Chapter 65: Recruitment
Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Recruitment
When Xu Chang’an arrived at the private room on the second floor of the Elixir Workshop, a Wild Beijing Spirit was already waiting inside.
"Elder Grey Rat."
The Wild Beijing Spirit’s eyes lit up when he saw Xu Chang’an enter.
Xu Chang’an gave a slight nod.
"What’s this ’big business’ you mentioned!?"
"Elder Grey Rat, my Elder invites you for drinks at the Deer Drinking House tonight."
The Wild Beijing Spirit stepped forward slightly and lowered his voice.
"And your Elder is?"
A glint flashed in Xu Chang’an’s eyes.
"The Ninth Elder of Lujiao Mountain!"
...
The Deer Drinking House was an extremely famous place of leisure in the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace.
It offered a wide array of services. The more common ones included hosting banquets for fellow cultivators and entertaining distinguished guests.
The less common services included things like philosophical discussions and... more intimate pleasures.
Inside a private room on the fifth floor of the Deer Drinking House.
Xu Chang’an, in his human form, sat upright on a cattail cushion behind his seat.
"Elder Grey Rat, I’ve heard so much about you."
A Deer Demon with plum blossom-like spots, possessing a human body and a deer’s head, spoke to Xu Chang’an with a cheerful laugh.
Xu Chang’an responded with a smile.
He stated frankly that his cultivation was low, a mere Mid-stage Qi Refining, and that he was undeserving of such praise.
"You’re too modest, Elder Grey Rat. A High-grade Alchemist renowned throughout the Marketplace."
"I have long heard of you, and I am delighted to finally meet you today."
As he spoke, the Plum Deer Demon stood up and raised his cup to Xu Chang’an from across the table.
"Come, Elder Grey Rat, let’s drink."
"This is our Lujiao Mountain’s Clear Deer Wine. It has the effect of nourishing the Demon Body and aiding cultivation."
Xu Chang’an raised his cup and downed it in one go.
’The wine is fine.’ He had already secretly checked it.
After a cup of wine went down, it did indeed feel incredibly crisp and clear.
Within his body, a faint warm current began to stir.
"Not bad!"
Xu Chang’an’s eyes lit up slightly.
’This Spirit Wine’s effect is quite impressive. Just one cup is equivalent to an ordinary Clearing Qi Pill.’
He immediately downed several more cups in a row.
The Plum Deer Demon’s expression didn’t change, but inwardly, he was feeling smug.
’Our Lujiao Mountain’s Clear Deer Wine is naturally exceptional.’
’But I never expected this Gray Rat Demon to be such a heavy drinker.’
’This will make things easier.’
"Ninth Elder, you invited me here. May I ask what your instructions are?"
After a few rounds of drinks and some small talk, Xu Chang’an asked bluntly.
’I can see right through him. I’ve already anticipated his moves.’
"Haha, ’instructions’ is too strong a word."
The Plum Deer Demon said with a laugh.
He then clapped his hands, and a Little Demon walked in, respectfully holding a tray.
On the tray sat a square wooden box.
Inside the box, Demon Stones were stacked in neat piles.
A quick estimate put the number at no less than a thousand Demon Stones.
"Oh!?"
Xu Chang’an’s expression flickered.
"Elder Grey Rat, this is our first meeting. A small token of my esteem. Please accept it."
The Plum Deer Demon was all smiles as he gestured with his hand.
A thousand Demon Stones were enough to buy two or three Middle-grade Magical Artifacts.
And now, it was being offered merely as a first-meeting gift...
’This is probably more than just a simple gift.’
’Otherwise, no matter how rich Lujiao Mountain is, they wouldn’t be this extravagant.’
"Ninth Elder, this is too valuable. I cannot accept."
Xu Chang’an said, refusing.
But his face feigned hesitation.
"Elder Grey Rat, don’t be so modest. It’s just a gift between friends, a sign that we get along well."
With a wave from the Plum Deer Demon, the Little Demon placed the wooden box on Xu Chang’an’s table.
"A gift between friends, this..."
The light in Xu Chang’an’s eyes flickered, as if he was wavering.
"Hahaha, Elder Grey Rat, don’t worry about it. Please, accept it."
The Plum Deer Demon laughed heartily.
"In that case, it would be rude of me to refuse!"
Seeing Xu Chang’an accept the gift, the atmosphere in the room became even more cordial.
Cups were raised and conversation flowed freely.
Pot after pot of Clear Deer Wine was brought to the table. Faced with the Plum Deer Demon’s enthusiastic hospitality, Xu Chang’an simply smiled and played along.
Cup after cup of wine went down, and the warm current surged within him.
Watching the slowly changing numbers on his status panel, the smile on Xu Chang’an’s face grew even wider.
Two hours later, the reception finally came to an end.
The Ninth Elder of Lujiao Mountain, the Plum Deer Demon, personally saw Xu Chang’an to the door.
"Elder Grey Rat, it’s a shame we didn’t meet sooner!"
"If I weren’t so busy with other matters, I’d insist we talk all night."
"Please, let’s meet again in a few days."
Xu Chang’an, with the thousand Demon Stones tucked away in his Storage Bag, replied with a beaming smile.
"Of course, of course. We must meet again when we have the chance."
With that, he said his goodbyes and turned to leave.
"Ninth Elder, that was a brilliant move!"
"If you had rashly mentioned recruiting him, I’m afraid that Grey Rat would have used his renowned Pill Art to play hard to get."
"We would have been put on the back foot, unable to figure out his true intentions."
"Instead, you didn’t mention anything else and just gave him a gift of one thousand Demon Stones."
"Such an extravagant sum is clearly not a normal first-meeting gift."
"Your real intention was to test him."
"And since this Grey Rat didn’t refuse and accepted your thousand Demon Stones..."
"...it shows that his loyalty to Langlang Mountain isn’t that strong."
"Otherwise, he definitely would have refused outright."
The Wild Beijing Spirit flattered him from the side.
"Now that you’ve shown your hand, when you meet again next time, you can formally make your recruitment offer."
"With the groundwork you’ve laid today, the recruitment is sure to go smoothly."
"Ninth Elder, you are brilliant!"
Listening to the Wild Beijing Spirit’s flattery, the Plum Deer Demon stared ahead, a smug look on his face.
The reason Lujiao Mountain’s Elixir Workshop was doing worse than Langlang Mountain’s all came down to this Gray Rat Demon.
And now that he was about to recruit the Gray Rat Demon, he could turn the tables without a fight.
"This recruitment is indeed going much more smoothly than I expected."
"How could Langlang Mountain possibly compare to our Lujiao Mountain?"
"What’s more, with you personally making the offer and giving such a generous gift, securing a mere Grey Rat is a sure thing."
The Wild Beijing Spirit said, sparing no effort in his flattery.
"Three days from now, invite the Grey Rat to meet again."
"Yes, Ninth Elder."
...
’This Clear Deer Wine is pretty good. It’d be great if I could get some more.’
On the way back, Xu Chang’an was still savoring the memory.
It wasn’t that he was a glutton for drink.
It was that in the time it took for that one banquet, his accumulated Energy had increased by 5 points.
All thanks to the Clear Deer Wine.
Seeing how effective the Clear Deer Wine was, he had spent the whole banquet looking for every opportunity to drink.
He drank so much that the Plum Deer Demon was visibly pained, but could only force a smile.
’It’s actually kind of funny to think about the look on his face.’
’This Plum Deer Demon is something else, thinking he can recruit me to Lujiao Mountain just by treating me to one meal!?’
’Trying to buy me with a mere thousand Demon Stones!?’
’It would be a waste not to fleece a willing sheep.’
Given Xu Chang’an’s personality, he wouldn’t go out of his way to cause trouble for no reason unless he had to.
But now that Lujiao Mountain had shown its intention to recruit him, it meant that unless he accepted their offer...
...he would inevitably offend them and be seen as a thorn in their side.
And from his perspective, he certainly wouldn’t be swayed by a mere thousand Demon Stones.
Refusing them outright at the banquet and making enemies of them...
...wasn’t Xu Chang’an’s style.
’What if he loses his cool and shows his true colors? I might be forced to reveal my real cultivation level.’
’Either way, I’m going to end up offending them anyway.’
’So I might as well drink some Spirit Wine at the banquet and get some benefits out of it.’
’As for what comes next...’
’I never promised Lujiao Mountain anything.’
’Besides, the Plum Deer Demon said this thousand Demon Stones was a gift.’
’And there’s no reason to ever return a gift.’