In Ling Changqing’s eyes, the Mu Family Envoy’s proposal was a conspiracy—a sche to put the Ling Family in an impossible position.
He was certain that if they agreed to this deal, it would be "accidentally" leaked before long.
Then, the smaller powers around Longhuan Island would inevitably grow suspicious and band together for mutual protection, jointly resisting the Ling Family’s pressure.
At that point, the Ling Family would surely be targeted and isolated by the surrounding sea regions.
And the Mu Family might even seize the opportunity to play the good guy, buying off and winning over those smaller powers to cause trouble for the Ling Family. Their calculations were all too shrewd.
Obviously, Ling Qiyue understood this as well. After a mont of thought, she coldly rejected the offer.
When one’s strength is insufficient, one should not expose one’s ambitions too early. This holds true for individuals and powers alike.
Mu Qinning gave a helpless smile and didn’t press the matter. He could see that this Female Patriarch was not easily fooled.
’Faced with such a shrewd and powerful opponent, it seems the family’s subsequent plans will have to be adjusted.’
"...Alright. Since your esteed family does not approve of this proposal, perhaps we could engage in so friendly cooperation in other areas?"
Mu Qinning continued, "Our two families have no irreconcilable grudges from the past, and our strengths are comparable. Wouldn’t it be better to seek common ground while reserving differences and work together for a win-win situation?"
"What do you have in mind?"
Ling Qiyue said coldly. ’In any case, I will never sell Elixir resources to outsiders. Not a single Elixir.’
’As for helping them refine Foundation Establishnt Pills? That’s even more of a pipe dream. No matter what they offered, she would never agree.’
Mu Qinning took out a Jade Scroll that glittered with silver light and said:
"Ten years ago, while gathering resources on the seabed, our family’s Cultivators accidentally discovered a Spirit Stone Deposit of rather high quality. Its scale is also quite rare."
"A Spirit Stone Deposit?"
Ling Qiyue’s eyes flickered as she asked with a hint of doubt. The surrounding Elders also showed varied expressions.
The Feiyu Sea Region was vast, and of course, so islands had Spirit Stone Veins, but they were generally small in scale and mostly consisted of Low Grade Spirit Stone Veins.
As for Spirit Stone Veins of Middle Grade or higher, they were usually located in the heartlands of continents or giant islands, monopolized by the major powers. Outsiders couldn’t even dream of them.
The Ling Family’s Zenxin Island and Longhuan Island both had Spirit Stone Veins, but their scale was limited and they were difficult to mine, so the annual output wasn’t very high.
The resources on the vast, boundless seabed were extrely rich; there was certainly no shortage of Spirit Stone Veins.
But whether one could find them, and whether one could successfully mine them after finding them, was another matter entirely.
Mu Qinning handed the Jade Scroll to the Maid beside him, who then presented it to Ling Qiyue.
Ling Qiyue took it and probed it briefly with her Divine Sense. The Jade Scroll was a Low Grade Magical Artifact, inscribed with a Terrain Map of the seabed. The location of the Spirit Stone Deposit was clearly marked.
"...Isn’t this ridiculously difficult? It’s over twelve hundred fathoms deep, and there are surely nurous deep-sea beasts entrenched nearby. How could anyone possibly mine it?"
Ling Qiyue frowned. The Spirit Stone Vein was indeed large, but in such a Deep Sea Region, one could only imagine how difficult it would be to mine.
Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivators shouldn’t even think about it; going down there would be a death sentence. It would also be extrely dangerous for Foundation Establishnt Stage Cultivators. If they were targeted by certain deep-sea beasts, their escape would depend entirely on luck.
One would need to be at least at the level of a Pseudo Core master to have so confidence in even attempting it. But the consumption of various Talismanic Magical Artifacts would certainly not be small, and it was hard to say if they could even recoup their investnt.
Mu Qinning said, "Female Patriarch, you possess the ans of a Golden Core Master, and our Mu Family does as well. When the ti cos, if our two families join forces to escort a group of Foundation Establishnt Cultivators down, we can absolutely mine a batch of Spirit Stones and bring them back."
Ling Qiyue’s gaze hardened, and she stared at Mu Qinning without speaking.
Sitting to the side, Tang Qiu Yao spoke up, "Has the Mu Family produced a Golden Core Master?"
Mu Qinning smiled faintly. "It’s true. After many years of accumulation, our family has gathered the resources for Core Formation."
"A month ago, our Patriarch received so assistance from the Xingyun sun Comrce Association and finally decided to break through to the Golden Core Realm. Fortunately, he succeeded!"
As soon as he said this, the surrounding Elders were visibly moved. Even Ling Changqing frowned in silence.
But on second thought, it was understandable. The Mu Family had maintained over ten Foundation Establishnt Cultivators for years. Their foundation was already far superior to the Wu Family’s, let alone the Ling Family of the past.
For such a family, it was entirely possible to gather the Core Formation Resources after long years of effort.
Especially with the help from the Xingyun sun Comrce Association, it wasn’t outrageous to think the Mu Family’s Patriarch could successfully achieve Core Formation.
So now, with the Mu Family and the Ling Family each possessing a Golden Core Master, their top-tier combat strength was on the sa level. The competition and strategic gas to co would clearly not be so simple.
Ling Qiyue said thoughtfully, "Since your family already has a Golden Core Master presiding over it, you could handle this yourselves. Why co to the Ling Family?"
Mu Qinning explained, "Relying on our Patriarch alone, our strength is still a bit thin. If two Golden Core Masters were to join forces, the situation would be much better."
"Besides, we don’t trust outside powers. After thinking it over, we decided that allying with your Ling Family would be the most suitable option."
From the Mu Family’s perspective, if they let outsiders—for example, Hanyue Gate—know about this, it would be tantamount to letting the wolf into the sheepfold.
The other party would surely dominate and monopolize all the benefits of the underwater Spirit Stone Vein. The Mu Family wouldn’t even get a sip of the soup, and they might even be exterminated to prevent the secret of the vein from leaking.
Therefore, the Ling Family, which also had a Golden Core Master, beca the Mu Family’s most suitable partner for an alliance at present. Other powers had limited strength and were not qualified to participate.
Ling Qingying’s delicate brows rose slightly. Mu Qinning’s explanation seed logically self-consistent; she couldn’t find any flaws in it.
But whether there were other hidden traps, well, that was hard to say.
She didn’t believe for a second that the Mu Family would be so kind as to share such a precious underwater Spirit Stone Deposit with another family.
Besides, even if it were true, the prize was too difficult to claim. At a depth of twelve hundred fathoms, the various deep-sea beasts were not to be trifled with.
After a long, thoughtful silence, Ling Qiyue finally spoke:
"We will seriously consider your proposal. However, this is a matter of great importance, and we will need so ti before we can give you an answer."
Mu Qinning wore an expression that said he had expected as much. He spoke gently:
"In that case, I will take my leave. You may keep the Jade Scroll, Female Patriarch. I hope our two families can cooperate sincerely in the future."
Ling Qiyue nodded, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then instructed Tang Qiu Yao to escort the Mu Family Elder out.
A mont later, a Flying Ship over a hundred feet long slowly ascended, leaving Longhuan Island and flying toward the distant horizon.
Inside a cabin, a grim-faced Mu Qinning stood by the porthole with his hands behind his back, silent.
"...Elder, by letting the Ling Family have this underwater Terrain Map, aren’t we just nurturing a tiger that will co back to bite us?"
Beside him, the beautiful Female Cultivator spoke in a low voice.
As a high-ranking mber of the family, she naturally knew what an enormous price the family had paid for this underwater deposit back then.
Mu Qinning turned his head to look at his Direct Lineage junior and said aningfully:
"For prey that is both highly valuable and sufficiently cunning, the bait must be substantial, or it will never take the hook."
"The value of this underwater Spirit Stone Deposit is indeed astonishing, but to our family, it’s a ’chicken rib’—sothing of dubious value. Even a power like Hanyue Gate couldn’t hope to touch it!"
Back then, Mu Qinning had personally ventured into the Deep Sea with the Patriarch and others to investigate the Spirit Stone Deposit.
They had only observed from a great distance for a short while, but they discovered that the communities of deep-sea beasts in the area around the deposit were unimaginably nurous. Even terrifying Third Grade beasts had appeared.
In such a deadly situation, even a true Golden Core Master probably wouldn’t dare risk their life. It would require a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator to be personally present to guarantee absolute safety.
In other words, even in three or five hundred years, even if the future Mu Family grew to the level of Hanyue Gate, they would still be unable to do anything about this underwater deposit.
That being the case, it was better to use this Spirit Stone Deposit to set a trap, let the Ling Family fall deep into it, and eliminate this troubleso opponent ahead of ti.
"...I’m sure of it. That Female Patriarch won’t remain indifferent. She will definitely go to investigate it herself soon."
Mu Qinning’s voice was low. "As long as she dares to co, the contingency we’ve laid in ambush will be triggered. At that point, targeted by nurous Third Grade deep-sea beasts, I’m afraid she will be staying at the bottom of the sea forever!"
The Jade Scroll itself had no issues; the underwater Terrain Map and the Spirit Stone Deposit were all real.
However, as long as Ling Qiyue dared to co investigate the Spirit Stone Deposit, the mont she approached within a certain distance, the Mu Family’s hidden asures would be passively activated, driving the countless surrounding sea beasts into a frenzy.
The Female Cultivator ca to a sudden realization. "I see. Our family can’t hope to claim this Spirit Stone Deposit, but the Ling Family’s territory is a tangible benefit we can see."
Mu Qinning laughed. "Exactly. As long as Ling Qiyue perishes at the bottom of the sea—or is even just seriously injured—our Mu Family can seize the opportunity to swallow the Ling Family’s entire foundation, further expanding our family’s influence!"
This was the entire plan of the Mu Family’s upper echelon. In the past, they hadn’t taken the Ling Family seriously, but given the current situation, if they didn’t eliminate this opponent as soon as possible, the future Mu Family would likely face the crisis of annihilation.
...
「Longhuan Island.」
"...Little Junior Brother, what are your thoughts on this matter?"
In an inner chamber filled with a faint fragrance, Ling Qiyue handed the Jade Scroll to Ling Changqing and asked in a soft, gentle voice.
Ling Changqing silently inspected the Jade Scroll for a mont before saying calmly:
"This thing is real, but so is the conspiracy. It all depends on how you plan to proceed, Senior Sister."
He had no concrete evidence, but he could clearly feel the deep malice radiating from Mu Qinning.
And while this Jade Scroll had no attached Restriction Traps, he could still sense a thick aura of malice and foreboding from it.
"A conspiracy is to be expected."
Ling Qiyue didn’t look particularly surprised. She hadn’t held any expectations for the Mu Family in the first place, so this outco was within her calculations.
Tang Qiu Yao asked, "From what you’re saying, Little Junior Brother, does that an we can turn this around and make the Mu Family suffer a loss?"
Ling Changqing thought for a mont. "That might be very difficult, but... I suppose we could give it a try?"
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