The Lin's Patriarch is weird.

Chapter 168: 168. Bong Haeryun.

Lin Xuan fell silent for a moment.

He had nearly forgotten that the Lin Family had never expected to participate in the Winter Harvest in the first place.

"Then we’ll have to prepare some."

Lin Shuli looked at him.

"Prepare some?"

"Yes."

Lin Xuan nodded calmly.

"I can refine them."

Lin Shuli’s expression changed slightly.

She had already heard about Lin Xuan’s recent interest in alchemy, but she had not expected him to speak so casually about producing the Everwinter Soul Calming Pills.

"You can refine them?"

Lin Xuan gave her a faint smile.

"There’s no harm in trying."

Lin Shuli studied his expression for a moment before choosing to not question him further.

"How many do you intend to prepare?"

Lin Xuan leaned back slightly and thought for a moment.

"Enough."

Lin Shuli’s mouth twitched slightly at the vague answer.

"Then I’ll arrange for the necessary materials to be gathered."

"Good."

Lin Xuan nodded.

The Winter Harvest was still some time away.

If the Lin Family was going to host it, there was no reason for them to appear unprepared.

Meanwhile, in Clearbrook City, the situation within the Su Family had already begun to attract attention.

Although the Su Family had done everything possible to suppress the news, the cancellation of the Martial Spirit Awakening Ceremony had inevitably raised suspicions among the other major families.

The Bong Family was no exception.

Within the Bong Family estate, a similar gathering was taking place.

The main hall was quiet as several elders sat around a long table. At the head sat the Bong Family Patriarch, Bong Haeryun, his fingers resting lightly against the armrest.

"Patriarch, the Su Family cancelled the awakening ceremony and sent away all the guests with the same explanation. They claim there was an unforeseen problem with the Martial Awakening Altar."

A faint smile appeared on Bong Haeryun’s face as he picked up the report and casually glanced through it.

The Su Family had prepared for the ceremony for a long time. Cancelling it at the last moment, after inviting so many families, was not something a careful clan would do without a serious reason.

"The Su Family has also restricted access to their estate since last night. Several members of their younger generation have been ordered to remain inside, while the elders have been moving between the inner estate and the treasury."

Bong Haeryun’s expression immediately turned serious.

"They restricted access?"

"Yes."

The hall fell into a deep silence.

The Su Family was one of the two dominant families of Clearbrook City. For them to suddenly restrict access to their estate and order their younger generation to remain inside, something significant must have happened.

"Do you have any more information about what is actually going on?"

The elder hesitated.

"Nothing official."

"Unofficially?"

The elder lowered his voice.

"There are rumors that several of their elders have been injured, including the Patriarch."

Bong Haeryun’s eyes sharpened.

"Several?"

"That is what we have heard."

He leaned back slowly, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest.

If the rumors were true, then the situation was considerably more serious than the Su Family was willing to admit.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind.

*Isn’t this an opportunity for our family to rise?*

For a moment, Bong Haeryun was genuinely tempted to take advantage of the Su Family’s weakened state and aggressively expand the Bong Family’s influence throughout Clearbrook City.

But as quickly as the thought appeared, he suppressed it.

The Winter Harvest was approaching.

Making a move against the Su Family at such a time would be too reckless.

"The Winter Harvest is approaching," Bong Haeryun said. "Who is hosting it this year?"

"The Lin Family of Azure Willow City."

Bong Haeryun looked toward the elder.

"The Lin Family?"

"Yes."

The elder nodded.

"The royal family has apparently selected them as this year’s host of the Winter Harvest."

The atmosphere in the hall changed slightly.

Bong Haeryun’s brows rose.

"The Su and Lin Families are allies, are they not?"

"That is what we have heard, Patriarch."

For a moment, Bong Haeryun simply stared at the elder.

The Lin Family was still a relatively young Rank 8 family compared to the established powers of the kingdom. Yet now they had been entrusted with hosting one of the most important annual gatherings in the kingdom’s cultivation world.

"What about the Shangguan Family? Did they not object?"

"They were the ones who recommended the Lin Family, Patriarch."

Bong Haeryun’s eyes narrowed.

"The Shangguan Family personally recommended them?"

The elder nodded.

Bong Haeryun leaned back in his chair, his expression becoming thoughtful.

"The Lin Family is becoming increasingly interesting."

An elder frowned.

"Do you think they are capable of handling the Winter Harvest?"

Bong Haeryun gave a faint smile.

"I don’t doubt it."

He glanced toward the reports on the table.

"Did you forget? They are the only clan that has managed to get their hands on pure-quality Golden Core Pills."

The elders exchanged glances.

That alone was enough to make the Lin Family worthy of their attention.

Bong Haeryun picked up the report and looked through it once more.

"Keep watching both families."

His gaze became slightly colder.

"Especially the Lin Family."

The elders immediately cupped their fists.

"Yes, Patriarch."

Bong Haeryun remained silent for a while, his fingers lightly tapping against the armrest.

The opportunity was certainly tempting.

The Su Family had been weakened, and everyone in Clearbrook City knew that even a small shift in the balance between the two families could create enormous opportunities.

Yet Bong Haeryun had no intention of turning an opportunity into a war.

"How much business do we currently conduct with the Su Family?" he asked.

An elder beside him immediately understood what he was asking.

"Quite a bit, Patriarch. Several of our merchants rely on their territory, and we also have a number of agreements with their affiliated businesses."

Bong Haeryun nodded.

The elder had barely finished speaking when Bong Haeryun’s fingers stopped tapping against the armrest.

For several breaths, he remained silent.

Then he placed the report upon the table.

"How much have we been spending each year to maintain those agreements?"

The elder paused before answering.

"Not an insignificant amount, Patriarch. Most of it is distributed through various channels. Some of the Su Family’s elders receive gifts directly, while others benefit through their relatives or affiliated businesses."

A faint smile appeared on Bong Haeryun’s face.

The Bong Family was a **Rank 9 family**, while the Su Family was **Rank 8**. On paper, this meant the Su Family possessed a significant advantage in cultivation strength. Yet Clearbrook City was not governed by cultivation strength alone.

The Bong Family had existed in the city for generations, and their influence ran deeply through its merchants, local officials, smaller clans, and numerous businesses. Their commercial network was extensive, and their connections were far stronger than those of the Su Family.

However, Bong Haeryun had never been interested in relying solely on the Bong Family’s connections or using their superior position to crush the Su Family. The Su Family’s **Rank 8 status still gave them considerable cultivation strength**, and directly confronting them would inevitably result in losses even if the Bong Family ultimately emerged victorious.

That was why Bong Haeryun had always preferred maintaining a profitable relationship with the Su Family rather than forcing a confrontation.

He preferred earning profits over winning grudges.

Still, the opportunity was too juicy to be passed up on.

"Stop all payments to the Su Family’s elders."

The hall became quiet.

One elder immediately frowned.

"Patriarch, are you certain? Those payments have prevented many disputes between our families."

"I know."

Bong Haeryun’s expression remained calm.

"That is precisely why we made them."

He folded his hands before him.

"For years, we have been paying the Su Family because the cost of maintaining peace was lower than the cost of fighting them. That was a profitable arrangement when the Su Family was at full strength."

His gaze swept across the elders.

"But circumstances have changed."

Nobody interrupted.

Bong Haeryun’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"We should not mistake this for an invitation to attack them. Instead, we should stop voluntarily weakening ourselves."

One of the elders slowly understood.

"You want to reclaim the expenses we have been giving them."

"Not merely reclaim them."

Bong Haeryun smiled.

"I want to renegotiate our position."

He picked up another document from the table.

"Which of our merchants have been experiencing difficulties because of the Su Family?"

The elders immediately began sorting through their records.

"Three major merchants have complained about additional inspection fees."

"Two of our warehouses were recently charged increased land-use fees."

"Several caravans have been delayed at checkpoints controlled by Su Family affiliates."

"One of our affiliated shops was pressured into purchasing supplies from a Su Family business."

Bong Haeryun listened without interruption.

These were not serious enough to justify confrontation.

That was precisely why they had been tolerated.

The Su Family could impose small inconveniences, and the Bong Family would simply compensate its elders behind the scenes. Everyone profited, and nobody had reason to escalate the matter.

But that arrangement had been built upon an assumption.

The Su Family was strong enough to make those inconveniences worth avoiding.

Now that assumption had changed.

He pointed toward the records.

"Remove the unnecessary inspection fees for our merchants. If a checkpoint has no legitimate reason to delay our caravans, challenge it through the proper channels."

He pointed toward another document.

"Review the warehouse fees. If they have been raised without a legitimate basis, demand that they be returned to their previous rates."

"And the shop?"

"Tell them they are no longer required to purchase from the Su Family’s affiliated businesses."

The elders exchanged glances.

For years, the Bong Family had deliberately swallowed these small inconveniences because maintaining a completely smooth relationship with the Su Family was profitable.

Now Bong Haeryun was simply refusing to continue paying for privileges.

One elder carefully asked, "What if the Su Family objects?"

Bong Haeryun smiled,"we’ll negotiate if that ever happens."

The elders understood immediately.

Bong Haeryun was not preparing for war and instead was testing the Su Family’s current strength.

If the Su Family remained strong enough to push back, the Bong Family would know.

If they could no longer do so, the Bong Family would quietly recover the influence it had surrendered over the years.

It was a businessman’s approach.

There was no need to draw a sword when a contract could accomplish the same thing.

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