Chapter 17: Is This the Grandeur of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator? |
In the afternoon, Yulou and Yu'an were eating, with Clan Elder Rongwen footing the bill.
With the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Merit Hall arriving soon, the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators in Clear Stream Market had surged. The Patriarch was absent because he had gone out to socialize with his fellow Foundation Establishment peers.
Yulou's words rang true: no one had become an immortal yet, so no one had the right to be truly unfettered!
"Eat your food. What are you smiling about?"
Wang Rongwen noticed something was off with Yu'an's demeanor.
It was like sneaking out of the house to spend the entire night gaming at an internet cafe. You might think you are acting perfectly normal, but your father can see through it at a glance—he did the exact same thing in his youth!
"Hehe, the Patriarch gave me a Foundation Establishment Hundred-Li Wanderer Escape Talisman today. Father, do you have one of these?"
Yu'an, still possessing a boyish temperament, pulled out his newly acquired treasure to show off to his parents.
Clan Elder Rongwen did not notice anything amiss at first, but his wife, Chen Luwan, frowned.
As an outsider who had married into the Wang Clan's direct lineage, she managed the talisman production side of the family. Thus, she was acutely aware of the remaining Hundred-Li Wanderer Escape Talismans in the Patriarch's possession.
All the clan's Hundred-Li Wanderer Escape Talismans had been brought out by the Patriarch this time to exchange for merit points. None of them should have ended up in Yu'an's hands.
He was only at the second layer of Qi Induction, and he was staying within the safe confines of Clear Stream Market. Why would he need a Foundation Establishment Hundred-Li Wanderer Escape Talisman?
"The Patriarch asked my brother and me a question today. We answered well, so he rewarded us with one talisman each. If you don't believe me, you can go ask the Patriarch," Yu'an said, feeling wronged.
"Yulou?"
Asking the Patriarch was out of the question, of course, so Chen Luwan turned her gentle gaze toward Yulou.
Compared to her erratic son, she trusted the mature and steady Yulou much more.
"Yu'an is telling the truth. The Patriarch did ask us a question today..."
After listening to Yulou's explanation, Chen Luwan's doubts were dispelled. However, she let out a sigh and said,
"Those rogue cultivators are truly pitiful people. My father, Yu'an's grandfather, used to be a rogue cultivator as well. For the sake of a few cultivation resources, he suffered countless hardships and cold stares.
"It was only later, after he achieved success in talisman crafting and joined the Wang Clan as a guest elder, that his circumstances slightly improved."
Yulou thought for a moment, looked at Clan Elder Rongwen, and said,
"Clan Uncle, I have an underdeveloped idea. I'm not sure if it would be appropriate."
Wang Rongwen set his chopsticks down in surprise and exchanged a glance with his wife. The two looked at each other in bewilderment.
What was this child trying to say?
He asked tentatively, "What kind of idea?"
"Those rogue cultivators actually have spirit stones, but the cost of lodging in Clear Stream Market has skyrocketed recently. Even for courtyards without a spiritual energy supply, the rent has gone up significantly.
"So I was thinking, why don't we partition the rooms in Fortune Source Residence into smaller cubicles and rent them out to them?
"As long as the partitioned rooms are small enough, the room rate can be much lower.
"Assuming we can guarantee the spiritual energy supply and keep the room rates relatively low, rogue cultivators certainly wouldn't want to sleep on the streets.
"It's neither safe nor dignified, and on top of that, it makes it impossible to cultivate in peace."
No cheap rooms?
Then offer cage homes!
With the increasing number of rogue cultivators in Clear Stream Market these past few days, Yulou had actually harbored this idea for a while. However, he was somewhat guarded against Tang Nianqiu, so he had refrained from mentioning it to him. After all, the Chief Manager's actions regarding drawing phantom salaries seemed highly suspicious.
The rent for courtyards in Clear Stream Market without spirit wells had shot up to a daring three spirit stones a month. Naturally, rogue cultivators were unwilling to stay there.
But Fortune Source Residence was different. It possessed a spirit well that connected directly to the Clear Stream of Qin Rhyme. Although the well water was not from the Clear Stream itself, this spirit well could draw spiritual energy into Fortune Source Residence.
Therefore, staying in Fortune Source Residence made cultivation much easier for the tenants.
Those in the Qi Induction realm could quickly reach their daily limits for drawing in qi.
Those in the Qi Refining realm could take full advantage of the abundant spiritual energy to cultivate vigorously.
"This sounds feasible, but Fortune Source Residence is already full. It won't be easy to implement right now."
Chen Luwan was a meticulous person; she realized Yulou's suggestion was viable, but difficult to execute at present.
If they waited until the tenants left to remodel, they would miss the window of opportunity.
"What's so hard about that? The Patriarch is proficient in wood arts. Once he returns, he can erect a wooden building in the backyard of Fortune Source Residence in an instant. It's just that channeling the spiritual energy will be a bit troublesome; a new formation array will need to be set up."
Wang Rongwen's eyes lit up. He realized that Yulou's suggestion was groundbreaking.
Cheap, safe, and small rooms with a spiritual energy supply—this was exactly what rogue cultivators desperately needed!
"Is a formation array very troublesome?" Yulou asked.
"Yes. If only Rongyuan were here; he's proficient in formation arrays," Clan Elder Rongwen sighed.
Yulou was somewhat perplexed—could it be that a Foundation Establishment cultivator like Wang Xianmao didn't understand formation arrays?
"This is just my underdeveloped idea. We should let the Patriarch make the decision when he returns."
Yulou smiled, creating a shield to deflect blame. The cultivation world was fundamentally different from the mortal world of his previous life; many things couldn't be simply replicated.
"Underdeveloped? It doesn't matter. Being able to spot this kind of opportunity is already quite impressive.
"We will report this to the Patriarch together. Yu'an, make sure you learn properly from your brother!"
"Mhm," Yu'an replied unhappily.
——
After Wang Xianmao returned to Fortune Source Residence, Yulou and Wang Rongwen immediately reported their idea to him.
"That works. The spirit stones of rogue cultivators are still spirit stones; they are no lower in status than any other.
"Since you thought of this possibility, I'm certainly willing to give it a try. Regardless of whether it succeeds, it will only cost me some spiritual energy.
"Come, let's go check the backyard right now!"
Having just returned from socializing, Wang Xianmao immediately realized this was a good opportunity after hearing Yulou's suggestion.
Even if they only charged two spirit stones a month for each of these small rooms, as long as they rented out enough of them, they could steadily rake in a massive fortune.
"So fast?"
Wang Rongwen and Tang Nianqiu were both somewhat astonished; Wang Xianmao's execution speed was simply too high.
"The Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Merit Hall will only stay for three months. The sooner we build it, the sooner we earn spirit stones!"
Earning spirit stones was nothing to be ashamed of. Wang Xianmao lacked even the slightest bit of haughtiness typical of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Being the Patriarch and managing the household wasn't easy; of course he had to work hard to generate income.
He led the group to the backyard. After glancing at the wing rooms on both sides, he asked,
"Are all six of these wing rooms occupied?"
"Yulou and the others are staying in one. Three more are being used as storerooms. The remaining two have always been kept empty so that members of our Wang Clan can stay for free when they visit," Tang Nianqiu hurriedly replied.
"Mhm."
Wang Xianmao stroked his chin. With a casual sweep of his divine sense, he understood the situation.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator merely raised his hand lightly and summoned a set of formation flags.
"That fellow surnamed Jiang oversees Clear Stream Market's grand array, and he doesn't allow Foundation Establishment cultivators to use their magic power within the market. I need this formation array to block the disruption first before I can act."
Once the formation flags enveloped the entire backyard, Wang Xianmao instructed,
"All of you, step back behind me."
Everyone hastily retreated. Seeing that they had all gathered behind him, Wang Xianmao was ready to proceed.
He crouched down gently and pressed a single hand against the ground, appearing as though he was going to directly start building.
Yulou was somewhat amazed.
No blueprints required. No feasibility studies. No surveying. No environmental impact assessments. No permits. No safety inspectors.
He just needed to think of a strategy, slap his forehead, and press one hand to the ground to immediately commence construction.
Is this the grandeur of a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Therefore, staying at Fortune Source Residence made cultivation much easier for the tenants.
Those in the Qi Induction realm could quickly hit their daily Qi-drawing limits.
Those in the Qi Refining realm could fully utilize the abundant spiritual energy to accelerate their cultivation.
"This sounds feasible, but Fortune Source Residence is already fully booked. It would be difficult to implement right now."
Chen Luwan was a meticulous person. She realized Yulou's suggestion was viable, but the timing was poor.
If they waited for the current tenants to leave before renovating, they would miss their window of opportunity.
"What's so difficult about that? The Patriarch is proficient in wood-element spells. When he returns, he can erect a wooden building in the backyard of Fortune Source Residence in an instant. The only tricky part would be channeling the spiritual energy, which requires setting up the formation array anew."
Wang Rongwen's eyes lit up. He realized Yulou's suggestion was groundbreaking.
Small, affordable, secure rooms with a steady supply of spiritual energy—this was exactly what rogue cultivators desperately needed!
"Is the formation array difficult?" Yulou asked.
"Yes. If only Rongyuan were here. He is proficient in formation arrays," Clan Uncle Rongwen sighed.
Yulou felt a hint of confusion. Did Wang Xianmao, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, really not understand formation arrays?
"This is just an underdeveloped idea of mine. When the Patriarch returns, we should let him make the final decision."
Yulou smiled, seamlessly erecting a shield to deflect blame from himself. The cultivation world was fundamentally different from the mortal world of his past life, and many things could not simply be copied over.
Underdeveloped? It doesn't matter. Being able to spot such an opportunity is already quite impressive.
"When the time comes, we will report this to the Patriarch together. Yu'an, you should properly learn from your older brother!"
"Ugh..." Yu'an replied, sounding utterly depressed.
Once Wang Xianmao returned to Fortune Source Residence, Yulou and Wang Rongwen immediately reported their idea to him.
This works! A rogue cultivator's spirit stones are still spirit stones. They aren't worth any less than anyone else's.
Since you managed to think of this possibility, of course I am willing to give it a try. Whether it succeeds or not is another matter; at worst, it will just cost a bit of spiritual power.
"Come, let's head to the backyard and take a look right now!"
Having just returned from socializing, Wang Xianmao immediately realized this was an excellent opportunity upon hearing Yulou's suggestion.
Even if they only charged two spirit stones a month for each of these small rooms, as long as they rented out enough of them, they could earn a massive fortune through a steady stream of income.
"So fast?"
Both Wang Rongwen and Tang Nianqiu were slightly taken aback; Wang Xianmao's execution speed was simply too fast.
"The Red Lantern Illumination Sect's Merit Hall will only be here for three months. The sooner we build it, the sooner we earn spirit stones!"
Earning spirit stones was nothing to be ashamed of. Wang Xianmao did not put on the airs of a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the slightest.
Being the Patriarch and managing the clan was no easy task. How could he not strive to generate more income?
He led the group to the backyard, scanned the side wing rooms on both sides, and asked, "Are all six of these wing rooms occupied?"
"Yulou and the others are staying in one. Three others are being used as storerooms. The remaining two have always been kept empty so that any Wang Clan members who visit can stay for free," Tang Nianqiu hurriedly replied.
"Mhm." Wang Xianmao stroked his chin. With a brief sweep of his divine sense, he understood the situation completely.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator merely raised his hand and summoned a set of formation flags.
"That fellow surnamed Jiang is controlling the grand array of Clear Stream Market and forbids Foundation Establishment cultivators from using their dharma power within the market. I need this formation array to block the fluctuations first so I can work without issue."
After the formation flags enveloped the entire backyard, Wang Xianmao instructed, "Step back behind me."
The group hastily retreated. Seeing that everyone was standing behind him, Wang Xianmao found it much easier to proceed.
He crouched down and pressed one hand against the ground, looking as if he were about to start building the house barehanded.
Yulou watched in amazement.
No blueprints, no feasibility studies, no surveying, no environmental impact assessments, no permits, and no safety officers required.
All it took was a brainstormed strategy and pressing a single hand to the ground to commence construction.
Was this the grandeur of a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
Comments 1