48: Chapter 48 Gratitude and Feedback: Resources Galore

Morning light had just crawled onto the eaves of the Main Hall. The third purification machine was still humming and producing water. Chen Wuwang's boot soles had already trodden across the plaza flagstones, walking toward the direction of the Main Hall.

He didn't look back, but his peripheral vision caught Chen Tiezhu limping out from the equipment area on the west side, clutching half of a disassembled sensor module in his hand, sweat beads rolling down his wrinkles from his temples.

"Old Uncle." Chen Wuwang didn't stop his pace, his voice kept low. "Have the things arrived?"

"They have!" Chen Tiezhu caught his breath, stuffed the module into his chest, and took quick steps to catch up. "The first batch of six Families, the caravan is lined up to the mountain gate. It's all solid Materials—Spiritual Qi mines, crystallized soil, mica sand, gloomy wood... and there are three crates of living Spirit Vines, the roots are still jumping!"

Chen Wuwang paused, his fingertips tapping three times on the edge of his armor, as if calculating.

"Any unusual movements from the transport team?"

"Yes." Chen Tiezhu frowned. "When the Li Family's batch of gloomy wood passed the boundary stele, the Spiritual Qi reading suddenly spiked, almost triggering the warning array. I had people use a portable sensor network to temporarily set up a 'Resource Registration Array.' Once scanned, we found they had hidden a piece of lightning-struck meteorite core in the interlayer, with a purity of over eighty percent."

"Oh?" The corners of Chen Wuwang's mouth curled up slightly. "Afraid we'd skim off the top, so they hid some hard goods at the bottom of the box?"

"Pretty much." Chen Tiezhu sneered. "But they don't understand that this thing mixed in the gloomy wood would cause Spiritual Qi resonance and ignite the wood core. If we hadn't intercepted it in advance, it would have exploded halfway."

"Then don't let them transport it themselves." Chen Wuwang turned around and pointed to the east side of the plaza. "Expand the registration array, have all supplies unloaded uniformly, classified, labeled, and put into storage according to purity. You lead the team personally; not a single box can be missed."

"Understood!" Chen Tiezhu replied and was about to leave, but stopped again. "There is one thing... The Elder Patriarch of the Sun Family asked if we need to sign a 'Submission Covenant'? He said that since they sent so many things, there must be a title."

Chen Wuwang laughed. The laughter was not loud, but it tightened the surrounding air. He lifted his foot and stepped onto the nine steps in front of the Main Hall, stood firm, turned around, and looked at the plaza.

At this time, the sun had risen, and the sunlight paved the entire front courtyard.

The six small Family caravans were neatly lined up in the outer field, and the clan soldiers were unloading supplies box by box, dust rising lightly.

The leaders of each Family stood in place, their gazes falling uniformly on him.

"My Chen Family does not accept slave families." His voice was not high, but every word clearly spread throughout the venue. "We only accept allies."

He raised his hand and beckoned behind him.

Two clan guards pushed ten metal carts out of the Main Hall. On the carts were neatly stacked improved portable purification units, the shells shiny, the rune lights flickering slightly. Each unit was equipped with a simple instruction manual—the very one Chen Tiezhu had his apprentices draw, with clear diagrams that even children could understand.

"Today you send a crate of Spiritual Qi mines, tomorrow I will return three water purification machines."

Chen Wuwang waved his hand, and the carts were pushed into the crowd. "Equivalent exchange, long-term mutual benefit. Those who want to drink clean water, bring resources to exchange; those who want to learn technology, send your descendants to learn. I won't set up covenants, I won't make vows, I only believe in this."

He patted a stone pillar beside him, and the sensor screen embedded in the pillar surface lit up instantly, showing a real-time material list:

[Gloomy Wood: 37 bundles | Crystallized Soil: 11 bags | Lightning-Struck Meteorite Core: 1 piece (isolated) | Living Spirit Vines: 3 crates...]

The data scrolled, without any concealment.

The whole venue was silent for two breaths, then there was an uproar.

"Public registration? And return gifts?"

"This isn't charity, it's business!"

The Elder Patriarch of the Sun Family stepped forward tremblingly and bowed deeply: "The Head of the Chen Family is righteous! This old man... is willing to sign a ten-year cooperation agreement in the name of the Family, not asking for attachment, only for mutual benefit!"

"No need to sign a document." Chen Wuwang shook his head. "Just imprint the Jade Slip with your Divine Sense. Write the rules in, and no one can change them. You can rest assured, and I won't default on the debt."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Tiezhu had already brought the registration team into the field, holding scanners to check box by box.

A group of clan soldiers quickly set up eleven storage racks, archiving them by category and number.

Spiritual Qi mines went into Area 1, wood into Area 3, and living plants were separately sealed in the No. 7 thermostat box.

"The Seal on the No. 2 box of crystallized soil has loosened!" An apprentice suddenly shouted.

Chen Tiezhu immediately rushed over, squatted down, his fingers brushing over the rune patterns on the edge of the box, his brows knitted tightly:

"The Seal has been artificially weakened. If it vibrates again, it will leak Qi."

"Which Family's?"

"The Wang Family."

Chen Wuwang's eyes turned cold, and he walked over in a few steps. The Clan Head of the Wang Family's face turned pale instantly, and he knelt on the ground with a thud: "Head of the Family, please investigate! We really didn't know! It must have been tampered with on the way!"

Chen Wuwang didn't speak, just stared at the box for three seconds, then suddenly reached out and flipped open the box lid with a click.

A gray-purple mist rose slowly, condensing into fine threads in the sunlight, swimming like a snake.

"Spirit-Eroding Particles." He said indifferently, "The concentration is not high, but long-term contact will slowly corrode a Cultivator's Foundation."

The Clan Head of the Wang Family trembled all over: "We... we have absolutely no intention of harming you! If we had known, we would rather have come empty-handed!"

Chen Wuwang was silent for a moment, then looked up at Chen Tiezhu: "Can it still be saved?"

"Yes." Chen Tiezhu gritted his teeth, "But we must re-engrave the Seal array immediately and use high-purity mica sand as an interlayer. I have the Materials here, but time is tight."

"Then fix it now." Chen Wuwang turned to the Clan Head of the Wang Family and said, "Your people, cooperate with Old Uncle. After it's done, the items will be collected as usual, and the gifts will be returned. But next time—"

He paused, his voice sinking suddenly:

"I don't mind adding another ruin."

The Clan Head of the Wang Family kowtowed repeatedly: "Understood! Understood!"

Chen Tiezhu immediately took action, his carving knife flying, and runes were embedded into the box one by one. Five Wang Family soldiers handed over Materials tremblingly, and no one dared to look up.

Half an hour later, the Seal was completed, and the mist dissipated.

"Done." Chen Tiezhu wiped his sweat and pushed the box into the No. 4 safety zone.

Chen Wuwang nodded and waved for them to continue.

The inventory of supplies lasted until noon.

All eleven storage racks were filled. The last team of the Zhao Family finished the handover of the three crates of Spirit Vines and left with their heads down, carrying two returned purification machines.

The plaza finally quieted down.

Chen Wuwang stood at the front of the Main Hall steps, holding a Jade Slip in his hand. It was the "List of First Batch Reciprocated Resources" that Chen Tiezhu had just organized. He scanned it at a glance:

- High-purity Spiritual Qi mines: 217 units

- Controllable eroding Materials: 9 types

- Living resources: 5 types

- Special Materials: Lightning-struck meteorite core × 1, Millennium Gloomy Wood core × 1

The numbers were dazzling, enough to make any medium-sized Family jealous.

"Enough." He said in a low voice.

Chen Tiezhu walked over with his crutch, standing behind him to the side, panting:

"This old bone really ran until it broke today. But it's worth it. With this batch of Materials, the Artifact Refining Workshop can last for three years."

"More than that." Chen Wuwang's gaze didn't move. "These resources are enough for us to build three new workshops and two automated assembly lines. The monopoly of the Eastern Wilderness should be broken."

He slowly put the Jade Slip into his chest, his fingers tapping the edge of his armor again, the rhythm slow, as if calculating the next step.

Chen Tiezhu looked at his back and suddenly grinned: "Do you still remember what my mother said before she left?"

"Which sentence?"

"She said—" Chen Tiezhu imitated the old woman's tone, "'Tiezhu, craftsmanship is dead, but people are alive. Who says the furnace must use a hand-pulled bellows?'"

Chen Wuwang was stunned, then laughed out loud.

"If she saw this pile of machines today, she would definitely call you crazy."

"But she would also be happy." Chen Tiezhu looked at the full storage racks, his voice low. "Our Chen Family is finally not that down-and-out household being stepped on by others."

The two were silent for a moment.

The sun slanted, casting their shadows very long, one in front and one behind, falling in front of the Main Hall.

In the distance, the last wisp of the caravan's dust disappeared at the end of the mountain road.

Chen Wuwang finally turned around and pushed open the door of the Main Hall.

"Gather the stewards, arrive at the Council Hall within a quarter of an hour."

"Now?"

"Now." He looked back, his eyes as calm as iron. "The resources have arrived, not to be piled up. It is time to get serious."

Chen Tiezhu nodded heavily and dragged his injured leg toward the west wing.

In front of the Main Hall, only those eleven storage racks stood quietly, the metal numbers gleaming coldly in the sun.

On the top layer of the No. 1 rack, a piece of lightning-struck meteorite core quietly cracked a fine seam, and the faint blue arc inside flashed and disappeared.