Chapter 69: Just Because of a 'Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Ancestor, I Want It', My Business Must Be Handed Over? |
War was never a good thing. Wondrous Peak Mountain and the Valley Spirit Sect had fought to the point where the sects' Qi Refining disciples had already been cycled through several rounds.
This whole affair was like raising Gu. The two sects were the Gu-breeding grounds, drawing in the Gu bugs from the Sky Serpent Sect and Hongdengzhao.
They used Qi Refining cultivators as Gu, throwing them into a meat grinder of flesh and blood to refine them. Success meant changing one's fate; failure meant losing one's life.
The cruelty did not lie in the deaths, but in the fact that neither side could control the war's direction. There were many overarching reasons for the conflict, none of which they could decide or change.
The Sky Serpent Sect wanted to interfere with Mangxiang attaining Golden Core, so they naturally supported the Valley Spirit Sect in raising the stakes.
Wondrous Peak Mountain's former sect master, Li Haiping, wanted to break through to the Purple Palace. Due to a generations-long blood feud, the Purple Palace family Ning Clan within the Valley Spirit Sect had to prevent him from successfully doing so.
At the same time, as Wondrous Peak Mountain was one of the two sects under Hongdengzhao with the most Purple Palace cultivators, their attempt to add another was something certain people within Hongdengzhao, as well as Wondrous Peak Mountain's potential rivals, were not happy to see.
For all these reasons, they could only fight. But the impact of the war would inevitably spill over and expand.
Since the start of the war between the two sects, the prices of all necessary war materials across the entire Wunan Basin had been rising.
However, the Heavenly Dao maintained balance.
While many people suffered losses in the chaos, certain factions secretly gorged themselves until their bellies were round and their mouths greasy.
A prime example was the Wang Clan. Wang Yulou running Hundred Treasures Pavilion and the Great Goods Store to play with war material futures had stepped exactly onto the node of the era.
Hundred Treasures Pavilion absorbed the demand left behind after Hidden Dragon Market vanished, while the war futures ate up the dividends of war.
With the two layered together, in another two years, Wang Yulou would be able to earn a new set of Foundation Establishment resources for the Wang Clan.
Outside the Wang Clan, the Qi Refining stage immortal clan, the Wu Clan, was also a representative of those who had secretly eaten their fill.
Back when the Wu Clan was harvested by Hongdengzhao, even their Patriarch had to personally set up a stall in the ghost market of Clear Stream Market. At that time, they truly had it difficult.
But the Wu Clan possessed a ninth-grade spiritual object, Chaotic Stone Well, which could produce all sorts of metal and stone materials.
Taking purple copper as an example, seven years ago, it had already more than doubled in price. Now, each piece had risen to over two hundred spirit stones.
It could be said that Wu Jinyan reaching Foundation Establishment was purely from eating the war dividends, timely cashing in on the future expectations the Wu Clan had exchanged from Hongdengzhao's Merit Hall.
"Who did you hear that from?" Yulou looked toward Wang Yu'an.
"After the Patriarch returned from visiting Mu Chunze, the Wu Clan found out he was in Clear Stream Market and submitted a visiting card. I don't know what they want to discuss."
Wang Yulou shook his head. He had some guesses.
For a small Qi Refining family like the Wu Clan that had never produced a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Wu Jinyan was their first. He didn't have much to rely on within the Hongdengzhao system.
The Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom had dealt with the Wu Clan quite often, and Wu Jinyan's close friend, Hongmei, had even become Yulou and Yu'an's master.
Therefore, for Wu Jinyan to visit Wang Xianmao right after reaching Foundation Establishment, his intent was likely just to build connections and pave the way for his future development.
After all, upon reaching Foundation Establishment, he would have to join the Hongdengzhao system under the Immortal Alliance to work. How could he not pay his respects to the local powers?
Behind the Wang Clan was the Behemoth Lineage, a lineage with three Purple Palace cultivators, boasting a power even stronger than Wondrous Peak Mountain—Wondrous Peak Mountain's three Purple Palace seniors certainly lacked the boldness to attempt attaining Golden Core.
"Alright, how are things going with the talisman masters I asked you to contact?"
Yulou felt indifferent about Wu Jinyan's Foundation Establishment. He only hoped Wu Jinyan would go crazy for once and slaughter that animal, Gao Jian.
However, given Wu Jinyan's temperament, he probably wouldn't be that stupid.
Gao Jian was simply the Town Guardian Cultivator's chamber pot, essentially used to resolve needs.
Killing him would bring no benefits and carried the risk of offending the Town Guardian Cultivator. It wasn't worth it.
"Hundred Treasures Pavilion's suppliers and supplier clans have already started spreading the news. On the other hand, the signboards at the Racetrack have been completed. Everyone who watches the horse racing will see them.
Additionally, the Patriarch's intent is that among our Wang Clan's guest elders of other surnames, there are two Qi Refining stage talisman masters. We must invite those two."
Over the years, Yulou's cultivation speed had been locked down by the altered laws of heaven and earth, but he hadn't slacked off in other areas.
Hundred Treasures Pavilion and the Racetrack were booming. Correspondingly, more and more people and factions shared ties of interest with the Wang Clan.
The assistance Yulou could draw upon was also increasing.
Cultivating immortality, of course, was one's own matter.
But under the system of the Immortal Alliance and the Ten Sects, cultivating immortality was not entirely a solitary endeavor.
No one could fight the system—the system established by the great cultivators.
What Yulou was doing now was gradually finding ways from the periphery to join the system and influence it.
Furthermore, he could establish a small system belonging to himself and the Wang Clan.
In other words, making as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible.
In fact, he had already succeeded. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion Talisman Master Competition was an example.
It hadn't even started yet, and no one knew how it would turn out when the time came.
But within the system Yulou had built, those partners whose cultivation bases were far higher than his all naturally chose to lend him a hand.
The Patriarch's thoughts were not complex. With Hundred Treasures Pavilion holding the Talisman Master Competition, the Wang Clan's own people definitely couldn't enter. After all, there were prizes involved, and the Wang Clan needed to maintain a dignified appearance.
But even if the Wang Clan's own youths didn't participate, their guest elders could.
——
In the evening, Yulou returned early to Fortune Source Residence.
With Bai Lu keeping an eye on Hundred Treasures Pavilion and the Great Goods Store, no major problems would arise.
After all, Clear Stream Market was Hongdengzhao's territory. No matter how high someone's cultivation base was, as long as it wasn't higher than Mu Chunze's, they wouldn't dare cause trouble.
Arriving at the door of the Patriarch's residence, Yulou found it open. Wang Xianmao and Wu Jinyan were inside conversing, and Hongmei was also present.
"...Big Brother Xianmao, no matter how I think about this matter of joining Hongdengzhao, I still feel somewhat afraid.
Hearing your explanation today has given me some direction. I, Jinyan, finally feel reassured."
Wang Xianmao laughed heartily. Taking out a piece of bitter mulberry paper from his robes, he used his spiritual energy as a pen and boldly wrote down a line of text.
Afterward, he handed the inscribed bitter mulberry paper to Wu Jinyan.
"No matter. The first Foundation Establishment cultivator of every clan has walked this exact path.
Here, take this. When the time comes and you leave your aura signature at the Hongdengzhao Immortal Alliance branch, you will be led to the Outer Sect Elders Hall.
The Outer Sect Elders Hall has a Hongdengzhao Purple Palace cultivator holding the fort, overseeing the affairs of Hongdengzhao's outer gate Foundation Establishment Deacons. The deacons in the hall will assign you a mission. Theoretically, whatever you receive is what you must do.
Just say that you are looking for Linghu Qishang. He is a good friend of mine, and the Linghu clan is also a generations-long family friend of our Wang Clan.
Show him this bitter mulberry paper and hand over a sum of spirit stones, and you will be able to choose your mission from multiple options."
Wu Jinyan was instantly overjoyed and offered a profusion of thanks.
Hongdengzhao's outer gate deacons had many different types of missions, and he absolutely did not want to go demon hunting in the West Sea.
Indeed, the Wang Clan had to send Qi Refining cultivators to the West Sea for demon hunting, while the likes of Hongdengzhao and Wondrous Peak Mountain had to send Foundation Establishment cultivators.
As for Purple Palace cultivators, they belonged to the upper echelons of the Immortal Alliance system, the tier that feasted on the fat of the land. Naturally, they wouldn't be sent to serve as expendables, nor could anyone force them to be expendables.
The logic was simple: if a Purple Palace cultivator hid inside their minor grotto-heaven, their lifespan would be nearly infinite.
Forming a grudge with a Purple Palace cultivator would lead to massive trouble, which was one of the reasons a behemoth like the Immortal Alliance had developed.
Among the three, Wang Xianmao was highly satisfied with Wu Jinyan gravitating toward the Wang Clan, and Wu Jinyan rejoiced at having found a guide. Only Hongmei was filled with bitterness.
The Wang Clan had been a vassal of Hongdengzhao for many years and had indeed accumulated quite a bit. His initial thought of joining the Wang Clan had not been wrong.
But later, step by step, he had walked that path of survival right into a dead end.
If he hadn't acted foolishly back then, the first person smiling in front of Wang Xianmao wouldn't have been Wu Jinyan, but him.
"I didn't expect Senior Wu to reach Foundation Establishment so quickly."
Wu Jinyan and the luckless Hongmei departed, and Yulou sighed with some emotion.
Wang Xianmao also felt somewhat sentimental.
"His luck is not bad. He hadn't even prepared the harmonization of root energy, yet he actually succeeded on his first attempt at Foundation Establishment."
Fate was a highly fickle thing. For Peak Qi Condensation realm cultivators to reach Foundation Establishment, the harmonization of root energy was required; this was the foundation.
Of course, if the harmonization of root energy couldn't be achieved, one could use supplementary spiritual pills to reach a state close to it, or attempt Foundation Establishment multiple times to increase the success rate.
Tie Qinhuo had only succeeded on his second Foundation Establishment attempt.
Rongjiangshu was currently on his second Foundation Establishment attempt. Whether he could succeed or not still depended on luck.
Even under the premise of harmonized root energy, the probability of successful Foundation Establishment varied from person to person. It could be said that the success rate was doubly influenced by the depth of one's accumulation and the quality of one's luck.
As a cultivator hailing from a small Qi Refining family, Wu Jinyan's accumulation was obviously average, but that couldn't stop his good luck. This was something no one could envy.
Wang Rongjiang had harmonized his root energy and maxed out on supplementary spiritual pills, yet he hadn't succeeded on his first try.
Wu Jinyan's accumulation was average, relying entirely on spiritual pills and luck, yet he hit the mark on his very first attempt.
"Rongjiangshu should be able to succeed this time, right?"
Yulou was actually afraid as well. The prices of Foundation Establishment resources were rising fiercely right now.
There were too many closed systems in Wunan, and they all occupied dominant market positions. Consequently, Foundation Establishment resources were facing a Davis Double Play of pricing: a severe supply shortage coupled with surging demand.
Under these circumstances, let alone eighty thousand spirit stones per set, Yulou wouldn't be surprised even if they rose to a hundred thousand spirit stones per set in the future.
If Wang Rongjiang ultimately needed three Foundation Establishment attempts to succeed, then even if the Wang Clan's favors were discounted for their own people, he would likely have to spend the rest of his life repaying the debt.
"Hopefully. I called you over for an important matter. I've communicated the situation with Mu Chunze. That dog is still a bastard who spouts nine lies for every truth.
I sent a message to Jingyi. We'll wait for her reply before deciding on a new strategy.
But the confrontation between the Sky Serpent Sect and Hongdengzhao has nothing to do with us. After all, our family is weak and small.
As for Xianzhou's matter, I will have a proper talk with Wondrous Peak Mountain. Things are getting increasingly chaotic now; he's actually more suited to guarding the clan lands.
It's just that, Yulou, we have to hand over the Great Goods Store."
His words fully revealed the Patriarch's high regard for Yulou.
Yulou's soaring success in Clear Stream Market could be said to have won him respect from all sides step by step.
Zhou Yingxi saying he looked more like a Town Guardian Cultivator was just one facet. One had to realize that Zhou Yingxi was the daughter of a Town Guardian Cultivator.
Zhou Yingxi admired Yulou's capabilities, Yulou's partners respected his business acumen, and even the Patriarch valued his wisdom.
But Yulou still felt a sense of regret.
The war futures business was fiercely sensitive. He had long anticipated this day, only he hadn't expected it to arrive so soon.
Just because of a "Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Ancestor, I want it," the business he had painstakingly built up had to be handed over on a silver platter.
Yulou wanted to ask "on what grounds," but he couldn't voice it.
Hadn't the Patriarch just said it?—our family is weak and small, our family is weak and small.
"Who is taking over?"
Seeing Yulou's face stretched taut, Wang Xianmao thought for a moment and understood. The Patriarch chuckled.
"Did you think it was being snatched away by force? Hahaha, rest assured."
He retrieved a silver Hongdengzhao edict from his storage bag, held it up, and read:
"By order of Hongdengzhao Sect Master Huang Qiusheng: the Commerce Hall of Elders shall take over all affairs of the Wang Clan's Great Goods Store in Clear Stream Market. The Wang Clan is directed to handle the handover.
For their meritorious management, the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom is specially rewarded with one Foundation Establishment Pill, one bottle of Spirit Marrow Meridian Cleansing Pills, one high-grade spiritual artifact, two inherited quotas for Inner Gate Disciples, and ten inherited quotas for Outer Gate Disciples!"
Foundation Establishment Pills—regardless of which spirit root they belonged to—now had a starting price of over twenty thousand spirit stones. They were used to help cultivators reach Foundation Establishment.
Spirit Marrow Meridian Cleansing Pills were spiritual pills for healing injuries and advancing cultivation bases. They could treat meridian damage and even had the effect of repairing a Dao foundation. Yulou didn't know their exact price, but this item definitely wasn't cheap. It belonged to the most expensive category of special spiritual pills.
A high-grade spiritual artifact—Yulou didn't know how much it was worth, but he was certain it definitely wasn't as little as ten times the price of a high-grade magical artifact. This item was worth at least thirty thousand spirit stones.
Two quotas for Inner Gate Disciples and ten for Outer Gate Disciples. The former had a corresponding price of eighteen thousand each, totaling thirty-six thousand; the latter was three thousand two hundred each, totaling thirty-two thousand.
That blasted Great Goods Store had just sold for at least one hundred and twenty thousand spirit stones!
Yulou snapped out of his shock and daze, asking nervously,
"Patriarch, did we wrongly blame the Ancestor?"
"Hahaha, yes! We must forever remember Patriarch Mangxiang's grace, hahahaha."
Still laughing, Wang Xianmao handed the Hongdengzhao edict to Yulou.
The edict wasn't entirely made of silver. Its base was ninth-grade white elm spirit wood, with only the outer layer wrapped in mirror-silver. A grand depiction of Hongdengzhao's mountain gate was carved into the silver, making it look incredibly imposing.
A small, red lantern was painted in each of the four corners of the edict. When Yulou touched them with his fingers, he could even feel a burst of warmth. He had no idea how it was made.
After carefully reading the sect master's order on the edict twice over, Yulou's heart finally completely settled.
This wasn't a forceful seizure. Instead, it was Huang Qiusheng cooperating with the Wang Clan—no, to be precise, it was the Wang Clan, as a part of the Behemoth Lineage, digging into Hongdengzhao's foundations with the help of the sect master.
Not only did the Wang Clan not suffer a loss, but they had also made a massive profit!
Looking at the edict in his hands, Yulou realized something.
How was this an edict? This was entirely Patriarch Mangxiang's grace!
Wu Jinyan was instantly overjoyed and offered another profuse round of thanks.
Hongdengzhao's Outer Sect deacons handled many different types of missions, and he absolutely did not want to go demon hunting in the West Sea.
Indeed, the Wang Clan had to send Qi Refining cultivators to hunt demons in the West Sea, whereas sects like Hongdengzhao and Wondrous Peak Mountain had to send Foundation Establishment cultivators.
As for Purple Palace cultivators, they belonged to the upper echelons of the Immortal Alliance system. They were the tier that divided and devoured the choicest fat. Naturally, they would not be sent as expendables, nor could anyone force them to be.
The logic was very simple: once a Purple Palace cultivator hid inside their small grotto-heaven, their lifespan was nearly infinite.
Forming a blood feud with a Purple Palace cultivator meant massive trouble. This was also one of the reasons a behemoth like the Immortal Alliance could develop.
Among the three, Wang Xianmao was highly satisfied with Wu Jinyan drawing closer to the Wang Clan, and Wu Jinyan was elated at having found himself a guide. Only Hongmei was filled entirely with inner bitterness.
The Wang Clan had been a vassal of Hongdengzhao for many years and indeed possessed considerable accumulation. His initial thought of seeking refuge with them had been flawless.
However, he had step by step walked that path of survival into a dead end.
If he hadn't been foolish back then, the first to smile in front of Wang Xianmao wouldn't have been Wu Jinyan, but him.
"I didn't expect Senior Wu to reach Foundation Establishment so quickly."
After Wu Jinyan and the luckless Hongmei left, Yulou sighed with a hint of lamentation.
Wang Xianmao also felt somewhat sentimental.
"His luck is quite good. He wasn't even fully prepared with the harmonization of root energy, yet against all odds, he succeeded on his first attempt at Foundation Establishment."
Fate was a very fickle thing. For a cultivator at the Peak Qi Condensation realm to reach Foundation Establishment, they required the harmonization of root energy. This was the foundation.
Of course, if the harmonization of root energy could not be achieved, they could use supplementary spiritual pills to reach a state close to it, or attempt Foundation Establishment multiple times to increase their success rate.
Tie Qinhuo had only succeeded on his second Foundation Establishment attempt.
Wang Rongjiang was also currently undergoing his second Foundation Establishment attempt. Whether he could succeed or not still depended on luck.
Even with the harmonization of root energy, the probability of successful Foundation Establishment varied from person to person. It could be said that the success rate was dually influenced by the depth of one's accumulation and the quality of one's luck.
As a cultivator emerging from a small Qi Refining family, Wu Jinyan's accumulation was obviously average, but nothing could stop his good luck. This was something that no one could envy.
Wang Rongjiang had completely maxed out his harmonization of root energy and supplementary spiritual pills, yet he still hadn't succeeded on his first try.
Wu Jinyan had average accumulation and relied entirely on spiritual pills and luck, yet he happened to nail it on his first attempt.
"Rongjiangshu should be able to succeed this time, right?"
Yulou was actually a bit afraid, too. The prices of Foundation Establishment resources were currently rising fiercely.
There were too many closed systems in Wunan, and they all occupied dominant market positions. Therefore, Foundation Establishment resources were facing a double whammy in prices, with a severe supply shortage layered on top of violently surging demand.
Under these circumstances, let alone eighty thousand spirit stones a set, even if it rose to one hundred thousand spirit stones a set in the future, Yulou wouldn't be surprised.
If Wang Rongjiang ended up needing three Foundation Establishment attempts to succeed, then even with the Wang Clan's internal discounts, Yulou estimated he would have to spend his entire life repaying the debt.
"Hopefully. I called you over because there is an important matter. I've already discussed the situation with Mu Chunze. That dog is still acting like his same old bastard self, nine parts fake and one part true.
"I've sent a letter to Jingyi and am waiting for her reply, after which we will decide on a new strategy.
"But the confrontation between the Sky Serpent Sect and Hongdengzhao has nothing to do with us. After all, our family is weak and small.
"As for Xianzhou's matter, I will have a good talk with Wondrous Peak Mountain. Things are getting increasingly chaotic now; he's actually better suited to guarding the clan grounds.
"It's just that, Yulou, we have to hand over the Great Goods Store."
Between his words, the Patriarch fully displayed his high regard for Yulou.
It could be said that Yulou's soaring success in Clear Stream Market had, step by step, won him the respect of all factions.
Zhou Yingxi saying that he was the one who truly looked like a Town Guardian Cultivator was just one side of it. One had to know, Zhou Yingxi was the daughter of a Town Guardian Cultivator.
Zhou Yingxi admired Yulou's capabilities, Yulou's business partners respected his commercial prowess, and even the Patriarch valued his intellect.
But Yulou still felt somewhat regretful.
The war futures business was extremely sensitive. He had long anticipated this day; he just hadn't expected it to arrive so soon.
Just because someone said, 'Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Ancestor, I want it,' he had to hand over the business he had painstakingly built up.
Yulou wanted to ask on what grounds, but he couldn't force the words out.
Didn't the Patriarch just say it? Our family is weak and small. Our family is weak and small.
"Who is taking over?"
Seeing Yulou's tense face, Wang Xianmao thought for a moment and understood. The Patriarch smiled.
"Did you think it was taken by force and plundered? Hahaha, rest assured."
He took out a silver-made Hongdengzhao decree from his storage bag, held it up, and read it aloud:
"By the order of Hongdengzhao's sect master, Huang Qiusheng, the Commerce Hall of Elders is to take over all affairs of the Wang Clan's Great Goods Store in Clear Stream Market, and the Wang Clan is instructed to coordinate the handover.
"As the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom has rendered meritorious service in its management, they are specially rewarded with one Foundation Establishment Pill, one bottle of Spirit Marrow Meridian Cleansing Pills, one high-grade spiritual artifact, quotas for two Inner Gate Disciples by hereditary privilege, and quotas for ten Outer Gate Disciples by hereditary privilege!"
Foundation Establishment Pills, regardless of which spirit root they corresponded to, now had a starting price of over twenty thousand spirit stones. They were used to help cultivators reach Foundation Establishment.
Spirit Marrow Meridian Cleansing Pills were spiritual pills for healing injuries and advancing one's cultivation base. They could treat meridional damage and even had the effect of repairing a Dao foundation. Yulou didn't know exactly how much they cost, but this stuff definitely wasn't cheap; it was considered among the most expensive types of special spiritual pills.
As for a high-grade spiritual artifact, Yulou didn't know how much it was worth, but he was certain it definitely wasn't as cheap as ten times the price of a high-grade magical artifact. This thing was worth at least thirty thousand spirit stones or more.
The quotas for two Inner Gate Disciples and ten Outer Gate Disciples: the former was valued at eighteen thousand each, totaling thirty-six thousand, while the latter was valued at three thousand two hundred each, totaling thirty-two thousand.
That damn Great Goods Store had been sold for at least one hundred and twenty thousand spirit stones in this wave!
Waking from his shock and daze, Yulou asked nervously.
"Patriarch, did we wrongly blame the ancestor?"
"Hahaha, yes! We must always remember Patriarch Mangxiang's kindness, hahahaha."
Still laughing, Wang Xianmao handed the Hongdengzhao decree in his hand to Yulou.
The decree was not entirely made of silver. It used ninth-grade white elm spiritual wood as its base, merely coated with mirror silver on the outside. The mountain gate scenery of Hongdengzhao was carved into the mirror silver, making it look exceedingly majestic.
In the four corners of the decree, four small red lanterns were painted. When Yulou touched them with his fingers, he even felt a burst of warmth, unaware of how it was crafted.
After carefully reading the sect master's order on the decree twice, Yulou's heart completely settled down.
This wasn't forceful plundering, but rather Huang Qiusheng coordinating with the Wang Clan—no, accurately speaking, it was the Wang Clan, acting as a part of the Behemoth Lineage, digging into Hongdengzhao's foundation with the sect master's help.
Not only did the Wang Clan not lose out, they had profited massively!
Looking at the decree in his hand, Yulou realized something.
How was this a decree? This was entirely Patriarch Mangxiang's kindness!