Chapter 43: The Shrewd Liu Huairen

In the council hall, Wang Mingyuan was negotiating with Liu Huairen. Wang Changsheng was fortunate enough to attend, though he wasn't authorized to speak.

"Brother Mingyuan, we've investigated thoroughly. It was the Song family interfering. I mistakenly trusted that scoundrel, almost causing a huge disaster. Song Ziyang deserves to die, that villain!"

Liu Huairen's face showed deep remorse, as if the Liu family were victims themselves.

Wang Mingyuan inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He forced a smile and said, "Since it was a misunderstanding, it's good that it's been clarified."

Wang Yaoliang's body was still laid out in the ancestral hall. If it weren't for the family's greater plans, Wang Mingyuan wouldn't have smiled at Liu Huairen.

Liu Huairen sighed, then changed his tone. "Although it was a misunderstanding, my eleventh brother unfortunately died a tragic death. His family is making a fuss with me! They want an explanation, and I don't know what to tell them!"

"Brother Huairen, what do you mean by that? Three members of our Wang family died. How am I supposed to explain that to their families?"

Wang Mingyuan's brows furrowed, and he spoke coldly.

As the saying goes, a kind man is bullied, and a good horse is ridden. A reconciliation was already the biggest concession the Wang family was willing to make. If they had to compensate the Liu family as well, not only would other Wang family members object, but Wang Mingyuan would be the first to refuse.

The Liu family was clearly in the wrong. Now they wanted the Wang family to pay compensation. Wang Mingyuan would never agree; this was opportunism on the Liu family's part.

If the Wang family backed down, the Liu family would likely push their luck further.

Liu Huairen smiled faintly and explained, "Brother Mingyuan, this was a misunderstanding; no one wanted this to happen. But there has to be some kind of explanation, right? You wouldn't want me to tell my eleventh brother's family that the Wang family killed him. That would be bad for everyone involved."

Hearing this, Wang Changsheng's heart burned with anger, and he clenched his fists. The Liu family had killed three Wang family members, and now they still demanded an explanation. This implied they thought the Wang family was easy to bully.

At that moment, Wang Changsheng profoundly understood the meaning of the saying, "A weak family gets bullied."

"An explanation! What kind of explanation do you want?"

Wang Mingyuan raised an eyebrow and spoke without ceremony.

"I heard your Wang family owns several shops in Immortal Fate City. If you could transfer one to our Liu family, everything would be easily settled. Our two families would then collaborate in business, and my eleventh brother would have unfortunately died while encountering evil cultivators on the road. How does that sound?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Mingyuan felt a sense of relief. To be honest, even if the quarry had turned out to be a spiritual vein instead of a mineral vein, if the Liu family had been determined to ally with the Song and Sun families against the Wang family, Wang Mingyuan would have been helpless.

If the Wang and Liu families collaborated, they would be friends. An enemy of a friend is also an enemy, and the alliance between the Song, Sun, and Liu families would naturally crumble. Only with tangible benefits would the Liu family willingly cease hostilities.

The cultivation world was a place where the strong preyed on the weak. Even if the Liu family was in the wrong, they wouldn't easily back down.

"The shops in Immortal Fate City were left by our ancestors. They are our ancestral property and cannot be sold. Otherwise, after a hundred years, what face would I have to meet my ancestors?"

Wang Yaozu looked indignant.

"Uncle, we're not demanding it by force; we're purchasing it. If the price isn't too excessive, I can agree."

Wang Mingyuan frowned and said, "Brother Huairen, wouldn't it be better if I sold the shop to my aunt? Why sell it to your Liu family?"

"Since it's a collaboration, it should naturally be a win-win. As a condition, we could sell one of our shops in Tianhe Market to your Wang family. Tianhe Market is Ning Prefecture's largest market. The Zhao family only has one shop there and wouldn't possibly sell it to you. Our Liu family has four, so selling you one wouldn't be an issue. What do you think?"

Wang Mingyuan looked disdainful and said, "Tianhe Market is Ning Prefecture's largest market, but it's not the Great Song Dynasty's largest. Immortal Fate City's foot traffic is more than ten times that of Tianhe Market. No matter how you calculate it, our Wang family would be at a disadvantage."

"So, there's no room for negotiation on this?"

Liu Huairen's expression turned cold, and his tone grew faint.

Wang Mingyuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "We have a two-story general store in Immortal Fate City. We could lease the second floor to you, and we can all operate it together. In exchange, if your shops have more than two stories, we could lease one floor. What do you think?"

"No problem. However, we're not familiar with Immortal Fate City's situation, so you'll need to give extra attention to our business there. Of course, we'll also give extra attention to your business in Tianhe Market."

Liu Huairen considered this, then spoke.

"Agreed. Happy to collaborate."

Wang Mingyuan readily agreed. Neither party had to sell their ancestral property, allowing them to reconcile their differences and collaborate in business.

Next, the two discussed the shops' size, rent, and lease duration. The meeting concluded after more than an hour.

Both families leased out one floor for a hundred years. Since Immortal Fate City had more foot traffic than Tianhe Market, the Liu family paid a slightly higher rent.

Back at their residence, Liu Huaijie couldn't help but complain, "Elder Brother, why did you make concessions? If you had been firmer, Wang Mingyuan might have agreed."

"In business matters, things don't always go exactly as you wish. To be honest, this outcome satisfies me more. Selling ancestral property, such a major matter, I wouldn't have been able to explain it to Third Uncle, nor convince the clan elders. A hundred-year lease, hehe, if the Wang family declines in the future, would they dare demand rent from us? Similarly, if our Liu family declines, we wouldn't dare demand rent from the Wang family. Immortal Fate City has a lot of foot traffic, so our spiritual fruits will definitely sell for a good price."

"So, my eleventh brother's death wasn't in vain after all. Ultimately, it's all the Song family's fault. If they hadn't repeatedly guaranteed the quarry was a mineral vein, we wouldn't have acted."

At the mention of the Song family, Liu Huaijie's face filled with anger.

Wang Yaozong had personally provided support at the time. With his cultivation and strength, killing everyone wouldn't have been difficult. Wang Yaozong had already held back, and now that the Wang family was cooperating with the Liu family, Liu Huaijie could only direct his resentment towards the Song family.

"Hmph, Song Ziyang has a lot of nerve. My eleventh brother won't have died in vain. After we return, we'll ask Second Uncle to preside and force the Song family to relinquish some benefits."

Liu Huairen sneered.

"Song Ziyang's daughter is the Lin family head's principal wife. The Song family won't agree so easily, will they?"

"Hmph, in this era, who doesn't have a few in-laws? Although the Lin family is powerful, the Sun family head's wife is the youngest daughter of the Zhang family head from Nanyan Commandery, and the Zhang family head's second daughter is Wang Mingcai's wife in the Wang family. So, the Wang family and Zhang family are still relatives! The Liu, Zhao, Wang, Sun, and Zhang families are all interconnected through marriage. Would the Lin family offend five cultivation families for the sake of the Song family? Even if the Lin family were willing to intervene, could the Song family offer enough compensation? The Song family is definitely going to suffer this loss; my eleventh brother won't have died for nothing."

As early as when Liu Huairen was preparing to cooperate with the Wang family, he had already planned to unite with the Sun family against the Song family. If the Song family refused to concede, he would then bring in the Wang, Zhao, and Zhang families. With more people, there would be greater strength, and by then, the Song family might face the danger of annihilation.

Only with sufficient benefits would the five families certainly be willing to unite against the Song family. The question was, did the Song family dare to provoke five families?

That evening, Zhao Yuhui hosted a banquet for Wang Mingyuan and the others.

After reaching an agreement, Wang Mingyuan and Liu Huairen's conversation became much more amicable.

The next day, Wang Mingyuan and Liu Huairen successively bid farewell to Zhao Yuhui and returned to their respective homes.