Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

Qu Ye held the teacup, took a sip, and didn't reply.

If the news that Uncle Wang heard is true, then it seems inevitable that the Hou family will have to reorganize the Spirit Contract Workshop.

No family would remain indifferent to such a situation; otherwise, they would become a laughingstock and lose face.

At that time, my cultivation time may be further compressed, and there are other risks as well.

The room fell silent, with only the faint steam of tea slowly rising.

Wang Meng waited a moment, allowing Qu Ye some time to process the news, then leaned back in his chair, his tone softening:

"If you ever leave the Hou family, my shop just happens to be short-handed."

"The work isn't strenuous; it's mostly moving goods, checking accounts, and occasionally collecting materials from casual repairmen on the outskirts of the market."

"As for the wages—" he smiled, "they certainly can't compare to the Hou family's, but they have the advantage of being more relaxed and less restrictive."

Qu Ye looked up at Wang Meng, "Uncle Wang, this..."

Wang Meng waved his hand to interrupt Qu Ye, "I'm not asking you to come over now. First, sort out the things with the Hou family and do what needs to be done. If you feel frustrated any day, you can come to my shop anytime."

After listening to Wang Meng's words, Qu Ye thought about it and felt that it was indeed a way out, so he did not refuse.

He nodded and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Uncle Wang."

"No need to thank me." Seeing that Qu Ye agreed, Wang Meng stood up and patted him on the shoulder again. "Your father saved my life back then, this is nothing."

"Alright, I've delivered my message. I have to open the shop soon, so I'll be going now. Remember to find me on North Street if you need anything; you know where I am."

After saying this, he politely declined Qu Ye's invitation to stay for dinner and strode out of the courtyard.

Qu Ye saw Wang Meng to the door and watched his figure disappear at the end of the street before closing the door.

He returned to the guest room, sat upright on the wooden chair, drank the spirit flower tea in one gulp, and pondered the news he had just received.

Although it cannot be confirmed whether there are indeed spiritual covenants acting as inside agents, it is still necessary to make plans in advance to prevent any potential problems.

Now that I have the talent to gather spiritual energy and am not lacking in resources, I am fully confident that I can break away from the Hou family.

However, this raises several issues.

Firstly, the house I currently live in was provided by the Hou family, and the concentration of spiritual energy barely reaches the first level. If I were to leave, the rent alone would be considerable.

Even if I could live with Uncle Wang and the others, it would not only damage our relationship, but also easily expose my secrets.

Secondly, he needed to use the background of the Spirit Bee Worker as a cover to sell spiritual essence under a false identity, so that even if his disguise was exposed, he would still have room to maneuver.

Thirdly, if I want to continue to form a safe and stable bond with demonic beasts, the Hou family is the best choice, and they can also provide me with some protection.

There are also various other minor issues.

Thinking about this, Qu Ye was more inclined to stay in the Hou family.

Of course, all of this is on the premise that the Hou family will not change the rules for spirit contract workers too much.

If changes will affect one's path or even expose one's opportunities, then one should definitely leave as soon as possible.

"Alas, what a worrywart."

Qu Ye sighed, composed himself, and returned to the cultivation room to continue practicing his magic.

No matter what, one's own strength is fundamental. Improving even a little now will give you more composure when facing changes.

Besides, everything is still uncertain, so it's better to wait for the Hou family to announce the new rules before making a decision.

He estimated that the changes would reach the ears of the spiritual workers when they went to pay their spiritual tax tomorrow.

Just wait patiently.

……

Just as Qu Ye was focusing on practicing his magic.

the other side.

Nestled on the mountainside, is the Hou family's steward's office.

The walls are made of bluestone, the roof is covered with black tiles, and two stone-carved mythical beasts stand at the entrance, their fangs exposed and their faces ferocious.

Several oil lamps were lit inside the hall, their flames slowly burning and illuminating a long table in the center.

Hou Fangping sat at the head of the table with a furrowed brow. On either side of him sat four or five stewards, all elders of the Hou family, whose cultivation levels ranged from the fourth to the sixth level of Qi Refining. None of them looked too good.

"Speak up, everyone." Hou Fangping tapped the table with his right hand.

"Regarding the spirit beast, after two days of investigation, we've only uncovered one inside man. We haven't even caught a glimpse of the two outsiders yet, and the clan elders have questioned me about it several times."

There was a moment of silence in the hall.

A tall, thin man sitting on the left spoke up: "Brother Fang Ping, our disciples are doing their best to search, but according to the information our inside informant obtained, both of them are alone. There are so many woods around Yumen Market; if these two disappear into the woods, I'm afraid..."

Hou Fangping waved his hand, interrupting the tall, thin man: "That's not what I want to hear. Tell me, how do we solve this problem?"

After he finished speaking, his gaze slowly swept over the group of deacons, and everyone lowered their heads and remained silent.

Seeing this, Hou Fangping raised his hand and rubbed his temples, feeling a surge of anger.

How can you possibly manage a clan when working with these insects!

"No matter what, send people to continue investigating!" He snorted coldly, slamming his hand on the table. "Don't blame me for not warning you, if this isn't handled properly, I'll be in trouble, and you won't get away with it either!"

Seeing Hou Fangping lose his temper, the managers exchanged glances and nodded obsequiously in agreement.

Hou Fangping's anger subsided slightly, and his tone softened:

"Where is that inside man?"

The tall, thin man pulled a small booklet from his pocket and replied, "That man's surname is Chen. He has a wife and a son. He is a spirit contract worker at our spirit bird farm and is currently imprisoned in the dungeon of the Discipline Hall."

Hou Fangping took the booklet, looked down at it, grunted, and gestured for the tall, thin man to continue.

The tall, thin man thought for a moment, "We didn't get any useful information out of them. Apart from their appearance, the two didn't reveal anything to the man surnamed Chen. All we know is that he promised to give him twenty spirit stones as a reward after the job was done."

Hou Fangping sneered and put down the booklet: "Is that guy surnamed Chen really that stupid? He dared to do something like this without any guarantees?"

The tall, thin man quickly smiled ingratiatingly: "He thought the other party definitely didn't want their identity exposed, and that he could completely control them. Plus, his son had just been diagnosed with a spiritual root, and he was struggling to find the resources to support him, so he lost his head."

"Has he been in contact with the other two companies?"

"Absolutely not." The tall, thin man shook his head.

"Alright." Hou Fangping looked impatient. "Then we don't need to keep this kind of idiot around. Let him make the most of his last bit of value tomorrow and get rid of him cleanly."

The tall, thin man nodded in acceptance.

At this moment, a slightly plump cultivator on the right hesitated before speaking, "That child also has spiritual roots, could he be made into a non-family war slave...?"

"What? Is the one surnamed Chen an idiot, and you an idiot too?"

Hou Fangping scoffed.

"To be so naive at your age, using the son of your enemy as a war slave—do you think this is some kind of folktale?"

He stood up, staring intently at the slightly overweight cultivator: "Remember this, everything you have now is thanks to your family. Anything that might threaten the family must be dealt with properly, eliminated completely!"

"Bring that kid back to me, verify his identity, kill him on the spot, burn his body to ashes, and don't bury him. I want to see this with my own eyes!"

The slightly overweight cultivator trembled and clasped his hands in apology.

"snort!"

Hou Fangping waved his sleeve.

"Let's discuss the other spiritual contract work again. We need to come up with a plan for how to change the rules."

When the conversation turned to areas of expertise, the others began to speak enthusiastically, arguing fiercely for their own interests.

For a moment, the hall became quite noisy.

After a long while, a result that satisfied everyone was finally achieved.

As the stewards rose and left the stewards' hall, Hou Fangping sat down in his seat.

He didn't say a word during the discussion, only making sure that the final result wouldn't drive away most of the spiritual workers.

"Sigh...a bunch of insects."

He looked towards the direction of the back mountain of the clan's territory, where clouds and mist swirled, and the clan's core formation could be vaguely seen.

A sense of powerlessness welled up inside me.

"Ancestor, I, Hou Fangping, have worked diligently my entire life. Am I to be ruined by these people?"

……