Otherwise, how could there have been such a coincidence? Although stories of eminent figures hiding in the market were common, after all, they were just stories and rare ones. "Yuanshan, you just said that you presented a gift to that Sword Cultivator, how much was it worth in Spirit Stones?" At this moment, Patriarch Yu Jinyang turned to Ancestor Yu and spoke. Upon hearing these words, Lu Yuanzhong, Bai Family Ancestor, and Zheng Family Ancestor all felt a pang in their hearts. "Ancestor, a total of thirty thousand Spirit Stones." "Given the situation at the time, how could I dare to give less? Thus, I brought out all the Spirit Stones I could, along with all the stock from the store." Yu Yuanshan said with a bitter smile. He then looked at the three family ancestors: "Regarding the gift, I can provide a detailed list and swear on my Heart Demon that there has been absolutely no deceit." Thirty thousand Spirit Stones was not a small amount, he merely intended for it to be split equally among the four families. He wouldn’t risk making enemies of the three families for the sake of extorting Spirit Stones. "Fellow Taoists, as our four families jointly manage the Marketplace, this matter of the Spirit Stones surely shouldn’t fall on my Yu Family alone, should it?" Patriarch Yu Jinyang looked at the three family ancestors and made himself heard. His tone carried an almost undeniable assertiveness. "That’s only right; we can share the cost of these Spirit Stones across our four families." Upon hearing this, Zheng Family Ancestor immediately voiced his agreement. However, his face betrayed a look of pain. Although splitting thirty thousand Spirit Stones would mean only seven thousand five hundred per family. Even seven thousand five hundred Spirit Stones wasn’t a small sum. While family income was higher than that of ordinary Loose Cultivators, so too were expenses greater. "Patriarch Yu Jinyang, the Robber Cultivators’ raid on the Marketplace is likely greatly related to Loose Cultivator Zhao Feng’s pursuit of Foundation Establishment." "Initially, it was your Yu Family who overruled all objections, allowing this Zhao Feng to attempt Foundation Establishment within the Marketplace. Had that not been the case, perhaps there would have been no incident tonight." Lu Yuanzhong spoke up. He believed that Yu Yuanshan wouldn’t resort to extorting Spirit Stones in this matter. But tonight, not only was the Marketplace impacted, their families’ stores and businesses also suffered losses. And now, to take out such a large sum of Spirit Stones, naturally, he was reluctant. "Indeed, it was your Yu Family’s decision to allow Zhao Feng to undertake his Foundation Establishment within the Marketplace, which led to the troubles we faced tonight." "Tonight, our families have already suffered great losses. Later, we will also need to soothe and compensate the merchants who set up shop here; I believe it is not proper to share this expense of the Spirit Stones now." "I think that the Yu Family should bear the brunt of the cost of these Spirit Stones as well as the compensation for the merchants." Bai Family Ancestor also spoke. "The raid on the Marketplace tonight might not necessarily have been due to the Foundation Establishment attempt." "So many Robber Cultivators, they obviously came prepared." Yu Yuanshan said, expressing his opinion. Immediately, a debate began between the two sides. Confronted with this situation, Zheng Family Ancestor chose to remain silent. If possible, he naturally also didn’t want to share the cost of these Spirit Stones. Only, his Zheng Family was not in a good situation and was thinking of appeasing the Yu Family. "The matter of Zhao Feng was indeed proposed by me, but also agreed upon by all of you." "Therefore, it’s impossible for my Yu Family to bear the full cost of the Spirit Stones and compensation." "Let’s do this: my Yu Family will cover fifty percent of these thirty thousand Spirit Stones, and the remaining fifty percent will be shared among your three families." "As for the losses in the Marketplace and the merchants’ settlements, we will discuss that when we have a detailed list, how about that?" At this point, Patriarch Yu Jinyang spoke in a deep tone. "I have no objections." Zheng Family Ancestor immediately said. If the three families were to share fifty percent, it would mean five thousand Spirit Stones per family. That was over two thousand less per family, a significant saving. "Agreed." Lu Yuanzhong and Bai Family Ancestor exchanged glances, nodded their heads, and decided to take the offer while it was good. After all, with the current situation, it was already not bad for the Yu Family to be willing to make a concession. After the negotiation concluded, Lu Yuanzhong, Bai Family Ancestor, and Zheng Family Ancestor left to check on their respective family stores and personnel. Meanwhile, Yu Yuanshan was somewhat unwilling to accept the outcome as he looked at his own ancestor. "Ancestor, why should we make such concessions?" "Even if we didn’t, what could Lu Yuanzhong, Bai Tongyun possibly say?" Yu Yuanshan spoke out. In his view, as long as their family didn’t give in or make concessions, the Lu Family and Bai Family would have to accept the expenses of the Spirit Stones. After all, this concession meant an extra expenditure of seven thousand five hundred Spirit Stones. Their Yu Family had already emptied their coffers last year to purchase the Foundation Establishment Elixir and had been living frugally ever since. This significant expenditure was like adding frost to snow for an already not-wealthy family. "At present, there is no need for our four families to create an unnecessary rift over these Spirit Stones." "Old Ghost Zheng may be active in his stance, but he is also reluctant to part with these Spirit Stones; hence, it is not an issue to step back." "Now that Ning Hu has successfully established his foundation, our Yu Family has three Foundation Establishment cultivators. If we slowly accumulate our strength, they will have to spit back everything they have swallowed, sooner or later." Patriarch Yu Jinyang waved his hand and said firmly.