Family Cultivation: Evergreen of the Song Family

"What are you talking about, Master? We are all lowly people. If there were any important supplies, they would never fall into our hands." The manager smiled obsequiously, but his palms, pressed against his thighs, were already slightly sweaty.

Song Changsheng didn't speak, but just looked at him calmly, his clear black and white eyes as deep as the starry sky.

After staring at him for a moment, the steward finally couldn't withstand the immense pressure from Song Changsheng. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he gritted his teeth and said, "The True Man has saved our lives, so I will no longer deceive you."

The cargo on board is indeed unusual; it's contraband strictly controlled by the Great Zhen Dynasty, which is why we risked coming to Daqian by sea.

“A contraband strictly controlled by the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty.” Song Changsheng’s heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, “Is it [Void Magic Crystal]?”

Seeing that Song Changsheng had given the answer accurately, the steward was also a little stunned and stammered, "Did the Master already know that?"

"Don't be nervous, it's just my guess."

Although the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty has a lot of strictly controlled cultivation resources, there are also many ways to smuggle them. The only thing that requires you to take risks and transport in this way is the [Void Magic Crystal].

besides……"

Song Changsheng stood up from the soft couch, grabbed the steward's arm, and pulled up his sleeve. A hideous wound more than half a foot long was seen spreading upwards from the elbow, with an abnormal bluish-black color around the wound.

"Besides that, there's this."

This wound must have been left when you hid that [Void Crystal], right?
Hiding treasures within flesh and blood, soaking them in essence and blood to isolate them from detection and aura, is an ancient technique for storing objects. It's surprising that people still use it today, especially for storing highly polluting spiritual objects like [Void Magic Crystals].

"The profits from smuggling are indeed tempting, making you even risk your lives," Song Changsheng said calmly.

The Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty is a humane nation with extremely strict control. Among the few remaining immortal dynasties in the human cultivation world, such strictness is very rare. Everything is under the strict control of the royal family.

Unlike other immortal dynasties where the royal family and major cultivation sects jointly govern the world, in the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, all sects and families must obey the royal family's orders, and even rogue cultivators may be summoned at any time.

Furthermore, this is an extremely exclusive place. Without a travel permit, you cannot pass through any checkpoint. Of course, if you can bypass a checkpoint directly, that is your skill.

Banning foreign trade is just one of the measures.

Despite being such a closed and conservative place, its overall strength is second only to the Great Qian Cultivation World among the surrounding cultivation worlds.

The Void Crystal played a crucial role in this process.

This is a rare spiritual material that can only be born with a small probability in natural spatial rifts. It is a variant of the [Void Crystal]. Magical artifacts made from it possess a special evil aura that is difficult to eradicate once it invades the dantian and meridians, and will continuously erode the cultivator's life essence.

Its primary function is to create consumable magical artifacts capable of causing massive damage.

Furthermore, because it possesses the characteristic of disrupting spatial stability, once this magical artifact is detonated by magic power, it will directly cause spatial collapse. Even if the beings within this range are not killed by spatial turbulence, they will be banished to the boundless void.

Therefore, as long as there are enough of them and they erupt quickly enough, even a Nascent Soul True Monarch cannot ignore the power they unleash.

Because of its special strategic value, it is subject to very strict control everywhere and is classified as a strategic material.

The Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty possessed a massive Void Crystal mine, with annual output far exceeding internal demand.

Scarcity increases value. The Dazhen Immortal Dynasty exported large quantities of goods, making a fortune in the surrounding cultivation world and attracting the envy of countless people.

As the foundation of the Great Zhenxian Dynasty, the royal family monopolized all mining and management rights. Anyone found smuggling would be executed without mercy, and would also be implicated by others.

In addition, according to Song Changsheng's understanding, a Nascent Soul True Monarch from the other side of the Tianshan Mountains once personally tried to control the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty and monopolize the [Void Magic Crystal] mine.

The human king of Dazhen was also a ruthless person. He had already laid out measures around the [Void Magic Crystal]. With just a thought, he could directly detonate the entire mine, resulting in a fight to the death.

Some have estimated that if the large Void Crystal mine of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty were to explode, most of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty would be swallowed by the void, and the resulting spatial vortex would last for several years.

The spatial vortex is like a gluttonous beast, constantly devouring everything around it. The most obvious effect is a significant reduction in the concentration of spiritual energy, which is enough to affect more than a dozen cultivation worlds in the vicinity.

Among them, the Great Qian Dynasty, which is separated from the Great Zhen Dynasty by only a river, will bear the brunt and become the main victim besides the Great Zhen Dynasty.

Faced with this situation, the Myriad Manifestations Palace naturally could not sit idly by. In the end, the three True Lords took action together to stop the conflict.

The Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty also gained fame in one battle. Although there were many forces coveting the [Void Magic Crystal], no one dared to use force anymore, because they had kidnapped more than a dozen cultivation worlds around them. Anyone who tried to use force would be the first to object to the Myriad Manifestations Palace.

So it's no wonder that the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty has such strict control; they've offended too many people. Even the Myriad Manifestations Palace, which is usually magnanimous towards outsiders, hates them to the core.

However, even the most fortified fortress cannot withstand internal erosion, and the warship in front of us, which claims to belong to the Jiujiang Trading Company, is one of them.

Because of the Void Crystal's property of disrupting spatial stability, it cannot be contained by any spatial storage artifact, nor can it enter a spatial teleportation array; it can only be transported using the most primitive method.

However, these items are too few in number and ineffective. The Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty is heavily guarded, with strict patrols and special magical artifacts for "seeking qi," making it extremely difficult to smuggle them out of Great Zhen.

Therefore, some people hide the Void Crystal within their own flesh and blood, wrapping it with their own blood essence to avoid detection.

This is a highly harmful method of transportation, and there can be no mistakes during the process. Once the evil qi enters the meridians, death is almost certain.

Even if it doesn't enter the meridians, over time, the flesh and blood will gradually die, and recovery will be very slow.

The manager in front of Song Changsheng and everyone on this warship were actually vessels for smuggling, and their bodies had been affected to varying degrees.

Because of his cultivation of the [Law of Life], he was able to clearly perceive this. He wouldn't doubt it if only one person was like this, since there could be other reasons. But since hundreds of people on the entire ship were like this, it was hard not to make him suspicious.

The Void Crystal has been removed from their bodies, but judging from their appearance, they haven't gotten rid of it yet; it might be hidden somewhere on the warship.

The steward's temples were dripping with cold sweat. He truly hadn't expected Song Changsheng to be so perceptive, and a sense of regret welled up in his heart.

He originally thought Song Changsheng was easy to talk to, and that traveling with him on this vast ocean would offer some guarantee of safety, but in the end, he exposed his biggest secret.

Seeing his pale face, Song Changsheng smiled and covered his wound, saying, "I told you, there's no need to be nervous."

He returned to the soft couch and sat down, looking at the steward and saying, "There are only the two of us here, so whatever we say won't reach the ears of a third person."

Besides, this is the Great Qian Dynasty, not the Great Zhen Dynasty. In my eyes, you are merely conducting ordinary trade.

"Please speak, sir. I will answer any questions you may have." The steward was very sensible; he had no choice in the face of such a powerful figure.

"The most difficult part of the Void Crystal is getting it out of the country. Since you have successfully brought it out, why choose to transport it by sea, which is both dangerous and inefficient?"
"This is the first time I've heard of the Jiujiang Trading Company, but since you were able to get in touch with the royal family and obtain so many [Void Magic Crystals], you must be quite large. Surely you can't even afford to send a Purple Mansion cultivator?" Song Changsheng said calmly.

"Replying to the True Person, the royal family has very strict control over us. Although we have inside agents, cultivators of the Purple Mansion realm are too conspicuous and it is inconvenient for us to leave the country."

So we've always been in charge of the shipping.

The customer for this order was a rogue cultivator from the Purple Mansion realm. We had agreed to pick up the goods on a deserted island, but a month after we arrived, he still hadn't shown up.

According to regulations, this order is now void.

But once the goods have been transported out, they can't be transported back. In addition, for some reason, martial law has suddenly been declared in the Immortal Dynasty, and the trading company can't send an elder to take over. We have no choice but to risk coming to the Great Qian to find the previous buyer to sell the stolen goods.

We had agreed to meet on Yongzhou Island, but we were caught in a thunderstorm and had to flee for our lives before we even docked at the port.

"We've waited so long and still haven't been able to contact the buyer. I guess things are probably looking grim." The manager sighed. This order had truly been fraught with difficulties, almost costing him his life.

Song Changsheng's heart skipped a beat and he said, "Oh, so there are no buyers now. Who was your previous buyer?"

"This..." The steward hesitated again.

Seeing this, Song Changsheng said with a slightly cold expression, "Don't think I'm a fool. You are not from the Jiujiang Merchant Guild at all!"
I will no longer investigate your origins, so stop stammering and testing my patience!
Even if you don't tell me, I have plenty of ways to find out.

He wasn't really clear about the internal structure of Dazhen, but even from a common sense perspective, they wouldn't reveal their own identity to do something like this, so he decided to try to trick them.

The manager, thinking he had been seen through, was startled and knelt down with a thud, hurriedly saying, "Please forgive me, Master, please forgive me. The buyer is the Song family of the Brocade Banner."

"【The Embroidered Banner】!" A glint of light flashed in Song Changsheng's eyes. It's true what they say, enemies are destined to meet.

At this critical juncture, it's not hard to guess why [Jinxiuqi] wants to buy this kind of thing.

Even if he was paranoid, and this thing wasn't specifically prepared for them, he still wouldn't dare gamble with the lives of his people.

A warm smile appeared on his face. He walked up to the trembling steward and personally helped him up, saying, "It's truly a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple. We're all family, yet we don't recognize each other. I only did it on a whim, but I never expected to save the right person."

The steward was momentarily stunned and stammered, "May I ask what the Master means by this?"

Song Changsheng calmly took out a waist token from his pocket and said, "I am Song Yuqing, the Transmission Elder of the Embroidered Banner."

Anyone with even a slight understanding of the Great Qian Dynasty knows that Zixu and the Brocade Banner are mortal enemies. When he introduced himself earlier, the steward didn't react in any particular way, which suggests that he doesn't know much about the Great Qian Dynasty. His trick was enough to fool the real thing.

"Such a coincidence in the world?" The steward was even more bewildered. He shakily took the waist token and found no problem.

Song Yuqing had become famous overnight at an exchange meeting, and he had heard of her before. The man in front of him was just as young and handsome as the rumors suggested.

However, there is a slight discrepancy between his identity and his cultivation level.

Song Changsheng could naturally see his doubts, and said without batting an eye, "I previously went into seclusion to break through to the Golden Core stage and resigned from my post. The current guardian elder of the family is Song Xianghu, is that correct?"

"I see. Congratulations, Master, on your further advancement and the addition of five hundred years to your lifespan," the steward said tactfully.

Song Changsheng didn't expect him to completely believe it anyway; it was just an excuse.

"The elder sent by the family to pick up the goods has already perished on Yongzhou Island. I am too late."

I didn't know he had this task beforehand. Since we've come across it, let's just hand it over to me. That way, you can go back and report as soon as possible.

Being away for too long can arouse suspicion.

"This……"

"But I'm thinking about the final payment. How much is still owed? I'll give it to you directly." Song Changsheng said with a smile, but his tone left no room for argument.

Seeing that Song Changsheng wasn't planning to take advantage of the situation for free, the manager breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't care who picked up the goods, as long as he could go back and report.

The excuses were readily available: the recipient had died, and he found a new buyer.

"Everything is up to the real person to arrange."

His sensible manner pleased Song Changsheng greatly, and he asked again, "How many goods does your trading company produce each year?"

Upon hearing this, the manager perked up and said, "We need at least a thousand catties a year, but most of them are already pre-ordered. There's still a fifty-catty quota we can set aside. What do you think..."

Song Changsheng calculated in his mind that although the Void Magic Crystal was relatively heavy, fifty catties a year was already quite a lot. He nodded and said, "Our clan will take it all, and for a long term."

"The original price is 10,000 low-grade spirit stones per pound. If you want it long-term, I can give you a 10% discount," the manager said excitedly, afraid that Song Changsheng would change his mind.

Nearly 500,000 a year is no small deal. As long as the deal is closed, he will get a share, and then he won't have to worry about the resources to break through to the Purple Mansion.

"Nine thousand spirit stones per pound, that's acceptable, but this batch doesn't count."

I'll give you a new pickup location; please send another batch as soon as possible.

"As long as it's delivered by you, I'll give you 9,500 spirit stones per pound." Song Changsheng directly activated his "money power".

The contract states 9,000 yuan per kilogram, but he offered 9,500 yuan. The meaning is quite clear.

"I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!"

...(End of chapter)