Gu Feng kept his thoughts to himself, maintaining a calm exterior as he returned to his seat.

The three of them sat down slowly, each with mixed feelings.

Gu Feng instructed the maid to bring them hot tea and asked, "Old General Lu, how much in spirit stones does the family still owe the Chen Long Army soldiers in wages?"

Hearing this, Lu Zhen forced a bitter smile. This matter was a secret of Heroic Spirit City and not something to be proud of. Normally, Gu Feng wouldn't have the right to inquire about it, but with the Order of Heroic Spirit in his hand, Lu Zhen had no choice but to answer truthfully.

"The Chen Long Army currently has three camps with a total of 95,023 people. Excluding the salaries of mid and lower-level officers, the ordinary soldiers' wages have been in arrears for over three months, amounting to about 28,000 superior-grade spirit stones."

Gu Feng quickly calculated in his mind. Twenty-eight thousand superior-grade spirit stones, when converted to medium-grade spirit stones, would be a staggering 2.8 million!

Lu Zhen had a hard time over the years, struggling to keep things afloat.

For centuries, the Eastern Region and the Southern Barbarians have been at war every year, consuming vast resources. Heroic Spirit City, being a subordinate city of the Eastern Region, naturally followed suit in its militaristic pursuits.

Faced with enormous expenses, the elders and clansmen of the family did not reduce their own allowances by a single cent. These old men only knew how to enjoy the wealth brought by power, without understanding how to create wealth.

Their method of solving financial problems was very primitive: increase taxes! Anyone who objected would be beaten up. After all, in the world of cultivation, the rule was that the one with the biggest fists made the rules!

When it came to exploiting the lower-level cultivators, these guys didn't even bother to disguise it!

In the end, it was the lower-level cultivators and soldiers who suffered.

This was a vicious cycle. Productivity couldn't keep up, and the production relations were extremely unhealthy. If it weren't for the fact that the world of cultivation couldn't be measured by normal personal strength in social relations, Heroic Spirit City might have changed hands long ago!

"They keep saying I'm a waste, but if this continues, Heroic Spirit City will become an empty shell. These elders and chosen ones who throw their weight around are the real wastes!"

Cursing inwardly, Gu Feng pretended to pace back and forth with a look of concern for the country and its people.

"How about this!"

Feigning a determined expression, Gu Feng smiled and said, "I'll first take out 30,000 superior-grade spirit stones to make up for the soldiers' back pay. How about that?"

Hearing this, Lu Zhen couldn't help but tremble slightly. He had heard rumors that this waste sequence had thrown out an entire mountain of spirit stones at a family meeting. He thought it was just a baseless rumor spread by the city's riffraff, but he didn't expect Gu Feng to be such a big spender!

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Fang Feixue was also a bit surprised. She knew that her adoptive father had been losing sleep over the unpaid wages. If Gu Feng could really solve this problem, it would be a huge help!

With one hand on the table, Lu Zhen almost lost his composure. He turned his head and couldn't help but ask, "Is the sequence serious?"

"Thirty thousand superior-grade spirit stones is no small amount, but I can still manage it," Gu Feng smiled confidently, full of pride.

The three of them exchanged glances, feeling that their poverty had limited their imagination. They simply thought that Gu Feng must have taken advantage of his position over the years to gain a lot of benefits! Otherwise, how could he be so generous?

In reality, Gu Feng had indeed gained many benefits, but the true source of these spirit stones was the enormous profits brought to him by the "Loan Treasure Pavilion" in recent years.

Not bothering to explain further, Gu Feng changed the subject, "Moreover, I'm willing to add another 10,000 superior-grade spirit stones to establish a new army. I ask the three generals to select a thousand skilled individuals proficient in stealth and concealment methods from each of your camps!"

Facing the incredulous gazes of the three, Gu Feng calmly stated, "Of course, the salaries for these thousand people will be my responsibility and have nothing to do with the Chen Long Army."

The series of spirit stone offerings was unexpected!

Even someone as composed as Lu Zhen couldn't withstand such a sugar-coated bombardment and immediately knelt, respectfully saying, "The sequence's great kindness, this humble general will remember! The soldiers of the Chen Long Army are willing to go through fire and water for the sequence, how dare we not give our all!?"

"Old General, you're too kind."

Gu Feng waved his hand repeatedly, his face suddenly solemn, "I'm doing all this for the thousand-year foundation of the Gu Family's Heroic Spirit City, with absolutely no personal motives!"

Nalan Yuan observed with a calm demeanor and immediately stepped forward, cupping his hands, "The sequence's loyalty to the family is as clear as the sun and moon! If any villain dares to speak nonsense behind your back in the future, I, Nalan Yuan, will be the first to destroy his Dao foundation!"

Everyone was smart, and after a few exchanges, everything that needed to be said, and even what shouldn't be said, was said.

The atmosphere was harmonious for a moment.

Only Fang Feixue rolled her eyes, disdainfully watching them put on a show in front of her.

Next, Lu Zhen, on behalf of the Chen Long Army, agreed with Gu Feng that the thousand skilled individuals would all be in place in five days. Gu Feng also readily promised them that Manager Wu would be sent to the main camp of the Chen Long Army tomorrow to deliver the agreed wages.

Gu Feng immediately decided to purchase a Cave Heaven Blessed Land dozens of miles away from Qiong Feng Pavilion as the future station for this new army.

This would also facilitate his management and supervision at any time.

With everything agreed upon, both the Chen Long Army and Gu Feng got the benefits they wanted, and everyone was happy.

The three were about to get up and take their leave.

"Old General, wait!"

"Does the sequence have any other instructions?" Lu Zhen asked.

Rubbing his chin in thought, Gu Feng said, "This new army still lacks a capable leader. I have limited talent around me and would like to borrow someone from the Old General."

While Lu Zhen was still pondering, Nalan Yuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly volunteered, "This humble general is willing to take on this role, to serve the sequence without hesitation!"

Having witnessed Gu Feng's generosity, Nalan Yuan had long wanted to stick around. Following Gu Feng promised a life of luxury, far better than the hardships in the Chen Long Army.

Faced with Nalan Yuan's self-recommendation, Gu Feng merely shook his head in silence.

His gaze wandered until it landed on Fang Feixue.

"General Fang, could you take on this role?"

Slightly startled, Fang Feixue suppressed the urge to explode, turned her head, and coldly said, "Not interested!"

Being rejected outright, Gu Feng wasn't angry. He merely looked at Lu Zhen with a meaningful expression.

Meeting Gu Feng's meaningful gaze, Lu Zhen understood and quickly said, "Feixue, just accept it."

"Adoptive Father!"

"No need to say more." Lu Zhen raised his hand to interrupt Fang Feixue, then turned to Gu Feng and cupped his hands, "In five days, this humble general will have Feixue lead the thousand skilled individuals to Qiong Feng Pavilion to report to the sequence."

"Thank you, Old General." Gu Feng smiled slightly, satisfied.

With that, Lu Zhen left with a sullen Fang Feixue and a somewhat disappointed Nalan Yuan.

Watching the three figures gradually recede into the distance, a smile appeared on Gu Feng's lips.

"Why go through all this trouble? Wouldn't it be more effective to just use the Order of Heroic Spirit to suppress them?" Jiu Long said coldly from the side.

With a long sigh, Gu Feng slowly explained, "It's easy to kill, but hard to win hearts. I want them to willingly work for me, not just pay lip service while undermining me behind my back."

"To make them willingly submit, you need both the stick and the carrot. Constant oppression will only backfire and be counterproductive," Gu Feng said with a meaningful look.

Not expecting Jiu Long to understand his reasoning, Gu Feng knew that in Jiu Long's mind, the traditional notion of dealing with anyone who disobeys was deeply ingrained and wouldn't change overnight.

Jiu Long indeed scoffed at this, remaining silent for a while before suddenly saying, "Are you interested in that girl?"

"Uh?!"

Gu Feng stumbled a step, awkwardly asking, "Is it that obvious?"

Jiu Long nodded expressionlessly, saying seriously, "At your age, it's time to consider finding a Dao companion."

Gu Feng shot him an impatient sideways glance, speechless.