CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50: DIVIDENDS AND THE MYSTERY OF ORIGINS

The Spirit Stone Vein is located three hundred feet under the lakebed of Duolong Lake, on the west side of the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers. Fu Changsheng obtained this specific information from the intelligence system; otherwise, he wouldn’t have recklessly gambled with the lives of his whole clan.

Of course.

He couldn’t head straight to the destination right away.

He let the Silver-Spotted Poison Snake search the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers for ten days, and finally had it dive into Duolong Lake.

During these ten days.

The Spirit Seekers of the Shangguan Clan weren’t idle either, but despite their efforts, they still found no clues.

Shangguan Hui said coldly:

"Clan Leader, we’ve been stuck here for almost a month. Do you still believe the words of that little bastard?!"

Everyone present felt there was no Spirit Stone Vein at all in the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers.

Even Shangguan Hongyu, who always believed in Fu Changsheng, was a bit flustered and looked to Shangguan Feng for help. Shangguan Feng was also somewhat anxious for Fu Changsheng but reassured.

"There are still five days left until the half-month deadline. Let’s wait a bit more."

Shangguan Feng was already contemplating how to defend Fu Changsheng.

Shangguan Hui was sure of his victory and was not in a hurry either. Five days was a mere instant to a cultivator, and the deadline quickly arrived on the fifth day.

In Duolong Lake.

Splashes echoed, water spraying everywhere.

Silver-Spotted Poison Snakes swam upstream, leaping out from the lake.

Fu Changsheng, who had been underwater for a while, also burst out from the lakebed. Shangguan Hui caught sight of a white, glittering ore in Fu Changsheng’s hand with the corner of his eye, and his pupils shrank:

"How is it possible?!"

A Spirit Stone Mine that even professional Spirit Seekers couldn’t find.

Yet a kid in the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation found it?!

Impossible!

Shangguan Hui couldn’t accept being humiliated by a mere Qi Cultivator and immediately decided to kill Fu Changsheng before he could announce the results.

After all, he was an outsider from a small clan.

Kill him, and that’s it.

The Clan Leader wouldn’t really do anything about it.

"Elder Hui, do you wish to start a war?!"

Shangguan Feng, vigilant of everything, stepped forward unobtrusively, shielding Fu Changsheng, and eyed Shangguan Hui with eyes slightly narrowed.

Even in his prime, Shangguan Hui wasn’t Shangguan Feng’s match, let alone now in a half-crippled state. Angrily, Shangguan Hui spit out another mouthful of blood.

As Fu Changsheng landed.

The crowd immediately descended from the warship, surrounding Fu Changsheng, and stared firmly at the ore in his hand, which indeed contained a Low-grade Spirit Stone.

The Shangguan Clan Leader was excited:

"Fu Clan Leader, was this Spirit Stone mine excavated from the lake bottom?"

A Spirit Stone Vein could be mined for a century or even hundreds of years, even if it’s small, it could yield nearly sixty thousand Spirit Stones annually, which would be a windfall for the Shangguan family.

Moreover.

This expedition cost the Shangguan family three Foundation Establishments.

If the Spirit Stone Vein was a bust.

Even if they seized Celestial Dragon City, it would be a defeat.

Fu Changsheng cupped his hands, saying:

"Reporting to the senior, the Spirit Stone Vein is indeed hidden in Duolong Lake."

However, he didn’t specify the exact location.

The Shangguan Clan Leader, who had lived for over a hundred years, couldn’t possibly misunderstand his meaning and immediately said:

"Fu Clan Leader, rest assured, the previously agreed upon twenty percent of the vein’s income will be delivered to you."

Pausing for a moment.

He glanced at Shangguan Hui:

"As for Elder Hui’s share of the dividends, it will also be transferred directly to you."

Not a word about Shangguan Hui’s apology.

Shangguan Feng was unwilling to let Shangguan Hui off the hook, he grumbled:

"Elder Hui, Changsheng has fulfilled his promise; you should also apologize to him publicly."

Everyone’s eyes fell on Shangguan Hui.

Shangguan Hui’s Qi and blood churned, feeling a metallic taste in his throat. He forced himself to swallow the blood rising to his chest and gave Fu Changsheng a scorching glare, saying coldly:

"Fu Clan Leader, I shouldn’t have called you a little bastard just now; I was reckless!"

He paused for a moment.

Then sneered coldly:

"But you truly are born of a human and a demon. I, Hui, was merely stating a fact."

With that said.

He immediately turned and entered the warship.

Shangguan Hongyu was stunned for a moment, looking confusedly at her father. She had thought Fu Changsheng’s parents died during the siege on the Celestial Dragon Tribe, but it seems there was more to it.

What Shangguan Hui said.

Was known only to the Shangguan Clan Leader.

After all, he naturally thoroughly investigated the identity of the next heir of subordinate forces.

Nonetheless.

It was limited to him alone.

As far as he knew.

Fu Changsheng’s origins were known only to his grandfather and biological parents. Fu Changsheng’s grandfather died at the hands of the Celestial Dragon Tribe, while his parents had long disappeared.

Yet it was unclear how Shangguan Hui found out.

The crowd looked at Fu Changsheng, who seemed dumbfounded, as if overwhelmed by the shocking news.

Reflecting at this moment.

When he was young, whenever he mentioned his parents, his grandfather would instinctively look to the distant north, remaining silent for a long time.

So his origin carried hidden secrets.

Fu Changsheng took a deep breath, soon regaining his composure and informed the Shangguan Clan Leader of the specific location of the vein.

Everyone dove underwater and, after passing through a natural Illusion Array, indeed saw a Spirit Stone Vein buried beneath the lake. The vein showed no signs of mining, and after several days of investigation, the Shangguan family’s Spirit Seekers finally concluded it was a small vein.

With an annual workforce of ten thousand in mining.

It could be mined for twenty years.

However, due to its deep location and embedded Cloud Bright Stones in the surrounding area, mining was much more challenging, thus annually yielding an estimated thirty to forty thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones.

After deducting costs for the Defense Array and labor in the mining area.

The annual profit was nearly thirty thousand.

With Fu Changsheng’s twenty percent plus the dividends from Shangguan Hui’s share, he would receive roughly seven thousand five hundred Spirit Stones annually.

That is to say.

For the next twenty years.

He wouldn’t have to do anything and would still receive an annual income of seventy-five hundred Spirit Stones.

The smile on Fu Changsheng’s lips could no longer be suppressed.

The Shangguan family members were equally pleased, for it was a significant fortune for them as well.

They immediately had an Array Master set up an array to isolate the entire Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers.

Fu Changsheng only had to collect his annual dividends without concerning himself with other mining-related trivial matters, enjoying leisure. It had been several months since he left Nanyang County.

The Shangguan Clan Leader, after arranging matters, steered the warship back.

Fu Changsheng initially intended to go to Kuili Mountain to find Three-Colored Soil, but given his current cultivation level, it was too dangerous to leave the team in the Eastern Wilderness. Most importantly, his storage bag contained numerous supplies that could be targeted by Tribulation Cultivators.

Kuili Mountain would have to wait for another time.

The Shangguan Clan Leader made a detour to bring the warship to the foot of Luofeng Mountain of the Fu family. As they parted, he said to Fu Changsheng with a smile:

"Fu Clan Leader, your Fu family has accumulated over half the Merit Points; strive to reach Foundation Establishment soon and become a Ninth-Grade Noble Family as recognized by the Court."

Fu Changsheng cupped his hands in gratitude.

As he descended from the treasure ship, he glanced at the storage bag at his waist. This time, he had gained significantly. Returning some items he couldn’t use to the clan’s storage room should earn him quite a few Clan Contribution Points!