Dou Mian, a man of his standing, might not fear death, but he certainly wouldn’t seek it out.

Born into a prestigious family, destined for a bright future, his potential was boundless.

Jiang Wang’s proposal wasn’t an insult; his life held immense value.

Death wasn’t a fleeting act of courage but a significant loss for the Dou Clan.

It was common practice in wars between kingdoms for the defeated side to pay a ransom for captured nobles.

Tianye Dao tilted slightly, and Dou Mian, gazing at Jiang Wang, directly stated his price: “One million Dao Yuan Stones for my life. A fair price, though Dou Mian is worth far more. However, this is all I can muster in short order.”

A million Dao Yuan Stones was, without a doubt, a substantial fortune. Enough to purchase a hundred Grade A Qi Opening Pills at market price!

Dou Mian was adept at pricing. In the cultivation world’s currency, one hundred Dao Yuan Stones equaled one Wan Yuan Stone, and one hundred Wan Yuan Stones equaled one Yuan Stone.

Yet, he didn’t quote ten thousand Yuan Stones. Instead, he used the most basic currency, Dao Yuan Stones, in an attempt to overwhelm Jiang Wang’s expectations with the sheer quantity of one million.

Furthermore, this price was reasonable – enough to sting Dou Mian but not cripple him. If Jiang Wang wasn’t looking to make an irreconcilable enemy of the Dou Clan, the price was acceptable.

Clearly, Jiang Wang’s willingness to negotiate indicated he didn’t want to excessively offend the Dou Clan. It would be foolish to release Dou Mian only to drive him into becoming a sworn enemy.

Jiang Wang hadn’t seen so many Dao Yuan Stones before, and while he wasn’t unmoved, he simply shook his head. “I’m not interested in Dao Yuan Stones.”

Dou Mian’s expression darkened. “I’ve made a sincere offer. Ask Miss Ye if the price is fair. If you want the Dou Clan’s secret techniques, don’t bother asking. Dou Mian may have been outmaneuvered, but he still possesses some integrity.”

Ye Qingyu nodded slightly, acknowledging that Dou Mian’s offer was indeed sincere. Someone like Dou Mian wouldn’t be so short-sighted as to haggle when buying his life. Any potential savings wouldn’t be worth the risk. He had essentially offered his rock-bottom price.

Ye Qingyu’s affirmation was also to prevent Jiang Wang from being ignorant of market rates. She was telling him that if he didn’t want to kill, and wanted to profit, this price was close to the limit.

“I respect the Dou Clan’s honor, and I believe in your integrity. So, I certainly won’t ask for your secret techniques.”

Jiang Wang responded gently before stating, “I’m simply not interested in Dao Yuan Stones.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt they were a bit too arrogant and quickly got to the point: “I want Lingkong Hall.”

“Do you know how much I invested in taking control of Lingkong Hall? Do you understand the value of such a force, once built up?” Dou Mian scoffed, gripping his sword tighter. “If I truly give you Lingkong Hall, would you dare let me go?”

His meaning was clear: ceding Lingkong Hall would be a crippling loss. If he did so, he couldn’t help but hate Jiang Wang, and Jiang Wang couldn’t possibly trust him to leave.

“There’s no need for you to be angry, Young Master Dou. I’m serious about this transaction, not making unreasonable demands. I understand the value of Lingkong Hall. It’s you who doesn’t quite understand.”

Jiang Wang explained, “I might as well tell you the truth: after this, Cloud Province Mountain will be permanently closed. The Thirty-Three Year Gathering will never happen again, because Cloud Summit Immortal Palace already belongs to me. Isn’t that right?”

His expression was earnest, prompting Dou Mian to withdraw from his anger and consider his words.

Jiang Wang then asked, “So, Lingkong Hall’s greatest value is gone. Do you agree, Young Master Dou?”

Dou Mian could only nod. Jiang Wang spoke the truth. He simply hadn’t realized it initially. The greatest value he had sought when controlling Lingkong Hall – a qualification for a certain near-ancient inheritance – had been lost after this Cloud Province Mountain trip.

Jiang Wang continued, “Admittedly, you may have invested a lot previously, but its current value isn’t that high. It has nothing to do with whether or not I want Lingkong Hall. It’s that you placed the wrong bet, you incurred the loss. Is that correct?”

Dou Mian couldn’t deny it but felt unwilling. “Even so, Lingkong Hall is still…”

“One day.” Jiang Wang held up a finger, interrupting him. “I can give you one day to transfer your investments to help you recover your losses as much as possible. Of course, you shouldn’t touch Lingkong Hall’s original assets. In that case, it isn’t much more than your original offer. What do you think?”

The value of Lingkong Hall was, of course, more than a million Dao Yuan Stones, even in its weakened state. But fixed assets like Lingkong Hall were hard to compare with liquid wealth like a million Dao Yuan Stones. Furthermore, Lingkong Hall was in Cheng Country, and Dou Mian’s operations came at a cost. With a day to sell off and liquidate, he could recover a significant portion of his initial investment.

Overall, the loss wouldn’t be too great. After all, Lingkong Hall was a force he had seized. For someone of his background, the greatest loss was probably the expended energy, thought, and time.

His mental defenses retreated step by step.

Dou Mian hesitated for a moment. “Even if I’m willing to give it to you, it won’t be easy for you to take over Lingkong Hall. It’s still a sect with a long history.”

Jiang Wang replied confidently, “If you could conquer Lingkong Hall, there’s no reason I can’t.”

“I have the Dou Clan behind me,” Dou Mian said calmly but proudly.

“He has Sky Piercing Pavilion behind him,” Ye Qingyu, who had been observing their negotiations, interjected.

Dou Mian glanced at Ye Qingyu in surprise. He had never been quite sure of the relationship between this Lone Invincible and Ye Qingyu. They were familiar but not intimate. However, with these words, the answer seemed clear.

Lone Invincible’s strength was undeniable. He had genuinely killed Cloud Wanderer, even though Cloud Wanderer wasn’t at his peak. At his age, such strength indicated top-tier talent.

Did Ye Lingxiao take such a young genius as a son-in-law?

Thinking about the situation in the Western Regions, he said, “Since Miss Ye has said so, it seems there’s no problem. I was overthinking it.”

“Moreover,” Jiang Wang interjected with a grin, “Young Master Dou, with your background and character, now that you’ve decided to make a deal, surely you’ll cooperate with me? With your support, why worry about Lingkong Hall not surrendering?”

Dou Mian was silent for a moment. “Then so be it.”

Such a result was a win-win.

Core disciples from top-tier families like Dou Mian weren’t impossible to kill, but the aftermath would be significant.

Even Ye Lingxiao probably wouldn’t want to be enemies with the Dou Clan.

“How do we ensure the transaction goes smoothly?” Jiang Wang asked.

He was asking Dou Mian for a guarantee.

“The sword will stay with you. Return it after the transaction.” Dou Mian was a decisive person. He directly reversed Tianye and handed it to Jiang Wang, his voice laced with warning. “Don’t try to take it. This sword is more important than my life.”

“Rest assured.” Jiang Wang accepted Tianye Dao and put it directly into his storage box, raising the sword in his hand. “I already have a weapon for life.”

Dou Mian’s words displayed his emotional attachment to his cherished blade.

But for some reason, Jiang Wang suddenly thought: If I had just killed Dou Mian, this sword would have naturally become mine.

Since Dou Mian said the sword was more important than his life…

Should I have charged him again to buy the sword?