The Liu Family had come to discuss secret trade?
Sure enough, Xu Fugui's next words were, "I suspect they're planning to open a market."
Catching Lin Changheng's surprised look, he hurriedly added, "Of course, that's just my guess. Don't take it as fact."
"It's certainly possible."
Lin Changheng shook his head slightly, though he agreed.
When it came to earning spirit stones, running shops could not compare to running a marketplace.
The Xu Family lacked the strength to do so alone. As a Qi Refining Realm lineage, they fell far short in both the power needed to keep order and the resources needed to set up a grand formation.
But if they opened one together with the Liu Family, those problems would disappear. A family with two Foundation Establishment cultivators carried plenty of weight.
"But if that's the case, how will the Xu Family protect its interests when the Liu Family is so much stronger?"
The cultivation world valued honor, but beneath it all, the strong preyed on the weak. In the face of overwhelming power, honor was a paper archway, easily torn apart.
Unable to work it out, Lin Changheng stopped trying.
That was for the Xu Family's leaders to consider. What did it have to do with him? Why worry about something he had no say in?
It was unwise to take over someone else's job.
Xu Fugui shook his head too, indicating that he could not make sense of it either.
As they walked, they arrived before the hall.
Lin Changheng spotted several familiar faces inside at once.
Xu Xuzhong, steward of the General Affairs Hall; Xu Xuyang, steward of the Hundred Treasures Hall; the chief alchemist; the caravan steward... All were among the lineage's leaders.
Xu Xuzhong saw Lin Changheng as well and beckoned him over