Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 143 Zhou Mingde's Scheme [Please Subscribe]

Lin Hongyu left the Zhou family soon after.

Judging from her expression when she left, she was clearly quite satisfied.

However, after Lin Hongyu left, the two Zhou family leaders sat in the stone pavilion on the mountaintop with gloomy faces, remaining motionless for a long time.

After sitting in silence for a long time, Zhou Daoyi finally sighed heavily, "We shouldn't have agreed to her!"

"This is like trying to get something from a tiger!"

"If this matter gets out, our entire Zhou family will be wiped out!"

After saying this, Zhou Mingde opposite him sighed softly and said, "I naturally know these things, but the situation is beyond our control!"

"If we don't agree to her demands, whether she causes a scene at the mountain gate or reveals that you obtained the Azure Dragon's inner core and had an affair with her, the trouble our Zhou family will face will be no less than if we agreed!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Daoyi was speechless and unable to refute.

He had personally witnessed Lin Hongyu's strength. When her secret technique was unleashed, even the late-stage Purple Mansion cultivators of the Qinglian Temple had to avoid her. Her strength was definitely beyond Zhou Mingde's reach.

Moreover, since he dared to come to the Zhou family alone this time, he must have been well prepared before he dared to come.

If she really causes a scene at the Zhou family, even if the Zhou family can use the power of the mountain-protecting formation to suppress her, who knows how many clansmen will die!

The consequences of that are no different from the destruction of one's family and clan.

However, recalling Lin Hongyu's previous conditions, Zhou Daoyi's eyelids twitched again, and he couldn't help but say, "But if we really do as she says and gather ordinary people and rogue cultivators with spiritual roots for her, that would be truly aiding the enemy. Just based on that, once the matter is exposed, we'll never be able to clear our names!"

"How could I not know that?"

Zhou Mingde raised an eyebrow and said helplessly, "But for now, the only option is to feign compliance and stall for time!"

At this point, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he continued, "Besides, it depends on how you define aiding the enemy. If we can find some breakthroughs with the Dragon Transformation Sect afterward and manage to inflict significant losses on them, then that's not aiding the enemy, but rather 'to take, one must first give!'"

After saying that, he concluded, "In short, let's stall for time, delay as long as possible, until your Azure Cloud Python transforms into a dragon. Then we'll have the confidence to turn against you, and we'll find a way to eliminate this threat once and for all!"

But Zhou Daoyi felt that his idea was too risky.

With the Zhou family's power, if they were to attempt this kind of high-stakes treacherous task on their own, the slightest mistake would result in the destruction of their entire family and clan!

So he said again, "Why don't we be honest with Qinglian Temple? We can tell the higher-ups there through Daoist Mingxia and see what they decide to do!"

"If they ask about the Azure Dragon's inner core, we'll just say it's already been used. They can't exactly start attacking the Zhou family because of that, can they?"

However, upon hearing this, Zhou Mingde shook his head repeatedly, saying, "It won't work. Even if the Qinglian Temple has a way to verify the truth of our words, and even if they truly don't pursue the matter of the Azure Dragon's inner core, handing over this leverage to them is tantamount to entrusting the lives of our entire clan to them!"

"Don't forget, the reason our Zhou family is helping Qinglian Temple now is because our family's roots are within their sphere of influence, so we have no choice but to do so. It's not because our family has any connection with Qinglian Temple, nor because we have any deep-seated hatred for the Hualong Sect!"

"To be honest, the Qinglian Temple is the real culprit behind our Zhou family's current predicament!"

These words left Zhou Daoyi speechless.

Indeed, Qinglian Temple was no good to the Zhou family either.

It was Qinglian Temple that broke up the Three Absolutes Sect in the first place. Moreover, in order to get Qinglian Temple to take in these foreign cultivators, nearly half of the sect's savings brought by the Three Absolutes Sect were forced to be given to Qinglian Temple as "travel expenses".

With this barrier in place, handing over the evidence to Qinglian Temple at this moment is truly putting one's life and death in someone else's hands!

Unless he is willing to part with the inner core of the Azure Dragon and offer this item up as well!

However, when he thought about the "sacrifice" he had made to obtain the Azure Dragon's inner core, and the importance of this item to himself and the Zhou family, he realized that it was not the only thing he had done.

Zhou Daoyi quickly dismissed the idea.

That's absolutely impossible!

"Alright, don't overthink it. Although this matter has serious repercussions, as long as we and Lin Hongyu are both careful, we might not be exposed, and the benefits we gain will be considerable!"

"The Dragon Transformation Sect has opened up such a large area on the shores of Dragon Abyss, where demonic beasts roam, that they must possess a great many rare treasures. If we can obtain some of the things our Zhou family urgently needs through a transaction with Lin Hongyu, it will significantly boost our family's strength!"

"As the saying goes, it's better to rely on yourself than on others. As long as our Zhou family becomes stronger and has the capital to make another move, it wouldn't be a bad thing if we completely sided with the Dragon Transformation Sect or went elsewhere!"

At this point, Zhou Mingde waved his hand and said, "In short, things have come to this point now. Either choice could lead to the downfall of the Zhou family, so naturally we must choose the option that will help the family develop faster!"

There are no free lunches in this world!

Since Zhou Daoyi was able to reap the benefits and obtain the Azure Dragon's inner core, but failed to silence him in time, he was destined to pay the price for it.

Zhou Mingde understood this point very clearly.

Therefore, he understood better than Zhou Daoyi, an insider, that since the Zhou family was unwilling to give up the benefits, they would definitely have to bear the risks that came with them.

Moreover, while it is dangerous to negotiate with a tiger for its skin, the potential gains can be just as great.

Just like when he led his men to rebuild the Zhou family at the risk of breaking ties with Yu Jinghua and losing his life, it was also a great adventure, but the rewards after success were just as great.

Therefore, when faced with a choice that requires taking risks, he is willing to take risks!

After his repeated persuasion, Zhou Daoyi no longer mentioned informing Qinglian Temple.

The two quickly began discussing how to conduct the transaction with Lin Hongyu safely and discreetly.

However, after discussing for a while, Zhou Daoyi suddenly said, "Zheng Chun is currently handling family affairs. If we want to use the family's resources to do this, we can't hide it from him. Why don't we call him over to discuss it as well?"

"this……"

Zhou Mingde hesitated for a moment, showing a thoughtful expression, and did not agree immediately.

Zhou Daoyi understood that he was worried that the more people who knew, the greater the risk of the secret being leaked.

But he still said seriously, "If you don't trust him, how can you, the Supreme Elder, feel at ease letting him succeed as the clan leader in the future? Besides, he already knows that the Azure Dragon's inner core is in my hands."

"Alright then, let's go to Zhongping Hall together to discuss this."

Zhou Mingde nodded, agreeing with his words.

The two immediately went to Zhongping Palace to discuss the matter with Zhou Chun.

Of course, to save face for Zhou Daoyi, neither of them mentioned the scandalous affair between him and Lin Hongyu. Instead, they said that Lin Hongyu was seriously injured and could only escape with part of the Azure Dragon's remains. This time, she had come to seek revenge.

Even so, Zhou Chun was still incredibly shocked after hearing the deal the two had made with Lin Hongyu, and he was speechless with astonishment.

"I know you are shocked by this, but the Supreme Elder and I have already discussed it, and this is the best option for the Zhou family at the moment. Therefore, I would like to discuss with you how to keep the transaction as secret as possible and prevent this matter from being exposed!"

Looking at Zhou Chun, who was in shock, Zhou Daoyi revealed his intention in a low voice.

What he meant was that Zhou Chun should stop asking why they were doing something so risky, and instead focus on how to minimize the risk.

Zhou Chun could naturally understand this.

After hearing Zhou Daoyi's words, his first thought was to outsource!

As long as the Zhou family doesn't personally use their family resources to do this, even if it gets exposed and leaked, they can just blame it on an outsourced person.

But he quickly realized that this kind of thing wouldn't work in this world of cultivation.

Although the world of cultivation also has rules and order, major powers will not discuss rules and order with smaller powers when it comes to matters involving huge sums of money.

Moreover, even in his previous life, a company that would dare to outsource such an important matter could not be a powerful force like the Zhou family, which didn't have much of a background.

Therefore, outsourcing will only make it easier for this matter to be leaked and exposed.

"In my opinion, to keep this as secret as possible, the transaction location should first be outside of Lanzhou. Then, we should not use the Zhou family's name to find people. It would be best to find ordinary people with spiritual roots and aptitude by recruiting disciples as independent cultivators, and send them over as many times as possible."

"Even if we absolutely must send rogue cultivators there, we should try to choose those from other states who are unaware of or familiar with our Zhou family!"

"Furthermore, I believe that the greatest possibility of this matter being exposed does not lie with our Zhou family. As long as we don't send people to her on a large scale, it's unlikely that we will be discovered."

"The most likely source to expose our Zhou family is the Dragon Transformation Sect. If they don't keep things secret, our Zhou family could easily be exposed!"

Zhou Chun's mind raced, and he quickly came up with several of his own opinions.

To be honest, he felt that if he did this for too long, it was only a matter of time before it was exposed.

After all, the Dragon Transformation Sect doesn't want the dead, but the living.

It's almost obvious what their purpose was in wanting these living people; they definitely wanted to use these cultivators and ordinary people who could cultivate to expand the sect's power.

After all, the Dragon Transformation Sect was located in such a remote and desolate place, so it was not easy for them to obtain enough cultivators with cultivation aptitude.

Otherwise, they would have already established their own countries abroad, so why would they bother provoking the various factions in Yasukuni?

Once these living people arrive at the Hualong Sect, if they harbor resentment towards those who tricked them into joining, they can easily find a way to spread the news and attract the attention of the Jingguo authorities.

But Zhou Mingde and the others must have known this as well, so Zhou Chun didn't go into details, only pointing out the risks of exposure.

"We've considered the risks that the Dragon Transformation Sect is most vulnerable to, so we agree that it's best to send mortals there. After all, it takes more than ten or eight years for a mortal to grow to the point where they can work for the Dragon Transformation Sect!"

Zhou Mingde nodded slightly, agreeing with Zhou Chun's statement.

But he quickly looked worried and said, "However, Lin Hongyu has set a bottom line for us: each transaction must involve at least ten cultivators, and there must be at least one transaction per year!"

"What? Only once a year!"

Zhou Chun's expression changed, and he looked at Zhou Mingde and the other person with a face full of surprise.

Zhou Mingde knew what surprised him and couldn't help but smile wryly, "There's nothing we can do. We also think these conditions are too harsh, but she won't budge an inch on this point, and would rather increase our compensation than compromise!"

"Then this situation is really difficult to handle!"

Zhou Chun muttered to himself, also feeling overwhelmed by the mess created by the two high-ranking members of the Zhou family.

With the Zhou family's power and strength, it wouldn't be difficult for them to quietly send ten Qi Refining stage cultivators to the Dragon Transformation Sect every year.

The difficulty lies in the extremely high level of secrecy required for this matter. The true inside story can only be known by the three of them, but the ones who take action cannot be the three of them.

But how can we ensure that those who take action do so without asking questions, and are capable and willing to arrest people entirely according to the demands of a few individuals?

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Zhou Chun, and he thought of a suitable candidate.

He immediately turned to Zhou Mingde and the other man and said, "Elder, Clan Chief, what do you think of Elder Ape, who guards the library? If Elder Ape were to arrest people, only those clansmen who know him well would see it, and even those who are arrested would only see him!"

"That [Blue Wood Spirit Ape]?"

"Great idea!"

Zhou Mingde and Zhou Daoyi's eyes lit up, and they instantly understood what Zhou Chun meant.

The Green Wood Spirit Ape almost never leaves Flying Stone Peak, so apart from the Zhou family cultivators, no outsiders can see it.

If we let it out to arrest people, we will absolutely not have to worry about the news leaking from the Zhou family.

Zhou Mingde immediately said, "Daoquan is a trustworthy person. We can let him know about this and have him cover for us!"

"If that's the case, then choosing a target is easy. Just pick those rogue cultivators who have committed countless evil deeds. Sending such people to the Dragon Transformation Sect would be doing a good deed for the cultivation world of Jing Kingdom!"

Zhou Daoyi then shared his opinion.

"Let's settle on this for now. I'll think about the details again after we all get back, to make sure everything goes perfectly!"

Zhou Mingde made the decision on the spot, ending the conversation.

After Zhou Mingde left, Zhou Daoyi did not leave immediately. Instead, he recounted his conversation with Zhou Mingde to Zhou Chun, explaining the reasons for making such a risky decision.

After listening to his retelling, Zhou Chun finally understood the reason why the two heads of their families had done this.

Now, I no longer have the same doubts in my heart as before.

So, over the next period of time, the Zhou family leaders met several times to discuss this matter of life and death, and finally came up with a feasible solution.

However, with a year to go before the next transaction, Zhou Chun and his team were naturally in no hurry to act immediately.

Just then, the Wang family of Red Medicine Valley suddenly sent Zhou Chun news about the meridian-protecting pills he needed.

I recommend a friend's new fantasy novel, "Starting by Impersonating the Son of a Female Billionaire." On the eve of the spiritual energy revival, Li Zhongnan, who had no hope of living and was just waiting to die, was forced to impersonate the son of a young and beautiful female billionaire.

This led to her encountering the persistent entanglement of her real son after his death. After defeating him, she awakened the [Martial Arts Skill Points] cheat.

then,

His heart was suddenly filled with enthusiasm.

(End of this chapter)