Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

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“Spot refers to the goods that can be handed over on the spot. Futures refer to goods that can only be delivered at a specified date. Brother Qian, didn’t you say that the goods need to be transferred and can only be handed over in ten days?” Wang Shouzhe casually informed him.

“That makes sense. Now that Brother Shouzhe has explained it, I understand the difference.” Steward Qian’s spirits were lifted. His eyes flicked as he said in a low voice, “Brother Shouzhe, you definitely aren’t buying the 5,000 bags of insecticide powder for your own use. Could it be that you’ve found a new business opportunity?”

“Heh, Brother Qian already said that this is a new business opportunity.” Wang Shouzhe smiled as he sipped his tea. “I’ll help your trading company clear out its inventory, while I earn a small profit from it. It’s a win-win situation if we work together. Brother Qian, give me an honest price.”

“Hahaha, it’s a win-win situation if we work together. Brother Shouzhe’s words are really interesting. I won’t ask further then. In that case, I’ll give you a 10% discount for these 5,000 bags of insecticide powder. It costs a total of 4,500 gold.”

“Four thousand!”

“Four thousand and two hundred at minimum, brother.”

“Fine, 4,200 it is. However, I’ll use the reputation of the Wang Clan of Ping’an to pay for the current amount,” Wang Shouzhe said calmly. “In a month, I’ll pay 4,200 gold in full without missing a single cent.”

Steward Qian was slightly stunned, but then he smiled and said, “That is feasible, but we have to make a contract. If you can’t pay for the goods by then, our trading company has the right to use any means to collect the payment.”

No matter how poor the Wang Clan was, they were still an Arcane Martial Clan and had some assets. Just the sale of the Bountiful Farm alone would give at least tens of thousands of gold. As long as both parties had a contract, the powerful Qian’s Trading Company had plenty of ways to collect this debt.

“Brother Qian, even if you hadn’t mentioned the contract, I would still draw it up,” Wang Shouzhe said seriously. “I’m already contacting the merchant ship. In three days, I’ll send someone to your warehouses to transport 2,000 bags of insecticide powder. I will collect the second batch in ten days. If your esteemed company refuses to hand over the goods or is unable to, you’ll have to pay us three times the price of the goods as penalty for breaking the contract.”

“Brother, don’t worry. As a centuries-old business, credibility is the foundation of the Qian’s Trading Company.” Steward Qian said with a very solemn expression. “No matter what, we will deliver the specified quantity of goods at the specified time.”

“I trust the credibility of your esteemed company, but this deal is of great importance to our small Wang Clan of Ping’an,” Wang Shouzhe said with a somber expression as well. “Having a contract signed in black and white allows me to rest assured as well.”

“In that case, write it down.” Steward Qian did not see any reason his party could violate the contract at all. Moreover, it was just a transaction of a few thousand gold. It was nothing much to the entire Qian’s Trading Company.

The two of them spent a full two hours. Under Wang Shouzhe’s nitpicking attitude, they determined the various terms of the contract clearly.

By the time both parties signed their respective agreements and received the contract, Steward Qian was already sweating profusely. He wiped his sweat and smiled wanly. “I’ve been a businessman for 20 years, and this is the first time I’ve seen such detailed contractual terms and meticulous wording in a contract. But then again, such detailed terms of contract do prevent unnecessary disputes in the future. It has broadened my horizons and is a learning opportunity for me.”

Heh..

Wang Shouzhe only smiled. This was nothing. Some complex business contracts on Earth far exceeded these crude contracts by a hundred times. They would be incomprehensible to the layman.

Having finally obtained the contract, a huge burden was lifted from Wang Shouzhe’s heart.

Though, according to his understanding of the Qian’s Trading Company, even if the contract was not that detailed, they would not violate their own credibility. The credibility accumulated over centuries was the most valuable thing to a trading company.

As for sending experts to annihilate the entire clan for this tiny amount of money, that was even more impossible.

Although Ancestor Longyan did not have much time left, she was still a veteran Ancestor in the Spirit Tower Realm from the Violet Palace Academy, after all. No one knew what trump cards she held. If she unleashed a wave of power without regard for her life, it was very likely that she could take a Spirit Tower Realm cultivator down with her.

After weighing all the factors, Wang Shouzhe finally made the decision to take a risk. There was no other way. The Wang Clan was too poor. They were so poor that they had to scheme for even a Small Essence Enhancing Pill. If this went on, they would only fall into a vicious cycle.

He only felt sorry for this Steward Qian.

He only became a minor steward of a branch in a remote area by middle age. It was obvious that he was not of high birth in the vast and powerful Qian Clan. It was very likely that the branch manager would make him shoulder the responsibility for this loss.

“Brother Qian, it was a pleasure to work with you.” Wang Shouzhe stood up and took his leave. Then, he said in a low voice, “If nothing unexpected happens, I will give you a great merit in the near future.”

Steward Qian was stunned. He immediately chuckled and said, “Thank you for your kind words, Brother Shouzhe. I’ll send you off.” As they chatted and laughed, Steward Qian sent Wang Shouzhe out the door.

After leaving the Qian’s Trading Company, Wang Shouzhe’s mood immediately became extremely pleasant. Three days. In only three days, he would be able to greatly alleviate the Wang Clan’s financial crisis.

“Patriarch.”

The two clan guards who had been standing guard outside the door led their horses over and greeted him respectfully.

“Wang Zhong, Wang Yong,” Wang Shouzhe said with a smile. “I haven’t been out for a long time. Come with me and shop around in Wei City.”

“Yes, Patriarch,” the two family generals replied respectfully. They led their horses and accompanied Wang Shouzhe as they strolled around the city.

When Ancestor Zhouxuan was alive, there were clan guards in the Wang family at their peak, and one with the highest level of cultivation among them had reached the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm.

Currently, the Wang Clan only had nine clan guards, and the one with the highest level of cultivation among them was only at the fifth level of the Qi Refining Realm.

Clan guards were different from clan servants. They were not slaves, but vassals by lineage. However, they were also different from contractually hired outsiders like guest retainers.

Most of the clan guards were trusted aides groomed by the family. They had a relatively high status and good treatment in the clan, but they did not have the freedom to come and go as they pleased. They were born as clan guards and would die as clan guards.

Their fates, age, illness, and death were all firmly tied to the main clan. They would rise and fall together. It was also because of this that some clans would often intermarry their children from collateral or concubinal lineages with very outstanding clan guards. Firstly, the bond would be tighter, and secondly, it could improve the bloodline of the clan.

Currently, the nine clan guards of the Wang Clan all descended from clan guards personally groomed by Ancestor Zhouxuan. They were descendants who had been passed down through generations, and they were extremely loyal.

“Wang Zhong, I remember that your youngest son is already seven or eight years old, right?” Wang Shouzhe asked casually, “Is his Arcane Martial aptitude qualified for tiering yet?”

Wang Zhong hurriedly caught up with him and replied, “Thank you for your concern for my unworthy son, Patriarch. The kid participated in the aptitude test this spring. The result was Third Rank, Lower Tier. He has already entered the clan school for preliminary studies, and has begun to nurture his meridians.”

As he spoke, the corners of his lips curled into a smile. He was clearly very satisfied with his son’s aptitude.

Arcane Martial aptitude was divided into tiered and untiered. Whether it could be tiered was extremely important, and represented whether one had the potential to be nurtured. Among the Lower Rank aptitudes, there were First, Second, Third and Fourth Ranks. One evaluated to be Third Rank, Lower Tier, was already considered the second level of priority, and was worth considerable effort for nurturing by the clan.

“Like father, like son.” Wang Shouzhe praised, “Teach him well. He’ll be stronger than you in the future.”

“Thank you for the auspicious words, Family Head.” Wang Zhong smiled until wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes. He was 36 years old this year, and had already given birth to two sons, one older and one younger. Both of them had tiered Arcane Martial aptitudes. The older son was already 15 years old, and in another year, he would be considered an adult. He would be able to become a clan guard and serve the clan. The younger son’s talent had further reached Third Rank, Lower Tier, and he entered the sequence for focused nurturing.

On the other hand, the other clan guard, Wang Yong, had a slightly embarrassed look on his face. He was about the same age as Wang Zhong. He married a woman from the Wang Clan’s collateral lineage and gave birth to a son and daughter.

The Arcane Martial aptitude of his son was untiered, so he could only enter academics. He was currently 17 and working in the silkworm farm. His daughter was only six years old and had yet to be tested for Arcane Martial aptitude. However, even if the test showed she was tiered for Arcane Martial aptitude, she was ultimately just a girl.

“Wang Yong, you have to seize the last few years of opportunity and work hard with Sister-in-law to try to have another child,” Wang Zhong teased with a smile. “Perhaps your luck will turn for the better, and you’ll be able to have a boy with Second Rank, Lower Tier.”

“Shoo!” Wang Yong waved his hand impatiently. He was a little unhappy at the mention of this topic.

The three of them strolled through Changning Wei City, and Wang Shouzhe’s memory of Changning City gradually became clearer. There were about 150 to 160 thousand permanent residents in the entire city. There were many established Arcane Martial Clans residing there, and among them, Xu Clan of Changning was had a relatively close relationship with the Wang Clan of Ping’an.

However, in the end, they were only relatively close. The disparity between the two was growing larger and larger, and they were no longer clans on the same level. Thus, Wang Shouzhe had no intention of visiting the patriarch of the Xu Clan.

Apart from running traditional farms, the Xu Clan of Changning’s unique specialized industries were mainly focused on silk fabric shops.

All the cotton, hemp and raw silk cocoons planted and produced in the entire Changning Wei regionwere supplied to a few workshops in the Xu Clan of Changning. They produced fabric and silk and sold them to the entire state and county, thereby earning a great fortune.

At the same time, the raw silk cocoons produced by one of the backbone industries of the Wang Clan of Ping’an, the Flourishing Silkworm Farm, were supplied to Xu Clan of Changning.

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