Mount Eternal region, Heavenyear Peak.

This was the central peak of Mount Eternal. Standing here, one could see an ocean of clouds and a sea of forests, all of the surrounding area within one’s vision.

For the last month, every morning, Tang Jie had come to this peak to look into the distance. Alas, despite his comprehension of Insight, he was not able to take in this entire mountainous region. Even Yiyi using her control of plants had not been able to find anything.

Nearly a month had passed, and Tang Jie’s hopes were dwindling.

Tang Jie was still sitting on the peak today, looking into the distance, but there was nothing new.

He softly sighed.

Yiyi pulled on the hem of Tang Jie’s clothes and said, “Big Brother, we won’t be able to find Bao’er, right?”

“Maybe,” Tang Jie replied. “But it might be that one day, he will suddenly appear before us.”

“You think he’s still alive.”

“I’m sure he’s still alive.”

Yiyi dropped her head and fell silent.

After a while, the little girl suddenly gnashed her teeth and said, “It’s all the fault of that Wei Clan head. If not for him, Bao’er wouldn’t have gone missing. Why don’t we go and destroy the Wei Clan?”

Tang Jie pinched Yiyi’s face. “Little girl, you shouldn’t have such a murderous aura about you. The Wei Clan has shown kindness to me, so I cannot strike at them.”

“So are we just going to let this matter go?”

Tang Jie indifferently said, “I guess so. The heavens have their own judgment.”

“‘The heavens’? What sort of judgment can the heavens have?” Yiyi was confused.

Tang Jie coolly replied, “Yiyi, go back to Canglong Prefecture for a bit and spread the word that Tang Jie is downhearted from the unknown fate of his beloved pet and is no longer in the mood to worry about mortal affairs. Of course, Tang Jie is still a member of the Wei Clan and will still step forward if the Wei Clan is in danger.”

“Huh?” Yiyi looked at Tang Jie in shock.

She didn’t understand why Tang Jie would do this in this situation. Tang Jie said, “Remember what I said. When you get to Canglong Prefecture, just repeat it word for word so that everyone hears. Make sure that the majority of the cultivators and clans of Ling Province know about this. Understand?”

Yiyi dumbly nodded.

Tang Jie continued, “Once you’re done with that, head to Shi City. I’ve heard that the lady’s mother is of advanced age and does not have long to live, and even a Lifespan Extending Pill doesn’t do anything. Go over there and see how long she can last. If she can still last for some time, head to Shaohua Mountain and find the sect master of the Essence Yang Sect. Tell him that Tang Jie is seeking out a Life Restoring Pill for the venerable lady. As for the price, give him as much as he asks for. If we don’t have enough money, we can just owe them a debt.”

Yiyi was confused. “While the Life Restoring Pill can extend a life, it doesn’t resolve any major problems and only buys time, but it’s not cheap either. The Wei Clan is treating you like this, and you’re still helping them so much?”

“Just do as I say,” Tang Jie said, remaining indifferent. “As for your third task, I arranged to meet with Mu Yi, so you should head back to Basking Moon Academy and see Mu Yi. There’s no need to hide anything, so just tell him what happened here. Once that’s done, you can come back.”

“Just tell him what happened here and nothing else?”

“Yes, you don’t need to say anything else.”

“And then?” Yiyi blankly stared at Tang Jie.

“And then…” Tang Jie softly muttered, “Then we look to the will of the heavens.”

Yiyi left Heavenyear Peak, leaving Tang Jie alone to continue his search.

After searching for another month, Tang Jie finally had to leave empty-handed.

When he left, the little tiger was still slumbering in the underground cavern, Xi Canhen had left the Wei Estate more than a month ago, and the Basking Moon Sect, with all the various disciples mediating, had finished the final calculations and confirmed the contributions of Tang Jie and the others. Tang Jie’s fame once more spread throughout the realm, and all of Sageheart heard of his reward of twenty million spirit coins.

In contrast, some bad news began to spread through smaller channels.

Someone said that Tang Jie and the Wei Estate had had a falling out.

The reason for the rumor was that Tang Jie had publicly announced that he was no longer intervening in mortal affairs, and the one most affected by this was none other than the Wei Clan.

Some with good intelligence networks even said that Tang Jie had done this because the Wei Estate had been lacking in its rescue efforts. Tang Jie had been dissatisfied, but he also wasn’t willing to turn hostile because of this and earn the infamy of betraying his master, so he had decided to handle things by being passive.

The rumor had so much detail that the Wei Estate was in somewhat of a panic.

Wei Danbai was furious. “Absurd! Putting aside its veracity, even if it were true, without Tang Jie, the Wei Estate still has my son Tianchong! He’s a True Inheritor of Sunwatch Peak! Moreover, Tang Jie has been in school for eight years, and when has he ever asked about the Wei Clan’s business? On the contrary, he’s had many requests, and has my Wei Estate ever treated him poorly? ‘Not intervening from now on’? It’s pure nonsense! He’s never intervened before! I am the one who carries out all the Wei Clan’s business!”

There was nothing wrong about these words. Tang Jie truly had never done anything for the Wei Estate’s businesses. Wei Tianzhi and Wu Xing were already participating in the business of the clan, but Tang Jie hadn’t even finished his full ten years of education, and once he finished, he would be entering the Basking Moon Sect, giving him even less of a chance to work for the clan.

The problem was that the value of some people didn’t manifest in what they did.

Tang Jie naturally didn’t know what sort of value he had. His view was bound to be limited by his own standpoint, perhaps too great or too little.

This was exactly why he had chosen to leave the decision to the heavens, to have reality judge everything.

—————————

The Jade Radiance Sect.

Han Tianji was in the main hall, his eyes closed in meditation. In front of him stood a young disciple.

“You have confirmed the matter?” he asked without raising his head.

The Jade Radiance disciple replied, “It has been confirmed. The one spreading the news was a little girl. Her appearance and way of speaking indicate that she was most likely that Yiyi that was with Young Sir Tang. In addition, we bribed many servants in the Wei Estate and confirmed that Tang Jie’s beloved pet has gone missing, and that this truly was because the Wei Estate did not put enough effort into the matter.”

To Han Tianji’s left sat a beautiful woman in palatial dress. She picked up from here, saying, “What is most important is that Tang Jie was still in the Mount Eternal region up until a few days ago, only two mountains away from our Jade Radiance Sect. There is no denying this fact. If there was no problem, he would not have done this.”

Her name was Yuan Qiaojun, and she was Han Tianji’s wife and one of the three Celestial Hearts of the Jade Radiance Sect.

“Oh,” Han Tianji muttered, pensively stroking his chin.

The middle-aged man on his right said, “Sect Master, I do not know why you are paying so much attention to this matter. In the end, Tang Jie is simply quarreling with the clan he is affiliated with. From the look of it, while he has become passive, he is still looking out for the Wei Clan, which is why he said that he would appear if the Wei Clan was in danger.”

Han Tianji chuckled. “If only things were that simple.”

The middle-aged man hastily asked, “Does Senior Brother think there is something else going on?”

Han Tianji casually said, “If he were really passively keeping his distance, why would he announce it? Junior Brother Zuo, if you decided to stay out of the affairs of the sect, would you find a place to seclude yourself? Or would you go around announcing it, wanting all the world, including Qiu Shuyu and Shi Jingzhai, to know that my Jade Radiance Sect would be missing a Celestial Heart?”

Junior Brother Zuo was rendered speechless. Han Tianji added, “Right, and when you’re making the announcement, you don’t forget to add: ‘So long as the Jade Radiance Sect isn’t in danger, I won’t interfere.'”

The woman covered her mouth and chuckled. “Now that I think about it, the Stone Gate Sect still exists.”

Existing only in name was still existing!

Junior Brother Zuo was enlightened. “So Tang Jie is actually bringing disaster to the Wei Clan!”

“He’s not going that far.” Han Tianji shook his head. “The Wei Clan is still a mortal clan, not a cultivator sect. Cultivators prioritize strength, so their clashes often result in the loss of life. Mortals prioritize money, so they constantly have business disputes.”

“If that’s the case, then it’s nothing much,” Junior Brother Zuo said in disdain. As a cultivator, he naturally scorned mortal gold and silver.

“In normal circumstances, it’s really nothing.” Han Tianji smiled.

“Hm? Sect Master, what do you mean?” Junior Brother Zuo looked at Han Tianji in confusion.

Han Tianji didn’t answer him, instead turning to his wife. “Qiaojun, you once raised a dog, so you understand the most what it means to have affection for a pet. How about you tell Junior Brother?”

Yuan Qiaojun rolled her eyes, and then she lazily replied, “What is there to say? Back then, my father was devoted to cultivation and had no time to spend with me. When I was bored, I would go into the mountains. It was you who gifted me a puppy one day and told me to raise it. Starting from that day, I regarded that dog like it was my own life. I named it Zhen’er and never left its side, and whenever I saw someone eating dog meat, I would loathe them.”

Junior Brother Zuo had entered the sect late and hadn’t known that Yuan Qiaojun had this period of history. He said in surprise, “Senior Sister loved this dog so much that you even got involved when other people ate dog meat? It’s no wonder you’ve never eaten dog meat.”

Yuan Qiaojun rolled her eyes. “You don’t raise dogs, so you wouldn’t understand the mindset.”

Junior Brother Zuo indignantly shot back, “You don’t eat dog meat, so you can’t understand its flavor!”

Yuan Qiaojun glared, but Han Tianji stepped in. “Don’t stray from the topic.”

Yuan Qiaojun let the matter drop. “Alas, Zhen’er was a mortal dog, with a limited lifespan. No matter how many spirit medicines I fed it, it only lived thirty years before passing on.”

An ordinary dog normally lived into its teens, so a dog living until thirty was like a human living until three hundred. Just how much spirit medicine did she have to feed it for it to get that old? Junior Brother Zuo inwardly wondered, but he did not dare to say anything.

Yuan Qiaojun continued, “After Zhen’er died, I was saddened for many days. From that point forward, I was unwilling to raise dogs, and I became disheartened. But from this, I achieved enlightenment, and my strength advanced by leaps and bounds.”

Junior Brother Zuo was stunned that she could achieve enlightenment through her dog, and he felt depressed, feeling that getting through the world was hard and that humans were even worse than dogs.

Han Tianji once again pulled things back to the main topic. “I had her tell you this because I wanted you to know that Tang Jie lost his beloved tiger because of Wei Danbai, and his heart is probably filled with rage. Once you understand this sentiment, you will be able to understand many of the things he is doing.”

Junior Brother Zuo seemed to understand. “Senior Brother means…”

Han Tianji replied, “Tang Jie came out of the Wei Clan and benefited from its kindness. Although he has repaid this kindness, he is still a member of the Wei Clan. No matter how richly he has repaid them or how coldly Wei Danbai treats him, none of these can be reasons for him to turn against the Wei Clan! So all he can do is be passive, no longer ardently serving the Wei Clan. This is understandable. If a master’s actions leave a servant deeply disappointed, if the servant does not rebel, they will at least become disheartened. But this is only from a rational perspective. From an emotional perspective… Qiaojun, if someone had ever killed Zhen’er, what would you have done to them?”

Yuan Qiaojun glared. “Who would dare? I would battle him to the death!”

Han Tianji went on, “I presume that Tang Jie also very much wanted to battle Wei Danbai to the death.”

Junior Brother Zuo finally understood. “Unfortunately, he couldn’t do such a thing. There are many things like this in the world, where one has to pick between rationality and emotion.”

Han Tianji continued, “Tang Jie has chosen rationality, giving up on his emotions. But if someone can do what he can’t, he would definitely be grateful.”

“Senior Brother is wise!” Junior Brother Zuo’s eyes glowed. He then thought some more and added, “But Tang Jie is still a student who has yet to enter the sect. Is he worth going out of the way to help?”

“‘A student who has yet to enter the sect’?” Han Tianji chuckled. “It was this student who has yet to enter a sect who turned the tables to kill Gu Changqing and exterminate the Hawk Hall. And it was this student who pushed a good-for-nothing into becoming a True Inheritor. And it was the same student who put on a splendid performance at the Immortal Fortune Conference and who has now exterminated the Stone Gate Sect and seized tens of millions in wealth. Junior Brother, let alone discussing whether you could do this in the past, even the present you couldn’t achieve this much—am I right?”

Junior Brother Zuo nodded in embarrassment.

Han Tianji continued, “Moreover, we’re just making trouble for a small mortal clan. Does that really require going out of our way? Why wouldn’t you accept such a profitable deal?”

Junior Brother Zuo was totally convinced. “Senior Brother is truly wise!”

Even though Han Tianji’s thoughts were not exactly what Tang Jie had been thinking, there was one thing he had guessed correctly: Tang Jie had foreseen this possibility.

Or perhaps one could say that he had, intentionally or not, turned this possibility into a reality.

—————————————

No matter the era, expansion wasn’t something that could be solved just because one had money.

In ancient times on Earth, a business’s degree of expansion was closely linked to the protective umbrella the government could offer. In the Rosecloud Domain, it was directly linked to a cultivator’s range of influence.

Having a Spirit Disciple meant that one could dominate a village. Having a Spirit Master meant that one could influence a city. A True Person meant a province, a True Lord meant a kingdom, and Immortal Platform meant an entire domain.

This wasn’t some fixed rule, but it had invisibly permeated into the minds of the people, and everyone silently complied with it. Occasionally overstepping it wasn’t a big deal, but going too far past it meant that one would have to be careful not to mess things up.

The Wei Clan employed Spirit Masters, so it could have dealings across Canglong Prefecture and it was considered a decent major clan of the prefecture. But even like this, it did not dare to step out from the borders of Canglong Prefecture.

It was only after Wei Tianchong became True Inheritor that the Wei Clan’s expansion rate suddenly rose, and it began to spread out into other regions of Ling Province, even a little into Duskland. But its primary business was still within Ling Province.

This was primarily because, while Wei Tianchong wasn’t at Celestial Heart, he was Yan Changfeng’s disciple, which made his influence akin to an average True Person. Coupled with that was Tang Jie’s fame and the fact that he was marked as one of the promising sprouts of the Basking Moon Sect, even holding a recommendation placard. Thus, the Wei Clan had been tacitly acknowledged as a provincial clan.

In this aspect, one could say that the expansion of a clan directly depended on how many cultivators supported it. If it developed into an enormous behemoth without sufficient strength, it could easily become fat in the eyes of others. This was also another important reason for having cultivators: they were like an army for a country. Only where iron hooves went could the wealth continue to flow!

But now, an army wanted to retire.

The strongest army was going back to tend to its fields!

This would undoubtedly have many people getting ideas.

While Han Tianji had seen through the riddle and sought to get on Tang Jie’s side, most people had far more simple thoughts. When Tang Jie started spreading the news, they understood one thing:

One of the two supporting pillars of the Wei Clan had fallen!

Doing business was like building a tower. The taller the tower, the deeper the foundation needed to be, the thicker the supporting pillars, and the greater the weight they needed to take.

When one of these pillars suddenly went missing in the middle of an expansion, the expansion that should have happened because of it would be pushed back.

Amusingly, the first pushback was from the Gu Clan, and this happened before Tang Jie had even left Mount Eternal.

The Wei Estate study.

Wei Danbai sat behind his desk, his face glum. In front of him was a middle-aged man in a green robe. “Say that again!”

The middle-aged man was Wei Die’s father, Wei Qingsong. He unhurriedly said, “Gu Zhongxuan said that the Gu Clan patriarch has suddenly come down with a severe illness, so they will have to push back the delivery.”

“Pa!” Wei Danbai slapped his desk. “How can they just change the delivery date? My Wei Clan has been preparing for this for a long time, gathering men and money for this day. He just has to say that his patriarch is sick for those three escort companies, five casinos, and fourteen stores to all be set aside?”

Wei Qingsong bitterly smiled. “Gu Liangde has always been very healthy, so how could he suddenly fall ill? In the end, it’s just an excuse, probably because Tang…”

He didn’t finish, but Wei Danbai already understood what he meant. “You want to say that the Gu Clan thinks that we can’t do anything to them because we don’t have Tang Jie anymore, and they’ve started to feel remorse over the deal they signed?”

“Essentially,” Wei Qingsong replied.

Wei Danbai furiously said, “This is destroying the bridge after crossing the river!”

The Gu Clan had been the one to smuggle the goods for the Stone Gate Sect, and after the incident, it couldn’t avoid being wanted as a traitor to the country. But thanks to their decisiveness, they had immediately pushed out the supervisor of this affair as a scapegoat and then sought help from the Wei Clan. As the Wei Clan had previously loaned out a trade route to the Gu Clan, it didn’t want to get too involved with the Gu Clan for fear of being dragged down with it. Thus, after accepting a large sum of wealth, it had asked Tang Jie and Wei Tianchong to intercede on this matter.

The Gu Clan had offered quite a lot. Besides a large amount of gold, silver, and jewels, it had also agreed to hand over those businesses. Over these last few days, the Wei Clan had been taking inventory and preparing to take in these businesses, but to their surprise, at the final moment, the Gu Clan had suddenly felt remorse over the deal.

Wei Qingsong said, “This isn’t the first time the Gu Clan has decided to destroy the bridge after crossing the river. People like them will grovel at your feet and call you ‘uncle’ when they’re down, but when they’re up, they’ll hold themselves up to the heavens, becoming masters in shamelessness. While other people have some things that they would never lose dignity over, they are perfectly willing. Isn’t this how they eventually made their way into the Five Great Clans? History is just replaying itself.”

Wei Danbai turned pale. “Are they really so certain that we can’t do anything to them just because we don’t have Tang Jie?”

Wei Qingsong replied, “That’s not for certain. The Gu Clan didn’t say that they weren’t going through with the deal, only that they were delaying it. From this, we can see that they aren’t sure if we can deal with them or not.”

“They’re this arrogant even though they’re not even sure?”

Wei Qingsong replied, “It’s not that they’re arrogant. It’s just that this concerns the foundation of the Gu Clan, so they can’t help but take a risk. After all, the courage to protect one’s own wealth will always be greater than the courage to steal the wealth of others. Moreover, they’ve also left themselves some leeway, as this move is only a probe. My true concern is that we’ve already announced that we’re taking over the Gu Clan’s businesses. If we can’t properly handle this matter, then I fear…”

“Fear what?”

“There will be many imitators!”

Wei Danbai gasped.

He looked at his second brother. “Then what should we do?”

Wei Qingsong replied, “Have Tianchong go and teach the Gu Clan a harsh lesson.”

“But the Gu Clan has simply refused to sell their businesses. If we have Tianchong go and this news gets out, rather than the Gu Clan going back on their word, it will be the Wei Clan seizing the wealth for themselves!”

“Nothing can be done about that. This is the only means of intimidating the other scoundrels. We have to let them know that even if we don’t have Tang Jie, we still have Wei Tianchong.”

Wei Danbai immediately said, “Then why not wait until those scoundrels pop up to teach them a harsh lesson? The Wei Clan cannot risk marring its reputation. It must have a pretext when it sends out its forces!”

“I fear that it will be too late by then.”

Wei Danbai is already suffering from undervaluing Tang Jie, and it seems like he still hasn’t learned his lesson.