Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Chapter 266 The Su Family's Scheme [Please Subscribe]

No, it wasn't her!

In the wilderness, Zhou Chun looked at Su Yuzhen with a mixture of surprise and doubt, then shook his head slightly, knowing that he had made a mistake.

Although the two do look about 70-80% alike, upon closer inspection, some differences can still be seen.

Moreover, their cultivation levels were completely different.

However, considering that they both shared the surname Su, Zhou Chun immediately knew that these two were probably not mother and daughter, but rather had a very close blood relationship.

"Fellow Daoist Su, you flatter me!"

Staring at a girl is very impolite, so when Zhou Chun realized he had mistaken her for someone else, he quickly clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying the words of a victor.

He was indeed the victor.

He had a real chance to kill Su Yuzhen on the spot, but he only managed to break Su Yuzhen's hat before stopping.

Undeniably, he could have stopped earlier, but how could he expect his opponent to willingly admit defeat if he hadn't even scratched the hem of their clothes?

"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Zhou, your skill is superior. My defeat is not unjust!"

Su Yuzhen glanced at Zhou Chun with complicated emotions, then nodded frankly in acknowledgment of defeat.

With a wave of her hand, she captured the broken remnants of the straw hat that Zhou Chun had shattered, and then gracefully flew towards Su Renmei's side.

At this moment, Su Renmei also recovered from Su Yuzhen's defeat.

He glanced at his grandniece who had flown back, then at Zhou Chun who was putting her spirit pet into her spirit beast pouch, and couldn't help but sigh softly at Zhou Daoyi, "The Zhou family's python-to-dragon transformation technique is truly astonishing. Yu Zhen's defeat today was not unjust!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Daoyi couldn't help but smile slightly and say, "Fellow Daoist Su, you flatter me. Miss Su's strength is also very formidable, and Zheng Chun has already given it his all!"

"Fellow Daoist Su, now that we have won two consecutive matches, can we proceed with the division of the Xuanjing Stone mine as previously agreed?"

Li Qinghe fixed his gaze on Su Renmei and began to speak about serious matters in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Su Renmei's eyes flickered slightly, then she replied calmly, "Of course, it's just a Xuanjing Stone mine. My Su family isn't so badly incapable of losing!"

After saying that, he added, "However, if my Su family only takes 30% of the profits, then my Su family will also arrange the mining manpower accordingly!"

"That's easy to say, we have no objections."

Li Qinghe nodded, agreeing without even asking You Liming and Zhou Daoyi's opinions.

"In that case, let's all go back and send someone to discuss the specifics!"

Su Renmei waved her hand and then left the scene with the three Su family cultivators.

Upon seeing this, Li Qinghe and his two companions led their respective juniors back to their base.

Back at the stronghold, Li Qinghe looked at You Jinyan and Zhou Chun and said, "This time, we owe a great debt to you two nephews. Otherwise, our three families would have lost a lot of benefits. When I return to the clan, I will certainly inform the patriarch of your contributions and prepare generous gifts to express my gratitude!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun immediately replied humbly, "Senior Li, you are too kind. Our three families have always been of one mind and one heart. This is what I should do."

Then You Jinyan also came to his senses and nodded, saying, "Yes, Senior Li, you're too kind. I only did what I should do, and I dare not speak to you like that!"

"My two nephews need not be modest; I know what I'm doing."

Li Qinghe waved his hand, then looked at Li Cunhao, who had remained silent the whole way, and said softly, "Cunhao, go back to your residence and recover from your injuries. Don't take this temporary loss to heart. Your future is far beyond what that Su Maocai can compare to!"

"I understand. Then I will take my leave."

Li Cunhao and Li Qinghe exchanged glances, he nodded, and then silently withdrew.

Yu Liming and Zhou Daoyi then told Yu Jinyan and Zhou Chun to go back and rest.

After the younger generation had all left, Li Qinghe spoke up, "Now that the Su family is no longer an obstacle, let's immediately begin exploring the Xuanjing Stone vein and determine its size before mining it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Daoyi immediately replied, "My Zhou family is not good at mineral exploration, so I'm afraid we'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist You."

"This is easy to discuss. I, You, will lead a group to investigate shortly."

Yu Liming responded, then added, "Exploring mineral veins is relatively easy, but mining requires a lot of manpower. How should this be allocated and arranged?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Daoyi immediately stated, "Our Zhou family is short-handed, and I'm afraid we can only hire independent cultivators to do this."

Mining is an extremely dirty and tiring job. When the Zhou family and other families, such as the Wang family, jointly mined the Crimson Iron Mine, many Zhou family cultivators had enough of the mining tasks and complained about it a lot.

However, the Zhou family was really short of spirit coins at the time, so they had to rely on their clansmen to overcome the difficulties.

Now that the Zhou family is not only wealthy, they are also severely short-handed, so Zhou Daoyi naturally doesn't want his clansmen to do such dirty and tiring work anymore.

"Using independent cultivators is fine too. Mining is really not something that our clansmen are suited to do."

Yu Liming nodded slightly, agreeing with Zhou Daoyi's words.

Li Qinghe naturally didn't want a member of a prestigious Golden Core family to become a miner, so he quickly agreed.

After discussing the matter at length, the three of them finalized the general details of mining the Xuanjing Stone.

Then Yu Liming led two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Yu family to personally explore the scale of the Xuanjing Stone mine.

On the other side, after returning to the small courtyard where he lived with Zhou Chun, Zhou Daoyi quickly called Zhou Chun to his room and explained the agreement they had just reached.

Now that Zhou Chun is the head of the Zhou family, these matters will only be valid if Zhou Chun agrees.

After listening to the results of the discussion, Zhou Chun nodded in agreement and said, "I completely agree with the fact that the four families will share the raw Xuanjing Stone ore according to the agreed proportions. Our Zhou family can stockpile more of this material, as it will be an excellent resource for training family weapon-refining talents in the future."

"That's what I think too."

Zhou Daoyi smiled faintly, his thoughts mirroring those of Zhou Chun.

Zhou Chun hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but ask, "Don't you think that Miss Su from today looks a lot like Senior Su Yunniang, who hosted the auction at Xianyun Market back then?"

Now that you mention it, it's really true.

Zhou Daoyi nodded thoughtfully, then muttered to himself, "It seems that even though the Su family has become independent, they still have deep connections within the Moon Wheel Sect!"

The fact that Su Yunniang was able to preside over such a significant auction shows how highly she was regarded.

The fact that the Su family has such a figure within the Moon Wheel Sect naturally demonstrates the family's influence.

Coincidentally, just as Zhou Chun and Zhou Daoyi were discussing the striking resemblance between Su Yuzhen and Su Yunniang, Su Renmei and Su Yuzhen were also talking about him inside the Su family stronghold.

"How did you feel after our personal duel today, Yuzhen?"

In a quiet room, Su Renmei gazed gently at her niece's charming face and asked in a low voice for her opinion on today's encounter.

Su Yuzhen understood his meaning, and upon hearing this, a blush immediately appeared on her face. She said in a weak voice, "His metal element technique is indeed very domineering and fierce, with a strong and overwhelming metal energy. It should meet the requirements."

After saying that, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "But even if he meets the requirements, as the head of the Zhou family, can he really accept that kind of thing?"

Hearing this, Su Renmei couldn't help but shake her head with a smile, saying, "Yuzhen, you're still too young. If we could really form a marriage alliance with our Su family, what does a little face matter? Could the Zhou family really refuse a marriage alliance with a Golden Core family?"

Then, he slowly added, "Besides, as long as we don't tell anyone, and they don't tell anyone themselves, who outsiders would know?"

"But, but..."

Su Yuzhen blushed and murmured, wanting to say something, but unable to actually say it.

But Su Renmei understood what she meant.

His expression immediately turned serious, and he looked at her earnestly, saying, "There's no 'but' about it. Since you chose to cultivate this 'Plain Maiden Profound Art' and have mastered it to this level, you are destined to find a cultivation partner to help you overcome your tribulations!"

"Besides, the family and Ninth Grand Uncle are doing this for your own good. If you can't engage in spiritual and physical dual cultivation with a suitable partner before you open your Purple Mansion, when the tribulation of love descends upon you, it won't just be you who gets hurt!"

Upon hearing his words, Su Yuzhen lowered her head and remained silent.

She knew that now that she had cultivated to this level, it was too late to say anything.

It's all her fault for not thinking things through properly back then. She inexplicably chose to cultivate the top-tier "Plain Maiden Mystic Art" and even managed to cultivate it smoothly all the way to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Now, she and the Su family can only "make the best of a bad situation" and pay the price for the serious consequences of this cultivation technique.

"That's settled then. Once the matter of the Xuanjing Stone Mine is settled, I, Ninth Uncle, will personally discuss this with Zhou Daoyi. Zhou Chun is a junior whom he personally cultivated and promoted; he should listen to him!"

Looking at her shy niece, Su Renmei immediately made the decision.

The Su family wasn't kept waiting long afterward; with Yu Liming personally taking action, the scale of the Xuanjing Stone Mine was quickly determined.

According to the survey, the crystal mine should be a medium-sized vein with a considerable reserve and good quality.

If fully exploited, it should be able to produce nearly 100,000 spirit coins worth of raw Xuanjing Stone ore each year, enough to sustain mining for more than thirty years.

Based on this calculation, even after deducting miners' fees and other expenses, this mine should still generate a net income of over 70,000 spirit coins per year.

After being divided among the four families, the Su family will receive approximately 20,000 spirit coins, while the other three families will also receive nearly 20,000 spirit coins each. The profits are considerable!

The four major families were quite satisfied with the result.

Therefore, a general cooperation agreement was quickly signed by the four parties.

As for the specific details of the subsequent mining operations, those will naturally be arranged and handled by the heads of the four families.

After reaching a general cooperation agreement, Li Qinghe and You Liming first led their men back to their respective families to report to their ancestors.

Zhou Daoyi, however, received a telepathic message from Su Renmei and deliberately delayed his departure.

"Fellow Daoist Su has summoned me here via telepathy. May I ask what brings you here?"

Inside the Su family stronghold, Zhou Daoyi, who had come alone to the appointment, faced Su Renmei, who was hosting him alone, and asked her directly about her intentions without any politeness.

He was already full of doubts before he came. He couldn't understand why Su Renmei would invite him here by telepathy when they were meeting for the first time and had no prior relationship.

Faced with Zhou Daoyi's question, Su Renmei smiled and waved her hand, saying, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, please don't be in a hurry. Since I invited you here, I must tell you the reason."

With that, she clapped her hands lightly, and Su Yuzhen immediately pushed open the door and entered, carrying a pot of steaming hot spiritual tea into the quiet room, where she brewed a cup of hot tea for both Zhou Daoyi and Su Renmei.

Upon seeing this, Su Renmei immediately raised her hand to Zhou Daoyi and said, "Come, Fellow Daoist Zhou, please have some tea first. This is spiritual tea picked from a thousand-year-old tea tree in our Su family. Even Golden Core cultivators have praised it. I only have a mere ounce of it in my possession!"

Normally, Zhou Daoyi would never drink tea from a cultivator he had only just met.

However, the Su family is a prestigious family of Golden Core cultivators, and Su Renmei's previous demeanor was also very dignified. In addition, the spiritual tea produced by the thousand-year-old spiritual tea tree does indeed have an extraordinary appeal.

After a slight hesitation, Zhou Daoyi decided it would be impolite to refuse such hospitality. He picked up the steaming tea in front of him, nodded slightly, and said, "Since Fellow Daoist Su is so hospitable, then I, Zhou, will accept it without being impolite."

Then he took a sip of the scalding hot tea.

The body of a cultivator in the Purple Mansion stage is incredibly strong; the scalding hot tea was actually at a perfect temperature in his mouth.

The unique aroma of the spiritual tea produced by the thousand-year-old spiritual tea tree, and the special cleansing power of the tea, all made Zhou Daoyi feel that he benefited greatly and enjoyed it very much.

After closing his eyes for a while, he opened them in amazement and exclaimed, "This is truly excellent tea! What a pleasure it would be to drink this tea regularly!"

Just from that sip of tea, he felt as if his soul in his Purple Mansion had been cleansed, and he seemed to have become a little stronger.

This is no tea; it is clearly a sacred medicine to strengthen the soul!

Su Renmei seemed to understand what he was thinking, and with a wry smile, she waved her hand and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou misunderstands. The effect of this tea on strengthening the soul is only effective in the first few drinks; afterwards, you're just tasting the flavor!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Daoyi was slightly taken aback, and then a look of regret appeared on his face.

However, he did not suspect that Su Renmei was lying to him.

If this effect of strengthening the soul can truly last, then even a Golden Core family like the Su family would certainly not be able to keep such a spiritual object.

He then raised his hand and drank the remaining tea in his cup in one gulp. After savoring it again, he opened his eyes and looked at Su Renmei, saying, "Now, Fellow Daoist Su, could you explain the purpose of inviting me here today?"

The training course ends tomorrow afternoon, and I should be able to resume two updates a day the day after tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)