When a matter that involves the fate of all cultivators in the entire family arises, it must be discussed and decided upon by the Clan Leader and all of the Elders, and then be approved by the Supreme Elder.
This is not only the rule of the Zhou Family but also that of many sects and families.
Such a rule exists to avoid massive losses inflicted on the whole family or sect due to one person's lack of thorough consideration.
If, after joint discussions, the decision still leads to significant losses for the family or sect, then the responsibility will not fall on any single person; instead, the entire decision-making layer will bear it together.
In this way, it is less likely that a Clan Leader or Sect Leader will be forced to step down because of one major decision-making error that results in substantial losses for the family or sect.
Therefore, whether it was previously discussing who to send to Yunzhou as an envoy or now deliberating on how to deal with the covert forces of the Dragon Transformation Sect infiltrating Lanzhou, Zhou Daoyi and Zhou Chun, who are the Clan Leader and the Acting Clan Leader respectively, called upon the Family Elders to a meeting for consultation right away.
At this moment, faced with the issue raised by Zhou Chun, several Zhou Family Elders furrowed their brows in deep thought.
The future and safety of the entire family are at stake; they couldn't afford to be anything but prudent.
After a long period of contemplation, the fifth Elder, Zhou Jiahe, was the first to speak, "In my opinion, this matter should not have as significant an impact on our Zhou Family as it might on other families."
"Now, outside of the Zhou Family's mountain gates, we only have two assets: one, the Red Shine Iron Mine vein, and two, the storefronts in Hongya Marketplace."
"We won't talk about the storefronts in the Marketplace for now; we can start by shipping several months' worth of inventory there to see how the situation evolves."
"As for the Red Shine Iron Mine, after years of mining, there shouldn't be much profit left. If an attack really happens, giving it up wouldn't matter."
"As long as we secure the mountain gate well, preventing the Dragon Transformation Sect's experts from infiltrating and causing destruction, and as long as we control how often Clan Members go out, we shouldn't encounter any problems!"
While the Zhou Family's Elders typically do not partake much in the management of family affairs, most of them are well aware of the general situation of the family and can come to the Central Peace Hall any time to peruse those documents and understand the state of affairs.
This not only allows them to supervise the Clan Leader but also facilitates offering suggestions and opinions during discussions.
Therefore, after Zhou Jiahe expressed her viewpoint, the other two Elders also nodded slightly, signifying their agreement.
Nevertheless, after hearing Zhou Jiahe's remarks, Zhou Chun frowned and said, "What the fifth Elder says makes sense, but our Zhou Family has few external assets yet relies heavily on the outside."
"Whether it is materials for refining various Elixirs or some special food ingredients for Demon Beasts, as well as finished Elixirs and Talismans, all have to be purchased from the outside."
"If those from the Dragon Transformation Sect really do target this aspect, the losses to the family would still be substantial!"
A significant power will not allow themselves to have weaknesses in certain areas, striving for self-sufficiency is something many large forces are working on.
But that is for those with a long heritage and vast territories to consider.
For a cultivation family like the Zhou Family, especially one that has only been rooted locally for a handful of years, self-sufficiency is essentially impossible to achieve.
Just the raw materials alone are impossible to produce in-house.
The reason why the Zhou Family still employs the Merit System is that most of the family's income goes toward acquiring resources.
The sources of these resources are also diverse, half of which are purchased from the Marketplace, and the other half come from other cultivation families and Loose Cultivators.
Some resources are delivered directly, while others require personnel to retrieve them.
That is why sealing the mountain and closing the doors is not a decision to be made lightly; it is also a significant reason.
"You make valid points, Zhengchun, but the family's savings should be able to for a few months, shouldn't they? I think we should be clear about the situation in Lanzhou in a few months' time, and the state of affairs in Yunzhou should also have changed," said Zhou Chongshan, the second Elder.
"Moreover, we won't send people out, but we also won't refuse others who come to deliver goods. Such a response should not raise any significant objections."
The one who made this argument was the second Elder, Zhou Chongshan.
Having acted as Clan Leader a few times before, he had a clearer understanding of the family's affairs than the other two newly appointed Elders present.
As one can say, Zhou Chongshan is part of the Zhou Family's conservative faction and is somewhat more cautious about certain decisions.
But as the only member of the "Chong" generation in the Zhou Family, his words carry substantial weight, and even Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi would sometimes thoroughly consider his status and face.
Therefore, the fourth Elder, Zhou Jiarui, looked to Zhou Chun and said, "Zhengchun, do you have a better suggestion? If not, I also think that the suggestions from the second and fifth Elders are good, and we could petition the Supreme Elder for a decision."
Zhou Chun indeed had some ideas.
But seeing that the Elders were nearly unanimous in their views, he didn't wish to speak up anymore.
An Acting Clan Leader is only that – acting and not yet official.
Without official confirmation, there is always the potential of losing the opportunity to become official due to a significant error.
As such, even though Zhou Chun felt the Elders' suggestions were a bit conservative, he decided for his own sake to play it safe and chose not to say anything further.