Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 549 Agreed Upon! Obstruction!

"Lord Ma is being so generous; it seems Liangzhou has offended quite a few people this time," Han Yueshan said calmly.

Ma Chengkong gave a wry smile and did not deny it: "To be honest, Lord Han, Leizhou turned against Liangzhou after the last national competition. This year, Youzhou is also eyeing Liangzhou. If I don't find a reliable ally, entering the Ten Thousand Demon Valley will be a dead end."

He put away his smile and said seriously, "Lord Han, your Desolate State has a master like Elder Chen this year, making you much stronger than in previous years. But how many battles can Elder Chen fight alone? The Valley of Ten Thousand Demons doesn't want to show off heroes, but to come out alive with points. If you and I join forces, with six Nascent Soul cultivators and several disciples, we can attack or defend, and at least we won't be picked off one by one like in previous years. Lord Han, you can decide for yourself."

The courtyard was quiet for a moment. The wind rustled through the withered bamboo grove.

Han Yueshan picked up his teacup, drank the cooled tea in one gulp, and then reached into his sleeve to put the storage bag inside.

"An alliance can be discussed. But there's one condition... Once inside the valley, your people from Liangzhou must obey my commands. If they dare to stab you in the back again, I will wipe out Liangzhou before Youzhou even has to lift a finger."

Ma Chengkong smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Lord Han, rest assured. Although I am not exactly a gentleman, I can still distinguish between what is important and what is urgent. We are in the same boat this time, and if the boat capsizes, no one can escape."

The two discussed the specific details of the alliance for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before Ma Chengkong got up to take his leave.

Before leaving, he glanced at Chen Fan, cupped his hands, and said, "I have heard of your achievements in the Desolate State Grand Competition, Guest Elder Chen. You swept through the disciples of six sects with a single sword strike; truly remarkable. I hope you will take good care of me when I enter the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons."

Chen Fan nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

Ma Chengkong didn't care. He led his four men out of the courtyard and soon disappeared at the end of the bamboo path.

Qin Dao closed the door and snorted coldly, "That old fox knows how to change his tune. He offended Leizhou and Youzhou, so he came here to suck up to us. He's really shameless."

Han Yueshan took out a storage bag from his sleeve and tossed it to Qin Dao, saying expressionlessly:

"Keep it and distribute it to Venerable Feihe and the others. It doesn't matter if they're shameless or not, as long as the items are genuine. Ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones are enough for each of these Nascent Soul elders in our Desolate State to get a new magic weapon."

He paused, then looked at Chen Fan: "What does Fellow Daoist Chen think?"

Chen Fan said calmly, "The advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Although Liangzhou is weak, one more person means one more force. The situation in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons is complicated. Even if we can't fight side by side, at least we have one more shield."

Han Yueshan nodded, stood up, and straightened his clothes: "That's settled then. We still have two more places to visit this afternoon, let's go."

The three left the hospital and continued their unfinished morning itinerary.

In the afternoon, I visited two subordinates of officials in Beijing.

One was the head of the Construction Department of the Ministry of Works, in charge of the distribution of teleportation talismans within the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons;

One was a secretary in the Ministry of Rites' Department of Ceremonies, who was in charge of submitting reports on the ranking of the national competition.

The former was polite, accepting the gift and stating that the talisman would be delivered on time in three days, without any delay.

The latter was extremely arrogant. Han Yueshan waited outside the door for almost half an hour before being summoned. After entering, the other party listened to Han Yueshan while drinking tea, never lifting his eyelids. In the end, he just grunted through his nose, too lazy to even say "I know".

It was dusk when I left the Ministry of Rites' Ceremonial Department.

Although Han Yueshan still had a smile on his face, there was an indescribable weariness in that smile.

He stood in the afterglow of the setting sun, gazing at the rows of pavilions and palaces of the imperial city, and after a moment of silence, he said:

"There's one last one left. It's the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue's Granary Department, who's in charge of approving the allocation of imperial rewards. He's a powerful figure with an extremely arrogant personality. You all need to keep quiet and I'll handle him."

Qin Dao responded, and Chen Fan nodded silently.

The residence of the Ministry of Revenue's Revenue Director was located in the most prosperous part of the imperial city.

The area in front of the gate was bustling with activity, with several lavishly decorated carriages parked there, and five or six officials waiting to be received.

Han Yueshan handed over his calling card and then stood outside the door waiting patiently.

They waited for nearly an hour, until it was completely dark, before the gatekeeper came out to say that the master was receiving guests in the side hall.

The three followed the gatekeeper into the mansion, passed through two moon gates, and arrived at a side hall.

The door to the side hall was open, and the room was brightly lit.

Han Yueshan had just stepped across the threshold when he stopped in his tracks.

There was more than one official sitting in the side hall.

The person in the main seat was an elderly man dressed in a scarlet official robe with a goatee; he was Zhou Dehai, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Granaries.

Three other people sat beside him, their robes embroidered with the emblem of a majestic mountain, the symbol of Yunzhou.

Yunzhou ranks third among the thirty-six prefectures. This time, there are two Nascent Soul stage participants in the National Competition, one of whom is even a Nascent Soul stage Great Perfection participant.

In terms of strength, Yunzhou is far superior to Huangzhou.

The leader of the three was a middle-aged cultivator with a cold and stern face, at the peak of the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. His hawk-like eyes had been scrutinizing Han Yueshan from head to toe since he entered the room, and a hint of undisguised contempt was on his lips.

Behind him sat two young cultivators in the late stage of Core Formation, a man and a woman, both with arrogant expressions, looking at the three from Huangzhou as if they were looking at something unbearable.

Han Yueshan's gaze darkened slightly, but he still wore a smile. He first bowed to Zhou Dehai, who was in the main seat, and said, "This humble official, Han Yueshan, from Huangzhou City, greets Physician Zhou."

Zhou Dehai, holding his teacup, hummed in response.

Before Han Yueshan could speak, the middle-aged cultivator from Yunzhou sneered and said to Zhou Dehai:

"Lord Zhou, is this the city lord of the desolate state that the officials mentioned earlier? I heard he's always at the bottom of the national competition, how dare he come here this year?"

Han Yueshan's smile remained unchanged, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes. He didn't reply, but instead said to Zhou Dehai:

"Lord Zhou, the reason for my visit is to discuss the allocation of rewards following the national competition..."

Before he could finish speaking, the cultivator from Yunzhou interrupted him again:

"A reward? A bottom-ranking state has the nerve to talk about rewards?"

He turned to the two young cultivators beside him and smiled, "Look at this desolate prefecture, it ranks last year after year, yet it comes to ask for resources every year. Is there such a thing as a free lunch? If I were the imperial court, I should have abolished this useless prefecture long ago, to save the waste of spirit stones."

The late-stage Core Formation female cultivator covered her mouth and chuckled, "Senior Brother Zhou is right. A poor, remote place like the Desolate State can't even produce a decent Nascent Soul cultivator, yet they come to participate in the national competition. Aren't they ashamed?"

Another male cultivator in the late Core Formation stage was even more direct, his gaze fixed on Han Yueshan, his tone flippant:

"Lord Han, will your Desolate Prefecture lose a few more Nascent Soul cultivators in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons this year? If there's really no one left, you might as well withdraw now, lest you lose your life and have no one to even collect your body."

(Wishing everyone success in their exams, and may those with students in their families write with divine inspiration!)