Old Master Long chuckled, "Leader Ye, thank you for stepping in for the Long family. Otherwise, we would all be puppets dancing to that person's tune."
Ye Tian replied, "Elder Long, these people present will no longer be controlled by the Long family. Of course, the Long family can take half of the wealth handed over by the Strategist."
Even half the wealth meant the Long family would still be incredibly rich, and no longer under the Strategist's control. They could all accept this.
A middle-aged man said, "Leader Ye, our Long family is also willing to join the Heavenly Alliance and become a member."
Ye Tian smiled, "Certainly." He knew very well that the Long family under the Strategist's control had left too many hidden dangers. Without the Heavenly Alliance's help, the Long family might not have been able to absorb and digest them.
Of course, Ye Tian was willing to accept the Long family because they still possessed considerable strength and influence. The Strategist had kept the Long family around precisely to leverage their reputation.
That very evening, Ye Tian contacted the few members of the Five Dragons and Nine Phoenixes who hadn't been present. Seeing that the situation was settled, they were all willing to join the Heavenly Alliance, as it brought them no harm.
Before joining the Heavenly Alliance, they had to hand over at least half of their earnings. Now, they only paid thirty percent, and their autonomy had increased. It was a win-win situation.
With the Long family's affairs concluded, Ye Tian saw everyone off and then went to the field to dig up the pearl and check on the ginseng. After a few days of growth, the five ginseng plants had undergone peculiar changes, each in a different way, gaining some medicinal properties and losing others.
He handed the five ginseng plants over to the administrator for propagation.
Returning to the courtyard, he suddenly smiled, "Grandpa Sun, when did you arrive?"
Sun Huanzhen emerged from a pavilion in the garden, having changed into slightly younger-looking clothes. "I was originally coming to Jiuhua Mountain tomorrow to have a look, and I happened to witness your conflict with the people from JiXian Pavilion. I recognized that person, and his mentor has some background, so I didn't let you kill him."
Ye Tian asked, "Grandpa Sun, didn't you say you were going to handle some matters?"
Sun Huanzhen sighed, "The matter wasn't resolved. I've come to ask for your help."
Ye Tian inquired, "What kind of help?"
Sun Huanzhen explained, "I have a dear friend who was killed over ten years ago for keeping my secret. He was in his thirties then, with a five-and-a-half-year-old daughter. I haven't visited them for the past two years. This time, I intended to retrieve something I had stored at his place and make arrangements for the mother and daughter."
Ye Tian asked, "You didn't find the item?"
Sun Huanzhen replied, "The item is easy to find; we stored it together. But the trouble now is that the girl has grown up. She's twenty-one this year and is in a relationship. It wouldn't be a problem if it were just a relationship, but I've discovered that the young man she's dating has issues."
Ye Tian pressed, "What kind of issues?"
"That young man carries a very cold aura, and a powerful spirit is controlling him."
Ye Tian frowned, "Is he possessed?"
Sun Huanzhen clarified, "It doesn't seem like possession. He seems to have absorbed some kind of evil power, which is gradually changing his personality. I'm worried about my old friend's daughter, but I can't intervene myself."
Ye Tian remarked, "I haven't even dealt with your granddaughter's situation, and now you're bringing up a friend's daughter."
Sun Huanzhen pleaded, "Besides you, who else can I ask for help? Little Ye, please bear with me and talk to her, ask her to leave that young man. I'm worried about what might happen if they continue."
Ye Tian pondered for a moment and asked, "She's in a relationship. What can I do?"
Sun Huanzhen insisted, "You'll surely find a way. This matter is entrusted to you. Once you've resolved this, I'll take you to retrieve the treasures I've kept from back then."
Ye Tian's interest was piqued, "Grandpa Sun, what have you hidden?"
Sun Huanzhen revealed, "Those items are what allowed me to embark on the path of cultivation. They were left behind by an ancient immortal. Some of the content, I couldn't decipher myself, so I sealed them away for the time being. Little Ye, you have a sharp mind; perhaps you can understand their mysteries."