Chapter Ninety-Eight: Haggling!
He had just been about to set out for the Heavenly Abyss when Shen Gongbao arrived on his heels. It had to be said, the timing was indeed uncanny.
Still, Jiang Yuan knew it was only a coincidence. By his reckoning, Shen Gongbao and Jiang Ziya had been due to descend the mountain around this very time.
Since Shen Gongbao was already down the mountain, Jiang Ziya should have already gone to seek refuge with the Western Zhou.
Time was growing ever tighter.
When Zhang Kui heard Shen Gongbao's words, his nerves instantly tightened. Shen Gongbao was no weakling.
As far as he knew, in the entire Shang realm, only Grand Tutor Wen had once been a match for a Great Luo Golden Immortal of that caliber.
Seeing Jiang Yuan riding over at an unhurried pace atop the Purple Jade Qilin, calm and composed, Zhang Kui grew even more uneasy.
Unable to help himself, he warned, "My lord, the pressure this man gives me is the same as Grand Tutor Wen after he reached the Great Luo Golden Immortal stage."
Jiang Yuan looked at Shen Gongbao, who had already taken human form.
A panel of information appeared before him.
Character: Shen Gongbao
Title: Disciple of Primordial Lord of Heaven
Cultivation: Great Luo Golden Immortal
Possessions: Phoenix-Plume Sword, Qilin Armor
Cultivation Art: Five Cycles Breathing Art
Mount: Black-Spotted Tiger
Loyalty: 30
Affection: 60
Available Tyrant Points: 1,000
It seemed Shen Gongbao had indeed come here intending to take refuge with him, since his loyalty stood at thirty.
After all, Jiang Yuan and Shen Gongbao had had no previous dealings whatsoever. To have earned thirty Tyrant Points the moment they met was already quite rare.
It seemed he had suffered some inhumane treatment within the Orthodox Sect. Then again, Primordial Lord of Heaven looked down on all nonhuman beings. How could Shen Gongbao possibly receive any real regard there?
He would be better off joining the截教.
Still, a bona fide Great Luo Golden Immortal was worth a full thousand Tyrant Points.
Jiang Yuan's eyes lit up slightly, but at present he had no ability to kill Shen Gongbao. It would already be good enough if he himself did not get killed in return.
A mere True Immortal like him probably wasn't even worth a breath from the other man.
"No matter." Jiang Yuan waved a hand at Zhang Kui.
Shen Gongbao was probably nursing a grudge and looking to take revenge on Primordial Lord of Heaven, which was why he wanted to disrupt his plans.
"And you are?" Jiang Yuan asked calmly, as if Shen Gongbao's strength meant nothing at all.
He knew full well why Shen Gongbao had come, but he intended to ask anyway.
Seeing Jiang Yuan so unruffled in the face of danger, Shen Gongbao could not help but feel somewhat pleased. At first, he had thought that since the king of Shang was denounced so harshly by the world, he must be some utterly foolish ruler. To his surprise, the man now showed a certain breadth of mind.
That, in turn, made him abandon his previous thought of secretly controlling Shang from behind the scenes. After all, if one could become a Human Sovereign, how many true simpletons could there be?
"Poor Daoist Shen Gongbao, disciple under Primordial Lord of Heaven," Shen Gongbao said with pride.
"And what has brought you to my Chaoge?" Jiang Yuan asked lightly, his tone carrying very little respect.
He would not flatter Shen Gongbao. Otherwise, before long, the man would surely climb all over him.
This fellow had received little respect within the Orthodox Sect and now wanted to come to Chaoge to feel important? Jiang Yuan was the one holding the initiative now.
"My lord, I have come specially to aid the Shang realm," Shen Gongbao said, a little displeased by Jiang Yuan's dismissive manner.
"Oh? Then what exactly do you think my Shang needs help with?" Jiang Yuan countered.
"Does Your Majesty not know the current situation of Shang?" Shen Gongbao asked, somewhat surprised.
"And if I do, or if I don't? What can you do for my Shang?" Jiang Yuan said unhurriedly.
Those words nearly made Shen Gongbao grind his teeth in frustration. What could he do for Shang, exactly?
He had not really thought it through, but in any case, he was a Great Luo Golden Immortal. Surely he ought to be of some use?
"In reply to Your Majesty, this poor Daoist is now at the Great Luo Golden Immortal stage," Shen Gongbao said with a smile.
That should at least earn him a little more respect from the king of Shang, shouldn't it?
"Oh? And what of it? My Shang is not without Great Luo Golden Immortal experts," Jiang Yuan said casually.
Shen Gongbao looked at Jiang Yuan's shameless composure and felt a wave of helplessness. It seemed he would not be able to seize any initiative here.
Jiang Yuan acted as though he had already seen through the fact that Shen Gongbao needed Shang to achieve his own aims, and so treated him with neither warmth nor coldness.
For the sake of revenge, Shen Gongbao finally set aside his pride and asked in a softened voice, "May I ask what this poor Daoist can do for Your Majesty?"
Jiang Yuan secretly nodded. That was more like it. If Shen Gongbao could not even tell who stood above and who below, then what use was he to him?
"You mean to use my Shang to take revenge on Primordial Lord of Heaven, don't you?" Jiang Yuan stated Shen Gongbao's purpose outright.
Those words stirred a storm in Shen Gongbao's heart. How could the Human Sovereign possibly know such things?
"What else does Your Majesty know?" Shen Gongbao asked carefully.
Only then did he truly realize that he had gravely underestimated the Human Sovereign standing before him.
Jiang Yuan smiled mysteriously. "You are wondering how I know all this, aren't you? What I know is far more than you imagine."
"For example, Primordial Lord of Heaven's schemes against our human race. How could they simply allow the fate of a Human Sovereign, even one feared by the saints themselves, to continue existing?" Jiang Yuan said calmly.
"Your Majesty knows the Heavenly Lord's plan?" Shen Gongbao's view of Jiang Yuan was completely overturned.
"Jiang Ziya should have descended the mountain as well, carrying the Investiture of the Gods Register with him, shouldn't he?" Jiang Yuan said, tossing out yet another piece of information he already knew.
At this point, Shen Gongbao was utterly convinced. Jiang Yuan even knew about the Investiture of the Gods Register!
"Since Your Majesty already knows this, then this poor Daoist has nothing more to say. However, Jiang Ziya will not be coming to Chaoge."
Jiang Yuan nodded lightly. Of course he knew Jiang Ziya would not come to Chaoge. Otherwise, what use would his Investiture of the Gods Register have?
If Shang were not destroyed, the fate of the Human Sovereign would continue to reside upon him.
"He has probably gone to Western Zhou, planning to aid the Earl of the West in destroying my Shang and thereby fulfill the task Primordial Lord of Heaven gave him. What a fine calculation," Jiang Yuan said with a cold smile.
Shen Gongbao felt that he could not continue discussing such secrets with Jiang Yuan. This was like showing off a pitiful trick before a true master.
A Human Sovereign who had barely ever left Chaoge knew even more than a traitor who had remained on Mount Kunlun for a thousand years.
What more was there to say?
"Your Majesty is truly divinely resourceful," Shen Gongbao exclaimed.
"I wonder how exactly you intend to help my Shang? Although you are already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, Jiang Ziya's cultivation likely won't be much lower than yours.
"And behind him stands the entire Orthodox Sect. What about you?" Jiang Yuan said with an amused smile.
"From that angle, it seems the risk I must bear is greater than yours, isn't it? It almost looks as though I am the one helping you take revenge. Aside from gaining one more Great Luo Golden Immortal, my Shang doesn't seem to benefit at all."
He was haggling, of course. As a Great Luo Golden Immortal, Shen Gongbao surely carried plenty of good things on him. Perhaps he might even be able to squeeze out something valuable.
Though even a Great Luo Golden Immortal alone was already of considerable worth to Jiang Yuan.