Cultivation Starting from Choosing Augments

Chapter 281 - 167: Meeting the Golden Core: Wei Qixian’s Calculation

Barring any other possibility, there was only one explanation—he was a Body Cultivator.

And he wasn’t just an ordinary Body Cultivator; his mastery was clearly quite advanced.

But the problem was, he had asked around extensively before coming here, and no one had ever mentioned anything about him being a Body Cultivator.

All the rumors claimed that Xiao Chen was both a Magic Cultivator and a Sword Cultivator.

Who would have thought that he also pursued the path of Body Refining?

’This is bad. It seems I’ve stumbled upon something I shouldn’t have.’

’He won’t think I came here to sound him out, will he?’

The more Wei Qixian thought about it, the more worried he became. He stole a glance at Xiao Chen, only to find the man staring right at him.

A cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.

It was foreseeable that for the next hundred years, Xiao Chen would be one of the very few major figures capable of truly directing affairs.

He had come today to curry favor with the man. If he ended up angering him instead, his attempt would have backfired spectacularly.

Wei Qixian was filled with regret. ’Why didn’t I just get straight to the point? Why did I have to show off like that?’

’What am I going to do now?’

"Mr. Wei, are you all right?"

Instead, Xiao Chen asked, "Why are you breaking out in a sweat?"

Wei Qixian immediately shook his head vigorously. "I’m fine. I just can’t hold my liquor very well."

At the same time, he breathed a small, internal sigh of relief.

’Xiao Chen doesn’t seem to have any intention of holding this against me. Maybe things aren’t as serious as I thought?’

It was no wonder he was being so deferential; while the Wei Family appeared prosperous on the surface, they were actually facing a tremendous crisis, teetering on the brink of collapse.

If, at a time like this, he not only failed to win over a powerful ally but offended him instead...

Xiao Chen wouldn’t even have to lift a finger. He would only need to let a rumor slip.

The Dong and Liang Families, who had long been watching with greedy eyes, would likely swarm in and devour the Wei Family whole just to curry favor with him.

"Mr. Wei?"

Xiao Chen’s voice snapped Wei Qixian out of his reverie. "We’ve had our wine, but you still haven’t said why you came looking for me."

"You didn’t bring out such fine Spirit Wine just for a simple meeting, did you?"

"So, let’s be direct."

Wei Qixian took a moment to calm his frantic heart.

Then, steeling himself, he laid out the entire situation from beginning to end.

The matter wasn’t actually complicated. In essence, there was a Spirit Field in Yichuan County that belonged to the Lingyuan Sect.

Yichuan Red Dates were cultivated on this Spirit Field, with the Wei Family responsible for planting and maintenance. The annual profits were split evenly.

Thirty years ago, a special Secret Realm opened in Hezhou.

Wei Qixian gambled a considerable portion of his family’s fortune in exchange for the right to enter the Secret Realm.

Inside the Secret Realm, he unexpectedly obtained a special recipe for a Body Forging wine. After five years of research, he successfully brewed the first batch of Yichuan Red.

Then, to obtain greater profits, he chose not to report this to the Lingyuan Sect, concealing the discovery instead.

Originally, this matter was kept highly confidential, known only to the core members of the family’s Direct Lineage who were involved in the brewing process.

But unexpectedly, a year ago, a degenerate scion of the family carelessly let the secret slip while at the Yixiang Courtyard.

The Dong and Liang Families, whose lands bordered Yichuan County, soon found out.

The problem now was that those two families were threatening to expose the Wei Family to the Lingyuan Sect unless he made the recipe public.

But this was a recipe he had paid a great price for, something he had risked life and limb in the Secret Realm to obtain.

Over the past twenty-five years, it had earned the Wei Family a vast amount of cultivation resources through the Black Market.

He was utterly unwilling to simply give it away for nothing.

But if he didn’t hand it over, the two families were applying more and more pressure.

Wei Qixian had already stalled for a year with various excuses, and their patience was wearing thin.

Once the secret was out, the Wei Family would have to face the Lingyuan Sect’s punishment.

Although the Wei Family wouldn’t be wiped out, the punishments would be enough to cripple them, leaving them unable to recover.

"And what can I do to help with that?"

After listening, Xiao Chen shook his head slightly. ’There’s nothing I can do about this.’

To his surprise, Wei Qixian took a Jade Scroll from within his robes and placed it on the table.

He then bowed deeply and said, "I am willing to present the recipe to you, Xiao, free of charge. I will also transfer ownership of all the brewed Spirit Wine to you."

"All I ask is that you help the Wei Family overcome this crisis."

Wei Qixian’s reasoning was actually quite simple.

It was clear he couldn’t hold on to the recipe, so he was determined to get a good price for it.

And rather than giving it to those two families, it was far better to give it to Xiao Chen.