The inner disciples of Qingfeng Manor numbered only thirty-six, all of whom were high-level managers of the sect. Their luck, at the very least, was blue.
Their cultivation levels varied, with Ke Ji Mei, Zhong Cheng Feng, Qiu Kun, and Ran Bo Ren at the peak of the Integration stage.
The lowest in cultivation was a newly promoted inner disciple, Fang Mao Yun, at the Foundation Establishment stage. He was able to become an inner disciple solely because his luck was golden and he had passed Yang Hong's test of character.
It was rare for all thirty-six disciples to gather, and they knew that something big was about to happen.
The Chaoyang Sect had sent a considerable number of people, over six hundred in total, all at the ninth-tier Mahayana stage. However, most of them were occupied with digging up trees. Only the Sect Master of Chaoyang Sect, Qu Yue Long, the Vice Sect Master, Miao Ting Jie, and the Grand Elder, Bai Lu, had met with Yang Hong.
In the Qingxun Plain, ten li from the Tianheng position, stood a wooden house constructed from Grade Six Qingkong Willow wood. It was warm in winter, cool in summer, rich in spiritual energy, and exuded a faint fragrance of grass and wood.
It was a pleasant place to rest.
However, upon seeing this grand wooden house that occupied three mu of land, even Qu Yue Long, the Sect Master of Chaoyang Sect, felt a pang of envy. He did not own such a luxurious wooden house.
But then he remembered that Qingfeng Manor sold Grade Six Qingkong Willow trees by the millions, and he understood.
These were, after all, specialty products of Qingfeng Manor.
As Qu Yue Long and the other two looked around curiously, Fang Mao Yun approached with a tray, serving tea to everyone.
Sniff~ Sniff~
The faint aroma of tea could not be contained even by the teacups, playfully escaping to fill the air. The fragrance was pleasant yet so subtle that Qu Yue Long and the others, including the Old Ancestor of Chaoyang, couldn't help but inhale deeply.
Seeing this, Yang Hong smiled faintly, picked up his own teacup, and invited them,
"You have all traveled far. Qingfeng Manor has been somewhat negligent. A cup of clear tea is a small apology. Please."
"Please~ Please~"
As soon as Yang Hong finished speaking, the Old Ancestor of Chaoyang eagerly lifted the lid of his teacup. A refreshing aroma instantly erupted, filling the entire wooden house with a strange scent that was like flowers, like honey, like wine, and like spirits.
For a moment, everyone was entranced, except for Yang Hong. Even the thirty-six inner disciples of Qingfeng Manor were lost in the fragrance.
"Alas~ Yang Hong, you are truly a monstrous talent.
Grade Eight Spirit Tea. I am twenty-one thousand, six hundred and thirty-five years old this year, and I have only had the fortune to drink it once before.
This is the second time."
The Old Ancestor of Chaoyang sighed and picked up his teacup, taking a slow sip.
The others, including Ke Ji Mei and the disciples of Qingfeng Manor, also had their eyes light up and began to drink their tea.
Tea trees were rare on the Taiyuan Continent, very rare!
There were only seven types of Grade One tea trees, five types of Grade Two, three types each for Grades Three and Four, two types for Grade Seven, one type for Grade Eight, and no Grade Nine tea trees.
Being able to drink Grade Eight tea was enough for a cultivator to boast about for thousands of years.
The Grade Eight tea leaves Yang Hong possessed were the second known type of Grade Eight tea tree on the Taiyuan Continent.
The primary function of spirit tea was not to increase cultivation, but to purify mana or to aid in calming the mind and comprehending the Dao.
Inside the wooden house, the forty people other than Yang Hong, after drinking a bowl of spirit tea, all sat down cross-legged. Auras of Dao rhythm and intent began to surge from their bodies.
Even Fang Mao Yun, at the Foundation Establishment stage, showed a faint flicker of intent.
Three hours later, everyone began to awaken successively. The Old Ancestor of Chaoyang, whose comprehension lasted the longest, only came to after four hours.
"Daoist Yang, what kind of tea is this?"
"Moonlight White."
Yang Hong did not evade the Old Ancestor of Chaoyang's question. A vast expanse of Moonlight White tea trees grew in the Qingxun Plain. There were three Grade Eight trees, over a thousand Grade Seven trees, and tens of thousands of Grade Six trees. It was another type of spiritual plant that could be sold.
"I presume, Daoist Yang, you have the intention to sell them? How many saplings can this old man acquire?"
"Ten saplings of Grade Six. Have your disciples dig them up later. Each will cost a million spirit stones."
"No problem. Then, let's return to the main topic."
The Old Ancestor of Chaoyang was eager to conclude the discussion about ordinary seeds so he could take the spirit tea trees back to the Chaoyang Sect.
Yang Hong nodded and directly called out, "Zhang Zhen Yan, tell us about the situation in the outside world."
"Reporting to the Sect Master, according to our investigation, across the five major cultivation states of the Taiyuan Realm, seven thousand imperial dynasties, and over eight hundred thousand vassal states, except for the five foreign countries in Dongli State – Sui, Tang, Zhou, Song, and Ming – all mortal nations worldwide are facing a food crisis. Half of these nations have already resorted to cannibalism.
Nations that have not yet resorted to cannibalism are also experiencing food shortages and dynastic unrest."
"Nearly half of the trillions of jin of rice seeds sold by our Qingfeng Manor have been consumed by the purchasers instead of being planted. The sect has decided not to engage in further transactions with such individuals."
"Furthermore, we have discovered cultivators inciting wars in mortal nations, causing continuous turmoil."
After Zhang Zhen Yan finished explaining the general situation, he bowed and sat back down, his gaze turning to Miao Ting Jie, the Vice Sect Master of Chaoyang Sect.
This Vice Sect Master was also astute. Without waiting for Yang Hong or the Old Ancestor of Chaoyang to speak, he stood up on his own accord.
"After investigation, the Buddhist and Immortal sects have determined that the mastermind behind inciting mortal wars are the Demonic Sect factions. Experts from seven major Immortal sects and three major Buddhist sects have already been dispatched to deal with them."
"Simultaneously, Immortal and Buddhist cultivators from the upper realms have been mobilized, preparing to eradicate all demonic cultivators across the entire Tianyuan Continent."
Hearing this, Yang Hong nodded. He had suspected as much. Such a grave matter as cannibalism, how could the Buddhist sect not be alarmed?
After a moment's thought, he asked, "What about the food problem? Do the Immortal and Buddhist cultivators from the upper realms have any solutions?"
"Some Immortal and Buddhist cultivators have cultivated your sect's [Moonlight Jade Flowing Syrup] and [Sunrise Creation Technique] to grow grains with stable spiritual energy. However, these grains will quickly evolve into spiritual plants, failing to truly solve the food problem.
Currently, throughout the entire Taiyuan Realm, only Sect Master Yang's rice is a viable solution to the food crisis."
Miao Ting Jie was also good at reading the room, concluding his statement with a compliment to Yang Hong.
Yang Hong simply nodded, tilted his head, and leaned back in his seat, tapping his right temple with his index finger.
Silence fell in the wooden house. No one spoke, all looking at Yang Hong, awaiting his decision.
After a long pause, he finally spoke slowly, "I can provide rice seeds and wheat seeds. I will not bother dealing with those mortal nations for slow transactions. Let the Immortal Sect Alliance and the Buddhist Sect Alliance arrange it themselves."
"However, the Immortal and Buddhist Alliances must offer me sufficient compensation, something that truly moves me and satisfies me. Otherwise, let those mortals starve to death."
"Ahem~ It won't come to that, absolutely not."
Hearing Yang Hong's harsh words, the Old Ancestor of Chaoyang quickly reassured him. Yang Hong was already at the seventh-tier Integration stage. Even without eating or drinking, by absorbing spiritual energy alone, he could live easily until his ascension.
Therefore, he might truly not feel any heartache or guilt if mortals starved to death.
However, for sects with long traditions that wished to continue their lineage, and for Immortals and Buddhas, this was somewhat unacceptable.
Yang Hong nodded noncommittally and continued, "I can not only grow rice and wheat but also other crops, and at a normal plant level that mortals can eat. Do not disturb me. Once they are grown, I will have people notify you."
"Good! This is not a problem."
"I enjoy cultivating spiritual plants. You all collect them. Send me as many seeds of Grade Seven and above spiritual plants as you can gather."
"This is also not a problem."
"Qingfeng Manor will continuously expand in the Lihuo Desert plains from now on. The entire Lihuo Desert will belong to Qingfeng Manor."
"This~ is not a big problem. I will report it to the higher-ups."
Yang Hong did not make an exorbitant demand, but he did set forth several firm conditions. Even if he had no grand ambitions, he wanted to develop his own influence and strength.
Now that he had an opportunity to extort, how could he let it pass?
This session of 'extortion' concluded with great pleasure and a sense of mutual satisfaction for both parties.