Chương 105: Interlude 2: Hu Yan’s Days of Information Passed

Note: The following events take place shortly after Ren concludes his conversation with Elder Yun Peng and is preparing to leave for the Golden Light Monastery. Hu Yan escorted one of his most valued contacts to his door somewhat in a stupor. Zhao Ren's visits were usually something he looked forward to but not this time. This time instead of some useful insight or a contract to facilitate the sale of artifacts, Zhao Ren had brought dire tidings.

Though the genial young man hadn't said anything outright, the warnings and the allusions were enough. Hu Yan had long since noticed the change in the atmosphere of the inner sect. It was never anything significant but things that barely caught his eye, a transaction here, a whisper there, that tipped him off. There were fluctuations in the price for certain items without obvious reason, fewer patrol missions assigned, or inexplicable movements of the larger cultivation clans.

He had all the pieces, but Zhao Ren's visit had been the final clue that let him put it all together. War was coming. In the following week, he wielded his considerable information network to test his theory. Not just that, Hu Yan also willingly suffered losses in transactions with certain factions to earn goodwill and loosen tongues. Money was no object for one as rich as him. Hu Yan had risen to such lofty heights not through material wealth but through deftness at obtaining and using information.

One of his most important lessons from his days in the outer sect was that the right piece of information, discovered at the right time and wielded correctly, was the key to assured success. And around two weeks after the chosen disciples left for the Golden Light Monastery, his efforts bore fruit, and he uncovered what was happening behind the scenes. War was coming, but the Heavenly Sword Sect was not preparing to fight but to flee.

When he learned that the Heavenly Sword Sect was being abandoned to evacuate to the main sect, the Azure Mountains Sect, the discovery chilled him to his bones. But Hu Yan wasn't the sort to become paralyzed by indecision. Information demanded to be used, especially something this important. Realizing just how little time was left, he leapt into action.

The first thing Hu Yan did was liquidate most of the vast merchant empire he had been in the process of building while simultaneously warning his closest and most valued contacts. He didn't have the heart to leave his friends in the dark, but Ren's warning had been clear. The sect's leadership was closely monitoring the situation. Still, he knew better than most that relationships needed to be managed carefully and not sink into mere business transactions, so he moved covertly and cautiously.

He had earned enough trust through the years that many heeded his warnings and began preparing without even knowing what was going to happen. The maneuver earned him tremendous amounts of goodwill, and Hu Yan's conscience was clear. Relationships aside, the many ventures he possessed still needed to be harvested. In his early days as an outer sect disciple, once he earned enough spirit stones, he had leveraged his budding information network to invest in profitable ventures.

They succeeded more often than not, but refusing to relax with his success, he reinvested his earnings. The most profitable of those had been based on one of Ren's recommendations. Hu Yan had partnered with the talented young chef Mingzhi, the inventor of the Surprise Dumplings, and expanded the business. The chef was only too happy to let Hu Yan deal with the business side because it left him more time to follow his true passion of cooking.

That venture had taken the sect by storm and made them so rich that Hu Yan even managed to buy foundation establishment pills for them both. He still recalled those times fondly. Those early ventures were the hardest on his heart to give up, but he steeled his resolve. Once he recouped as much wealth as he could, Hu Yan didn't abandon the rest of his businesses to the clans. Instead, he absorbed the losses to sell certain items for mere scraps.

Most of his fellow disciples didn't question it when Hu Yan began an enormous sale on weapons, talismans, life-saving medicines, and such, but a few surely picked up on the unusual movement. Hu Yan often wondered when he became such a soft, silk-pants merchant who readily threw away money, but how could he treat the sect that had become his home in any other way? Around that time, he received a mandate to arrive at the inner sect grounds and bring with him everything required for a lengthy mission.

It was an extremely unusual order, but it was a summons that he couldn't ignore. He knew then that the moment had come. He checked his three spatial rings carrying his entire wealth one last time just before departing. He arrived as the assembly grounds were rapidly filling with disciples, and their angry susurrus filled the air.

"They've never done something like this before! Why do you think they called us here today?"

"It must be an emergency of some sort. They gave us almost no time to prepare! It's a good thing I'm always ready for combat!"

"Whoever just said that, quit yapping! Don't you know that lengthy missions are an entirely different ordeal? Damn, I wish I had stocked up on more medicines when they were selling for cheap!"

"Why intrude in our conversation? Picking a fight?!"

"Haaah? This hothead thinks now is a good time to fight! If you want a beating, this Young Master will certainly oblige." Tempers were flaring as panic and confusion were spreading through the already agitated crowd. There were even qi gathering realm disciples scattered throughout the crowd who looked utterly lost. The chaotic scene made it hard for Hu Yan to find his allies even using his divine sense. To his relief most of them were at least present, though he worried about the few who were still missing.

Half a bell later, disciples stopped arriving, and Hu Yan noted that only around three-fourths of the total disciples in the inner sect had been summoned. The oddity only unsettled him further when 4 massive flying ships appeared in the air above them. Elder Sha appeared in front of the assembly and ordered them to board. No one protested against the brusque announcement because a terrifyingly cold presence had descended, dampening any budding fights.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Only then did it occur to Hu Yan that the sect wasn't evacuating everyone! If even inner sect disciples were being abandoned, it boded ill for the outer sect. Furthermore, none of them were even being given a choice to stay and defend the sect! Acting quickly, Hu Yan pulled out an exceptionally expensive communication talisman and embedded all he knew into it before sending it to the one person he knew might still use it.

Senior Chun Wei. That was all the time he had before he was forced to climb aboard a ship under an elder's watchful eye. In the following week, Hu Yan had to commend the sect leadership's decisions to keep everyone in the dark. As disruptive as their method had been, by giving their disciples so little time to react, they had effectively suffocated any embers of conflict before they could catch.

They hadn't made any announcement even after departure to let disciples know that this was an evacuation and not just a lengthy mission. He doubted many would have chosen to leave if they knew everything. There were many honorable disciples who would have stayed to defend their homes no matter what. The disciples on his ship had already grown accustomed to their new surroundings. However, the rich cultivation environment provided might have had a part to play in that.

It was mildly disheartening to see disciples so easily distracted. Still, knowing what he did, instead of secluding himself, Hu Yan had already started to use his time effectively. Not everyone was ignorant of the strange circumstances. He had already approached a few disciples he knew to propose alliances against unknown problems they might have to face. If the prominent clans could make alliances, why couldn't he?

He didn't dare annoy the elders by going against their wishes, so he used insinuating phrases to test if they also knew the truth behind this journey before broaching the topic. His efforts were rewarded, and he found more allies who would make settling into the new sect that much easier. During one such attempt, he happened to spot a pair of famous disciples strolling the deck of the ship.

Seizing the opportunity, he walked up to the Icy Healer and the Rampaging Arsenal while trying to control the fluttering of his heart. The beautiful young ladies were normally unapproachable, but a thread called "Zhao Ren" connected them, so he decided to act a little more audaciously. He called out, "Lady Mei Ling, Lady Xi Yuan, I am…" Just then, a charming young man in beautiful robes suddenly blocked his way.

"You dare?! Who are you to make advances on my martial sister?! Hmph! A toad lusting after swan flesh!" Hu Yan was completely taken aback by the unprovoked verbal lashing coming from the handsome young man. Hu Yan had just called out to them! How did it become him trying to make advances? Why is this fool trying to paint me in a negative light?

"Forgive me, fellow disciple, but I think there has been a misunderstanding. As I was just saying I am a friend of…" He tried pacifying the livid young man only to get cut off once more.

"I don't care who you know. Stop bothering us and leave! Or I'll make you regret it." He said, taking a threatening step toward Hu Yan. Just then a hand on his shoulder gently restrained him. Hu Yan looked more carefully and realized his mistake. There was nothing gentle about that hand that was crushing down on the handsome man's shoulders.

"Senior brother, I can speak for myself. No need to trouble yourself." The crooked smile on Lady Mei Ling's face didn't go to her eyes, and it looked disturbing on her beautiful face. Hu Yan suppressed a shudder. The young man, however, didn't back down right away, mewling, "But Mei Mei…"

"Senior Brother, please call me Mei Ling. And you are Hu Yan, Ren's friend! Tell me, have you heard from him?" Her tone shifted halfway from chilling to warm as she turned to address Hu Yan. The young man backed away a few paces, rubbing his shoulder while throwing a furious scowl at Hu Yan that only softened when he turned to gaze protectively at Lady Mei Ling.

'What a headache!' Thought Hu Yan to himself.

'But it's too late to back out now.'

"Lady Mei Ling, I am indeed Hu Yan, Zhao Ren's friend. Unfortunately, I have no news from him directly, although I have heard that they arrived safely at the Golden Light Monastery." The spirited young Lady Xi Yuan jumped in and exclaimed.

"I've seen you before in the Serenity Tea House! Aren't you the one who played that lovely song on the zither?!" It was such an utterly novel experience for Hu Yan to be recognized for his hobby and not as an information broker that he found himself blushing and stammering. But with that, the awkward air from Mei Ling's martial brother's earlier interference vanished. The two young ladies exchanged a glance and then began gently teasing him.

"I've heard Ren call you a musician, but I always thought it referred to how you play information like music. I am ashamed to be so ignorant!"

"That's right, Sister Mei Mei! Why would a talented zither player like him bother with such tiresome things like selling information?"

"So tell me, Hu Yan the musician, have you composed a new song lately?"

"Do you think he'll write one for us if we ask?"

"Let's ask him, Yu Yu, but renowned musicians are said to compose only when inspired. So don't be disheartened when he turns you down." Whether it was being teased by pretty women or the possibly sincere praise for his musical talent, the normally silver-tongued Hu Yan could only stutter incoherently. How could they mess with someone they barely knew? Did merely knowing Zhao Ren let them act so familiar with him? He felt curiously defenseless as he struggled to form a full sentence.

"I actually have written a song recently…" he blurted out before he realized what he said.

'Why did I say that?!' he looked up and found them smiling broadly at him. However, it wasn't mocking, only well-intentioned levity.

'Maybe that was it.' He thought.

'Everything has been so somber and serious lately that a joyful moment caught me off guard.'

"We will certainly look forward to your next performance. Please do invite us!" They finally let up and allowed him to regain his composure. Unwilling to ruin the first pleasant conversation he had had in weeks, Hu Yan didn't bring up any talk of alliances. Hu Yan shared some interesting anecdotes and answered some of their questions. They even talked about surprise dumplings and whether Mengzhi had come up with more unusual flavors.

Ever the salesman, he finally got a chance to tease them back with hints about the new series the chef had been set to launch. When the conversation turned to Ren and Hua and the trial they were participating in, the young man who had been fuming silently behind the girls cut in once more.

"What's so great about those muscleheads? That trial is a waste of time. My master has said many times that body cultivation isn't worth the effort." He said, his nose turning toward the sky. Mei Ling glanced at him with annoyance.

"You haven't even met them! Senior brother, why do you trivialize their efforts? And Master only said that body cultivation wasn't suited for those who practice our cultivation method." Hu Yan had already made a note of the young man's jealousy directed toward his friend Zhao Ren and resolved to inform him at the earliest.

'Hopefully nothing bad happened in the meantime. These young master types can be quite sneaky when they hold grudges.' Though Hu Yan. Just then, three elders appeared on the deck, and a voice rang in his ears.

"Disciples, return to your chambers and stay there until told otherwise." Bidding farewell, Hu Yan turned to leave when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a thick storm cloud on the horizon behind them looming ominously.