Several days passed.
An official docunt from Dragon Head Peak finally arrived.
The contents outlined four main points.
First, all Spirit Stone resources within the Ghost Immortal Blessed Land would be split, with the Divination Sect taking fifty percent and the remaining fifty percent being turned over to the Sect.
Second, aside from Spirit Stones, all other resources were to be managed at the discretion of the Divination Sect.
Third, all expenses related to the mining of the Spirit Stone Veins were to be borne by the Divination Sect.
Fourth, after the Sect’s experts entered the blessed land and surveyed the Spirit Stone Veins, they established a production standard. The annual yield of Spirit Stones from this blessed land was not to fall below a certain amount.
...
Wang Xiu read the official docunt, his head throbbing.
How could that crafty old Sect Leader be so willing to accept a loss? Though Master outsmarted him and he agreed to a fifty percent share, he still found other ways to recoup his losses!
The docunt stated: [All expenses related to mining operations, including labor, shall be borne by the Divination Sect!]
In other words, the Divination Sect has to find its own miners. And we have to pay their wages, too.
According to Dragon Head Peak, with great reward cos great responsibility. Since the Divination Sect was taking a fifty percent share—more than any other branch—it was only reasonable that they shoulder these costs. Furthermore, a production quota had been set. The specialists from Dragon Head Peak had already calculated the vein’s potential annual yield. If the actual amount mined fell significantly short of this figure, the Immortal Sect would likely consider reducing the Divination Sect’s share, as it would prove they lacked the capability to manage the mining operation independently. To ensure the blessed land was utilized to its full potential, the Immortal Sect would very well take over the affair. Correspondingly, the Divination Sect’s share would also be reduced.
The procedure was airtight, and the rationale was perfectly sound. Wang Xiu couldn’t find any loopholes. Then again, this was a standard template for official business; it couldn’t exactly be called a targeted attack.
...
Now, the problem was obvious. The Divination Sect had only a scant few mbers. Accomplishing the grand task of mining on their own was completely out of the question. They had to hire people.
Wang Xiu currently had so savings, enough to handle costs in the short term. But the issue was, even with money, who would be willing to work for them? Luo Binglan’s recent actions and attitude had once again offended nearly every branch. The old moniker, "Sha of Sanqing," which had rarely been ntioned in recent years, was suddenly back in vogue.
He didn’t even need to ask. It was undoubtedly the branch heads, who had been put in their place by Luo Binglan, that were fanning the flas. As it turned out, Luo Binglan’s bad cop routine had been masterfully executed. The results had been stunningly effective—so effective, in fact, that now disciples throughout the Immortal Sect went out of their way to avoid Spirit Turtle Peak.
Mining wasn’t exactly a glorious profession to begin with. They were all cultivators, after all. Who would willingly swallow their pride to co work for the Divination Sect? Just the thought of it revealed what an imnsely daunting task this would be.
Should I spend money to hire people from outside? The thought had barely surfaced before Wang Xiu imdiately squashed it. Impossible! The Sanqing Immortal Sect’s acquisition of a new blessed land must be kept secret for as long as possible. We can’t afford to expose it so carelessly. Amassing wealth in silence is the only way.
...
After racking his brains for what felt like an eternity, Wang Xiu still couldn’t co up with a solution.
Just then, Jiang Ling’er’s voice ca from outside the courtyard. "Senior Brother, are you ho?"
Wang Xiu stood up and opened the door. He saw Jiang Ling’er standing charmingly at the entrance, her face tinged with an embarrassed blush.
Puzzled, Wang Xiu asked, "What’s wrong? Is sothing the matter?"
Jiang Ling’er glanced around cautiously. "Senior Brother, may I co in to talk?"
His curiosity piqued, Wang Xiu stepped aside. After she entered the courtyard, he chuckled, "What’s really going on? You’re acting like a thief."
Jiang Ling’er carefully looked up at Wang Xiu and said hesitantly, "Senior Brother, I wanted to ask you for a loan!"
"A loan? How much?" Wang Xiu asked.
Jiang Ling’er bit her lip and held up one hand.
"Five thousand?"
Jiang Ling’er shook her head. "Fifty thousand Spirit Stones!"
Wang Xiu: "!!!"
"Senior Brother, don’t worry, I’ll definitely pay it back!" Jiang Ling’er said hurriedly.
Wang Xiu shook his head with a faint smile. "That’s not the issue. What do you need so much money for?"
Jiang Ling’er clenched her jaw. "It’s my master. She needs a rare material to refine a secret treasure, and it’s... a little expensive."
Hearing this, the corner of Wang Xiu’s mouth twitched. "So, it was Elder Jiang who sent you to borrow money from , right?"
"I’m not, I didn’t, that’s nonsense!" Before Jiang Ling’er could even speak, Jiang Yourong popped out, her face flushed red as she shook her head vehently.
For an elder like her, one even older than his own master, to borrow money from a junior... How humiliating was that? The re thought made it hard to even bring up. But the ingredient was exceedingly rare and difficult to acquire even if one had the money. She had recently heard that it had appeared at the auction house in Vermilion Bird City. If she missed this chance, there was no telling when another would co. That was why she couldn’t restrain herself and had sent Jiang Ling’er to borrow the funds from Wang Xiu.
Wang Xiu just smiled softly. His pockets were bulging now; parting with 50,000 Spirit Stones was no great effort. Besides, the more Jiang Yourong recovered her strength, the more effective her blessings would be for him in the future. It was a win-win situation. He had almost no hesitation and was about to take out the money.
But halfway through the motion, a flash of inspiration struck him. He suddenly rembered sothing.
Borrowing money... borrowing money... Wait! How could I have forgotten about this?
His eyes lit up with excitent. "Ling’er, Elder Jiang, wait right here! Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back!"
With that, he was off like greased lightning, leaving Spirit Turtle Peak in a flash.
Inside the house, Jiang Ling’er and Jiang Yourong stared at Wang Xiu’s departing figure, then at each other.
"Master, did Senior Brother just... refuse us?"
"Isn’t it obvious? Of course he did!" Jiang Yourong huffed, her ample chest heaving with indignation. "That stinker is just as stingy as his master! Isn’t our friendship worth that much? Wang Xiu has a whole mine to his na now, yet he won’t even lend us this small amount! Outrageous!"
...
「Not long afterward.」
A shower of paper rained down upon the major branches of the Sanqing Immortal Sect.
"What the hell! What’s going on?"
"Who has no decency, littering like this?"
"Hey, Senior Brother, there’s sothing written on this!"
"What is it? Let see!"
A disciple picked up a sheet of paper and looked closely. "Divination Sect Immortal Loans? What’s this?"
The paper was covered with a drawing of a rich Spirit Stone Vein, beneath which a line of text was written.
"Are you still troubled by a lack of funds? Still agonizing over an empty purse? Still breaking your back for a few asly Spirit Stones?
Introducing Divination Sect Immortal Loans! Small loans, no worries! Large loans, at your command! Let us secure your path to prosperity!
For more details, please inquire at Spirit Turtle Peak!"
— Wang Xiu, Chief Disciple of the Divination Sect
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