Chapter 1018: Chapter 1018

Ximen Chuan nodded. "In the future, whatever the court or the people need, I will stand up and support them."

Chu Shuo felt reassured and continued, "The place we’ve chosen for you is one where great people have emerged. There is also a Spirit Mine nearby. Now, Sixth Sister has already placed a barrier there. However, the Spirit Mine is not in a hurry to be mined, but it will need to be checked and maintained from time to time. This task will also fall to your Asura Palace."

Ximen Chuan’s crafty thoughts began to stir. Before he could speak, Chu Shuo added, "Rest assured, since I am asking for your help, I will pay enough spirit stones. 5,000 high-grade spirit stones and 10,000 middle-grade spirit stones per year. Is that acceptable?"

Ximen Chuan was stunned. "It can be ?"

"Why not?" Chu Shuo replied. "This is a reasonable allocation of resources and a way to reduce expenses."

In the Mu Nation territory, spiritual energy had only just begun to appear, yet demons were already causing trouble. They had arranged for reliable sects like the Asura Palace to guard various regions. Not only would this help eliminate threats to the court and the people, but it would also help keep watch over the Spirit Mine. No matter how you calculated it, it was a profitable deal.

Ximen Chuan was stunned, his gaze vacant as he muttered, "I thought... everything had to be taken by force. I never imagined that protecting the people and watching over the Spirit Mine could earn spirit stones."

Chu Shuo smiled and patted Ximen Chuan on the shoulder. "Lord Ximen, from now on, don’t entertain such thoughts. You also need to manage your subordinates properly. I am generous, and Fifth Brother is reasonable. But if you break the rules, Fifth Brother has the power and ability to wipe you all out."

A businessman, of course, had to be cautious. He immediately produced a contract for Ximen Chuan to review, filled with terms and conditions, which Ximen Chuan needed to sign and swear an oath to.

The contract was lengthy, outlining many clauses, with two copies.

Ximen Chuan read it for a while before finally finishing it. It was just a normal set of rules and conditions. For a major righteous sect, it would be no challenge at all. But for the Asura Palace, it was filled with restrictions and obligations.

However, Ximen Chuan signed his name without hesitation and took the oath. He then left the hall holding the contract.

The disciples of the hall were waiting outside. When they saw Ximen Chuan, they all knelt and said, "Congratulations, Palace Master!"

They finally had a place to settle!

The snow had stopped. The thick clouds slowly dispersed, and a few rays of sunlight finally shone down.

Ximen Chuan’s expression was serious as he said, "From today on, Asura Palace will be renamed Qingyun Sect! We will protect the people, uphold the righteous path, and never break the rules!"

The disciples exchanged looks, hesitating for a moment.

They had always been accustomed to doing shady business. They had never cared about the lives of the people. Now, suddenly being asked to change their ways was a challenge they weren’t sure they could handle.

A Night Asura asked, "Palace Master, if we... don’t want to, what will happen?"

Ximen Chuan looked at him, a slight smile curving his lips. "One word: death."

The disciples trembled and quickly responded, "We will obey the Sect Master’s orders!"

Ximen Chuan gazed at the few rays of sunlight in the sky. He clenched his fist and silently said, "Siheng, from today on, I will diligently cultivate, accumulate merit, and in the future, I may not be inferior to you!"

"Nanli, I will remember the kindness of your family. However, I don’t like owing anyone a debt. One day, I will repay it!"

This place was blessed with talented people, almost as good as Jiuzhou Town.

However, the Bai family had suffered significant losses in their recent battles, so their current manor was sufficient, and there was no need to expand for now.

Bai Xiangyu and the others were examined by the alchemists, who confirmed there were no major issues. Only then did Bai Peng finally feel relieved. This was the hope of the Bai family, the pillar of its future. If something happened to them, he wouldn’t know how to explain it to the ancestors.

After treatment, Bai Xiangyu and the others finally woke up.

Upon learning what had happened, they felt guilty.

Bai Xiangyu, as the eldest, felt he was incompetent and took full responsibility for everything. He knelt and said, "Xiangyu failed in his duties and nearly harmed the clan. Please punish me, family head!"

He didn’t address his father but the family head.

Bai Peng had high expectations for his children but also spoiled them. He rarely scolded them harshly, only gave them some light reprimands. He sighed and said, "This time, it was my fault for underestimating the enemy. The Koi Demon had strong cultivation and possessed various magical artifacts. You don’t need to dwell on it."

Bai Xiuyou also knelt, his face resolute. "Failure is failure; there’s nothing more to say! Please punish us, family head!"

The second, fourth, and other Bai family members also knelt down.

Bai Peng furrowed his brows and was about to reprimand them to rise.

But Bai Hao, who was sitting on the left, suddenly spoke up.

"Xiangyu, Xiuyou, as team leaders, you should have made the right judgment. When you saw the Koi Demon’s cultivation was high and difficult to deal with, you should have retreated immediately. Instead, you stubbornly confronted the enemy, putting yourselves and the clan in danger."

"Uncle," Bai Peng wanted to scold him.

Wasn’t it you who said the younger generation could handle things? Now that something happened, you’re here criticizing them?

Bai Hao shot a stern glance at Bai Peng and said, "I just wanted them to gain some experience. Who knew they would be so careless! If they couldn’t win, couldn’t they have run away? Why did they have to risk their lives?"

Bai Xiangyu didn’t explain. He simply said, "Uncle’s criticism is valid. We willingly accept the punishment!"

Indeed, they had been too careless. Without knowing enough about the enemy, they entered the water and nearly lost their lives. In the end, it was a child who had to step in bravely to save them. He certainly deserved punishment!

Bai Hao nodded slightly. "Kneel in the courtyard for three days."

Bai Xiangyu and the others didn’t hesitate and immediately went to the courtyard.

After all the family members had left, Bai Peng finally erupted. His face was dark, and he angrily said, "Uncle! It’s freezing outside. Xiangyu is fine, but the second, fourth, and fifth are all women. How can they withstand it? If they weren’t your children, would you not care?"

Bai Hao slammed the table, his voice cold. "A doting father only ruins his children! Fortunately, they are sensible and have never slacked off. Otherwise, this generation of Bai family would truly be doomed!"

Bai Peng was silenced.

But he still wasn’t convinced.

"I didn’t spoil them too much!" he said. "Uncle, something seems strange about you this time. You’ve changed."

Bai Hao slightly turned his head, his expression serious. "The Immortal World’s power structure has already been established. Our Bai family in Jiuzhou Town owes its current position to the efforts of our ancestors. We had people in power, standing strong for thousands of years."

"But now, the structure has changed. The Shi family has remade the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Elixir, and more talents will emerge. My Bai family suffered significant losses in moving here. If the younger generation doesn’t work harder, the Bai family will gradually disappear in the long river of history!"

"In my lifetime, I must make the Bai family’s name known in the Mu Nation territory, earning the respect of the people and keeping all enemies at bay!"

"If... if Fifth Sister has the chance to become immortal, that would be even better..."

At the end, Bai Hao spoke with hope, but his tone wasn’t firm, showing that he wasn’t confident about this matter either.