Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?!-Chapter 44: Clan Meeting [1]

Next morning:

The Phoenix Soul Pavilion buzzed with tension and hushed murmurs.

Servants moved briskly through the halls, while a low hum of voices echoed from the meeting chamber.

"Is it completely gone?" Elder Yin asked in a low voice, glancing around the room.

Elder Sun shook his head, his brows furrowed. "Not entirely. The main structure’s lost, but it didn’t spread to the other warehouse."

"How?" Elder Ra leaned in, voice tight. "That fire was massive."

"Elder Jingyi," Elder Sun replied, his tone lightening just a bit.

"She got there just in time. Snuffed it out before it reached the second building."

"You’re telling me she stopped it alone?" Elder Yin blinked.

"With her usual flair," Elder Chen added dryly.

"Phew... That’s a relief," muttered Elder Yin. "If both had gone up, we’d be counting spirit herbs by the ashes."

"Let’s just be glad she likes making dramatic entrances," Elder Chen chuckled under his breath.

Then, the sliding doors opened with a faint creak.

Fang Yuan stepped in and the room fell silent at once.

Every elder present rose to their feet.

Even Fang Mei had a seat among the elders this time.

Her posture was calm, hands folded neatly in her lap, but a faint glimmer of excitement sparked in her eyes as Fang Yuan entered.

Beside her sat Fang Chen, his wide grin impossible to miss. The old man looked as if he had swallowed a sunbeam.

Every now and then, his fingers reached out to pinch Fang Mei’s arm, earning a subtle glare from the girl.

But he didn’t stop.

He simply chuckled each time, as if reassuring himself that she was really there, that this moment wasn’t a dream.

Fang Yuan couldn’t help but smile faintly.

Adopted or not, Fang Mei was truly loved like a daughter by his uncle.

He reached the head seat of the chamber and gave a small nod.

"Sit."

The elders obeyed, settling back into their places. The rustle of robes and the creak of old wood followed.

And just like that, the meeting began. freewebnøvel_com

And with it, the first formal report came from Elder Jingyi.

Of all the elders, she was often the most animated but at times like this, you could expect her to be calm, composed and almost stately.

She stepped forward and bowed lightly.

"Patriarch Yuan," she began, her tone measured, "last night, one of our warehouses burned down."

Fang Yuan nodded slowly, motioning for her to continue. His face remained placid, though inwardly he braced himself.

Elder Jingyi continued, "The fire consumed a significant portion of our spirit herb stores. As you know, this has heavily impacted our alchemy division’s production capacity."

She swept her gaze across the room. "We request aid—both in rapidly replenishing ingredients and in relocating the storage facility to the inner pavilion, where formations can better protect it."

A quiet murmur passed through the elders. The alchemy branch wasn’t just important, it was their greatest source of wealth.

And now...

Fang Yuan’s inner thoughts were screaming.

The finances are tanking. Our earnings—collapsing! How terrible!

Outwardly, however, he maintained a composed, thoughtful expression.

Why was no one else panicking?

He glanced subtly at the other elders, none of them looked particularly shaken.

Fang Chen stood up once Elder Jingyi returned to her seat.

After greeting Fang Yuan with a respectful nod, he began, "While overseeing the spirit pond in the eastern ravine, we’ve had some breakthroughs."

That caught everyone’s attention.

"We’ve collected a substantial quantity of spirit stones this month," he continued, voice rising slightly in pride.

"The pond’s output has stabilized, and with the new formation enhancements, we estimate monthly earnings of—"

He paused for effect.

"—ten thousand spirit stones. All high-grade."

The room froze.

Even Fang Yuan blinked.

"Ten thousand?"

Fang Yuan’s mind reeled.

A spirit pond of their size, on its best day should’ve brought in seven thousand.

Eight, if the heavens were feeling generous.

And that alone would’ve been more than enough.

More than enough for the family.

More than enough to fund expansions, arm the guards, stock the alchemy labs, and still have coins to throw at auctions in Coldwind City.

But ten thousand?

High-grade spirit stones, no less?

The room had gone still.

Every elder’s breath seemed to catch in their throat. Eyes widened. Lips parted in silent awe.

Fang Yuan leaned back slowly, trying to maintain a neutral expression.

But inwardly?

His thoughts were screaming again.

We’re rich. We’re saved. Thank heavens!

The elders exchanged glances of barely-concealed awe.

Fang Chen added, "We request another squad of elders to aid in guarding the perimeter. Strangers have been seen in the surrounding forests."

Fang Yuan nodded, relief mixing with pride. "Very well. Approved."

His eyes swept the chamber, lingering on the seated elders.

"Elder Chen. Elder Sun. Elder Yin. Elder Jingyi. Elder Ra. Elder Joshua. Elder Long. Elder Mei..."

He frowned slightly. "There’s only eight of you?"

The elders scratched their heads or looked away, their silence vaguely sheepish.

Fang Yuan sighed and reached into his sleeve.

With a soft clack, he placed a small ornate box on the table and opened it, revealing ten gleaming pill jades.

He flicked one into the air.

"Come and claim a pill jade," he said calmly. "Each contains six Qi Transformation Pills."

The room stilled.

Even the air felt heavier.

Even one pill jade like this could buy a small estate in Coldwind City—six?

That was enough to tempt even a Golden Core cultivator.

Fang Chen squinted. "...Where did you get these, Nephew?"

Fang Yuan casually waved his hand. "That old gift box from the Divine Ice Sect. You remember the one, right? The one with the formation flags."

Fang Chen fell silent.

First the formation flags. Now rare pills?

He rubbed his chin, brow creased. Is the Divine Ice Sect fattening us up for something?

But he said nothing more and stood.

Fang Yuan smiled faintly. What a convenient scapegoat. Divine Ice Sect here, Crown Prince there... I could hide a whole fortune under those excuses.

Without another word, he stepped forward and began distributing the pill jades personally.

One by one, he called their names.

"Elder Chen."

"Elder Jingyi."

"Elder Long."

Each elder stepped up with reverent hands, accepting their jade as if gifted a piece of the heavens.

For all his calm, Fang Yuan chuckled inwardly.

Nothing motivates elders like spirit stones... except, maybe, high-grade pills.

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