Loyal Ministers and Generals

He would need to save up those spirit stones for a whole year without eating or drinking.

I thought that being able to cultivate the "Sharp Metal Sword Finger" would be my reward, but I didn't expect there to be an extra surprise.

"Alright, accept it and continue your cultivation." The Elder of Transmission finished speaking and prepared to leave.

Chen Lu quickly put it away and spoke up to stop him:

"Wait! Elder! I have something I wish to report to you and the family."

"Hmm?" Elder Chuanjing turned around in confusion, quickly recalling Chen Lu's past.

If anything happens, he should speak to his head镖师 (bodyguard/escort). Telling the elder directly is an overstepping of his bounds and will be punished regardless of the outcome.

This kid is smart; he never touches anything that could harm him.

He's definitely not out of his mind today; perhaps something really important has happened.

"Tell me about it, while I'm not busy today."

This kid has never caused the family a single worry.

He is efficient, knows his limits, and knows what he should and shouldn't take, when he should show off, and when he should give way to the master's children.

In addition to his good talent and fast cultivation, these factors combined made him very popular with his family. It was just a pity that his surname was Chen, not Wang.

So far, the only thing that has displeased the family is that he actually wants a top-grade secret technique.

It's an unwritten rule that top-grade secret techniques are not given to disciples of other families, but this kid is stubbornly insistent on this and refuses to change his mind.

Last time he approached the family for a secret technique to enhance his strength, and this time he was very curious about the purpose of his visit, wanting to hear what Chen Lu was up to this time.

"Elder Qi, the competition among the escort agencies is becoming increasingly fierce."

The younger generation thought that passively taking a beating was not the Wang family's style.

Taking the initiative and striking so hard that the enemy fears us and dares not contend with us is the foundation of the Wang family's existence.

Only after you've pleased the elders who transmit the teachings and the family can you say anything truly meaningful.

After much praising, I've finally said what I wanted to say.

But Elder Chuanjing only pondered for a moment before uttering a few words: "Give up the income from the escort agency?"

The mere fact that this plan is being discussed, regardless of what is being said, signifies that Elder Chuanjing is interested in it and will not refuse.

Explaining this problem will allow us to go further.

He quickly added some of his own ideas, making the plan more specific and detailed:

"It can be summarized in two points: First, establish a tiered system for both cargo owners and bodyguards!"

The cargo owner used three criteria to reduce the escort fee at each level: First, a reduction for those doing business with the Wang family. Second, a further reduction for those only using the Wang family's escort agency. Third, the more cargo, the greater the reduction, with the bottom line being breaking even.

The round trip takes 20 days, but the delivery fee increases depending on the time required for expedited shipments.

Escorts are divided into gold-medal escort teams and ordinary escort teams based on their cultivation level.

The Gold Medal Escort Team only delivers valuable goods to big clients. The salary is a fixed fifty spirit coins. If you want to earn more, you can find clients yourself.

These escort agencies take 30% of the profits, giving the rest to the escorts. This is the same expenditure as today, but it can stimulate initiative, allowing the family to save time and gain more profits.

Ordinary escort teams only deliver goods to small merchants and offer cheap goods. Their salary is 40 lower spirit coins, with stipulated disciplinary standards and a maximum monthly reward of 30 lower spirit coins.

This system aims to prevent complacency and relaxation while motivating the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) to perform well. However, they cannot find cargo owners themselves.

Secondly, the cargo owners found by the elite escort teams must be vetted by the family. Any problematic clients will be explicitly identified, and the escort team will be prohibited from accepting the cargo. Violators will be demoted to ordinary escorts at best, and expelled from the escort agency at worst.

Chen Lu concisely explained the meaning as much as possible.

Amo's proposed solution has a good concept, but it lacks the part that can be implemented.

For example, finding cargo owners independently and not letting the family interfere is an attempt to break free from control, and such behavior is absolutely unacceptable.

To implement this, compromises must be made to ensure that everything is done for the benefit of the family, not for personal gain.

The family will definitely see it, but having this attitude is very important.

He had perfected the plan as much as possible; in essence, it was about getting the family to give up their share of the money.

According to Amo, the intelligence-gathering role of the escort agency far outweighs the income from spirit stones.

Even if one day both sides suddenly lose their minds and refuse to pay the escort fee, they can offer free transport.

The family's only loss lies in having to pay the guards' salaries themselves; the rent for a thousand acres of spiritual land is enough to support the entire escort team for a year.

Thanks to the Wang family's generations of scheming and underhanded methods, not only did half of the Foundation Establishment cultivators in Fenglinfang reside in the Wang family, but they also accumulated a large amount of spiritual fields through forceful acquisition.

After witnessing it firsthand, Chen Lu discovered that cultivators' pioneering abilities and productivity far surpassed those of ordinary people, so having so many spiritual fields was not an exaggeration.

Based on the intelligence gathered last night from the investigation at the brothel.

The first reduction of the escort fee to three-tenths profit was a huge loss from the perspective of the escort agency's accounts. However, in the eyes of the evil capitalists, any money not earned was a loss.

However, from the perspective of the family as a whole, the improved reputation encouraged more cultivators to do business with the family, generating a lot of extra revenue.

All things considered, I didn't lose anything, and even made a little extra.

This was his conclusion after careful calculation and consideration of all possible scenarios.

Of course, there must be some problems, since he hadn't seen the family's accounts and could only speculate based on surface information.

Just as the Elder of Transmission hesitated, Chen Lu delivered the final blow:

"We can try it. The caravan will absolutely support any order from the family."

As for the cargo owners, we can first select those Wang family members who are in business.

Even if something goes wrong, the money will only circulate among family members and won't end up in the hands of outsiders.

After a long while, the Transmission Elder was finally moved and nodded slightly, saying, "However, this matter needs to be discussed by all the elders and the clan leader."

There will be specific instructions before your caravan sets off, but I cannot guarantee its success.

Chen Lu breathed a sigh of relief. According to the divination, as long as the Transmission Elder agreed to communicate with the other elders, the matter would be a sure thing.

"Do not leave the library before the results are in. The family may question you at any time. If you have private matters to attend to, let the spirit cat handle them."

"Meow~!" x2

Upon hearing their names called, the two spirit cats immediately responded joyfully and ran over to rub against the Elder's trouser leg.

The Elder of Transmission fed Chen Lu some dried meat, handed him a copy of "Sharp Gold Sword Pointing" and then turned and left the Sutra Repository.

After he left, the two lynxes immediately went into observation mode, their eyes fixed on his every move.

Chen Lu took a deep breath, moving very carefully, afraid that he might inadvertently offend the two spirit cats.

He climbed up to the attic, entered the quiet room, and stepped inside.

When I tried to close the door, the cat let out a soft meow, its eyes filled with disapproval.

"Alright, alright, you can look all you want, just don't disturb my cultivation."

Helpless, Chen Lu opened the door so that the two of them could observe his condition at any time.

As for the Qi cultivation part, it requires comprehending the sharp metal sword intent and then practicing accordingly, but he had no clue how to comprehend it.

After much thought, he decided to first practice the body-refining part as instructed.

The secret technique of body tempering is probably the simplest secret technique in the world, and the key often lies in the muscles, bones, skin and flesh.

You don't need exceptional comprehension; you can develop it through persistent, meticulous practice.

The meditation room is very well-equipped, with all the tools for body tempering, but only three are actually needed.

First, there are targets, made of the most common spirit bamboo and top-quality Qingyun steel, which are extremely tough and suitable for actual combat training.

Second, there is Crimson Flame Sand, which is said to be a specialty of the core area of ​​a volcano. It is said to temper the skin and flesh through burning and to strengthen the bones and muscles through the power of fire poison.

This second point will cause damage to the body, and it will be difficult for the cultivator to recover completely on their own.

At this point, the secret medicine that had been prepared in advance came into play.