The madlander father-daughter duo lowered their voices to a whisper when Youjin Liu picked up the blood spirit scroll.

Maque and Ziyou Ling had seen Yung scribbling a new' business deal' on it, as the lad called it. But Maque doubted if such a low quality scroll would have any real binding effects.

In a cadence as steady as a metronome, the Youjin patriarch recited the terms inscribed on the parchment, his words delivered with precision and clarity. As a figurehead of a ruling clan in the Westmoon kingdom, his legal acumen and linguistic mastery coloured his scholarly veneer impressively. The spectacle drew a thinly-veiled smirk from Maque.

However, amid the patriarch's resounding soliloquy, Maque discerned a telltale tremor in Youjin Liu's voice, a growing warble that belied his outward composure. His sentences started to conclude on a subtly heightened note, indicating a mounting disquiet within him.

“Clean up the Dirt stream. Move the lower town fiend butchery elsewhere or at least change it, so it doesn’t wash diseases to the slums—”

Warning bells started ringing in Maque’s head at this point.

“Start employing and settling madlanders in all other parts of the city. Fund more orphanages and dojos for madlander children. Let them also study in upper town scholar academies—”

Ziyou Yung affirmed with nods, grinning.

“Establish medicinal courtyards. Help the madlander slum dwellers raise funds if they want to start businesses. Allow them to open stores in the market square—”

“PREPOSTEROUS!”

Youjin Ze, whose face had gone sour like a lime, yelled out, breaking all decorum. The other Youjin clan members also started buzzing with discontent.

“Is this a joke?”

“They mock us!”

“Patriarch.” Youjin Ze yelled again. “This madlander boy spits on our face. Because he has the fox clan’s backing, he thinks he’s the king of the town! No, I say. I refuse to let the clan lose face to such a scam!”

Ziyou Ling lightly tugged Maque’s sleeve. “Ah, pa—”

“Shush, Ling’er! It’s getting interesting.” The last time Maque had this much fun was years ago.

Youjin Liu raised a hand, “Silent! Let me finish.”

Youjin Ze grumbled. He glared at Ziyou Yung and the madlanders as though they had stolen his cookie. The good patriarch continued listing term after term.

It all boiled down to four things. Settle the madlanders as proper citizens of Dim gold city. Secure them all the opportunities and resources the native inhabitants were entitled to. And then gradually change the rules and policies of the city to be more ‘empathetic’ (as written in the scroll) towards the mundane folk to an almost naive degree.

“We can’t.” The patriarch refused flatly. Maque agreed. It’s not that he didn’t like the plan. But it was too unrealistic. Utopian even, the fever dreams of foolish idealists. Perhaps Ziyou Yung wanted to negotiate down.

“You can.” Ziyou Yung shot back, grinning. “And you must do it in Silky’s name. Ah, I mean the Lord Yaoguai. You’ll be using this totem plastered everywhere since I don’t want all the xinqi to go to waste.” He pushed forward a picture. It was a funny painting of an upside-down Foxmoth with a strange blue disc in the background. “I call it the Fortune fox totem.” He then went into the unneeded details.

It was a name Ziyou Yung came up with after protracted negotiations with the foxmoth yaoguai, as the boy explained with fervour. Apparently, the Lord Yaoguai wasn’t quite satisfied. In Ziyou Yung’s opinion, it needed another word to be complete, but Silky would not agree if that word did not contain 'moth' or 'fox.'

"What is this nonsense?" Youjin Ze said with honest befuddlement to another glare from the good patriarch.

“… All this to make you bring back the foxmoths?” The Youjin patriarch said.

“Is it not proper?”

Youjin Liu’s temples bulged with a vein. “We don’t have the resources. You even ask us to do all this within the next moon!”

“You didn’t read it right.” Ziyou Yung said, “You only need to start by next month. Properly subsiding in all the madlanders will take years, not to mention gathering staff for the medicinal courtyards and scholar academies.”

“It seems like this was a farce after all.” Youjin Liu said. “I had expected better of you, Ziyou Yung. Yet I see you only wish to gull us with the backing of the fox clan.”

“Patriarch Liu,” Yung said, “You didn’t read it right.” He pointed at the scroll’s ribbon, then at the seams of the roll.

Maque had no idea where the conversation was going.

“In the first place!” Youjin Ze took the opportunity to butt in again, “How dare this boy, someone our clan graciously took in, be so selfish. The foxmoth yaoguai is ours to begin with! His duty should be to give Lord Yaoguai and the foxmoths back to us. Yet this ungrateful younglin’, not only did he try to scam us but to join hands with the madlander mutts—”

“Watch your mouth, fatass!” Maque roared, “Or ye better sleep with one eye open.”

“Oh, you threaten us in our own home?” Youjin Ze laughed. “You dare!”

Suddenly, an oppressive aura burst out. Youjin Liu raised his hand again, but his face was the image of shock.

“I, Youjin Liu, on behalf of Dim gold city’s Youjin clan and as the heavens as a witness, accept these terms. Do I sign here?”

“A bit lower. Yeah, blood will do.”

The mood shifted so fast that no one in the room could react properly. Maque had his scarred face gaping; even Youjin Chun and Ziyou Ling fell out of their seats, not to mention everyone else.

“Patriarch!” Youjin Ze shouted with disbelief, “If this is a joke, it isn’t funny. Don’t forget that you only rose to that seat because the previous—”

“Ze. For the last time, shut up.”

Youjin Ze shut up. Youjin Liu hadn’t signed the scroll yet. “Might I pass this to my clan? They will have to sign it as well later, after all.”

Yung nodded, a gesture that gave Youjin Liu the green light to hand over the scroll. The burly man, Youjin Gangkai, wasted no time in examining it more closely, though from the outside he looked as stoic as always. He read the first line of text carefully before running his fingers along the thin ribbon that had been used to tie it up tightly. With his eyes narrowed in focus he continued by tracing every seam on it with his calloused hands. After that he proceeded to turn the scroll upside down and delicately feel out the knobs of wood adorning both ends of its ebony handle. As if satisfied with what he had seen and felt to this point, a knowing smile tugged at his lips as he finally grunted a laugh deep from within his belly.

“A Su fox clan blood spirit contract.”

""" What?"""

About thirty shouts rang out.

“Elder Gangkai, are you certain? Is it not a trick?” Youjin Chun broke all decorum and ran to the burly man.

Ziyou Ling looked on with bewilderment. “Pa? What’s that? Hey, you gonna swallow a fly!” She pushed Maque’s mouth shut.

“I see. It all makes sense.” The Free sparrow leader fell back, supporting his body with his hands. “No wonder he was so confident. Then he could’ve just started with this! Why all the theatrics, by the mad heavens!”

“If you don’t explain, I am gonna leave.”

“Think, girl, think! If you want to take over the gang in the future, you gotta be able to figure out this kind of stuff on your own.”

“Ugh, body cultivation is easier!” Ziyou Ling said, “Let’s see. Blood spirit contracts are those things merchants use. After signing with blood and zhenqi, neither side can go against the deal. Kinda like a heavenly vow, but written?”

“The bindings would be far weaker though. And?” Maque had calmed himself. His brain started working in overdrive.

Ziyou Yung didn’t want to negotiate down. He wanted the whole thing! And if his terms were implemented, and if the madlander slum were to dissolve suddenly and be integrated into Dim gold city proper, then…. Then Maque had to have some insurance.

“The Su clan’s scroll means… this deal is being done with the fox yao and not Yung?”

“Exactly. It changes everything!”

“How?!” Maque saw steam rise out of his daughter’s head.

“Because it’s the Su fox clan! The ultimate golden thigh. Look, who else in the Westmoon kingdom can claim they have direct ties with the fox clan other than Ziyou Yung?”

“Dunno! And suddenly, I don’t feel like caring. You don’t have to answer the question anymore.”

“Care, girl, you must care! Stop!” Maque grabbed Ziyou Ling’s hand when she rose to leave and sat her down. “No one, that’s who. But after today, that list will include the Youjin Clan too.”

“You think the Youjin clan will actually let themselves be scammed for that? I’m not dumb! It would take centuries of coin for ‘em to implement every condition written in the scroll. More if they wanna do it in the next few years.”

“That scroll, Ling’er, is a token of affiliation. With the Su fox clan. As in, the fox clan is officially doing business with this backwater Youjin clan. Suppose that scroll asked the Youjin clan to become Young Yung’s slave. In that case, I fear the good patriarch would happily negotiate a better deal for Ziyou Yung, help him count the money, and then sell himself. He’d probably do it with an extra xiantian grade blood spirit contract too if the option was there. Every Elder in the Youjin Clan would smile and nod at the good patriarch’s sagely foresight.”

“That much?”

“That, bloody, much. This is backing. This is having an omnipotent grandfather that everyone fears! It doesn’t matter if the Youjin clan is being fleeced. They are being fleeced by the fox clan. Who else dares to get in the Youjin Clan’s way now? What if their enemies accidentally do something that’ll cause less profit for the fox clan from this scam?”

“Politics is damn crazy, pa. Or economics I guess.”

“In this world, you need to have a certain kind of status to be scammed by zenith clans like the Su fox clan. And after being scammed, it’ll give the Youjin clan a status if not above the Malignant moon sword sect or the Twilight blood palace, but at least equal. The Baishui clan, the Westmoon kingdom, and all other sects and empires in the Warring twilight region won’t be able to touch them. After all—”

“—They are being scammed by the fox clan. Yung hugged one hell of a thigh.”

“I didn’t think the Su princess valued him that much. Didn’t he say he’s just a servant? Why would a mere servant get that blood spirit contract scroll? Wait, no, could it be that Fairy Su is actually planning to take him in as a kept man? Maybe even her consort…!!”

“No wonder!” Ziyou Ling clapped, “That’s why Yung wasn’t interested in me. He’s got someone.”

Maque saw the fox yao named Su Xiya look his daughter’s way and smirk. But that wasn’t important.

“… Young Yung is handing over the key to the kingdom to Youjin Liu.”

“Wait, ain’t this bad?” Ziyou Ling said. “If the Youjin clan becomes untouchable cause the fox clan scammed them, what’ll happen to the gang?”

“Finally, girl, you’re using your head.” Maque lightly patted Ziyou Ling’s crown. He, the great Free Sparrow, had built an empire from the dirt, and he was wrought to let it go. Sure, if the deal went through, he was confident that the Youjin clan would do everything in their power to give the madlanders a better life. But what about him? His family? It was a poignant feeling. “Believe in Young Yung. There has to be a reason he brought us here. I don’t think he did so to humiliate us.”