Song Changsheng scratched his head with an embarrassed laugh. "I thought I'd been subtle enough, but I didn't expect you to find out."
Just as Xia Yunxue had said, when he released Chang Tianhua, he had secretly injected a wisp of Fire Qi into his body. This strand of Fire Qi would travel along his Meridians and invade his Dantian and Qihai.
From then on, the moment Chang Tianhua tried to cultivate, he would feel an intense, burning pain in his Dantian.
This Fire Qi was a special ability that came with the Heart Method he cultivated. It could only be expelled easily before it entered the Dantian.
Once it invaded, not even a Foundation Establishment Cultivator would be able to do anything about it. Unless his father, the Sect Leader, could find some Rare Treasures for him, Chang Tianhua would be crippled for life.
It had to be said, mother and son were truly alike; their methods were cut from the same cloth.
While this underhanded move might seem despicable, mercy toward an enemy was cruelty to oneself. It was simply a matter of different standpoints.
"Take these Spirit Stones for your cultivation." Xia Yunxue handed the thousand-odd Spirit Stones scraped together by the Earth Fire Sect members to Song Changsheng all at once.
He didn't refuse. For one, it was a gift from his mother. For another, his cultivation was indeed costly, and he desperately needed this sum of Spirit Stones.
In an instant, Song Changsheng had become a "tycoon" with over two thousand Spirit Stones to his name.
'This might seem like a lot of money, but it won't last long once I start spending it. It's still a far cry from what I need for Foundation Establishment...'
Before long, Third Elder Song Luyao arrived as well. She had just slain a Tier Two Middle Grade Demon Beast and had rushed over without stopping because she sensed the aura of Foundation Establishment Cultivators clashing and worried Xia Yunxue couldn't handle it alone.
After Xia Yunxue explained the whole story to Song Luyao, she returned to the Mortal City, which was where she was supposed to be.
After seeing Xia Yunxue off, Song Luyao glanced at Song Changhu and said, "Your cultivation is lacking, and your temperament is reckless. When you get back, go to the back mountain and reflect on your misdeeds for a month."
"Yes, Elder." Song Changhu was as docile as a rabbit in her presence, showing not the slightest hint of dissatisfaction with his punishment.
Song Luyao then turned to Song Changsheng, her icy expression finally softening a little. "You did very well. My sister-in-law has raised a fine son. After the trial is over, I will request a commendation for you from the Grand Elder."
"Thank you, Elder. It was merely my duty," Song Changsheng quickly replied.
"Hmph. Excessively humble, just like your father," Song Luyao commented coldly, then announced the end of the trial, telling them to prepare to return to the clan.
「Three days later, in the clan's assembly hall.」
The several Elders who had remained to guard the clan and the highly respected Clan Elders were all gathered together.
The main seat was still empty, indicating that Song Xianming had not come out of his seclusion. This was not good news for anyone, as today was a very important clan meeting.
For the Clan Leader to be absent could only mean that his physical condition was grim.
"The hour has come. Let's begin," Grand Elder Song Xianyun said, looking around at everyone.
"We've received word from Luke. The main family will be refining a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills soon. According to the agreement between the main family and us, we should be able to acquire three to five of them. I believe the clan should raise the necessary Spirit Stones as soon as possible to avoid any unexpected complications."
A white-haired Clan Elder stood up and said gravely.
Song Xianyun turned his gaze to Song Luzhou, who wore a pained expression. "Luzhou, you are the supervisor of the clan's finances and the Hundred Arts Hall. Give me a straight answer: how many Spirit Stones can the clan spare right now?"
"Twenty-first Uncle, it's not that your nephew is slacking, but the clan truly cannot spare many Spirit Stones right now.
The trade route in Luoxia City has been cut off for several years. From that alone, the clan's annual income has been reduced by several thousand Spirit Stones.
We only have two Demon Hunting Teams left, and their annual income is only a few hundred Spirit Stones, which is better than nothing, I suppose. As for the Spirit Stone Ore, we ceded ten percent of the profits to those five families, which is another few thousand Spirit Stones lost each year..."
Song Luzhou immediately began to pour out his grievances, giving an exaggerated account of the clan's income and expenditures over the years. His posture, expression, and tone made it seem as if the clan was on the verge of bankruptcy.
BANG!
A Clan Elder slammed his hand on the table, shot to his feet, and pointed at Song Luzhou, his beard bristling with anger. "You brat! You make the difficulties sound bigger than the heavens themselves! I'm asking you, how much can you actually produce? The clan has been painstakingly managed for so many years, I refuse to believe we can't come up with the funds. If we can't, it must mean you've been lining your own pockets!"
Song Luzhou flinched and cried out in protest, "Clan Uncle, you're wronging your nephew with those words!"
"Then tell me, how many Spirit Stones can you produce?"
"One hundred thousand. One hundred thousand at most. Not a single coin more," Song Luzhou said, sticking his neck out stubbornly.
"One hundred thousand? Can one hundred thousand get us five Foundation Establishment Pills?" the Clan Elder demanded, repeatedly slamming his palm on the table. BAM! BAM! BAM!
The people around him hurriedly tried to calm him down, afraid the hundred-something-year-old Clan Elder might get angry enough to die on the spot.
Once the Clan Elder had been pacified, Song Xianyun cleared his throat and said, "Luzhou, although the main family sells the Foundation Establishment Pills to us at a low price, each one still costs over thirty thousand Spirit Stones. One hundred thousand is indeed not enough. See if you can squeeze a little more out from somewhere."
Song Luzhou, still stubborn, replied, "Unless we borrow money from the entire clan, I can't produce a single copper more."
"Sigh..." Song Xianyun heaved a deep sigh at this. He knew Song Luzhou was telling the truth. Although the man was stingy, he was never vague when it came to important clan matters.
If he said he could only produce one hundred thousand, it definitely meant he had already squeezed the clan's finances to their absolute limit.
"Prepare to issue a notice. I will cast aside my pride and go borrow Spirit Stones from the clansmen," Song Xianyun said in a low voice.
"Sigh. I'll contribute three hundred," a Clan Elder said, standing up.
"I'll put in two hundred."
"I'll give four hundred."
...
One by one, the Clan Elders stood up, offering all they had in just a few words. They were only Qi Cultivators, and what they offered was nearly all the spare money they possessed.
"I will contribute three thousand," Song Xianyun also declared.
Song Luzhou said with a pained expression, "I'll put up two thousand five hundred."
When it was Third Elder Song Luyao's turn, she said coldly, "Everyone, I feel it is still too early to be raising money."
The moment she finished speaking, Song Luzhou jumped up. "Ninth Sister, I've already coughed up my coffin money! You're not getting stingy on us, are you?"
Song Luyao shot him a dark look. "Not everyone is a money-grubber like you. Twenty-first Uncle, your niece has a basis for saying so."
Song Xianyun nodded. "Explain."
"The last time we acquired Foundation Establishment Pills from the main family was eight years ago. On that occasion, we were supposed to receive six pills, but the main family used various excuses to withhold three of them.
In the end, those three Foundation Establishment Pills produced two Foundation Establishment cultivators: my sister-in-law and our twelfth brother.
We all know the reasons the main family gave were just excuses to placate us. In reality, they gave the three pills that belonged to us to another branch family.
The reason is simple. After that great battle, the Clan Leader lost his chance to break through to the Purple Mansion realm, and the clan suffered a devastating blow. The main family no longer regards us with the same importance because we have degenerated into a mere Foundation Establishment Family.
In other words, while we can theoretically acquire a maximum of five pills this time, in practice, it will be difficult to say if we can even secure the baseline of three. I have finished."
Song Luyao's words cast a shadow over everyone present, because the situation she described was very likely to happen.
...