Chapter 19

The atmosphere in the conference room became increasingly oppressive.

The seven elders remained silent for more than three minutes, until finally, Brother Five, Zhu Rongguo, broke the stifling silence: "The domestic demand for phosphate fertilizer has always been high, but the supply chain for phosphate rock is becoming increasingly tight. If things continue like this, the production base in Nanhu Province will soon run out of raw materials..."

After a pause, Zhu Rongguo continued: "We can't rely on the major phosphate mines in the country... But last month, I contacted a large phosphate mine in South Africa. The person I sent there brought back an interesting piece of information: the mine owner's wife has a strange illness that sounds a lot like what we call being possessed, but it's not a typical case..."

After calmly explaining the situation with the South African supplier, Zhu Rongguo concluded: "If we can find a way to cure her strange illness, we might be able to persuade him to supply our Nanhu factory with sufficient phosphate rock through our overseas trading company, thus solving our urgent raw material shortage..."

Zhu Rongguo, who was in charge of the chemical industry for Yuanbang Group, spoke first. Brother Two, Zhu Rongqiang, quickly added: "I am currently negotiating with a European biotech company for a patent transfer, but there hasn't been much progress. If we can secure this patent, it will significantly boost our pharmaceutical division..."

Thus, the other few, each responsible for different industries, also raised their own pressing issues, all of which were quite specific. These problems were unlikely to be resolved through normal business negotiations, and the other parties generally had their own difficulties...

The six brothers, excluding the eldest, Zhu Rongkang, discussed various issues, quickly listing no fewer than fifteen problems related to metaphysics.

However, after the heated discussion, the eldest brother, Zhu Rongkang, laughed bitterly to himself and said: "Six years ago, we paid a large sum to hire a high-ranking Daoist priest from Xijiang Longhu Mountain to assist us, but we only got three bidding quotas... Not to mention the top families like the Meng and Ye families in the capital, it's rumored that even the Wang family in Behe Province has hired a fourth-rank feng shui master this year..."

Zhu Rongkang's words left the other brothers speechless.

Indeed... If the Zhu family cannot find a powerful metaphysical expert this year, according to past traditions, they will likely get no more than three bidding opportunities!

Whether this rule has been in place from the beginning or was added later, at the Longmengze Auction, the number of times each participant can bid is determined before the competition begins.

For example, if there are sixty treasures formally displayed at the auction, there will be sixty bidding opportunities. The so-called bidding quota is the number of times a participant can formally bid, which is only three! This means that even if the Zhu family wins every bid, they can only obtain three out of the sixty treasures!

During the auction six years ago, the Zhu family participated in three bids but failed all of them because the high-ranking Daoist priest they hired didn't bring anything that the sellers found valuable.

In the end, they only managed to acquire about twenty so-called spiritual treasures through informal transactions, but after appraisal, nearly half of them turned out to be useless items.

The Longmengze Auction is not only a battlefield for merchants but also a test of one's discernment and knowledge.

The organizers are only responsible for the formal bidding items, and they do not take responsibility for the items traded in the informal transactions.

In short, during the entire auction, having a high-ranking metaphysical expert by your side largely determines whether you can truly benefit from the auction!

After a long silence, Brother Three, Zhu Rongyuan, spoke up: "I don't want to repeat the mistake we made six years ago... The conference this year is scheduled for the third of next month. If we can't find someone who is truly willing to help us by the second, I think we shouldn't bother attending this year..."

Metaphysical experts of the third rank and below can be hired with money, but even if you pay them, they may not genuinely help you.

Like the high-ranking Daoist priest the Zhu family hired six years ago, he was lazy and even suspected of colluding with others to cheat the family during the informal transactions.

Without evidence, you can't confront him, or you'll just invite trouble.

As for experts of the fourth rank and above... they are not at a level where money can solve everything.

They have people lining up to give them money just by opening their mouths. Why would they need to please you?

Ultimately, the Zhu family's foundation is still shallow, and true metaphysical experts haven't taken them seriously!

Seeing that the situation was clearly explained, Brother Four, Zhu Rongbing, exchanged a glance with the eldest brother, Zhu Rongkang, and then cleared his throat before saying: "Last night, Hongyi couldn't reach Brother Seven, so he called me. I'll give a brief summary of the situation..."

The events that occurred at the factory in Zhenglong County, Luodian City, Nanhu Province, were detailed by Zhu Rongbing.

Soon, the handwritten report that Zhu Hongyi had sent overnight from Nanhu Province was taken out by Zhu Rongbing and placed on the table for everyone to read.

After a moment of silence, Zhu Rongbing continued: "Brother One and I hardly slept all night. We believe that this young man might be an opportunity for our Zhu family..."

"Is the content of this report true?" The last person to read the report, Zhu Rongtao, seemed shocked and interrupted Zhu Rongbing. "Could it be a mistake in the dark?"

"Do you not know your own son's character?" Zhu Rongbing shot a glance at Zhu Rongtao and said, "Hongyi is always steady and meticulous. He wouldn't speak without being sure."

"But according to what he wrote... this young man must be at least a fourth-rank Daoist expert!" Zhu Rongtao muttered. "Such a young fourth-rank true cultivator should already be famous... why have I never heard of such a person in the metaphysical world?"

"We speculate that he might be a disciple of a secluded sect," Zhu Rongkang said. "Or perhaps a disciple of a hermit... but he is clearly an assistant invited by the old Daoist Yuqing. Later, Hongyi also recalled that the car the young man was driving had a license plate from Jinzhou City, Nanhu Province."

"Why not have someone check the license plate to find him?"

"We've already sent someone to check, but it's still too early. We should have the results by around eight or nine o'clock..." Zhu Rongkang said seriously. "So my suggestion is that one of us should go in person to show our sincerity. Otherwise, if the young man gets offended, it could be difficult to resolve..."

"Agreed," the brothers nodded in unison.

"Who should go?" Zhu Rongkang spread his hands. "I have to visit the Chinese Academy of Sciences today. I've already made an appointment with Academician Chen, so I can't cancel..."

"I have to sign a contract with Smet Company..."

"I have seven commitments today that I can't back out of..."

"I also have a lot of things to do recently and can't spare the time..."

"..."

The seven brothers looked at each other, and finally, Brother Two, Zhu Rongqiang, laughed bitterly and stood up. "It seems I'm the only one with not too many things to do... I'll go."

"Thank you, Brother Two..." Zhu Rongtao smiled. "If it's convenient, could you visit Hongyi for me? It's rare for an elder to show concern for a junior. I haven't seen him in almost half a year."

Zhu Rongqiang sighed. "If I were Hongyi, I'd hide in Nanhu forever and never come home! Opening the door to see a young girl who is younger than me but of a higher generation..."

"..." Zhu Rongtao was almost speechless. "Why do you always target me?!"

"Alright, alright... I won't say more. You can't change your ways, and it's a pity for Hongyi. If I remember correctly, Hongyi's wife is older than your mistress, right?" Zhu Rongqiang chuckled. "Don't get upset... I'm just stating the facts. We shouldn't delay. I'll leave now... you guys keep talking..."

With that, he left.

"You..." Zhu Rongtao was almost choked with anger.