76: Chapter 76 Discussion and Preparation

Three days later, a streak of cyan escaping light landed outside the mountain gate of Lotus Pier.

Hu Shan's face was glowing with health as he strode into the council hall and placed a jade bottle on the table.

"lesser guyuan pill. I had someone pull it from the pill hall of the Spirit Sword Sect overnight. Two thousand Spirit Stones are exactly enough, not a single coin short."

He paused before adding, "The Ning Family's matter has also been settled together. Great Elder Ning Shengkui sold off most of the Ning Family's properties in Xiaoshan County and pulled strings through the Sect, spending a fortune to avoid the disaster of clan extermination. After this incident, the Ning Family won't even think about turning things around within three generations."

Wang Shouren took the jade bottle and bowed in gratitude.

Hu Shan waved his hand, glanced at him before leaving, and smiled half-heartedly, "You brat, if there is anything else next time, this old man will really have to weigh things carefully."

Wang Shouren held the jade bottle as he crossed the corridor and pushed open Wang Qingyan's bedroom door.

Wang Qingyan leaned against the couch, her complexion still pale, but those eyes that were once as cold as frost were now brimming with a layer of moisture.

She took the jade bottle, her fingers trembling slightly, her voice hoarse yet solemn, "Shouren, I have remembered this favor."

"Rest and recover well." Wang Shouren tucked in the corner of the quilt for her, his tone calm yet leaving no room for negotiation, "When you get better, there are still a bunch of Family affairs waiting for you."

Lotus Pier, the grand council hall.

All the Qi Refining Late Stage members of the Wang Family gathered together, numbering no less than twenty or thirty people.

Wang Chongyang sat upright in the grand master's chair at the head. His body beneath the gray robes was a bit leaner than three days ago, and the aura of the Foundation Establishment Stage around him grew increasingly weak, faintly revealing an elusive aura of Death Qi.

Wang Shouren sat below his father, his gaze falling on Sixth Grandpa, his brows furrowing imperceptibly.

"Don't worry about me." Wang Chongyang's voice remained loud and clear.

"Life and death are determined by fate. This old man has lived for nearly two hundred years and has lived enough. The scheme laid out by Shouren has now shown results; the Ning Family has suffered heavy blows, the Loose Cultivators have turned their hearts to us, and our Wang Family in this Wanshan County, even if not covering the sky with one hand, is as stable as a monolith."

His gaze swept across his descendants filling the hall, a smile emerging at the corners of his mouth, "After this old man leaves, the Wang Family will still have at least ten years of peace. As long as another Foundation Establishment can emerge within ten years, the Wang Family can continue to flourish for another hundred years."

The hall was silent, a look of sorrow surfacing on everyone's face.

Wang Yaozu lowered his head, Wang Yaowu clenched his fists, and the eye sockets of several young disciples of the Shou generation were already slightly red.

Wang Chongyang abruptly slapped the armrest, his voice suddenly rising, "All of you, pull yourselves together! Birth, aging, illness, and death are the cycle of Heavenly Dao; how could the sons of the Wang Family fear life, death, and parting? This old man is not dead yet, there is no need for you to mourn for the dead right now!"

The crowd was shaken by this shout and straightened their backs in unison.

Wang Yaozu steadied his mind and turned to say to Wang Yaowen.

"Second Brother, Shoucheng's injuries..."

Wang Yaowen's complexion dimmed, his eyes full of bloodshot veins, and he said in a hoarse voice.

"Still the same as before. His Divine Soul has been injured, and he remains unconscious to this day. I have thoroughly searched all the classics in the Family and asked pharmacists in the prefectural city through connections; injuries to the Divine Soul are even harder to treat than the Dantian. If the Dantian shatters, there are still Medicinal Pills to continue, but if the Divine Soul shatters, even the Three Sects cannot produce top-grade Medicinal Pills capable of repairing it."

He raised his head, his voice trembling slightly, "Now we can only rely on Shoucheng's own willpower. That child has had a stubborn temper since he was young; perhaps he can wake up on his own."

Wang Shouren lowered his eyelids and did not speak.

That white Lotus Seed had been planted in Shoucheng's Sea of Consciousness for three days, yet there had been no movement so far.

The Sea of Consciousness was too mysterious; all he could do was make up for the damage. As for whether Shoucheng could wake up, it really depended on fortune.

Next was a series of Family affairs reports.

"Reporting to the Patriarch, sixteen Family members have already mastered basic Puppet manufacturing techniques, but they can only make auxiliary Puppets like Puppet Rats and Puppet Birds. The manufacturing of combat Puppets is extremely complex, and we can only produce one every half year."

Wang Yaozu nodded, "One every half year is already very good. The Ning Family couldn't manufacture one after researching for so long, but at least we have manufactured them."

"However, we only manufacture Puppets and don't sell them; for the past two years, expenses have exceeded income."

Wang Yaozu pondered for a moment and said, "Previously, we were afraid that the Ning Family would discover clues. Now the Ning Family is no longer to be feared; let's first sell non-combat Puppets. Third Brother, you are in charge of the sales channels."

"Yes."

Wang Yaofeng, who was in charge of the treasury, stood up, held a thick account book, and read.

"Reporting to the Patriarch, this year's income from Wogui Market is 12,000 Spirit Stones, income from Spiritual Fish is 20,000 Spirit Stones, and other income such as talisman-making amounts to a total of 45,000 Spirit Stones."

Deducting the Family's fixed resource subsidies and various procurements, the Wang Family has a surplus of 18,000 Spirit Stones this year."

A low murmur immediately sounded in the hall, and incredulous expressions appeared on the faces of many people.

"So much?"

"Eighteen thousand, isn't this almost catching up with the annual tax revenue of the Three Counties?"

Wang Yaozu and Wang Chongyang looked at each other, both seeing gratification in each other's eyes.

Wang Yaozu smiled and said, "This is still because the market accounts for a large portion of the income. To be ashamed, this market owes thanks to Shouren."

The crowd turned to look at Wang Shouren one after another, their eyes full of appreciation.

Wang Shouren shook his head slightly, "It is all the credit of the uncles and brothers in the Family managing things. I have been in seclusion for two years and didn't help with anything."

Wang Yaowu laughed heartily, "Stop being so modest, you brat! Without your layout, how could we have today's situation?"

Wang Yaozu pressed his hand down, and after the hall quieted down, he spoke with a serious expression.

"Having more Spirit Stones is a good thing, but it also invites jealousy. The most urgent task is to convert the Spirit Stones into strength as soon as possible. Sixth Uncle and I have discussed this and decided on two matters."

He held out a finger, "First, expand our manpower. This year, we will recruit young Mortals with Spiritual Roots on a large scale across the Family territory to enter the Family for cultivation, and at the same time recruit a batch of retainers with solid strength from among the Loose Cultivators, with a cultivation level of at least Qi Refining Middle Stage."

The crowd nodded one after another.

Wang Yaozu extended his second finger again, "Second, upgrade the mountain-guarding Formation. If Sixth Uncle one day..."

He did not continue, but just took a deep breath, "The Formation is the final backing of the Wang Family. I plan to upgrade the mountain-guarding Formation from the first tier to the second tier."

"Second tier?"

"The other families in the Three Counties all use first-tier Formations."

"How many Spirit Stones will this cost?"

Wang Yaowu stepped forward and said, "Eldest Brother, you previously asked me to contact Wanbao Pavilion in the prefectural city through connections to invite a second-tier Formation Master from the main city. All expenses combined are about 100,000 Spirit Stones, and the Materials required for the Formation still need to be provided by us."

Just as the expressions of heartache on everyone's faces eased a bit, Wang Yaowu added another sentence.

"Taking the simplest second-tier Thick Earth Enclosing Formation as an example, the material cost is about 50,000 Spirit Stones."

The whole hall was in an uproar.

"150,000!"

"Even emptying out all our Family assets wouldn't be enough!"

"I disagree! This expense is too huge!"

Wang Shouren sat aside, closing his eyes in deep thought.

When Sixth Grandpa was alive, combined with a first-tier Formation, it was enough to stop two Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

But once Sixth Grandpa passed away, a first-tier Formation would become completely useless in front of Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

150,000 Spirit Stones was roughly all the Family assets the Wang Family had saved up over the years.

Spending all their savings in exchange for a second-tier Formation sufficient to protect the entire clan—he felt this trade was worth it.

It was just that he couldn't help sighing in his heart that Formation Masters really knew how to make Spirit Stones.