The elders exchanged glances, their faces paling as if struck by a sudden chill. Wang Xuhan's eyes narrowed, a flicker of calculation passing through them before he composed his expression.
The Li Family isn't here for a mere greeting. Wang Xuhan's expression remained outwardly nonchalant, but his fingers unconsciously clenched around the armrest of his chair. The unexpected arrival of the Li Family's patriarch could be anything but a cordial visit.
"Show them in."
The response was immediate, though the Li Family's patriarch did not enter alone. He was flanked by two figures: a woman whose beauty was as striking as a blade's edge clad in slutirious robe, and a young man with a smirk that seemed to dare the world itself.
The Li Family patriarch, Li Tianshu, was a man whose presence was like a boulder crashing down a mountain, unstoppable and crushing. His cultivation at the Peak of the Ninth Stage of the Golden Core realm was evident in the oppressive aura that preceded him, clad in crimson robes embroiled with clouds.
The elders of the Wang Family rose to their feet and cupped their fists. Wang Xuhan, however, remained seated, though he inclined his head in a gesture that was barely a nod.
"Brother Xuhan," Li Tianshu began, his voice smooth as polished jade yet laced with unspoken threat, "forgive my sudden visit. The morning mists grow thick in the valley... so thick one might lose their way or their fortune."
His gaze flicked to the glowing spiritual map at the hall's center, then back to Wang Xuhan. That smirk didn't touch his eyes.
"I come not as an enemy but as a neighbor who values peace and stability." His gaze shifted to the elders, lingering on each before settling back on Wang Xuhan. "I heard the Wang Family recently acquired a treasure. I'm sure it's merely a rumor, for why would the heavens bless such a modest family with a mid-grade Earth Vein?"
His words were laced with mockery, but the underlying threat was as clear as the blade.
Wang Xuhan's expression did not flicker, though the air in the hall grew heavy enough to suffocate a lesser cultivator. He slowly rose from his obsidian chair, masking the turbulent calculations racing through his mind.
A Peak Ninth Stage Golden Core cultivator was not merely a guest; he was a natural disaster given human form. It's unwise to escalate the situation. Furthermore, the seductive woman and the young man also possess powerful breaths, their Wang family is clearly at a disadvantage.
Wang Xuhan forced a smile that felt like stretching a sheet of thin ice. He bowed slightly cupping his fist.
"Patriarch Li honors our humble dwelling with his presence," Wang Xuhan said, his voice steady, belying the frantic calculations racing through his brain.
"The Valley of Morning Dew has indeed been lively of late. The spiritual qi is abundant. But a mid-grade vein? That is a treasure of legends. Surely, the rumors exaggerate a minor fluctuation in the earth dragon lines."
Li Tianshu chuckled, a dry, rasping sound that grated against the ears. He took a step forward, the simple movement causing the spiritual energy in the room to ripple violently. The pressure was immense, like standing at the bottom of a deep ocean.
"Exaggerate?" Li Tianshu mused, his eyes glinting with a predatory light. He walked past Wang Xuhan, ignoring the patriarch entirely, and approached the projection of the spiritual map. He reached out a hand, his fingers hovering over the pulsating light representing the vein. "Brother Wang, in the cultivation world, eyes are often sharper than words. Do you think I cannot smell the sweet scent of a mid-grade spiritual vein from hundreds of miles away? It reeks of opportunity."
The woman in the revealing robe, Madam Roxue, let out a soft, melodic laugh that did not reach her cold eyes. She fanned herself with a feathered fan, her gaze sweeping over the Wang elders with open disdain.
"Brother Li, you are too direct," she purred, though her spiritual sense lashed out like a whip, probing the defenses of the hall. "Patriarch Wang is merely being cautious. After all, a small family like the Wangs suddenly holding such a treasure... it is like a child holding a glowing ingot of gold in a den of thieves. It is tragic, really, how quickly such innocence is lost."
Wang Bo, standing behind Wang Xuhan, trembled. His face turned a shade of purple, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles cracked. He was a proud man, and to be insulted in his own ancestral hall was a humiliation worse than death. He took a half-step forward, his Qi flaring.
"You dare—"
Wang Xuhan moved faster. His hand shot out, gripping Wang Bo's shoulder with force. He poured his own spiritual energy into his brother, suppressing the explosive rage before it could manifest.
"Don't be a fool," his eyes communicated his thoughts. "They want a reason to kill us..."
Wang Bo froze, his chest heaving, sweat beading on his forehead. He swallowed the blood rising in his throat and stepped back, his head bowed.
Li Tianshu didn't even look back. He knew exactly what had happened. It was all part of the theater. He turned slowly, his robes settling around him.
"Your Second Elder has spirit," Li Tianshu said, his voice devoid of genuine praise. "Spirit is good. But spirit does not stop a sword. Nor does it stop the Chen or Zhao families from circling like vultures."
He gestured to the seductive woman. "She is Madam Roxue from the formation Pavilion, and this right here, is Young Master Jue from neighboring valley... We are here to make a deal regarding the Earth vein. So, shall we talk or NOT!?"
Li Tianshu didn't wait for an invitation. He swept his crimson robes and sat down in the Patriarch's seat, the very chair Wang Xuhan had just vacated. It was a calculated insult, a physical assertion of dominance that screamed: I Am Already The Master Here.
Wang Xuhan clenched his jaw. The man's audacity was almost impressive.
"You come to our land, sit in my seat, and ask for a talk?" His eyes flicked to Madam Roxue's mocking smile. "A talk, or an ultimatum...?"
"Ha," Li Tianshu chuckled, a rasping sound that sent a chill down Wang Xuhan's spine. He crossed his legs, lounging back in the chair with an unruffled nonchalance.
"If I wanted to issue an ultimatum," he said, his tone light, "I would not need to ask. Your main hall would be ash by now."
Wang Xuhan felt a cold knot tighten in his gut, but he forced his breathing to remain rhythmic. To lose one's composure before a predator was to invite the bite. He walked slowly to the side of the hall and took a seat on a lower stone stool, a deliberate choice. By lowering himself physically, he paradoxically elevated his moral standing, casting Li Tianshu as the boorish invader.
Alas, what's morality to a cultivator with a firm heart and a clear mind?
"Since Patriarch Li speaks of ash and ruin," Wang Xuhan said, his voice smooth as polished jade, "it seems the hospitality of the Wang is lost on you. Please, enlighten us. What exactly does the Li Family require from a humble clan like ours?"
Li Tianshu leaned forward, the leather of the chair creaking under his shifting weight. He didn't bother with pleasantries. "The vein. I want it."
The silence in the hall was absolute. It was the silence of a grave.
Wang Bo let out a strangled sound, half-gasp, half-sob. "You! You! You!... This is robbery! The vein is in our territory!"
"Silence!!! Worm!"
The rebuke didn't come from Li Tianshu, but from the young man, Young Master Jue. He didn't shout; he merely flicked his wrist. A streak of crimson light, condensed from pure killing intent, shot across the room like a whip.
Crack.
It struck Wang Bo's chest. The protective talisman he wore shattered into dust. Wang Bo, a Peak Foundation Establishment expert powerful enough to shatter boulders, was lifted off his feet and thrown back like a rag doll. He crashed into the stone pillar, sliding down to the floor, coughing up a spray of blood that stained the pristine jade tiles dark red.
The violence was instantaneous, precise, and terrifyingly casual as if it was nothing more than a daily mundane act.
"Junior Brother Jue," Madam Roxue giggled behind her fan, her eyes dancing with cruel amusement. "You must be gentle. The Wangs are a fragile family. If you break all their toys, who will be left to manage the mines?"
Jue smirked, dusting his hands. "My apologies, Madam. I merely dislike the buzzing of flies."
"Brother Wang... Don't mind them. Let's talk about Earth Vein. The Earth Vein occupies a large area. It's unrealistic for your small family to control it all. I am here to help you...."
"Based on my calculation a 15-chamber cave can be established there. 4 seats each shall be allocated to the Formation Pavilion, the Jue family, and my Li family, and the remaining 3 seats shall be reserved for your Wang family for cultivation. Madam Roxue will oversee the formations to hide the Earth vein, our three families will protect it, with your Wang family will handle the daily operations and creation of the cultivation cave."
Li Tianshu spoke with the ease of a man discussing the division of a hunted deer, completely ignoring the fact that the deer was still alive and standing right in front of him.
He poured himself the spiritual tea and took a sip. "Think carefully, having three seats is already a blessing for your Wang Family. It's Win-win for all parties."
Hiding the Earth Vein is certainly possible even from a force like the Azure Cloud Sect. That's also the reason, why the alliance didn't wish to wipe out the Wang family and maintain harmony. If the Wang Family were to perish, other forces would surely sense something.
The Wang Family has no choice but to accept it. They must take the bitter pill and accept the deal. Obtaining three seats is certainly beneficial to their family.
Wang Xuhan took a deep breath. The air tasted like steel and the scent of blood was everywhere. Accepting the deal was tantamount to submitting to Li Tianshu's dominance, but the offer wasn't completely intolerable... He was in a dilemma.
The offer seems too good.
The Formation Pavilion, the Jue family, and the Li Family aren't the top families.
'There is no way they would make a move here... It will certainly attract the sense of a higher powerhouse. And if we were to reveal the Earth Vein to the Azure Cloud Sect. There is no guarantee that the Sect would provide a seat to our family... However, this Li seems to be playing chess here using us as pawns. What if we form an alliance and control the Earth Vein but the Li Family secretly revealed it to the sect!? The Jue Family and their Wang Family will be filled out and the formation pavilion will be suppressed.'
Wang Xuhan's mind was a storm of lightning, dissecting Li Tianshu's proposal with ruthless precision. On the surface, it was a lifeline thrown to a drowning man.
The question is whether to trust or not. Or perhaps form an alliance and betray them before they can betray you.
Hmm... Games, games, and games.
But would Li Tianshu, a man who crushed his enemies with the weight of mountains, truly share a vision of such magnitude?
Even acting like a dog and showing your loyalty to the sect might only offer a seat or two.
'Am I thinking too much?! The offer is beneficial for everyone. The other three parties are getting too much for investing nothing...' Wang Xuhan thought, his mind racing through the possibilities.
"Brother Li... Your offer is as heavy as a mountain, and my Wang Family is but a small boat upon a stormy sea," Wang Xuhan said slowly, his voice carefully measured.
"To think that the Formation Pavilion and the Jue Family would honor us with their presence... it is truly a fortune that makes one tremble."
Wang Xuhan bowed, his spine bending just enough to show respect without breaking. "However, to manage the daily operations of a mid-grade vein requires significant manpower and resources. My clan is already stretched thin. If we are to open the valley to your esteemed guests, we would need to... restructure our own cultivation arrangements. Three chambers... it is a generous slice, but can it truly sustain a family that acts as the shield for such a treasure?"
He was fishing. He needed to know if Li Tianshu viewed them as partners, or merely as disposable laborers to be discarded once the formations were in place.
Li Tianshu took another sip of tea, the porcelain cup clicking softly against the saucer. He set it down with deliberate slowness. He hated being tested.
"Brother Wang, you worry too much like an old woman," Li Tianshu said, his tone patronizingly gentle. "What's there to manage!? Once the cave is formed and chambers are created, we will send our Elders to cultivate. One can manage their own seats. Your family only needs to make sure that people cultivating aren't disturbed."
The meaning behind his words was clear as day. The work is as minimal as drinking water.
"This Wang is enlightened. However, even the smallest boat requires an anchor," Wang Xuhan pressed, his gaze fixed on Li Tianshu. "If we are to be the gatekeepers of this cave, we must ensure that our family's foundation remains unshakable. Three chambers... is it enough to secure our future?"
Li Tianshu leaned back, his fingers steepled under his chin. His gaze sharpened, the pretense of camaraderie melting away like morning frost under the sun.
"Patriarch Wang, you are as shrewd as a fox sensing the trap," Li Tianshu said, his voice losing its earlier joy. "Very well, I will speak plainly. Your family's future hinges on your ability to keep this vein secure. With formation already in place, your family has to do the least... Obtaining 3 seats is already the best, you are a smart man, being too greedy is like hitting your own foot with an axe."
"Oooh! Hitting your own foot with an axe?! Quite interesting pray tell more."