81: Chapter 81 Family Assembly!

With a thought from Ye Changge, the fish king hovered in mid-air, no longer requiring the support of water, and was actually able to manipulate Qi to travel like a flood dragon!

Although its movements were still somewhat stiff, it had truly transformed from an aquatic Yao Race creature into a semi-amphibious "semi-flood dragon" Dao soldier.

He controlled the fish king to test it out; the power of its spit water arrows was roughly equivalent to a full-force strike from a Late Stage of Qi Refining Cultivator. Its scale defense was also not weak, and it moved with agility, especially in an aquatic environment where it was in its element.

"Not bad. Although its individual combat power is average for now, the value of Dao soldiers lies in their growth potential and numbers."

Ye Changge pondered to himself. The breeding speed of these "Green Wave Flood Dragon Fish" Dao soldiers was not slow. Once they formed a scale, their collective impact would be formidable.

He decided to keep this first fish king Dao soldier in a specially made pool in the secret chamber for the time being, so as to avoid releasing it back into the lake where it might harm innocents or attract unwanted attention.

He added some Spirit Medicine to promote growth and reproduction before leaving, satisfied.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

The atmosphere in the main hall of Longmai Mountain was solemn today. The Ye Family's first Family assembly was officially convened.

The hall was packed. Not only were all the clan elders and stewards present, but Ye Changge's wives, concubines, and older children had also arrived.

Xiao Cui, the Liu sisters, Jiang Wanqing, Lu Shiqing, Liu Yiyi, Su Wan, and others were all seated in the front row, with one or two children in their arms or by their sides.

The little ones had clearly been instructed by their mothers beforehand; they sat quietly with their big, dark, round eyes wide open, not daring to make a sound, seemingly aware of the seriousness of this assembly.

Ye Changge sat in the main seat, with Lu Shiyin sitting to one side.

Today, Lu Shiyin was wearing a solemn dark blue dress with her hair tied up high, her gentle temperament revealing the capability of a matriarch.

Holding a jade slip, she was reporting the Family's income and expenditure status in recent years to everyone.

"...There are three hundred acres of spirit fields, with an annual output of spirit grain and low-grade Spirit Medicine equivalent to about twenty thousand Spirit Stones."

"We have twelve shops in White Bird Market. Due to some leases expiring and not being renewed, we are currently operating nine, with an annual profit of eighteen thousand Spirit Stones."

"Because of insufficient manpower for mining, the Dragon Ridge Mine has been contracted out to the neighboring Chen and Han families for joint development, with an annual rent of fifteen thousand Spirit Stones. The total income from all industries is approximately fifty-three thousand Spirit Stones."

She paused and continued: "Regarding expenses: clan offerings, stewards, and monthly allowances for Family members total twenty thousand Spirit Stones annually; maintenance of the mountain-protecting formation and various Restrictions requires eight thousand spirit stones annually; resources for the descendants' cultivation, Medicinal Pill, and Magical Artifact purchases consume twenty-five thousand Spirit Stones annually; expenses for wives and concubines, and maid salaries cost twelve thousand Spirit Stones annually; and the annual tribute to the Lingxiao Sect is ten thousand Spirit Stones. Total expenses amount to seventy-five thousand Spirit Stones."

Lu Shiyin raised her eyelids, her voice clear: "Overall, the Family's books showed a deficit of twenty-two thousand Spirit Stones last year. If we include my husband's private subsidies and some unrecorded resources, the actual deficit is about forty thousand Spirit Stones."

A slight commotion immediately broke out below the stage.

Several clan elders looked at each other, and the stewards whispered among themselves. Although they knew that the initial expansion of the Family was expensive, they did not expect such a large deficit. Some young Family members even looked worried.

Ye Changge's expression was calm; he had long anticipated this.

The Foundation of Longmai Mountain had just been established, the original profitable shops had shrunk due to lease issues, the profit from the contracted mines was diluted, and the treatment for his own descendants and wives was top-tier. Spirit Stones were being spent like water, so a deficit was perfectly normal.

In his view, as long as the core industries of Medicinal Pill, Talisman, and Puppet could develop in the future, this small deficit was not worth mentioning.

He gave a light cough, and the hall immediately fell silent.

"It is fine," Ye Changge said in a gentle yet undeniably steady voice, "The Family has just been established; the priority is to solidify the Foundation and lay out the industries. I can afford a small deficit of Spirit Stones. My wives and concubines bear children for me and manage the internal affairs, and the children are the future hope of my Ye Family. Their expenses cannot be cut by a single penny."

Hearing this, the women below turned their gazes toward Ye Changge, their eyes filled with emotion and complete trust.

"This year, I plan to focus on developing a new industry," Ye Changge said, scanning the room slowly, "The Puppet industry."

The people in the hall perked up and listened intently.

"The way of the Puppet has wonderful uses in exploration, mountain protection, mining, and even Family battle formations. In the future, it may become another Foundation for my Ye Family, and there is also a market for it in White Bird Market."

Everyone nodded upon hearing this, but an elderly clan elder with gray hair and a steady face frowned slightly and cupped his hands, saying: "Old Ancestor is far-sighted; the way of the Puppet indeed has broad prospects. However... there is currently no talent in the clan proficient in Puppet refining. If we want to manufacture and sell them on a large scale, we not only need the Legacy but also need to train a group of skilled Puppet master descendants. This is not a task that can be accomplished in a day, I fear..."

Ye Changge understood his concerns. Before he could finish, Ye Changge smiled slightly and replied calmly: "I understand Third Great-Uncle's worries. Regarding the Puppet technique Legacy, I have a second-tier Puppet refining method here, sufficient to refine various basic Puppets suitable for the Qi Refining Stage and a few auxiliary Puppets for the Foundation Establishment Stage. There is no need to worry about the Legacy."

Hiss! Everyone below gasped in unison.

A second-tier Puppet Legacy? How is it that here with Ye Changge, it seems like it costs nothing?

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faces in the hall, some confused and some expectant, and continued: "As for training the descendants, there is no need to follow the traditional path of master-apprentice training, which wastes decades of time. I have another method that can quickly train craftsmen and produce them in batches."

The hall fell silent, and everyone looked at Ye Changge, wondering what this "other method" he spoke of actually was.

Ye Changge did not play coy and said directly: "My intention is to imitate the 'assembly line' system of mortal workshops. The refining process of a complete Puppet is broken down into dozens or even hundreds of small steps. For example: some people specialize in shaping the wooden body, some specialize only in joint articulation, some are responsible for engraving the rune base plate, some are responsible for connecting the spirit patterns, some assemble and debug, and some perform final quality checks..."

His voice was clear and logical, explaining the concept of a modern industrial assembly line in a way that the Cultivation World could understand.

"...In this way, a descendant does not need to know the entire essence of Puppet refining; they only need to master one or two steps and practice them repeatedly to quickly get started and become a 'specialist' in that link. Then, several 'master craftsmen' who understand the whole process will coordinate the links, control the key points, and coordinate assembly. In this way, even beginners can participate in production after short-term training. The efficiency is incomparable to the traditional method of one person refining one Puppet from start to finish."

The people in the hall were a bit confused at first, but after careful consideration, their eyes gradually lit up. Especially those clan elders and stewards who had managed Family industries and craftsman workshops. Their faces filled with thought, which then turned into realization and excitement.