The miserable fate of the three unlucky souls didn't stir the slightest emotion in Ling Changqing. He simply watched it for his own amusement.
After the migrating swarm of Second Rank Demon Beasts had moved on, Ling Changqing slowly swam out from beneath the seaweed and resumed his search for the Yusha Clams.
More than an hour later, Ling Changqing, returning with a full haul, grabbed the rope ladder and skillfully climbed onto the foredeck of the Sea Boat.
Then, in front of Ling Zifeng and the white-shirted old man, he took out a full twenty Jade Crystal Winter Beauty Pearls of excellent quality from his Storage Pouch, along with a few Moonlight Vine Gourds and over a dozen stalks of Yunzhu Grass.
Ling Zifeng was naturally beaming. Ling Changqing's performance had undoubtedly overshadowed even the most experienced Pearl Gatherers with the highest Cultivation, making him the most capable man under his command.
"Not bad. You've already completed the task of thirty pearls. Keep up the good work on the rest!"
Ling Zifeng said with a smile.
Ling Changqing politely thanked him and gave him the remaining Moonlight Vine Gourds and Yunzhu Grass as a little extra.
Many of the Pearl Gatherers who had already returned had sullen expressions, but none of them dared to say a word.
Ling Changqing swept an indifferent glance over them before turning to leave.
'If your life is as insignificant as an ant's, you should toil like a beast of burden. If your fate is as fragile as paper, you must learn to grovel and flatter. If jealousy could change one's destiny, what would be the point of hard work?'
'On the other hand,' he thought, 'Ling Zifeng's actions, which help draw hatred toward me, have allowed the Era Star Palace to silently harvest even more Soul Origin.'
Over time, Ling Changqing's Divine Soul would also grow stronger and stronger.
As night fell, all the living Pearl Gatherers returned one by one. As for those who had met with misfortune, they would, of course, never be coming back.
The deaths of Chen Tong and his two companions, along with five or six other Pearl Gatherers who failed to return, caused no stir for Ling Zifeng. Only the old man in the white shirt, Tian Wenhua, tapped the Jade Scroll Register in his hand and muttered softly:
"This rate of attrition is a bit much. I need to get the newly recruited Pearl Gatherers transferred over as soon as possible. Otherwise, we won't be able to handle the upcoming tasks of collecting undersea resources..."
And so, Ling Changqing's days were quite full, working at sea during the day and staying up all night for his Cultivation.
Just a few days later, he completed the mission of one hundred Jade Crystal Winter Beauty Pearls without any major incidents. Along the way, Ling Changqing also managed to feast on quite a few good things from the seabed for himself.
Therefore, compared to the other miserable Pearl Gatherers, Ling Changqing's performance was not only exceptionally outstanding—earning him the most Spirit Stones—but the speed of his Cultivation growth was also clearly evident.
「That evening」
The Envoy of the Ling Family Patriarch arrived once more.
Ling Zifeng had herded all the Pearl Gatherers into their cabins beforehand, ordering them not to show themselves without permission, lest they offend the Envoy.
Only Ling Changqing was kept behind. Having changed into a fresh set of clothes, he joined the white-shirted old man and a few other Ling Family disciples to welcome the Envoy.
A magnificent Flying Ship, dozens of feet long and shimmering with a precious light, flew swiftly from the horizon. It slowed as it approached, eventually coming to a hover above the Sea Boat.
A beautiful woman in a pale yellow dress, with a face as lovely as a flower and a graceful figure, appeared on the Flying Ship. She rode the wind down, landing steadily on the foredeck.
'Qi Cultivation 8th Layer?'
'And her whole body is shimmering. From her dress to her jewelry, Jade Pendant, Ring, and Sachet, everything seems to be a high-quality Magical Artifact.'
Ling Changqing knew with a single glance that this elegant and radiant beauty was no simple character. As a trusted confidant of the Ling Family Patriarch, her strength would naturally be considerable.
Following her were two Maids in white dresses with bright eyes and pearly teeth. Both were at the Qi Cultivation 3rd Layer, and even their clothes were Early Rank Magical Artifacts.
"...Steward Qiu Yao, you've come?"
Ling Zifeng stepped forward, cupping his hands in a salute as he spoke with a smile. This was the Patriarch's trusted confidant, Tang Qiu Yao.
The two obviously knew each other, so Ling Zifeng's tone was rather casual.
Tang Qiu Yao nodded slightly, her mellow, pleasant voice ringing out, "Have the pearls been collected? The Patriarch is waiting to begin Opening the Furnace and Refining Pills!"
"It's all taken care of. In fact, we have over a hundred more than the agreed-upon amount. Please, inspect them."
As Ling Zifeng spoke, he took out a Storage Pouch and handed it over.
Tang Qiu Yao extended a fair, jade-like hand and accepted it with elegant composure. After a brief inspection, she nodded in satisfaction.
"A job well done. Thank you for your hard work, Steward Ling. The Patriarch will be very pleased when she hears of this."
A hint of a smile touched Tang Qiu Yao's beautiful eyes. With the mission smoothly completed, she wouldn't have to face any reprimands upon her return.
"So, about what comes next... does the Patriarch have any further instructions?"
Ling Zifeng asked after a moment's thought. In recent years, the external situation facing the Ling Family had been grim, and the family's upper echelons were bound to be preparing for the worst.
Whenever a great war was on the horizon, stockpiling all sorts of resources was an urgent priority. No leader in their right mind would overlook this.
Tang Qiu Yao said, "The Patriarch does indeed have arrangements. I've brought a list this time. It contains all the types of undersea resources the Patriarch has specified. Why don't you take a look?"
As she spoke, she retrieved a Jade Scroll from the Storage Pouch at her waist and handed it over.
Ling Zifeng took it and scanned it quickly, his brow furrowing. "This quantity and variety are a bit too much. I only have so many people under my command, and the casualty rate is already high. I'm afraid..."
The high casualty rate for the family's teams of Pearl Gatherers was a well-known fact.
Given the resource list Tang Qiu Yao had presented, he feared he could send his entire batch of Pearl Gatherers to their graves at the bottom of the sea and still not complete the task.
Tang Qiu Yao said gently, "The Patriarch also knows things are difficult for you here. So, she has permitted you to recruit more Loose Cultivators from the outside to help. You don't need to worry about the required Spirit Stones and Talismans; the family will allocate them to you on schedule."
"If that's the case, then everything is fine."
Ling Zifeng breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he could recruit enough manpower, completing the mission on time wouldn't be too difficult.
Besides, if he could handle such a large-scale operation perfectly, it would be much easier to angle for a promotion afterward.
The two spoke for a while longer before Tang Qiu Yao prepared to take her leave.
"Wait a moment,"
Ling Zifeng said quickly, pulling Ling Changqing over. "This is a young man I've taken a liking to. I'll have to trouble Steward Qiu Yao to take him to the family's Money Shop to arrange for a loan. I will act as his guarantor..."
"A loan?"
Tang Qiu Yao turned around and carefully sized up the handsome, refined youth in the blue shirt before her, whose eyes were as dark as lacquer. A hint of surprise flickered in her beautiful eyes.
"This young man is quite good-looking. For you to treat him with such special regard, he must have some extraordinary qualities, I presume?"
"Indeed..."
Ling Zifeng briefly explained Ling Changqing's situation.
Tang Qiu Yao nodded. "In that case, young man, you can come with me."
"Yes, thank you, Lord Steward!"
Ling Changqing bowed respectfully and agreed.
And so, Tang Qiu Yao led Ling Changqing onto the Flying Ship. The Magical Artifact immediately ascended and accelerated, heading toward the land at the edge of the horizon.
Inside the Flying Ship's cabin, there seemed to be a small-scale Array, making the Spiritual Qi within the space quite abundant.
Ling Changqing thought for a moment, then took out ten Jade Crystal Winter Beauty Pearls and twenty Moonlight Vine Gourds from his Storage Pouch and handed them to Tang Qiu Yao.
"It's just a small token of my respect. I hope Lord Steward won't mind," he said in a low voice.
"..."
Tang Qiu Yao looked at him in surprise, then said with some amusement:
"Well, I didn't expect this. You actually managed to hide away so many things? Does Steward Ling know about this?"
Ling Changqing explained, "Steward Ling is aware, of course. I only did this after obtaining his consent."
Tang Qiu Yao nodded reservedly. "Alright then, I'll accept it. You're quite an interesting young man."
Ling Changqing offered a few more compliments and, after receiving her permission, retreated to a corner of the cabin to sit and meditate, closing his eyes and falling silent.
'There's a vast disparity in our status and Cultivation levels. It's best to speak less and interact less to avoid making a foolish mistake.'
However, Ling Changqing secretly communicated with the Era Star Palace for a moment. The vacant slot for a Noble was now filled with Tang Qiu Yao's name. The Era Star Palace completed the process of capturing her image and aura on its own, all without a single ripple.
Moreover, the strength of this ability lay in its subtlety; the effects weren't immediate and would only manifest after a period of time.
Perhaps in a month or two, Tang Qiu Yao would start to find this youth quite agreeable and feel a sense of affinity with him.
As long as there was no conflict of interest between them, she wouldn't harbor any ill intentions toward Ling Changqing and might not even mind giving him a little help here and there.
The Flying Ship was very fast. After just half an hour, it had already entered the core territory of the Ling Family.
Looking out the window, one could occasionally see patrolling Flying Ships passing by, all manned by Ling Family Cultivators.
The land below was a crisscrossing patchwork of fields, dotted with villages, towns, and cities, all densely populated. The Ling Family had painstakingly managed this domain for several hundred years to build its current foundation.
The Ling Family's main estate was located in the core area of Zenxin Island. It was nourished by two Second Grade Spirit Veins underground, making it the most auspicious location with the most abundant Spiritual Qi for thousands of miles around.
The family estate was built to be magnificent and imposing, occupying a vast area like an independent Palace City.
In terms of exquisite luxury and wondrous craftsmanship, even the royal cities and forbidden gardens of the Mortal Dynasties could not compare.
"We're here."
Tang Qiu Yao's voice sounded. "I'm going to report to the Patriarch first. You can wait here."
Ling Changqing acknowledged her and remained on the Flying Ship, meditating and continuing his Cultivation, while Tang Qiu Yao left with her two Maids.