The Family Head of the Chishui Fu family clenched his hands tightly, the Vice Island Master of Penglai Immortal Island furrowed his brows into a deep knot, and even the Sect Master of the Wangchuan Sect, who had been silent until now, looked over.
Becoming a vassal and merely seeking attachment were two completely different things in the cultivation world.
Attachment was merely seeking protection, which one could back out of at any time.
But becoming a vassal meant handing the entire clan's destiny over to the other party—sharing both glory and ruin together.
No great family with tens of thousands of years of heritage would easily agree to become a “vassal.”
Had the Gu family gone mad???
Gu Huaiyan's lips curled up slightly. “This seat has lived for six thousand years and seen geniuses as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river. But a figure like the Eldest Young Lady is unique in this world.”
“The Gu family is not foolish. When it is time to place a bet, we will never hesitate.”
Shen Tinglan stowed away the jade bracelet on her wrist, turned her head to look at Shen Qingci, and sent a voice transmission: “A-Ci, make the decision yourself.”
Shen Qingci instinctively wanted to decline.
The weight of the Gu family's pledge of allegiance was too heavy. Having just entered the early Foundation Establishment stage, neither her seniority nor her cultivation was enough to command them. Accepting it might instead leave her on shaky ground.
Just as her lips parted, Gu Huaiyan's voice transmission reached her ears first.
“Eldest Young Lady, of the net spirit stones obtained from the Gu family's annual spirit stone mines, spiritual veins, elixir pavilions, and artifact workshops after deducting clan expenses, we will allocate half a percent to Fairy Chi.”
“It will not go through the public accounts or enter the Shen family's treasury, but will be recorded in a separate ledger. This way, when Fairy Chi travels through the four regions in the future, she will have some extra pocket money.”
Shen Qingci's heart stirred slightly.
Half a percent?
The Gu family was a second-rate great family whose industries spanned three regions of the cultivation world. Half a percent of their annual net profit was enough to buy half of a small-scale spirit stone mine.
Was that just half a percent of profit???
That was her wife's dowry!
With that thought, the slight look of refusal on Shen Qingci's face vanished in an instant.
“Since the Gu family has such courage, how could the Shen family have any reason to refuse?”
“Before I came, the clan had already entrusted me with full authority over this matter. Today, I shall sign this covenant on behalf of the Shen family.”
Gu Huaiyan remained calm on the surface, but a hint of appreciation appeared in her eyes.
To dare to take on the heavy burden of having an entire second-rate great family as a vassal while only at the early Foundation Establishment stage—this heir of the Shen family truly had guts.
She waved her sleeve.
The side door opened, and an elder in green robes walked in quickly, holding a scroll of the covenant.
The covenant was rolled on a spindle of dark jade, stretching a full three feet long when unfurled.
The paper was tanned from the hide of a Soul Transformation beast, densely covered with covenant runes, with the Gu family's ten-thousand-year-old clan seal stamped in the corner.
Gu Huaiyan tapped the bottom right corner of the covenant with her index and middle fingers, branding another spiritual rune of the same origin onto it, which resonated with the old seal in the corner.
The green-robed elder carried the covenant over to Shen Qingci and bowed as he presented it.
Shen Qingci took it and swept her divine sense through the covenant, reading it line by line.
The covenant specified that the Gu family would be a vassal of the Shen family, operating autonomously in the absence of foreign invasions, with the Shen family not interfering in their internal affairs; upon the Shen family's mobilization, the disciples of the direct line would be prioritized for deployment; ten percent of their annual net profit would be handed over to the Shen family's treasury, and another half percent would be allocated to Chi Yuan's name...
She withdrew her divine sense, bit the tip of her finger, and let a drop of essence blood fall onto the cover of the covenant.
The droplet of blood seeped into the hide, slowly condensing into the character “Shen” beside the Gu family's clan pattern.
The covenant burst with brilliant spiritual light before splitting into two. One part merged into Shen Qingci's dantian, while the other flew into Gu Huaiyan's palm, vanishing into her body without a trace.
Once the covenant was signed, everyone at the tables began to speak.
“Patriarch Gu has a great eye. The Shen family has truly gained wings.”
“For the Eldest Young Lady to possess such spirit at such a young age, the balance of the four regions will likely shift in the future.”
The Family Head of the Yun family nodded in agreement. “Patriarch Gu's six-thousandth birthday, combined with the alliance between the Shen and Gu families, is truly a double blessing. The Yun family resides quietly in a corner of the Eastern Region; we hope the Eldest Young Lady will look after us more in the future.”
The Vice Island Master of Penglai Immortal Island stroked his beard and smiled. “Though Penglai is far from the Southern Region, the reputation of the Shen family has long since reached our island.”
“If the Eldest Young Lady does not mind, please remember to include Penglai if there are any good business ventures in the future.”
Shen Tinglan did not interject or stand up to help throughout the entire process. She leaned back lazily against her chair, her hands resting casually at her sides.
She simply watched her niece steadily sign the Shen family's first vassal covenant in front of over fifty Soul Transformation and Void Refining cultivators.
“Mhm, she even knew to decline first before accepting, leaving plenty of face for the Gu family.”
“The heir of the Shen family should possess exactly this kind of bearing.”
She was not afraid at all of A-Ci losing her bet.
So what if she lost?
The Shen family had been rooted in the Northern Region for countless years. They had endless spirit stone mines to dig, their treasuries were piled high with Mystic-grade artifacts, and if they pulled out all their elders at or above the Void Refining stage, they could easily set up several tables of card games.
This bit of family foundation was more than enough for her young niece to unleash her potential and make a mess.
If she lost, it would just be practice; if she won, it would be a gain for the Shen family.
If the younger generation lacked courage, what was the point of cultivating? They might as well go home and plant spiritual grain.
Gu Huaiyan put away the covenant and clapped her hands. The attendants waiting outside the side corridor walked in one by one, replacing all the spiritual fruits and pastries on the tables with fresh ones.
The atmosphere in the Tianyi Pavilion gradually relaxed. Those present began to mingle and exchange pleasantries, with phrases like “Eldest Young Lady Shen,” “vassal covenant,” and “the balance of the Southern Region” occasionally drifting through the conversations.
Gu Huaiyan walked to Shen Qingci's side. “Eldest Young Lady, the Tianyi Pavilion is filled with old fogeys. There is no point in wasting your time with us old bones.”
“Why not let Qingyi take you out for a stroll? There are several quite beautiful sights in Cangwu.”
Shen Qingci agreed readily. “Then I will trouble Junior Sister Gu to come over.”
“As for her aunt—apologies, her niece was unfilial, but she was going to slip away for a few hours.”
Dealing with this pack of old foxes was far too mentally draining. Rather than wasting her energy here, she would rather spend the time thinking about her senior sister's brown sugar buns.
Shen Tinglan sent her divine sense over but did not speak up to stop her.
For a junior who had just entered Foundation Establishment to face a room full of shrewd Soul Transformation and Void Refining old hands right off the bat was indeed exhausting.
She might as well let her enjoy a carefree life for another few hundred years.
Once her seniority and standing grew in the future, A-Ci would have to shoulder all of these occasions on her own.
She sighed inwardly. In the end, even though she had come all this way to attend a birthday feast, she still ended up with the exhausting task of keeping watch over the place.
Over in the main hall, Gu Qingyi was currently accompanying her older cousin Gu Shen as they mingled among the geniuses of the various families.
Liu Yuan and Fu Wanjiang were chatting together, while Yun Miao was being dragged by Pei Lingwei to discuss a newly published storybook in the Eastern Region.
Ji Lingshu sat alone at the end of the tables, clutching a transmission jade slip in her hand, whispering who knew what.
The atmosphere inside the hall was thoroughly relaxed; after all, the conversations of those old fogeys up in the Tianyi Pavilion had not yet reached the ears of the younger generation.
Gu Qingyi was holding a cup of spiritual fruit wine, about to pass it to Yun Miao, when the Patriarch's voice transmission suddenly rang out in her sea of consciousness.
Her wrist shook, nearly spilling the fruit wine onto Yun Miao's sleeve.
“Qingyi, come to the Tianyi Pavilion. The Eldest Young Lady wants to stroll around Cangwu, and you are to accompany her.”
Gu Qingyi steadily placed the wine cup onto the attendant's tray and steadied her right hand.
She wanted to jump up and down right where she stood!!!
“I have to go home and tell Mother that her daughter has made something of herself.”
First, she had bypassed all her siblings to be personally selected by her older cousin to show her face and accompany the guests, and now even the Patriarch had her in mind.
“Sure enough, following Senior Sister Shen means there is always meat to eat.”
While her expression remained perfectly composed and steady, her heart was already doing backflips.
When she replied to the voice transmission, she only said, “Yes, Patriarch. Qingyi will be right there.”
Rate on N.U.
