Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 79 - 74: The Outside World
Having an additional stable channel for resource trading was, of course, a purely beneficial outcome for the Ling Family.
Therefore, as long as it didn’t endanger her own safety, Ling Qiyue had no intention of refusing Shentu Hong’s proposal.
"...To be frank, our Xingyun Sun Commerce Association is quite optimistic about your family’s prospects,"
Shentu Hong sat upright and spoke in a calm, measured tone. "Therefore, I can take it upon myself to offer your family a resource loan. Let’s set the repayment term at twenty years, with thirty-five percent interest. What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"
Ling Changqing was slightly taken aback. He glanced at Senior Sister Tang and saw her calm expression, as if she had been expecting this all along.
Ling Qiyue’s fine brows furrowed slightly as she said in a low voice,
"You lent the Wu Family a significant amount of resources before, didn’t you? Now it’s all gone down the drain. So... are you truly this confident in the Ling Family?"
Shentu Hong replied gently, "Lending is never a business of guaranteed returns. The fall of the Wu Family can only be blamed on our own poor judgment. We backed the wrong horse, so we have no one to blame but ourselves."
Tang Qiu Yao smiled. "If there are no strings attached, Fellow Daoist, then this is something we can consider."
The implication was clear: the Ling Family’s current finances were in good shape, and they didn’t desperately need this loan. If the association intended to use this as leverage to make demands, the deal was off.
Shentu Hong’s expression remained unchanged. "Our association has always focused on two things: doing business and making friends. We aren’t interested in anything else. A loan is just a loan. We won’t mix it with any other messy business."
Ling Qiyue nodded slightly. "In that case, we can continue this discussion."
Shentu Hong took out another Jade Scroll and handed it to the maid beside him, who in turn presented it to Ling Qiyue.
Ling Qiyue accepted and unfurled it. The Jade Scroll detailed over twenty different loan plans, with varying amounts, repayment terms, and interest rates.
She could borrow in her own name or as the Patriarch of her family, with correspondingly different terms for each.
The list of available loans was extensive, including Middle-grade Spirit Stones, Foundation Establishment Pills, various raw materials for refining said pills, High-Grade Pill Furnaces, Third-Grade Protection Arrays, Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts, and even Early-Grade Magical Treasures.
It seemed Shentu Hong had a thorough understanding of the Ling Family’s situation. He must have done his research beforehand, as the options provided were precisely the resources the Ling Family needed most for its development.
The Ling Family’s territory had recently expanded severalfold, making it a crucial time to cultivate more Cultivators and strengthen the younger generation.
Consequently, a large portion of the loan options consisted of resources for cultivating Qi Refining Stage Cultivators. Considering Ling Qiyue herself was a Second-Rank Alchemist, the list focused more on various raw medicinal herbs rather than finished elixirs.
Additionally, the list included options for Quasi-rank Three and Third-Grade Protective Arrays for the family’s headquarters. With one of these, Longhuan Island could withstand an attack from a Golden Core Master for a considerable time.
Ling Qiyue’s brow furrowed in concentration. ’The family headquarters on Longhuan Island really does need a Third-Grade Protection Array, and it’s a pressing matter.’
The array on Zenxin Island was a Quasi-rank Three. It had not only withstood the Wu Family’s all-out assault but had held for over a month.
’If Longhuan Island were protected by a true Third-Grade Array, the Ling Family wouldn’t have to worry about the safety of its headquarters, at least not until after we’ve unified the Feiyu Sea Region.’
However, the price of such a large-scale Third-Grade Array was steep—more than a hundred times the cost of a Second-Grade Array. It was simply beyond the means of any Foundation Establishment power.
The only clients who could typically consider such a purchase were Golden Core powers like Hanyue Gate, and even they would have to spend decades of their financial surplus to afford one.
Under normal circumstances, the Ling Family lacked the resources to install a Third-Grade Array. A loan, however, made it a possibility.
’At the Ling Family’s current rate of growth, repaying the debt in twenty years shouldn’t be difficult.’
Ling Qiyue considered her loan limit. After selecting a genuine, Early-Grade Third-Grade Protection Array, there wasn’t much left.
She then selected a batch of raw medicinal herbs and handed the Jade Scroll back to Shentu Hong.
"Then, it is settled!"
Shentu Hong glanced at her selections, and his internal evaluation of Ling Qiyue rose another notch.
’This Female Patriarch is not only a grand strategist, but she also understands the importance of building a solid foundation. She isn’t thinking of expanding blindly without considering the consequences.’
’As long as she manages their current territory well and maintains steady development for twenty years, the Ling Family’s foundation will become unshakable. Or rather, it won’t be something the other powers in the Feiyu Sea Region can hope to shake.’
Tang Qiu Yao asked unexpectedly, "Fellow Daoist Shentu, the Ling Family isn’t your association’s only client in the Feiyu Sea Region, I presume?"
Shentu Hong didn’t shy away from the question. He answered gently, "That is correct. The Mu Family, the Yuan Family, Yu Long Island... and the Wu Family before them, have all been clients of our association. The Ling Family is our newest partner."
"I see."
Tang Qiu Yao nodded. She was tempted to ask what resources those other powers had borrowed, but knowing it was confidential and that Shentu Hong would almost certainly refuse to answer, she let the idea go.
Shentu Hong smiled faintly, his tone mild. "Not every power is qualified to partner with our association, nor can just anyone obtain a resource loan."
"Allow me to be candid, Fellow Daoist Ling. The credit line you’ve been granted is the largest we have extended in the Feiyu Sea Region in the past fifty years. Not even the Mu Family received such favorable treatment in their time."
"Is that so? Then I am truly honored."
Ling Qiyue said, raising a delicate eyebrow, her expression unreadable.
No matter how powerful the Mu Family was, they had never produced a single Pseudo Core master. Ling Qiyue, on the other hand, had displayed the battle prowess of a Golden Core Master when she crushed the Wu Family’s elite forces.
Whether that power was truly hers or not, it was enough to overwhelm the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Mu Family. It was only natural that Shentu Hong would hold her in higher esteem.
Getting a loan wasn’t as simple as just asking for one.
After strictly controlling for risk, the number of partners a lender could ultimately choose was far smaller than one might imagine. After all, no one’s resources grew on trees.
Low-level Loose Cultivators, who were empty-handed and had nothing to their name, wouldn’t even get the chance to default on a loan; no one would bother lending to them in the first place.
At this moment, the handsome male Cultivator in white, Xue Yuchen, rose and bowed slightly before speaking.
"Since the Patriarch has made her decision, I will return to the Tianzhou Skyboat to retrieve the materials and Magical Artifacts required for the array. I must ask the Patriarch to arrange for personnel to assist us."
All the materials and components for the Third-Grade Array were already prepared aboard the Celestial Boat Fleet. Once a site was selected, they could begin surveying and start the installation.
Ling Qiyue replied, "That’s no problem. We will be ready on our end within a day at most."
And so, the matter was settled. On Shentu Hong’s command, the Array Master, Xue Yuchen, returned to the fleet. A day later, he came back with over twenty male and female Cultivators.
These twenty-odd Cultivators were all experts in the field of arrays, and none had a cultivation below the Foundation Establishment Level. Their leader was even at the Golden Core Master Realm.
The materials and Magical Artifact components needed for the array were all carried in their Storage Pouches. After confirming the site Ling Qiyue had designated, they promptly began their work.
"...To think a major commerce association with thousands of years of history can so casually mobilize this many experts!"
Tang Qiu Yao, observing from the side, remarked with a sigh of admiration.
Ling Changqing said, "A place like Hanyue Gate could never have so many Array Masters. It would take a Major Sect at the Nascent Soul Level to field a lineup like this, wouldn’t it?"
"Yes, but the Xingyun Sun Commerce Association’s true strength is likely even greater than that of a Nascent Soul Sect. They must have at least one Divinity Transformation Ancestor watching over them, if not more. It’s just that minor powers at the bottom of the ladder never get to see them."
Tang Qiu Yao explained that it was no secret that the Xingyun Sun Commerce Association counted more than one Nascent Soul power among its partners.
It would be impossible to maintain partnerships with so many major powers and conduct business so smoothly for thousands of years without some immense figure backing them from behind the scenes.
Ling Changqing was silent for a moment before murmuring, "I wonder if the Ling Family... will ever have the chance to reach such heights."
Tang Qiu Yao turned her head, her luminous, beautiful eyes gazing deeply at him for a moment before she replied meaningfully, 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
"I believe there’s a chance. If you can..."
She didn’t finish the sentence, but Ling Changqing naturally understood what she meant.
’Senior Sister Ling Qiyue and Senior Sister Tang have treated me well,’ Ling Changqing thought. ’I will repay them in full, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stay with the Ling Family forever.’
The Cultivation Realm was so vast and boundless, so mysterious and magnificent, that even legendary Divinity Transformation Ancestors could hardly grasp its full scope.
’When the time is right, I will definitely leave the Ling Family and venture into the wider world to seek my own path to enlightenment.’
"I’m going back to rest."
After watching for a while, Ling Changqing said to the curvaceous beauty beside him.
Tang Qiu Yao acknowledged his departure. Ling Changqing currently held no official post, so he was free to do as he pleased.
He had just returned to his Spirit Vein Cave Mansion and hadn’t yet decided what to do when Song Xuelan came to report that a female Cultivator was here to see him.
A moment later, Ling Changqing met his visitor.
"Surprised?"
Dressed in a vibrant red gown, the beautiful and elegant Xue Qingtan smiled radiantly, her bright, clear eyes looking the handsome, purple-robed youth before her up and down.
"Snow Fairy, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Ling Changqing’s expression was placid, but he was secretly on high alert. ’Someone from a major power like the Xingyun Sun Commerce Association is no harmless, naive fool.’
Xue Qingtan chuckled. "Don’t misunderstand, young man. I mean no harm. I just wanted to ask if you are in need of resources. The association can arrange a loan for you."
Ling Changqing felt a chill. ’Does this woman know something? Why seek me out specifically, and not anyone else?’
After a moment of thought, Ling Changqing asked quietly, "I’m probably not the only one, am I? Could you tell me how many people in the Ling Family you’ve identified as loan candidates?"
"So far, you’re the second!"
Xue Qingtan made no attempt to hide it. "The first target was an Independent Alchemist named Meng Ye. He seems to be blessed by some fortune and has had a fortuitous encounter of his own, so on behalf of the association, I gave him a Low-Grade, Profound-level Pill Scripture, five hundred Middle-grade Spirit Stones, and one high-quality Foundation Establishment Pill."
"To be precise, it isn’t simply a loan. It would be more accurate to call it a long-term investment."
"That Meng Ye?"
Ling Changqing was taken aback. He had some recollection of that cowardly Loose Cultivator who clung so dearly to life. ’I can’t believe he moved to Longhuan Island too. It must have been at the invitation of the Ling Family’s leadership.’
It was easy to imagine that before long, the Ling Family’s territory would have another Foundation Establishment Alchemist.
Xue Qingtan smiled sweetly. "So, what do you say, young man? Given your youth and talent, I can consider offering you a much higher credit line—ten times that of Meng Ye’s."
Ling Changqing shook his head. "But a loan from your association isn’t so easily accepted. I may not be able to repay it in the future."
There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. A major commerce association with thousands of years of history, especially, wasn’t running a charity.
Xue Qingtan laughed. "It doesn’t matter if you can’t repay it. All you have to do is agree to come with me and become a member of the Xingyun Sun Commerce Association!"
Ling Changqing: "..."
