Chapter 15 Snow Dragon Mountain

Everything was just as Ji Jiu Huo had expected, about a thousand li away from them.

A cloth curtain hung suspended in the sky, and atop it stood four people, looking down. Suddenly, a streak of light shot up from below—a burly man in armor, standing on a giant sword, his skin tinged with green, like a demon god in the high sky.

"Senior brothers and sisters," the burly man said with joy, "I have scouted the area. There is a vast amount of yuan stones underground, including high-grade ones—a very rich yuan stone vein."

"Oh?" A long-haired man in a black robe, with blood-colored Eight Trigrams patterns on the front and back, nodded and smiled. "Brother Jusan has worked hard. I didn't expect such a vein to be hidden in Ji clan territory. By the way, Brother Jusan, did you find any signs of mining?"

The burly man shook his head.

The long-haired man in black nodded with satisfaction. "The Ji clan has never sold yuan stones abroad, so it seems they haven't discovered it either. Fellow disciples, please head east, south, west, and north to investigate how large this vein is. I will probe its depth. Gather here after the investigation."

"Yes, Brother Ziyu." The three men and one woman, including the burly man, acknowledged, then each mounted their flying treasures and turned into four streaks of light heading in four directions.

The long-haired man in black also withdrew the cloth curtain and plunged straight into the earth, vanishing as soon as he touched the ground.

...

After a long while.

The three men and one woman had returned on their treasures.

"Brother Ziyu isn't done yet?" asked the man with green-tinted hair in surprise. "It seems the vein is quite deep."

"This yuan stone vein alone, from what we've found, spans over four thousand li in circumference," said the woman with similarly green-tinted hair solemnly. "If it's also deep... then this vein is truly remarkable."

As she spoke,

Swoosh!

A streak of light shot up from below and stopped—it was Brother Ziyu in his black robe.

"Brother Ziyu." The three men and one woman bowed in respect. Though all five were Zifu cultivators of the same generation, it wasn't strictly necessary, but Brother Ziyu's strength far surpassed theirs.

"What a yuan stone vein—over three hundred li deep!" exclaimed the long-haired man in black.

"Over three hundred li?"

"That deep?"

"We four found it spans over four thousand li in circumference, and with such depth, this vein is too..." The other three men and one woman were stunned. Some veins were shallow; a vein spanning thousands of li but only a few li deep was normal. This one was over three hundred li deep!

The long-haired man in black declared, "This yuan stone vein belongs to Snow Dragon Mountain!"

"Yes, it's ours!"

"With such a great achievement, the sect will surely reward us heavily."

"Our opportunity has come!"

All five were ecstatic. They could easily infer the vein's scale and understood its value—it was almost unimaginable! Even the top few Primordial Daoists of Snow Dragon Mountain would likely take notice.

"Brother Ziyu," the green-haired woman frowned, "this is near the Ji clan's Ten Thousand Swords City. According to the Great Xia Dynasty's laws, this should belong to the Ji clan."

"What is the Ji clan?" Brother Ziyu snorted coldly. "If Snow Dragon Mountain wants this vein, would they dare reach out?"

The green-haired man beside him nodded. "The Ji clan is nothing to worry about. Snow Dragon Mountain will definitely take this vein! But still, we can't be careless. According to the laws of the Great Xia capital, this is the Ji clan's territory, so the vein belongs to them. Snow Dragon Mountain cannot openly defy the Great Xia Dynasty's laws!"

"Mm." Dong Ziyu nodded slightly.

Right.

Even if there were ways to circumvent the law, they absolutely could not openly challenge the Great Xia Dynasty! Even the Anchi Marquis's Mansion, almost as ancient as the Great Xia Dynasty, dared not do so.

"Now the biggest worry," the green-haired man frowned, "is if the Ji clan sends someone to ally with the Great Xia army and signs a transfer contract with the Great Xia, handing over this vein. Then we'd have no way out."

"Brother Hefang is right," nodded the cold-faced man in gray. "We must be careful."

"We have to be careful," the burly man urged. "The Ji clan surely knows they lack strength. If they transfer it to the Great Xia, they'd still get thirty percent of the benefits. With the Great Xia as their backing, we'd be helpless."

"Sign a contract?"

Dong Ziyu's eyes were deep. "It's not that easy to sign!"

The other four looked at Dong Ziyu.

"The Great Xia garrison in Yanshan is stationed at Yanshan City," Dong Ziyu said. "The general there is a good friend of mine."

"But Brother Ziyu, for such a vein transfer, if the Ji clan reports it, a single general wouldn't dare suppress it. If he forcibly suppresses it and it's discovered later, he'd face the punishment of soul annihilation," the green-haired man said worriedly.

Dong Ziyu said, "I know. He wouldn't dare suppress it, but he can delay it as much as possible!"

"Oh?" The other four looked at Dong Ziyu.

"As you know," Dong Ziyu said, "to sign a transfer contract with the Great Xia, first you report it. Then the higher-ups immediately send someone to inspect the Ji clan's territory. Only after verification that the vein exists is the contract signed."

The other four nodded.

Indeed.

Once reported, someone would be sent immediately—very efficient.

"Once it's reported, we can't act recklessly," Dong Ziyu said. "What we can do is delay as much as possible at the Yanshan garrison general. And it takes time for the Great Xia's envoy to travel here. That time is enough for us to capture Ten Thousand Swords City!"

"Capture Ten Thousand Swords City?" The four nodded slightly.

"As long as we get the Minister's Token from Ten Thousand Swords City, we become its masters. According to Great Xia law, the vein belongs to us. Even if the Great Xia sends someone, since the token has changed hands, the Ji clan can't sign anything," Dong Ziyu said.

"Right, seize the Minister's Token!"

"With the token in hand, we become the vein's owners." Their eyes glinted coldly.

Dong Ziyu said darkly, "If the Ji clan dares to resist, wipe them out!"

"Mm." The other four nodded, not taking the Ji clan seriously at all.

"Brother Ziyu, when I returned from scouting the vein's extent, I found the Ji clan people a thousand li away," the green-haired woman said.

"Let's go," Dong Ziyu snorted. "Let's meet the Ji clan."

...

At that time, above the land of this yuan stone vein, many Zifu cultivators were scouting—from the Tiemu clan, the Bianhe clan, the Kou clan, the Black Fire Sect—all forces of Yanshan. Only the Great Xia garrison at Yanshan City remained aloof, not getting involved.

"Such a rich vein."

"A yuan stone vein like this... it's terrifying just to look at."

...

In the wild forest, a group of Ji clan members gathered, discussing countermeasures.

"Ji Jiu Huo!"

Suddenly a faint voice came directly, causing many Ji clan members to change expression. Ji Ning, with his strong soul, was unaffected and looked up. A huge cloth curtain swooped down from the sky, atop which stood five men and women, all with extraordinary bearing.

The leader exuded a cold aura, wearing a black robe with blood-colored Eight Trigrams patterns.

"Dong Ziyu!" Ji Jiu Huo's expression shifted slightly.

Ji Ning carefully observed the five on the curtain, especially the leader Dong Ziyu: "So he's Dong Ziyu of Snow Dragon Mountain's Yanshan branch?"

Dong Ziyu was widely renowned, reputedly the top figure among the six major forces of Yanshan.