Wang Qipian shrugged in response.

“You did quite a number on me last time. Truly impressive for a Foundation Builder, let alone one as inexperienced as you.” He complemented.

Wuxian didn’t answer, standing there quietly, holding the Northern Dark Edge. He wore a look of hesitation as he debated internally as to what to do next.

Going off of his and Big North’s previous deductions, this Wang Qipian was of the Twilight Order and of a different faction compared to the gu master. The talisman-wearing stranger had also spared him, corroborating this inference.

‘But it is possible that their attitude towards me has changed. Though I was spared once, things may not be the same this time round. Furthermore, I am unaware of the motives behind his previous actions, nor can I ever be fully confident in any of my assumptions, regardless of how much evidence I find to support them. More importantly, I do not know his current intentions- it is possible he intends to kill me, so I must not lower my guard.’

Making up his mind, Wuxian raised the treasure weapon again, signifying that he still treated Wang Qipian as a potential threat.

“Spare me the small talk. What is the purpose behind this?” Wuxian demanded, coldly.

At the same time, he subtly shifted his grip over his weapon. Despite his uncommunicative appearance, his mind was a hive of activity, attempting to decipher Wang Qipian’s motives in advance. After all, the enemy wouldn’t exactly tell you how they were planning to kill you just because you asked nicely and in this case, Wuxian didn’t even ask nicely, so the chances were even slimmer.

And in the scenario where they did, who’s to say that they weren’t lying?

Unfazed by Wuxian’s unfriendly gaze, Wang Qipian lowered one of his hands slowly, reaching inside his robe and pulling out a small silver pendant.

“I come in peace. There’s no ambush- it’s just you and I,” he said, pushing the pendant slowly through the air and towards Wuxian with a gust of qi, “at least, for now.”

Initially refusing to touch it, Wuxian examined the pendant for a few seconds, allowing it to be suspended in the air before him. After a lack of reaction from Big North, he gingerly took a hold of it and inspected it closely. He couldn’t see it very well previously due to the lack of lighting and also the pendant’s small size, but looking at it now, he couldn’t help but marvel at its intricate craftsmanship. It was a crescent moon with a small white sphere rotating in the centre, delicately suspended by two minute threads that hung from either tip of the crescent.

“What is the purpose of this?” He inquired, shifting his gaze back onto Wang Qipian.

Seeing that Wuxian hadn’t lowered his guard, Wang Qipian didn’t feel particularly surprised. In fact, if Wuxian had acted like he trusted Wang Qipian immediately, he’d feel that things were amiss instead.

“It’s a gift from my organisation to you. You can treat it somewhat like your Nightwatcher badge, since it has a few similar functions. With it, you can send messages directly to our organisation, to meet with our representatives and members, call for help and so on, so forth.”

Externally, Wuxian wore a look of disinterest, but internally, he felt puzzled.

‘I’ve had barely any interaction with the Twilight Order, with the only one that I did have placing us in direct opposition, yet they’re giving me something like this? Would these sorts of things not be reserved for only members and allies?’

Unable to make heads or tails of the bizarre situation, Wuxian could only play tough and continue with the flow of the conversation, attempting to derive titbits of information here and there.

“Organisation? Don’t you mean cult?” He snorted derisively, watching Wang Qipian’s facial expression carefully.

To the man’s credit, he took the implied insult in stride, maintaining his calm demeanour. He shook his head hearing Wuxian’s words.

“Cult, organisation, sect, secret society… these are just labels for what in essence are very similar things. There’s no need to argue semantics, nor is there a need for insults. Some people call us demons while others call us heroes, it all depends on perspective.” He chuckled good-naturedly. “In the end, we are what we are and do not claim to be what we are not.”

Seeing Wuxian’s lack of reaction, Wang Qipian knew that this sort of spiel had little effect, so he changed his tactic.

“But all of that aside, let me get down to business. I am here for two reasons.”

He paused momentarily, attempting to read Wuxian’s expression, before continuing.

“First. In a more official capacity, I am here to extend an apology on behalf of my organisation, the Twilight Order, that is, as well as a potential proposition.”

Wuxian’s defensive posture did not change, but he seemed to be listening carefully. Seeing that Wang Qipian had stopped speaking again, he urged him on.

“Continue.”

“Of course. The apology is for the threat to your life I posed previously. As you might be aware, I was possessed by a gu insect and had no control over my own actions. What was initially meant to be a quick surveillance mission became our duel under the machinations of the gu master. As such, we are willing to offer you reparations for the damages we may have caused.”

Wang Qipian bowed in apology, seemingly uncaring about whether Wuxian might launch an attack while his head was lowered, putting himself in a vulnerable position. Seeing this and hearing his words, Wuxian couldn’t help but feel his sincerity.

“It wasn’t exactly a duel though, I had someone else assisting me.”

Wang Qipian returned the words with a sardonic look.

“That martial artist?”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“He contributed to your defeat. Without him, you would have won the fight.” Wuxian stated.

“… I suppose that’s true. But in a one-on-one, he could not even touch the hem of my robes, let alone defeat me fairly.” Wang Qipian reasoned, his voice possessing a slight tinge of injustice, seemingly still unconvinced.

From these words, it seemed that Wang Qipian held a level of disdain towards martial practitioners. Whether this was representative of the Twilight Order’s opinion on them, or the entire cultivation world’s viewpoint, was indecipherable at the moment. However, the way different occupations and classes perceived one another was not something that concerned Wuxian- it was the same a thousand years ago and would most certainly be the same a thousand years in the future.

No, it was simpler than that. Out of everyone at the Nightwatch that Wuxian had interacted with, granted it wasn’t many, Qiushou had treated him best, so Wuxian had felt compelled to defend his honour.

…Even though Wan Qiushou’s greatest contribution that fight was calling for reinforcements.

Realising he was getting sidetracked, Wang Qipian wore a wry smile as he returned back to the main topic.

“Anyway, you may decide what sort of reparations you’d like to receive at any time and then contact us with that silver moon pendant. Of course, please be reasonable with your request- try not to be too greedy.”

Wuxian raised an eyebrow, his interest successfully aroused.

“What sort of things can I ask for?”

Wang Qipian shrugged slightly.

“You know, cultivation manuals, mantras, mystic arts, pills, weapons… your imagination is the limit. You can give us the specific properties or selection criteria you need. For example, a defensive mystic art of the earth grade and fire element.” Wang Qipian continued. “Pick only one or two items- if you choose only one, then we’ll be willing to give you something of higher quality, but if you pick two, the individual quality will decrease.”

Seeing the look of contemplation on Wuxian’s face, as well as the opportunistic glow that shone from his eyes, Wang Qipian couldn’t help but add a few lines.

“Also, don’t request anything in the Golden Core or above realms. They’re hard to come by, even for us. Preferably, an item belonging to the Qi Condensation stage at the very most.” He rubbed his neck. “Personally, I’d recommend that you pick something immediately usable right now. While planning for the future is wise, it is better to ensure that you can survive to that time in the first place.”

“That’s reasonable.” Wuxian replied with a nod.

He then rested the Northern Dark Edge against his shoulder, looking at Wang Qipian with a scrutinising gaze. The man was speaking like a reasonable person- very uncultist like. From the tales and stories Wuxian had heard before, cultists were raving mad lunatics. Perhaps acting normal and speaking persuasively was in fashion these days?

“There are no free meals in this world. Speak, what is it that you want from me?”

Acting as if he’d just been wrongly accused of arson, Wang Qipian raised his hands defensively.

“My suggestion was truly in your best interest. What’s the point in our two sides associating with one another if you just go and kick the bucket next week?” He replied, somewhat jokingly. “How can our gesture of kindness be met with such scepticism? Don’t you believe in the good of mankind?”

“No.”

“…” Wang Qipian blinked twice before stowing his joking act away.

“I’ll be frank. Since you’ve spent quite some time under the care of the Nightwatch and you’ve also heard of us before, it shouldn’t be too bold of me to assume that you know of the grudge between us and the Jade Garden, right?”

Wuxian nodded affirmatively.

“I know a little. What does that have to do with you approaching me?”

“It has everything to do with you, my friend. I do not know how aware you are of the general state of Cang’An and the rest of this region, but you’ve picked a poor time to show up here. I’m not at liberty to explain to you the reason behind our feud with the Jade Garden, nor do I myself know enough about the big players moving in the dark, but what I can say is that it’s better to have more friends than foes. The greater the network of interests that surrounds you, the less willing others will be to pick on you.”

Wang Qipian paused momentarily, as if mulling over his next words carefully.

“Besides, from what I know, it’s not like you’re particularly chummy with the Nightwatch anyway. I’m not saying that you should get in bed with us fully, but it doesn’t hurt to leave a way out for yourself if things go awry. As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit makes three burrows.”

Hearing this, Wuxian felt that Wang Qipian, or perhaps the person who had instructed him on what to say, was quite reasonable. In fact, he agreed with what the man had said thus far. Right now, the only reason he was still playing hard-to-get was purely for the sake of retaining negotiating power.

“So your proposition is that you want me to join you if I leave the Nightwatch? Do you know how poor of a trade that is from my perspective? Not only do I immediately make the Nightwatch my enemy, but the Jade Garden too. All in exchange for, at best, one or two Qi Condensation manuals that I cannot even use… in that scenario, will you even bother protecting me? How do I know that you won’t immediately give me up?”

Wang Qipian shook his head hurriedly.

“No, no, you’ve misunderstood me- or perhaps, I have beaten around the bush too much and not conveyed my intentions clearly. I do not mean that you have to join us in an official capacity, nor unofficially either. Even if you do, it doesn’t have to be immediately after you cut ties with the Nightwatch, we understand the importance of time to someone like you who needs to spend more time cultivating. And even then, as long as you keep a low profile, they wouldn’t be paying much attention to you in the first place. They can’t be upset at you for joining their enemies if they don’t know that you’ve done so.”

He paused momentarily, eyes narrowing.

“What we’d like you to do for us is very simple. In exchange for our information network, our trade network, our unfathomable resources and our support in other aspects, all you have to do for us is provide information on Nightwatcher movements.”

At last, Wang Qipian’s and in a broader sense, the Twilight Order’s, motive was revealed. It made more sense now and looking at things from a wider perspective the deal didn’t seem that bad for Wuxian. Assuming that the silver moon pendant’s messaging function couldn’t be tampered with by the Nightwatch, as long as he was careful, he could play both sides, ultimately to his own advantage.

And it wasn’t like he was betraying the Nightwatch either. Though he was nominally a gold badge Nightwatcher, ultimately, it was just that- nominal. They had already demonstrated their lack of both trust in him and care for his safety over the course of the last few weeks and this very night as well.

Of course, he did feel a modicum of guilt. Perhaps his naturally honest nature was getting in the way, but Wuxian could already tell that he was becoming more and more acclimatised to a shadier, more shameful modus operandi.

“You want me to be a spy?” He asked, seeking clarification.

Wang Qipian nodded.

“A low risk position, assuming you’re prudent enough- which from what I’ve seen shouldn’t be too tough for you, with high rewards. If I were in your position, I would accept this proposition with open arms. The reparations we’re offering you up front can be considered just a taster of the sort of things we can provide. Unlike the Nightwatch which is mostly composed of martial artists, our Twilight Order stands toe to toe with the Jade Garden, a bonafide immortal cultivation sect. We have the infrastructure and resources to enhance your cultivation. In the future, it will be difficult for someone as untrusted as you to make it into the Jade Garden, so why not hedge your bets with we who can support your growth?”

Wuxian cupped his chin thoughtfully. Now, speaking purely of benefits, things had become interesting. The points that Wang Qipian had raised were valid and to be honest, if it weren’t for the fact that Wuxian was unwilling to damage his own position and value as a spy, as well as his natural cautiousness, he’d have long since agreed to join the Twilight Order.

Wasn’t a safe cultivation haven what he was after all along? Thinking about it from another perspective, wasn’t staying with the Nightwatch solely for the purpose of not dying and to have a protective umbrella around his head? But joining the Order right away was a risky move. It would be better to be careful for the moment and only make the decisive choice after thorough consideration or in the event where he had no final recourse.