A Windfall

Pingyun Market became lively almost instantly. Even though Zhou Hu did not know the underlying truth, he realized this matter was of the utmost urgency.

Baixi Mountain and Pingyun Mountain were situated on the eastern and western sides of Qingshui County respectively, separated by over a hundred li. If a caravan followed its usual pace, it would take an entire day to travel along the official road.

But now, carrying nothing but the letter in his robes and accompanied only by a few clan soldiers, Zhou Hu naturally galloped at full speed on fine steeds.

As the Zhou family's merchant firm grew stronger by the day, Zhou Changhe had established branch offices across all eight townships of Qingshui County. These were meant to better collect wealth and grain, and to ensure the rapid transmission of intelligence. Some branches even maintained several horses specifically to handle sudden emergencies.

As for the expenses involved, Zhou Changhe did not mind. Spending wealth to acquire timely information was always worthwhile.

Although the Zhou family reared ordinary horses that could not run exceptionally fast, Zhou Hu's party changed mounts whenever they reached a branch office. This ensured their horses were always in peak condition. Traveling over smooth official roads, covering more than a hundred li in a single day was no problem at all.

By the time the setting sun hung low over Baixi Mountain, Zhou Hu's group finally rushed back to Zhou Family Town. The men were in miserable shape; their inner thighs were chafed red, swollen, and aching unbearably.

Despite this, Zhou Hu dragged his exhausted, aching body to find Zhou Changhe, who was currently handling clan affairs. "Eldest Young Master, news from the market."

Zhou Changhe immediately led Zhou Hu up the mountain, bringing him straight before Zhou Ping.

Zhou Ping opened the letter and finally understood the entire sequence of events. Patting Zhou Hu on the shoulder, he laughed heartily. "Haha! Zhou Hu, you have done well."

"Changhe, enter Zhou Hu's name into the clan register. From this day forth, his lineage will be a branch of our Zhou family."

Though exhausted to the bone, a smile broke across Zhou Hu's face. He forced his stiff body to kneel before Zhou Ping. "Huzi greets Second Master."

As the most senior servant of the Zhou family and the manager of the merchant firm, he had long served closely alongside the family members. His status and authority were second only to those of the true Zhou bloodline. For instance, regarding this message delivery, even Zhou Minghu had not rushed him. Even if he had taken two leisurely days to return, no one would have blamed him.

Yet he had pushed himself so desperately precisely because of the lineage system Zhou Changhe had proposed a few months ago!

In truth, Zhou Hu was highly satisfied with his current life. He enjoyed immense respect, and his descendants could have continued to serve the Zhou family, remaining free from hunger and worry for generations.

However, the introduction of the lineage system had ignited a spark of ambition in his heart. He wanted a better future for his descendants. As long as he became an official branch of the Zhou family-even if only a collateral line-his descendants would become masters, no longer servants!

Therefore, he had given his absolute all to every task, striving to earn this lineage status. And now, he had succeeded!

He knew this would be his last time kneeling as a servant. From now on, he would be one of the true authorities of the Zhou family, and his children would be proper members of the clan.

"Rise," Zhou Ping said softly.

Only then did Zhou Hu stand up. His entire demeanor seemed transformed, the servility in his bones washed clean.

Shortly after, he and Zhou Changhe departed for the Ancestral Hall.

As for promoting Zhou Hu to an official branch, Zhou Ping had actually decided on it long ago.

Zhou Hu had served their family for over twenty years; his loyalty and hardships were too numerous to count. Since the clan had established the lineage system, they naturally needed to set a prime example to motivate the other servants, and Zhou Hu was the perfect candidate.

Turning around, Zhou Ping immediately ordered Zhou Xuanya, "Xuanya, go and gather all the White Marrow Grass on the mountaintop. Send them to the market at once!"

He knew this clash over the prices of spiritual herbs would not last long. Whether it was the Li and Song families or the Huang family, no matter how fiercely they competed, they would eventually compromise and reach an accord. Once they did, they would turn around to exploit the weaker cultivation clans.

Only by seizing this fleeting window could they secure a massive windfall.

"Harvest half of the White Marrow Grass on Qingfeng Peak as well. Our family will not cultivate so much of it in the future. Take advantage of this opportunity to sell it all off."

Zhou Xuanya, who was holding a shovel and preparing to head up the mountain, paused. "Father, should we also harvest the other spiritual plants on the peaks?"

"Harvest everything. Gather the stock in the storehouse as well, and send it all to the market immediately," Zhou Ping urged.

As cultivation clans that possessed alchemists, the Li and Song families would naturally purchase almost any low-grade medicinal herbs and spiritual plants. Though the prices of those other plants had not been artificially inflated, they could still fetch a significant amount of wealth.

Previously, the circulation of medicinal herbs in the entire market had been quite limited because only the Huang family required them. The other families lacked alchemists, so their demand was naturally minimal.

However, the Purple Gold Vine stimulated the rapid growth of numerous spiritual plants every year. The Zhou family had not dared to sell too much at once, leaving the vast majority to accumulate in the storehouse year after year, until the sheer volume of the hoard was staggering.

At times, Zhou Ping had deeply wished that their family possessed an alchemist who could use these low-grade spiritual plants to refine pills, rather than letting them languish in the storehouse and lose their medicinal potency.

Now, with the Li and Song families present and the Huang family spreading rumors of price hikes, it was highly likely that within three to five days, many cultivation clans would rush to Pingyun Market to sell their spiritual plants.

Flooding the market on an ordinary day would surely arouse suspicion. But over the next few days, the daily volume of traded herbs would be immense. Dumping their stock during the chaos would allow them to blend in perfectly.

Rather than letting those herbs sit in the storehouse and go to waste, it was better to use this opportunity to reap a massive fortune!

The entire Zhou family mobilized, thoroughly searching and harvesting across the four small peaks. Not only did they harvest low-grade spiritual plants, but they also picked every single spiritual fruit that possessed even a shred of spiritual essence.

The area within ten zhang of the Purple Gold Vine was picked cleaner than ever before, leaving behind numerous pits of various sizes. The ground was left in utter disarray, as if a plague of locusts had swept through.

The once-overflowing storehouse was left empty once more.

In the end, Zhou Xuanya could not afford to worry about maintaining the vitality of the herbs. He packed and crammed them tightly into two large carriages, making the loads so heavy that multiple horses were required to pull each one.

Thus, a dozen clan soldiers escorted the two carriages toward Pingyun Market, appearing no different from an ordinary delivery.

No outsider would suspect that these carriages held several hundred spiritual plants, with a total value nearing a hundred Spirit Stones.

Zhou Xuanya personally led the convoy, flanked by Zhou Liu and Zhou Qi, two Green Jade Guards. Even if they encountered an ambush by several cultivators, they had the strength to handle it.

The convoy traveled slowly, finally arriving at the market after a full day's journey. The market was already packed to the brim, filled with noise and clamor. Even outside the perimeter, many caravans were parked, their carriages bulging with cargo. The Zhou family's convoy blended into the crowd, completely unremarkable.

Among these caravans, some belonged to Rogue Cultivators traveling in groups for the Green Jade Pills, while others belonged to cultivation clans from the surrounding counties.

Having caught wind that the Li and Song families were purchasing spiritual plants at high prices in Pingyun Market, these cultivation clans naturally wanted to seize the chance to turn a profit.

Zhou Xuanya detected the distinct auras of several Qi Condensation cultivators all at once-clearly, powerful experts from various clans had arrived in person.

The presence of these Qi Condensation cultivators made the market appear bustling on the surface, but beneath the facade, undercurrents surged like a powder keg waiting to detonate.

Knowing that this was no place to linger, Zhou Xuanya quickly located Zhou Minghu inside the market. "Brother, this place is perilous. Once the cultivators of the Li and Song families arrive, a massive battle could erupt at any moment. Let us sell off our goods as quickly as possible and return home, lest we get caught in the crossfire."

"Mhm, I have the exact same intention," Zhou Minghu agreed, nodding.

Meanwhile, at the far end of the market, the storefronts belonging to the Li and Song families were already surrounded by an impenetrable wall of people.

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