"More spirit stones?"
Faced with the Wang Family Ancestor's demand for more money, Li Ping showed a faint smile.
Then his lips moved, and his voice sounded directly beside the patriarch's ear. "Heh heh... that little performance you put on downstairs was quite splendid, Fellow Daoist Wang. If I'm not mistaken, the man who played along with you was one of your Lineage's juniors, wasn't he?"
At those words, shock appeared on the Wang Family Ancestor's face, and he looked at Li Ping with utter disbelief.
The others had no idea why his expression had changed so dramatically.
But the Wang Family Ancestor was, after all, a man who had lived for over a hundred and fifty years. His control over his expressions was impeccable, and he soon regained his former composure.
At the same time, he replied to Li Ping through voice transmission. "Heh heh... forgive that embarrassing display, fellow Daoist. I never expected a middle-stage cultivator such as yourself to take an interest in these little trinkets of my Wang Family. Consider that Miscellaneous Treatise a gift, a token of my friendship."
Having said that, he studied Li Ping closely, seemingly trying to discern his true identity.
But Li Ping had relied on this outfit to frequent the Black Market for years. It had stood the test of time, and the patriarch's attempt naturally came to nothing.
Afterward, the Wang Family Ancestor said no more and began copying the Marsh Water Life-Nourishing Art and the Miscellaneous Treatise for Li Ping.
Only then did the others realize that Li Ping must have exchanged some words with the Wang Family Ancestor through voice transmission.
Though they realized it, none asked about it. After all, the two had chosen voice transmission precisely because they did not want anyone else to know. Yet, without exchanging a word, they all shifted their feet and put some distance between themselves and Li Ping.
Li Ping paid them no mind. Instead, he recalled the scene his divine sense had witnessed earlier.
Inside the Wang Family's Secret Arts Pavilion, an array between the two floors blocked probing divine sense, but it could only defend against cultivators at the Foundation Establishment early stage or below.
Li Ping had a powerful soul, and his divine sense was about one and a half times stronger than that of cultivators at his level, only a notch below a middle-stage cultivator's. This array could not stop him from probing.
Earlier, when the Wang Family Ancestor had dealt with the cultivator who took the demonic cultivation method downstairs, those upstairs had heard only a scream.
But Li Ping had seen everything clearly. The Wang Family Ancestor had not attacked that cultivator at all. The two had simply worked together to put on a performance for the cultivators upstairs to hear, frightening them into submission!
This had also let Li Ping see through the Wang Family Ancestor's bluff. The man was not as formidable as he seemed, which was why Li Ping had taken an extra jade slip containing the Miscellaneous Treatise.
Now, just as he had expected, the man had backed down.
A moment later, Li Ping reached out and took the two jade slips floating toward him. After checking that everything was in order, he put them into his Storage Bag and stepped aside to make room for the other cultivators.
Once all the cultivators had finished having their jade slips copied, the Wang Family's Late Qi Refining Stage cultivator who had led them inside stepped forward again.
He led them toward the city gate, escorting them out.
There had been twelve of them when they arrived, but only eleven remained for the return journey.
The other cultivators all believed the missing man had fallen victim to the Wang Family Ancestor's murderous hand.
Only Li Ping knew that he was probably happily counting spirit stones with the Wang Family Ancestor at that very moment.
When they reached the city gate, the Wang Family's Late Qi Refining Stage cultivator sent the customary signal. Someone immediately responded by opening the gate and letting them leave the inner city.
After the eleven figures left the city, they exchanged wary glances, then scattered in different directions.
Outside the Wang Family's Secret Arts Pavilion, the Wang Family Ancestor watched the cultivators leave, his brows furrowed and his expression shifting uncertainly. "A Foundation Establishment middle-stage cultivator... there are only so many in the Immortal City. Who could he be...? Or perhaps he isn't a middle-stage cultivator at all, and merely has stronger divine sense than others at his level?"
This time, he had only intended to fleece those peak Qi Refining rogue cultivators and Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivators with no backing.
Yet someone who seemed to be a middle-stage cultivator had turned up. Offending a cultivator of that level was hardly worth it.
The Wang Family Ancestor shook his head. "Ah, forget it. I can't worry about everything!"
While the Wang Family patriarch was speculating about Li Ping's identity, a gray-robed figure jogged up to him and called respectfully, "Patriarch."
Had the other cultivators still been there, they would have recognized him at once. The gray-robed figure's build and silhouette were almost identical to those of the cultivator who had taken the demonic cultivation method and supposedly been righteously slain by the Wang Family Ancestor.
"Mm." The Wang Family Ancestor nodded. "How many more spirit stones do we need?"
The gray-robed figure stood there rather stiffly, his shoulders slightly hunched. Only after hearing the patriarch's question did he raise his head and answer, "About two thousand more."
The Wang Family Ancestor made a quick calculation. "Two thousand? Then another two or three rounds of this should be enough!"
At those words, the gray-robed figure hesitated, wanting to speak.
Naturally, the Wang Family Ancestor noticed. Impatience appeared on his face. "Qu Yan, what do you want to say?"
Hearing the patriarch ask, the gray-robed man named Wang Qu Yan finally mustered the courage to speak, worry written all over his face. "Patriarch, I was wondering... by doing this, won't we make too many enemies and sow the seeds of future trouble for our Wang Family?"
He glanced at the patriarch, then continued, "Besides, a seven-hundred-year-old golden marrow jade zhi normally costs only around three thousand spirit stones. Yet we're paying seven thousand, a full twice the price. Isn't that too high?"
As soon as Wang Qu Yan spoke, the impatience on the Wang Family Ancestor's face deepened, and he nearly snapped at him.
But when his gaze swept over this junior and he saw how timidly he stood there, he remembered that the man was, after all, the head of the Lineage, second only to himself in status. Once he passed away, the burden of the Lineage would fall upon this man's shoulders.
Only then did he suppress his temper and explain in as gentle a voice as he could manage, "Rest assured. As long as I'm here, no one will dare move against our Wang Family. As for the price of the golden marrow jade zhi, they're the only ones who have it, and we need it urgently. There's nothing we can do."
The Wang Family patriarch's gentle voice seemed to give Wang Qu Yan more courage. He continued, "But what if one day you're no longer here, Patriarch? Besides, we only need to wait another thirty years or so for the Immortal City's next round of competition for Foundation Establishment Pills. Emptying the Lineage's coffers just to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills thirty years early hardly seems worth it to me."
This time, the Wang Family Ancestor could no longer restrain himself. He barked furiously, "Fool! If I'm gone and there's no Foundation Establishment cultivator to hold the fort, will the Wang Family be able to protect this legacy?"
The patriarch's furious shout frightened Wang Qu Yan into silence.
But inwardly, he sighed. Patriarch, I know you're doing this for the Lineage's future, but this is far too dangerous a gamble. We're emptying our reserves to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, but what if the refinement fails? Even if we have the pills, does that guarantee the Lineage will produce a Foundation Establishment cultivator? If even one link in this chain goes wrong, the Lineage will fall into complete decline!
As he saw it, the Wang Family's ancestors had followed Windmist True Person in founding the Immortal City and earned great merit through their toil. Windmist True Person knew of the Wang Family. Even if they lacked a Foundation Establishment cultivator to hold the fort for a while, at worst they would only need to scale back a little, rest, and rebuild their strength.
There was no need for them to stake everything on such a dangerous gamble.
Although Wang Qu Yan knew his approach was best for the Lineage, the patriarch's authority had accumulated over many years, and he was accustomed to wielding sole power within the Lineage.
Though Wang Qu Yan was its head, he only dared voice a few doubts about the patriarch's decisions. He had no courage to oppose them firmly!
Of course, firm opposition would have been useless anyway.