Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 141: Each Has His Own Opinion
Upon hearing this, Song Xian frowned slightly. Puqing Valley was one of the most powerful independent cultivator forces in Bianxi City. Its strength was far stronger than those in Bianxia Town. It was not something that Hunyuan Sect could afford to offend. "What exactly is the grudge between this person and Puqing Valley?"

"Puqing Valley and the Beast Taming Sect have a partnership, monopolizing a portion of Bianxi City's spiritual beast breeding industry. The red mandarin ducks this person raised were one of Puqing Valley's assets. They raised red mandarin ducks without Puqing Valley's consent, so Puqing Valley naturally wouldn't sit idly by and watch. Therefore, they killed all of their red mandarin ducks."

"This person didn't even understand the basic situation clearly before he rushed in headfirst. It's clear that he's not a calm and steady person. In addition, he holds a grudge against Puqinggu. If he is recruited into the sect, it will only lead to trouble sooner or later."

Song Xian nodded without expressing his opinion.

Zhong Wenyuan's concerns were certainly justified, but he had already led the person to the mountain gate, and it was he who had originally instructed Zhang Ningyuan to do this. Given Zhang Ningyuan's personality, he would have already spoken to the person, and refusing to accept the request would not only be embarrassing for Zhang Ningyuan, but would also damage the reputation of the sect.

"What's Senior Brother Ning Yuan's attitude?"

"Of course he's not happy about it," Zhong Wenyuan said calmly. "Excuse me, but the Sect Master shouldn't have entrusted him with this task. He's impetuous and lacks steadiness. Recruiting independent cultivators requires meticulous care, thorough assessment, and careful decision-making. He's not suited for this kind of task. Knowing this person had a grudge against Puqing Valley, he not only brought him to the sect, but even agreed to let him continue breeding red mandarin ducks."

"This Red Mandarin Duck is part of Puqing Valley's business. They've long since reached a cooperation agreement with the Beast Taming Sect, and no one from Bianxi City has set foot in it for years. If we interfere, we'll definitely offend Puqing Valley. Isn't that ridiculous?"

Song Xian pondered for a moment and said, "How about this! Let me talk to Senior Brother Ning Yuan and then decide whether this person should stay or go."

"Master, do you want to keep this person?"

"Now is the time to recruit people, and it's not easy to find one. Now that it has been handed over to Senior Brother Ning Yuan, we still have to respect his opinion, otherwise it may dampen his enthusiasm. Besides, he has been brought to the mountain gate, so there is no reason to refuse him."

"Of course, Senior Brother Wenyuan's concerns are very reasonable, and we must be on guard. I'll talk to this person. If he's willing to give up raising red mandarin ducks and promise not to provoke Puqing Valley, there's no need for us to keep him at a distance."

"If he agrees verbally but goes against his word after joining the sect, he will offend Puqing Valley and the entire sect will be implicated. The master should not put the sect in danger for one person. We have already had the precedent of Feng Yan and Yuyuan Sect." Zhong Wenyuan was still stubborn.

"Let me think about it!"

"Master, if you have nothing else to say, I will take my leave." Zhong Wenyuan stood up and left.

Song Xian then ordered Shen Fan to summon Zhang Ningyuan.

"Master, you are finally back. I followed your request and recruited independent cultivators to join the sect. I finally recruited one after much persuasion, but Senior Brother Zhong refused to agree." Zhang Ningyuan couldn't wait to tell the story as soon as he entered the door, looking very upset.

"Please take a seat first!" Song Xian waved his hand to signal him to take a seat. "I've already talked to Senior Brother Wenyuan about this. He's mainly worried that this will create a grudge with Puqinggu."

Zhang Ningyuan was still a little upset. "If you're worried about this and that, then why not just do nothing? I was the one who brought Zhou Ren here, and I know the situation best. He and Pu Qinggu never had any grudges. It was just that Pu Qinggu was being tyrannical and killed the red mandarin ducks he and his friends were raising. He's never taken any retaliatory action, so how can he be accused of having an unknown origin, a complicated background, and even implicate the sect?"

"Senior Brother Wenyuan is also considering the overall situation, not targeting Zhou Ren whom you brought. You know, he is a relatively stable person and tends to resist anything risky. When Junior Brother Qi Xiaobai was about to be accepted into the sect, he expressed his concerns, and you were there at the time." Song Xian comforted.

"He was worried about being caught up in the vortex of conflict in Bianxia Town and was unwilling to join. It was only after I tried my best to persuade him. He has rich experience in breeding spiritual beasts, which is exactly the talent our sect lacks. Didn't the master say that when recruiting people, people with special skills should be given priority? Now that he has been brought to the mountain gate, Senior Brother Zhong wants to refuse him entry." Zhang Ningyuan argued with his neck stiff.

"Master, please judge for yourself. Is that right? I was doing this according to your instructions. I traveled all the way to Bianxi City and finally found someone I liked. But he rejected it with just one sentence and said I shouldn't look for someone with such a complicated background. If that's the case, why not just let him find someone?"

"Brother Ningyuan, don't be angry. Brother Wenyuan just thought about it a little too much and he definitely doesn't mean to blame you. When I talked to him just now, he was sure of your dedication and responsibility, but he had some concerns about the candidate." Song Xian had to smooth things over and act as a peacemaker.

"His considerations are not without reason. Given the sect's current situation, it's not advisable to make enemies on all sides. We've already had a feud with the Yuyuan Sect. It would be unwise to offend Puqing Valley again."

Zhang Ningyuan's face flushed instantly, and he stared at him, "Master, are you unwilling to accept Zhou Ren as well?"

Seeing that he was very emotional and about to explode, Song Xian quickly tried to appease him, "I have handed this matter over to Senior Brother Ning Yuan. Senior Brother Ning Yuan's words represent the sect. Since he has made a promise, there is no reason for him to go back on his word."

Hearing this, Zhang Ningyuan's tense body relaxed a little. He was a man with a strong sense of self-esteem and was very concerned about his reputation.

The incident of Yuxiangdan was because he felt ashamed because he was overshadowed by the latecomer Feng Yan, so he repeatedly found Song Xian and asked to be transferred out of Nanyuan Valley Market.

To convince Zhou Ren, he made a solemn promise. If he were rejected, he would be utterly ashamed to face the crowd. "But, you know! Breeding spirit beasts requires careful consideration and can't be done rashly." Seeing his expression soften, Song Xian continued, "Puqing Valley has a long-standing partnership with the Beastmaster Sect, which monopolizes this industry. As you know, all spirit beast-related businesses in Bianxi City must obtain the approval of Yang Jinzhang of the Beastmaster Sect. Without his consent, no one can privately breed spirit beasts."

Zhang Ningyuan said, "I've already thought about this. Yang Jinzhang is extremely greedy for money. As long as we give him some money and goods, we can naturally get his permission."

Song Xian didn't refute him, but simply asked calmly, "How much profit does Zhou Ren make from breeding red mandarin ducks?"

"A red mandarin duck can live up to twenty years, and it takes three years for it to grow from infancy to adulthood. At the market price, one duck can be sold for fifteen spirit stones."

Song Xian nodded. "Even if we raise a hundred, excluding costs, we'll only make 1,500 spirit stones in three years. Compared to the profit from the Jade Fragrance Pill, that's a world of difference. But for this, we might offend Puqing Valley. Do you think it's worth it?"

Zhang Ningyuan was silent. He was too eager to prove himself and wanted to build a "career" of his own.

The matter of Yuxiangdan became a knot in his heart. He was very dissatisfied with Feng Yan for taking away the position that should have belonged to him, so he urgently wanted to create another industry to prove that he was no worse than Feng Yan.

So, when he learned that Zhou Ren had extensive experience in breeding red mandarin ducks and was interested in continuing to do so, he felt his opportunity had arrived. If he could develop a breeding business for his sect, it would be enough to make him proud.

So when Zhong Wenyuan refused to accept Zhou Ren, he was very angry and left after a big quarrel. He still feels a little resentful about it until now.

"Puqing Valley's hand cannot reach Bianxia Town. We are thousands of miles away from it. If our sect can get the approval of the Beast Taming Sect, why should we look at his face? He does his thing, and we do ours. We don't interfere with each other. What can he do?" After a moment of silence, Zhang Ningyuan still didn't want to give up the industry of developing spiritual beast breeding, and kept arguing.

Song Xian shook his head and said, "If it's really that simple, then why don't other sects do it? The Red Mandarin Duck, as a hybrid offspring of the Blue-winged Bird, can carry people and fly, but it lacks endurance and stamina. It can only carry one person at most, and its speed is slow, making it only suitable for short-distance travel. The market is not large, and it has already been occupied by Puqing Valley."

"If others want to intervene, they must seize Puqing Valley's business. How can they keep their own interests separate?"

"Not to mention that our Yuxiang Pills are sold in Bianxi City. If Puqing Valley gets angry about this and creates obstacles, we'll be in big trouble. Last time, the Yuyuan Sect picked a fight with us. If the Luoyun Sect hadn't intervened, our Yuxiang Pill business would have been almost taken away by them."

"We can't keep bothering Luoyun Sect over and over again. They're already doing us a great favor by helping us deal with Yuyuan Sect. If we cause trouble again, they might not be willing to step in."

Zhang Ningyuan was speechless.

"Let's put the matter of raising spiritual beasts aside for now and discuss it later. Where is Zhou Ren now?"

Zhang Ningyuan was a little dejected. He said to the deflated ball, "Live in my mansion."

"Go get him and I'll talk to him."

"Master, I...I promised him to be in charge of raising spirit beasts. Now..."

Song Xian waved his hand to interrupt him: "If he is willing to stay, then he can stay. He can take any position in the sect, but he can't do the spiritual beast breeding business right now. If he doesn't want to, and wants to leave on his own, it won't be considered as us breaking our promise."

Zhang Ningyuan had no choice but to get up and leave. Soon, he brought Zhou Ren over.

The two talked for a while, and Song Xian told him about the current difficulties of the sect, and promised that if a spirit beast breeding industry could be developed in the future, he would definitely let him manage it.

Zhou Ren did not make a decision immediately, saying that he needed to think about it, and then left with Zhang Ningyuan.

At night, perhaps under the advice of Zhang Ningyuan, Zhou Ren decided to stay and continue as a non-combatant.

After resolving this issue, he sent someone to summon Zhong Wenyuan and do some ideological work on him.

(End of this chapter)