Sage nodded, “That’s right. If I fail again, I don’t want any of you caught up in it again. We shall be tied together only in that we are both shareholders of the Prosperity Company,” he paused and smiled at the upset look on the Tiankong Sibling’s faces, “I know. You hate it, but this is how it has to be. If you don’t like it, then you just have to get so strong that nobody would even dare to harm one of your friends. Got it? You can’t let King down.”

Ruanfu already had a burning look in her eyes before Sage even spoke, so he just wished to share that same passion to the others. The strongest, wisest, and the future leaders of the Tiankong Clan should all share the same dream.

“You have to hold up the sky for them until they can get strong enough to help you, Ruanfu. You’re strong enough now to keep them safe, just so long as you all stay away from me. Understand?”

Ruanfu laughed and dragged a fingernail across the table. Her nail carved into the thick hardwood like it was soft wax, creating a thick wood shaving that curled up and fell onto the tabletop, “Hah! Those are quite the words coming from you! You just crawled your ass back out of a grave and now you’re acting all noble? Psh. A few years from now when the Tiankong Clan is feared throughout the whole Kingdom you’ll be begging at our doorstep for our protection.”

Sage stood up from his seat. Very slowly he bowed to Ruanfu who sat across the table from him. Then he gave her a salute, a fist clasped within his other hand, and returned to his seat.

After a moment of silence, Wan Ling cleared her throat, “Ahem, as I was saying. With three official representatives here, we will be announcing a few changes. The Prosperity Company’s shares are being redistributed. Lang Sheng and myself currently hold the greatest part of ownership and have decided on a new ownership split.”

She handed out a few documents that were filled with a bit of legal terms, which was in fact far less extreme than what Sage was used to on Earth. In the past, Wan Ling and Sage both had 10% ownership, while their friends from the Holy Flame Sect had 5% each. With the six of them, they had only distributed 40% ownership and left the remaining 60% to figure out later. Wan Ling had been running around lately to get this sorted out for all the parties involved. The changes were simple enough, four parties were brought on board and each given 10% ownership.

The Lang Clan, Tiankong Clan, Thousand Treasures, and the Holy Flame Sect were all made into equal owners. Additionally, Wan Ling and Sage split the remainder, giving them both 20% each. Once they were married, they would hold 40% ownership, and with the Lang Clan and Tiankong Clan on their side, they would easily hold a majority. Including the Lang Clan and Tiankong Clan was a way to provide income for their people, while also making a common ground for the interaction of future generations. Thousand Treasures and the Holy Flame Sect were their backers in two Kingdoms. Not only was it a reward for their friendship, but a future guarantor. With their own interests at stake, they would work that little bit harder to help them succeed.

One of King’s Wives did not like what she saw. They had considered themselves to all be part of the same big happy family, but now they were being told that they only got a tenth? She narrowed her eyes and glared at Wan Ling, “So, you had our whole clan running back and forth, doing so much work for you for more than a decade and now that the hard work is done you want to cut us out with only a paltry tenth share?”

“This isn’t a tenth share of the profits. This is only a tenth of ownership. The majority of profits after wages, transportation, and production costs are reinvested on improving our manufacturing capabilities and expanding our operation area.”

The woman’s eyes bugged out and she started to stand up, but then Tujiu’s big hand came down on her shoulder, “Calm yourself, Aunty. Everytime we helped the Prosperity Company we were paid fair wages. We didn’t lose out.”

Baozhai scooted over and put an arm around the woman’s shoulders, “That’s right. You have to look at the big picture. Miss Wan has been teaching us all how to start our own businesses and she promised the Prosperity Company would offer them contracts.”

With the lone dissenting voice calmed, the rest of the meeting was merely formalities that Wan Ling was enough of a stickler to fulfill to a T. With that, the meeting was completed, and Sage’s two objectives completed. He valued his friends too much to pull them into danger beside himself. He was the one that made a promise to the Lang Clan Ancestor, so it was him that should face the danger. He also realized how much of a hypocrite he was being, given that he had a world full of people whose lives literally depended on his own. If he died, the whole planet would be destroyed, or at the very least undergo a great calamity. He really had no idea what would happen to it, he only knew that it would not be good.

Is this what deities feel like? You cannot let yourself become attached or you’ll never be able to do what needs to be done. How could I ever face danger if I think about how many lives ride on my own? Should I just lock myself up in a box? What happens if a meteor falls from the sky or the earth opens up and I’m crushed. Whose fault is it then?

If he couldn’t divorce himself from the mental burden of the situation, he could easily collapse under its weight. He had to fool himself into treating them like the other thousands of mortals that lived in this world. A careless battle fought in a city could destroy whole blocks, and hundreds or thousands could become collateral damage. They were just too weak in comparison to Cultivators that they were helpless to resist. Even so, they were all humans. They were all related, however distantly. Any one of those humans might one day also become a cultivator. Those with morals wouldn’t kill needlessly and harm the future of their species. Those without morals were fearful that if they harmed mortals, one of them would remember and rise up, coming for them years later. It had happened many times in the past. Lone heroes getting revenge for something the perpetrator didn’t even remember doing.

For Cultivators, it became a rule. Harm no mortals, or pull them up by the roots. Completely obliterating everyone with any relation was easier said than done. All it took was one child, one friend, one distant relative, or even one compassionate witness.

As Sage traveled through the wilderness, he couldn’t help but ponder over these things. He wasn’t traveling as a giant spider this time, as he was no longer in a hurry and also not wanting to draw attention. Instead, he was riding within a Warp Worm. For a time he had thought to head directly back to Lionheart Town to reclaim it and punish those who had wronged him, but he realized his own folly.

Last time, he had thought his preparations were strong enough that he could hold a small town and deter his enemies. Unfortunately, he greatly underestimated his allure. He could only guess that his use of Seals, his connection to Guan Zhenyan, or more likely a combination of both, had turned him into a hot property. Now that he knew he wasn’t just disliked, but an active target for some hidden powers, he decided to change tactics. Since these groups hated him enough to gather an army to seek his head, then they could only blame themselves for the retribution they faced.

Holding a defensive position gave a great advantage over an attacking force, but there was something even more effective than holding a defensive position. Having no position. If there was no fort to besiege or position to assault, where would the enemy turn its hatred? Sage carried not just an army but a whole world within him. Not only could his forces appear from anywhere, they would also never run out of supplies or be run ragged from overexertion. As long as he could get somewhere, his whole army would be with him.

They tried to kill me. That was a very bad decision.