Jia Ming contemplated all of this, his face a mask of conflict, when Su Wei’s voice cut through his thoughts.

“A twenty-five percent discount,” Su Wei stated, his tone leaving no room for argument. “The Su Clan will send people to guard the vein until the situation stabilizes. You can renegotiate the price again, but only after a certain period of time has passed. How is this?”

Jia Ming considered it. He thought about the benefits. The Su Clan’s protection is worth more than any spirit stones in this situation. He would be able to convince the family. He nodded, a relieved smile finally breaking through his tense expression. "Thank you, Young Master Wei. Thank you for accepting my proposal." He almost reached for a cup to make a toast but stopped himself, remembering the earlier rejection. He bowed deeply instead. "I will take my leave now."

After Jia Ming had gone, Su Jiao leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. “Did you go soft on him, or was the deal really that reasonable? I'm surprised you didn't push for a bigger discount.”

Su Wei smiled, taking out his own wine gourd and placing it on the table. “He didn't approach Liu Fan because of the ore. His initial intentions were genuine.” He took a long sip of wine.

“The Zai Clan patriarch married their aunt. That must be because of this vein. They got the Zai clan as their backer. They must have met Liu Fan by coincidence and later realized his ties to our clan. Jia Ming must have thought our backing would be more beneficial, so he took a chance.”

“So that’s why you were behaving like that from the beginning,” Su Ting said, understanding dawning in his eyes. He filled his own cup with the ice-cold wine and gulped it down. “You thought they were manipulating Liu Fan.”

“Yeah, I was confused about it too,” Su Jiao said. “I thought you were going to attack him when you looked at him so coldly after he stated his reasons.” He laughed. “Liu Fan would be moved to hear this.”

“Oh, that?” Su Wei’s smile widened, a shrewd glint in his eyes. “That was for the negotiations. I made my first move there. I installed a little fear in his heart. I hinted that things might not go as he planned. It was to force him to a lower negotiation point so I could get a better deal. It also gave him the feeling of having done it in an improper way, which could result in a more favorable outcome for me.” He poured more wine into his cup, his movements smooth and satisfied.

Su Ting just shook his head, a wry smile on his face. I should have known, he thought.

“Damn…” Su Jiao’s eyes widened. He looked at Su Wei with a new sense of fearful respect. “And here I thought you were just angry on behalf of your friend. Poor Liu Fan .... Su Wei, your heart is really dark.

"It's not like that." Su Wei shook his head, a hint of genuine frustration in his voice. "I couldn't let my personal dissatisfaction cloud my judgment. I will assign Liu Fan to Fenglin City. He will be given a good position there, directly related to this vein. The rest will depend on his own abilities."

"I don't believe you," Su Jiao retorted. He leaned forward, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Your intentions were questionable from the start. You brought Su Ting and me here to add weight to your side, didn't you? Our presence gave you more leverage."

Su Wei looked at Su Jiao, a bewildered expression on his face, before he shook his head again, this time with clear amusement. "You're letting your thoughts run wild. And you're definitely overestimating your own importance." He smirked. "As for Su Ting, I have no need to borrow the weight of his brother's or father's name to pressure a minor clan."

He took another sip of wine, his movements calm and deliberate. "In truth, I went easy on them. I could have squeezed them for thirty percent, but there's no honor in bullying a small clan. I gave them enough space to breathe as well."

"Is that so? Su Ting, what's your take on this?" Su Jiao asked, turning to his cousin for a deciding vote.

Su Ting, who had been listening quietly, just shook his head. "I don't know. For now, I'll trust Cousin Wei's words."

Just then, the door slid open. Liu Fan entered. He bowed slightly, a polite but curious smile on his face. "Thank you again, Su Wei, for your time today. And I would like to apologize about it as well."

"You are thinking too much. There's nothing to apologize for here," Su Wei replied, waving a hand dismissively.

Liu Fan let out a deep breath of relief. He looked at Su Wei, hesitating a little. He clearly wanted to ask about the private discussion but did not dare to. Su Wei met his gaze. "Prepare yourself for some negotiations," he said simply. "You'll be heading to Fenglin City for some new matter. I will give you the full details later."

Liu Fan frowned at this. It took him a moment to understand what might have occurred in the room. He nodded, his expression brightening with a mix of surprise and seriousness. "I understand." He smiled and left after offering a nod of thanks to Su Ting and Su Jiao as well.

With the room to themselves again, Su Wei took out more gourds of wine. Their cool surfaces dewed in the warm air as he set them on the table with a soft thud.

Su Jiao quickly poured himself a cup. He drank it down. The wine did little to quell his inquisitive nature. He set the cup down and looked at Su Ting, his expression turning meaningful. "Alright, Su Ting. I've been hearing some rumors. I've wanted to ask you about them for a long time, but I was afraid of your brother. Now seems like the right chance."

"What rumors?" Su Wei frowned. He was not one to chase gossip. He looked at Su Ting, expecting an answer.

Su Ting let out a soft sigh, though his expression remained calm. He knew it was easy enough to hear about Yue Mei if someone actually dug a little. "I think you're asking about Miss Yue," he stated calmly. "She is a guest of our family, for now. She will likely leave in about two months."

"A guest? Are you sure? I heard you were personally showing her the sights of Liyun City," Su Jiao probed. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, his gaze sharp and insistent.

"She has connections to the Xuantian Empire," Su Ting explained, choosing his words with care. "I met her in the Red Mountain secret realm. She required a place to stay for a time within the Qingyun region, so I invited her to our home."

“Xuantian Empire?” Su Wei’s casual demeanor vanished. He set down his cup. “Su Ting, what kind of connections are you talking about?”

“She lives there with her aunt,” Su Ting said calmly, reciting the story he had prepared. “She is just traveling through the borderlands before heading back.”

“So she’s traveling and will return to the Xuantian Empire soon. But why travel all the way out here?” Su Jiao pressed, unconvinced.

“Hmm. Did she visit Wanguo State as well, or just Jiang State?” Su Wei’s question was sharp, probing for patterns. Wanguo State was their eastern neighbor, possessing similar strength and resources. Their western neighbor was cut off by the Myriad Beast Mountain Range. Even a Core Formation cultivator might lose his life if he tried to cross it. The Hundred Beast Mountain was a part of this range, filled with dangerous spiritual beasts.

“No, she has not visited Wanguo State,” Su Ting replied smoothly. “She is visiting Jiang State because her ancestors were from here. She wants to see the place where her family once lived.”

"If she can travel this far on her own," Su Wei said, his voice low and heavy as he picked up his cup again, "then she is either a very powerful person, or someone powerful is protecting her. Su Ting, which one is it?"

"Yes, she has a protector and many artifacts to help her," Su Ting said, his tone reassuring. "Don't worry, she said it's fine. The protector is fine with her arrangement."

“Did you tell the elders about her?” Su Wei frowned, his suspicion clear. “Why would she stay in our estate for months? A few days or a week of rest is fine, but for months? I'm not feeling good about this.”

"Don't worry," Su Ting repeated, his voice firm. "I have already informed my father and brother about her. My brother said that she can be trusted. You don't have to worry about it."

At the mention of Su Kang, Su Wei’s tense expression relaxed slightly.

"Then it's settled," Su Jiao said with a small laugh, seeing his chance. "Su Wei, we should pay her a visit. We don't know much about the Xuantian Empire. If you think about it right, we could benefit from her knowledge."

“Since the elders and Cousin Kang know about her, then it’s fine. I will not worry about it,” Su Wei finally conceded with a nod. He took a sip of wine. “We should pay her a visit to show our hospitality. As for benefits… let's think about that after we meet her. Who knows what her character is like.”

Su Ting sighed internally. This was the story Yue Mei had told his parents. They had believed her in the end because they had little choice. No one from the Xuantian Empire was likely to come here to harm them, and more importantly, they were unable to see through her real cultivation realm. He had navigated the truth for now.