Conspiracy (Please Keep Reading, Monthly Votes—Double Monthly Votes)

Inside the Ye Family's small shop, a middle-aged cultivator in a loose, ornate robe, with a potbelly, stepped out into the modest courtyard.

"Big Brother!"

"Eldest Uncle!"

This man was the eldest of the Ye Family's Xing generation, Ye Xinghe. Ye Xinghe had possessed decent cultivation talent, but he had become engrossed in earning spirit stones and delayed his cultivation. By the time he grew older, regret was useless; he was now still only at the ninth level of Qi Refinement.

Over the years, the Ye Family's marketplace shop had also been managed by Ye Xinghe.

Spirit beasts, spirit herbs, spirit pills, spirit talismans, and magical artifacts—all sold quite well, and the shop had gained a modest reputation within the marketplace.

Smiling, he welcomed all four of them inside.

Quite a few spirit beast cubs had been placed in the courtyard. They were locked inside spirit cages, with special artifact chains fastened within as well.

Whenever cultivators bought one of these, the Ye Family would give them a few small chain-type artifacts. The family also sold matching, simple methods for controlling spirit beasts.

But after making a circuit, Ye Jingcheng discovered that they were all only low-grade or mid-grade first-rank demon beasts. Even their potential was somewhat inferior to that of his Jade Ring Rat.

Yet they still sold for two or three hundred spirit stones.

Beyond the courtyard was a room with a counter. Inside stood two rosewood racks, each set with a formation.

One rack was filled with magical artifacts, while the other was packed with pill bottles.

A female cultivator of the Ye Family sat before the counter. Seeing Ye Jingcheng and the others enter, she hurriedly rose, took out spirit tea, and began brewing it for them.

"Thirteenth Aunt!" Ye Jingcheng and the others called out in succession.

This female cultivator ranked thirteenth among the Ye Family's Xing generation. However, she had four spirit roots and poor cultivation talent. After reaching the third level of Qi Refinement, she had given up cultivation entirely and devoted herself to selling goods for the family.

It was still early, and not many cultivators had come to the Ye Family's shop.

At that moment, Ye Xinghe raised his teacup, signaling everyone to drink together.

Holding his cup, Ye Jingcheng found it rather novel. Spirit tea was not something everyone in the Ye Family could enjoy. Even at his age, the number of times Ye Jingcheng had drunk it could be counted on one hand.

The spirit tea was incomparably fresh and emerald-green, dyeing the tea liquor a bright verdant hue, like a piece of pale jadeite!

Streams of spiritual energy mingled with tea mist and rose up, instantly refreshing his mind. His cultivation technique even began circulating of its own accord.

A faint fragrance of the wild mountains drifted past his nose, leaving an endless aftertaste!

After one mouthful, he found the tea's flavor deep and lingering, and still wanted more!

He promptly took another sip.

After several sips, the cup was completely drained.

Once he finished, Ye Jingcheng felt too embarrassed to ask for another cup.

After all, this was genuine spirit tea. A few more mouthfuls might cost an entire spirit stone.

This was what the Ye Family normally used to receive relatively distinguished guests.

Ye Jingli and Jingyun beside him wore much the same expression. Ye Xinghe saw the three of them in their awkward state but said nothing, merely looking toward Ye Xinghong.

The latter immediately understood and refilled the cups of the three of them.

Ye Xinghe then looked at Ye Xingyu.

"This time, it's a major order from the Feather Transformation Sect. They're a newly established Foundation Establishment faction within the Green River Sect's territory. I've also investigated it thoroughly—they intend to make a move against a hostile family!"

"The contract has been signed. They need five hundred Qi Recovery Pills, five hundred Qi-Blood Pills, and twenty low-grade magical artifacts..."

"I've looked into it. In Taihang Marketplace, they selected three sellers in total. Nothing can go wrong!" Ye Xinghe laid out the details of the entire major order.

Although Ye Xingyu and the others did not understand such matters, they would be the ones refining the items after all.

The shop's artifact refiner and alchemist had previously both been conscripted by the Taiyi Sect.

"No problem. What's the deadline?" Ye Xingliu asked as well.

"One month. The shop itself also has some stock remaining," Ye Xinghe replied with a nod.

Yet just then, a young cultivator hurriedly ran inside.

"Eldest Uncle, this is bad! All the earth-fire chambers our family reserved with the Xu Clan have been occupied, and they've returned our spirit stones!"

At those words, Ye Xinghe froze!

A ferocious glint surged into his eyes.

"Not even one earth-fire chamber is left?"

"Eldest Uncle, not a single one. Several have been taken by Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the Li Family paid high prices to occupy several more!" As the young cultivator spoke, he too grew furious.

This was clearly a trap. They had barely accepted the major order before earth-fire chambers became scarce—and were even occupied by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Li Xiangmu is playing dirty!" Ye Xinghe's face was filled with rage, killing intent overflowing from him.

This order alone was worth over three thousand spirit stones. Breaching the contract meant paying five times that amount!

That was something the Ye Family absolutely could not bear.

It was already equivalent to the price of a Foundation Establishment Pill!

And next, cultivators would likely keep coming to the Ye Family to buy these types of spirit pills and magical artifacts!

To prevent the Ye Family from dispatching supplies from Soaring Cloud Peak!

But even if the dispatch succeeded, the Ye Family could not withstand the other cultivators buying in bulk.

And if the Ye Family refused to sell, then in the long run, its business would be impossible to maintain.

It was also the time when the Taiyi Sect was recruiting alchemists and artifact refiners, so the other factions did not have many alchemists to spare either!

"I'd like to see exactly how many families are joining forces to squeeze out our Ye Family!" After his fury, Ye Xinghe became terrifyingly calm.

"Jinghao, take Jingcheng and the others to find somewhere to stay first. I'll visit those three families one by one and see which of them can provide us with an earthfire chamber!"

"Xingyu, I secured an earthfire chamber under the name of a Rogue Cultivator. I'll take you there now. From here on, I'm afraid you'll have to work especially hard!" Ye Xinghe bit down heavily on the words "especially hard"!

If they botched this order, he would become the sinner of the Ye Family!

One had to know that everyone in the Ye Family was now stretched taut like a drawn bowstring. The slightest carelessness could snap the string and destroy the clan!

Ye Xinghe and Ye Xingyu both left swiftly.

"Eleventh Brother, Sixth Brother, Ninth Brother, come with me!" Ye Jinghao was the cultivator who had brought them the news. He too belonged to the Jing generation, but he only had five spiritual roots.

Even cultivating ordinary techniques was exceedingly difficult for him. Unable to endure that hardship, he had applied to come to the shop at an early age, intending to earn some contribution points for his future descendants.

Led by Ye Jinghao, the three of them headed deeper into the shop.

There was another courtyard inside the shop, and it was covered in several formations. Ye Jinghao took out a jade talisman and opened the formations one by one. Quite a few demon beasts were being kept in this courtyard as well.

Among these demon beasts were Azure-Scaled Snakes and Jade Ring Rats, their potential clearly much greater than those outside.

Besides those, several with feeble auras were kept there as well.

"When spirit beasts have been confined for too long or injured during capture, they end up like this. If we can heal them, the Ye Family's profits will increase by quite a bit!" Seeing the doubts on Ye Jingcheng and the others' faces, Ye Jinghao sighed again and explained.

"For some reason, there have been quite a few more spirit beasts like this lately."

Ye Jingli seemed to think of something and looked at Ye Jingcheng. Ye Jingcheng also glanced over them a few times, but made no move.

He merely walked into the courtyard and began choosing rooms.

He did not want everyone to know that he could heal spirit beasts. His Crimson Flame Fox could be explained away as simply having a strong constitution, but these spirit beasts were different. Even if he were to save them—

Ye Jingcheng would have to think of a way to make them suddenly recover on their own!

There were still quite a few rooms in the inner courtyard, and Ye Jinghao arranged rooms for all three of them one by one.

There was even a pot of green ivy in Ye Jingcheng's room, and it looked as though it was growing exceptionally well.

By sunset, the lingering rays shone over the Ye Family's shop, and Ye Xinghe returned in a rage, his expression incomparably gloomy!