157: Chapter 157 Departure from the Deep-Water Harbor

Cui Ruiyuan looked straight at Cui Ruihao. He did not offer any explanation but instead asked back, "Do we have a choice?"

Upon meeting Cui Ruiyuan's icy gaze, Cui Ruihao felt a chill run through his heart.

The choices of some Family members were no longer important.

Whether this decision was correct was also no longer important.

The Cui Clan had no choice left.

Cui Ruiyuan's attitude already made it clear that his will would not be swayed by anything or anyone.

Cui Ruihao said in a deep voice, "I understand."

Watching Cui Ruihao leave, there was still no trace of relief on Cui Ruiyuan's face.

If it were when he first arrived in Wuyang, he might have believed that with a Grandmaster like Pei Qingyun willing to help, the crisis facing the Cui Clan could be easily resolved.

But now, he had lost that confidence.

Whether this newly promoted Grandmaster, Pei Qingyun, could truly resolve his Cui Clan's crisis was a question mark that loomed large.

Having one more Grandmaster meant the situation would at least not deteriorate further.

After all, Pei Qingyun could not act like a lord the way Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng did.

As for the fifty percent of the profits, those were matters for the future. If Pei Qingyun could not succeed, his Cui Clan would have no future, and thus, this condition would be moot.

If Pei Qingyun could succeed, then no matter how harsh the conditions were, he would have to accept them.

Cui Ruiyuan sighed deeply, "Whether this is right or wrong, let time be the judge."

...

Wuyang City, Pill Refining Room.

Pei Qingyun walked out with a beaming smile, holding five vermilion, jade-like Medicinal Pills in his hand.

When one encounters good fortune, one naturally feels refreshed.

Early this morning, he had received a letter from the Heyuan Cui Clan, and Cui Ruiyuan had agreed to his conditions.

This was both within and beyond his expectations.

He was confident that Cui Ruiyuan would definitely agree to his conditions. However, he had not expected the timeline to be this fast.

It was like a patient in critical condition seeking desperate medical help.

The Cui Clan was on the verge of collapse, but they had not yet fully collapsed; it was not impossible for them to hold out for a while longer.

Of course, the reason Pei Qingyun had this judgment naturally stemmed from the support of intelligence.

Several batches of Pei Clan scouts had been sent out one after another. While they might not be able to uncover core intelligence, they could still learn of the Cui Clan's general movements.

Through the Cui Clan's general movements, Pei Qingyun could form a basic judgment.

During this period, there had been constant infighting within the Cui Clan.

When a Family is strong, its members are naturally united. But once it declines and lacks a core figure to stabilize the situation, it is inevitable that everyone will harbor their own ulterior motives.

This was also one of the reasons why many families declined rapidly.

After receiving Cui Ruiyuan's reply, Pei Qingyun did not rush to Heyuan; instead, he began refining pills in the Pill Refining Room.

It was precisely this attempt that brought him to the final threshold.

"Twenty-one days to successfully refine a Tier 1 blood-replenishing pill. With my Alchemy Aptitude, I will be able to become a First-Rank Alchemist within two months," Pei Qingyun murmured.

If calculated purely by time, his talent in the Dao of Alchemy would be enough to make many Great Masters of Alchemy blush with shame.

But if all comprehensive factors were added together, it was not surprising that Pei Qingyun could reach this level.

Through the Analysis Technique, the method of refining had already been transmitted into his mind. This method was even more efficient than being taught day and night by a Grandmaster Alchemist.

Not to mention, which Grandmaster Alchemist would ever teach an apprentice like this?

Shortly after, Pei Qingyun composed his mind and placed the Tier 1 blood-replenishing pill into a jade bottle.

By this time, it was already noon. After finishing his meal, Pei Qingyun began to write a letter at his desk.

Over the past six months, Pei Qingyun had long since grown accustomed to writing with a brush; his calligraphy flowed like a Dragon dancing and a Phoenix soaring, with dozens of lines of text completed in one go.

When the final stroke was completed, Pei Qingyun ordered the commander of his secret guards to enter.

"Jiu, deliver this letter to the Longxi Pei Clan, into the hands of Ancestor Yuhuan."

"Yes." Jiu acknowledged and quickly vanished from his presence.

...

The next day. Outside Wuyang City.

Pei Qingyun boarded a carriage, accompanied by Pei Kong and the others.

There were two routes from Wuyang City to Deep Water Harbor in Heyuan Prefecture. The first route was entirely by land; if this route were chosen, Pei Qingyun's party would have to pass through five counties, covering a distance of one thousand li.

The second route was a combination of land and water. Pei Qingyun needed to first reach Nanfeng Port, then board a ship there, passing through five ports, totaling approximately eight hundred li. The water route accounted for over ninety percent, while the land route was less than ten percent.

Although the second route was shorter, the first route was actually faster.

However, Pei Qingyun still chose to depart by water. Since the Pei Clan intended to operate ports, they needed to have a better understanding of the waterways.

An hour and a half later, Pei Qingyun's party arrived at Nanfeng Port.

He had been in this world for over half a year. This was Pei Qingyun's first time traveling by boat.

With the experience from his past life, he did not feel much discomfort from traveling by boat. He only felt that the merchant ship was moving a bit slowly; if it could be slightly modified by adding a propeller, perhaps the ship's speed could be increased significantly.

As for the power source for the propeller, Pei Qingyun already had a substitute in mind. Although it could not be as efficient as in his past life, for the maritime transport of the Great Jing Dynasty, it would definitely be an epic transformation.

However, before the Pei Clan had stepped into port shipping, Pei Qingyun did not intend to do so yet.

Just as Pei Qingyun was immersed in his thoughts, Pei Kong came before him.

"Old Ancestor, everyone is traveling by boat for the first time and is not quite accustomed to it. The task you entrusted to them, I fear they will be unable to complete for the time being," Pei Kong said, lowering his head cautiously.

Hearing this, Pei Qingyun noticed that many of the accompanying personnel in the distance were pale and looking dejected.

"This matter was my oversight. Then let them rest for now, and you follow my methods to help them alleviate this condition," Pei Qingyun said.

As he spoke, Pei Qingyun passed on some methods from his past life for alleviating seasickness to Pei Kong.

Watching Pei Qingyun perform various strange actions, Pei Kong's eyes were filled with a strange look.

Pei Qingyun did not mind this. In some aspects, the knowledge from the two worlds could be used interchangeably. It was just that the actions looked a bit strange.

Such as artificial respiration, chest compressions, and the like...

Nearly thirty years of life education still could not allow Pei Kong to understand this behavior of Pei Qingyun, so he could only attribute it to the Old Ancestor being elderly and knowledgeable, and he dared not question it even more.

Half an hour later, the condition of these seasick accompanying personnel had clearly improved.

This made Pei Kong respect Pei Qingyun even more, as if he were a Divine Being. "The Old Ancestor is truly a Divine Being," Pei Kong thought to himself.

Life on the boat was always so simple and unadorned. A few days passed in a flash, and apart from Cultivating, Pei Qingyun spent his spare time fishing.