Chapter 219: Who Told You Dragon Snake Mountain Was at a Loss This Year?

Chapter 219: Who Told You Dragon Snake Mountain Was at a Loss This Year?

As soon as the Eighth Elder spoke, the grand hall quieted slightly.

Each person's mind involuntarily turned to the political landscape of recent years.

Since the new Jing Emperor ascended the throne, the imperial court had abandoned its previous conciliatory approach to the Nine Provinces sects, adopting a hardline stance instead.

Suppression, recruitment, bribery, and annihilation—every method was employed against the sects.

The new Jing Emperor had already brought seven of the Nine Provinces under control, leaving only Yu Province and Wu Province.

It was clear that he sought to bring Yu Province fully under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Governor's Office and into submission to the imperial court.

If he could consolidate Yu and Wu Provinces, he would unite the strength of all Nine Provinces, achieving what dozens of Jing Emperors before him had failed to accomplish—a monumental feat.

For the Jade Cauldron Sect, peaceful coexistence with the imperial court was utterly impossible.

So how could one speak of stable, long-term trade of spirit beasts and demon beast materials with the Provincial Governor's Office?

Yang Qiye smiled faintly, producing a stack of yellowed papers.

"Do you know what these are?"

"Don't play games," Elder Wu and Elder Qi frowned in unison.

"This is the complete blueprint for crafting the Green Lotus artifact!" Yang Qiye declared loudly.

"What!?"

All the elders were astonished.

Even Sect Master Li Zhendao's eyes burned with intensity as he immediately asked, "Elder Yang, where did this come from?"

Yang Qiye smiled. "It was entrusted to me by the Governor of Yu Province. However, only half is here—the other half will only be exchanged if we come to an agreement."

The elders immediately fell into deep thought.

Fifth Elder growled, "Yang Qiye, you've been secretly dealing with the Provincial Governor's Office? What are you hiding?"

Fourth Elder immediately reprimanded him, "Stop making baseless accusations! Didn't you hear what Elder Yang said? It was the Governor of Yu Province who went to great lengths to reach out to him!"

Li Zhendao pressed both hands downward. "Everyone, I trust Elder Yang's loyalty to the sect. Let's first allow him to finish speaking."

He turned to Yang Qiye. "Please, Elder Yang, share what agreement the Governor seeks with the Jade Cauldron Sect."

Yang Qiye smiled faintly. "The Provincial Governor's Office proposes to supply the Jade Cauldron Sect with spirit beast and demon beast materials in exchange for spirit stones and spirit artifacts from us."

The Eighth Elder frowned. "Why would the Governor's Office lack spirit stones and spirit artifacts? Yang Qiye, have you been deceived?"

Yang Qiye shook his head. "There's something you may not know. Half a month ago, the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom launched a major invasion of Wu Province, capturing nine cities within five days."

The elders were immediately stunned.

They were aware of the antagonistic relationship between the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom and the Jing Kingdom, but this firsthand news of the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom gaining the upper hand was something they hadn't known.

"The Jing Emperor was furious and ordered Yu Province to send reinforcements to Wu Province. This pressure naturally fell on the Governor of Yu Province."

"He now needs to provide logistical support to Wu Province's Provincial Governor's Office, which naturally leaves him short on spirit stones and spirit artifacts."

"For this reason, he seeks to ease tensions with the Jade Cauldron Sect to counterbalance the Supreme Clarity Sect and the Pill River Sect."

"I'm fully aware that the Governor of Yu Province is using us. But can we not also use him?"

"Everyone, this is a rare opportunity!"

Yang Qiye spoke solemnly. "While the Governor is overwhelmed by the war in Wu Province, we should immediately abandon the perpetually unprofitable beast-rearing industry and focus on artifact forging."

"By the time the war in Wu Province ends and the Governor's attention returns, our Jade Cauldron Sect will have already grown immeasurably stronger!"

After these words, the Fourth, Seventh, and Ninth Elders voiced their agreement, praising the idea repeatedly.

Even the Third and Sixth Elders, known for being indecisive, nodded slightly.

The Fifth and Eighth Elders found no fault in the proposal either.

Yang Qiye's argument indeed prioritized the sect's interests above all.

All eyes turned to Tenth Elder Wan Muchun, including those of Sect Master Li Zhendao and the Grand Elder.

Wan Muchun coughed lightly and stood up.

However, everyone's gaze grew strange, fixed on his neck.

Li Zhendao's lips twitched. "Elder Wan, there's… a lip print on your neck."

Wan Muchun nonchalantly wiped it off before speaking. "I believe Elder Yang's proposal is excellent—very well thought out."

"This is clearly a tactic by the Governor of Yu Province to counterbalance the three major sects of Yu Province. The bait is not poisonous; we can certainly take it."

"However, there's no need to completely abandon the beast-rearing industry."

"After all, if we abandon it now, while the war in Wu Province might pose no issues for the next ten years, what happens afterward?"

"When the Governor shifts his focus and severs ties with us, what then?"

"Our disciples who practice beast-rearing techniques will lack spirit beasts, and our elders who specialize in alchemy will run out of materials."

Yang Qiye replied calmly, "But all three of our beast-rearing enterprises have been losing money for years. This year, Dragon Snake Mountain has been in the red for 300 consecutive years."

"After I took charge of the sect's logistics and internal affairs, I understood this matter better than anyone else. There were times I even had to use my own funds to cover the losses!"

"Elder Wan, may I ask, if the beast-rearing industry continues to incur losses year after year, will you personally cover those losses?"

"And if we keep losing money for another ten years or so, how do you propose we develop the artifact forging industry? How will we compete with the other two sects?"

Wan Muchun chuckled, a sly smile spreading across his face.

"Who told you Dragon Snake Mountain suffered a loss this year?"

His words shocked the other elders.

Dragon Snake Mountain—that troublesome place—even they were familiar with it.

The more demonic beasts interbred, the thinner their bloodlines became.

Even tamed spirit beasts would sometimes revert to their wild nature.

It was an odd phenomenon.

Throughout history, none of the seven elders stationed there had been able to reverse the losses.

Could Wan Muchun's words mean that Dragon Snake Mountain turned a profit this year?

That would be good news, of course—but what of it? A single year of profit isn't enough; it needs to happen consistently.

Yang Qiye's eyes flashed, but he quickly came to a conclusion.

At most, Wan Muchun must have employed some temporary measures to barely meet the sect's requirements through Shen Mo's efforts.

No matter what, it wasn't a serious issue.

The beast-rearing industry was already in steep decline.

This overall trend was irreversible.

As someone overseeing the situation, Yang Qiye naturally knew how to take advantage of it.

Remaining confident, he said, "Oh? Then please, Elder Wan, enlighten us. Just how much did Dragon Snake Mountain produce this year?"

All eyes turned to Wan Muchun.

Wan Muchun spread out his hands, fingers splayed wide.

"This year, Dragon Snake Mountain's output was more than… ten times the sect's requirement!"

"Oh, ten times, huh… Wait, what did you say? Ten times?!" Yang Qiye froze for a moment before his eyes widened in shock.

Several elders stood up abruptly.

Fourth Elder barked, "Wan Muchun! To protect your beast-rearing industry, you dare falsify numbers? Grand Elder, I say we throw this old fool into your disciplinary hall for a thorough interrogation and punishment!"

The Grand Elder, silent until now, finally moved his lips. "The disciplinary hall isn't mine—it belongs to the Jade Cauldron Sect."

Seventh and Ninth Elders chimed in together, "Wan Muchun, stop spouting nonsense. Who here doesn't know the situation at Dragon Snake Mountain?"

The Grand Elder then asked, "Who is the stationed elder at Dragon Snake Mountain? Qian Fangyong?"

"No, it's a new elder from the Tenth Peak, named Shen Mo," Fourth Elder said with a peculiar grin.

The other elders now looked at Wan Muchun with strange expressions.

Ah, so it's someone from your Tenth Peak.

Sect Master Li Zhendao also frowned slightly and cleared his throat. "Elder Wan, you should be more careful with your words."

Wan Muchun burst out laughing. "They're already outside. Why not invite them in so we can see for ourselves?"

"Fine, let them in," Li Zhendao nodded.

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