The first trade of Yangyuan Stones went smoothly, which undoubtedly gave the Lin family a taste of the sweet profits. Such generous returns were enough to make others green with envy. Even though they had a lot of Ironwood, after consumption, it was only equivalent to a little over twenty Yangyuan Stones. Calculating this way, a month's harvest was only equal to one day's profit from mining Yangyuan Stones.
These two things were truly incomparable.
And precisely because of this, after the first trade of Yangyuan Stones, Lin Zhentian almost mobilized seventy to eighty percent of the Lin family's manpower to the Ironwood Village. It was as if he wanted to turn Ironwood Village into a major base for business.
The Lin family's strange move naturally attracted many curious gazes. Although Ironwood Village had a lot of Ironwood, after this period of time, most people had learned through communication about what the Lei family had done. Therefore, the value of that village in the eyes of some people had greatly decreased. But now, the Lin family not only did not underestimate Ironwood Village because of this, but instead treated it with extreme seriousness, so there was definitely something unusual about this matter.
However, regarding the heavy speculations from the outside world, the Lin family maintained silence, without any explanations or announcements. Moreover, because the secrecy work was carried out extremely discreetly, outsiders had no way of knowing the Lin family's thoughts...
Of course, there were also a few exceptions among them...
***
Qingyang Town, Lei Family.
In the main hall deep within the Lei family, more than a dozen important figures were seated. Sitting in the main seat was the Lei family patriarch, Lei Bao. However, at this moment, his expression was extremely gloomy, like a harbinger of an impending storm, making everyone below cautious and not daring to provoke him.
"Father, the information I obtained is absolutely accurate. The Lin family's trip to Yan City this time was ostensibly to sell Ironwood, but the real purpose was to trade several hundred Yangyuan Stones. Although the Lin family has developed somewhat in recent years, even our Lei family cannot easily obtain such a large quantity. Furthermore, the Lin family's foundation is relatively small, how could they have so many?" To Lei Bao's left, Lei Pi said with a gloomy expression.
"What do you mean?"
Upon hearing "several hundred Yangyuan Stones," Lei Bao's eyelids twitched slightly, then he spoke.
"Everyone must have clearly seen the Lin family's actions during this period. The current value of Ironwood Village is very clear in our hearts. If it's just for a few Ironwood resources that have been nearly half destroyed, then Lin Zhentian must be an old fool..." Lei Pi's gaze swept around the main hall, and he said in a deep voice.
Hearing his words, the others also nodded slightly. Lin Zhentian, from being alone and without support back then, developed to this day. Calling him an old fox was not an exaggeration. They also did not believe that this old fox would do foolish and meaningless things.
If this matter was not meaningless, then it must have another purpose. Connecting this with the Lin family's sale of a large quantity of Yangyuan Stones, the expressions of many people also changed slightly.
"If I'm not mistaken, the Lin family must have discovered another type of resource besides Ironwood in Ironwood Village. Moreover, this resource is very likely to be a Yang Yuan Stone ore vein."
Lei Pi's words were truly shocking, causing the entire hall to fall silent in an instant. After a long while, someone finally cried out in disbelief, "How can that be? We've been operating in Ironwood Village for so many years, but we've never heard of a Yang Yuan Stone ore vein!"
"Perhaps we've never thoroughly investigated it."
Lei Pi's face also relaxed. His gaze swept towards Lei Bao, who was seated at the head, and he took a deep breath, saying,
"Father, it seems we have given an unimaginably valuable village to the Lin family."
"Bang!"
The teacup in Lei Bao's hand exploded into a pile of dust. Tea water trickled down his fingers, and at this moment, his aged face revealed an extremely twisted and ferocious expression.
A Yang Yuan Stone ore vein—just these few simple words were enough to make Lei Bao's heart clench at this moment. He was extremely clear about the value of this type of ore vein. If there truly was a Yang Yuan Stone ore vein within Ironwood Village, even if its area wasn't large, its value would far exceed that of Ironwood Village itself!
And at this moment, this extremely valuable ore vein had been handed over to the Lin family by them. Before, they had gloated that the Lin family had only acquired a half-destroyed village, but now, thinking about that kind of schadenfreude truly seemed ridiculous.
Seeing Lei Bao's ferocious face, everyone wisely fell silent. No one dared to speak.
"During this period, gather all available intelligence to investigate the news within Ironwood Village. I want to confirm whether there truly is a Yang Yuan Stone ore vein there!"
Taking a deep breath, the ferocious expression on Lei Bao's face gradually receded, but his voice was like the biting wind of the twelfth lunar month, chilling to the bone.
"Furthermore, pay close attention to every move of the Lin family. If they make any preparations to go to Yan City, immediately inform me!"
"Yes!"
Hearing this, Lei Pi and the other important members of the Lei family hurriedly and respectfully assented. They then exchanged glances and, without lingering further, slowly retreated from the council chamber.
After everyone had withdrawn, the hall became quiet again. Lei Bao sat on his chair with a gloomy expression. After a long while, a sinister murmur finally broke the silence.
"Lin Zhentian, if your Lin family has a death wish, then don't blame my Lei family for being ruthless!"
***
Since his successful return from Yan City, the Lin family's focus had shifted to the Yang Yuan Stone ore vein in Ironwood Village. As for this kind of mining work, Lin Dong couldn't be of much help, so he spent most of his time cultivating.
His current cultivation was mainly divided into three types: Yuan Power, martial arts, and a new type related to mental strength.
Lin Dong's current strength was at the late Earth Yuan Stage. This state was as if he only needed one more breakthrough to enter the Heavenly Yuan Stage, but reality and imagination always had a huge discrepancy. In the month since Lin Dong returned from Yan City, although he had cultivated extremely diligently and had the assistance of many Yang Yuan Pills, the feeling of a breakthrough was still nowhere in sight. That small step seemed like a chasm, blocking everything.
Regarding this kind of progress, Lin Dong was helpless but not worried. The Heavenly Yuan Stage was not easy to enter in the first place. It was entirely possible for many people to be stuck at this stage for several years. For him to expect results in just one short month was a bit too wishful thinking.
As for his mastery of martial arts, Lin Dong was becoming increasingly proficient. Regarding the incomplete version of the Qi Men Seal, he could now relatively easily execute the Second Layer. He had even begun to explore the Third Layer. With his late Earth Yuan Stage strength, he could barely provide enough Yuan Power for the Stone Talisman to complete the Third Layer of the Qi Men Seal.
Both Yuan Power cultivation and martial arts continued to progress, with only one difference: the cultivation of mental energy. In just one short month, Lin Dong could clearly feel the invisible mental energy in his mind growing stronger. He had also successfully cultivated the first layer of the so-called "Shen Dong Tian," and this speed was like water flowing into a river, without any external assistance.
Regarding the unusual nature of his mental energy, even Lin Dong had to believe that he truly possessed extraordinary talent in this aspect.
As Lin Dong quietly cultivated, time also silently passed. In the blink of an eye, two months had gone by.
And by the third month, an even larger convoy than last time gathered within Tie Mu Manor...
When the commotion from Tie Mu Manor spread, the news was also brought by a hummingbird to Lei Bao, who was in the Lei Family.
Taking out the tiny white piece of paper from under the hummingbird's foot, Lei Bao's gaze swept over it, and a sinister smile slowly crept up the corner of his mouth.