In life, who is without personal desires?
When an elderly person who has dedicated a hundred years of service to the clan stands in front of him with tears streaming down his face, desperately pleading with someone of the same generation as his grandson, Zhouyang truly found it difficult to refuse the elderly man's request that carried a touch of personal interest.
An elderly person, as they face their impending end, wanting to leave a considerable inheritance for their descendants, is only human nature.
Even the harshest of critics can't find fault with that.
Especially since the elder wasn't using his power to embezzle clan assets to support his descendants, he only wished for the rightful reward that belonged to him to be "normally" dispensed.
"Rest assured, Third Grandfather, if a new ore vein is indeed discovered, as long as I, Zhouyang, am alive, I will definitely pass on your dividends in full to Brother Zhou Bao. However, I must explain that if I meet my end or Brother Zhou Bao passes away, your dividends will have to be returned to the clan as per protocol!"
Zhouyang solemnly promised the elderly person in front of him, whose face was already wet with tears.
He did not demand the extra twenty percent dividends from the elderly, as he could not accept that money. Agreeing to the elder's terms was already skirting the edge of clan rules, and taking the money would truly be "embezzling for personal gain".
"Thank you, Xiao Jiu, truly thank you whether or not this comes to fruition, Third Grandfather will remember your kindness, and your brother Zhou Bao will remember this great favor for a lifetime!" The elderly man, overwhelmed, tightly grasped Zhouyang's arm, his voice choked with emotion.
For the elderly Elder Zhou Quan, whose days were numbered, his greatest concern was the survival issues of his descendants after he passed. Over the years, under his care, his descendants could live well within the Zhou Clan, even if they lacked spiritual root talent.
But once he passes, without his clan stipend, the quality of life for his descendants would likely plummet; within a generation or two, they might devolve into common people, which he didn't want to see happen.
Now, with Zhouyang's promise, even after he passes away, his descendants can rely on these ore vein dividends, ensuring that they won't face hardship for at least several decades.
And in those upcoming decades, if any of his descendants could inherit spiritual roots, it would be even better.
Elder Zhou Quan was deeply grateful to Zhouyang now, or he would not lose composure like this.
Zhouyang understood the excitement within the elder's heart, but the elder's actions made him feel somewhat amused and helpless. He gently freed his hands from the elderly's grip, speaking softly with resignation: "Third Grandfather, please calm down. You should save your gratitude for when we truly find the ore vein, lest we end up rejoicing over nothing and make fools of ourselves."
The elder's face immediately turned red when he heard this, embarrassed, he tugged at his beard before laughing awkwardly: "Haha, Xiao Jiu, you have a point, it was my mistake."
Zhouyang thought to himself it wasn't just a matter of losing composure, but he maintained his poise without mentioning it again, instead proactively seeking advice: "Third Grandfather, with your extensive experience, what is your opinion about finding that potential ore vein?"
"In my opinion, rather than wandering like headless flies in this Boundless Desert Sea, we should take the waiting approach. When the Gold-Eating Rat appears again, I'll plant a Blood Spirit Mark on it. Then, we'll injure it and let it escape back to its nest. We can then track the mark and find its nest."
"You know, the nests of rat-type demon beasts are usually deep underground. If injured outside, it will tend to retreat to its nest to heal. As long as we keep pursuing the Gold-Eating Rat, it won't hide at the Refined Iron Ore vein, and will instinctively retreat to its original nest. Then won't we find what we're looking for?"
Elder Zhou Quan, proving his wisdom over the years, quickly proposed a plan that made Zhouyang applaud.
"Brilliant! Grandpa's wisdom truly comes with age. Third Grandfather's idea is excellent, let's do it!" With excitement all over his face, he applauded, fully supporting the elder's plan.
Just as the elder mentioned, the desert sea was vast and boundless. If they only relied on themselves to find an unknown ore vein, the chance was slim.
If the ore vein where the Gold-Eating Rat was hiding were easy to find, the Zhou clan predecessors who discovered Cyan Ping Mountain's Refined Iron Ore vein would have found it long ago.
"Since you agree with my plan, let's go prepare. I expect that creature won't heal promptly, it'll take at least a month or two, more than enough for me to visit the clan and back. To track the creature in the desert without getting lost, we'll need the Shatuo Beast!"
Elder Zhou Quan immediately laid out the next steps upon seeing Zhouyang's agreement with his proposal.
The Shatuo Beast was a Tier One High-Grade Demon Beast, raised by the Zhou clan. It is said to have evolved from ordinary camels, with stamina and endurance ten times that of typical camels, making it the best assistant for low-tier cultivators traveling the desert, and a major transport force for the Zhou clan's trade caravans.
The Shatuo Beast has a particularly formidable ability: it can remember and return the exact same way it traveled within 30 days, a skill that's practically a divine power in the desert.
Unfortunately, the reproduction of the Shatuo Beast is difficult, and often due to carrying heavy loads through the desert, their lifespan is usually shorter than that of ordinary Tier One beast-type demon beasts. Even after over two hundred years of reproduction, the Zhou family's Shatuo Beast team, old and young, only numbers 34.
These Shatuo Beasts are the foundation of the Zhou family. Ordinary Zhou family members are simply unable to borrow them for personal use. Elder Zhou Quan, having the status of a Zhou family elder and being the only Tier Two Beast Tamer in the clan, has the confidence to speak of borrowing them.
With the plan set, Elder Zhou Quan immediately set off back to the Yuquan Lake Oasis, while Zhouyang calmed the agitated miners, appointing a new steward to organize manpower to resume mining affairs.
Since Elder Zhou Quan said that the injury of the Gold-Eating Rat would take a month or two to heal, during this period, the mining of refined iron ore must not stop.
And as for the miners, when they chose to become miners, they were already prepared for the possibility of death. Moreover, the Zhou family has always been generous in compensating the families of deceased miners.
Therefore, after Lord Immortal Master Zhouyang personally explained that the demon beast had been driven away, the miners quickly calmed down and gradually resumed their work.
More than a month later, Elder Zhou Quan returned to the family, bringing with him two Shatuo Beasts, and along with him came Zhou Bao, Zhouyang's clan brother, and Zhou Quan's grandson.
"The old man thinks that once you and I leave the Cyan Ping Mountain region in pursuit of that creature, there would be no clan cultivator stationed here. Should anything happen, it would be detrimental to your future evaluation. Just as your second brother is now on a rest period, the old man asked him to come and cover for you."
Seeing Zhouyang's puzzled expression as he looked at the two of them, Elder Zhou Quan smiled and explained, then lightly kicked his grandson, giving him a hint with a glance.
Zhou Bao, ranking second among the Yuan generation, is in his thirties or forties, with a somewhat honest appearance, dark and rough skin like an old farmer, looking simple and sincere, only having reached the Fourth-Layer Qi Cultivation.
Although they are both from the Yuan generation, due to their significant age difference and because Zhou Bao frequently went on trade missions with the family's caravans starting at the age of twenty, Zhouyang had seen this clan brother less than ten times from childhood to adulthood and had no real interactions.
Upon seeing him in this state, Zhouyang further understood Elder Zhou Quan's painstaking efforts. If the elder did not leave a robust foundation for his descendants while still alive, given the appearance of this clan brother, it would indeed be difficult for his third grandfather's branch to live well in the future.
At this time, receiving the hint from his grandfather, Zhou Bao quickly opened his mouth and said, "Ninth Brother, Grandpa has told me everything. If this endeavor succeeds, you will be the great benefactor of our family. Although Second Brother's cultivation level is humble, running errands is no problem. In the future, if you need anything, feel free to send word to Second Brother."
After speaking, he lowered his head, not daring to look at Zhouyang's handsome face.
Zhouyang was indeed too dazzling!
Even though Zhou Bao was almost twice Zhouyang's age and often away from home, he often heard this ninth brother's name from elders and peers.
Starting cultivation at four, reaching Qi Cultivation at seven, attaining Fourth-Layer Qi Cultivation at twelve, Fifth-Layer at fifteen, Sixth-Layer at seventeen, and becoming a Tier One Refiner by twenty...
Whenever the elders in the family talked about Zhouyang, they endlessly praised him and inevitably used him to admonish the younger generation to learn from this talented family member.
Heaven knows how desperate and helpless Zhou Bao felt each time he heard the elders say these things.
He also wanted to work hard, but his Spirit Root talent was only lower grade, and his comprehension ability was average. Even with Elder Zhou Quan's much care, he barely reached the Fourth-Layer Qi Cultivation. In this life, forget reaching Foundation Establishment; whether he could achieve the Ninth-Layer Qi Cultivation was uncertain.
Under such circumstances, not to mention any thought of competing with this ninth brother Zhouyang, he had no confidence even to view him as an equal.
In the cultivation realm, ultimately, strength is the most important. Even among cultivators of the same family and generation, if the gap in power is too large, no cultivator would truly believe that being senior would allow them to converse equally with a far more powerful family member.
Especially Zhou Bao, who had long been on trade missions with the family's caravans outside, had already seen the brutal side of the cultivation realm, learning to revere the strong.
And Zhouyang, who could make the old clan leader personally speak of him as the "Qilin'Er of the Zhou family" and received repeated praises from his grandfather, was undoubtedly someone Zhou Bao viewed with reverence.
In fact, it wasn't just Zhou Bao. Among the Zhou family's "Yuan" generation cultivators, aside from a few who were quite familiar with Zhouyang, almost everyone else now had developed a psychological shadow concerning this "Ninth Brother" "Ninth Brother," not daring to treat him as an equal.
Their entire generation was destined to live their lives in the shadow known as "Zhouyang."