Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 334 Taking advantage of the situation
At night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse. In the brightly lit room of Luoyun Sect, Tao Jinyuan was discussing important matters with Jin Yuanxing. There was a knock on the door outside. After the door was pushed open, a disciple walked in.

"Master, Jiang Feng is here to visit and wants to see you."

"I understand." Tao Jinyuan waved his hand, and the disciple immediately retreated.

"Jiang Feng is here at this time, probably because we want to seize the Kong family's resource-rich territory." Jin Yuanxing pondered, "Master, it's better not to meet him. I'll handle it."

"No need. Does he still think it's the same as before? Is he expecting us to give up those resource-rich territories? If he really dares to bring it up, he'll be courting humiliation. No wonder I don't give him face."

"Even if we don't mention this matter, if he asks us to hand over the Kong family monks, it will be difficult for us to deal with it."

"Things are different now. If he still thinks he's the boss of Bianxi City, I have to wake him up. Senior Brother Jin, go bring him here. I'll meet him in person and see what he has to say."

……

In the spacious and bright meeting hall, Jin Yuanxing led Jiang Feng into the inner room, where Tao Jinyuan was already sitting in the main seat.

In the past, whenever Jiang Feng came to visit, Tao Jinyuan would personally greet him, but now he only sent Jin Yuanxing to greet him. This in itself shows a kind of attitude.

"Master Tao, excuse me for disturbing you."

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, please be polite. Please take a seat. I wonder what brings you here?"

The two men greeted each other expressionlessly. Jiang Feng took a seat nearby. "I've come to congratulate Sect Master Tao. The Luoyun Sect has made a killing this time, taking over all of the Kong family's resources and territory with almost no effort. From now on, they'll dominate Bianxi City. This is cause for celebration. However, your sect is taking advantage of our assault on Luojia Mountain to seize the Kong family's territory. This is bound to be seen as looting, and I'm afraid it will be laughed at."

"The Kong family is rebellious. I am only trying to help your clan eliminate this threat, and I am doing my best to help."

"In that case, I would like to thank Fellow Daoist Tao."

"No need to thank me, this is all our sect's duty."

The two men exchanged sharp words, both with expressionless faces, cold words, and no politeness.

Jiang Feng came here to warn Luoyun Sect, so he would not lower his posture. Moreover, with his status, there was no need for him to speak softly. If he compromised, it would not only weaken the reputation of the Beastmaster Sect, but also expose his trump card and make Tao Jinyuan look down on him.

The same is true for Tao Jinyuan. He has always been a person with a high opinion of himself and a bit of arrogance. He has long been fed up with Jiang Feng's arrogance and superiority.

When the Beast Taming Sect was strong in the past, he could only endure it. Now that the Beast Taming Sect is in a difficult situation and can hardly save itself, he certainly doesn't want to indulge it anymore.

"I heard that Luoyun Sect not only took over the Kong family's resources, but also that many of the Kong family's cultivators have joined your sect. The Kong family rebelled against our sect, yet you took them in. Sect Leader Tao, do you have to give our sect an explanation?"

"The decision was made by people like Kong Zhenqing and Kong Zhenxuan. What does it have to do with those Qi Refining disciples? Besides, those Qi Refining disciples have joined our sect and are now our cultivators. They no longer have any connection with the Kong family. Since they are no longer Kong family cultivators, why is Fellow Daoist Jiang still holding on to them?"

"In that case, your sect must protect those Kong family monks."

"I have already said that they are now disciples of our sect, not cultivators of the Kong family."

"Luoyun Sect is taking in these Kong family cultivators, perhaps to provide a legitimate excuse for seizing Luojia Mountain in the future?"

After taking a big turn, Jiang Feng asked his key question, and the other words were just a cover for this question.

He just didn't want Tao Jinyuan to see through him, so he brought up those words.

If Tao Jinyuan wanted to capture Luojia Mountain, it would only be a matter of time before Luoyun Sect pushed for the independence of Bianxi City, because everyone knew that Hunyuan Sect was supported by him. Touching Hunyuan Sect would be equivalent to turning against him, which means completely drawing a line with the Beast Taming Sect.

"Why do you say that, Brother Jiang? When did I ever say I wanted to seize Luojia Mountain?" Tao Jinyuan was also suspicious when he heard his words.

This was because just this afternoon, when several foundation-building monks in the sect were discussing, they had suggested taking advantage of this opportunity to take over Luojia Mountain in one fell swoop.

But he did not agree, for a very simple reason: he was not yet ready to completely break off relations with Jiang Feng and become their enemy.

Jiang Feng brought up this matter at this time, which made him doubt whether the news had leaked from within the sect. If it was really leaked by a sect disciple, that would be bad.

Because the people who attended the afternoon meeting were all high-ranking members of the sect, the fact that the Beastmaster Sect’s insider got the news so quickly showed that this person was hiding very deeply and had an unusual identity.

If it is not uncovered, it will definitely be a huge hidden danger.

"It's good that Fellow Daoist Tao doesn't have such an idea. I, Jiang, also hope that your sect won't push its luck any further. If you've taken so many benefits from the Kong family and still aren't satisfied, and insist on seizing Luojia Mountain, our sect will definitely not sit idly by. I, Jiang, have nothing more to say, and I'll take my leave."

After Jiang Feng finished speaking, he stood up and left.

Looking at his departing figure, Tao Jinyuan narrowed his eyes slightly: "Brother Jin, do you think Jiang Feng said that just now on purpose for us to hear?"

"What sentence is the master referring to?"

"He said, 'It's good that I don't have such thoughts.' This is what we discussed this afternoon. How did he know so quickly? Was he just guessing, or is there a Beastmaster Sect spy buried deep among us? By saying this, is he warning us that he knows everything we do? Just like he knows about the Kong family and their dealings with the Murong family."

"This..." Jin Yuanxing mused silently. He hadn't thought too much about it originally, but after hearing what Tao Jinyuan said, he felt something was amiss. "We can't rule out this possibility. The Beast Taming Sect has been operating for many years, so it would be easy for them to place a few spies in our sect."

"It's better to believe it than not. You must immediately organize a secret investigation, starting with this afternoon's meeting, to uncover this hidden danger."

"Okay. I'll start looking right away."

Because of this conversation, Luoyun Sect launched its most rigorous secret investigation in a hundred years, which implicated many disciples. This is a story for later, so we will not discuss it for now.

.........

Time flies, and a few months have passed in the blink of an eye.

The demise of the Kong family naturally caused a huge heated discussion in Bianxi City, but it was just a topic of conversation among the cultivators after dinner. Most people believed that this was the result of cooperation between the Beastmaster Sect, the Luoyun Sect, and the Hunyuan Sect, which divided the Kong family.

Among them, the news that Luoyun Sect was the mastermind behind the incident was even more rampant. Since Luoyun Sect gained the most benefits from this, people naturally thought that it was the one who planned this incident.

This made Luoyun Sect somewhat uneasy. The foundation-building cultivator in charge of the Bianxi City Market of Luoyun Sect repeatedly talked about this matter with others, saying that the Beastmaster Sect had joined forces with the Hunyuan Sect to deal with the Kong family. Luoyun Sect was completely unaware of this beforehand and did not participate in the battle to attack Luojia Mountain.

As for the Kong family's resource territories, the Kong family disciples who were responsible for managing the territories voluntarily gave them to the Luoyun Sect in order to seek shelter in order to avoid being hunted down by the Beast Taming Sect and the Hunyuan Sect.

Others were naturally skeptical of these words, and those who believed that the Luoyun Sect was the mastermind still held this view. The Luoyun Sect's reason for refuting the rumors was certainly not because they were worried about revenge for the Kong family or that the person who made these remarks would pose a threat to them, but simply because they did not want to offend Yun Xuanzong and the Murong family.

Because the news released by the Beast Taming Sect was that the Kong family was secretly colluding with Yun Xuanzong and the Murong family, planning to establish the Bianxi City Independence Alliance, and the disciples of the Kong family who fled also defected to the Murong family.

If they do not respond and allow the news to reach the ears of the Murong family, Yun Xuanzong and the Murong family may hold a grudge against them.

This is inconsistent with Luoyun Sect's strategy of sitting on the fence and playing both sides.

Originally, Yun Xuanzong had repeatedly tried to win over the Luoyun Sect, hoping that they would betray the Beast Taming Sect, but the Luoyun Sect kept dragging its feet, which made Yun Xuanzong unhappy. If he determined that they had joined forces with the Beast Taming Sect to destroy the Kong Family, with whom they had already reached an agreement, this account would of course be held accountable to the Luoyun Sect.

Knowing the concerns of Luoyun Sect, Song Xian had instructed the sect's disciples to spread rumors, insisting that Luoyun Sect was involved in the matter and that it was a plan discussed with the Beast Taming Sect. One would attack the sect's mountain gate, and the other would occupy the resources outside the mountain gate to prevent the Kong family's monks stationed outside from supporting the mountain gate.

This is not specifically to disgust the Luoyun Sect or to retaliate against them for taking advantage of the situation to reap the benefits, but simply for the purpose of self-defense.

If the Luoyun Sect breaks up with the Yunxuan Sect or the Murong family.

There is no need for a falling out. As long as there are prejudices and estrangements between the two sides, the Luoyun Sect will not side with the Yunxuan Sect and will not promote the Bianxi City Independence Alliance.

In this way, they will not attack Hunyuan Sect because Hunyuan Sect is backed by the Beast Taming Sect.

As long as the Luoyun Sect does not completely break off relations with the Beast Taming Sect, it will not easily attack the Hunyuan Sect.

…………

At night, the moon is as round as a moon.

In the dim training room, Song Xian slowly opened his eyes and exhaled. He had been living here since he conquered the mountain, and all the affairs of Tianshan were left to Zhong Wenyuan.

When he walked out of the stone door of the training room, the disciples guarding the outer room immediately came forward to greet him and saluted him, "Master, someone from the Luoyun Sect is here to see you. Senior Brother Qi Ming received him and asked me to let you know after you finish your training. He has something to report."

Qi Ming was Zhong Wenyuan's deputy, serving as Deputy Director of the Personnel Department, and was currently in charge of Luojia Mountain's affairs. Upon hearing that the Luoyun Sect had sent someone, Song Xian felt puzzled and somewhat wary. His relationship with the Luoyun Sect hadn't been very good at the time.

"Didn't he tell me why the people from Luoyun Sect came?"

"No."

"Call him over." Song Xian returned to the mansion. Not long after, his disciples led Qi Ming to the mansion.

"Greetings, Master." Seeing him coming, Qi Ming stepped forward and saluted.

"What does Luoyun Sect send people for?"

"Senior Wen Yiren from Luoyun Sect has sent someone to invite you and Senior Sister Su to a banquet. He has already been brought to meet Senior Sister Su."

"Is there anything else?" Since Qi Ming had already informed Su Zhirou about this matter, he was definitely not reporting specifically for this matter.

"According to news from Tianshan, the sect has recruited twelve independent cultivators from Bianxi City and five cultivators from Muhe Grassland this month. However, Elder Zhong feels that the number is too large and wishes to stop recruiting independent cultivators. Please give your instructions."

The sect's assets were all in Tianshan, so most of the disciples had returned, with only a small number remaining. Qi Ming's primary responsibility was to communicate and relay information between the two sides. Any reports from Tianshan would go through him first, and any instructions from Song Xian would also be relayed to Tianshan through him.

“How many people have you recruited in the past few months?”

"There are fifty-four monks from Bianxi City and twenty-three monks from Dongluo City in Muhe Grassland."

"Let's recruit a hundred people first!" In order to make up for the manpower lost in the battle to attack Luojia Mountain, Hunyuan Sect has been recruiting independent cultivators everywhere in the past few months, and the salary conditions offered are also very high. The cultivators in the early stage of Qi Refining can get fifteen spirit stones per month, the cultivators in the middle stage can get thirty spirit stones per month, and the cultivators in the late stage can get fifty spirit stones per month.

This salary is extremely high not only in Bianxi City, but also in Xijiang County. Even the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect cannot get more than this. Therefore, more than 70 people were recruited in just a few months.

These recruited monks are currently undergoing training and observation in Tianshan. After a full year, they can officially join the sect and become disciples. During this period, they can only receive 70% of their salary.

It is definitely not a good thing if a sect is dominated by independent cultivators who join halfway through. However, under the current circumstances, the sect has no choice but to recruit independent cultivators to expand its strength.

Therefore, they must be strictly trained. The one-year window period is enough to see a person's moral character. It is impossible to keep all these hundred people. Some troublemakers must be eliminated. Only those who abide by the rules and behave themselves can be recruited into the sect.

"Yes. Elder Zhong also asked, how many of these recruited independent cultivators were ultimately retained?"

"Let him figure it out! Recruit a hundred people, and keep 70% to 80%." Song Xian had just finished speaking when a disciple entered from outside, saluted, and said, "Master, Senior Brother Zhang Ningyuan requests an audience."

"Invite him in."

"Master, if you have no other instructions, I will take my leave."

Qi Ming tactfully stood up and said goodbye.

Not long after, Zhang Ningyuan arrived with a look of joy on his face. After bowing to him, he handed him a file in his hand and said, "Master, the Mingyue Sect of Humen City is willing to cooperate. This is the price they offered."

Song Xian took the file and took a look at it. On it was a densely packed list of materials, with the prices of various items clearly listed.

"Okay, Senior Brother Ning Yuan, you have worked hard. You have made a great contribution to reaching a cooperation agreement with Mingyue Sect. Everything is difficult at the beginning, and this first step is crucial." Song Xian also smiled.

He had secretly ordered Zhang Ningyuan to discuss the cooperation plan with Mingyue Sect at the beginning of the year. In fact, the two parties had already reached a consensus long ago, but many details had not yet been finalized.

Perhaps it was the capture of Luojia Mountain and the annihilation of the Kong family that made Mingyue Sect feel that Hunyuan Sect's status had risen, or perhaps it was because of such a long period of negotiation that Mingyue Sect already knew Hunyuan Sect's bottom line.

So they finally made some concessions on the price and met the standards Song Xian expected.

As for the cooperation matters, they were actually very simple, which was a trade agreement. Song Xian proposed to provide them with the required monster flesh and blood at a lower price. In the future, they would trade directly with Hunyuan Sect and no longer need to go to Muhe Grassland to purchase goods.

For them, doing so not only allows them to obtain the flesh and blood of the Muhe grassland monsters at a lower price, but also saves transportation time and manpower, killing two birds with one stone.

Hunyuan Sect not only provided them with the monster flesh and blood they needed at a low price, but also took care of the transportation and was responsible for delivering the goods to Humen City.

The reason why he could offer such favorable terms was that he controlled the only bilateral trading market between Muhe Grassland and Qin State.

(End of this chapter)