Chapter 1497: Laying the Cards

Qin Yun could not help but yell, "Why were we not informed?!"

The servant gave him a sideways glance. "How were we supposed to know that you'd wait so long?"

Qin Yun was furious but managed to keep his composure. He knew that the Jun Clan was not someone he could afford to offend, so he forcibly swallowed his anger. He turned to look at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan smiled and said, "Let's go."

Suppressing his rage, Qin Yun responded, "Alright."

Ye Guan and Qin Yun left the Jun Clan. Once outside, Ye Guan said, "It doesn't make sense, the Great Daoist Brush Master definitely doesn't have the power to manipulate—"

Qin Yun suddenly asked, "Brother Ye, what do you mean?"

Ye Guan replied, "I'm saying that it doesn't make sense for the Jun Clan to treat us like this. We have no grudge with them, so why go out of their way to humiliate us?"

Qin Yun sighed quietly. "This isn't humiliation. They simply don't regard us as important. To put it bluntly, they are ignoring us. If the Governor were here, the Clan Leader of the Jun Clan would be at the gates half an hour early to welcome her..."

Ye Guan was a bit puzzled. "If they don't care about us, then why bother inviting us at all?"

"Perhaps at first, they thought, 'Well, you're someone on the Governor's side...' But later, they probably realized that you're just one of her servants."

"I understand."

"Young Master Ye, don't be upset. The world is like this. Everyone treats others based on status."

Qin Yun was worried that Ye Guan would act impulsively. After all, offending the Jun Clan would not end well for him. After all, at best, Ye Guan could only be considered as a subordinate working under Sang Han, while the Jun Clan was a full-fledged, potential partner.

Ye Guan smiled. "There's nothing to be angry about. We'll just choose another place."

Qin Yun secretly heaved a sigh of relief. He was also slightly shocked at Ye Guan's grace. He could tell that he wasn't genuinely angry, or rather, he hadn't even taken the Jun Clan seriously at all. It was slightly ridiculous.

The two of them found an inn and sat down. Ye Guan took out the map, glanced over it, and finally pointed at a location. "What do you think of this place?"

Qin Yun looked at where he pointed, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "It's not impossible, but it's still not as good as the Jun Clan's site."

Ye Guan smiled. "True, it's not as prosperous, but that's okay. I believe that wherever the academy is established, it will become the sacred land of the empire!"

Hearing that, Qin Yun was startled.

As Ye Guan stared at the map, a detailed plan started to form in his mind. This time, he and the Great Daoist Brush Master were competing fairly, in terms of their Great Daos.

Of course, if he could eliminate the opponent outright, it would be ideal, but it wasn't realistic at all. The other party couldn't easily kill him either.

A life-or-death battle could not determine the winner between them; it could only be determined through a Great Dao contest.

However, Ye Guan knew very well that if he wanted to establish a foothold in the empire, he had to rely on Sang Han.

Sang Han was not a simple person at all. Right now, she was still wary of him, and it was difficult for him to completely gain her trust. What he could do was continuously demonstrate his value. He had to first become someone she needed, and then someone she couldn't do without.

However, the empire was at war with the Celestial Clam, which was an extremely unstable factor. Just thinking about all of this gave Ye Guan a headache. There were many challenges ahead, and he had no personal connections to work with.

Ye Guan turned to Qin Yun. "Elder Qin, how much does it cost to build an Academy?"

Qin Yun smiled. "Actually, not much. Around a million immortal spirit crystals should cover it. Don't worry, I'll pay for this."

Ye Guan said, "Let's take it as me loaning them from you."

"No need for that. It's a mere million spirit crystals," Qin Yun quickly replied.

Ye Guan smiled and didn't insist.

Qin Yun then said, "If you're sure, Young Master Ye, then I can get started right away. Leave all the trivial matters to me, that's my specialty."

Ye Guan nodded. "I'll be relying on you then. Thank you."

"About my granddaughter..."

"Have her come find me. I'll take her under my wing. When the opportunity comes, I'll recommend her to Sang Han."

Naturally, he understood that the real purpose behind the request was to build a connection with Sang Han, not with him. It was perfectly normal, and he wasn't offended by it.

Realizing that Ye Guan had seen through his motives in an instant, a complex light flashed in Qin Yun's eyes. This young man really knew how to handle things. Dealing with someone like him made everything a lot easier.

Qin Yun collected his thoughts and said, "I'll have her come see you tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes."

"Alright. When she arrives at the Governor's Mansion, send me a profound sound transmission. I'll come out to meet her."

The Governor's Mansion was not a place ordinary people could just walk into.

Qin Yun nodded. "Understood. I'll go make the arrangements for the Academy now."

With that, he paid the bill and left the restaurant.

Ye Guan then made his way to the location he had previously picked on the map. It was a remote mountain range that was completely uninhabited, far from the bustling city center. However, the terrain was high. If an academy were built here, it would offer a panoramic view of more than half of Yongrong City.

He didn't plan to build a large academy from the start. A large academy meant high costs and management fees; he couldn't handle those just yet. He would start with a modest one, use that as his foundation, and grow it steadily over time.

Little Pagoda asked, "Once the Academy is built, how do you plan to convince Sang Han to become the Honorary Academy Master?"

Ye Guan replied, "It'll be difficult."

Little Pagoda said, "But you told Qin Yun that you could persuade her..."

Ye Guan answered, "If I hadn't said that, he wouldn't have helped me. Right now, the Governor is still observing me. If she were to accept the position of Honorary Academy Master, it would mean publicly aligning herself with the Academy. That's something she'll find hard to do, so—"

He paused and added, "No worries. I'll try my best to convince her."

He knew that if Sang Han were to refuse to lend her support, it would be extremely difficult for this academy to grow. In any place, trying to establish a career without backing was like climbing to the heavens.

It was practically impossible to succeed. All sorts of unwritten rules could easily crush just about anyone. Hence, he needed Sang Han's support, and not just lip service, but actual, tangible support.

However, that was easier said than done.

A while later, he left the site and wandered around the city for quite some time. Only when dusk approached did he return to the Governor's Mansion.

Upon arriving, he made his way to the records room. Thanks to Sang Han's prior instructions, he was permitted to access all case files.

These documents covered all major events currently unfolding in Yongrong City. All issues from lower departments would be gathered here, filtered, and then summarized before finally being delivered to Sang Han.

After all, as the Governor of Yongrong City, it was impossible for her to handle every little matter personally.

Not long after, Sang Han summoned Ye Guan.

Inside the hall, Sang Han sat at her desk holding a golden scroll in her hands.

Ye Guan recognized it immediately. It was an imperial edict.

Since Sang Han was reviewing official documents, Ye Guan could only wait quietly for her to finish.

An unknown amount of time later, she finally put down her brush and asked, "How's the academy going?"

Ye Guan replied, "I've chosen the site. Construction should be completed within a month or so."

Sang Han asked, "Any issues so far?"

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Ye Guan shook his head. "None."

Sang Han nodded slightly and said nothing more.

Ye Guan said, "Once the academy is built, would you be willing to serve as its Honorary Academy Master?"

He had decided to get straight to the point. Sang Han was an intelligent woman, so it was better to just be honest.

Sang Han looked at him. "Why?"

"If you take the role of Honorary Academy Master, it'll make things a lot easier for me."

"You're certainly straightforward."

"Are you willing?" Ye Guan asked, "I'll make this academy the top institution in the empire, even better than the Imperial Academy."

"On what basis?"

"My family used to run academies. I've got experience." Realizing that the answer sounded a little superficial, he quickly added, "And... my family will support me, too."

Sang Han grew curious. "What kind of people are in your family?"

She had naturally looked into Ye Guan's background, but frustratingly, even with her intelligence network, she hadn't been able to uncover anything substantial. It was like he had appeared out of thin air.

Ye Guan said, "Well, I have many relatives..."

"Are you building this academy for yourself, for me, or for the empire?"

"For all beings in the vast expanse."

"That isn't very convincing."

"Governor, the people below need opportunities. As I mentioned before, you also need to cultivate talented people who are going to work for you."

"But I don't trust you."

Ye Guan fell silent. She was laying her cards on the table. The problem was that he had no cards to lay down. No matter what he said, she wouldn't believe it, and if she were to believe him, her first instinct would probably be to kill him.

After all, both he and the Great Daoist Brush Master were treating this place as a battlefield. They were here to compete over their Daos.

Sang Han calmly said, "Come back when you've thought it through. You may leave."

Ye Guan wanted to say more, but she added, "You may leave."

He gave her one last look before leaving.