Chapter 117: Cooperation

"What? Second Sister is missing? When did this happen? What exactly happened? How could Second Sister just disappear?" Wang Changfeng's expression changed, and he said with a grim face.

Wang Mingzhan sighed and recounted the entire story.

Wang Changfeng furrowed his brows, pondered for a moment, and then said, "I've only left Qinglian Mountain a limited number of times. So, once I stabilize my realm, I'll go to White Dragon Valley in Wei State privately to inquire about Second Sister's whereabouts."

Since childhood, the total number of times he had left Qinglian Mountain was less than ten. He usually cultivated at his residence, and many members of the Wang family, let alone outsiders, rarely saw Wang Changfeng.

"By the way, Eldest Uncle, the news of Big Brother's Foundation Establishment must not be spread. I'm worried the other party is monitoring our Wang family. Big Brother, as a hidden trump card, can play a crucial role at critical moments," Wang Changsheng suddenly remembered something and suggested.

Wang Mingzhi and Wang Mingzhan thought it over and both agreed.

With two Foundation Establishment cultivators, the Wang family would be secure for the next hundred years. Wang Changfeng, as a newly established Foundation Establishment cultivator, could play a vital role at crucial junctures.

For the Wang family to grow and expand, funds were the most important. As for territory, the four major sects did not allow immortal cultivation families to wage large-scale wars of conquest. The immortal cultivation world of Song State belonged to the four major sects; they wanted stability. They could not devour, but they could gradually chip away.

The Chen family was the Wang family's target.

"By the way, Big Brother, did you achieve Foundation Establishment using malevolent energy or Purple Jade Spirit Water?"

Wang Changfeng gave a bitter smile and said, "There were only two bottles of malevolent energy, which was too little. And using malevolent energy for Foundation Establishment is too painful. When I failed, I recuperated for over four months. I then consumed Purple Jade Spirit Water to attempt Foundation Establishment, and that's when I succeeded."

"Big Brother, you've just established your foundation; there's no rush to go to White Dragon Valley. First, consolidate your realm. Strength is the most important; only with enough power will others fear you."

"That's right! Feng'er, you've just established your foundation, it's not advisable to go to White Dragon Valley immediately."

Wang Changfeng nodded and said, "Father, Sixth Uncle, Ninth Brother, don't worry, I know what to do."

That evening, in a secluded courtyard, Wang Changsheng, Wang Yaozong, Wang Changfeng, Wang Mingyuan, Wang Mingzhi, Wang Mingzhan, and Wang Yaozu sat around a table, celebrating Wang Changfeng's success.

After a few cups of wine and some polite conversation, Wang Changsheng went straight to the point: "Father, have you found out if Chen Changsheng is still alive?"

"He's still alive. He went to the market half a month ago, probably to show himself to us. After all, Sixth Brother and Tenth Brother saw them being attacked, so he was worried we might take other actions, which is why he revealed himself."

"If Chen Changming were still alive, with two Foundation Establishment cultivators, Chen Changsheng wouldn't need to do this. Chen Changming has likely met with an accident. Second Uncle, Changsheng, you can visit Chen Changsheng and probe his background. The fact that he's only shown himself after so long suggests he was probably recovering from injuries. More than half of the shops in the market jointly opened by the three families belong to their Chen family. Over the years, the Chen family has taken advantage of us quite a bit. It's time to make them spit some of it back," Wang Mingzhan suggested, a hint of excitement in his eyes.

The Chen family had developed very smoothly over the years, using a gradual encroachment method, taking advantage of the Wang and Huang families whenever possible. However, the wheel of fortune turns. If Chen Changming had an accident, the Wang family naturally couldn't miss this opportunity.

"That's a good suggestion. However, Chen Changming's fate is unknown, and without concrete news, it's not good to be too aggressive. Furthermore, we are now expanding beyond Ningzhou. There's no need to quibble with the Chen family. Our immediate priority now is to cultivate more puppet beasts, earn spirit stones by selling them, exchange them for resources, and strive to produce a fourth Foundation Establishment cultivator within thirty years to restore our ancestors' glory." At the end, Wang Yaozong's expression was very excited.

"Second Elder Uncle is right. We should take advantage, but not too overtly. What if Chen Changming is merely traveling and seeking opportunities, and hasn't returned? If we act too excessively, it will be hard to resolve later. In short, our current focus is to earn spirit stones and cultivate a fourth Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Wang Changsheng agreed. As long as the family had more and more Foundation Establishment cultivators, annexing the Chen family was only a matter of time.

That meal, all seven of them enjoyed very much.

The next morning, Wang Changsheng and Wang Yaozong went to the Chen family to visit Chen Changming.

The Chen family's ancestral residence was located on Two Fingers Mountain, named for its resemblance to two fingers.

With two Foundation Establishment cultivators visiting, Chen Changsheng naturally dared not neglect them and personally welcomed them.

Wang Changsheng had three low-grade second-tier puppet beasts with him, so he wasn't afraid of Chen Changsheng playing tricks.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, long time no see! You seem a bit unwell?" Wang Changsheng said with a faint smile.

Chen Changsheng felt a chill in his heart seeing Wang Changsheng's smile, but he didn't show any unusual expression on his face. He laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist Wang is joking. My complexion has always been like this. May I ask what brings the two of you here?"

"We have something very important we'd like to discuss in detail with Brother Changming. Is Brother Changming available?" Wang Yaozong said earnestly, putting on a harmless demeanor.

Chen Changsheng looked troubled and said, "Third Uncle is in seclusion for cultivation and is not convenient to meet. If you two have anything, just tell me. I can make decisions for the Chen family."

Wang Changsheng and Wang Yaozong exchanged glances. Wang Changsheng then spoke, "It's like this: our rice shop wants to expand. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Chen can facilitate this?"

"Expand? If I'm not mistaken, the shops on both sides of your rice shop belong to our Chen family, don't they? I'm afraid I cannot comply." Chen Changsheng said with a frown.

Wang Yaozong smiled slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist Chen, those two shops used to belong to our Wang family. We want to reclaim them now. What's the problem with that? I knew you couldn't make the decision on this matter. Please invite Brother Changming out! I'll speak with him directly."

"Just two shops, there's no need for Granduncle to get involved." A male voice suddenly rang out as Chen Xianren walked in.

Seeing Chen Xianren, a flicker of surprise crossed Wang Changsheng's eyes. After half a year, Chen Xianren had actually achieved Foundation Establishment.

A hint of pleasant surprise also flashed deep in Chen Changsheng's eyes when he saw Chen Xianren.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Yaozong were somewhat disappointed. They had hoped to gain some advantage, but Chen Xianren's appearance disrupted their plans.

Chen Xianren smiled slightly and said politely, "If the two fellow daoists like them, we can give you the two shops. However, as a condition, you must teach us how to refine puppet beasts. How does that sound?"

The Wang family selling puppet beasts was not a secret; anyone who paid attention would know.

Wang Changsheng chuckled and said, "You want to learn the art of puppetry for just two shops? Fellow Daoist Chen must be joking! I heard your Chen family opened a spirit artifact shop in Xianyuan City. Our Wang family has also opened a refining shop. Are you interested in collaborating to expand the business?"

The Chen family's development momentum had been better than the Wang family's in recent years. They had also rented a shop in Xianyuan City, selling low-to-mid-grade spirit artifacts. However, just like the Wang family initially, their newly opened refining shop had little business, so they had to lower prices to attract customers, which resulted in little profit.

Chen Changsheng immediately became interested and asked curiously, "Collaboration? How would that work?"

"We'll sell you some low-to-mid-grade first-tier puppet beasts, and you'll give us ten shops."

Before coming to the Chen family, Wang Changsheng and Wang Yaozong had made ample preparations. If the Chen family only had one Foundation Establishment cultivator, they would force the Chen family to give up some benefits. If the Chen family had two Foundation Establishment cultivators, then they would cooperate.

The Wang family's puppeteers were all on Qinglian Mountain. Firstly, to protect their safety; secondly, to provide them with a good cultivation environment; and thirdly, for Wang Changsheng to guide them and for them to communicate with each other. This is why they had not been assigned elsewhere.

The refined puppet beasts were sold to Xianyuan City and Baiyun Ridge. Most of them were sold to Baiyun Ridge. Xianyuan City was far from Qinglian Mountain, and transporting puppet beasts was troublesome and time-consuming. If all of them were transported to Baiyun Ridge for sale, they wouldn't sell out. Wang Mingyuan planned to sell some of the puppet beasts to the Chen family for resale, to save on manpower. The refining shop in Xianyuan City would be converted to selling spirit fish, as the underground cave in Baiyun Ridge could be used to raise spirit fish.

The freed up personnel would open a puppet shop in Ziyue Market. Baiyun Ridge was, after all, a small market, and its foot traffic couldn't compare to a large market like Ziyue Market. However, to guard the underground cave in Baiyun Ridge, some personnel had to be stationed there.

"Ten shops? You have quite an appetite." Chen Xianren frowned.

Wang Changsheng smiled faintly and said, "Since it's a collaboration, these things can be discussed slowly until both parties are satisfied. If not satisfied, then no cooperation."

The four of them negotiated for three hours and finally reached an agreement: the Chen family would transfer four shops in Changping Market to the Wang family, and the Wang family would sell fifty first-tier puppet beasts to the Chen family annually, with prices determined by the puppet beast's grade.

After reaching the agreement, the Wang family could free up some personnel to open a shop in Ziyue Market, and the Chen family could also establish a foothold in Xianyuan City.

Chen Changsheng had intended to invite Wang Yaozong and Wang Changsheng for a simple meal, but they politely declined.

Upon returning to Qinglian Mountain, Wang Changsheng reported the situation truthfully to Wang Mingyuan.

"What a pity, Chen Xianren actually reached Foundation Establishment. Otherwise, we definitely could have taken a big bite out of the Chen family." Wang Mingyuan showed a look of regret.

Wang Changsheng smiled and said, "Chen Xianren must have stayed in Yutian Mountain to attempt Foundation Establishment. With one Foundation Establishment Pill and a portion of Purple Jade Spirit Water, it would be hard not to succeed. However, Chen Changsheng is clearly injured, and he is older than Second Elder Uncle. Second Elder Uncle's intention is to proceed slowly. Big Brother and I are relatively young. Once Chen Changsheng dies, if the Chen family doesn't have a second Foundation Establishment cultivator, it will be difficult for them not to give up a piece of their interests. Father, you can send people to Ziyue Market now. Mother's previous connections can be utilized to rent a shop in Ziyue Market as soon as possible. The family's focus should gradually shift to Ziyue Market."

"Hmm, I'll take care of this as soon as possible. Oh, by the way, Second Brother sent a letter saying that the Wang family has already sent the materials. You should return to Baiyun Ridge as soon as possible! The environment there is beneficial for your cultivation."

"Okay, I'll say goodbye to Mother and Younger Sister, and then I'll leave."