Chapter 19: Is This the Demeanor of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator?

In the afternoon, Yulou and Yuan were eating, and Rongwen's elder paid the bill.

The Red Lantern Merit Hall is about to open, and the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators in Qing Xi Fang has increased; the clan chief is away because he's socializing with fellow Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Yulou's remark was truly correct—none of us have become immortals, so none of us have the right to roam freely!

"Eat well—why are you smiling?"

Wang Rongwen noticed Yuan's unusual state.

It's like sneaking out of the house to spend an entire night gaming at an internet café—you think you're hiding it well, but your father sees through you at a glance—he did the same when he was young!

"Hehe, the clan chief gave me a Hundred-Li Free-Flight Talisman today, Father—do you have one?"

Yuan, being a boy at heart, pulled out his new treasure and began boasting to his parents.

At first, Rongwen's elder didn't notice anything odd, but his wife Chen Luwan furrowed her brow.

"These are talismans reserved for Qi Gathering cultivators in the clan. The clan chief brought them here to exchange for merit at the Red Lantern Merit Hall—how did they end up in your hands?"

She was an outsider who married into the main line of the Wang clan and handles talisman production within the family, so she knew exactly how many Hundred-Li Free-Flight Talismans the clan chief still had left.

All the Hundred-Li Free-Flight Talismans in the clan were brought out by the clan chief for merit exchange—they shouldn't be in Yuan's possession.

He's only at Qi Gathering Level Two, and he's safely inside Qing Xi Fang—why would he need a Foundation Establishment–grade Hundred-Li Free-Flight Talisman?

"Today the clan chief asked my brother and me questions; we answered well, so he rewarded each of us with one talisman—you can ask the clan chief if you don't believe me."

Yuan said, sounding aggrieved.

"Yulou?"

Of course, asking the clan chief was impossible; Chen Luwan turned gently toward Yulou.

Compared to her unruly son, she trusted the mature and steady Yulou more.

"Yuan is telling the truth—the clan chief did ask us questions today..."

After hearing Yulou's account, Chen Luwan put her doubts to rest, but she sighed and said:

"Those wandering cultivators are truly pitiful—my father, Yuan's maternal grandfather, was once a wandering cultivator too; he suffered endless hardship and scorn just to obtain cultivation resources."

Later, after mastering talisman-making, he joined the Wang clan as an outsider guest advisor, and his circumstances improved slightly."

Yulou thought for a moment, then looked at his clan uncle and said:

"Clan Uncle, I have an immature idea—I'm not sure if it's appropriate."

Wang Rongwen put down his chopsticks in surprise, glanced at his wife, and they exchanged looks.

What is this child trying to say?

He asked tentatively:

"What kind of idea?"

"Those wandering cultivators do have spirit stones, but the accommodation fees in Qing Xi Fang have skyrocketed lately—even courtyards without spirit energy supply have seen huge rent increases."

I was thinking—why don't we divide the rooms at Fu Yuan Ju into smaller ones and rent them to them?"

If the subdivided rooms are small enough, the rent can be much lower."

As long as spirit energy supply is guaranteed, slightly lower rent will make wandering cultivators prefer it over sleeping on the streets."

Sleeping on the streets is unsafe, undignified, and prevents them from cultivating in peace."

No cheap rooms?

Then build cage-houses!

These days, the number of wandering cultivators in Qing Xi Fang has grown, and Yulou had already considered this idea—but he was wary of Tang Nianqiu, so he didn't bring it up with Old Tang; after all, the chief manager has been suspiciously negligent in managing expenses."

The rent for courtyards without spirit wells in Qing Xi Fang has now reached three spirit stones per month—wandering cultivators naturally refuse to stay."

But Fu Yuan Ju is different—it has a spirit well directly connected to Qin Yun Qing Xi; though the water isn't from the Qing Xi itself, this spirit well draws spirit energy into Fu Yuan Ju."

Therefore, guests staying in Fu Yuan Ju find cultivation much easier."

Qi Gathering cultivators can quickly reach their daily Qi absorption limit."

Qi Refining cultivators can fully exploit the abundant spirit energy to train intensely."

"This... sounds feasible, but Fu Yuan Ju is already full—it's hard to arrange anything right now."

Chen Luwan was meticulous; she recognized Yulou's suggestion was viable, but operations were difficult at the moment."

If we wait for current tenants to leave before remodeling, the timing won't work."

"What's hard about that? The clan chief is a Master Wood Technique cultivator—once he returns, he can erect a wooden building in Fu Yuan Ju's back courtyard in an instant; the only trouble is transporting the spirit energy—we'll need to reconfigure the array."

Wang Rongwen's eyes lit up—he realized Yulou's suggestion was groundbreaking."

Cheap, safe, spirit-energy-supplied small rooms—this is the absolute necessity of wandering cultivators!"

"Is the array complicated?" Yulou asked.

"Yes—if Rongyuan were here, it'd be easy—he's a Master of Arrays," Rongwen's elder sighed.

Yulou was puzzled—didn't Foundation Establishment cultivator Wang Xianmao understand arrays?

"It's just an immature idea—when the clan chief returns, let him make the final decision."

Yulou smiled, placing a layer of "blame-shielding" over himself; the Cultivation World differs fundamentally from the Mortal World—he couldn't simply copy past methods."

"Immature? Doesn't matter—being able to spot this opportunity is already impressive."

We'll present it together to the clan chief when the time comes. Yuan, learn from your brother!"

"Mmm..."

Yuan replied sullenly.

When Wang Xianmao returned to Fu Yuan Ju, Yulou and Wang Rongwen immediately reported their idea to him.

"Good idea—wandering cultivators' spirit stones are still spirit stones; they're no less valuable than others'."

You've thought of this possibility—I'm willing to try it. Whether it succeeds or not doesn't matter—it's just a bit of spirit energy spent."

Come on—let's go check the back courtyard right now!"

Wang Xianmao, returning from socializing, heard Yulou's suggestion and immediately realized it was a good opportunity.

Even if such a small room only costs two Spirit Stones per month, selling many of them would generate a large sum through steady, long-term earnings.

"So soon?"

Wang Rongwen and Tang Nianqiu were both somewhat surprised; Wang Xianmao's execution was simply too strong.

"The Merit Hall of the Red Lantern Sect will stay for three months; the sooner we build it, the sooner we earn Spirit Stones!"

Earning Spirit Stones was no shame; Wang Xianmao showed not a shred of the arrogance of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Running a household and serving as clan head is not easy; isn't one supposed to strive to generate revenue?

He led the crowd to the rear courtyard, glanced at the wing rooms on both sides, and asked.

"Are all six of these wing rooms occupied?"

"Yulou and the others occupy one, three serve as storage rooms, and the remaining two have always been kept vacant so that members of our Wang family can stay for free when they arrive."

Tang Nianqiu hurriedly replied.

"Hmm..."

Wang Xianmao stroked his chin, swept his spiritual sense over the area roughly, and understood what was happening.

This Foundation Establishment cultivator merely raised his hand lightly and summoned a set of formation flags.

"The surname Jiang presides over the great formation of Qing Xi Fang, forbidding Foundation Establishment cultivators from using magic power within Qing Xi Fang; we need a formation to block it first before I can operate."

After the formation flags enclosed the entire rear courtyard, Wang Xianmao instructed.

"You all retreat behind me."

The crowd hurriedly shrank backward; seeing them all standing behind him, Wang Xianmao could proceed with his operation.

He crouched lightly, placed one hand on the ground, and seemed about to begin 'building a tower' directly.

Yulou was somewhat astonished.

No blueprints needed, no feasibility studies needed, no surveying needed, no environmental assessments needed, no permits needed, no safety officers needed.

Just tap your head to devise a strategy, press one hand to the ground, and work can begin immediately.

Is this the spirit of a Foundation Establishment cultivator?