43: Chapter 43 Sharing Plan: Breaking the Deadlock

Morning mist rolled over the West Suburbs ridge, where the last fleeing figure vanished into the haze.

Chen Wuwang's fingers still rested on the hilt of his dagger, his fingertips tracing the carved marks—the trajectory of the three families' infiltration last night had been etched into the stone surface by his blade, stroke by stroke.

The wind swept past the spring, and the low hum of the rail network continued, like a beast retracting its claws and returning to its lair.

Chen Xiaodao's voice came through the earpiece: "The people are all gone, not a single one left behind."

"Hmm." Chen Wuwang acknowledged and finally stood up. His silver hair was ruffled by the morning breeze, and the blue light of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye slowly faded, returning to the appearance of an ordinary person.

He turned and walked toward the Artifact Refining Workshop, his pace unhurried, yet every step landed precisely on the vibration nodes of the earth's veins.

Chen Tiezhu was already waiting at the entrance of the workshop, holding half a fragment of a shock-blast talisman, his brows furrowed so tightly a mosquito could be crushed between them. "Clan Head, are those bastards coming again?"

"They aren't here to rob us." Chen Wuwang shook his head. "They are here to beg for a way to survive."

Chen Tiezhu was stunned.

"They aren't afraid of us being strong," Chen Wuwang stood still, his gaze sweeping over the Spiritual Qi rising from the distant Medicinal Field. "They are afraid of falling behind. What happened last night targeted their greed, but behind that greed is panic—the monopoly on medicinal herbs is collapsing, and if we continue to hold the spiritual spring, they won't even have room to breathe."

Chen Tiezhu was silent for a moment, then snorted: "So what? While their legs are weak, should we just cut off the Zhao Family's water vein? Or blow up the Wang Family's communication tower?"

"Neither." Chen Wuwang raised his eyes, the three Zerg claw marks on his right cheek gleaming coldly in the morning sun. "I am going to share the spring with them."

Chen Tiezhu almost dropped the fragment in his hand: "What did you say?! Share?! Clan Head, did you not wake up from staying up all night yesterday?"

"It's not for free." Chen Wuwang's voice was low, yet every word nailed into the ground. "It is 'sharing'. Daily rationed supply, unified purification, and scheduled delivery. There is only one condition—open up trade channels and allow them to purchase our basic mecha components."

Chen Tiezhu stared at him for a long time before squeezing out a sentence: "Are you using bait to fish for wolves?"

"Yes." Chen Wuwang's lips curled slightly. "Wolves eat meat, but they are even more afraid of starving to death. Now that they know they can't rob us, they have to think of other ways. And I want them to feel that cooperation is more cost-effective than risking their lives."

Before his words faded, three short sounds came from the distant watchtower.

Chen Xiaodao leaped onto the wall, scanned with binoculars, and turned back: "Envoys from three teams are heading to the main gate. The Zhao, Wang, and Li families each sent two people. They aren't carrying weapons and are holding white banners."

"They came faster than expected." Chen Wuwang turned and walked away. "Go to the open space in front of the Council Hall, don't go inside. Let them stand and talk."

"Why not invite them in?" Chen Tiezhu followed.

"Inviting them in is for guests; standing outside is for negotiations." Chen Wuwang did not stop walking. "I want them to bow their heads first."

On the bluestone terrace in front of the Council Hall, the envoys of the three families were already waiting in line. The Zhao elder was full of anger, the Clan Head of the Wang Family had a gloomy look, and the Li Family representative was looking left and right, clearly still wondering if there was another backup plan for last night's ambush.

When Chen Wuwang walked out, no one dared to move.

He didn't look at anyone and walked straight to a bronze device in the center. The thing looked like a waterwheel but was embedded with rune plates and spiritual energy conduits, its base connected to the underground rail network.

"What is this?" The Zhao elder couldn't help but ask.

Chen Wuwang didn't answer, only nodded to Chen Tiezhu.

Chen Tiezhu took a deep breath and pressed the start button.

Hum—

A slight tremor came from underground, and spring water gushed out from the hidden channel, entering the device through the diversion trough. The rune plates lit up, and the Spiritual Qi was instantly purified, divided into three clear streams, and injected into three temporary containers. Above each stream, glowing numerical figures appeared: Concentration: 8.7 Grade; Output Efficiency: 93%; Stability: A Grade.

The whole scene was silent.

"What you robbed last night was only half the efficacy of this thing." Chen Wuwang finally spoke, his voice not loud but piercing the air. "I will give each of you three hundred liters per day for thirty days. The water quality, quantity, and time are all monitored by the System. If a single drop is missing, you are welcome to come and trash the place."

The Zhao elder's lips trembled: "You... what do you want to do?"

"Trade for some small things." Chen Wuwang sneered. "Your trade routes are to be opened to us. I will allow you to purchase basic components like Flying Sword skeletons, mecha armor plates, and energy rails from the Artifact Refining Workshop. The prices will be fair, and we won't cheat you."

"Impossible!" The Clan Head of the Wang Family shouted sharply. "Once these components flow out, wouldn't that boost your military power?!"

"Then you will continue to send death squads to rob us?" Chen Wuwang's eyes suddenly turned cold. "I know you can't afford to lose a third time. The Spirit Stones lost in the first batch were enough to support your clansmen for three years, the second batch cost you two Qi Refining level 9 cultivators, and the third batch... how much capital do you have left to burn?"

No one spoke.

"You don't want it?" Chen Wuwang turned to leave. "Then wait for the next spring eruption; I will add ten times the traps. This time, it won't just be stunning people."

"Wait!" The Li Family representative suddenly stepped forward. "If... if we agree, can we really get the components?"

"The first batch is a free three-day trial." Chen Wuwang stopped. "If the water quality isn't up to standard, you can withdraw at any time. But if you violate the contract and harvest privately—" He turned back and stared at the three men. "Next time, the traps will directly detonate the low-frequency oscillation waves remaining in your bodies. Each of you was hit by two waves last night, and the chips are still buried in your Meridians. If you don't believe me, you can check for yourselves."

The three men's faces changed at once.

They had indeed felt it—after escaping back last night, there was an indescribable feeling of stagnation in their bodies. They had thought it was a disturbance in their Spiritual Qi, but they hadn't expected something to have been planted in them!

"This is a threat!" The Zhao elder gritted his teeth.

"It is a reminder." Chen Wuwang said calmly. "You have a choice. Continue fighting, or try to live."

Just then, Chen Xiaodao walked out from the side corridor, a miniature screen appearing in his palm.

On the screen was the scene of the three families conspiring last night: the Zhao leader slamming the table and roaring "Seize the spring and destroy the formation", the Clan Head of the Wang Family coldly ordering "Take advantage of their unstable footing", and the Li Family elder slamming the table fiercely "We cannot let them establish their technology tree firmly."

The video played for only ten seconds before stopping abruptly.

"When you were discussing, you forgot that this place had long been bugged." Chen Xiaodao put away the screen, his tone calm. "Now, we know what you are planning. But we haven't decided yet whether to tell others."

The three envoys looked ashen.

They finally understood—the Chen Family did not win by brute force, but had seen everything clearly from the beginning. Their fear, greed, and calculations had all been recorded, becoming a blade hanging over their heads.

"I... we need to report back to our clan." The Li Family representative spoke with difficulty. "Can we take the terms of the agreement back first?"

"Yes." Chen Wuwang nodded. "But remember, if there is no response within seven days, it will be considered a refusal. At that time, all monitoring data will be automatically uploaded to the Loose Cultivator Alliance for filing—guess what other small clans will think when they see you colluding to seize the spring?"

The three men looked at each other and finally bowed their heads.

"We... will go back and report."

Chen Wuwang did not see them off, only stood where he was, watching them leave.

Until their backs disappeared around the corner of the mountain path, Chen Tiezhu asked in a low voice: "Are you really letting them buy components? Aren't you afraid of raising a tiger that will cause trouble later?"

"What is there to fear?" Chen Wuwang smiled. "They can't even build the diversion device, so what will they use to assemble them? These parts will end up as scrap metal in their hands at best. And we—" He raised his hand and pointed toward the Artifact Refining Workshop. "We are earning Spirit Stones, consuming scraps, and trading for time."

"Time?"

"Let everyone get used to the fact that 'The Chen Family Supplies the Spiritual Spring'." Chen Wuwang's eyes grew deeper. "When dependence becomes an instinct, resistance becomes betrayal. We don't want the security of the spring water; we want no one to dare to have any ideas again."

Chen Xiaodao walked over and asked in a low voice: "Next step?"

"Prepare to receive more guests." Chen Wuwang turned and looked at the gate of the Council Hall. "The real show has just begun."

Chen Tiezhu looked at his back and suddenly remembered something: "Clan Head, that diversion device... it was actually modified overnight yesterday, right? Originally, it could only split into two streams."

"Hmm." Chen Wuwang did not stop walking. "The third stream is a false reading, supported by the buffer pool. It won't last for three days."

"What if they find out?"

"They won't." Chen Wuwang did not look back. "Once people see hope, they are unwilling to open their eyes to see the truth."

The wind blew across the bluestone terrace, picking up a few fallen leaves.

In the distance, the first ray of sunlight shone into the main city of the Eastern Wilderness.

And deep underground, the rail network was still running, and the rune plates were quietly standing by, like a large net that had not yet been closed, waiting for the fish to swim in on its own.