I'm unclear about the Regent's plans too, but whatever they are, I don't think he cares one way or another whether anything happens to Zhao Yunlan so long as the plans work out.

Yeah, I don't think he cares about Zhao Yunlan for Zhao Yunlan's sake, but I think he cares what happens in terms of what it means for himself. He must have some reason for bringing Zhao Yunlan to Dixing, right?

True, but there's a fundamental difference between "I'm used to being hurt" (bad! very bad!) and "we don't need light" (neutral fact which doesn't change that they deserve to have it anyway).

I think that from Shen Wei's POV they're both neutral facts, and from my POV they're both very bad. Maybe that's just me.

Maybe the barkeeper announces it on Radio Dixing. :p

Ha, maybe. (Ha, that would be the least efficient system ever, since it would be ironically time-sensitive. And would all Dixing businesses operate that way?)

In my fic I had it as portal powers being able to access the passage directly, bypassing the official gate - which would mean Shen Wei can (though it might use more energy than he wants to, later in canon), Ye Zun presumably can do that for his followers, and other random Dixingren might as well.

That makes sense! I really like that! (I should re-read your fic, but it's h/c, so I haven't, sorry.)