13: Chapter 13 Persuading Wu Kui

Wu Kui's mind raced with a hundred thoughts!

"Tap... tap... tap..."

His thick fingers gently tapped against the desk.

Suddenly!

The tapping stopped without warning!

Wu Kui's tiger-like eyes snapped open, a sharp light exploding from within!

"Oh?"

His voice was low, like rolling thunder, carrying a hint of amusement and pressure!

"I've heard of you, kid... you're a bit interesting. Speak up, why have you come to my door? What's this really about?"

Facing such an Aura, Chen Qingyuan stood firm like a green pine in the wind, neither humble nor arrogant!

"I wonder if Brother Wu..."

"...has need of a Spiritual Vein...?"

"Tap!"

The finger tapping the desk instantly froze in mid-air!

The amusement and scrutiny on Wu Kui's face solidified in an instant!

His body, which had been leaning against the back of the chair, suddenly lunged forward like a tiger ready to pounce!

A violent pressure, even more frenzied than before, exploded out of control!

"What did you say—?!!!"

A Spiritual Vein!

The Foundation of cultivation, the basis for establishing a Family! It was a supreme treasure dreamed of by countless Loose Cultivators and small families!

It meant a steady stream of pure Spiritual Qi, a steady stream of Spirit Stones, and even a ladder to escape the struggles of the bottom tier and truly join another level of existence!

Especially in a fringe land like Lifeng Plain, where resources were scarce and Spiritual Qi was thin, the value of a stable Spiritual Vein was immeasurable!

This bargaining chip instantly made Wu Kui's heart pound!

The violent pressure also caused Chen Qingyuan's figure to sway slightly!

He immediately continued speaking!

"Brother Wu should be well aware!"

"The Luzhou Mountain Spiritual Vein was originally my Chen Family's private property! Now, it has been forcibly occupied by those petty scoundrels of the Zhang Family using despicable means!"

He took half a step forward, his eyes burning bright.

"My brother and I have come today because we wish to ask for Brother Wu's assistance! Help my Chen Family reclaim our ancestral property!"

As his voice fell!

Wu Kui's forward-leaning body suddenly slammed back against the chair with a loud 'bang'! The Spiritual Pressure retracted!

Instead, he looked at Chen Qingyuan with a faint, knowing smile.

"And after it's reclaimed?"

"Once the matter is settled,"

"My Chen Family is willing to lease this Spiritual Vein to Brother Wu at a price of one Low-Grade Spirit Stone per year..."

"For ten years!" He said with emphasis, extending his index finger. "A full ten years!"

"One Spirit Stone? Ten years?!" Wu Kui's rough, tiger-like eyes scanned back and forth between the faces of Chen Qingyuan and Chen Qingshan.

Suddenly!

He let out a sneer, his tone abruptly shifting to become bone-chillingly cold as an invisible pressure bore down!

"But... kid, the immortal cultivation world is ruled by fists! Aren't you afraid that once the deed is done, I, Wu Kui, will turn my back and refuse to honor the deal? Or..."

He gave a cruel smile. "Once I occupy the Spiritual Vein, I'll just turn around and crush your Chen Family completely, becoming the next Zhang Family?!"

"Perhaps... I'll even do it more ruthlessly and cleanly than the Zhangs?!"

Heart-piercing words! Beside them, Chen Qingshan's expression changed drastically, his hand quietly moving to his waist as his breathing became ragged.

However, facing the killing intent head-on, Chen Qingyuan showed no sign of panic. Instead, he met Wu Kui's gaze and smiled calmly.

"Brother Wu,"

"The Zhang Family... thinks the same way right now! That is why the Zhang Family's end has come!"

"While strength is indeed respected in the immortal cultivation world, isn't it more stable and long-lasting to have 'just cause'?"

"If our two families join forces to rightfully reclaim the Chen Family's ancestral property and then lease it out,"

"First, it will silence any public criticism!"

"Second, only by combining the strength of both parties can we ensure the stability of the Spiritual Vein and prevent others from coveting it. Don't you agree... that this makes sense?"

Wu Kui's pupils shrank suddenly! The amusement and ferocity on his face froze instantly, replaced by astonishment.

After a brief silence, Wu Kui's finger tapped the table again, but the rhythm was much heavier. "Ten years is not enough. Twenty years."

Chen Qingshan immediately grew anxious. "Brother Wu, this..."

Before he could speak, he was stopped by Chen Qingyuan's hand.

Inside the room, a longer silence fell once more.

A moment later, Chen Qingyuan spoke with a solemn expression. "The location of my parents' graves is there. Leasing it for ten years is already the height of unfilial behavior... Twenty years is truly impossible to accept."

But then his tone shifted. "However, there is room for flexibility. After the ten-year lease expires, my Chen Family promises to find another Spiritual Vein of equivalent value to lease to Brother Wu!"

"If my Chen Family fails to find one after ten years, then the lease for this Spiritual Vein will automatically extend to twenty years! How about that?"

Wu Kui stared at Chen Qingyuan for a long time, then suddenly let out an ambiguous low chuckle!

"Heh... you kid! It seems the rumors in the streets calling you a waste are all bullshit! This level of scheming and decisiveness is no less than your old man's back in the day!"

"I can agree to this matter. But I can only act in a personal capacity!"

"The brothers in my squad have families in Shazhou Workshop; their roots are here. I cannot let them wade into these muddy waters and take such risks."

"Besides, the Zhang Family is no soft target!"

"As far as I know, their Clan Chief Zhang Changxuan and Grand Elder Zhang Changhong are both experts at the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining!"

"There are at least five others in the Family at the Mid Qi Refining Stage! What does your Chen Family... have now? Your older brother,"

He glanced at Chen Qingshan, "has just recovered from a serious injury, and his cultivation is Qi Refining Level Six at most! And you..."

He looked Chen Qingyuan up and down, his unspoken meaning crystal clear—at the third layer of Qi Refining, what use could you be?

"Brother Wu asks a good question."

Chen Qingyuan wasn't annoyed at all; instead, his smile grew even brighter. "My Chen Family naturally has preparations. I won't say we have a hundred percent certainty, but sixty or seventy percent is definitely there."

"However, just in case, to ensure that nothing goes wrong, I do have one request..."

"Oh?" Wu Kui raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

"What is it? Let's hear it."

"Borrow Spirit Stones." Chen Qingyuan spat out those three words with a smile in his eyes.

"What?!"

Wu Kui slammed the table and stood up abruptly, laughing out of sheer anger.

"Chen Qingyuan! Are you fucking dreaming?! You want to borrow Spirit Stones from me?!"

At this moment, Wu Kui almost doubted his own ears!

So this kid wasn't going to spend a single Spirit Stone, wanted him to risk his life, and he even had to provide the Spirit Stones himself?!

This was the absolute pinnacle of freeloading!

Even Chen Qingshan, who was standing nearby, was completely stunned, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide—

This was completely outside the plan they had discussed beforehand!

"Brother Wu, calm down! Let me explain it to you slowly!"

Chen Qingyuan acted as if he didn't see the fire in Wu Kui's eyes, his face wearing a sincere smile.

"Look at this courtyard of yours; the location isn't bad, is it? But what about the Spiritual Qi?"

He pointed around. "It's all locked away in the core area by the Red Sand Gang's Formation. What flows here is barely First-Grade Low Grade, extremely thin!"

"The rent is high, and this bit of Spiritual Qi is just a drop in the bucket for you or anyone else!"

"But a Spiritual Vein is different! Enjoyed by one Family alone, with abundant Spiritual Qi! Think about it, if one lived in such a Spiritual Vein from childhood, how solid would their dao foundation be?"

Chen Qingyuan's voice seemed to carry a magical quality as an enticing picture slowly unfolded.

"Thus, investing two hundred Spirit Stones to help my brother Breakthrough to the Late Stage Qi Refining will add several more points of certainty to our success in seizing the vein!"

"This investment is not for my Chen Family, but for yourself, for your Bloodline descendants, to fight for a future for the Wu Family's eternal Foundation! Wouldn't that be wonderful?!"

"Perhaps, relying on this Spiritual Vein, a brand new cultivation Family—the Wu Family—will be born before long! Spreading its branches and leaves, with an orderly Legacy!"