An Zheyan offered his congratulations and said, "I discovered two mineral veins in the lake. One is Radiant Spirit Lead, an Embryonic Breathing Realm spirit ore, with reserves of about four hundred thousand jin. The other is Ni Water Frost Iron, at the Qi Cultivation Realm, with around two hundred thousand jin."
His face was filled with excitement as he continued, "These two veins are quite substantial, enough to last us for several hundred years!"
Li Yuanping was visibly shaken by the news, and an expression of sheer joy flashed across his face. He immediately grasped the key point and continued to ask, " Radiant Spirit Lead and Ni Water Frost Iron are not like Ebony Ore , which can be used immediately after extraction... They probably need to be refined first, right?"
An Zheyan nodded and replied, " Radiant Spirit Lead is a spirit material often used in crafting. It takes one hundred jin of ore to extract a finger-sized amount of powder, but even that can sell for a single Spirit Stone!"
He took out two pieces of ore from his chest pocket. One was earthy yellow with grayish hues and covered in circular patterns, while the other was quite beautiful, covered by blue and white patterns, looking almost like a gemstone.
Handing them to Li Xicheng, he continued, " Ni Water Frost Iron is more valuable. Though the vein is a bit poor, two hundred jin of ore can still yield a fist-sized piece of Frost Iron, which is worth several Spirit Stones."
"Good!"
Li Yuanping nodded after hearing this. Manpower was currently the least of the Li Family's concerns. In fact, the Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators from the various mountains were quite free. With these two mineral veins, the refining work could be arranged, saving those cultivators from idleness.
He then added, "You have also met Li Wushao. With the help of these demonic creatures, how much ore can be mined each year?"
An Zheyan replied, "About a thousand jin of Radiant Spirit Lead . As for Ni Water Frost Iron , it's harder to mine and requires Qi Cultivators to personally dig it out. If we could extract two hundred jin a year, that would already be impressive."
An annual income of more than ten Spirit Stones, nearly a hundred in five years... that is quite good!
Li Yuanping smiled slightly. Radiant Spirit Lead was fairly common, as most Embryonic Breathing Realm artifacts could use it. Selling it would not be an issue, but Ni Water Frost Iron was extremely valuable, so it would be best to save it for the family's use.
Having made up his mind, he arranged for the Jade Court Guards to accompany An Zheyan, and said to Li Xicheng who was by his side, "Go and summon Li Wushao. If we are going to command the demons at the bottom of the lake to mine, we will need the Hooked Serpent's help."
Li Xicheng nodded and withdrew, while Li Yuanping calculated carefully, "In a few years, the spirit fish we are breeding will gradually yield returns. The two types of minerals will produce at least a dozen Spirit Stones annually. This way, Xicheng will not need to worry about the finances of the household in the future."
If it were not for the need for Spirit Stones, Li Yuanping would not have been willing to sell these minerals. Once they produced their own weaponsmith, the price difference between selling raw materials and selling finished artifacts would be worlds apart.
The Li Family did possess a few smithing techniques that were acquired from rogue cultivators, but they were not easy to use. They required fire veins to barely forge Embryonic Breathing Realm artifacts, and the cost was enormous. Since the family did not have any fire veins, they had to abandon the idea for now.
Li Yuanping silently calculated, "I wonder if we can obtain Meng Taizhi's smithing legacy... From the looks of it, he seems to be able to craft artifacts without fire veins. The old man does not have many years left; getting my hands on the legacy should not be too difficult..."
He recalled Meng Taizhi's words and expressions earlier and could not quite figure them out.
————
The lakeshore.
Meng Taizhi descended from the air, riding the wind back to the shore. The small cabin by the lake was still lit, and he pushed open the door to enter. Inside, Meng Zhuoyun was silently cultivating.
"Yun'er," Meng Taizhi called out.
Meng Zhuoyun, with her delicate features and skin fairer than snow, appeared rather young. She was meditating on the bed.
When she saw Meng Taizhi enter the room, she quietly asked, "How is the Li Family? Although Xiao Yuansi has ties with grandfather, he is a lord from a prestigious clan, unacquainted with the harshness of the world..."
Meng Taizhi shook his head, speaking in a deep tone, "The Li Family may be a rising power, but their discipline is strict. The Li Family's ancestor is probably an old-fashioned traditionalist, keeping everything under tight control and governance. And with the Xiao Family ancestor's letter, they surely will not harm us."
Meng Taizhi pondered for a moment before continuing, "I have not met Li Yuanjiao yet, but Li Yuanping is quite a figure. Unfortunately... his face seems pale and his breath is weak. He's likely gravely injured. I'm afraid he does not have many years left to live."
Meng Zhuoyun furrowed her brow slightly, puzzled as she asked, "How could a sword immortal clan like the Li Family have such a frail clan head? There must be something wrong... Devil cultivators have run rampant for years; I refuse to believe they do not have secret techniques!"
Meng Taizhi shook his head, stroking the long beard on his chin as he responded thoughtfully, "The Li Family is ruthless toward cultivators, but they have a peculiar compassion for mortals. Bound by worldly morals, they refuse to use secret techniques to save their own kin. They merely stand by and watch such individuals die. It is truly a pity..."
After a pause, the old man continued, "Perhaps it is for the best. That man is highly skilled, and if he were to take control of the family, we would still feel ill at ease even if we did not harbor any ulterior motives toward them."
Meng Zhuoyun, now confused, asked, "Seriously? The lives of a hundred unrelated mortals versus a capable, trustworthy brother—how could anyone not see the difference? It's hard to believe that a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator like Li Yuanjiao cannot tell which is more important. It has been a thousand years since the great war between the immortals and devils, yet such families still exist... I'd heard rumors in the Eastern Sea of conservative sects and families clinging to outdated ways, but I never thought it was true!"
"Best not to speak too much!" Meng Taizhi cautioned, then said, "I have made things clear with Li Yuanping. Gaining the alchemy legacy should not be an issue, but Li Yuanping still does not trust me, and he has not shown any intention of taking me in. When I die, I am afraid you will be forced to wander the Yue State."
A look of regret crossed his face as he continued, "I had hoped the Li Family, now flourishing, would be the best option. Li Tongya is a renowned sword cultivator, and Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong are incredibly gifted, with more talent emerging in their lineage. If I could pledge allegiance to this family, it would be ideal. But sadly, he does not trust me."
Meng Zhuoyun remained silent, and Meng Taizhi sighed as he continued sorrowfully, "If Li Yuanping still does not trust me when my time is almost up, I will stop holding back. I will offer all my smithing knowledge to the Li Family, asking only that you learn a few alchemy secret techniques from Li Ximing. At least that way, you will have something to rely on for your future. The Azure Pond Sect's territories are much like the Eastern Sea. You should head for the Golden Feather Sect instead... It is safer there."
As Meng Zhuoyun listened, she tightened her grip on a dark golden, bronze mirror and said softly with a sigh, "It is a shame that my husband was killed by that rogue cultivator. If not for that, with his abilities, I would not have to live such a life of constant wandering."
"It's pointless to talk about that now... "
Meng Taizhi let out several deep sighs, his face filled with despair as he continued, "Who could have predicted such a thing..? That a cultivator at the peak of the Qi Cultivation Realm would be slain by a mere early-stage Qi Cultivator? On top of that, he actually died at the hands of a rogue cultivator during his journey!"
The old man raised his white-haired head, tears streaking down his cheeks as he lamented, "I regret everything... We should not have provoked Tu Longjian! It has led us to this downfall!"
But Meng Zhuoyun's expression remained cold as she spoke softly, "I have no regrets. I'll kill him sooner or later."