Chapter 40: The Plan

In the rosy glow, Ling Huan and Ling Xue spent several minutes together.

But to those outside, it seemed no more than an instant.

When the glow faded, it signified that the contract had been sealed.

“Ling Huan!”

Jiang Yue’s scolding instantly echoed through the entire woodshed, yet in the end, she found herself at a loss for words.

What was done was done; though her heart ached, she was powerless, and could only blame herself for not reacting in time.

But who could have predicted that this much-rumored contract could be formed with just a nod of agreement?

Furious, Jiang Yue shouted at Ling Huan, “Do you know what it means to make a contract with someone like her? You’ll die!”

Ling Huan said nothing.

He first took off his outer robe and draped it over Ling Xue before turning to stand and meet Jiang Yue’s scolding gaze.

He wanted to explain to Jiang Yue that it was only because of the system that he had no choice but to accept Ling Xue.

But, in truth, his own sympathy had played a part as well.

Most importantly, though, was this contract.

With this contract, he could learn Gu Chengxue’s true goal from her own mouth, as well as the truth behind this spiritual mine.

He had to take this risk.

Qingmu City was his home; it held too many things familiar to him.

But what he feared was that beneath his home lay a powder keg—one he didn’t know when it might explode, destroying everything here, his home reduced to dust, leaving nothing behind.

He needed to know just how much about this powder keg was known to others, how many knew about it, and how certain they were.

For this, he had no choice but to take the risk.

If his strength were overwhelming, naturally he wouldn’t bother with these things.

But right now, he was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, with a long, long way yet to go before reaching the legendary Nascent Soul stage.

If too many people knew the secret, he would have to act immediately—discussing with his parents and the townsfolk about migrating and moving their home elsewhere.

But what if no one knew?

What if no one had confirmed it yet?

If he could learn their methods and sabotage their efforts, couldn’t he turn this spiritual mine to his own advantage?

Let his family grow as quickly as possible.

This was the cultivation world, still a feudal society.

Even if the dynasties held sway, how many years of peace could they truly guarantee?

How many truly safe places existed in this world?

Previously, Ling Huan hadn’t wanted to think about it because he lacked the ability—there was simply no way for him to think about it.

But now, if a great spiritual mine really lay beneath his feet, many of his ideas could be realized.

First of all, in this cultivation world, strength truly reigned supreme; might made right.

Yet at the same time, the cultivation world was full of human affairs.

You couldn’t always rely on just your own fists—there would always be someone stronger, some trouble you couldn’t handle.

If one was strong, but cared about those around them, they would always have weaknesses.

But if everyone at your side was strong, then what was there to fear?

Nothing at all.

Although his home was still safe for now, who knew when danger would descend?

In his past life, Ling Huan had naively thought he could live peacefully on Blue Star his whole life, but in the end, he still died—a pitiful, ugly death.

Traveling alone, maybe one could go far, but that was just an exception.

Didn’t he learn back on Blue Star?

Unity is strength; individual heroism is not to be sought!

Though there were pros and cons, Ling Huan still believed the benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

“Mister,” Ling Huan said, “we need to know every bit of information about this kind of mine.

We also need to know how many people have already set their sights here, and what methods they’ll use to investigate.

“And she, she’s our best source of information. With the contract, the information we get will be all the more accurate.”

Jiang Yue recognized this kind of contract at a glance, and recalling the recent massacre, it was clear the contract was extremely restrictive.

Otherwise, Jiang Yue wouldn’t have been so cautious, and Ling Xue wouldn’t be hunted.

So long as the contract was in place, they could do many things.

“What things?” Jiang Yue immediately caught on.

“You want to claim this mountain as your own? Are you insane?”

Jiang Yue had always known her young master was bold, but she hadn’t thought him this bold—to dare claim such a thing for himself.

Blunt as it sounded, her young master was just a wealthy merchant’s son in the mortal world—not nearly strong enough to seize a spiritual vein for himself, nor rich enough to buy a mountain.

In truth, in the cultivation world, Ling Huan’s family was little different from a poor household.

“No, Mister. With our family’s strength, never mind mining this mountain—even a single spiritual stone would see us ground to dust. What I want is to use this mountain as a stepping stone.”

A stepping stone?

Jiang Yue was even more confused.

Did he mean to hand the mine over to someone in exchange for their protection?

But that was just too naive.

Once given away, with the Ling family’s meager strength, it would be easily taken with nothing in return—the other party could just deny it afterward.

Without strength, anything you say can be dismissed as a lie.

No matter how you argue, a stronger fist can force you to swallow your loss.

Using this as a stepping stone was pure gambling—gambling on someone else’s kindness?

Wouldn’t that just lead to misery?

Even if the other party was kind and gave some reward, how much could it be?

In the end, it would mean little.

Still, for the Ling family and for Qingmu City, it was a good plan.

After all, better to let a sect guard the city and maintain peace than have endless battles for dominance.

Jiang Yue thought for a moment and realized her young master’s ideas really weren’t like those of a ten-year-old.

Could it be… he was truly a prodigy?

“No. If one family stands alone, Qingmu City will never be as free as before.”

“What do you mean…? Young Master, what are you planning…?”

“It’s simple, Mister. Why do people fight? Because no one knows, so they try to snatch it. But what if everyone had an invitation?”

“Invitation?”

Jiang Yue echoed, her tone now filled only with confusion, not blame.

“Yes, an invitation.”

Ling Huan didn’t keep her guessing.

He continued, “Mister, I imagine you’re thinking of giving the mine to a single power as the best way for Qingmu City to survive… But what if we took a different approach?”

“Approach?”

“Mister, have you ever heard the story? There was once a mountain, and at its peak a temple. Inside the temple, a monk chanted scriptures. There was no water on the mountain, so he had to go down to fetch it, using only a pole and a bucket.”

“When there was only one monk, he fetched water himself. With two, the two carried water together. But when there were three monks, none had water to drink. Do you know why, Mister?”

As Ling Huan spoke, Jiang Yue shuddered slightly, her body trembling gently, as if she too had realized the crux of the problem.

“So Mister, you’ve realized.What people fear most isn’t losing, but seeing others profit.Struggle arises from greed, but also breeds fear.They fear their efforts will bring profit to others, fear suffering great losses while others reap the rewards. That’s more painful than death.”

“Mister, since news of this mine isn’t public, why don’t we turn this ‘information’ into a ‘chance’ that many people can know about and share?”

“Then how will you ensure they all come? Qingmu City has no say in these matters,” Jiang Yue pointed out, hitting the plan’s key point.

To form a three-way standoff, many parties needed to enter at once, so no one could dominate.

“Rumors and shadows. People may not trust what they hear, but they’ll always believe what they see with their own eyes—sometimes, even unshakeably.”

“Even if they don’t believe, they’ll still send people to check. After all, it costs nothing to send a few underlings to look.But when they arrive and see so many peers—so many familiar faces, disciples of other sects—what then?”

They’ll begin to speculate, to convince themselves.

They’ll keep sending reinforcements, all trying, in the name of reason, to secure a foothold in Qingmu City.

“They’ll be forced to play by the rules, to mind human relationships, rather than start a brawl. To avoid open conflict, they’ll have to negotiate and look for the owners of this land—which, naturally, is the Ling family.At that time, they’ll come calling, bearing endless gifts.”

Jiang Yue was utterly shocked—she hadn’t thought her young master was so full of strategy!

But in the end… he was still a bit green.

“Then how will you ensure the Ling family’s safety? There have always been those who seize power in the name of the emperor. How can you ensure the Ling family’s safety?”

“Me.”

“You…?”

“A mere mortal merchant’s son, Ling Huan, who was just a mortal a few days ago, but now, is a fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator.All of Qingmu City whispers that I am the personal disciple of a Nascent Soul elder.In such a crucial moment, who would dare make a move?”

Of course, except for **.

Ling Huan was sure there wouldn’t be another fool like Gu Chengxue this time.