273: Chapter 273 Returning to Longxi

"So that's how it is," Third Elder Chen Zexi said with a sudden realization. "Then what should we do? Should we continue to probe, or…?"

Head of the Chen Clan Chen Zemin waved his hand. "Let's drop this matter for now. Pei Qingyun is not a foolish man. Since he already knows your intentions and still dares to be so unyielding, he must have some degree of confidence. I, too, would like to see what trump cards he holds."

A hint of unwillingness flickered in Third Elder Chen Zexi's eyes. "So we're just going to watch like this?"

Head of the Chen Clan Chen Zemin blew on the rising steam in his cup and said with an indifferent expression, "What's the rush? There are others more anxious than us."

Seeing this, Third Elder Chen Zexi remained unconvinced and continued to press, "What if the Qian Clan has the same idea as us?"

Do not be fooled by his calm demeanor while at the Pei Clan. In reality, what he was thinking was far from what he showed on the surface.

He, a dignified Grandmaster of a second-rate family, had personally visited a third-rate family to discuss cooperation, only to be rejected.

Although Pei Qingyun's strength was superior to his, forcing him to compromise, for him personally, this was an outright slap in the face.

It rendered his sense of superiority as a member of a second-rate family non-existent.

Beyond that, there was the matter of the benefits brought by this cooperation.

Although all benefits would belong to the Chen Clan rather than him personally once the cooperation was finalized, as the facilitator, he would be able to gain an advantage in the distribution of profits.

This point was very important.

A Great Family might look like a unified whole from the outside, but internal profit distribution still needed to be based on the strength of each faction.

Third Elder Chen Zexi naturally cared more about the benefits his own branch would receive.

If, in the future, the Pei Clan could not withstand the pressure from the Qian and Lü clans and sought cooperation with the Chen Clan again...

Even if the deal were finalized then, he would no longer possess the right to this advantage.

Head of the Chen Clan Chen Zemin smiled. "Impossible. I know Qian Ninghe's temperament very well. He didn't gain any advantage over the Pei Clan in the matter of the contraband. For the Qian Clan, this is a humiliation they must wash away. How could they possibly watch the Pei Clan grow steadily? This time, they will not only make a move, but it will certainly be a thunderous strike. It's just that he doesn't yet know Pei Qingyun's strength, and perhaps he will suffer a great loss because of it."

Third Elder Chen Zexi immediately realized the implication. "If that's the case, wouldn't the Qian Clan completely tear their face off with the Pei Clan? If we were to cooperate with the Pei Clan then, wouldn't we be going head-to-head with the Qian Clan?"

"Zexi, you are mistaken. When have we not been at odds with the Qian Clan? Sooner or later, we will have to clash. Pei Qingyun's refusal of the cooperation is not necessarily a bad thing for our Chen Clan. The stronger Pei Qingyun is, the more fiercely he will fight with the Qian Clan. The Qian Clan has sat in the position of the premier Family for so many years; it is time for my Chen Clan to take a turn," Head of the Chen Clan Chen Zemin explained.

Upon hearing this, Third Elder Chen Zexi felt a shock in his heart, and a chill rose from his gut.

At this moment, he understood.

While he was still calculating the benefits of the Yuanhong Trading Market, Head of the Chen Clan Chen Zemin was already standing on a higher level.

Everything has two sides.

Pei Qingyun's refusal might instead become the opportunity for the Chen Clan to ascend as the premier Great Family of Jinhuai.

As long as the Pei Clan did not surpass the Qian Clan in terms of top-tier experts, the stronger the Pei Clan was, the greater the conflict between the two would be, and the more the Chen Clan could sit safely on the sidelines.

Conversely, if the Pei Clan were too weak and quickly crushed by the Qian Clan, his Chen Clan's gains would be smaller, but they would still not lose out.

With no other way out, the Pei Clan would have no choice but to seek protection from his Chen Clan. At that point, the conditions would be whatever his Chen Clan decided.

By then, let alone thirty percent of the profits from Yuanhong, even fifty percent or more would not be impossible.

As for Chen Yuanba's little bit of personal friendship, it counted for nothing when it came to the interests of a Family.

Even if Chen Yuanba could step in, it would only make things look a bit better on the surface, so it wouldn't be too unsightly.

Thinking of this, Third Elder Chen Zexi's gaze changed, and his eyes held a hint of admiration as he looked at Head of the Chen Clan Chen Zemin.

To say that he was completely convinced by his second brother, Head of the Chen Clan Chen Zemin, becoming the Family Head would be a lie.

In terms of cultivation, he was indeed slightly lacking.

However, the difference in their innate talent was not large; the gap in cultivation was more a matter of resource allocation.

If he could have sat in the position of the Head of the Chen Clan, he would have long since broken through to the Middle Stage of the Six Bowels Realm.

Now it seemed he had to admit one thing: he was still somewhat lacking compared to his second brother in terms of intellect.

If it hadn't been for Head of the Chen Clan Chen Zemin's reminder, he would never have thought of this.

"Second Brother, you are still the one who considers things thoroughly. Pei Qingyun probably doesn't know yet that his refusal has sown such disaster for the Pei Clan. I look forward to seeing him again," Third Elder Chen Zexi said.

Watching Third Elder Chen Zexi's scheming expression, Head of the Chen Clan Chen Zemin was somewhat speechless.

...

On the official road of Longxi, Jiu was riding a Dragon Scale Horse alone, galloping forward.

He was no stranger to Longxi Prefecture.

When Pei Qingyun first traveled to Longxi, he had accompanied the group. Because Pei Qingyun chose to travel by carriage, they stopped and went along the way, taking a full half a month to arrive.

In comparison, the speed of his journey this time was nearly twice as fast. Covering the same distance, it took him less than ten days.

At this time, in the Pei Clan Estate of Longxi Prefecture, within the Family Head's small courtyard.

At a stone table, two men were sitting and playing chess.

One of them was about forty years old, looked somewhat lean, wore a purple-red brocade robe, held a cattail fan in his hand, and his brows exuded a sense of composure.

The other was a sixty-year-old man with graying temples, wearing a loose cloth long gown, with some noticeable stains on his cuffs, looking unkempt.

If Pei Qingyun were here, he would recognize them at a glance. The middle-aged man was none other than Family Head Pei Yongsheng.

As for the unkempt old man, he was Pei Dinglong, who had traveled with him to Deep Water Harbor in the past.

On the chessboard, the two were locked in a fierce, evenly matched battle. Suddenly, a resonant voice exploded in their ears.

"Playing chess in secret again, and you didn't even call me."

Almost at the same time, the two looked up toward the source of the voice, their sharp eyes filled with questioning.

A figure was seen walking in from the main gate. The person who arrived was none other than Elder Pei Dingming.

He was one of the Elders of the Longxi Pei Clan who loved playing chess.

Seeing their gazes, Elder Pei Dingming smiled awkwardly. "Don't look at me like that; you two continue playing."

The two did not speak, but their eyes remained fixed on Elder Pei Dingming.

"My hands were just itching, so I came over." Seeing that the two remained the same, Elder Pei Dingming shrank his head and added, "Alright, I shouldn't have interrupted your game."

Pei Dinglong gave him a warning look and then looked back at the chessboard.

It was at this moment that Jiu and the Pei Clan members arrived at the Family Head's small courtyard.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he was met with three gazes. Relying on his memory, Jiu recognized the three people in the courtyard.

Subsequently, he bowed to each of the three. "Greetings, Family Head Pei Yongsheng." "Greetings, Pei Dinglong." "Greetings, Elder Pei Dingming." Regarding Jiu's arrival...