Convening the Clan Meeting

"Wh-why are you looking at me like that? Was I wrong?"

Luo Li felt a little creeped out by Chen Daoxuan's stare and snapped in embarrassment.

"Ahem, Miss Luo, that is not quite right."

Chen Daoxuan coughed and cleared his throat. "Perhaps to Senior and Miss Luo, magic artifacts are cheap, but selling them to you at this price already earns us a profit.

"So, Miss Luo, there is no need to think I lowered the price of the magic artifacts because I fear you."

Chen Daoxuan's strictly businesslike manner left Luo Li unsure how to respond.

"Good! Since both sides are satisfied with the price of the magic artifacts, we shall trade at this price."

The middle-aged mermaid made the decision.

Fearing that the other party might go back on his word, Chen Daoxuan hurriedly nodded. "Agreed!"

Once they had preliminarily reached an agreement to cooperate, the atmosphere between the two sides immediately eased.

Pointing at the mermaid woman beside him, the middle-aged mermaid said with a smile, "This is my daughter, Luo Li. From now on, she will represent the Luo Clan in handling the magic artifact trade between our two clans."

Having said that, the middle-aged mermaid shot Luo Li a meaningful glance.

Understanding his meaning, Luo Li nodded. She dug fiercely at her waist, tearing off a bloodstained scale.

"Human cultivator, this is my Lifebound Scale. With it, you can contact me from anywhere within ten thousand li."

Luo Li's pretty face was pale.

Taking the bloodstained scale, Chen Daoxuan silently put it away in his Storage Bag.

"Once we have settled our clansmen, we will come to complete the transaction."

The middle-aged mermaid gazed quietly at Chen Daoxuan. "Human cultivator, when that time comes, I hope you will not deceive us."

"I would not dare!"

Chen Daoxuan bowed.

"Good!"

With that, the middle-aged mermaid and the mermaid woman named Luo Li leapt into the water with a splash and vanished.

Viewed from high above.

The dark mass of the Merfolk Tribe beneath the sea gradually moved away, eventually disappearing from sight.

Half an hour later.

One by one, the clansmen aboard the Azure Dragon woke up.

After Chen Daoxuan soothed the panicked clansmen and their emotions gradually settled, everyone piloted the Azure Dragon onward toward Twin Lakes Island.

More than twenty days later.

The Azure Dragon safely returned to the deepwater harbor of Twin Lakes Island, without encountering another mishap along the way.

Twin Lakes Island, Changping County.

Chen Clan Ancestral Hall.

The Chen Clan Ancestral Hall was not only where the Chen Family of Twin Lakes Island worshipped their ancestors, but also the family's highest center of power.

Over the past three hundred years, the various forms of Clan Meetings held here had determined the fate, rise, and decline of the Chen Clan.

Sitting in Chen Xianhe's former seat, Chen Daoxuan looked down at the two rows of standing Chen clansmen below and could not help feeling deeply moved.

The Chen Family was truly pitifully short of people.

A dignified Cultivation Family had only one cultivator at its Clan Meeting. It would be laughable if word got out.

Shaking his head, he cast the stray thoughts from his mind.

Seated high upon the Clan Leader's throne, Chen Daoxuan said, "Because the Clan Leader must oversee the family shop in Guang'an Prefecture immortal city, I will temporarily serve as the family's Clan Leader from now on."

As he spoke, Chen Daoxuan took out the black Seal symbolizing the Clan Leader's authority before everyone.

No one was surprised by Chen Daoxuan's words.

In their hearts, Chen Daoxuan, the Chen Family's only cultivator of the younger generation, had always been the unquestionable choice for the family's future Clan Leader.

Moreover, the Old Clan Leader was already advanced in years. They had long been mentally prepared for Chen Daoxuan to take over as Clan Leader.

After exchanging glances and murmuring among themselves, everyone simultaneously clasped their hands in salute. "Greetings, Young Clan Leader!"

"No need for such formalities."

Chen Daoxuan waved his hand.

"In earlier years, I devoted myself to cultivation and was not deeply involved in family affairs, so I am not very familiar with all of you. But from now on, I hope everyone can work together to assist me and make our Chen Family of Twin Lakes Island flourish and grow stronger!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhi, the Changping County Magistrate standing first in the right row, stepped forward and was the first to state his position with a clasped-hands salute. "The Changping County Yamen will certainly give its full support to the Young Clan Leader in reorganizing clan affairs and developing the family!"

"Mm."

Chen Daoxuan nodded in satisfaction.

Seeing this, Chen Liangyu, formerly in charge of the Red Copper Mine and standing at the head of the left row, secretly felt annoyed.

Such a fine opportunity to declare his loyalty had actually been snatched by Chen Zhi.

Thinking this, Chen Liangyu refused to be outdone and quickly said, "Our Red Copper Mine is also willing to obey the Young Clan Leader's orders!"

"Very good! I have seen everyone's sincerity."

Chen Daoxuan smiled. "At present, there are indeed several important matters for you to handle."

Seeing everyone assume attentive expressions.

Chen Daoxuan looked at the Changping County Magistrate and said, "Chen Zhi!"

"This subordinate is here."

Chen Zhi bowed in response.

"How many registered households does our Chen Family of Twin Lakes Island have in total?"

"Reporting to the Young Clan Leader, the Chen Family of Twin Lakes Island has 774 households, totaling 3,873 people. Among them, Changping County town has 597 households and 2,987 people, while the various villages have 177 households and 886 people."

"The village population is so small."

Chen Daoxuan frowned. "Then how has the family's grain problem been resolved?"

"Reporting to the Young Clan Leader, the Old Clan Leader previously purchased grain from Guang'an Prefecture to subsidize the clan."

Seeing Chen Daoxuan's displeased expression, Chen Zhi answered cautiously.

"Then what is the family's detailed population structure?"

At this question, Chen Zhi froze for a moment, uncertain how to answer. "May I ask, Young Clan Leader, what is a population structure?"

Chen Daoxuan realized that in his haste, he had let slip a term from his previous life.

Thus, without changing expression, he explained, "It is the detailed proportional breakdown of the family population by gender and age."

"Th-this..."

Chen Zhi broke out in a cold sweat, at a complete loss.

He truly did not know the answer to this question.

But sitting still and waiting for death was clearly not this County Magistrate's style. He clasped his hands and said, "Reporting to the Young Clan Leader, the County Yamen has not counted the family's detailed population structure. However, as far as this subordinate knows, our Chen Clan has always had a large young population and ample adult males."

Chen Zhi thought Chen Daoxuan was worried that the Chen Clan lacked adult males, so he specifically emphasized their abundance.

Who would have thought that Chen Daoxuan would not be pleased by this answer, but instead feel even heavier at heart.

An abundance of adult males meant a shortage of women, an imbalance in the ratio of men to women.

This meant the Chen Family could not rapidly expand its population in a short time.

And the size of the family's population was directly tied to the growth of its cultivator ranks. It was the family's lifeline.

Rubbing his aching head, Chen Daoxuan finally understood how much pressure Chen Xianhe had borne alone over the years so that he could focus on cultivation and Artifact Refining.

Setting this question aside, Chen Daoxuan continued, "How much farmland does the clan have in total?"

Hearing this question, Chen Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. "Reporting to the Young Clan Leader, our Chen Clan has a total of 4,657 mu of fertile fields."

"With so much farmland, and only 177 village households, can the farmers manage to cultivate it all?"

"Th-this..."

Chen Zhi wiped the sweat from his forehead, unsure how to answer.

He could not exactly say that most of this land belonged to wealthy households.

Even in the cultivation world, the problem of land annexation had always existed within Cultivation Families.

Even the small Chen Clan had such a problem.

It was simply that cultivators ordinarily stood high above everyone else and paid no attention to these matters.

If the mortals caused too great a disturbance, cultivators would use their transcendent power to forcibly shatter the established classes and redistribute the benefits.

Seeing that the other man could not answer, Chen Daoxuan continued, "Then how large is Twin Lakes Island's land area? Surely your County Yamen knows that?"

"Th-this subordinate does not know."

Feeling the pressure emanating from Chen Daoxuan grow ever heavier, County Magistrate Chen Zhi did not even dare raise his head.