A Name That Shakes the World — A Forced Exchange

Chapter 684: A Name That Shakes the World — A Forced Exchange

Han Li only smiled faintly at the words, saying nothing more. He knew that Senior Brother Lü beside him would surely speak on his behalf.

True enough, before Nan Longhou in the golden light could say another word, the middle-aged man surnamed Lü hurriedly began to introduce Han Li.

"Marquis, this is Junior Han Li, a new addition to our Falling Cloud Sect. He has only recently formed his Nascent Soul. The Lady Mu beside him is his concubine. Junior Han, the Marquis is an old acquaintance of my master's. Come, make his acquaintance."

"Greetings, Marquis Nanlong!" Han Li's robes fluttered as he clasped his hands in a salute, his demeanor unhurried and composed.

"Han Li? The name sounds quite unfamiliar. It seems Fellow Daoist Han is indeed a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator. I wonder how profound your abilities are? How about letting me test them?" Nan Longhou spoke casually from within his beast-drawn carriage.

"What? Junior Han only formed his Nascent Soul a few years ago; how could he possibly be a match for Fellow Daoist Nanlong? You are already a Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator." Lü Luo's originally smiling expression shifted slightly, a bitter dread welling up in his heart.

This old monster had always been eccentric in temperament, but why would he suddenly take an interest in testing Junior Han's abilities? From the looks of it, it didn't seem like they had any prior acquaintance either!

"Rest assured. I won't bully the weak by relying on my superior cultivation. We will simply compete with our divine sense. Just now, Fellow Daoist Han's divine sense was not weak at all — quite unlike a newly formed Nascent Soul. I was simply intrigued by the discovery."

As Nan Longhou's words fell, the golden light above the carriage flickered and then dimmed, revealing three figures seated together within the massive vehicle.

One male, two females.

The man wore a purple python-embroidered robe and a tall cap of green jade. His long beard reached his chest, and he sat flanked by the two women. The women were dressed in snow-white palace attire, lovely as flowers, half-reclining against the man's chest.

The long-bearded man was naturally Nan Longhou. The two women beside him were most likely his own concubines. Though only at the Foundation Establishment stage or thereabouts, they were graceful and alluring in every way.

"Marquis, you jest. Although Junior Han's divine sense is somewhat stronger, a battle of divine sense is exceedingly dangerous. How could we engage in it so lightly?" Lü Luo was genuinely anxious now. Casting aside his wariness for the moment, he directly refused the suggestion.

"Heh! Fellow Daoist Lü, why the rush? Perhaps Fellow Daoist Han himself is willing to give it a try," Nan Longhou said with a cold chuckle, unhurriedly. His narrow eyes fixed on Han Li, a faint glint of cold light flickering within them.

"Furthermore, if Fellow Daoist Han truly refuses my goodwill, then if I recall correctly, we are now within a thousand li of Tiantian City. The rule of forced exchange would seem applicable here."

"Forced exchange? What does the Marquis mean by that?" Lü Luo's expression changed slightly, a vague premonition of trouble stirring within him.

"Nothing much. I see Lady Mu here being so intimate with Fellow Daoist Han; she must be someone dear to his heart, yes? By coincidence, I have two beloved concubines here as well, though I have grown somewhat weary of them. How about I exchange them for this concubine of Fellow Daoist Han's? These two beloved concubines of mine are in no way inferior to Lady Mu, either in appearance or cultivation base. The conditions for a forced exchange are clearly met. If Fellow Daoist Han is unwilling to trade, then he must compete with me in a battle of divine sense. If he wins, he not only keeps his concubine, but my own beloved concubines will also belong to him." Nan Longhou's gaze swept coldly over Mu Peiling as he spoke, his face expressionless.

The two concubines in his embrace stiffened slightly, but quickly returned to their normal composure.

Lü Luo, upon hearing this, was filled with shock and fury, momentarily lost for words.

Beside Han Li, Mu Peiling's face drained of all color in an instant.

"Forced exchange! Senior Brother Lü, could you explain this in detail?" Han Li's brow furrowed slightly before he asked calmly.

To him, this Nan Longhou was merely a Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. Given Han Li's current abilities, he felt no great fear.

"It's not much, really. The forced exchange is merely a rule set by the host faction specifically for Nascent Soul cultivators.

"Junior Brother, you should know that any faction is reluctant to casually offend anyone who has reached the Nascent Soul stage. The faction hosting this trade fair is no exception. However, with such a large trade fair, disputes or conflicts are bound to arise during transactions. For cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage, the host faction can forcibly suppress them. But when conflicts arise between Nascent Soul cultivators, even the host is reluctant to get involved in such trouble. Hence, several special rules were established for Nascent Soul cultivators to resolve disputes among themselves. The forced exchange is one of the least invoked.

"Specifically, within a thousand li of the host location, before and after the trading period, if one Nascent Soul cultivator offers something of clearly superior value in exchange for something they desire, and the other party refuses, this rule can be invoked. Both parties then resolve the dispute through their cultivation and abilities. However, the conditions for invoking this rule are very strict. Moreover, even if the initiator of the forced exchange wins, they only gain the items from the trade; they don't gain any other advantage. If they lose, the items they offered for trade go to the challenged party free of charge. Furthermore, in such a challenge, both parties may seriously injure one another, but they may not take a life. Otherwise, the host faction will mobilise their best experts to hunt down the murderer. However, it is already extremely difficult for a Nascent Soul cultivator to kill another in a one-on-one duel. And unless one truly needs an item in the other's possession and the other's cultivation is clearly inferior, no one would commit the folly of gaining nothing while making enemies." Lü Luo explained everything to Han Li, but his expression was far from pleasant.

For Nascent Soul cultivators, concubines were indeed considered tradeable goods. This practice was even quite popular among some demonic-path sects.

No matter how one looked at it, the other party had fully met all the conditions. Even if the enforcement cultivators of the Nine Nations Alliance were summoned, it would be useless.

Still, at least Han Li's life shouldn't be in danger. But to be severely injured before the trade fair even began was truly unfortunate.

As for Mu Peiling, in his eyes, she was hardly worth a second thought. Even if she were taken, Han Li would gain two stunningly beautiful women in return, so it wasn't really a loss.

Both Han Li and Mu Peiling heard Lü Luo's explanation clearly. Han Li's expression remained untroubled, but Mu Peiling's heart was filled with regret.

Had she known that the trade fair had such a rule, she would never have begged Han Li to come here.

She didn't know much about this Nan Longhou, but his manner and attitude toward his own concubines made it clear that if she ended up with him, remaining a virgin like she was by Han Li's side would be utterly impossible. She might even be treated as mere goods, traded or gifted away at will.

The thought of such a possibility made Mu Peiling bite down on her lip. A faint trace of red flashed across her pale face.

As for her "master" defeating the other party, she could hardly bring herself to hope for it.

"So? Is Fellow Daoist Han prepared to agree to the trade, or shall we first compete with our divine sense and then settle the exchange?" Nan Longhou sat motionless in his beast-drawn carriage, pressing step by step.

Silence fell over the area. Not only Lü Luo and Mu Peiling were watching Han Li nervously, but the two concubines beside Nan Longhou were also staring at this young, almost impossibly youthful-looking Nascent Soul cultivator with curiosity.

Han Li stroked his chin, then suddenly let out a laugh.

"A divine sense contest isn't a big deal. I only formed my Nascent Soul recently, so it would be interesting to see how my divine sense compares to that of other Nascent Soul cultivators. However, if I am fortunate enough to win, I don't want the Marquis's beloved concubines. I only wish to know the true reason the Marquis insists on this divine sense contest. Please don't tell me it's because you've taken a disliking to me, or that you've truly set your heart on my concubine!" Han Li spoke calmly, without a trace of worry in his expression.

At these words, a peculiar look flashed through Nan Longhou's eyes. The others were rather baffled by the exchange.

"Fine. I agree." After a moment of silence, Nan Longhou replied slowly. His dignified face was now filled with gravity.

"Master..." Mu Peiling couldn't help but cry out upon seeing Han Li truly accept the challenge. Her beautiful face was filled with complicated emotions.

"It's fine. It's only a sparring match." Han Li waved his hand.

"Junior Brother, be very careful. If things go badly, concede immediately. I will act to stop it at once." Lü Luo sighed and gave his earnest advice.

Han Li nodded but said nothing more.

At this moment, Nan Longhou in the opposite carriage pushed aside his concubines, shook his sleeves, and floated into the air. A flash of azure light flickered around Han Li's body, and he transformed into a streak of cyan light, flying upward as well.

Although the forced exchange rule ideally required the presence of enforcement cultivators from the Nine Nations Alliance, neither party mentioned it now, and the matter was tacitly set aside.

"I don't know why you insist on testing the strength of my divine sense. But it's clear that the Marquis has a deeper purpose. I'm genuinely curious about this," Han Li said calmly, floating across from Nan Longhou, fifty to sixty zhang apart in the air after they had paused.

"Fellow Daoist Han is indeed a clever man. But if you want to know the reason, you must first prove that your divine sense is at least equal to mine, if not stronger. If it weren't for the fact that when your divine sense swept over me earlier, I sensed it wasn't weak, I wouldn't have lowered myself to challenge you. But I'm not very optimistic about your chances. The difference in divine sense between the Early and Mid-Nascent Soul stages is not a trivial matter." A cold smile curled at the corner of Nan Longhou's mouth as he spoke bluntly.