Chapter 14: Three-Section Dylan-Protecting Saber

The last two guards carried in a great saber together. It resembled a guandao, yet it was different in several ways. The entire weapon was pitch-black, forged from meteoric iron. "The personal saber of the previous dynasty's greatest warrior, Constantine Upsell. The Three-Section Veyra-Protecting Saber." Dylan Weedy had heard his grandfather speak of it before. The greatest warrior of the Veyra Dynasty's founding had wielded a great saber weighing three hundred and thirty-three jin. Its blade measured three chi and three cun. Its shaft measured three chi and three cun, and its grip measured the same. That was why it had been named the Three Sections. The Warburton family had probably robbed Constantine Upsell's tomb and stolen this Divine Weapon from among his burial treasures. "From this day on, it'll be called the Three-Section Dylan-Protecting Saber. It's yours." Dylan Weedy turned to Jade Jauncy. "When I have some free time, I'll teach you a saber technique as well." Jade Jauncy lifted the Three-Section Great Saber and tested its weight. "It's heavier than I expected, but the weight feels just right in my hands." "Put them down! Put everything down!" Colin Warburton hurried into the room and pointed at Dylan Weedy. "You actually used brute force to break the mechanisms! Put every treasure down at once!" "You refused to give me the Spirit Coffin Fungus, so I had no choice but to take other things in payment. In my eyes, the Spirit Coffin Fungus is worth five million taels of silver. Once I've collected five million taels' worth, I'll leave." Dylan Weedy pointed at a red coral worth a fortune. "This thing counts as ten taels of silver." He pointed to a luminous pearl. "And this one is worth twenty taels." After that, Dylan Weedy patted Colin Warburton's chest with the back of his hand. "Uncle Colin, these things carry far too much Lunar Energy. They don't look like they were obtained honestly. Even if I hauled every last one of them away, would you dare report the truth to Your Majesty?" "Or perhaps you dare come to Duke of Weedy's Manor and take them back? The Spirit Coffin Fungus was something your son lost to me in the first place. Giving it to me is simply returning it to its rightful owner. I won't touch any of the other treasures. How does that sound?" "Fuck you!" Colin Warburton threw off his former sage-like bearing and cursed Dylan Weedy at the top of his lungs. Dylan Weedy dug at his ear with his little finger. "The treasures are already in my hands. Curse me as much as you like. One Spirit Coffin Fungus for all these treasures? Worth every bit." "nephew Weedy, surely we can discuss this calmly. Let's negotiate…" Dylan Weedy cut him off. "I know you're trying to stall for time until reinforcements arrive. That little trick won't work on me. I'll give you half a tea period. If I still don't see the Spirit Coffin Fungus by then, I'll haul everything back to Duke of Weedy's Manor. If you're capable, you can try taking it back right under my grandfather's nose." Colin Warburton flew into a rage. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground. The Warburton family rushed over, pinched his philtrum, and called for the doctor. Colin Warburton seemed to age twenty years in an instant. He spoke weakly to the butler. "Go to my study and retrieve the Spirit Coffin Fungus from the hidden compartment." The butler soon returned under the protection of the Warburton guards, carrying a jade box more than half a meter long. Dylan Weedy glanced at the box. It was an ornate container carved from a single piece of fine Mutton-Fat White Jade. Since the entire box had been carved from one block, its seams fit together perfectly, leaving no gap for air to enter. Even the Purple-Gold Ginseng Your Majesty had given him as a life-saving medicine had not received such lavish treatment. The Spirit Medicine inside had to be extraordinarily precious. Dylan Weedy pried the lid open just a crack. A rich medicinal fragrance immediately filled the entire ancestral hall. Inside lay a blood-red fungus of almost unnatural beauty. Dylan Weedy nodded in satisfaction. "That's the one!" "Put down all those treasures. We should leave before the Warburton family's reinforcements catch up and take them back." Laughing loudly, Dylan Weedy tucked the Mutton-Fat White Jade Box against his body. He selected several medicinal herbs from the pile of treasures, then led his troops away with shameless swagger. Colin Warburton watched Dylan Weedy's retreating figure. The Young Master walked with broad, stately steps, his arrogance practically radiating from him. Furious, Colin Warburton clenched his fist and pounded the ground. "Find that rebellious son of mine, Troy Warburton! I'll beat him to death in front of everyone!" "Dylan Weedy, Dylan Weedy! To hell with you, Dylan Weedy! Contact the Nine Sects. Spend whatever it takes to kill him! I want Dylan Weedy dead without a whole corpse! Without a whole corpse!" Duke of Weedy's Manor. Benedict Weedy sat cross-legged with his upper body bare while Everett Murch inserted acupuncture needles and worked along his meridians. "Everett, with this top-grade restorative medicinal broth, how much longer can I live?" "Brother, I won't lie to you. You originally had only a year left. With the medicinal prescription the Young Master gave you, though, you could live another two or three years as long as you avoid strenuous exertion and focus on resting." "Only two or three years?" Benedict Weedy let out a long sigh. "At my age, dying is nothing to fear. But I can't stop worrying about that Little Bastard. What will he do without my protection?" Once Everett Murch removed the needles and opened the windows, the Deputy General, who had been waiting outside, hurried in. He had urgent news to report. However, Everett Murch had warned him that interrupting the treatment could endanger Benedict Weedy's life. The Deputy General had been forced to wait outside, fretting helplessly. Seeing the worry etched across the Deputy General's face, Benedict Weedy asked curiously, "What happened?" "It's… it's the Young Master. The Young Master stole the Jade Leaf Game and went gambling at Clearwater Court with Young Master Luet." "That Little Bastard gets cheated out of money by the Warburton boy every time. How much did he lose this time?" "He… he didn't lose. He won." Benedict Weedy stared at him in confusion. "Winning is a good thing. Why do you look so miserable?" "Weedy, the Young Master winning was good news. The bad news was that he won far too much." "Far too much? How much? Ten thousand taels?" The Deputy General shook his head. "He won three hundred thousand taels in banknotes alone." "Holy shit!" Benedict Weedy nearly jumped to his feet in excitement. "That boy won that much?" "That wasn't all. He also won Clearwater Court, the Warburton family's business that rakes in money every day." The Deputy General's expression turned awkward. "The Young Master also won the Fiancée of Young Master Warburton. But the most terrifying part was that he took one thousand soldiers from the Weedy Family Army and one thousand from the Luet Family Army to Grand Tutor Winlow's home to collect the bride. In the end, he extorted two hundred thousand taels of silver from the Grand Tutor." Benedict Weedy's face darkened as he studied the Deputy General. "There's more, isn't there?" "There is. The Young Master led his troops in a grand march to the Warburton family's home to seize Miss Warburton, Skye Warburton. He even said the girl was ugly and that he wouldn't sleep with her even if she offered herself for free." "Pfft!" Everett Murch burst out laughing. He waved at Benedict Weedy apologetically. "Sorry, brother. I couldn't hold it in. Please, continue…" The Deputy General continued, "The Young Master used Skye Warburton to extort another two hundred thousand taels of silver from the Warburton family. He also demanded the dowry of Grand Tutor's daughter from them." "Oh, and the scout reported that the Young Master also tricked the Warburton family out of a spirit material that could enhance virility." Benedict Weedy rose with a solemn expression. "This has gotten far too serious. The Grand Tutor and the Warburton family won't let it go. It may even alarm Emperor of Southern Radiance. Fortunately, that Little Bastard holds a contract, so he can barely claim the moral high ground. He also dragged the Luet family into the mess. Otherwise, even I would have trouble cleaning up after him." As he spoke, the old butler hurried into the room. "My lord, Shaun Sinjen and Big Hippo, excuse me, Jade Jauncy, have come to see you by name. They said the Young Master ordered them to place something directly into your hands." "Let them in." Shaun Sinjen and Jade Jauncy entered and carefully placed several ornate boxes before Benedict Weedy. "My lord, the Young Master said you must open these yourself." "Hm?" Benedict Weedy opened the Agarwood box and revealed a human-shaped Fo-Ti Root. Everett Murch's eyes gleamed with greed. He snatched the Fo-Ti Root away. "Good heavens, it's almost grown a face. What a treasure. What an incredible treasure!" Everett Murch turned to Benedict Weedy, visibly thrilled. "Brother, with this, I'll stake my head on you living at least two years longer." His gaze shifted to the Mutton-Fat White Jade Box. "A box carved from a single piece of Mutton-Fat White Jade? What kind of peerless treasure could be inside?" Everett Murch's hand trembled as he reached for the lid. He opened the box inch by inch. The sight of the eerily crimson Spirit Coffin Fungus appeared, and its medicinal fragrance instantly filled the room. "What?" Everett Murch let out a sharp cry. "The… the Spirit Coffin Fungus!" "What is the Spirit Coffin Fungus?" "It ranks among the top three on the Spirit Medicine Ranking. It's a legendary Spirit Medicine that appears only in old tales." Everett Murch threw his arms around Benedict Weedy. "Brother, with this, you can extend your life by at least ten years!" "That Little Bastard caused such an uproar for my sake?" Benedict Weedy lifted his head as tears of relief welled in his eyes. "Dylan has grown up. He finally understands what matters." "Shaun Sinjen, Jade, what else did that Little Bastard tell you?" Jade Jauncy answered in her usual straightforward, slightly clumsy manner. "He said we had to deliver the medicine directly into your hands. As long as the medicine was safe, we stayed alive. If we lost it, we were supposed to slit our throats and die." She paused, then added, "Oh, and he said the kitchen had to make twenty chickens for me." "Eat as much as you like. Go to the kitchen and order whatever you want. Eat whatever you want, and as much as you want." Benedict Weedy was delighted. The Deputy General lowered his voice. "Weedy, should I go to the Luet family and ask Prince Luet to come discuss how we should answer to the Warburton family?" "Answer to them? Answer to their mothers!" Benedict Weedy roared. "I'm going to live five years longer and protect the Sublime Dynasty for five more years. Isn't that answer enough? Once Emperor of Southern Radiance hears about this, he'll be so happy he'll laugh himself awake in his sleep." Everett Murch corrected him, "Brother, it's ten years, not five. You need to have a little faith in my medical skills." "It's not that I don't trust your skills. Emperor of Southern Radiance is suspicious by nature. If we tell him ten years, his paranoia will flare up again. Five years is neither too many nor too few. It's exactly right." "Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. Scheming and political maneuvering don't suit a carefree recluse like me…" Benedict Weedy beckoned Shaun Sinjen over. "Why isn't that Little Bastard coming home? Where did he go?" "The Young Master said he wanted to reward the troops. He's giving each of the two thousand guards twenty taels of silver as a bonus, then treating everyone to a feast at Clearwater Court." Benedict Weedy nodded in satisfaction. "As expected of someone with Weedy blood in his veins. He loves his soldiers like children. That part takes after me." "The Young Master also said Clearwater Court is the family business. Any guard who visits a woman there gets half off." "A dog can't change its taste for shit. That part definitely didn't come from me."