Chapter Thirty-Two: Planning for the Future

In the blink of an eye, several days had passed.

That morning, after rising, Yang Cheng began his daily cultivation for an hour. He had been so busy lately that he barely found time for it. Though his aptitude was poor and his progress was slow as a tortoise, he still forced himself to train whenever possible. He didn’t dream of wielding a sword and roaming the martial world—he merely hoped to prolong his life a little.

After breakfast, which Xiao Lan brought to his room, Yang Cheng strolled through the various courtyards. The sharp-eyed Xiao Wu saw the young master emerge and promptly followed, ready to obey any command at a moment’s notice.

Recently, new workers had been added to the food workshop every day, and it wouldn’t be long before the quarters were filled to capacity. With several plans still awaiting execution, Yang Cheng would need even more hands. The current size of the estate would soon restrict his ambitions; preparations to expand had to be made without delay.

After making his rounds, Yang Cheng instructed Xiao Wu to summon the two stewards, Maozi, Daniu, and the heads of each food workshop group to the main hall that afternoon for a meeting. Xiao Wu, quick on his feet, responded at once and dashed off. Yang Cheng, meanwhile, found a quiet garden and sat by the pond, contemplating the future of his enterprise.

His chosen path still revolved around the livelihoods of the people, and there remained much to be explored. The city-state’s population boom carried countless advantages, allowing him to amass capital swiftly. Most crucially, in a society where strength reigned and resources were king, few powerful factions cared to involve themselves in these basic, grassroots pursuits. That gave him ample room to develop discreetly for a while.

Once he had accumulated enough strength, he would no longer be easy prey for anyone. The thought of a future where he was wealthy, powerful, and commanding a vast following brought an involuntary chuckle to his lips.

For now, his partners were small families or minor merchants—lacking in power, but numerous and fast-moving. When he grew strong enough, he could collaborate with more influential merchants on larger plans.

He also needed to expand his family rapidly—not to restore its former glory, as he felt no particular attachment to that notion, but to draw more people into his orbit and forge a community of shared interests. That way, he would not stand alone.

Putting aside his own meager cultivation, even if he were a peerless genius, he could not fend off a mob alone. What he needed was an unbreakable team, and in this world, the only recognized forms of organization were official families, clans, sects, and various guilds. Even solitary assassins needed a network to coordinate resources.

Families, typically bound by blood, united people in common cause against outside threats. Yet in the Yang estate, he shared no such ties with anyone. His only option was to entwine the interests of as many people as possible with his own, gradually nurturing a sense of belonging and, over time, forming a family centered around himself. In that day, the prosperity of one would mean the prosperity of all, and most would instinctively protect the family’s interests—that is, his own. For now, though, the Yang family was but an embryonic clan.

From his recent small-scale trials, Yang Cheng had learned that the ordinary commoners and the slave-war captives were the fastest to acknowledge him. These groups made up the majority in Liuyun, yet the upper echelons found them too numerous to manage and cared little for their plight. Most lived on the edge of despair, seeing no hope, only struggling to survive.

Their most pressing needs—livelihood and the hope of freedom—were things Yang Cheng could grant with ease. He was not stingy with these gifts. Human nature was complex, and not all would remain forever grateful, but for now, most repaid him with loyalty born of gratitude.

As for martial power, the performance of the guards over the past few days proved that slave-war captives were easier to satisfy and control. Rogue cultivators were a mixed bag; in this law-of-the-jungle world, there was no telling what they might do. Not all were as loyal and honorable as Lu Baichuan. The Yang estate was still weak; if he failed to maintain control, he might well invite disaster.

He was not yet famous enough to attract wandering experts to his door, so he resolved to be cautious with any rogue recruits and continue relying on the war captives as his core strength. He could, for the right price, persuade overseers at the labor markets to give him first pick of the strongest captives—after all, those in charge were motivated by profit and cared little for whom they sold.

That afternoon, Yang Cheng entered the council hall, where all had already finished their tasks and assembled in waiting.

Seeing everyone present, Yang Cheng said, “I have called you together today to understand the current state of the Yang family, and to discuss its future direction. I hope you will all speak freely.”

Old Yang’s eyes shone with excitement. “Young master, does this mean you are determined to revive the Yang family?”

Yang Cheng nodded with a smile. Choked with emotion, Old Yang replied, “It is my honor to serve in restoring the Yang family. When I see our ancestors in the afterlife, I shall have something to be proud of.”

Daniu, Maozi, and several women from the food workshop were also visibly thrilled. That their voices were included in such crucial matters showed how much the young master valued them. Sold into the Yang family, by custom they now belonged to the house, and the young master’s usual kindness had already won their willing loyalty.

Su Yunxue, who owed Yang Cheng a great debt and managed the treasury and household affairs, naturally felt deep gratitude toward the family. She knew every detail of its operations and thus was the first to report: “Young master, we have added one hundred and three new affiliated shops across the city districts, bringing in eighty-two thousand four hundred spirit coins. Our daily income now exceeds two thousand. As for personnel, following your specifications for ‘talent,’ we have recruited several recommended by others—carpenters, blacksmiths, leatherworkers, and so on. Including the guards, we now have over two hundred people. The craftsmen have been assigned to Brother Maozi, while the rest, without specific roles, have been distributed among the various groups for now. There is no major issue with accommodations yet, but the workspace will become increasingly cramped.”

Yang Cheng nodded in understanding. Steward Yang continued, “As per your instructions, product promotion in each district has been ongoing and is steadily expanding throughout the entirety of Wu Prefecture. It is expected to be completed within two months, and we may gain numerous new affiliates, which could place a strain on supplies.” He looked toward Daniu as he finished.

Now head of the transport team, Daniu was diligent but never comfortable with words; he flushed and stammered, “I—I’ll make sure the delivery team works day and night… there won’t be any delays…”

The crowd was amused, and Yang Cheng laughed as well. “If supply falls short, it’s not necessarily your fault. With more affiliates, production itself may not keep up. We’ll need more hands all around.”