Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 315 Negotiations
"Do you know how tricky it is? Back then, when you bypassed everyone and forcibly opened a market in Shitouling to trade, I told you that it would not be so easy to deal with the Luoyun Sect and the Kong family." Jiang Feng had a blank expression on his face, as if it had nothing to do with him.

"So I hope Director Jiang can come forward and ask them to back down a bit."

"Do you think that under the current circumstances, Luoyun Sect and the Kong family will still treat me with respect as usual?"

"I have made preparations, but I just need the support of Director Jiang." Song Xian flipped his hand, took out the prepared file and handed it to him.

Jiang Feng took it and unfolded it to take a look. His expression changed slightly, and his eyes were meaningful: "I didn't expect you to be so capable."

"These are just intimidation tactics. To make this happen, I need your strong support. If Luoyun Sect and the Kong family do not agree to this condition, then I will have no choice but to close the Stone City Market." Song Xian remained calm, with a hint of threat in his words.

This is because Jiang Feng has gained a lot of benefits from this, as much as 40% of the profits, but he is unwilling to contribute anything, which makes Song Xian unbearable, so he makes it clear that if Jiang Feng still has this attitude and intends to stand idly by, then he will close the Stone City Market Trade. In this way, Jiang Feng will also lose a lot of profits.

As for the content of the file, it was actually very simple. Song Xian planned to give 20% of the market income to Luoyun Sect and 10% to the Kong family, but there was also an additional statement in it.

It is a joint statement from the forces stationed in the Stone City Market from the Muhe Grassland. They hope to preserve the Stone City Market.

This means that they stand with the Hunyuan Sect. With this statement, Song Xian has the bargaining chip to negotiate with the Luoyun Sect and the Kong family.

The reason why these two families were able to put pressure on Hunyuan Sect and even attack and rob the spirit ships that were transporting supplies from the sect was simply because their power was greater than that of Hunyuan Sect. Now that the Stone City Market has been established with the support of various forces in the Muhe Grassland, Luoyun Sect and the Kong Family will have to think carefully if they want to do such sneaky things again.

Because the Luoyun Sect and the Kong family also have merchant ships that frequently travel to the Muhe Grassland, all forces in Dongluo City on the Muhe Grassland have issued statements. If they insist on going their own way and take action against the Hunyuan Sect, they must also be prepared for the risk of their merchant ships being robbed on the Muhe Grassland.

This is the significance of Song Xian's joint statement, which is to intimidate Luoyun Sect and the Kong family and let them know that they are not soft persimmons that can be easily bullied.

"How about this! I'll organize a meeting with the Luoyun Sect and the Kong family to discuss this matter face to face. That's all I can do. If they still don't agree to this condition, you'll have to find a solution on your own."

"Thank you, Chief Jiang."

.........

A few days passed in a flash, and at night, the black moon obscured the entire sky.

In the brightly lit hall of Qiyuan Mountain, a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect led an old man with white hair into the room from outside.

"Friend Jiang, I'm really sorry. The head of our sect has important matters to attend to and is not free today, so he sent me here. I hope you don't mind." The old man bowed to Jiang Feng.

The person who came was Yan Xu, who was in charge of the market affairs of Luoyun Sect. Jiang Feng originally invited Tao Jinyuan, the head of Luoyun Sect, and Kong Dexing, the head of the Kong family, but both of them did not come. Luoyun Sect sent Yan Xu, and Kong Dexing sent Kong Zhenxuan, who was in charge of external affairs of the Kong family.

The reason why Tao Jinyuan and Kong Dexing did not come was because they knew that Jiang Feng was hosting a banquet today to mediate the issue of the Stone City Market of Hunyuan Sect, so they avoided meeting him.

In the past, when the Beastmaster Sect was at its peak, the two would have surely come. But now! The Beastmaster Sect's prestige had plummeted, and the two no longer regarded Jiang Feng, the Sect's leader, as seriously. Furthermore, the Luoyun Sect and the Beastmaster Sect had a bitter falling out over the recent attack on Anyuan City, and their relationship was now at a freezing point. Naturally, they would not attend the banquet in person.

"Fellow Daoist Yan, you don't have to be polite. Please take a seat!" Jiang Feng waved his hand, and the disciple of the Beast Taming Sect quietly retreated.

Yan Xu turned around and nodded to Kong Zhenxuan and Song Xian, then sat down at the table.

"I called the three of you together today because of the Stone City Market. I don't want this matter to cause a stir in the city. Now Bianxi City needs peace and unity. If you have anything to say or anything to ask for, please speak clearly in person." Jiang Feng didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Xian began to speak, "A few days ago, a spiritual ship of our sect was ambushed by a group of unknown monks in the Huaronggang area, and all the cargo on board was burned. Our sect does not know who did it, and we do not want to investigate further, but we do not want such a thing to happen again. If anyone thinks that our sect is a soft persimmon that can be bullied and taken advantage of at will, I guarantee on my personal reputation that I will make him pay the price."

As Song Xian spoke, he looked at the two of them with a sharp gaze. He was being bullied, and he had to respond with a tough attitude, otherwise, this kind of thing would never end. Moreover, he was not facing Tao Jinyuan and Kong Dexing.

"Brother Daoist Song, do you mean that our sect has looted your spirit ship's items?" Yan Xu had a blank expression on his face, and he disagreed with his attitude in his heart.

Thinking back, when Song Xian was imprisoned in the market town by the Beast Taming Sect, he was so respectful to me. But now he is acting like a big shot. He is really a villain who has succeeded.

"I didn't say that. I was just expressing my sect's attitude."

Kong Zhenxuan said nothing, with his usual smile on his face, as if he was watching a show that had nothing to do with him.

Jiang Feng took over the conversation, "Strictly speaking, the Tianshan Mountains serve as a barrier between the Qin State and the Muhe Grassland, and are not under the jurisdiction of Bianxi City. However, out of respect for the Luoyun Sect and the Kong Family, the Hunyuan Sect has prepared a plan and would like to invite you to jointly manage this market. We hope that you can value harmony and coexist peacefully."

Song Xian immediately took out the file containing the joint statement of the Muhe Grassland forces and handed it to Kong Zhenxuan opposite him.

"This is our sect's plan. From now on, the Luoyun Sect will receive 20% of the Tianshan Market's revenue, and the Kong family will receive 10%. In addition to the commercial trade, our sect is also willing to give 10% of the profits from the gambling houses in Stone City to your sect."

Kong Zhenxuan took the file and looked through it for a while. When he saw the joint statement from the various factions in Dongluo City on the Muhe Grassland, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Why did these sects from the Muhe Grassland get involved? What's the meaning of this?"

"They don't want the Stone City Market to be closed because of this, so they expressed their wishes, that's all." Song Xian acted fearless.

Kong Zhenxuan looked at him deeply, then lowered his head to look at the file in his hand. After reading it, he handed it to Yan Xu without saying a word.

"Brother Song, are you trying to use these Muhe grassland sects to suppress us? If we don't agree, you will unite with these people to deal with us?" Yan Xu was originally confused about what Kong Zhenxuan had just said, until he saw the joint statement, he snorted coldly.

"That's absolutely not my intention. I've already said it below. This is just the vision of Stone City to have shops."

"I can't make the decision on this matter. I need to go back and discuss it with the head of the family." Kong Zhenxuan smiled again.

Seeing the tension building, Jiang Feng took the opportunity to interrupt the situation. "Fellow Daoist Song, we'll discuss your proposal after you two return. I have something to tell Fellow Daoists Tao and Kong. Whether you agree with this plan or not, I hope it won't ruin our relationship." "If Fellow Daoist Jiang has no other instructions, I'll take my leave."

"Since Fellow Daoist Yan is here, how about we stay and have a feast together before leaving?"

"Thank you, Brother Jiang. I have other things to do and cannot stay for long. I will invite Brother Jiang back another day."

Looking at his receding back, Song Xian's eyes flashed slightly. Yan Xu's toughness was a little beyond his expectations. Comparing his attitude with Kong Zhenxuan's, the ones who robbed the spirit ship a few days ago should be the Luoyun Sect.

After Yan Xu left, Kong Zhenxuan did not leave, but stayed with a smile to feast with the two of them. During the meal, they no longer talked about the affairs of the Stone City market, but just chatted about everything under the sun.

.........

After returning from Bianxi City, Song Xian resumed his previous routine, going between the training room and the mansion every day. After about a month, Luoyun Sect finally responded to the matter of the Stone City market and put forward new demands.

In addition to the conditions he set, he also attached some clauses, such as the alchemy room, weapon refining room, arena, and martial arts arena in Shitouling, requiring the profits to be divided equally.

After discussing with the core members of the sect, Song Xian finally decided to agree to these terms. After dealing with the Luoyun Sect, it would be much easier to deal with the Kong family. He sent people to negotiate with the Kong family again, and took a step back on the original basis and added some other benefits.

When the Kong family saw that Luoyun Sect agreed to the conditions, they also nodded.

After obtaining the consent of the Luoyun Sect and the Kong Family, various sects and forces in Bianxi City also moved into the Stone City market to sell goods, making Stone City the only free trade zone between the Muhe Grassland and the Qin State.

However, this was only the first step in Song Xian's plan.

His ultimate goal was to use the Stone City Free Trade Zone to turn Tianshan into a transit station for trade between the Muhe Grassland and the Qin State, while the Hunyuan Sect would control all logistics channels for trade between the two sides.

If he could do this, he would be able to take a cut of all future goods that traveled between the Muhe Grassland and the Qin State.

Of course, this is not something that can be accomplished overnight. It needs to be done slowly. With the current strength of Hunyuan Sect, it cannot do this. Even if it can be done, it will be taken over by others. So what we need to do now is to make plans bit by bit.

……

In the majestic and spacious meeting hall of Tianshan Mountain, the core members of Hunyuan Sect gathered together, with Song Xian sitting in the main seat.

"I plan to expand the spirit ship industry. As everyone knows, spirit ship manufacturing is a complex craft. In addition to various materials, it also requires a large number of cultivators with superb skills in refining equipment and formations. For this reason, I have decided to set up a special team to coordinate matters in this area."

When these words were spoken, everyone present was a little surprised, because spirit ship manufacturing was a very high-end industry, and only large sects had the ability to refine it. The spirit ship manufacturing in the entire Xijiang County was controlled by the Murong family. With the current strength of the Hunyuan Sect, it was a bit too fantastical to enter the spirit ship manufacturing industry.

"Master, with our strength, isn't it too early to start a spirit ship manufacturing industry now? Moreover, this industry is monopolized by the Murong family, just like the spirit beasts are monopolized by the Beast Taming Sect. If we do this, we may be targeted by the Murong family." Zhang Ningyuan was the first to raise an objection.

"It's precisely because the Murong family has a monopoly on spirit ship manufacturing that we need to develop it. Now that the Murong family and the Beastmaster Sect have completely fallen out, we have no choice but to side with the Beastmaster Sect. Our sect's fate has long been tied to the Beastmaster Sect, and our hostile relationship with the Murong family will not change. If it were in the past, we might have been wary of the Murong family, but now we don't have that concern."

Lu Yuan frowned. "Spirit ship construction is a bottomless pit. We have no foundation, no experience, and no manpower. No matter how much spirit stones we throw at it, it won't be enough. We might end up wasting a lot of spirit stones and getting nothing in return."

"Everything is created from nothing. The manufacture of spirit ships is not something that can be done overnight. It has to be done slowly. We don't have to manufacture spirit ships in large quantities within a few years. We can try to manufacture a first-level spirit ship first and slowly accumulate experience. At this stage, the main focus is on recruiting talents." Song Xian was firm.

"Senior Brother Wenyuan will be fully responsible for this matter, with Tao Ming as his deputy. The Finance Hall, External Affairs Hall, and Internal Affairs Hall will each send one person to assist. From now on, 20,000 spirit stones will be allocated annually from the sect's treasury for their use."

"Tao Ming."

"Master, I'm here. What instructions do you have for me?" A thin man below responded.

"You are hereby appointed as the deputy director of the Spirit Ship Manufacturing Team to assist Senior Brother Wenyuan in handling this matter. From now on, you may recruit any talent who can contribute to the development of spirit ships. If you find any suitable candidates among the sect disciples, you may also transfer them to your team."

"You can recruit thirty disciples to join your team. I will give you ten years. By then, I want to see the spirit ship independently developed by our sect. Can you do it?"

Tao Ming immediately responded, "Disciple will do his best to live up to the Master's trust. If I cannot do so, I am willing to accept the punishment."

"Okay. If you need anything, just tell me. The sect will fully support you." Song Xian nodded with satisfaction. Tao Ming was originally the deputy director of Renfeng transferred from the Personnel Hall. He was promoted by Zhong Wenyuan.

He had discussed this with Zhong Wenyuan before convening the sect meeting to decide on setting up a special team for spirit ship manufacturing. There was no doubt that Zhong Wenyuan was opposed to it at first, but after listening to his entire plan, he was convinced and recommended Tao Ming to be in charge of this matter.

Because Tao Ming had little experience, he was only given the title of deputy director, and Zhong Wenyuan was still nominally in charge.

Seeing that Song Xian had made up his mind and had even decided on a candidate, and seeing that Zhong Wenyuan said nothing, everyone knew that the matter was a foregone conclusion and no longer raised any objections.

Song Xian also announced that new shops would be set up in the markets of Tianshui City, Humen City, and Yongning City, mainly selling items for cultivation on the Muhe Grassland, in order to open up the market in Xijiang County.

With the opening of the Stone City market, a large number of special cultivation items from the Muhe Grassland poured into Stone City for sale. With this unique condition, the Hunyuan Sect could easily obtain the originally scarce cultivation items in Qin State at a cheap price, such as monster materials, ores and spiritual liquids, and then resell them to other city forces.

This was the reason why he opened shops in other cities. He needed to first establish his own sales channels. Once his reputation was established, he could become a wholesaler and ship large quantities of Muhe Grassland items to forces in other cities, earning a certain amount of the difference.

The reason for developing the spirit ship manufacturing industry is also for this reason. He wants to build the Stone City Market into the largest trading market between the two places. If he wants to monopolize logistics and transportation, he must have his own transportation and production tools. If he wants to transport a large number of goods to sell in various places, he must own a large number of spirit ships.

After the meeting, everyone dispersed. Song Xian left Zhong Wenyuan and Tao Ming alone to give them some instructions. He reiterated the importance of the spirit ship industry to the development of the sect. Both of them expressed their determination to do their best. Tao Ming even vowed to achieve the goal within ten years.

(End of this chapter)