Storms Begin to Stir

The banquet proceeded extremely smoothly. The eight families cleanly divided the responsibility for the dozen or so medicinal ingredients of the Green Jade Pill, with each family taking on the cultivation of one or two types.

Several families even vied for the rights to cultivate the more precious medicinal ingredients.

This was not only because of the greater profits involved, but also due to Huang Zhengming's promise: those who cultivated more spirit plants and bore a heavier burden would have priority in purchasing the Green Jade Pill.

Although the Huang family was willing to sell the Green Jade Pill at a fair price, everyone knew the quantity would be severely limited. With many cultivators and little porridge, whoever secured their purchase first would naturally reap the greatest benefits.

The Green Lotus was one of the main ingredients of the Green Jade Pill. As a first-grade spirit plant, it greatly preferred water and moisture. Since the Zhao family's Miaoyun Mountain possessed abundant spring water, they quickly seized the share for its cultivation.

The Clear Spirit Grass, which grew on mountain peaks and sheer cliffs, was snatched up by the Fan and Yu families. The other medicinal ingredients were similarly divided until nothing remained.

Only the White Marrow Grass-despite being an extremely vital main ingredient-saw no family willing to step forward and plant it. It was only after Zhou Minghu voiced that his own family could not cultivate much of it that the other families reluctantly agreed to plant some within their respective domains.

The Huang family could produce about two hundred daughter plants each year. The Zhou family took charge of planting forty percent of these, while the other six families shared the remaining sixty percent.

This was naturally a decision Zhou Minghu had made after careful deliberation. Only by encouraging more families to cultivate the White Marrow Grass and allowing the Zhou clan to blend seamlessly among them could they quietly amass their fortune.

Cultivating less White Marrow Grass would also reduce the toll taken on Baixi Mountain. No matter what, they had to consider the future of their descendants.

Furthermore, a single giant White Marrow Grass could be split to count as five ordinary plants. As long as the Zhou clan planted a few near the Purple Gold Vine, along with a modest supplementary patch, they could easily fulfill their forty percent share. When the time came, this would free up space to cultivate other spirit plants.

Now that the Li and Song families had firmly established themselves in the market, there was no fear of lacking eager buyers.

Huang Zhengming raised his wine cup and laughed with bold spirit, "Hahaha! May our four southern counties grow ever more prosperous and flourishing, and may our Great Dao be smooth and unimpeded!"

The crowd returned the salute with earnest congratulations. Cups were exchanged and toasts were made, creating an exceedingly lively atmosphere.

Once the banquet concluded, Huang Zhengming signed a formal covenant with the gathered families. In the process, he also formally dissolved the Dao covenant with the Zhou family.

Back then, the Huang family had forged the covenant merely to blind others to their true actions-a move that was, ultimately, less than honorable. Now that they intended to stand as the head of the eight families, they naturally had to treat the others with sincerity to win their conviction.

After all, each of the eight families had their own strengths and weaknesses.

The Huang family produced pills, the Zhao family sold talismans, and the Fang family was renowned for their formations. As for the Fan, Wan, Wei, and Meng families, though they lacked any prominent mastery in the hundred cultivation arts, they each possessed distinct characteristics. Even the Zhou family, who had risen to power late, boasted the Baixi Brew that was famous far and wide.

Only by uniting to face external threats could they avoid internal friction and maximize their collective benefits.

Baixi Mountain

Zhou Ping was in the midst of guiding Zhou Qianling in her cultivation when his body and soul suddenly trembled. An invisible shackle shattered, causing his entire being to feel suddenly weightless.

"How has the Dao covenant with the Huang family vanished? Could some unforeseen event have befallen them?" Zhou Ping wondered aloud. "Xuanya, has the merchant enterprise received any news from the market?"

"A caravan returned this morning. Everything at the market remains peaceful," Zhou Xuanya replied, pausing his work.

The Zhou family's merchant caravans conducted vast amounts of trade, spanning more than half the territory of Qingshui County. Naturally, it also served as the clan's web of intelligence.

"When the caravan returns tomorrow, bring me the news from the market immediately."

"I understand, Father."

Not far away, Zhou Chengyuan stood bare-chested, gripping a wooden sword as he practiced his martial forms, already raining with sweat.

Yet that wooden sword seemed sharper than any iron blade. As it swung through the air, it let out a sharp whistle, radiating a fierce and biting edge.

...

As Zhou Minghu and his group departed the tavern, news of the Green Jade Pill naturally spread like wildfire. Although it was not known by absolutely everyone, the cultivators within the market had more or less caught wind of it.

Inside the Li family shop, Li Kongyun was boiling with fury. With a single palm strike, he shattered a wooden table into pieces, sending jagged splinters flying across the room.

"So the Huang family was truly refining the Green Jade Pill!"

As one of the powers producing the Green Jade Pill in Zhaoping Commandery, the Li family was naturally extremely sensitive to its various medicinal ingredients. Even though the Huang family had kept their daily operations deeply hidden, they had still left behind scattered traces.

Thus, after harboring suspicions, the Li and Song families had descended upon Pingyun Market, heavily buying up these medicinal ingredients at inflated prices to completely corner the trade of the Green Jade Pill.

But they never imagined that not only was the Huang family genuinely refining the pills, but they had actually succeeded!

A moment later, Li Kongyun shouted, "Li Quanhai, hurry back to the clan and inform the elders!"

A young man stepped forward at the summons, swiftly driving a carriage straight toward the northern reaches of the commandery.

An identical scene played out within the Song family shop. Both sides rapidly sent word back to their clans, seeking to suppress the Huang family before it was too late.

Huang Zhengming, holding control over the market's spiritual formation, naturally saw the members of the two families departing, yet he could only sit by and watch them go.

Although his family now boasted three Qi Condensation cultivators-standing head and shoulders above the rest in the southern part of Zhaoping Commandery-they were still glaringly insufficient when compared to the Li and Song families. How could they forcefully slaughter the members of those two clans?

"When soldiers arrive, a general will block them; when water rises, earth will dam it."

The moment Zhou Minghu and his companion returned to their shop, Zhou Hu came running over with immense excitement. "Third Young Master, Third Young Master! Those two families have raised their prices again! They are now thirty percent higher than normal!"

Zhou Minghu asked, "Is it the White Marrow Grass and Green Lotus?"

"Not just those, but also the Clear Spirit Grass, Pure Wind Leaves..."

The items Zhou Hu listed were precisely the other raw materials required for the Green Jade Pill.

Although Zhou Minghu had anticipated such a move after leaving the Clear Wind Pavilion, he was still taken aback by the sheer extravagance of the Li and Song families' actions.

Everything in the cultivation world revolved around profit. With the Li and Song families madly inflating the prices, even if the other families desired fairly-priced Green Jade Pills, they would inevitably succumb to the temptation of massive profits and secretly sell a portion of their medicinal ingredients to the two northern giants.

However, the eight families could only produce a finite amount of herbs. If they sold more to the Li and Song families, the Huang family would naturally receive less.

This had nothing to do with lacking long-term vision. Every clan had its own cultivators to support and train. They had to plan for the future, but they also had to survive the present.

"Hurry back to the clan and report this matter. Do not delay," Zhou Minghu instructed.

"I will head back immediately," Zhou Hu acknowledged, hastily ordering his men to organize the return caravan.

Zhou Minghu watched Zhou Hu's retreating figure, calculating silently in his heart. Now that the Huang family was locked in direct conflict with the Li and Song families, the Zhou clan naturally had to seize the opportunity to reap their own profits from the chaos.

The massive price hike orchestrated by the Li and Song families sent shockwaves through the market. Even the other six families, who had just sworn an agreement with the Huang clan, were now wavering in the face of such overwhelming temptation. One by one, they secretly instructed Rogue Cultivators to sell their spirit materials on their behalf-thus preserving the surface of their new covenant while still earning mountains of Spirit Stones.

Observing the commotion flooding the market, Huang Zhengming spoke slowly, "Zhengqing, arrange for our people to travel to the surrounding counties. Boost the reputation of our Pingyun Market and draw in the crowds. It has been far too quiet here."

"Rest assured, Cousin. I will make certain word spreads far and wide," Huang Zhengqing replied with a faint smile.

"I want to see just how long the Li and Song families can keep swallowing these prices!"

In a short span of time, more than half of Zhaoping Commandery was thrown into an uproar. When the immortal clans from other counties heard that Pingyun Market was purchasing herbs at exorbitant prices, they naturally swarmed toward the market in a frenzy, terrified of missing the opportunity.

Even though the Li and Song families were located far away, their Qi Condensation cultivators traveled under the cover of the moon and stars, rushing madly from the northern reaches of the commandery!

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