Clan Cultivation: Starting from Beast Taming

Chapter 226: Chapter 142: Zhou Mingde's Calculations [Subscribe Please]_2

Zhou Mingde was very clear about this.

Therefore, he was more aware than the insider Zhou Daoyi that, since the Zhou Family was unwilling to give up the benefits, they must be prepared to bear the associated risks.

Moreover, negotiating with a tiger for its skin is dangerous, but the rewards are equally substantial.

Just like when he took the risk of falling out and possibly meeting his death at the hands of Yu Jinghua to rebuild the Zhou Family, it was a great gamble, but the rewards were also substantial after succeeding.

Thus, when faced with the need to make a risky choice, he was brave enough to take bold actions!

After his repeated persuasions, Zhou Daoyi also stopped mentioning the matter of informing the Green Lotus Temple.

The two quickly began discussing how to conduct a safe and covert transaction with Lin Hongyu.

However, after discussing for a while, Zhou Daoyi suddenly said, "Zhengchun is currently handling family affairs. If we want to use the family's power for this matter, it's impossible to hide it from him. It's better to call him over for a discussion!"

"This..."

Zhou Mingde revealed a hesitant and contemplative expression, not immediately agreeing.

Zhou Daoyi understood that he was worried that one more person knowing would increase the risk of information leakage.

But still, he said firmly, "If you can't trust him, how could you, Supreme Elder, feel assured to let him take over as Clan Leader in the future? Besides, he already knows about the Green Flood Dragon Inner Pill being in my hands."

"In that case, let's go to the Central Peace Hall and discuss this together."

Zhou Mingde nodded and agreed to his suggestion.

So, the two went straight to the Central Peace Hall to discuss the matter with Zhou Chun.

Of course, to save Zhou Daoyi's face, the two did not mention his lascivious affair with Lin Hongyu. Instead, they altered the story to say that Lin Hongyu, seriously wounded at first, could only flee with parts of the Green Flood Dragon's body and was now returning for revenge.

Even so, when Zhou Chun finished listening to the terms of the transaction agreed upon with Lin Hongyu, his heart was still incredibly shocked, and he was speechless on the spot.

"I know you are shocked by this matter, but the Supreme Elder and I have already discussed it. This is the best choice for the Zhou Family at present. So now, we want to discuss with you how to conduct a covert transaction and prevent this matter from being exposed!"

Zhou Daoyi, looking at the shocked Zhou Chun, spoke with a somber tone, explaining his intention.

His words meant to tell Zhou Chun not to question why they were undertaking such a high-risk action, but rather to think of ways to minimize the risk as much as possible.

Zhou Chun naturally understood this point.

After listening to Zhou Daoyi, his first thought was outsourcing!

If the Zhou Family didn't personally use their power to do this, even if the matter was exposed, they could pin the blame on the outsourced party.

But he realized quickly that this approach would not work in the Cultivation World.

In the Cultivation World, there were rules and order, but when it came to such significant matters, the major powers would not talk about rules and order with the weaker forces.

Moreover, even in his previous world, no company that dared to outsource such critical matters would be a power without a strong backing, like the Zhou Family.

Therefore, outsourcing would only make it easier for the matter to be exposed.

"In my opinion, to maximize confidentiality, firstly, the transaction location should be chosen outside of Lanzhou, and then we should not use the Zhou Family's name to find people. It's better to find mortals with Spirit Root Aptitude under the guise of Loose Cultivators taking on disciples and try to send the mortals over," he said.

"Even if we must send Loose Cultivators over, we should choose those who do not know or are familiar with our Zhou Family from other states!"

"Additionally, I believe that the greatest possibility of this matter being exposed does not lie with our Zhou Family. As long as we are not sending people to her on a large scale, it's unlikely for us to be discovered."

"The most likely exposure for our Zhou Family would be on the Dragon Transformation Sect's side. If they do not handle confidentiality well there, it will be very easy for our Zhou Family to be exposed!"

Zhou Chun's mind was racing, and he quickly proposed several of his own views.

Truthfully, he felt that if this went on for too long, being exposed was only a matter of time.

After all, the Dragon Transformation Sect wanted living people, not dead ones.

Their intentions for wanting these living people were almost self-evident; they definitely wanted to utilize these cultivators and mortals capable of cultivation to expand their sect's strength.

After all, the Dragon Transformation Sect was situated in such a remote wasteland territory, where it was very difficult to acquire a sufficient number of cultivators with the Spirit Root Aptitude necessary for cultivation.

Otherwise, why would they establish a country outside and still go through the trouble of provoking the various sects of Jingguo Country!

And once these living people arrived at Dragon Transformation Sect, anyone who held a grudge against those who had deceived them into going there could easily find a way to spread the news, prompting an investigation from Jingguo Country's side.

But Zhou Mingde and the others were certainly aware of this, so Zhou Chun didn't elaborate further, only pointing out the risk of exposure.

"We have also considered the risk of exposure on the Dragon Transformation Sect's side, and we agree it's best to send mortals over. After all, it's not something that can be achieved in just a decade or eight years for a mortal to grow strong enough to be of use to the Dragon Transformation Sect!"

Zhou Mingde nodded slightly, agreeing with Zhou Chun's statement.

However, he soon showed a look of concern and said, "But Lin Hongyu has set a bottom line for us. Each time we trade, the number of cultivators must be at least ten, and we must conduct a trade at least once a year!"

"What? A trade once a year!"

Zhou Chun's expression changed, looking at Zhou Mingde and the other in surprise.

Zhou Mingde knew what surprised him and said with a bitter smile, "We can't help it. We also think this condition is too harsh, but she won't budge on this point at all. She'd rather increase our compensation than give in!"

"Then this is indeed very difficult to handle!"

Zhou Chun murmured to himself, his head growing dizzy with the complication brought forth by the two high-ranking members of the Zhou Family.

With the Zhou Family's influence and strength, it wasn't difficult to covertly round up ten Qi Refinement Realm Loose Cultivators and send them to Dragon Transformation Sect each year.

But the difficulty lay in the high demands for secrecy. Only the three of them could know the true nature of the matter, yet none of the three could take action themselves.

So, how could they ensure those who acted did not ask for reasons, yet had the capability and willingness to capture people exactly as instructed?

Suddenly, an idea sparked in Zhou Chun's mind, and he thought of a suitable candidate.

He turned to Zhou Mingde and the other, saying, "Supreme Elder, Clan Leader, what do you think about Elder Yuan who guards the Book Collection Tower? If Elder Yuan is the one to capture people, unless it is done in front of clan members who are familiar with it, only those who are captured would ever see it!"

"The Green Wood Spirit Ape?"

"Good idea!"

Zhou Mingde and Zhou Daoyi's eyes lit up, immediately grasping Zhou Chun's intention.

The Green Wood Spirit Ape almost never left Flying Rock Peak, so aside from the Zhou Family Cultivators, no outsiders could see it.

Sending it out to capture people would ensure that there was no risk of the news leaking from the Zhou Family's side.

Zhou Mingde promptly said, "Daoquan is also a trustworthy individual. He can be made privy to this matter and act as our cover!"

"If that's the case, then targets are easy to choose. Just opt for those Bandit Cultivators who have committed numerous crimes. Sending such people to the Dragon Transformation Sect would count as a good deed for the Jingguo Country Cultivation Realm!"

Zhou Daoyi quickly followed with his own opinion.

"Let's settle on this for now. After we each return, we'll think over the details of the plan and strive for flawless execution!"

Zhou Mingde immediately made a decision and concluded the discussion.

After Zhou Mingde left, Zhou Daoyi did not leave immediately; instead, he repeated his earlier conversation with Zhou Mingde to Zhou Chun, explaining the reasons behind such a risky decision.

After hearing the recount, Zhou Chun finally understood the rationale behind the actions of the two leading family authority figures.

His heart was no longer filled with the doubts it had before.

So, in the time that followed, several Zhou Family authority figures met several times to discuss this critical issue that revolved around the survival of their clan, eventually coming up with a practicable plan.

However, with a year until the next trade, Zhou Chun and the others were naturally not in a hurry to take immediate action.

Just then, from the Wang Family of Hongyao Valley, a message suddenly arrived for Zhou Chun regarding the Protection Pulse Pill he needed.