“I don’t know what you think I am,” Yu Han said. “What am I if not typical?” He felt tired saying that.
“Feeling pressured?” Li Yao laughed. “Does it help you sweat?”
“You have too high expectations of me,” Yu Han said.
“It’s helping you lose weight.” Li Yao mimed a heavy load on his back. “You can carry more.”
“Eat a stick.” Yu Han spat.
“I have the right expectations,” Li Yao said. “The Tubs I know won't have just this. What else do you have? If it’s only this, then why?”
“I—” Yu Han did have more. A courtyard could be a lot. The concept he shared, trading products they had a unique access to, was one with low risk and high reward.
The source of the spite recipes and the courtyard's material processing efficiency could be explained away with Fang Zhao’s background. They had secret sauces.
If they could run their business for six months at the Outer sect Marketplace, they could, if they had the cash, buy a property in Great Barrier City.
Sustainable growth. Slow and steady. It would give him time to study array formations, hopefully gathering some primers on shapes along the way.
Build up his strength.
Level up.
Wow the sect in the Rookie Tournament.
Get more members.
And from there it goes.
Fang Zhao raised a finger, then lowered it.
“Spit it out,” Yu Han said.
“It’s too slow,” Fang Zhao said. “It’s… I think the trade ideas are good. It can be our secondary focus, even. It can’t be everything.”
“Why so?” Huang Niuniu asked. “Do you disdain trade?”
Many nobles thought of pure merchants as a class of upstarts and grovellers. Yu Han wanted to show them late-stage capitalism. It wouldn’t prove them wrong, but it would definitely make them think.
“It’s not about disdain,” Fang Zhao said. “It’s about reality. Strength reigns supreme. Without strength, we might earn a lot of spirit stones. We can’t protect it.”
A movement caught Yu Han’s eye. It was Mistress Miao. Her teal eyes peered at Fang Zhao with unwavering stillness.
“We need money to become stronger,” Huang Niuniu said.
“Exactly,” Fang Zhao said. “Money is just a means to an end. Earning that strength has to be the main focus of our courtyard. If we’re strong, we can earn as much money as we want. At higher levels, we can manifest spirit stones with will alone.”
Huang Niuniu looked like she wanted to protest, but she couldn’t say anything. She alternated her gaze between Yu Han and Fang Zhao.
You agree with him, don’t you? Yu Han wanted to ask.
“Fang Zhao is right,” Yu Han said. “But have you considered, economic power is its own kind of strength. Look at the Sea of Gold Chamber of Commerce. How did they become so powerful?”
It was a financial institution spanning countries and continents. Little Three had by now convinced Yu Han that their business model was the strongest, even if their fists weren’t.
“Sea of Gold. I do admit they’re strong. They started as an alliance of three cultivator clans on the central plains, much like our Stormy Reef sect. One excelled in alchemy, another in array formations, and the third in forging,” Fang Zhao said. “In addition to Sea of Gold Chamber of Commerce, there’s the Land of Gold and Sky of Gold too. They fall under the Realm of Gold Chamber of Commerce.”
“Central plains?” Yu Han asked.
“The Central Heavens Empire,” Fang Zhao said with a wistful look. “The largest nation on the Celestial Horizon Continent. Three of the top ten immortal sects are there.”
“How does the Realm of Gold Chamber of Commerce compare to our Stormy Reef sect and your Trueforge Fang clan?”
Fang Zhao took a minute to organize his thoughts. “The August Light Immortal Sword Sect of our Great Xia Dynasty,” the red-eyed boy said, “and the three top orthodox sects in the Central Heavens Empire are accepted as the strongest factions on the continent. All four are in the top ten sects of the known world. The Demonic Sun Silent Immensity Sect of the Boundless Hegemonic Empire is also at that level, but we do not grant demons such prestige.
“They say that the imperial clans of the various large empires, the Realm of Gold Chamber of Commerce, and a few other notable factions fall half a step behind those five. After that, there are more local factions, as strong as the Trueforge Fang clan.”
“The Stormy Reef sect is an emerging power that started off as an alliance of the five clans of the Sunken Mountains Peninsula, much like the Realm of Gold Chamber of Commerce. It has existed much longer than the Trueforge Fang clan, but its unique structure stifled its growth. Although with the new sect master it’s different, its overall power is leagues behind the Realm of Gold Chamber of Commerce. Maybe in a few generations, it will catch up with the Trueforge Fang clan? Who knows.”
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Huang Niuniu opened her mouth.
“Niu’er, don’t say anything,” Yu Han warned.
“But I didn’t—”
“You were about to.”
“But I didn’t—”
“It’s good that you didn’t,” Yu Han said.
Huang Niuniu sulked.
“Brother Yu,” Fang Zhao scratched his chin. “Do you mean to say that since the Realm of Gold Chamber of Commerce is far stronger than our Stormy Reef sect and it focuses on trade, we should use them as our main example?”
“I didn’t even know they were only half a step behind the top ten immortal sects. Or that they were far stronger than your Trueforge Fang clan,” Yu Han said. “I just knew they had a lot of money, manpower, and were stronger in general. They’re a faction that balances both hard and soft power beautifully.”
“Who told you that?” Huang Niuniu asked.
“Little Three. She’s the receptionist at the outer sect branch,” Yu Han said.
He belatedly realised he stepped on a landmine.
“You’ve been meeting her?” Huang Niuniu’s voice became flat. “Secretly?”
“She is a creepy, scary person. Like a puppet,” Yu Han vehemently defended his position. “There’s nothing to worry about.”
“What would I be worried about,” Huang Niuniu said. “I’m not worried. Goodbye.”
She walked out of the meeting. A few seconds later, she came back.
“Why didn’t you chase after me?” Huang Niuniu sounded aggrieved. “You should have stopped me and brought me back.”
“You’re back now,” Yu Han didn’t know how to react.
“Brother Yu,” Fang Zhao interjected. “We shouldn’t use the Realm of Gold Commerce as our example. They had the backing of many clans and sects during their inception, and they had to make exceedingly great concessions. We should aim for the top ten immortal sects. Strength above all! Money won’t guarantee strength, but strength will guarantee money.”
“The Realm of Gold Commerce could hire a lot of strong cultivators,” Yu Han said.
“But will they be loyal?” Fang Zhao countered.
“Even without hiring, I assume they have true members that are powerhouses.”
“They definitely do,” Fang Zhao faltered. “But compared to the top ten sects—”
“They can buy the expertise they lack, and can cultivate that expertise slowly without offending powers stronger than them,” Yu Han opened his palms. “Isn’t it beautiful? They know how to use their resources.”
“So it’s still focusing on money,” Fang Zhao said.
“A rich kid like you might not know how it feels to be poor,” Huang Niuniu huffed.
Fang Zhao had no reply to that.
“Fang Zhao,” Yu Han said. “Let’s say the Realm of Gold Commerce didn’t hire anyone. I would bet my spirit stones that their policies make people want to align with them either way, without being forced to or by being bought off.
“That’s not how it goes with most sects, clans, and empires. For many sects, if they collapse, barely anything is disrupted in the grand scheme of things. But if the Realm of Gold were to collapse, it would disrupt the status quo so much that the gods would weep. In every sect, for every person who disdains them, there will be two more who likes them. Because by working together, they can earn money for all. Win-win. Can pure strength or pure riches achieve that? In fact, pure money can’t either. It’s not money I was referring to,” Yu Han said. “It’s their soft power.”
Fang Zhao tilted his head. Even though a few days passed, the boy’s sudden change in height during his level up was jarring. Yu Han wasn’t used to seeing Fang Zhao’s face so high up.
“The Realm of Gold Commerce isn’t strong because it has money or power,” Yu Han said. “It’s strong because it has so many people’s interest entwined with its continued existence. It can set the rules in sects it doesn’t control. It can decide what’s profitable and allowed. It regulates what business counts as legitimate and what counts as not.
“They negotiate on behalf of clans and kingdoms, mediate wars, lobby for their own financial gain, and broker alliances that suit them. Cultivators from many clans and sects can rise up the ranks because of their investments. Did you know, one can be a member of the Sea of Gold Chamber of Commerce while still being a member of another sect or clan.”
Yu Han had a second-tier bronze level membership himself.
“If the Realm of Gold falls, many other powers will go down with them,” Yu Han said. “When they rise, so do their allies. For God’s sake, look at this, a Sea of Gold token we can exchange for a thousand mortal-grade spirit stones! Here we are in the Stormy Reef Sect, in Great Xia, who knows how far from the Central Plains, and yet they hold sway over the currency of foreign nations. A sect elder gave me one. You had one. The Mad Bloodhounds had twenty. There might be thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of these circulating within just the Sunken Mountains. How crazy is that? I don’t see any of us using August Light Immortal Sword Sect tokens. Fang Zhao, tell me, beyond Central Heavens and Great Xia, can we use these tokens in other nations?”
“They do,” Fang Zhao replied. He let out a sigh.
“I’m not suggesting they’re saints,” Yu Han said. “I’m certain they’ve done their fair share of dirty work, tripping up rivals and clearing out obstacles. But their reach is a form of soft power I can't ignore. The more prevalent their currency becomes, the more power they hold over everyone using it. If the Chamber of Commerce ever went under, those millions of tokens in people’s pockets would turn to scrap overnight. Tell me. Who would actually allow them to fall? No one. I don’t need to create money. What I need is influence.”
Realisation slowly dawned on Li Yao and Fang Zhao’s faces. Huang Niuniu shifted her gaze uncomfortably between the three of them.
“Those concessions you mentioned? They aren’t a liability. It’s their weapon.” Yu Han was convinced of this. “My end goal for our courtyard, whether we stay a courtyard or rise to be a palace, is exactly this.”
“But doesn’t all this mean that their fate is no longer in their own hands?” Fang Zhao said. “They aren’t free.”
“Fang Zhao. What’s the point of making a courtyard,” Yu Han said, “if, at the end of the day, you want to be a lone wolf? Pursuing absolute freedom isn’t the point here.”
“Then what is the point?” Fang Zhao asked, his voice rising.
“We’re outcasts,” Yu Han said. “We need a home.”
Fang Zhao deflated. “I—” the red-eyed boy stopped himself. His eyes became redder, and he looked away.
Li Yao stayed silent.
Huang Niuniu scooted closer to Yu Han.
“Strength, hard power, it’s necessary. Money is too. But we need more than that,” Yu Han said. “Sima Yan will leave me alone. But for how long? If he becomes an Inner sect Disciple before me, he’ll go back to this grudge. The Core Disciple that hates you, how long do you think he’ll hold back watching you rise? What if the current sect Master loses his position? What if Feral Spot, Elder Chang, Tan Ruoxuan, Duan Xiaolong fall? Or they start disliking us and stop their support?”
“If we’re stronger, then they—” Fang Zhao stopped. He sighed. Even he knew his arguments were stretching it.
“If by that point we’re Core formation realm experts, that’s fine. But that might take decades. And that’s if we’re extremely lucky. If not luck, we need risks.” Yu Han didn’t believe counting on luck was a viable strategy. “Niu’er and I are common talents. Li Yao is refined. Fang Zhao, your natural talent might be higher, but your effective talent is around his level too. Unless we all take inordinate risks, how much faster could we realistically rise through the ranks? Maybe you can risk your life for every level. In fact, I don’t doubt you’ll become strong. Strong enough to right all wrongs done against you. I don’t have the same confidence. I don’t want to take such risks. I don’t want Li Yao and Niu’er to do that either.”
“I don’t want a castle of sand that collapses at the first big wave,” Yu Han said. “You, me, Li Yao, Niu’er, Fei Rui, even Mistress Miao… every one of us knows how powerless it feels to lose the ground beneath our feet. We’ve been forcibly wrenched from our lives, our worlds unwillingly upended by circumstances so far beyond our control it isn’t even funny. Everything that we knew and loved just… gone. I am sick and tired of that! I want something that won’t suddenly vanish. Something permanent. Sustainable. Meaningful. Something that can buy us all the time in the world. Enough time to even become immortals.”
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