December 24th.
Yuehu Market.
[Today's divination result: Upper-middle. Your second son Xu Mingyuan borrows the Zhou family's name to negotiate with the Chang family, seeking to completely reclaim the business and establish roots in the commandery city.]
"This child is truly bold."
Xu Chuan basically divined for family fortune and misfortune. Half a month ago, the divination showed that Xu Mingwei had already broken through to mid grandmaster realm, which quite satisfied him.
Now it was upper-middle, there was a chance of victory, but also possibility of failure.
Xu Chuan pondered, "Ahyuan wants to borrow the Zhou family's influence, but it's still lacking something. Empty words without proof, how could the Chang family be people who trust easily?"
He came to the door of Xu Mingxian's room and knocked lightly twice.
"Who is it?"
The restriction dissipated, the door opened. After Xu Chuan entered, the restriction closed again.
"Father, what matter brings you?"
"Your second brother will arrive at Yuehu Commandery City today to negotiate with the Chang family, completely reclaiming the profits from our Xu family's shops."
"Take my guest elder token and make a trip. Give it to Mingyuan, then stay in the commandery city and secretly protect him until the matter is concluded, then return."
"This child will go immediately."
"It just so happens that in these two months, I've made several simple jade pendants that can withstand three attacks from early innate realm or one full-power strike from middle innate realm."
"Take them to your second brother and have them brought home to bestow upon the family's younger generation."
"You've comprehended array formations quite quickly. You've actually already learned defensive array patterns." Xu Chuan said with a light smile.
"Array Dao is difficult to enter, and Spirit Gathering Arrays aren't simple among array formations either. Since this child could comprehend those, simple defensive array patterns combined into restriction jade tokens are naturally easy."
"As Father said, this child indeed has considerable talent in array Dao."
"You're not being modest this time." Xu Chuan looked at him, smiling lightly, "Didn't you deeply doubt yourself at first?"
Xu Mingxian chuckled, took the guest elder token, formed a hand seal, collected it into his storage bag, then left the Yuehu Market, heading toward Yuehu Commandery City.
Xu Chuan wasn't worried in the slightest and silently refined pills.
In recent days, his pill count had reached seven per furnace, containing five middle-grade and two low-grade pills.
Just in terms of middle-grade pill formation rate, he had already surpassed Zhou Sen by a margin.
Whether in heat control or mastery of medicinal liquid property changes during pill refinement, he felt he had already reached a certain bottleneck.
Breaking through further would allow him to refine high-grade pills.
This opportunity was not far off.
…
Yuehu Commandery City.
Several li from the city gate, Xu Mingxian waited here. In less than half an hour, he saw Xu Mingyuan arrive.
"Yunnu, why are you here?"
"Father said you would arrive today, so he had me wait here."
"Father really can divine the future." Xu Mingyuan chuckled.
Xu Mingxian slapped his storage bag, and a token flew out, landing in Xu Mingyuan's palm. Along with it came seven green jade pendants.
"What's this?"
Xu Mingyuan saw the front of the token engraved with the character for Zhou and asked in surprise.
"Second brother, isn't this precisely what you need? Otherwise, how can you gain the Chang family's trust? If you want to bargain with tigers, empty words are useless. Half-truths are what make people believe."
"I will also protect you secretly. Just boldly negotiate with the Chang family."
Xu Mingyuan cupped his fists, grinning, "I trouble you, Yunnu. Then what are these other jade pendants for?"
"I've made some small achievements in studying array Dao. These are practice pieces, but they can also block three attacks from early innate realm martial artists or one strike from middle innate realm. They're a small token of affection from me as fifth uncle to the younger generation."
"One for each person, just right. You as fifth uncle truly show no favoritism whatsoever."
"Yunnu's abilities grow more impressive. Worthy of being an immortal cultivator, you've already surpassed me and eldest brother, becoming the pillar of the family." Xu Mingyuan was very gratified, without the slightest trace of jealousy.
"Second brother flatters me. Father said eldest brother is the one who will preside over the family in the future. How can your younger brother compare? Second brother, when you cultivate immortality, the clan's immortal cultivation business will also be managed by you."
"Haha, Yunnu is increasingly sensible. I won't say more. I'll enter the city first."
"Second brother, go ahead. With Yunnu secretly protecting you, you'll definitely be safe."
Xu Mingyuan smiled slightly, then rode his horse into the city.
…
Guanghu Residence.
A second-floor private room with antique elegance.
"Brother Mingyuan, why did you suddenly come to the commandery city in person? Could something major have happened?"
Chang Haowen sat across from Xu Mingyuan, with two people standing behind him like iron towers, motionless.
He actually knew quite well.
Some people in the Chang family had grown envious seeing the Xu family's businesses, wanting not just the fifty percent profit but gradually seeking to devour all their assets.
Although he felt this was no different from killing the goose that laid golden eggs, with many in the Chang family supporting it, he was helpless.
If the Xu family were on good terms with the Yang family, his Chang family naturally wouldn't fall out with the Yang family over these meager assets.
But according to the information he'd gathered, the Xu family had an unpleasant falling out with the Yang family's main branch. With only Yang Zhao alone, the Chang family didn't take him seriously.
"Brother Chang, you know very well why I'm here. Your Chang family's appetite is too large, forcing our Xu family to seek other paths." Xu Mingwei picked up a teacup and took a shallow sip.
"Is that so? Although it's common for aristocratic families to gather and disperse based on profit, but..."
Chang Haowen raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade, looking directly into Xu Mingwei's eyes, "Are you certain your Xu family can bear the consequences of breaking away from my Chang family?"
"You're not thinking of having the Yang family back you up, are you?"
"Brother Chang jests." Xu Mingyuan put down the teacup, the corners of his mouth holding a smile, "That little friction between our Xu family and the Yang family's main branch, how could it escape your Chang family's notice?"
"Then I don't understand. Could your Xu family have a more suitable cooperation partner than my Chang family?"
Xu Mingyuan smiled lightly. After a moment of silence, he took out a token from his chest and placed it on the table, with the side facing up engraved with the character 'Zhou.'
Seeing this token, Chang Haowen's pupils contracted slightly, his sword-like brows immediately furrowing.
That 'Zhou' character instantly made him think of the Zhou family, who could be called the overlord of Yuehu Commandery City.
The Xu family? The Zhou family?
How could this be possible?!
The Zhou family was a fourth-rank aristocratic family, belonging to the very top tier in the commandery city.
Families like his Chang family and the Yang family were martial Dao aristocratic families. Unless the clan produced a Foundation Establishment immortal cultivator, no matter how deep their foundation, they couldn't advance to fourth rank.
Therefore, they vigorously cultivated clan disciples with immortal cultivation aptitude and encouraged them to marry multiple wives and have many children.
Yet even for a fifth-rank martial Dao family like the Chang family, the clan had only produced two or three immortal cultivators. Too few with immortal cultivation aptitude were born among mortals.
Most had pseudo spiritual root aptitude, reaching at most fourth or fifth layer of Qi Refining.
"This token is real!" Chang Haowen's heart trembled as he finally confirmed it.
Over ten years ago, he had the good fortune to attend when the Zhou family held their fourth-rank family promotion ceremony and had seen Zhou family tokens.
Though somewhat different, Zhou family tokens were divided into multiple types based on status hierarchy.
This guest elder token was second only to the family head and elder class, representing status and position.
Though he'd never seen it before, his instinct told him this token was genuine.
Because it bore the Zhou family's unique clan emblem and patterns, plus that distinctive charm possessed by items refined by immortal cultivators.
These were things the Xu family couldn't access or know about.
Chang Haowen held it in his hand and observed it briefly before smilingly returning it to Xu Mingyuan, "Brother Mingyuan, your Xu family has good fortune to be able to climb to the Zhou family."
"Not so. It's just that half a year ago, a Daoist happened to pass through Qingjiang and wanted to take one of our Xu family's younger generation as a disciple. However, our family's youngster is still too young and unsuitable to follow, so he plans to return in a few years."
"This token was specifically left by that Daoist. He seems to be a guest elder alchemist of the Zhou family."
Actually an alchemist?!
Chang Haowen's mindset had already undergone a complete transformation. He smiled apologetically, "That youngster of yours truly has good fortune. Even in my Chang family, there aren't many descendants who have the opportunity to step onto the immortal Dao."
"Actually, I also disapprove of some people's methods in the clan. Too greedy, completely lacking the bearing of a great aristocratic family. Today I came not only to sound out your intentions, Brother Mingyuan, but also to inform you."
"Based on our friendship of many years, I definitely won't let you suffer such grievances."
"Rest assured, I'll persuade the clan members. In fact, I feel that even the fifty percent profit, my Chang family receives it with shame. How could this be the way friends should act?"
"At most a few days, we'll certainly return everything in full."
"How can I accept this with good conscience?"
"Given our friendship, accept it with peace of mind. As long as my Chang family exists for a day in the commandery city, there aren't many who dare covet these assets of your Xu family."
To win over the Xu family, the Chang family was willing to serve as a protective umbrella.
With a fifth-rank aristocratic family's protection in the commandery city, truly not many people dared provoke them.
Of course, the Chang family's goal was to contact the Zhou family guest elder alchemist behind the Xu family through them. If they could obtain some cultivation pills and resources from him...
Then everything they did would be worthwhile.
For spiritual herbs of several decades or hundreds of years, the Chang family might still be able to obtain them from deep mountain forests and such places, but pills absolutely could not be exchanged with worldly wealth.
Magical artifacts were the same, only exchangeable with resources needed by immortal cultivators.
For the Chang family to advance to an immortal cultivation family, they could only continuously contact and win over immortal cultivators. People like alchemists were those they were willing to expend everything to befriend.