"The side effects of the pills should be gone completely. However, there is some residue from the toxins. Your son will need to take some remedy for that if he wants to make a full recovery. In fact, it might even be a blessing in disguise. Indeed, my pills could help him improve his prenatal Jing slightly. Don't expect anything incredible, but there might be some effect on his health, both in the chamber, and outside of it of course."
Everything Cao Yun was saying was false. He had already taken out the toxins, but he had also burned away the medicinal essence to cancel any positive effect from the pill. The use of the Black Heart Flame within Weiji Bao was the reason why the boy was still rather weak as it had taken a toll on him. Obviously, he wouldn't say that and he was also convinced that few people would be able to tell what had exactly happened in his body. At least, in this Desolate Sepulcher which had such poor tradition in alchemy, poison and array formation, there was no doubt in his mind. Maybe City Lord Sihe could figure it out, but he wasn't even certain of that. Besides, by the time he could see Weiji Bao in person, there would be no trace left.
Even the idea of improving his prenatal Jing was false. After all, Cao Yun had no reason to help him at all. However, he could stall for time like that. If Weiji Nian was convinced she needed Cao Yun's assistance, she would wait longer before doing anything against him. Since Cao Yun didn't want to risk killing her right now and couldn't either control her through her son for the moment, trying to stabilize their relationship was the right move.
No matter what he was saying, Weiji Nian, and even Boss Gui, couldn't tell whether he was lying or not. The more someone's mind cultivation was developed, the easier it was to both see through someone else's emotions while hiding their own. For the moment, Cao Yun's mind cultivation was higher than those women. Apart from Xiao Xuefeng, he didn't think someone could stand on an equal footing with him thanks to his 'Sealing the Seven Demons in the Nine Peaks', further helped by his calligraphy.
Because Weiji Nian wasn't too hospitable, Cao Yun and Boss Gui left her residence very soon after healing her son. However, they still gave her some words of advice.
"Miss Weiji, I will forget your complete disregard for etiquette and tradition. But no matter the issue you are facing, you should always consider your position. Your actions also impact your husband, your uncle and your own son. In that conflict, you should have come to me first and we would have dealt with it in the proper manner. Out of respect for your blood, I won't divulge anything about what transpired this day. Miss Weiji, you should be careful about it as well."
Boss Gui's threats weren't well veiled. But the worst part for Weiji Nian was that she was right. Even now, she had asked her uncle and husband for their help against Cao Yun after being humiliated by him in the auction hall. After today's events, there was no doubt that they would forbid her from doing anything against him. Their position and their face was in the balance. If this incident was revealed to the public, they would look utterly ridiculous. Besides, she had technically violated the rules of the Nalupu Kingdom. Even if the punishment wouldn't be too severe, this could affect her uncle's carrier in the army. One's reputation would always impact their family as well. So Weiji Nian had to keep her face no matter what.
After leaving the Weiji residence, the two associates parted as Boss Gui knew that Cao Yun had things to deal with in his own residence. However, she still gave him a message. She had taken a lot of precautions before giving it to him. She had even went so far as to send the message to him through a telepathic communication and it had also been encrypted. It took several minutes for Cao Yun to decipher it. But by the time he had come home, he could read it. There was clearly a very important piece of news he might be forced to discuss with Xixue. But for the time being, he had to deal with Nie Pian and the troubles he had caused.
The old man was still kowtowing on the ground of the main Blazing Swallow shop. On his forehead, his blood was still flowing fresh. Of course, Cao Yun was furious toward him for his stupid scam. On the other hand, he realized that he had failed to take care of his own business himself, leaving most of the responsibilities to others. And in the end, Nie Pian's stunt might have helped him, only the future would tell. That being said, he had to make sure that such events didn't happen again. He couldn't let this business ruin his other plans. The Blazing Swallow was just a means to an end. In fact, he didn't care much about its success so long as it was enough for him. And enough it was!
"Nie Pian, your stupidity almost cost us a lot. Thankfully, I repaired your mistake."
"Thank you, most gracious lord. If it is necessary, I am ready to lay down my life to atone for my crimes."
"Old man, what would I do with your life?! I already had it and you bought it back for a sum that I can spend on a single meal. If I had any interest in your life, I could take it in an instant. No one would mind. What I care about is your skill, but you should also understand when you are over your head. If you can't recognize and correct your mistake, then your uses will be outweighed by your stupidity."
"I understand, my Lord. I am ready to publicly admit to my mistakes so as to spare you any embarrassment."
"Idiot!" This time, Xixue herself spoke. "You think admitting publicly that the quality of our products is a lie would be a good thing for anyone but our rivals. Are you really working for this Weiji harpy?!"
"No, no! I swear on my Blood!"
"Enough! Nie Pian, you will give me a complete list of all the mediocre pills you've sold. I will refine substitutes to buy the silence of those you've scammed. All the funds necessary for those will come directly from your pockets or your future salary."
"Of course, my Lord. I will also fire those alchemists. If necessary, I could also have them killed to keep them quiet about what happened."
"It won't be necessary at all. I'll put them to good use too. Although their pills were rather poor in comparison with mine, they are more talented than Dan Yao. Thus, I will have them learn the most important pills I've taught to him. They should be able to refine good versions of them before long. In fact, they might even push Dan Yao in the good direction as well. However, they'll still be able to refine other pills but without our emblem. The pills bearing our emblem should always have a good enough quality to deserve it and so they don't damage our brand."
"I understand, my Lord. I will do as you ordered."
"Old man, remember that I won't stay in Duma City forever. Even Miss Xixue will leave at some point. You will have to do better if you don't want this Blazing Swallow to crumble."
Cao Yun's last words caused a stir within Nie Pian but also Xixue. Although the old man wasn't too sure what he was talking about, he could guess that Cao Yun had loftier ambitions than just being the richest man in Duma City. In fact, Nie Pian imagined that Cao Yun wanted to lead the Xinian Confederation. Of course, he couldn't imagine that Cao Yun's goals were beyond the Divine Blood Ocean. On the other hand, Xixue sensed something else. Could he have had gotten news about her sister?!
"Now, deal with the shop and those alchemists. I expect to get the list of the pills before the end of the night. Obviously, you will be the one to got to the buyers yourself to both apologize and give them the new pills. No one should be willing to divulge the matter publicly, especially with Boss Gui on my side, but still make sure that they understand it is in no one's intention. You might even negotiate some benefits for them in our shop. But all the money you'll spend in that endeavor will come from your own salary and profit, don't forget that. I will not pay for your mistakes. Although we must keep a united front before the outsiders, that doesn't mean that I will tolerate such a stupid behavior from you. You should have known better. Stop thinking about short-time gains and ponder about the future of our Blazing Swallow."
"I understand, my Lord. I swear that I won't disappoint you. If I fail again, I will not offer you my life, I will take it myself."
"Fine, then do as Lord Mo Yun ordered. If you commit another mistake, solve it before it becomes a problem though. Don't count on others to bail you out the next time."
Xixue was also impatient. Of course, Nie Pian thought it was because of him, but she was just impatient to get done with him so she could ask Cao Yun about something else. Her intuition told her that she was right about what Boss Gui had told him.
At last, they left Nie Pian. Xixue didn't ask anything as she followed Cao Yun into his personal chambers. As soon as they entered, he activated all the array formations he could. Thus, she knew that he had something of great importance to tell her. Obviously, she was convinced it was about her sister Hanqu Yinlü. Unfortunately, she was mistaken.
When Cao Yun finally decided to talk to her, he transmitted her the deciphered message sent by Boss Gui.
"City Lord Sihe is targeting the Sand Wolves Tribe. His men are Golden Blood Children. They should arrive in three to four months according to my information network. I can't guarantee the accuracy of this information, but there is no doubt he will attack that Sand Wolves Tribe."
The Sand Wolves Tribe was the tribe in which Hanqu Meiyue had gone after leaving Duma City.
"According to Miss Gui, City Lord Sihe is trying to imitate her own business by training slaves to sold them directly to the Empyrean Asura Theocracy. That would be in accordance with his attempt to kill you. First, he needs to show that his business is as viable as hers. Then, he could kill her and replace her. As long as there's no proof that he was directly involved, the promise of his profits would be enough to calm down everyone else. Apparently, he already captured a few slaves. But this Sand Wolves Tribe is one of the strongest. If he can enslave them, it would be easier for him to produce good slave warriors that could rival Miss Gui's."
"But you don't know anything about Yinlü?"
"Unfortunately, we don't know for sure yet. There is no doubt that she was sent to the main temple of the Sisters of the Abyss, the Temple of a Thousand Sighs. Since then, no one has any information about her. Thus we can't know whether she was indoctrinated in their order or sacrificed. I'm sorry..."
Xixue took off her mask since she was alone with Cao Yun. Her face was very serious. She was calculating.
"To get to the Sand Wolves Tribe, it would take at least two months from Duma City. We would reach it before City Lord Sihe's men."
"Well, it depends on when the message was sent to Miss Gui in the first place. Besides, the arrival time is only an estimate. So if you wish to protect the Sand Wolves Tribe, we should depart as soon as possible."
"We?!"
"Indeed, I promised to help you and I will. Besides, I have some interest in the nomad tribes, I won't hide it from you."
"But if they learn that you work for Boss Gui, they won't be happy to receive you at all. Hopefully, my cousin and I can defend you, but they don't like outsiders even if they're from neighbor tribes. You would put yourself in danger. Although the Sand Wolves Tribe has no Accomplished Demon, they're terrible fighters, especially in the desert. They might be able to deal with City Lord Sihe's men by themselves."
"I doubt it. From what Miss Gui uncovered, they are absolutely ready to enslave as many people as they can. Yes, they probably won't eradicate the entire tribe, but this isn't their goal. As long as they get enough prisoners, their mission will be a success. So I give you the opportunity to go support them with my help. Or we could stay here, consolidate our presence in Duma City in the hope that Miss Gui finds out more about your sister. We could also try to get closer to the Sisters to learn more. But in the meantime, the Sand Wolves Tribe will suffer."
Xixue was full of hesitation of course. She had to choose between a hypothetical way to save her sister and a much more concrete threat to her cousin. Such a decision wasn't easy at all. However, if her sister was with the Sisters of the Abyss, her fate was either certain, or she was safe for the time being. On the other hand, her cousin was in real danger. As the very least, she could warn the Sand Wolves Tribe. And with an Accomplished Demon such as Cao Yun, they might be able to save much more tribesmen.
"Lord Mo Yun, I would ask of you to help me protect the Sand Wolves Tribe and my cousin Hanqu Meiyue."
"And I will listen to your wish."
-
"Boy, are you serious?! Why would you help those sand people?! You might expose your cultivation or even die in the battle! Is it because you feel guilty and ashamed of being allied with a slaver like that Boss Gui?!"
"To be honest, it might be the case, at least in part. But I also need the help of the Desolate Dune Desert tribes. Furthermore, I will have to confront City Lord Sihe. Although this is dangerous, as long as I'm able to protect that tribe, there will be many benefits in the future."
"Come on, you bleeding heart..."
Dian Mo really wasn't on the same wavelength as Cao Yun.