Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 200: Mining the Spirit Stone Mine

Six months had passed.

News of the Tang family’s destruction had caused a stir and made Falling Phoenix Market quieter still. The Qingyuan Sect had closed its gates and did not investigate.

Some Tang clansmen who had been away survived, but they had little power or influence to uncover what happened. Fearing further pursuit, most left the Qingyuan Sect’s territory.

At the summit of Wang Family Ridge, Wang Yanzhao and Wang Longyou were waiting.

“How are the puppets?” Wang Longyou asked the moment Wang Hao arrived.

“Five low-grade second-tier puppets and twenty high-grade first-tier puppets,” Wang Hao reported. “That should be enough to begin mining.”

Wang Hao had spent nearly all of the past six months making puppets, leaving only six to eight hours a day for cultivation. His three apprentices helped with basic work; without them he could not have produced so many.

Wang Yanzhao looked apologetic. “You have worked hard. Once Wenshui and Wencai learn enough, you can hand over the puppet work and concentrate on cultivation.”

“Indeed,” Wang Longyou nodded, smiling at the pair. “Once the mine is operational, this old man will also enter deep seclusion. It’s time to attempt the breakthrough to the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment.”

He had been stuck at the sixth layer for years. A Jasper Moon Fruit helped him reach the late stage and brought the eighth layer much closer. After several years of cultivation, he felt signs of another breakthrough.

“Granduncle, you are about to break through? Wonderful!” Wang Hao said. He and Wang Yanzhao exchanged delighted looks.

With Wang Guang’an silent overseas for years, the family’s anxiety was palpable. If Wang Longyou reached the eighth layer, the Wang Clan would have a much stronger safety net.

With the spirit stone mine as a base, they could lie low for decades and put the many legacies gained from the Pill Cauldron Sect to use, developing more enterprises. Revenue, experience for clansmen, and resources for cultivation could all grow.

After the initial excitement, the trio got down to business.

“The Tang family incident has faded, but we must remain cautious,” Wang Yanzhao said, his expression serious. “The Qingyuan Sect will reopen in a few years. We can’t flood the mine with people. I propose we send Wang Wenzhu and the original team back—they already know the secret, and the Spirit Qi there will benefit their cultivation. But five people isn’t enough. We need to select a few more.”

Wang Longyou stroked his beard. “Agreed. But we also need a Foundation Establishment elder to hold the fort. Just in case.”

The three present were out of the question. Wang Yanzhao was the Patriarch; Wang Longyou was entering seclusion; and Wang Hao needed to catch up on his own cultivation. Furthermore, their disappearance would raise suspicion.

That left Wang Yanzhi and Wang Wenyuan.

“Let Wenyuan go,” Wang Longyou suggested. “The puppets will do the mining. He need only watch for trouble, so it will not interrupt his cultivation.” Wang Wenyuan was at the first layer of Foundation Establishment and, by his account, near the second. He lacked Wang Yanzhi’s management experience, but Yanzhi’s business skills were more useful at home as the clan grew.

Wang Hao agreed. “Choosing more clansmen should be easy. Since the clan began educating its children together, their loyalty to the family has been strong.”

He had devoted much effort to the clan’s Instruction Hall and built much of its teaching system himself. He had watched many of the younger generation grow up.

“Good. We’ll pick those above the fifth layer of Qi Refining,” Wang Longyou chuckled. “Controlling puppets is easy work—much easier than the manual labor I did in the Qingyuan Sect’s mines back in the day!”

For the younger clansmen, guarding the mine meant contribution points and a chance to cultivate amid abundant spiritual energy. The family’s own cultivation rooms were limited, required advance booking, and cost contribution points.

“We are short on hands,” Wang Yanzhao sighed, a mix of worry and happiness on his face. “Too many children to teach, too many mouths to feed. But in a few years, when the ‘Wu’ generation grows up, we will be strong.”

Wang Hao thought of Wang Wenjiang’s group. The most advanced had reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining; a few years at the mine could bring them to the ninth. The enclosed site might temper Wang Wenzhu’s impulsiveness. Wang Wuxiang seemed steady, but his eagerness to take charge also needed maturing; managing the mine could help him.

The three proposed other young clansmen until they had ten people to station at the mine.

Finally, Wang Hao mentioned his promise to the apprentice puppeteers regarding the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Wang Yanzhao frowned. “Our income has grown somewhat, but so many children have been born that expenses are catching up. Without the spirit stones you brought from overseas and Maple Leaf Market, we might not have enough to keep the family running. How can we spare stones for a Foundation Establishment Pill?”

Wang Hao knew the clan treasury still held two or three hundred thousand spirit stones and plenty of magic tools and materials. He had turned over all the spoils from the previous war. His father was simply used to watching every expense.

“We have the mine now,” Wang Hao said. “Besides, I plan to head overseas again to check on the ancestor and hunt demon beasts. I can earn spirit stones to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill.”

“Since you have a plan, fine,” Wang Yanzhao relented. “Puppetry is a strategic asset. Cultivating a Foundation Establishment expert in that field is worth the cost.”

Puppets could help clan members in battle, reduce casualties, and mine ore. Wang Hao could not make every puppet himself. Training a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the craft could improve both skill and judgment.