Shen Liqian didn't rush his people.
He allowed them to talk with each other freely and without stress.
Too much pressure could lead to bad ideas and terrible advice.
He drew a slow breath and let his shoulders loosen.
Once the elders heard his reassurance, they began talking and exchanging views.
The low murmur in the hall settled into steady voices.
Their ideas reached Shen Liqian.
The elders also asked him a few questions to broaden their understanding and to gather a bit more intel.
After roughly ten minutes, Shen Wei stood and asked for the floor.
"I'm all ears, Elder Wei."
Shen Liqian gestured for the old man to speak.
Shen Wei cupped his hands.
"Thank you, Chief.
"We have come to the conclusion that it's best to reward hunters with items that can benefit them and their families.
"For instance, the flower of our clan, Frostheart Snowcup.
"Since it can be fully digested, we believe the best option is to split the flower into its edible parts and reward hunters one by one, with the seeds of those flowers being the main reward for the best hunters of each month."
Effects of each edible part would be felt by everyone in the Shen Clan, as their cultivation base was at the lowest of the low.
This, in turn, would motivate them to work harder to obtain the other parts and eventually the entire flower for themselves and their families.
Shen Liqian nodded.
Shen Lijian raised his hand.
"Feel free to speak, Father."
Shen Lijian smiled.
"Those flowers can be cultivated, so we can also offer jobs to those who don't want to continue as hunters and have them cultivate our stockpile of flowers.
"Clever hunters will send their wives or children to learn the cultivation method.
"It will help us see who look ahead and who only follow orders."
Both options had advantages and disadvantages, but neither was unwanted.
It would simply help Shen Liqian sort the clan's population and give them tasks that matched their personalities and intelligence.
Shen Liqian created new panels in his Clan Cultivation System.
He then spoke to his people.
"Thank you for your input, everyone.
"Without a doubt, Frostheart Snowcups are currently our main incentive, so we will capitalize on them.
"But we also have dark stones native to our land, which we use for many things."
Cooking, bathing, or just keeping rooms warm—those stones were useful.
"How deep have we gone into the caves?"
Shen Liqian asked.
All hunters and elders grew disappointed at the mention of their cave expeditions.
Heads dipped along the benches.
No one wanted to answer, as though the whole blame would befall them.
Shen Lijian replied at last.
"Not deep at all.
"Those caves adapt to the seasons.
"In winter, they're colder than outside.
"In summer, too hot.
"Beasts have adapted well and rule those caves, while we can only peek into them and mine anything useful."
Shen Liqian kept his face neutral.
"Understood," he said.
It quickly became evident that his clan needed maps, better cultivation bases, and methods to match the beasts' immense adaptation.
"We will keep an eye on the beasts for now and attack areas showing signs of overpopulation."
"I will leave Hunter Pavilion to Senior Taofeng, Elder Wei, and my Father."
"We need a proper building, personnel, and storage, preferably close to the main plaza."
The room steadied around his voice.
"How much time do you need to form a team of six hunters, Senior Taofeng?"
Taofeng replied with enthusiasm.
"I can get it done today!"
A spark of energy moved through the hall.
Shen Liqian smiled.
"Great.
"You're free to start focusing on it right now.
"I will also start cultivation sessions with our youngest generation.
"They have a lot of time on their hands.
"We need adults to keep our village going.
"But once kids start showing the results of their cultivation, the adults will find motivation as well.
"We will start with small batches, and each session will have around thirty kids whenever I am available.
"I need someone to pass the news to families willing to send their little ones to me."
Shen Liqian didn't lack people for his tasks.
Soon, the meeting concluded, and everyone got to work.
It was now just Shen Liqian and his vassals in the Audience Hall.
Shen Jixian sighed with relief and held his chest.
"That was stressful."
Some of the weight in Liqian's chest eased.
"Yeah," Shen Yiren replied.
"Huh?
"You were stressed?"
Shen Jixian sounded confused.
All this time, Shen Yiren had stood silent and emotionless like a weapon ready to kill anyone who oppressed his lord.
Little did Shen Jixian and Shen Liqian know that Shen Yiren had been so nervous he couldn't make any expression, let alone smile or nod.
Shen Jixian widened his eyes in shock.
"I want that!
"I was sweating hard, trembling, and my voice cracked like hell!
"I'd rather look emotionless like you.
"Those elders and hunters have such presence, you know?
"Even if I might be stronger than them now, I can't deal with it yet.
"Ah, man."
Shen Liqian smiled.
"You two did well and will get more comfortable with more meetings."
Shen Yiren nodded.
So did Shen Jixian, though he was also surprised by how well Shen Liqian handled the matters.
"It's like you went through all of this already," he said.
Shen Liqian chuckled.
He drew courage and inspiration from his past life, but Shen Jixian would never believe him, so he left it at that.
"Since you mentioned experience, do you want to head out with Senior Taofeng's group for their first hunt?"
Shen Liqian asked his vassals.
Shen Yiren and Shen Jixian nodded at once.
Only in the wilderness, where strength played the most crucial role, would these two be able to put their new cultivation strength to use and grow stronger.
Shen Liqian would also take his vassals hunting later on, so it would only benefit them to have some proper experience.
Hunter Pavilion would help others decide whether they wanted to be hunters or not.
And the incoming sessions with the youngest generation will bless me with my first rewards.
I will spend all those rewards on improving the clan.
My clan's strength is my strength.
But only if every hunter works toward their own strength will we be able to conquer all mountains together and unveil all their secrets.
Building his people's strength and receiving rewards from them was a marathon, not a sprint.
Shen Liqian also needed time for himself.
Shen Liqian smiled.
"Well, let's head over to the kitchen then."
He stood and picked up Zhiyin under his arm.
He walked with his vassals to the kitchen, where his mother and Wenwan were already preparing dishes with Frostheart Snowcup for Taofeng and other hunters.
Each edible part turned into a delicious meal.
Steam fogged the window and softened the room.
Petals steeped in boiled water to make tea.
No one in the clan had ever had tea, so with the addition of nectar, it'd be a huge surprise.
The best part was that even though the tea was hot, the Cold Qi from the Frostheart Snowcup remained.
The same went for the Beast Stew the ladies prepared with the Frostheart Snowcup's root.
Adding rock salt and a handful of greens found in the forest, they cooked a lavish meal that made Shen Liqian and his vassals' mouths water.
"Yiren and Jixian will eat this as well since they will be going on the first hunt," Shen Liqian said as the ladies turned toward him, cupping their hands.
Once Shen Wenwan heard that her son would go on the first hunt, she smiled sweetly and added her love to the Beast Stew.
"Lots of mom's love for her strong son!"
"Don't overdo it, Wenwan."
"There's no overdoing when it comes to love, right?"
The ladies laughed, while the boys awkwardly took seats.
Only Shen Liqian laughed along with his mother and Shen Wenwan, but he never truly felt the same age as Shen Yiren and Shen Jixian.
Zhiyin was now free.
She walked onto the table and looked into the dishes.
"I expected Cold Qi from the roots and petals to be at least half gone, but these two actually cooked so well that most of the Qi remains intact.
"It looks like your mother and Shen Wenwan have a talent for alchemy.
"It's not easy to mix ingredients cultivated for a thousand years with ones that have barely seen the world."
Hearing Zhiyin's assessment, Shen Liqian's smile widened.
His grin tugged a little higher.
Yet another good piece of news.
Maybe many housewives are good at alchemy because of the living circumstances they're used to.