Deep Cooperation Reached

Liu Sisi thought for a long while before she understood the logic behind it. She grumbled inwardly that Han Yuan was a crafty merchant. This way, Han Yuan would make a sure profit without any loss!

She sent the news to the family elders, who quickly agreed to the proposal as well. Overall, there was no major issue with it. As long as they did not get greedy, it truly counted as yielding them a share of the profits. The original sixty-forty split could basically become an even fifty-fifty split, far better than the previous terms.

Watching the two discuss matters with their families behind them, Han Yuan merely chuckled inwardly.

He did not care at all whether he received fifty or sixty percent of the profits. The key was that he had no money in his pockets right now! He was so poor he had nothing but a breeze in his sleeves; he did not even have Spirit Stones to reward his subordinates and was nearly unable to keep the pot boiling. Getting his hands on a batch of Spirit Stones first was what mattered most!

With Spirit Stones, he could buy items to improve himself. By the time a year had passed, he would already be a completely different man. This head start in time was far more important than a mere ten percent of the profits.

In the end, both Di Qing and Liu Sisi naturally agreed.

After hesitating for a moment, Di Qing said, "Senior Brother Han, we both agree on our side, but our family elders will need to come and sign the contract. What do you think?"

"Me too!" Liu Sisi quickly added.

"Fine, have them come over." Han Yuan also knew that this was not something the two of them could truly decide.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Han!" Di Qing said gratefully.

Liu Sisi also breathed a sigh of relief. With this, the contribution she had made here would be enough to let her mother live a somewhat better life, and she would be able to receive a greater allocation of resources from the family. Her cheeks flushed pink, and her smile bloomed like a flower.

Not long afterward.

Two figures swiftly appeared at the entrance of Cangming Cave Mansion.

One was an elderly man from the Liu Family, while the other was a middle-aged cultivator from the Di Family.

Upon meeting, the two clasped their hands in greeting.

The middle-aged cultivator spoke first with a smile. "I did not expect the Liu Family to make its decision so quickly, even a step ahead of us. Your foresight is truly keen."

"It was all a fortunate coincidence!" The old man chuckled. "From now on, we will all be working under True Disciple Han. It is good for us to cooperate. There are some gazes that my Liu Family alone may not necessarily be able to withstand. With your Di Family joining us, we can rest easy as well!"

"Not at all, not at all. With your Liu Family working alongside us, we are the ones who can finally breathe easy."

After exchanging a few polite words, the gates opened. Chang Chun smiled at the two and said, "The Estate Master has been waiting for the two elders!"

"Ha ha, let us stop talking and go up. We should not keep True Disciple Han waiting too long!"

"Alright, let us go together!"

The two stepped through the gates of the cave mansion together and headed toward Cangming Tower.

Chang Chun swallowed, secretly studying their retreating backs.

These two were both Foundation Establishment cultivators!

Even Foundation Establishment Elders had come, yet the Estate Master had not personally gone out to welcome them. He had previously heard rumors that True Disciples held a higher status than Foundation Establishment Elders and ranked only slightly below Peak Lords and Golden Core Elders. Now, those rumors had finally been confirmed.

So it really was true.

How could Han Yuan possibly put on airs? It was simply that the two Foundation Establishment Elders had arrived too quickly. He had already come to the front of Cangming Tower to welcome them personally.

"Han Yuan greets the two elders!" Han Yuan said with a smile.

"This old man is Liu Zexian. Greetings, True Disciple Han." The old man chuckled.

"Di Heng greets True Disciple Han!" The middle-aged cultivator replied with a smile as well.

"Please, this way, both of you!" Han Yuan led the way.

The two followed as instructed.

The middle-aged and elderly Foundation Establishment cultivators could not help but scrutinize Han Yuan.

At this moment, the aura Han Yuan displayed was that of the peak Qi Refining Sixth Layer. What he concealed was merely the excessively outrageous part; his cultivation on the surface was truly his actual realm. Such a disguise was practically impossible to break.

What stable cultivation. There is not the slightest fluctuation in his aura. It does not seem to have been force-fed with pills, but how long has it even been since the Cultivation Assessment? Liu Zexian, the Liu Family elder, was somewhat astonished.

Di Heng felt the same. He knew that no True Disciple was simple. This Han Yuan, whom others had looked down upon, clearly possessed genuine skill. The selection of a True Disciple was not determined by the Peak Lord alone; Golden Core Elders also had to approve it. Could Golden Core Elders truly be blind?

Han Yuan remained calm inside. Even Nascent Soul Elders could not see through his disguise, let alone two mere Foundation Establishment Elders.

Before long.

By the window in the fourth-floor reception room.

Di Qing and Liu Sisi now stood behind their respective family elders, while Di Heng and Liu Zexian had taken over as the ones in charge.

"True Disciple Han, this is the agreement contract we discussed earlier. There are four copies: one will be submitted to the sect for filing. What do you think?" Di Heng handed the drafted document to Han Yuan for review.

Han Yuan examined it carefully, then nodded. "No problem!"

After the three confirmed it, each signed all four copies of the agreement contract. Han Yuan also stamped them with the marks of his True Disciple token and cave mansion token.

With that, the agreement had been successfully signed!

Smiles appeared on all three faces, and the atmosphere became more harmonious.

Liu Zexian said, "Once I return to the family, I will verify this profit estimate. The Spirit Stones can be delivered tomorrow!"

"I will send mine over as quickly as possible as well! My preliminary estimate for the total profits is four million Spirit Stones a year. That is only for the first year; there will be more afterward," Di Heng said.

Han Yuan lifted his teacup and took a sip, concealing his shock. Four million Spirit Stones—he would receive two million of them! His previous annual income had only been one or two hundred Spirit Stones. This was an increase of ten thousandfold in one stroke.

Liu Zexian coughed lightly and said, "My estimate here should be around three and a half million Spirit Stones as well."

Han Yuan nodded with a smile. "I trust the reputations of both families."

After several people put away the agreements.

Di Heng and Liu Zexian exchanged a glance.

Then Di Heng spoke first. "True Disciple Han, in truth, besides the output of their cave mansions, True Disciples also receive a large portion of their income from industries outside the sect."

Han Yuan paused slightly and looked at them. "I would like to hear the details."

Di Heng said slowly, "For example, newly discovered Spirit Ore deposits or Spirit Fields within the sect's territory, True Disciples have the right to send people to occupy them. After handing over a portion to the sect, the rest may be distributed by the True Disciple as they see fit. There are also businesses such as marketplace shops. Only True Disciples and Golden Core Elders are qualified to use the sect's name. Even Foundation Establishment Elders like us are not qualified."

Han Yuan asked in confusion, "Are you not Golden Core Clans?"

Liu Zexian coughed and said, "Even a Golden Core True Person has limits on their allotted share."

Han Yuan nodded. He had guessed as much. The benefits Golden Core Elders could openly obtain definitely had limits—for instance, a certain number of mineral deposits and marketplace shops. They could not expand without restraint.

What they wanted was his name, his allotted share. If he had come from a family background, that share naturally would not have fallen into outsiders' hands. But as luck would have it, he had no background, so people naturally came to cooperate with him.

Clearly, this later cooperation was even more important.

He guessed that both families had some hidden industries that were unsuitable for public exposure. But if they wore his skin now, they could be registered with the sect and thereby gain the sect's protection.

Some things could not be stated too plainly, but those who understood, understood.

Han Yuan tapped his fingers on the table, producing soft thuds as he fell into thought. Such a partnership would undoubtedly block off his path to developing industries in the future, but he had never planned to run industries in the first place. If he could gain benefits from it, it was not unacceptable.

Thinking of this, Han Yuan asked, "How do the two family elders intend to cooperate?"

Di Heng and Liu Zexian exchanged another glance, as though they had already communicated in secret.

Di Heng said, "For industries the sect has not discovered or intervened in, such as mineral veins and farmland, if we report them to the sect and occupy them ourselves, we must hand over thirty percent of the profits. My proposal is that True Disciple Han takes twenty percent, while the remaining fifty percent belongs to us."

Han Yuan was surprised. That was quite a lot. "You only take fifty percent?"

Liu Zexian shook his head. "If the sect takes it directly, we receive a one-time reward of Spirit Stones, and the later profits will have nothing to do with us!"

Han Yuan looked out the window and fell into thought.

Neither Di Heng nor Liu Zexian disturbed Han Yuan's decision. They quietly waited for his reply. This was an important decision as well.

Yet in truth, Han Yuan did not hesitate much. He had already decided to cooperate with the two families. What he was actually pondering was how much the treasures on the list Chang Chun had given him—the ones that could be bought to grant permanent effects—could strengthen his foundation.