Chapter 712: Striving

Chapter 712: Chapter 673: Striving

“There will be more chances in the future.” Wang Meng smiled. The charm of Ninefold Heaven was indeed devastatingly effective against ordinary Cultivators.

“You’re right. As for the wine shop’s location and layout, do you have any ideas?”

Wang Shifeng then began asking about the specific details of the wine shop.

Wang Meng briefly explained his ideas. After all, with his experience from the mortal realm and the Small Thousand Realm, plus his observations of the Middle Thousand Realm’s style, any casual suggestion from him came from a much higher perspective. As for the actual implementation, he left it all to Wang Shifeng. Wang Shifeng loved to have fun and drink, so having him open a wine shop would naturally cater to the interests of fellow wine lovers.

‘This… could be considered a case of assigning a task to an expert. Actually, this job would have been even more perfect for Wang Rencai. That guy is a true player.’

Just as Wang Meng returned to his courtyard, he saw Wang Mu waiting there. Zuojing and Youjing stood nervously to the side, completely still.

“Uncle Mu, what brings you here today?”

“Young Master, the Patriarch sent me to bring you to him.” Wang Mu smiled. Wang Meng’s politeness put him at ease. ‘The stubborn Wang Rencai of the past is truly gone. This is a good thing.’

Wang Meng smiled. With the wine shop matter settled, he could relax. There wasn’t much else that Master Wang cared about.

Arriving at the Wang Family’s main residence, they passed through one exquisite garden courtyard after another, until, much to Wang Meng’s surprise, they entered a small courtyard with a rustic, farmhouse-like wooden house.

In the center of the courtyard stood a thousand-year-old tree.

This was the starting point of the Wang Family’s rise a millennium ago. Back then, the Wang Family was just a minor family in Haojing, not even qualifying as a noble house. It was in this very wooden house and courtyard that the first Wang Family Patriarch made his stunning debut and soared to great heights, laying an unparalleled foundation for the family’s present status.

This very tree was planted by that ancestor.

One generation plants the trees, and the next enjoys the shade.

A rustic sense of family honor and glory washed over him.

Wang Meng gave a faint smile, understanding Wang Zongzheng’s intention.

‘However, in Master Wang’s eyes, family is but a minor path. Besides, he feels no real sense of belonging to the Wang Family. To be honest, Wang Meng feels that the opportunistic Wang Shifeng has more of a family feel to him. Sometimes, when you’ve traveled too far, family becomes a shackle, losing its true essence.’

Stepping into the wooden house, he found the decor within was steeped in a thick, ancient sense of history.

Wang Zongzheng was sitting on a thousand-year-old wooden chair, reading a fragmented scroll.

“Sit. Wait until I’ve finished this section.”

Wang Zongzheng said to Wang Meng without looking up from the Ancient Scroll.

Wang Meng took a seat without any ceremony. Noticing a tea set on a side table, he didn’t stand on courtesy and began to brew some tea himself.

Wang Zongzheng slowly turned the pages of the scroll, seemingly oblivious to Wang Meng’s actions.

Wang Meng simply focused his energy and spirit on brewing his tea. Just as wine could be a path to the Dao, so too could tea. A moment later, a strange fragrance began to drift through the wooden house.

At this, Wang Zongzheng could no longer remain composed. ‘That little brat!’

He had been reading the Ancient Scroll to give Wang Meng the cold shoulder, but he never expected Wang Meng to turn the tables on him, using the tea ceremony to give him a taste of his own medicine.

“Ahem. Wang Meng, do you know what this place is?”

“Is this not the Wang Family estate?” Wang Meng smiled, presenting a cup of tea to Wang Zongzheng.

Wang Zongzheng’s expression softened slightly, but he still said with displeasure, “This is the ancestral land of the Wang Family. Our family originated here. These are our roots.”

Wang Meng sipped his tea. ‘It’s a new harvest. The flavor is fresh and revitalizing. Not bad.’

‘Isn’t it a little late to be talking about “roots” with me now?’ Wang Meng gave a faint smile. “Patriarch, if you have something to say, please be direct. I’m just an unworthy descendant of the Wang Family. I’m afraid I don’t really have a mind for these things.”

The implication was: no matter how much you say, I don’t want to understand, and I won’t understand.

Wang Zongzheng’s brow twitched. He used to think Wang Rencai was just a nuisance. Now, looking at Wang Meng… he felt he had underestimated Wang Rencai in the past. ‘Does he truly not understand?’

‘It seems exiling him from the family was a miscalculation. Whether Wang Meng is a prodigal son who had a fortuitous encounter or he had been hiding his abilities all along, the family’s failure to recognize his potential was a defeat in itself.’

‘However, the family has made considerable amends now. Wang Meng should understand. He and the Wang Family should be in a mutually beneficial situation.’

“I’ll get straight to the point. The Royal Family has made their decision. Over the next few days, you’ll be given some opportunities to spend more time with the Seventh Princess.”

Wang Meng set down his teacup and said, “Patriarch, the Wang Rencai who had an agreement with the Royal Family is already dead. The Wang Meng of today just wants to live a normal life. I am not worthy of the princess.”

“A name is just a name. Wang Meng, this is the family’s expectation of you. The Seventh Princess is an excellent person. Her talent and bloodline are both superior. Your descendants will also have a very bright future.”

Master Wang grew increasingly impatient as he listened. ‘Treating even this like a business transaction… no wonder Wang Rencai gave up on himself. It’s truly pointless.’ “Patriarch, don’t be fooled because I’ve been a bit more well-behaved lately. Deep down, I’m still the same. Who knows, one day my old habits might resurface. If I offend someone then, the damage will be irreparable. So, you’d be better off considering Wang Ang or Wang Hantian. They can bring glory to the Wang Family.”

Wang Meng had the attitude of a dead pig that doesn’t fear boiling water. ‘Honestly, if not for the debt he owed to Wang Rencai for this body, Master Wang wouldn’t have the time to deal with him.’

‘Every sip and every peck is preordained by fate. Regardless, Wang Rencai had done him a great service. For that favor’s sake, he would ensure the Wang Family’s stability, but anything beyond that was a different matter.’

Wang Zongzheng slapped the Ancient Scroll down on the table. The sound wasn’t loud, but a mountain-like pressure bore down on Wang Meng. As one of the most powerful masters, this pressure, combined with his long-accumulated prestige, was nearly impossible for a young man to resist.

Wang Meng smiled, picked up his teacup, and took a light sip. “Patriarch, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

With that, he stood up effortlessly, completely unaffected by Wang Zongzheng’s imposing aura.

Wang Zongzheng was stunned. He never imagined Wang Meng would be completely unaffected. Though surprised, his long-held position of authority made him displeased with such a blatant provocation. The purpose of bringing Wang Meng here was to use a combination of grace and power to make him reflect, but he never expected the boy to be as disobedient as ever.

‘Just as Wang Meng himself said, perhaps he hasn’t fundamentally changed. If I were to force him to marry the Seventh Princess, there’s no telling what audacious trouble he might cause. That would be a real hassle.’

‘Still, for Wang Meng to disregard my authority like this… he requires a small punishment.’

After leaving Wang Zongzheng, Wang Meng immediately went to find Wang Shifeng. He figured the resources from the family would soon be cut off, so it was best to get the wine shop on track as quickly as possible. Master Wang had been spending money rather fiercely lately, mainly on Old Horse’s feed and the cultivation of Nine Discount and the other four little ones. These were expenses he couldn’t skimp on.

“Why the rush? This seems a bit hasty. The preparations won’t be as thorough.”

“It’s fine.” Wang Meng was very confident in his wine. There were plenty of people in Haojing who loved fine wine and didn’t care about the cost, and most of them were Cultivators who were definitely wealthy enough to afford it when they drank.

Wang Shifeng temporarily stepped back from supervising the auction, handing over the follow-up work to the Bai Family from Wang City. The True Essence Beasts being auctioned this time were prize specimens hunted by the Bai Family over this period, so it was a matter of their own interest. Besides, with the relationship between the Bai Family and Wang Meng, he could trust them completely. The preliminary preparations were already complete, and what remained were just minor details, so there was no fear of any strange problems arising. He then threw himself wholeheartedly into the matter of the wine shop.

With Wang Shifeng handling things, Wang Meng was relieved. While he was there, however, Wang Meng did chat for a bit with someone from the Bai Family.

Bai Mu’en was one of the more powerful senior members of the Bai Family. Before Wang Meng had intervened in the Bai Family’s affairs, during Fatty Bai’s last-ditch hunt where they encountered the Taiyuan Demon Spirit, Bai Mu’en was one of those who had stayed behind, willing to fight to the death. That life-or-death struggle had earned him his current position. Within the Bai Family, Bai Mu’en had entered the core circle. A massive amount of cultivation resources had forcibly pushed him from the Profound Wheel Realm to the Earth Wheel Realm.

Although he still lacked a bit in terms of Cultivation Techniques, he was already stronger than the vast majority of Loose Cultivators. Furthermore, once he could enter the Divine Space and slowly accumulate points for his Fate Grid, he would become stronger and stronger.

“Young Master Bai talks about Young Master Wang every day. He originally wanted to come to Haojing personally to see you, but the Bai Family has recruited a lot of new people, all of whom require his supervision… Young Master Bai asked me to send you his regards.”

“When you go back after finishing your business here, tell Fatty Bai not to rush. I consider Wang City, with the Bai Family there, to be my main base of operations. Tell him to manage it well. I will definitely keep the promise I made to him. Wang City is just the beginning.”

Wang Meng smiled and patted Bai Mu’en’s shoulder. “You should be able to enter the Divine Space soon, right? Once you’re in, don’t be careless. Find a few trustworthy companions to undergo Foundation Establishment with.”

“Yes… Oh, right. Artifact Refiner Pang Hong from the Divine Artifact Pavilion might be coming to Haojing with the next Bai Family contingent to take the master’s examination. He also asked me to send his greetings to Young Master Wang in advance. His exact words were, ‘Uncle-Master, I’m coming to Haojing. You’ve gotta have my back.'” Bai Mu’en was a bit envious. Pang Hong’s recent progress in Wang City was simply heaven-defying. His reputation was soaring, almost reaching the level of the legendary Mulholland Drive.

“Oh, he’s progressing quite quickly.” Wang Meng smiled. He didn’t really have a concept of this kind of progress, but by the standards of the Middle Thousand Realm, it was indeed a bit exaggerated. It could only be said that Pang Hong himself had a certain aptitude, and then had the incredible luck to enter a state of resonance while forging. After that, his growth became an unstoppable explosion.

The Bai Family had suffered terrible losses during that period. Although Wang Meng had created an opening for them, actually taking control was still very difficult. Fatty Bai was quite a character in this regard; he had clearly put in a great deal of effort to create the current situation. This was partly due to the fall of the Kun Family and partly due to the tacit approval of the Muhe Clan. Otherwise, the Bai Family would still be unable to move an inch. Besides, now that Wang Meng was in Haojing, the mountains were high and the emperor was far away; he couldn’t overextend his reach.

Then again, as long as Wang Meng was fine in Haojing and had a certain degree of recognition from the Wang Family, the other powers wouldn’t go too far. But if something were to happen to Wang Meng, the Bai Family would still be strangled in its cradle.

For the resurgent Bai Family, what they needed was to put down roots. What they needed was time.