Chapter 165: Terminating the ‘Joint Fire Spirit Mine Exploitation’ Project
Due to the disastrous experience of visiting the Ghost Market for the first time, Hua Changxi dared not be careless on her second trip. Besides refining a batch of Third Rank elixirs, on the last day of October, she also went to the Three Forked Medicine Valley to prepare to bring more Top-grade Fire Spirit Stones with her, just in case.
The location of the Fire Spirit Mine was too close to the Three Forked Medicine Valley, which was under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Court. To avoid detection by the Imperial Court, Elder You and his three companions patrolled the outer perimeter. Further inside, Hua Changxi specifically set up a Concealment Array and a Maze Array.
However, Hua Changxi only set up the formations by imitation. The Concealment Array and Maze Array around the Fire Spirit Mine were quite basic and could not stop high-level cultivators at all.
Just like now, Hua Changxi, who was in the Nascent Soul Realm, saw through the formations around the Fire Spirit Mine at a glance. She could enter the Fire Spirit Mine without alerting anyone.
“Draw talismans, set up formations.”
Previously, she couldn’t set up a Teleportation Array because she couldn’t carve runes; now, she couldn’t conceal the spirit mine because she didn’t understand how to set up profound formations.
Hua Changxi once again realized that in the path of cultivation, there were many things to learn besides cultivation itself.
At her current stage, due to limited energy, she didn’t have time to delve into other things. However, she needed Spirit Talismans, Formation Disks, and Spiritual Artifacts.
If she couldn’t do it herself, she would have to befriend cultivators who could.
Her first visit to the Ghost Market was with the intention of infiltrating the cultivator circles, but it was in vain. She hoped to gain something this time.
Hua Changxi rarely came to the Fire Spirit Mine. The Fire Spirit Stones mined each month were directly stored in an underground stone cave connected to the Fire Spirit Mine.
Hua Changxi did not alert the patrolling cultivators or the miners digging for spirit stones, and silently infiltrated the stone cave.
Inside the stone cave, boxes of Fire Spirit Stones were neatly arranged.
Hua Changxi ignored the low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade Fire Spirit Stones and went straight for the Top-grade Fire Spirit Stones. However, upon reaching the area for Top-grade Fire Spirit Stones, she found only a meager three boxes.
Each box could hold ten thousand spirit stones, so three boxes meant only thirty thousand Top-grade Fire Spirit Stones.
Hua Changxi had never withdrawn any spirit stones from here. After two to three years, only this small amount of Top-grade Fire Spirit Stones had been mined, which was a huge gap from her budget.
Hua Changxi knew that Elder You and his three companions guarding the Fire Spirit Mine would definitely embezzle some. As long as it wasn’t excessive, she wouldn’t bother, but looking at the three boxes of Top-grade Fire Spirit Stones before her, she was truly angered.
Hua Changxi had not intended to alert Elder You and his three companions this time, nor did she want to see Hua Liulang. But at this moment, she decided to go and see them.
After taking the three boxes of Top-grade Fire Spirit Stones and all the High-grade Spirit Stones, Hua Changxi left the mine. Upon exiting the mine, she noticed that dozens of stone caves had been carved into the mountain walls on both sides of the Fire Spirit Mine.
At this moment, people were meditating and cultivating in these stone caves.
Hua Changxi released her Spiritual Sense and scanned the area, discovering that more than ten of these people were already cultivators in the Qi Sea Realm.
It was clear that these cultivators were undoubtedly people of Elder You and his three companions.
Seeing this, Hua Changxi narrowed her eyes and was shocked to realize that even though she had sent Hua Liulang to supervise, with Elder You and his three companions controlling the spirit mine, she feared she would be completely sidelined by them in a few more years.
In a larger stone cave in the valley, she ‘saw’ Hua Liulang gesticulating animatedly, while opposite him, You Lin, Yang Chuan, Zhuo Fan, and Jiang Ye sat leisurely, watching Hua Liulang as if watching a play.
Looking at this scene, Hua Changxi’s expression immediately turned grim.
However, she did not rush forward to investigate but instead turned and dived back into the depths of the spirit mine.
Fifteen minutes later, a mineral spirit, emitting a red glow, six to seven meters long, shaped like a fire snake, was collected by Hua Changxi into the Sumeru Mustard Seed on her neck.
After the mineral spirit was taken, this Fire Spirit Mine became a dead mine; it would no longer automatically condense new spirit stones and would be depleted after mining.
Coming here this time, she realized that managing the Fire Spirit Mine was not easy. She had no one of her own, and using outsiders meant she could be sidelined; using her own family members would inevitably lead to disputes over interests in the future, which was what she least wanted to face.
This was not the first time Elder You and his three companions had acted behind her back. She didn’t want to be someone who exhausted the pond to catch fish, by taking the mineral spirit and ruining this Fire Spirit Mine.
But she didn’t have the energy to manage it, and Elder You and his three companions were not people she could cooperate with long-term. Therefore, she had to terminate this “cooperative mining of the Fire Spirit Mine” project.
“You have already opened so many stone caves, you cannot open any more.”
Hua Liulang was very displeased with Elder You and his three companions constantly opening more stone caves around the spirit mine.
Elder You smiled and said, “The spiritual energy around the spirit mine is dense; it would be a waste to let it go to waste.”
Hua Liulang was very angry upon hearing this: “Don’t think I don’t know anything. The spiritual energy overflowing from the spirit mine is limited. Are you bringing so many people here to cultivate, intending to deplete the spirit mine directly?”
Jiang Ye did not want Hua Liulang to escalate this matter to Hua Changxi. He smiled and appeased him, “Liulang, we are all Changxi’s people, so our clansmen are naturally Changxi’s people too. I believe Changxi is willing to nurture her subordinates.”
Hua Liulang felt very wronged at this moment. Every time something happened, Elder You and his three companions had suitable excuses to fob him off, leaving him speechless.
“Sixth Brother!”
Hua Changxi’s voice rang out from outside the stone cave, startling everyone. Elder You and his three companions ‘whooshed’ to their feet, exchanging nervous glances.
Hua Liulang, however, his face lit up with joy, and he quickly stepped out of the stone cave: “Jiu Niang, why are you here?”
Hua Changxi: “I’m here to withdraw some spirit stones. Sixth Brother, the Fire Spirit Mine is under your management. If you can’t handle it alone, you can find helpers. But remember one thing: you are responsible for managing the people you find.”
Hua Liulang immediately asked, “Can I ask family members to help?”
Hua Changxi: “Yes, but if there are any disputes over interests among family members in the future, you will have to resolve them yourself.”
Hua Liulang thought that it was better for the Hua Family members to benefit than for Elder You and his three companions to take advantage: “Don’t worry, I won’t cause you any trouble.”
“Changxi, you’re here?”
Elder You and his three companions also came out, smiling at Hua Changxi.
Hua Changxi nodded at the four of them. Since the cooperation had been terminated, she had nothing more to say to them. When she chose partners before, she was too eager and chose poorly. Now that the project had failed, she had to bear the consequences herself.
As for the remaining Fire Spirit Mine, it would be used to train her Sixth Brother.
“I have other matters to attend to, I’m leaving now.”
Seeing Hua Changxi’s sudden appearance and equally sudden departure, without saying anything to them or asking any questions, Elder You and his three companions began to feel uneasy.
Is Hua Changxi too trusting of them?
“Elder You, Elder Yang, Elder Zhuo, Elder Jiang, I will have Hua Family members come to help me later, and I hope you will offer guidance then.”
Seeing that the Hua Family was going to get involved, Elder You and his three companions were naturally unwilling, but they could not stop it.
“What’s coming has come.”
“Actually, it’s not entirely a bad thing for the Hua Family to get involved. As long as we integrate with the Hua Family, our bond with Hua Changxi will deepen.”
“That’s right. Did you notice? Hua Changxi’s aura is becoming more and more formidable. I’m almost afraid to look her in the eye. I wonder how high her cultivation is now?”
“Regardless, we cannot offend Hua Changxi. Now that the Hua Family is involved, we should be more careful with the spirit stones that are mined.”
While Yang Chuan and the other two were discussing, Elder You remained silent.
Hua Changxi’s visit, and her indifference towards them, made him very uncertain. He felt as if Hua Changxi no longer cared about this spirit mine.
