Ling Youshi's Mansion.
A spirit lamp emmited a glowing light that evenly covered the whole room. Six elders sat across each other with a wooden table between them. Ling Youshi, who seemed to have the highest authority handed out jade slips that recorded the events after the spirit awakening ceremony.
The elders rubbed the photographic jades with their hands and closed their eyes in concentration. A faint spiritual Qi then entered the slips and their pupils glowed yellow. Scenes recorded in the jade slips then appeared in each of their individual mind sea.
From one elder's point of view, disciples who had just awaken their spiritual Qi were led to the skill pavilion hall of the Ling Family. Among them, the jade slip seemed to concentrate on one peculiar disciple, it was Long Aotian.
He was dressed in green robes which made him look scholarly with his frail body. His dark hair was tied neatly behind him and his eyes were fixated on a certain stone tablet revolving among hundreds that were there for the taking.
Suddenly, Ling Yun stambled into him and hurried towards that stone tablet. Regrettably, the seals on the stone tablet didn't react.
A sigh escaped the Elders mouths, clearly disappointed.
Then their eyes shone with greed. Ling Aotian passed through the stone tablet to another without even giving it a glance, making the seals react ever so slightly. He then proceeded towards another stone tablet and sighed in disappointment when it didn't react.
He left the skill Pavilion, and the recording ended.
"Does he really have it? " An elder couldnt hold back his excitement.
"No! not currently, but judging by how he treated it with as ordinary,he must have come into contact with it,or he must know that it is in his father's inheritance." Ling Youshi stated.
"Then how do we get it ? The Spirit Jade Refining Arts true Insight is too valuable to land in a child's hand! "
Gasped filled the room at the mere mention of the Spirit Jade Refining Arts true insight. They all coveted it. They would all kill each other for the rights to claim it. But ofcause none of them would ever admit it openly. It was an open hidden scheme.
"But if it was in his father's inheritance, why would Mei Ling not keep it for herself? " Voiced one elder.
"That's because she made an anscestral oath before Ling Aotian's father's death.."
The hall became silent after Ling Youshi's response.They understood it now.
" So how do we deal with Aotian? " Someone finally asked what they were all itching to say.
"Let us wait and confirm he has the true insight before taking any action."
" We should bait and corner him to give it to us."
" We should secretly, send assasing to kill and soul search him for it's whereabouts. "
Different voices rang out. Each giving their own suggestion on how to deal with Aotian. At the end however, since they couldn't come up with a solid plan, they decided on the most sensible of plans. To wait and stalk him until the right moment presents itself.
***
Ling Aotian sits opposite his aunt, Mei Ling.
The room filled with soft incense and silk drapes. A jade ledger floats mid-air, inscribed with glowing characters. She hands him the inheritance seal, her expression unreadable.
Ling Aotian places the inheritance seal on top of the ledger.The ledger glows with a golden light before turning into ashes. The ashes transform into characters.
As the characters revolves and settle in an orderly manner, Mei Ling cooly spoke.
"As promised. Your inheritance is now returned.Two guest houses near Southmarket Canal, two herb fields:one Fire-aligned, one Yin-nurtured:an auction house, and 480,000 low-grade spirit stones accrued over five years. Also..."
She places a sealed jade slip gently in front of him
"...the Spirit Jade Refining Arts. Your father left it behind. I never opened it."
Ling Aotian studied his inheritance, emotion evident in his eyes. His father left him everything and assured that none would take it from him. Even his own Aunt.
"Alas, humans are governed through self interest and greed is the greatest weakness of humanity. " Aotian sighed as he looked at his Aunt.
Mei Ling was at first startled. She thought Aotian was saying that she stole from him, but with his following words, she realised he was setting the tone for something else.
A negotiation.
"The guest houses are too much trouble. Rogue cultivators never pay on time. The fields... maybe if I had time to manage them. I'll only keep the auction house and the manual."
Mei Ling leaned back to her chair, her fan flapping lazily as she eyed Aotian.
"And sell the rest back to me? Is that what you're saying?"
Aotian nods at her slightly "You've already been running them for years. I'm simply removing the illusion of ownership."
She unconsciously narrowed her eyes slightly, tapping her lacquered nail on the table.
"And your asking price?"
"110,000 low-grade spirit stones for the guest houses. 160,000 for the herb fields. And I'll take 100% value for the 480,000 in profits. That's 408 mid-grade stones."
Mei Ling laughed dryly, "You've been reading merchant scrolls behind my back. You sound like a scheming heir, not a cultivator."
"I'll need spirit stones more than I'll need tenants."
She leans back, her expression unreadable, then chuckles.
"90,000 for the houses. 140,000 for the fields. Your tenants are unreliable, and the Yin field has pests. And 400 mid-grade for the profits,flat."
Aotian scoffed "95 000 for the houses, 150 000 for the fields. I'm giving you working assets, Aunt. I don't need to squeeze you dry."
A beat. She stares, then slowly nods.
"Fine. 245,000 low-grade and 400 mid-grade spirit stones. But if you squander it on trash pills or fake treasures, don't come crying."
"I don't plan on wasting any of it. You'll see." Aotian stands after Mei Ling brushed her robes down, handing him a polished spirit pouch.
At the door, Ling Aotian suddenly came to a pause, " My dear Aunt, I just thought of a bold idea. Would you be interested? "
" Oh, and what could that be? "
"Come manage my auction house."
Mei Ling laughed heartily, giving Ling Aotian a mocking smile.
"Child, you want to employ me? Even your father didn't have the guts to do so. "
Aotian stumbled, he was overreaching his bounds at this moment.
' I am a man, how could I not try it? ' he thought as he thickened his face to say..?
" The rates are good... But if you want ownership, you will have to pay 1000 midgrade stones for 10 %. The offer stays untill the end of next week. Think it over ."
And just like that he left.
***
In a guest house somewhere in the city.
" Young master Aotian, why did we leave the mansion ? " Asked Cui Long with a flushed face.
She was currently sitting on Aotian's lap, feeding him grapes with slowed ease.
" Why did you leave with me? " Answered Aotian with a question of his own.
"Well.. I..I am your concubine " she stummered before finally saying it.
Aotian laughed. " No from now on your my wife .. my second wife."
Cui Long felt her heart flutter, her face flaming hot." Wait.., what do you mean 2nd wife , Aotian? "
" Oh, you already let go of honorifics .. " teased Aotian before replying with.. " Stay with me for a while and you will understand soon enough."
With that he gave her a kiss and stepped out to the terrance of the room. This room was expensive, costing a total of 100 low grade spirit stones, but Aotian didn't care. Such meager things could not move him, especially since his cultivation paths is one of burning money.
Looking at the crescent moon, his thoughts wondered into finance and assets. He thought about how he would spend the money most efficiently and raise his cultivation quickly with the best foundation.
Taking about foundation, Aotian took out the ' Spirit Jade refining arts true insight.' Looking at it he couldn't help becoming emotional.
In his first life, it was this art that took him to the peak as a spirit refiner. It was also what aided in him awakening the SUPREME JADE PHYSIQUE.
Now looking at it, it was useless. He already had grandmaster attainment in spirit refining arts. If he were to absorb the true insight, his gain would not even increase his attainment by 1%.
He already knew everything in it, from how it affects his cultivation and how to refine ones body into one of the ten supreme Physique. He wondered aloud..
"what should I do with this? Should I put it out for auction? That would be quiet the show, wouldn't it ? But then again if I find a good surboninate ...? Naaah he'll never be as good as me .."
At the end of the day, he only sighed and went directly to sleep. Tomorrow he would finally go to the famous Floating market of Lingfeng city.