, you can't live either," Jin Buyi said.

Ye Chuxiao didn't have any obvious emotional fluctuations upon hearing this. He just showed a surprised expression, as if he was wondering why Jin Buyi asked this question.

"You may be surprised why I know that you also have Ying Shu's Xin Dan (Heart Pill)."

"What if I said that your acceptance of part of the Xin Dan (Heart Pill) was the result of my indulgence?"

"Otherwise, do you think that with your status, you can really easily and smoothly contact a serious offender like Ying Shu?" Jin Buyi looked at Ye Chuxiao with a half-smile. Even if he is now a tiger fallen in Pingyang, he still has an arrogant attitude.

Ye Chuxiao still didn't speak. Although waves had already surged in his heart and he had all kinds of guesses and ideas, he did not reveal a single point at this time.

He must not let his formation be disturbed by the words of others.

Because it is very likely that the other party is tricking him, or it may be a reverse deduction based on the results, and then fabricating facts, highlighting their own key role, in order to achieve some purpose.

In any case, judging from the current situation, Ye Chuxiao is still the one who has the advantage in terms of conclusions.

Starting from this point, Ye Chuxiao had no reason to be confused.

"The demon Ying Shu is petty and vengeful. I sent her to jail, and she retaliated against me equally."

"My emotional loss of control was not an accident, but something she did deliberately!"

"Ye Chuxiao... you are a smart person, you should understand that cooperation is the right way for us. The demon Ying Shu... she is not trustworthy at all!"