The Shrewd Liu HuaiRen

In the Council Hall, Wang Mingyuan was negotiating with Liu HuaiRen, while Wang Changsheng had the honor of attending the meeting, though he had no right to speak.

"Brother Mingyuan, we've already gotten to the bottom of it. It was all the Song Family's meddling. I mistakenly trusted a petty villain and nearly caused a great disaster. Song Ziyang deserves to die, that petty villain."

Liu HuaiRen wore an expression of profound grief, as though the Liu Family were victims as well.

Wang Mingyuan sighed with relief inwardly, forced a smile onto his face, and said, "Since it was a misunderstanding, it's good that we've cleared it up.

Wang Yaozu's corpse was still being kept in the ancestral hall. If it hadn't been for the sake of the Lineage's grand plan, Wang Mingyuan would never have shown Liu HuaiRen a friendly expression.

Liu HuaiRen sighed, then changed his tone and said, "Although it was a misunderstanding, my Eleventh Brother died an unfortunate death, and his family is making a fuss with me! They're demanding an explanation, but I don't know how to answer them!"

"Brother HuaiRen, what do you mean by that? Three members of our Wang Family died. How am I supposed to answer their families?"

Wang Mingyuan's brows furrowed, and he said coldly.

When a person was kind, he was bullied; when a horse was gentle, he was ridden. Reconciliation was already the greatest concession the Wang Family was willing to make. If they were also expected to compensate the Liu Family, then forget the other members of the Wang Family—Wang Mingyuan would be the first to refuse.

The Liu Family was in the wrong here, yet they still wanted the Wang Family to offer compensation. No matter what, Wang Mingyuan would never agree. The Liu Family was taking advantage of their misfortune.

Once the Wang Family admitted defeat, the Liu Family would probably only grow more demanding.

Liu HuaiRen smiled slightly and explained, "Brother Huaiyuan, this matter was a misunderstanding. No one wanted things to turn out this way, but there still has to be an explanation, right?"

"Could it be that I'm supposed to tell my Eleventh Brother's family that the Wang Family killed him? That wouldn't be good for any of us."

When Wang Changsheng heard this, anger surged through his heart, and he clenched his fists. The Liu Family had killed three members of the Wang Family, yet they still wanted an explanation. They clearly thought the Wang Family was easy to bully.

At that moment, Wang Changsheng deeply understood what it meant for a weak family to be bullied.

"An explanation! What kind of explanation do you want?"

Wang Mingyuan raised his brows and asked bluntly.

"I heard that your Wang Family has several shops in the City of Immortal Fate.

"If you could transfer one of them to our Liu Family, then everything would be easy to discuss. The two of our families could work together in business. If we encountered a Heretical Cultivator on the road, my Eleventh Brother unfortunately met his end. What do you think?"

Wang Mingyuan felt relieved when he heard this. To be honest, even if the Quarry was a Spirit Vein rather than a mineral vein, and the Liu Family were determined to join forces with the Song and Sun Families against the Wang Family, Wang Mingyuan would have no way to deal with it.

If the Wang and Liu Families cooperated, they would become friends. A friend's enemy was also an enemy, and the alliance between the Song, Sun, and Liu Families would collapse on its own. Only tangible benefits could make the Liu Family willingly withdraw.

The Cultivation World was a place where the weak were preyed upon by the strong. Even if the Liu Family was in the wrong, they would not withdraw easily.

"The several shops in the City of Immortal Fate were left behind by our ancestors. They're our ancestral property, so it's impossible to sell them. Otherwise, how would I have the face to descend below a hundred years from now and meet our ancestors?"

Wang Yaozu looked indignant.

"Aunt's husband, we're not trying to force you to hand them over. We're buying them. As long as the price isn't too outrageous, I can agree to it."

Wang Mingyuan frowned and said, "Brother HuaiRen, wouldn't it be better if I sold the shop to my aunt? Why should I sell it to your Liu Family?"

"Since this is a partnership, naturally it must benefit both sides. As a condition, we can sell your Wang Family one shop located in Tianhe Market. Tianhe Market is the largest Market in Ning Province. The Zhao Family has only one shop there, and they won't sell it to you. Our Liu Family has four, so selling you one would be no trouble. What do you think?"

Wang Mingyuan's face was full of disdain as he said, "Tianhe Market is the largest Market in Ning Province, but it isn't the largest Market in the Great Song. The City of Immortal Fate has more than ten times the foot traffic of Tianhe Market. However you calculate it, our Wang Family is the one taking the loss."

"Then you're saying there's no room for discussion?"

Liu HuaiRen's expression turned cold, and his tone became flat.

Wang Mingyuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "We have a grocery shop in the City of Immortal Fate with two floors. We can lease the second floor to you, and we can operate it together. In exchange, if your shop has a loft of two floors or more, we can lease one floor from you. What do you think?"

"No problem. However, we aren't familiar with the situation in the City of Immortal Fate, so you'll have to take better care of our business when the time comes. Of course, we'll also take better care of your business in Tianhe Market."

Liu HuaiRen thought it over before saying this.

"Deal. I look forward to our cooperation."

Wang Mingyuan agreed at once. Neither side had sold their ancestral property, and they could also let bygones be bygones and work together.

The two then discussed the shops' size, rent, and lease period. It was more than an hour before the meeting ended.

Each family leased out one floor for a period of one hundred years. Since the City of Immortal Fate had more foot traffic than Tianhe Market, the Liu Family paid a somewhat higher rent.

After returning to their residence, Liu Huaijie couldn't help complaining, "Big Brother, why did you make concessions? If you'd been more forceful, Wang Mingyuan might have agreed."

"Business isn't something where you can simply have everything go your way. To be honest, I'm even more satisfied with this result. If we sold our ancestral property, such a major matter would leave me unable to answer to Third Uncle. I'd also have to convince a whole group of Clan Elders."

"With a lease period of one hundred years, hehe, if the Wang Family declines in the future, would they dare demand rent from us? Likewise, if our Liu Family declines, we wouldn't dare demand rent from the Wang Family either. The City of Immortal Fate has plenty of foot traffic, so our Spirit Fruits will certainly sell for a good price."

"Put that way, Eleventh Brother didn't die in vain after all. Ultimately, it's all the Song Family's fault. If the Song Family hadn't repeatedly guaranteed that the Quarry was a mineral vein, we wouldn't have made a move."

At the mention of the Song Family, Liu Huaijie's face filled with fury.

Wang Yaozong had personally come to reinforce them at the time. With his cultivation and strength, killing everyone would not have been difficult. Wang Yaozong had held back, and now that the Wang Family was cooperating with the Liu Family, Liu Huaijie could only vent his resentment on the Song Family.

"Hmph, Song Ziyang is bold indeed. Eleventh Brother won't have died for nothing. After we return, ask Second Uncle to take charge and force the Song Family to surrender some of its benefits."

Liu HuaiRen sneered.

"Song Ziyang's daughter is the Lin Family Head's primary wife. The Song Family won't agree so easily, will it?"

"Hmph, in this day and age, who doesn't have several in-law relationships? Although the Lin Family is powerful, the Sun Family Head's wife is the younger daughter of the Zhang Family Head from Nanyan Prefecture, while the Zhang Family Head's second daughter is Wang Mingcai of the Wang Family's wife. Come to think of it, the Wang and Zhang Families are relatives too!"

"The Liu, Zhao, Wang, Sun, and Zhang Families all have marriage ties with one another. Would the Lin Family offend five Immortal Cultivation Families for the sake of the Song Family? Even if the Lin Family were willing to intervene, could the Song Family produce sufficient compensation? The Song Family is destined to swallow this loss. Eleventh Brother won't have died for nothing."

As early as when Liu HuaiRen had prepared to cooperate with the Wang Family, he had already intended to join forces with the Sun Family against the Song Family. If the Song Family refused to yield, he would draw in the Wang, Zhao, and Zhang Families as well. With strength in numbers, the Song Family might face the danger of annihilation.

As long as there were sufficient benefits, the five families would certainly be willing to unite against the Song Family. The question was whether the Song Family had the nerve to provoke five families.

That evening, Zhao Yuhui hosted a banquet for Wang Mingyuan and the others.

After reaching an agreement, Wang Mingyuan and Liu HuaiRen grew much closer in their conversations.

The next day, Wang Mingyuan and Liu HuaiRen successively bade Zhao Yuhui farewell before each returning to his own family.