Chapter 923: 安抚族人

"An Earth-grade cultivation method?" Wang Changsheng frowned slightly, his heart stirred. The Wang family could, at most, obtain a Profound-grade wind-attribute cultivation method, yet the Tang family could produce an Earth-grade one. No wonder the Tang family wanted to take Wang Huaxuan.

With an Earth-grade cultivation method, Wang Huaxuan would surely reach the Core Formation stage within a century, as Wang Mengbin's case demonstrated.

Earth-grade cultivation methods included spiritual techniques and presented fewer bottlenecks, unlike Profound-grade methods which lacked spiritual techniques and had more. Since this concerned Wang Huaxuan's future cultivation path, Wang Changsheng naturally wouldn't refuse.

Wang Changsheng had no objection to frequent intermarriage between the two families. However, he could not accept Wang Huaxuan's parents staying to live with the Tang family. This would make it seem as if Wang Yingxiong had married into the Tang family, placing the Wang family in a disadvantaged position.

"Let's put that aside for now," Wang Ruyan said. "The head of our Wang family's branch in Yu State, Wang Mengfen, was captured by your family. Fellow Daoist Tang, please release him first." Wang Mengfen was the head of their Yu State branch, and he had been held by the Tang family for several years; his condition was unknown.

"No problem," Tang Tianyou replied. "I'll send someone to bring him over right away."

Soon after, a middle-aged man led Wang Mengfen to Wang Changsheng. Wang Mengfen appeared weak, his face pale. Upon seeing Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan, he became very emotional, choking out, "Ancestors, your descendant is useless."

Wang Changsheng walked over and carefully examined Wang Mengfen. His brows furrowed; Wang Mengfen had clearly been severely tortured. If he had been left much longer, Wang Mengfen might not have survived.

"Mengfen, take this Rejuvenation Pill first; it will help your injuries," Wang Ruyan said, taking out a white porcelain bottle and handing it to Wang Mengfen.

Wang Mengfen nodded excitedly, took out a green pill, and swallowed it.

"Fellow Daoist Tang," Wang Changsheng said, his expression grim and a cold glint in his eyes, "our two families are in-laws. Is this how you treat your in-laws? Who did this? Do you really think our Wang family is so easily bullied?"

Wang Mengfen was, after all, the head of a Wang family branch. The Tang family's treatment of him clearly showed their disregard for the Wang family. If Wang Mengfen had revealed the whereabouts of other clan members, he wouldn't have suffered such severe torture, which proved his unwavering loyalty. Wang Changsheng knew he had to seek justice for him, or other clan members would lose heart.

"Exactly! This is outrageous," Wang Ruyan said with a cold face. Wang Mengfen's condition was critical; if he were left longer, his life would likely be in danger.

Tang Tianyou's face hardened. He turned to the middle-aged man beside him and sternly reprimanded him, "I told you to hold him, not to torture him! You nearly killed him. Go to the Disciplinary Hall later and receive one hundred lashes with the Python Whip."

"Yes, Ancestor, your descendant admits his guilt."

Wang Changsheng's expression remained cold. "Fellow Daoist Tang," he said, "is this your apology? Do you think one hundred lashes with a Python Whip will suffice? Either compensate us with a million spirit stones, or hand him over for us to deal with him eye for an eye. Otherwise, there's nothing more to discuss." The Tang family was too arrogant, perhaps emboldened by their Nascent Soul cultivator, believing they could gloss over the matter so easily. If it weren't for the Nascent Soul cultivator and Wang Huaxuan's parents, Wang Changsheng wouldn't have wasted words with Tang Tianyou.

"What? A million spirit stones?" Tang Tianyou exclaimed. "Fellow Daoist Wang, what do you take our Tang family for? A maximum of ten thousand spirit stones." Tang Tianyou thought Wang Changsheng had gone mad, asking for a million spirit stones. He truly dared to name such a price.

In his view, ten thousand spirit stones was already a substantial amount. After all, Wang Mengfen was not dead and only needed some time to recover. Furthermore, the Tang family wasn't particularly wealthy; without the support of their Nascent Soul clan member, they wouldn't even be able to sustain four thousand spirit stones.

The Tang family's primary income came from transporting cultivation resources, buying low and selling high to profit from the difference.

In Wang Changsheng's opinion, a million spirit stones was not a large sum. The South Sea was rich in beast resources; killing a few more third-tier demonic beasts would easily yield a million spirit stones. If that didn't work, he could imitate Huang Fugui and hunt low-tier demonic beasts, eventually accumulating a million spirit stones.

Wang Changsheng had not returned to the Eastern Wilderness for a long time and had grown accustomed to spending lavishly. He had forgotten that he had incurred a huge debt during his own Core Formation, which his clan members had paid off by scrimping and saving.

After much haggling, Tang Tianyou finally agreed to compensate with one hundred thousand spirit stones, and the Tang family cultivator who inflicted the torture would sever an arm. This was the maximum concession the Tang family would make. Tang Tianyou also proposed marrying a Tang family female cultivator to Wang Huaxuan, which Wang Changsheng naturally refused.

Wang Yingxiong and Tang Keqing departed with Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan to settle in the South Sea. In exchange, the Tang family would fully support the Wang family's branch in Yu State, and the cultivation resources collected by the Wang family in the South Sea would be sold to and handled by the Tang family.

As the saying goes, a tall tree catches the wind. The Wang family members in the Eastern Wilderness had maintained a low profile. Transporting cultivation resources from the South Sea to the Eastern Wilderness and selling them in batches was troublesome for the Wang family. With enhanced cooperation with the Tang family, the Wang family could expand their transportation scale, and the Tang family would assist with sales, saving them a lot of trouble. Moreover, the Yu State branch could also develop further.

The first cooperation deal amounted to three hundred thousand spirit stones, exceeding Tang Tianyou's expectations. It appeared the Wang family was thriving in the South Sea. Tang Tianyou wanted to leverage the Wang family's power to develop in the South Sea, but Wang Changsheng subtly declined. Due to the Nine Nether Sect, he had always kept a low profile, instructing his clan members in the Eastern Wilderness to do the same.

Amassing wealth quietly was the true path. If he and Wang Ruyan reached the Nascent Soul stage, they could afford to be more public. However, until the Wang family had a Nascent Soul cultivator, they had to maintain a low profile.

Tang Tianyou was very satisfied with this outcome; the Wang family's strength far exceeded his imagination. They stayed at the Tang family estate, primarily to allow Wang Huaxuan more time with his parents.

Wang Huaxuan had been away for over eight years, and Tang Keqing had given birth to six more children, the most talented of whom possessed only a three-spirit root. Because of Wang Huaxuan, the Tang family had helped Wang Yingxiong and Tang Keqing advance to the Foundation Establishment stage. They were delighted to see Wang Huaxuan.

Tang Tianyou often visited Wang Changsheng's residence to exchange cultivation insights. Tang Tianyou also cultivated a water-attribute method, and after their discussions, both parties benefited.

Seven days later, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan, along with Wang Huaxuan and others, departed from the Tang family. Wang Mengfen, who had endured various tortures from the Tang family cultivators without yielding, was kept by Wang Changsheng, who planned to take him back to the South Sea for further cultivation.

They first visited their branch in Yu State. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's portraits had always hung in the family ancestral hall, familiar to all clan members. Seeing Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan in person, all the Wang clan members were incredibly excited. Their ancestors were not just figures in paintings but real, living people. From now on, when they encountered disciples from other Core Formation families, they could stand tall with pride.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan offered a few words of encouragement, heavily rewarding several diligent and hardworking clan members as examples for others to follow. Simultaneously, they severely punished a few clan members who had leaked family secrets to the Tang family cultivators and offered brief guidance to several younger generations on their cultivation.

These actions were simple, yet profoundly significant. The Wang clan members felt as though they had found their pillar of strength.