The Yuan Stone Rush

As Ji Jiuhuo had predicted, roughly a thousand li away, a curtained canvas hung suspended in midair. Upon this canvas stood four figures, looking down at the lands below.

Suddenly, a streak of light shot up from the ground below. It was a burly, armored man riding a massive flying sword. His skin was tinged with a faint green hue, and as he stood atop the giant sword, high in the sky, he looked like a demonic god.

"Elder apprentice-brothers and sisters," the burly man said, joy on his face. "I've scouted the area. There's a massive amount of yuan stones beneath the earth, including high-grade ones. It's a very rich yuan stone mine."

"Oh?" A long-haired man in a black robe, decorated with blood-colored Eight Trigrams patterns on the front and back, nodded and smiled. "Brother Jusan, your hard work is appreciated. Who would have thought that such a mine lay hidden within the Ji Clan's territory? Tell me, Brother Jusan, did you see any signs of them starting to mine it?"

The burly man shook his head.

The long-haired man in black nodded with satisfaction. "The Ji Clan has never sold yuan stones to outsiders. It seems they haven't discovered it either. Junior apprentice-brothers and sisters, please split up and head in the four cardinal directions to scout. Find out the true extent of this mine. I will check its depth. After you've finished your investigation, gather back here."

"Yes, Senior Apprentice-Brother Ziyin!" The three men and one woman, including the burly man, acknowledged the order. Each then stepped onto their personal flying treasure, transforming into four streaks of light that shot off in the four directions.

The long-haired man in black put away the canvas and shot straight down toward the earth. The moment he touched the ground, he had already vanished into it.

...

A long time passed.

The three men and one woman from before had returned, riding their own treasures.

"Senior Apprentice-Brother Ziyin still isn't done scouting?" said a green-haired man, his tone surprised. "It seems this mine is quite deep too."

"This yuan stone deposit, just from what we've discovered, covers an area of over four thousand li in circumference," said a green-haired woman beside him, her voice serious. "If it's deep as well... then this mine is truly astonishing."

As soon as she spoke.

Whoosh!

A streak of light shot up from below, then halted. It was the black-robed Senior Apprentice-Brother Ziyin.

"Senior Apprentice-Brother Ziyin." The three men and one woman all bowed to show respect. Although all five of them were Zifu Disciples and of the same generation, there was no need for such formality under normal circumstances. However, the strength of their senior apprentice-brother, Ziyin, was far above theirs.

"What a yuan stone mine! It's over three hundred li deep," the long-haired man in black exclaimed in amazement.

"Three hundred li?"

"That deep?"

"The four of us scouted and found a mine covering over four thousand li. With this kind of depth... the scale of this mine is just..." The other three men and one woman were all shocked. Some mines were very shallow. It was normal for a mine covering thousands of li to be only a few li deep. But this one was over three hundred li deep!

The man in black, Ziyin, declared, "This yuan stone mine belongs to the Snowdragon Mountain Sect!"

"That's right! It's ours!"

"Performing such a great service will earn us a heavy reward from the Sect."

"An opportunity has come our way!"

The five of them were all incredibly excited. They could easily deduce the scale of this mine. Its value was inconceivably high! Even the most powerful Primal Daoists at the peak of the Snowdragon Mountain Sect would be interested in something like this.

"Senior Apprentice-Brother Ziyin." The green-haired woman frowned. "This is near the Ji Clan's Ten Thousand Swords City. According to the Grand Xia Dynasty's laws, this land should belong to the Ji Clan."

"The Ji Clan? What do they matter?" Senior Apprentice-Brother Ziyin snorted coldly. "Does the Ji Clan dare to reach out for a mine the Snowdragon Mountain wants?"

The green-haired man beside him nodded. "The Ji Clan is not a concern. We will definitely seize this mine. However, no matter what, we cannot be careless. According to the Grand Xia Dynasty's capital laws, this is the territory of the Ji Clan's Ten Thousand Swords City. The mine should belong to them. Even the Snowdragon Mountain cannot openly defy the Grand Xia Dynasty's laws!"

"Mm." Dong Ziyin nodded slightly.

Right.

Even if they could find ways to bypass the law, they absolutely could not openly challenge the Grand Xia Dynasty. Even the Anchan Marquisdom, which was almost as ancient as the Grand Xia Dynasty itself, dared not openly defy the dynasty's laws!

"Right now, there's one thing we fear the most," the green-haired man frowned. "If the Ji Clan sends someone to coordinate with the Grand Xia army and signs a transfer contract with the dynasty, handing this mine directly over to the Grand Xia, then there will be nothing we can do!"

"What Brother Hefang says makes sense." The gray-robed man with a cold face nodded. "We must be careful."

"Be careful," the burly man urged. "The Ji Clan surely knows they aren't strong enough. If they transfer it to the Grand Xia, the Ji Clan can take a thirty percent cut. They would then have the Grand Xia backing them. There would be nothing we could do."

"Signing a contract?" Dong Ziyin's eyes were dark and cold. "It won't be that easy!"

The other four all looked at him.

"The Grand Xia's garrison in the Yan Mountains is stationed at Yan Mountain City," Dong Ziyin said. "The general in charge of that garrison is a friend of mine."

"But Senior Apprentice-Brother Ziyin," the green-haired man said, worried, "when it comes to transferring a mine, if the Ji Clan reports it to higher authority, a single general wouldn't dare suppress it. If he forcibly suppresses something like this and it's discovered later, he would be executed by having his soul scattered."

Dong Ziyin said, "I know. He wouldn't dare suppress it. But he can delay it for as long as possible."

"Oh?" The other four looked at him.

"As you know," Dong Ziyin said, "to sign a transfer contract with the Grand Xia, you first have to report it to the authorities. Immediately, the higher-ups will send someone to the Ji Clan's territory to verify the claim. Only after the verification confirms the existence of the mine will the contract be signed."

The other four nodded.

That was exactly how it worked.

As soon as the report was made, people would be dispatched immediately. The process was very efficient.

"Once the matter is reported, we can't act rashly," Dong Ziyin said. "What we can do is have the general at the Yan Mountain garrison delay things for as long as possible. Furthermore, it will take time for the Grand Xia's envoy to travel all the way to the Ji Clan. That time will be enough for us to take Ten Thousand Swords City!"

"Take Ten Thousand Swords City?" The four all nodded slowly.

"As long as we obtain the vassal token of Ten Thousand Swords City, we will become its masters. According to Grand Xia law, the mine then belongs to us. Even if the Grand Xia sends someone, since the token has changed hands, the Ji Clan won't be able to sign the contract," Dong Ziyin explained.

"Right. Seize the vassal token!"

"Once the token is ours, we become the masters of the mine." Their eyes gleamed with a cold, murderous light.

Dong Ziyin said in a low voice, "If the Ji Clan dares to resist, we destroy them."

"Mm." The other four all nodded, showing no regard for the Ji Clan whatsoever.

"Senior Apprentice-Brother Ziyin, when I was returning from scouting the mine's perimeter, I noticed some Ji Clan members about a thousand li away," the green-haired woman said.

"Let's go," Dong Ziyin said coldly. "Let's go meet the Ji Clan."

...

At that moment, in the skies above the vast expanse of the yuan stone mine, many Zifu Disciples were scouting. There were members of the Ironwood Clan, the Bianhe Clan, the Kou Clan, and the Blackfire Cult—all the major powers of the Yan Mountains. Only the Grand Xia garrison at Yan Mountain City stood aloof, refusing to get involved.

"What a rich mine."

"A yuan stone deposit like this... just looking at it is terrifying."

...

In a wilderness forest, a group of Ji Clan members had gathered, discussing their strategy.

"Ji Jiuhuo!"

Suddenly, a distant, ethereal voice rang out. The sound made the expressions of several Ji Clan clansmen shift. Ji Ning, whose soul was powerful, was unaffected. He looked up and saw a massive canvas rapidly descending from the sky. Five men and women stood on the canvas, all with extraordinary bearing.

The man at the forefront radiated a chilling aura. He wore a black robe with blood-colored Eight Trigram patterns.

"Dong Ziyin!" Ji Jiuhuo's expression changed slightly.

Ji Ning carefully examined the five people on the canvas, especially their leader, Dong Ziyin. So this was the famed Dong Ziyin of the Snowdragon Mountain's Yan Mountain branch, he thought.

Dong Ziyin's reputation preceded him; he was widely considered the number one figure among the Six Major Powers of the Yan Mountains. (To be continued.)