Chereads / Immortal Clan of Myriad Spirits / Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: The Plot

Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: The Plot

Chapter 16: The Plot

At the Ye family's small shop, in a modest courtyard, a portly middle-aged cultivator dressed in loose robes emerged.

"Big brother!"

"Uncle!"

This man was none other than Ye Xinghe, the eldest of the Ye family's Xing generation. Though he had decent cultivation talent, he became obsessed with earning spirit stones, which hindered his cultivation. Now, having passed his prime, he remained at the ninth level of Qi Refinement.

For many years, Ye Xinghe had been managing the Ye family's market shop, which sold spirit beasts, spirit herbs, spirit pills, talismans, and magical artifacts, all of which were quite popular in the market.

He greeted the four people with a smile and ushered them inside.

In the courtyard, there were several spirit beast cubs, all locked in spirit cages, with special magical chains binding them. If a cultivator purchased one, the Ye family would provide some of these chains as complimentary gifts, and they also sold simple methods to control the spirit beasts.

After a round of inspection, Ye Jingcheng noticed that the beasts were all of low to medium grade, none surpassing the potential of his own Jade Ring Mouse. However, their selling prices still ranged from two to three hundred spirit stones.

Beyond the courtyard was a small room with two mahogany shelves, each reinforced with a magical array. One shelf was filled with magical artifacts, while the other was stocked with bottles of pills. A female cultivator from the Ye family was sitting at the counter, and upon seeing Ye Jingcheng and his group, she quickly stood up and began preparing spirit tea for them.

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

This female cultivator was ranked thirteenth among the Xing generation of the Ye family. However, as a four-spiritual root cultivator, her cultivation talent was poor, and she had given up cultivation after reaching the third level of Qi Refinement, dedicating herself to running the family business.

The day was still early, so there weren't many cultivators visiting the Ye family's shop.

At this moment, Ye Xinghe raised his tea cup, signaling everyone to drink together.

Ye Jingcheng, holding his tea cup, felt a sense of curiosity. Spirit tea was not something everyone in the Ye family could enjoy, and even though he was already this old, the number of times he had tasted it could be counted on one hand. The spirit tea was incredibly vibrant, turning the water a delicate green, much like a piece of light-colored jade.

Wisps of spiritual energy and tea vapor rose into the air, instantly invigorating him and even causing his cultivation technique to circulate involuntarily. A faint, wild fragrance wafted through his nostrils, leaving a lasting impression!

After a single sip, he felt the tea's enduring flavor, leaving him wanting more.

Quickly, he took another sip.

In just a few sips, his cup was empty.

After finishing, Ye Jingcheng felt too embarrassed to ask for a second cup. He knew that each cup was made from real spirit tea, and drinking a few more sips might cost an entire spirit stone.

This spirit tea was usually reserved for the Ye family's most esteemed guests.

[Translator: sauron]

Ye Jinglei and Ye Jingyun, who were sitting beside him, had similar expressions, and Ye Xinghe, noticing their awkwardness, silently signaled Ye Xinghong to refill their cups.

Ye Xinghe then turned to Ye Xingyu:

"This time, it's a big order from Huayu Sect. They're a newly established Foundation Establishment faction under Qinghe Sect. I've already investigated, and they're planning to take down a rival family."

"We've signed the contract now, and they've ordered 500 Rejuvenation Pills, 500 Blood Pills, and 20 low-grade magical artifacts…"

"I've also learned that they've chosen three suppliers in the Taihang market, so there shouldn't be any issues!" Ye Xinghe explained the entire large contract.

Although Ye Xingyu and the others didn't understand much, it was ultimately up to them to handle the refining.

The shop's previous alchemist and artifact refiners had already been conscripted by the Taiyi Sect.

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

"The deadline is one month, but the shop has some stock left!" Ye Xinghe replied with a nod.

However, at that moment, a young cultivator hurriedly ran in.

"Uncle, bad news! The earth-fire rooms we reserved with the Xu family have all been occupied, and the spirit stones have been refunded!"

Ye Xinghe was stunned for a moment, and his eyes flashed with a fierce light.

"Not a single earth-fire room is available?"

"Uncle, not one is left. Several have been taken by Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the Li family paid a high price to secure a few more!" The young cultivator spoke, growing increasingly angry.

This was clearly a trap. Shortly after securing a large order, the earth-fire rooms became unavailable and were taken over by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Li Xiangmu is playing dirty!" Ye Xinghe's face was filled with rage, exuding a murderous aura.

This order was worth more than three thousand spirit stones, and breaking the contract would cost five times that amount in penalties!

That was something the Ye family simply couldn't afford.

It was nearly the cost of a Foundation Establishment Pill!

Moreover, other cultivators would likely come to the Ye family to purchase these types of spirit pills and magical artifacts, preventing the Ye family from sourcing more from Lingyun Peak!

Even if they managed to secure more supplies, other cultivators would continue to buy them in large quantities.

And if the Ye family stopped selling, they wouldn't be able to do business for long.

Now that the Taiyi Sect had conscripted many alchemists and artifact refiners, other forces didn't have many available to spare!

"I want to see exactly which families are colluding against us!" Ye Xinghe, after his initial anger, became terrifyingly calm.

"Jinghao, take Jingcheng and the others to find a place to stay. I'll visit those three families to see if they can provide us with an earth-fire room!"

"Xingyu, I've secured an earth-fire room under the name of a rogue cultivator. I'll take you there now. It's going to be particularly tough on you from here on out!" Ye Xinghe emphasized the word "tough."

If this order failed, he would be the family's scapegoat!

The entire Ye family was walking a tightrope, and one misstep could lead to the family's destruction!

Ye Xinghe and Ye Xingyu quickly left.

"Eleventh brother, sixth brother, ninth brother, come with me!" Ye Jinghao, who had brought the news, was also from the Jing generation, but with five spiritual roots, he struggled with cultivation and gave up early to work in the shop, hoping to secure some contribution points for his descendants.

Under Ye Jinghao's guidance, the three of them moved further into the shop.

Inside, there was another courtyard, filled with various magical arrays. Ye Jinghao took out a jade talisman and deactivated the arrays one by one, revealing several spirit beasts inside.

Among them were a few Green-scaled Snakes and Jade Ring Mice, showing more potential than the ones outside.

There were also a few weaker beasts.

"When spirit beasts are kept too long or injured during capture, this happens. If we could heal them, our family's profits would increase significantly!" Seeing the confusion on Ye Jingcheng and the others' faces, Ye Jinghao sighed and explained.

"Recently, we've seen a lot more of these weakened spirit beasts."

Ye Jinglei seemed to have an idea and looked at Ye Jingcheng, who glanced back but didn't take any action.

Instead, he walked further into the courtyard, examining the rooms.

He had no desire to reveal his ability to heal spirit beasts, preferring that others believed his Red Flame Fox's recovery was just good luck. If he were to heal these beasts, he'd have to find a way to make it appear as if they recovered on their own.

Ye Jinghao led them to a few rooms in the inner courtyard, assigning one to each.

In Ye Jingcheng's room, there was even a pot of lush green vines, looking very healthy.

As the sun began to set, casting its rays over the Ye family shop, Ye Xinghe returned, furious, his face dark and brooding.