“Brother, it has been too long,” I said with a smile as I greeted my fourth brother Yuan Niu. He looked a lot more worn, but he had returned alive and in good health.
“Still, my younger brother, I see.” I fake pouted a bit as we hugged each other. I still looked like a pre-teen, despite being eighteen years old.
“Unfortunate side effects of my cultivation. Yuan Yun will surely celebrate your return.”
“Truly?” Yuan Niu asked, and I nodded.
“Father stepped down officially last year and Yuan Yun is the new patriarch.”
“Already? He must be enjoying his time off,” Yuan Niu replied.
“Too much time, if you ask me. Honestly, he likes to visit my office more than me. You are also just in time before I depart. I was considering entering during the intake last year, but I will go this year,” I replied.
“Wait, aren’t you only eighteen, or did the sect change things?” Yuan Niu asked as he settled into my office. I poured some tea for him.
“I have just about completed the first stage of cultivation. I wish to review some things, but I can proceed to the second stage at any time,” I replied.
“Congratulations, brother.” I smiled at the kind words as I handed him some tea.
“I should congratulate you. Tell me about your trip?” I asked.
“Lots of time on the road. But I saw the mountain city of Skyward Peaks. That was a climb up there, but the view was amazing. Then I went to the great forest city of Red Trees. The city was more vertical than anything else. Their elevators were impressive, taking two carts up at a time into the leafy branches. The branches were so wide there was room for two carts and buildings.”
“Imperial City was breathtaking. They made everything out of stone and glass. Buildings towering ten stories in the lesser districts. In the center, the buildings soared over twenty stories tall. But the cost of everything was immense. People used tael like bronze coins.”
“I saw the great endless ocean in Crashing Waves. Everything smelled of salt. The seafood was amazing, and they loved the spices and even had versions of their own I have brought back.” I listened to my brother describe the cities and terrain he had traveled throughout the continent.
“The hardest part is living off the carts. The occasional beast attack actually made things interesting, but the cultivator I hired was dependable and there were no issues throughout the journey.” I nodded at this.
“Well, welcome home, brother.” There was a knock on my office door. “Enter.” My father came into my office.
He gave my brother a big hug, and I left them for a few minutes while I arranged some more refreshments so they could catch up privately. I returned and my brother was talking about the various cities and sights.
“Ah, if I was younger, I would have loved to run a caravan,” my father said as I served him tea.
“Well, I think I will relax for at least a year before heading out again. Also, I am engaged.” My father paused mid-sip.
“Congratulations. Who is the lucky woman?” I asked.
“Hou Jiaying, daughter of Hou Guiren. A minor family from Imperial City.” They had a last name, so they were in the same social strata. “Her father handles a lot of the distribution network from our part of the continent,” Yuan Niu explained.
“A great pairing. She has come back with you?” my father asked.
“Yes, I arranged a house for us, and she is resting,” my brother said.
“What about the bride's price and dowry? It will be complicated,” my father said with a slight frown.
“I have already paid the bride price,” my brother said.
“Oh, that is good. How much?” my father asked, and my brother looked at me.
“I am sorry, brother. It was 80,000 tael,” he replied. My father began coughing in shock. That was an exorbitant amount of money. A person could fund a cultivator through the first stage with that kind of money.
“That seems excessive,” I replied calmly while being very upset on the inside.
“I will pay you back, brother, but we love each other,” he replied. Love was not worth 80,000 tael. That was the bride price for a daughter of a family that had no male heir. Even if Imperial City was expensive, this was excessive. I could tell my father was looking at me nervously. He didn’t want strife to start. My brother also appeared worried.
“I see. We will discuss this a week from now. For now, let us celebrate the happy couple and not let dark clouds or thoughts ruin your return,” I replied. There were smiles at that, but I was quite unhappy on the inside. It had been a major investment for the caravan.
There was a family dinner held and Yuan Niu and his new wife were celebrated, but he eventually came back to my office. I had looked over the accounting book he had brought back and his cash reserves. Even after the caravan disbanded in Half Moon City and the goods were sold off, I was not happy.
He set out with a 50,000 tael investment and came back with only 40,000 tael. He had lost money and his wife, while nice and good looking, wasn’t worth 80,000 tael. Yuan Niu had to at least break even, but he hadn’t. According to the contract we had set up, he owed me a debt of 73,000 tael. He would get ten percent of the profits from the trip after he paid the initial amount back.
“Yuan Niu, I won’t speak ill of your wife, but the debt you owe me is quite large. The total is 73,000 tael,” I said calmly, and he was wincing.
“I know, brother, and I will repay you.”
I shook my head slowly. “How? Even father or first brother could not repay that kind of debt. Even I would be hesitant. If I fund another caravan, then you would have to work the rest of your life to pay me back.”
“I… Please forgive me,” he said and bowed his head.
“I have been thinking long and hard about what to do. You are family, but you have stolen from me. That money was not yours to spend as you did. By all rights, I could have you and your wife sold as debt slaves to recoup the barest fraction of the debt.”
“I-“
“I am not done speaking.” My brother closed his mouth. “You are family. But I do not tolerate people who steal. You are fired,” I told him calmly.
“Fired?” he asked, confused.
“You no longer work for me and will never work for me again and I will hold on to the debt but not cash it in. I took a risk on you, and it did not pay off, but I am sure you can find other work and sources of income. I won’t even ask for the money you paid to rent your house for a year back.”
“I… Please forgive me,” he cried out and got out of his chair and kowtowed in front of my desk.
“This is the last time we will speak on matters of business, Yuan Niu.” I rang a bell on my desk and a servant came into my office. “Please escort my brother gently out of this building. He is not allowed to return.” The servant had to get two guards to carry my wailing brother out of my company.
What an idiot. If his wife had connections to the Imperial Sect, then sure. But she was just a regular woman, and the third daughter of a minor family. She was lovely, but she had clearly tricked my brother into getting her out of whatever was planned for her in Imperial City.
It was a shame to write off such an enormous debt, but that was the risk of doing business with family. I would not squeeze my brother for the 100 tael he had tucked away. But he would get no more money from me, and the Yuan family would not dare to help him.
All knew that I would join the sect. While it was only whispered, it was the kind of thing people gossiped about. My constant purchase of cultivation supplies was also hard to hide. I was important enough that people monitored my movements and activities now. There was also the fact that I still looked like a little kid which was the most obvious indication I was cultivating.
They didn’t know they already accepted me as an inner disciple, but the jump in logic to figure out I was joining the Cloudy Moon Sect was easy to make. I made a note for my Director of Accounting Fang to hold the debt in trust, but not cash it in.
If my brother made a fuss, I would crush him, but for now I was content to let him live his life. It still hurt, all that money lost. The Hou family was probably laughing their asses off about how much of an idiot my brother was.
Love was a dangerous thing on the path to immortality. One needed to be focused and not allow for distractions. The recent play about a cultivator turning away from their love, who then cultivated with another sect, who then perished in battle together against a demonic sect in each other’s arms, was a colossal hit.
Of course, the man was with the sect colored like the Cloudy Moon Sect and he died avenging his woman and saving people, but she stuck around enough to gasp out her last words to give him strength to win, but he perished in the end.
I didn’t think it would get past the censor, but I had an excellent track record, and it was a drama showing the dangers of being overly emotional and presenting the good cultivators in a proper light, especially the male cultivator. So, it got through.
I had even got a comedy written about a rogue cultivator whose only talents were luck and running away. He would sneak around sleeping with women and being a bit of disgrace while sect cultivators hunted him down. Eventually, he was caught and executed. I had wanted him to elope with the sect leader’s great granddaughter who had been chasing him, but that had been refused. So, he got executed instead in the story.
Heaven forbid anything else but the ending most favorable to the Cloudy Moon Sect. I didn’t care that much. It was more amusing than anything else. So even if it didn’t fit the theme, they always had to win. As long as people showed up and paid money, it was all good.
My third brother, Yuan Liang, had actually been doing a good job at the nightclub. He was probably going to die by forty from too many drugs and prostitutes, but he was happy and didn’t let his activities interfere with his work. I was content to let things be.
Even the burning of my soap warehouse hadn’t been followed up with anything more. The increased number of guards had kept any other incidents from happening. I had just gotten 40,000 tael back as well since the caravan was being shut down because of Yuan Niu’s poor judgement.
My sponsorship of the hunting team had been going decently. I was averaging about 970 tael per level 1 spirit stone and had been purchasing 20 licenses for them per year. They were happy to be making money as well.
I had also been converting my wealth into spirit stones occasionally when the price dipped down to 1,200. I had one of my accountants get the weekly updated price from the Hunters Guild and track it. Every time it dipped down, I would purchase one.
That had allowed me to slowly build up my war chest for when I joined the sect. I had 97 level 1 spirit stones currently in a chest in the Coinage Guild. With the 40,000 tael, I could purchase about 30 more. That seemed like a good option.
I would try to pay my way in the sect by doing chores and saving my wealth, but it would be there in case it was necessary. Or I could just save the tael in four chests in the Coinage Guild. It would allow for easier transactions if I ever needed money.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
There was no rush to get more spirit stones and I would lose money in the currency transactions. I also needed to make arrangements to hand my business off for someone to manage. I would have considered Ting, but she wouldn’t be taken seriously as a mortal woman. It was completely sexist, but also true.
Still, she was the best candidate to take charge. I had her called to my office and had her sit down while I poured some tea.
“Ting, you have been with me from the start, about fourteen years,” I said.
“Yes, Young Master,” she replied and bowed her head.
“I will join the Cloudy Moon Sect soon and have been thinking about the best person to manage this business in my absence,” I replied.
“I am sure Fang will do an excellent job,” she said, and I shook my head.
“No. While I considered Accounting Director Fang, he does not have the skill set to handle various issues that might arise in my absence. I know of someone much better,” I said, and she waited patiently. Well, I would not tease her too much. “You Ting.”
“But I have no family name and am just a servant and a woman,” she said a bit hastily, and I nodded.
“All true. But I will still own everything. You will just be working on my behalf. And I will be an official cultivator. Who would dare cause you too much grief?” I asked.
“I am honored Yuan Zhou,” she stood up and bowed deeply.
“The new position requires a new title and a pay raise. I believe Senior Director Ting has the right sound to it and a pay raise to five tael a day.” I replied. She let out a gasp at that.
“That is too much!” she said, and I shook my head.
“You will manage everything while I am away and deposit the extra profit into my vault at the Coinage Guild. We will make the arrangements. Many people might consider stealing a bit. I believe in paying you what you are worth, and you are worth five tael a day to manage all of this,” I replied.
“I am humbled and honored, Young Master,” she said and bowed her head once more.
“Well, it is work and a headache. But I trust you will manage Zhou Holding Company Limited in my absence. You are also free to expand carefully if you desire. Hire and fire people as you please. And have full managerial control of the company.”
“In addition, I would ask you to follow up with my sister to make sure everything is going smoothly with her and my mother. Her allowance won’t change and don’t allow it to change. You have control and everyone will report to you,” I explained.
My youngest sister had died from illness, unfortunately. Even throwing money at the issue, there was nothing that could be done. Wealth could only do so much, unfortunately. It was a harsh reminder of the mortality of this world. But I could not let myself be dragged down and distracted. Tears would not help me cultivate.
Once Ting understood her new role, I asked her to arrange an all-company meeting. This would include the directors, senior managers, and managers at the Illuminated Moon. It would be a closed-door company celebration, so I wouldn’t be inviting family.
A few days later, I was in the banquet hall of the restaurant that was reserved for large events. It had cost 1,000 tael, but I considered the expense worthwhile to set the stage for Ting’s control of my company.
“Thank you, everyone, for working hard at Zhou Holding Company Limited,” I said to the gathered employees. There was clapping and some cheers at that, and I smiled. I was quite generous with my pay to management level employees and higher.
“As many might have heard rumors of, I plan to join the Cloudy Moon Sect at this upcoming intake.” There was more clapping and cheering.
“That is why I have considered how the company will continue in my absence. While I will still maintain ownership, I have decided to name a person to the position of Senior Director. They will have full operational and managerial control. Their decisions are my decisions. And they have my full trust and support. Senior Director Ting, will you please come up?”
There was a round of applause, but I noticed a couple of people were shocked. I had talked to Hong beforehand, and he was okay with the appointment. He was a fighter and guard and could manage that aspect of the company, but had no interest in running the day-to-day operations.
His support was critical in order to keep everyone else in line. I had also spoken with Accounting Director Fang and he got a small pay raise along with the other directors, but he had no objections, either. With the other two pillars of my company not complaining, Ting could take full control.
“Thank you, Yuan Zhou,” Ting said and gave me a bow, which I returned. I then stepped to the side to let her speak to everyone. The good food and environment would help make this transition much easier, which was why it was being held at a fancy restaurant instead of a warehouse.
“I have been with Yuan Zhou since his first business all those years ago. A simple woodcarving shop to make rocking chairs. Now we are one of the premier organizations inside Cloudy Moon City. Woodcarving, hot sauce, mining, smelting, entertainment, and luxury branches of Zhou Holding Company Limited have made us a force to be reckoned with.”
“I have been entrusted with the stewardship and management of this company and will not let you all down. We will continue into the future as strong as ever. I have been even entered into the city roles as Zheng Ting.”
It wasn’t cheap to get a family name since it cost 10,000 tael to be registered. It was going to be taken out of her paycheck until she paid it back. Having a family name entitled you to certain rights. You became someone of importance socially, but you also were entitled to a hearing in front of the City Lord, a trial for accused crimes instead of summary judgement, and the authority to pass your family name onto your heirs and children.
While it was possible for someone to have a family name while poor, it was hard. It cost 1,000 tael to have the name holder pass the name to their descendent. That was why grandchildren didn’t get the family name.
Yuan Yun’s kids didn’t get the family name of Yuan until he was named heir, which meant he was the new holder of the family name. Any children my father had after the name passing wouldn’t get the last name of Yuan either, since he was no longer the family name holder.
All the cities under the Imperial Sect used the same system. Taking a fake family name was punishable by death. The only exception were cultivators who could take up a family name if they wished to, but some didn’t like Elder Zedong. They had no interest in such things or changing what they were called. Some wore the lack of a family name as a badge of honor, showing how they had come from nothing and rose up the ranks of cultivators.
Basically, a family name was a promotion from a low tier mortal to a high tier mortal in terms of social standing. If someone without a family name and someone with a family name got into a dispute, the authorities would favor the person with a family name in all but the most blatant transgressions.
This is where the young masters came from. Also, a thousand tael to just pass the name meant it was out of reach for most people, but it wasn’t stupidly expensive. Like being able to get a private jet on Earth. There was a class of people that could afford it, while others could only dream of something like that.
Then there were the stupidly rich where it wasn’t really an issue or concern, which would be cultivators. The party wound down after Ting’s speech and I left. I was quite pleased with how things had gone. In just a month, I would head to the intake for the Cloudy Moon Sect.
While I could technically arrive at any time, Master Yi Rong had told me it would be considered rude. Since the elders would have to be disturbed outside of the normal time, and the elders hated being disturbed for anything.
I spent the month relaxing and packing up my cultivation notes. “Brother!” Yuan Chuntao barged into my room, where I was reading a historical book about the Imperial Sect.
“Yes, sister?” I asked.
“What am I going to do? You are leaving me all alone,” she came over and leaned over my shoulder, invading my personal space. “Mother has been bothering me about finding a good marriage.” Yuan Chuntao was only fourteen, but most women tried to get married by sixteen at the latest.
“Do you want to marry?” I asked.
“Maybe, but there is no one as good as you,” she muttered.
“I am a heaven’s blessed genius. Of course, there is no one like me. Is there anyone you like?” I asked.
“Well, Yao Yang is quite handsome and nice,” I nodded at this. He was the first son of Yao Guiren, who owned most of the mines near the city. Normally, my sister would not be eligible for such a match, but my status was quite high, which made Yuan Chuntao’s status equally high. He was about my age.
“Have you two talked?” I asked.
“Only at a formal party with several other people,” my sister said. I had attended a few, but they were boring and drama filled. Once I had enough money and independence, I stopped going to events like that to focus entirely on my cultivation and business. “I was thinking about going to the theater with him, but first brother is being stingy,” she replied.
“You want balcony seats?” I asked her.
“Yes, good ones.” I rolled my eyes at this.
“I will talk to Yuan Yun and sort things out.”
“Also, money for dinner afterwards,” she said.
“Why isn’t he treating you?”
“Well, he said his father keeps him on a strict allowance,” my sister replied.
“He can afford to take you out to dinner if he is interested in you. And you have been going with mother to the spa.”
“Brother, I need a new dress,” she complained.
“Fine, let’s go get one together,” I replied. She cheered, and we left the compound to go shopping. She dragged me from shop to shop. While I hated it, I put up with it for her sake. I could tell she wasn’t really interested in shopping; she wanted to spend time with me before I left.
We had dinner together at the Illuminated Moon. “Why do you have to leave, brother?” she asked me.
“The path of cultivation interests me. Immortality, power, riches. But most of all, standing on top of the world,” I replied. Also the fear of dying again to a truck.
“Well, you will have to visit me and tell me of all your heroic adventures slaying demonic cultivators,” she said, and I smiled at that.
“I will. I also plan to take the picture you drew with me,” I said with a cheeky grin.
“No! I can’t believe you framed that picture,” she said and blushed, putting her hands over her face.
“It is the best picture of our family,” I replied. Our younger sister had passed away from sickness at a young age. Our mother just had two children now.
“When you are an immortal, are you going to hang that up? Really?” I teased her about it occasionally.
“Yes, I will. Everyone will see the great artwork of Yuan Chuntao and bask in its awe. All these powerful people will look at it, then I will ask their opinion on it. They will all say it is the best thing ever just to suck up to me,” I said with a grin.
“That is so mean, but hilarious,” my sister whispered. “I am going to miss you.”
“I will miss you as well. But I have high hopes my cultivation will go quickly. Also, if you don’t want to get married and do something else, you can. If you ever want to leave the compound and strike out on your own, I have told Zheng Ting to hire you as part of my company.”
“Silly brother, I will find a husband, don’t worry. I am more worried about you. All alone. I asked and there is no one special in your life,” she said with a pout.
“I plan to focus on cultivation. My path, it is very hard.”
“You let me look at your diagrams a few times. I still don’t understand any of them, but they look very complicated,” she said.
“It is. What I am attempting is something that has never been done. If it works, then I will become a legendary immortal and make everyone compliment your drawing.”
“Oh brother. I doubt anyone knows your humor but me. I swear you channel all of mother’s drama.”
“Now who is picking on who. I am not that dramatic. She is always gasping and raising her hand to her forehead,” I countered, and my sister giggled a bit as I copied mother’s pose.
“It is a bit much. But she will miss you as well. She can’t stop complimenting you. I mean honestly, what is the sister of a heaven’s sent genius supposed to do?”
“I know it is hard, since she is already the best sister possible,” I replied.
“Stop it, you will make me cry, brother.” We finished our meal and took a rickshaw back to the compound.
The time until I left was drawing closer. Yuan Chuntao had grown on me recently. I hadn’t interacted with my two younger sisters that much since they were too young. Then the youngest passed away and Yuan Chuntao had pestered me quite a bit.
I made sure to make time for her, for there would be no time for regrets later. When I saw her again, she would probably be married with children of her own. I would be their legendary uncle. The man who became a business tycoon at the age of four.
It was frankly ridiculous how much I had gotten away with at such a young age. But when one was a certified genius, then everyone would just stare in awe. Everyone would still stare in awe since I was going to stay a small child.
I would go to the sect and spend the next year or two confirming and double checking my cultivation plan, while trying to resolve the few outstanding issues that remained. Once there, I needed to consider valves, double check my meridian design, figure out how to drill a triangle, determine the resources I would need for elemental attunement, and resources for the fourth stage. I would also need to plan out how to power through the fourth stage as well.
But the channel design was solid. I had checked it two times so far and no changes needed to be made or errors found. It had taken some careful calculations, but I had also totaled up my motes out of curiosity. I had 1,317,282 motes of Qi inside of me. Slightly less than I had originally been aiming for and estimating.
Still, I was thrilled with how everything was laid out. There might need to be some final adjustments, but I wasn’t concerned. I had 100 Qi Pills I was planning to bring. That was another 10,000 motes if I needed them.
The sect only allowed in what one carried up the stairs. So, no carts of belongings. If you wanted more, you had to carry more yourself. The same went for inner disciples. I was going to bring 30 spirit stones with me and leave the rest in the Coinage Guild.
I felt that was more than enough to cover any immediate expenses I might have. People were also allowed to leave the sect, but for people starting out, it was heavily frowned on. Once you entered, you were expected to cut mortal ties.
The normal amount of time until a person normally left the sect for resources was twenty years. But even then, anyone below the fourth stage had to get approved by an elder. The sect wanted people striving for immortality, not caught up in mortal affairs.
I wasn’t too worried, but it was annoying since I would have to see how things played out in the sect first. I suspected they wouldn’t grant exceptions. Cultivators were supposed to cultivate. I got that, but I was thinking smarter, not harder.
Taking breaks was important. That way I could look at a problem with a fresh mind. But things might change in the second stage, and I would slow down. If that happened, then the pressure would build. I wasn’t that worried, even if that happened. Panicking would do me no good.
Problems just required time and careful planning. There was only one big problem I had to sort out that was left. The bottleneck at the fourth stage. Everything else just required some mental exercise.
I looked at the triangular drilling problem again. I had a wooden model of a triangle and looked at it before letting out a sigh, then traced my finger around on the wood. A while ago, I had asked other people, but they were just as stumped. No one drilled triangles. Even grandmasters Ling and Kang did not know.
Once I got to the sect, I would have to look more in depth at channel clearing options and to keep thinking about drilling triangular holes. This was one of the moments I really missed the internet and being able to get straightforward answers to simple yet tricky questions like this.
I knew if I heard the solution, it would sound obvious. But I had been stuck trying to figure this out for the longest time and it was annoying me. Perhaps there was no solution, but I refused to believe that.