Bringing the farm to another world

Chapter 15579 Rules
Sima Zhong, along with several elders of the Sima family, stood beside the teleportation array, waiting for the arrival of the Yi Dao Sect. Today, the Sima family's teleportation area was under strict security. Originally, there were ten teleportation arrays capable of handling a thousand people each, but at this time, all of them were shut down, awaiting the arrival of the Yi Dao Sect. This demonstrated the Sima family's respect for the Yi Dao Sect, given its formidable strength—the strongest among the eight major sects. In contrast, the Sima family, among the 108 major families, was only considered relatively weak. To put it bluntly, the Yi Dao Sect could easily defeat ten members of the Sima family. Therefore, the Sima family naturally lacked confidence when facing the Yi Dao Sect, and thus adopted a more humble posture.

A flash of white light appeared on the teleportation array, and a group of people appeared on it. There weren't many people, only ten. Three people stood in front, and the other seven stood behind. After the white light completely disappeared, Sima Zhong stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the person standing in front, and said, "Elder Liu, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

The leading elder of the Yidao Sect was surnamed Liu and named Liu Qimo. He knew Sima Zhong, though they weren't particularly close, they were at least acquaintances. Most importantly, one was an elder of the Yidao Sect's External Affairs Hall, and the other was the head of the Sima family's External Affairs Hall. People in places like the External Affairs Hall were very tactful. They wouldn't clash unless there was a conflict of interest. Whether they were angry or laughing, it was all due to their job requirements and depended on the situation. In reality, it didn't have much to do with their true emotions.

Liu Qimo also clasped his hands in a fist salute to Sima Zhongyi and said, "Elder Sima, hahaha, it really has been a long time since we last met. You look even more prosperous than the last time we met." Such jokes could help to bring the two sides closer. Besides, there was no conflict of interest between them. They were here to discuss cooperation, so they naturally didn't want to make things too tense.

Sima Zhong laughed loudly and said, "I am a free man with nothing to do all day, so I have naturally gained weight. This is not the place to talk. Elder Liu, please, let's talk inside."

Liu Qimo also smiled and said, "That would be best, but let me introduce these two to you first. This is Elder Jing Zifeng, and this is Elder Zhou Changge. They are both elders of the External Affairs Hall of our Yidao Sect."

Sima Zhong hurriedly greeted Zhou Changge and Jing Zifeng, "Elder Zhou, Elder Jing, you are both very kind. It is an honor for the Liu family to have you two here. Please come in." He then gestured for them to enter. Zhou Changge and Jing Zifeng returned the greeting, and the group then proceeded into the Sima family home. Sima Zhong quickly led them to a courtyard, which was specially designated by the Sima family for entertaining guests. The courtyard was quite large, with more than twenty rooms, including a living room, dining room, meeting room, study, and bedrooms. This courtyard was more than enough for Liu Qimo and his group to stay in.

After settling Liu Qimo and the others in, Sima Zhong left. However, he mentioned that he would host a banquet for Liu Qimo that evening, which Liu Qimo readily agreed to. After Sima Zhong left, the three of them went to the study in the courtyard. Once seated, Liu Qimo didn't speak but glanced around. Then, with a flick of his hand, a ball of white light emerged and spread outwards, like ripples on water, sweeping over everything in the room before disappearing. Once the light vanished, Liu Qimo spoke: "Alright, now you can speak. Remember, from now on, no matter which sect or family you're sent to as an envoy, no matter how good their relationship with us is, you must use a detection array to check them before speaking. Otherwise, we won't have any secrets from them. Do you understand?"

Both of them responded. It was true that these two were elders of the Foreign Affairs Hall of the Daoist Sect, but they were not originally from the Foreign Affairs Hall. They had recently joined the Foreign Affairs Hall, and because of this, they were still somewhat unfamiliar with the affairs of the Foreign Affairs Hall. This time, Liu Qimo brought them out so that they could experience the way the Foreign Affairs Hall worked.

Seeing that the two were so obedient, Liu Qimo was relieved. He looked at them and said, "What are your thoughts on this trip to the Sima family? If you have anything to say, just say it. You should know that this mission to the Sima family is a task for all three of us. We must be honest and say whatever we have to say. We are united against a common enemy now."

Upon hearing Liu Qimo's words, both Zhou Changge and Jing Zifeng nodded in agreement. Then Jing Zifeng spoke up, "Does the Sima family seem to disregard this matter? Otherwise, why would they only send Sima Zhong to greet us? Don't they think we, the Yi Dao Sect, are beneath them?" His words elicited nods from Zhou Changge, who clearly shared the same sentiment. Their words, however, only elicited a smile from Liu Qimo. Looking at the two, Liu Qimo said, "You two have just joined the Foreign Affairs Hall, and you are unfamiliar with many of its rules. Let me explain some of them. The three of us don't hold particularly high positions within the Foreign Affairs Hall. I am merely an elder, and you two are also elders. You could say we are just ordinary elders. However, there is a rule in the Foreign Affairs Hall: those of equal rank must greet each other. In other words, given our status as envoys to the Sima family, the Sima family should actually send an elder from their Foreign Affairs Hall to greet us." "Today, it is Sima Zhong, the head of the Foreign Affairs Hall of the Sima family, who personally greets us. This is already a great honor, an exceptional reception. From this, we can see that the Sima family attaches great importance to this matter. You cannot compare the Foreign Affairs Hall to other disciples of the Daoist Sect. Our Daoist Sect disciples are indeed of a higher status than the Sima family, but the Foreign Affairs Hall represents a sect and a family. For the sake of the family's dignity, they must meet on equal footing. If the head of the Sima family were to come to greet us, then the Sima family would lose face. Do you understand now?" Some of the rules of the Foreign Affairs Hall are different from other places because the Foreign Affairs Hall represents the face of the entire family. When family disciples associate with people from the sect, they can adopt a humble attitude, but the Foreign Affairs Hall must act on equal footing. Even if they adopt a humble attitude, they cannot be too humble.

Upon hearing Liu Qimo's explanation, the two nodded. They had genuinely been unaware of such rules within the Foreign Affairs Hall. Liu Qimo continued, "We won't discuss anything at the banquet tonight. Tomorrow, Sima Zhong will speak with us first, simply to inquire about our purpose for coming. They likely know why we've come, but even if they do, they must pretend not to know. We must articulate it. After we do, he will report this to Sima Lingyun, who will then receive us. Only then will the formal talks begin. If an agreement is reached, that would be ideal. They will host another banquet for us, after which we will depart. If no agreement is reached, we will simply leave. However, I believe we will reach an agreement this time; they cannot oppose forming an allied army and sending troops to the Seven Realms." Jing Zifeng and the other man both nodded, realizing just how complicated things were within the Foreign Affairs Hall.

Afterwards, Liu Qimo explained some banquet rules to the two of them. They should not discuss anything related to the sect at the banquet. However, if the other party wanted them to do anything that would damage the dignity of the Yidao Sect, that would be absolutely unacceptable. They should be careful to always uphold the dignity of the Yidao Sect. Jing Zifeng and the other man both agreed and kept this in mind.

The three chatted for a while longer before going to rest. In the evening, Sima Zhong invited them to a banquet. Since both sides knew that Liu Qimo and his group had come to cooperate and to avenge the Sima family, the Sima family remained very polite and did not make things difficult for the three. The banquet proceeded smoothly.

The next day, Sima Zhong visited the courtyard again. Liu Qimo immediately invited Sima Zhong to the living room. After they were seated, Sima Zhong looked at Liu Qimo and said, "Elder Liu, what brings you to our Sima family?" Sima Zhong had already gotten straight to the point, asking Liu Qimo directly. In fact, both sides knew the purpose of Liu Qimo's visit; it was just a formality, but it was a necessary formality.

Liu Qimo immediately spoke up, "Sect Leader Sima, we have indeed come here to discuss something with the Sima family. To be honest, this matter is related to the Sima family. Wasn't there news that the people of the Seven Realms, in alliance with the people of the Wood Spirit Realm, had forcibly taken the Wood Spirit Realm from the Sima family? Our sect has investigated, and it was indeed the work of the Seven Realms. The people of the Seven Realms have already extended their reach beyond the Seven Realms, which we absolutely cannot allow. Therefore, we have decided that our Yi Dao Sect will take the lead in organizing everyone to form a coalition to jointly deal with the Seven Realms. We have come here today to discuss this matter with the Sima family." Liu Qimo deliberately brought up the matter of the Wood Spirit Realm, wanting to tell Sima Zhong that forming this coalition was actually for the Sima family's revenge, so it would be best if the family supported them. This was actually a negotiation tactic.

After listening to Liu Qimo's words, Sima Zhong nodded and said, "Alright, I understand. These people from the Seven Realms are treacherous and ambitious, and they have a grudge against everyone in our Meteorite Domain. If our Sima family hadn't discovered their conspiracy, they might have grown even stronger. If one day they really dare to use force against our Meteorite Domain, then everyone here will have a hard time, since they have a grudge against everyone here. Regarding what you said about forming an allied force, I will report it to the family head. Please wait patiently for two days."