The Liu Family

The courtyard was clearly divided.

On the left, over a dozen cultivators in uniform attire surrounded an elder, exuding an aggressive aura. Among them were two at the early Qi Refining stage and one at the mid-stage, clearly indicating the guests were bullying the host.

On the right stood the Ning family members, slightly fewer in number. Only Ning Yongrui was at the mid-stage of Qi Refining. The rest of the family (excluding Ning Yongrui) wore expressions of suppressed frustration and unease.

Yun Long's gaze locked onto the elder leading the opposing group almost instantly.

The elder was not tall, appearing somewhat gaunt. His white hair was casually tied back with a simple wooden hairpin. His face, however, held a rosiness unbefitting his age, with his cheeks subtly glowing as if lit by fire.

He was the Great Elder of the Liu family, Liu Yunpeng.

At eighty-two years old, he wasn't considered exceptionally old among cultivators, but he had been stuck at the peak of the mid-stage of Qi Refining, the sixth level, for a full twenty years.

Thirty-six strands of Qi Refining, neither more nor less, perfectly matched the Number of Heavenly Spirits.

This Number of Heavenly Spirits was a massive threshold separating the mid-stage from the late-stage of Qi Refining, a barrier that had trapped countless cultivators.

Liu Yunpeng had cultivated the four-inch Mid-Grade Qi Refining technique, "Fire Cloud Flying Rosy Cloud Qi." While its quality was decent, he remained firmly stuck at this threshold, his cultivation unable to advance for twenty years.

Yun Long could clearly sense the pressure emanating from Liu Yunpeng, the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining, which surged towards the entrance like a tangible force, making the air seem to thicken.

This old fellow had no intention of hiding his strength.

Clearly, he intended to use this imposing aura to intimidate Yun Long the moment he stepped through the gate.

After all, Yun Long's age was evident; he didn't look like someone who could be compared to an established cultivator like himself, who was at the sixth level of Qi Refining.

However, this aura, which could make ordinary mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators tremble with fear, felt like a gentle spring breeze brushing against a willow in front of Yun Long, causing not the slightest ripple.

His expression was calm, his breathing long and steady, as if he were merely entering an ordinary courtyard.

Even Ning Shaojie, whose aura was already somewhat unstable, didn't feel any additional pressure under this oppressive force, as if shielded by an invisible barrier.

Yun Long's cultivation had progressed further since his last encounter.

The Vajra Primordial Qi he had condensed within his body had already reached twenty-four strands.

Even after leaving nine strands of condensed Vajra Primordial Qi to form the Golden Bell Shield in the family ancestral hall, he still possessed fifteen strands of extremely pure Qi Refining within him.

These fifteen strands of High-Grade Vajra Primordial Qi were far superior to Liu Yunpeng's thirty-six strands of Mid-Grade Fire Cloud Flying Rosy Cloud Qi.

(The difference in quantity can be understood as 15*7=105 versus 36*4=144. Thus, despite the apparent gap in numbers, the actual difference is very small, and considering the quality, thirty-six strands of four-inch Qi are just so-so.)

Not to mention the profoundness and power of the Golden Bell Shield and Great Arhat Fist techniques.

Yun Long was absolutely confident that even without using his full strength, he could easily defeat this Liu Yunpeng, who was relying on his age.

Seeing Yun Long's composed demeanor, and that even Ning Shaojie behind him was unaffected, a flicker of imperceptible seriousness crossed Liu Yunpeng's cloudy old eyes.

The muscles in his face twitched. The outward projection of his aura instantly retracted, replaced by an expression of heartbroken grief. His voice became hoarse, tinged with deliberate grievance.

"Patriarch Yun, you've finally arrived!"

"You must judge this matter fairly for us old customers!"

Liu Yunpeng beat his chest and stomped his feet, as if he had suffered an immense injustice.

"In the past, when we came to Wanfang Lake to purchase these Dragon Whisker Golden Tail Spirit Fish, even the ten-year-old ones only cost three Low-Grade spirit stones each."

"But now, Commander Ning... he actually raised the price to ten Low-Grade spirit stones per fish!"

"Isn't this clearly bullying us, deliberately trying to prevent us old patrons from surviving?"

Liu Yunpeng's voice echoed through the courtyard, filled with a strong sense of accusation.

Yun Long's gaze calmly watched him.

A price increase?

Ning Yongrui was not a fool. Although Dragon Whisker Golden Tail Spirit Fish were precious, their market price was relatively transparent. A significant price hike would be tantamount to cutting off their own sales.

A subtle curve appeared at the corner of Yun Long's mouth.

This excuse from Liu Yunpeng was truly infuriating; he wasn't even trying to act anymore.

Ning Yongrui stood to the side, veins subtly throbbing on his forehead, clearly quite angered but forcing himself to hold back due to Yun Long's presence.

He took a deep breath, his voice steady.

"Elder Liu, your words are inaccurate."

"I believe Elder Liu knows the true value of the Dragon Whisker Golden Tail Spirit Fish."

Ning Yongrui's gaze swept over the Liu family cultivators behind Liu Yunpeng, whose expressions varied, and then to his own clansmen, who were holding their breath.

"The previous selling price was indeed too low."

"Now that the resources of Wanfang Lake are jointly managed by our Yun family and the Ning family, the prices must be re-evaluated."

"Ten Low-Grade spirit stones per fish is a fair price, considering our past relationship."

Ning Yongrui's words were resolute.

This explanation had, of course, been agreed upon with Yun Long long ago.

The resources of Wanfang Lake could no longer be exploited by these surrounding families as they pleased, as in the past.

For the Yun family to establish itself and the Ning family to develop, they could no longer be soft persimmons that anyone could knead at will.

All of this confidence stemmed from Yun Long, who appeared young but was unfathomably deep.

He was the true anchor of Wanfang Lake.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yunpeng's expression of "utter grief" froze, and a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

He had initially thought that Yun Long was young and might be intimidated by his words, or perhaps make concessions out of concern for his reputation.

He never expected the other party to be so direct.

"A fair price?"

Liu Yunpeng sneered, his voice suddenly rising.

"Patriarch Yun, Commander Ning, you are clearly taking advantage of your customers!"

"When has this Dragon Whisker Golden Tail Spirit Fish ever been priced so outrageously within the territory of my Sanshui County?"

"Do you think that by latching onto the Yun Family, you can now arbitrarily bully us old customers?"

His words already carried a hint of threat.

Yun Long's gaze was indifferent, as if he hadn't heard the hidden meaning in Liu Yunpeng's words.

"Elder Liu, you misunderstand."

He spoke slowly, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable power.

"Among first-tier spiritual items, this Dragon Whisker Golden Tail Spirit Fish is already considered a delicacy."

"It's just that in the past, its numbers were scarce, and its reputation hadn't spread far."

"Even outside of Sanshui County, finding this fish is not easy."

Yun Long paused, his gaze shifting from Liu Yunpeng's face to the golden fish swimming leisurely in the water tank.

"Ten Low-Grade spirit stones is already a price given out of respect for Commander Ning."

"To be frank, I had intended to keep all these Dragon Whisker Golden Tail Spirit Fish and sell them later at the Nanchuan Market."

"The prices there will only be higher."

As soon as he said this, the courtyard fell into silence.

The members of the Ning Family showed understanding and excitement on their faces.