Establishing Oneself and Winning the People's Hearts!

"Let's count it up: all together, we've gathered one hundred and sixty-eight taels of silver."

"Enough to buy forty or fifty mu of fertile land, or build a three-courtyard compound, or perhaps buy twenty or so maidservants and manservants."

"Add in the few bits of loose silver I've saved over the years, and it just might scrape together two hundred."

"Enough to settle down and establish a career."

Qin Lu toiled over the ledger, yet carried a trace of melancholy.

Though he had finally made it through the hard times, he had no one with whom to share it.

The parents of this life had passed away long ago.

He had no other brothers or sisters, and the family's property deeds had been seized long ago by various uncles, severing all contact.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been reduced to making a living all alone in this Bayi Town.

Still, it was for the best-

Now that he was all alone, he had no particular worries.

Since he now had his own fortune and a medical clinic as an enterprise, it was time to find a wife for himself and take in a few concubines.

To pass on the family line...

After all, as a man, he was no saint, let alone an ascetic monk.

With money and power, it was only natural to satisfy one's desires.

Yet there was no need to rush this matter; he should get his own estate established first...

Several weeks later-

To the north of Bayi Town stood a low hill.

It was about thirty-odd zhang high, with a wide and flat summit, and happened to have a river stream passing right below it.

One could truly call it: leaning against the mountains and facing the waters, with boundless and beautiful scenery!

This hill originally had no name-

Yet once Qin Lu came, it had one.

Its name was called: Muxuan Mountain!

The meaning within was self-evident, entrusting Qin Lu's heart of yearning for the mysterious gates of Dao.

Afterward-

Qin Lu selected the summit for his residence, hiring many stonemasons and carpenters to build a bluestone mountain path along the slope, running straight from the foot of the mountain to the top.

With the auspicious meaning: stepping higher and higher! Leaping over the dragon gate!

Once the mountaintop was leveled, he began laying foundations and piling up towering stone walls.

At the foot of the hill lay twenty mu of fertile land, built along the river stream, where waterwheels could be constructed to nourish the people with water and nurture the earth with water.

To this end-

Qin Lu also gathered a group of tenant farmers to reclaim wasteland and plant crops for him.

These were all independent households from the mountains with clean and unblemished backgrounds, and now, absorbed by Qin Lu, they had farmland to till.

They no longer needed to risk going up the mountain for a livelihood.

What was more, some had already received the kindness of the Qin Doctor, so they were naturally more than willing.

Naturally, this group of people became Qin Lu's loyal supporters.

In just a short time-

Qin Lu had already entrenched himself in one corner and formed his own cadre, avoiding a direct collision with the clans while winning over the people's hearts.

And with his reputation as a benevolent physician, imperceptibly, his prestige had reached its peak.

Even some independent households in the town.

All wanted to defect to Qin, yet alas, having no path in, they could only stand back and sigh at their ill fortune and troubled fates.

--

As for Qin Lu himself.

At this moment, however, he was sitting squarely within the Zhao Residence.

The person accompanying him at his side was none other than Chu He's elder brother: Chu Shan, who was also the head of the Chu Household.

A Second Realm Warrior-

On the other side was the founding patriarch of the Zhao Household, who was nearly eighty years old yet looked only about fifty.

He was a Third Realm Warrior!

In Bayi Town, he belonged to the top tier of combat strength, no weaker than the patriarchs of the Wei and Han families.

"Is what the young friend Qin says true?"

"If you are truly willing to ally in marriage with our Zhao and Chu households, the Zhao clan is willing to offer fifteen mu of fertile land and three roots of ten-year-old medicinal herbs as dowry."

"Along with five maidservants, one hundred taels of silver, three taels of gold, and several jade artifacts as dowry!"

Old Man Zhao spoke with intense passion, sparing no expense.

If he could win over Qin Lu and make him serve his Zhao clan, these things were naturally well worth it!

The value generated by a warrior capable of refining precious pills can be imagined, even if he could only refine one furnace of precious pills a year.

That was enough to guarantee the enduring prosperity of his Zhao Household for generations to come, let alone the fact that he was also a warrior.

His future potential was unpredictable.

With such a husband, what reason did Old Man Zhao have to be unsatisfied?!

What was more-

He, Qin Lu, was a lone man; if a woman from his Zhao Household sat in the seat of the primary wife, wouldn't the future bloodline of the Qin family be the bloodline of his Zhao Household all the same?

Qin Lu's skills would sooner or later be passed down to his Zhao Household.

This was a great rise to prosperity!

Nearby-

Chu Shan likewise nodded, his smile brilliant as he said:

"Though our Chu women cannot compare in nobility to the women of the Zhao Household, to serve as a concubine is already enough."

"If Young Master Qin does not disdain us, our Chu Household is willing to offer ten mu of fertile land, a hundred taels of fine silver, a pair of gold ornaments, and three accompanying servants as dowry."

"Five fine deerskins, two taels of tiger bone, and a pair of deer antlers!"

The dowry offered by Chu Shan was likewise substantial.

Though there were no precious medicinal herbs, the tiger bone and deer antlers were both treasured medical ingredients of high value.

Seeing the objective achieved-

Qin Lu was naturally beaming with joy, repeatedly cupping his fists to accept their terms.

From this day forward, the Zhao and Chu households would be family by marriage, and natural allies. This was Qin Lu's strategy: to make distant alliances while attacking those nearby.

Bayi Town was not large.

For him, Qin Lu, to insert himself into it would naturally be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Therefore-

He built his residence at a wild hill outside the town, not meddling in the affairs within the town.

This was remaining aloof from the world and preserving oneself.

Afterwards, he would first win over a portion, then cold-shoulder another portion, and finally unite to suppress a portion. In the fullness of time, certain clans were bound to decline.

By that time-

He, Qin Lu, might well become the ultimate winner!

Besides, the four great wealthy households in the town had long suffered bitterly under the Wei and Han families for a long time, holding deep grievances.

If they did not rebel at this moment, when would they?!

As for the Qi and Yan families, the former guarded themselves closely, trapped within their own households, and always maintained a stance of making no enemies and forming no alliances.

As for the latter Yan family, though slightly stronger than the Qi family, they were also mediocre, incompetent, and outwardly strong yet inwardly weak.

The instruction to cold-shoulder a portion referred precisely to these two families.

--

As for winning over the Zhao and Chu households.

It appeared as though he had gone knocking on their doors wishing to be on good terms with the two families and thereby ally through marriage.

In reality-

It was Qin Lu's tactic of borrowing a chicken to lay an egg; the two families' dowries were his best initial accumulation. With such wealth, subsequent pill refining would have a secure foundation.

His cultivation could also rapidly rise as a result!

When he grew powerful in the days to come, it would remain unwritten which of these two families would be master and which servant.

It was nothing more than mutual utilization.

Each was an insurance policy for the other. Whichever family could soar, the other could ride the coattails to great success; this was the alliance of vertical and horizontal strategies!

As for the likes of Wei and Han, should they turn a blind eye and a deaf ear.

They would sooner or later be cleanly devoured by the coalition of these three families!

A moment later-

Once the three parties settled the marriage details, Qin Lu spoke his farewells and departed.

To make some preparations for the upcoming wedding.

As for betrothal gifts and the like, whatever needed to be prepared must be prepared in advance; he could not lose his etiquette and throw away the demeanor of a great and wealthy household.

Letting people see it and stir up any jokes.

At the same time.

Within the Han Household, however, a split had appeared!

And the problem lay precisely with the Wood Essence Pill, though there was nothing wrong with the pill itself.

Rather, how to distribute it had become the greatest puzzle!

With nearly a hundred people in the Han family, there were naturally distinctions of closeness and distance between individuals, but broadly speaking, it was a dispute between the main branch and the second branch.

Yet the Wood Essence Pill was something his Han family had only managed to purchase a single one of.

The person in charge at the time, Han Zhen, happened to be the eldest grandson of the eldest branch.

Because of this issue, the matter was sharply magnified!

The people of the second branch believed that this was Han Zhen acting with deliberate intent, simply wishing to use the opportunity to strengthen the lineage of the main branch and weaken the real power of the second branch.