On the second floor of Flavorful Bistro, Wang Rongsheng sat in the seat of honor, delivering smooth pleasantries.
By all accounts, as a cultivator only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, he had no right to sit above the other shopkeepers, most of whom were at the late stages of Qi Refining.
However, he had the backing of the Wang Clan, and the clan's Hundred Treasures Pavilion had been doing a roaring trade lately. Now that he had expressed interest in sourcing goods from his peers, the others naturally flattered and elevated him.
Might makes right. The Wang Clan already possessed overwhelming power, and now they had a booming business to match. Naturally, Wang Rongsheng spoke with unyielding confidence.
"...I heard a couple of days ago that certain cultivators bought talismans from our Hundred Treasures Pavilion but found them clumsy to use.
I thought to myself, that's impossible. Our Wang Clan never sells our goods cheap.
Our fellow Daoists are willing to buy because they trust that our rchandise is top-tier. If there's any defect, it tarnishes the reputation of the Wang Clan.
But when I investigated, I discovered that the person spreading these rumors was secretly moonlighting as a rogue cultivator.
Fellow Daoist Gao Jian helped uncover the truth. It turns out they were rely hired hands acting on soone else's behalf.
As for who hired them, I've managed to find that out as well."
Wang Rongsheng's gaze slowly swept across the faces of the grand shopkeepers at the table, striking terror into the hearts of several n.
Good, very good. You invited us here to discuss cooperation, yet you start by killing a chicken to warn the monkeys.
As expected of the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom. They play a ruthless ga.
Che Zengye had a guilty conscience, but as a seasoned old fox, he naturally refused to show any vulnerability.
You claim to have found out—I don't believe you.
The Che family always dealt with rogue cultivators in absolute secrecy. They could never have known we were behind it.
Che Zengye made the judgnt that Wang Rongsheng was rely bluffing!
"Originally, I intended to report this directly to the Town Guardian Cultivator for handling, but our Patriarch stopped .
The Patriarch said the prosperity of Clear Stream Market relies on everyone's collective efforts. Internal strife serves no one.
Our Hundred Treasures Pavilion's business is too good, so it's only natural to draw envy. To be free from envy is to be a diocre talent, after all."
It sounded as though the Wang Clan intended to drop the matter and pursue it no further.
Wang Rongsheng's sudden ntion of it today seed to be nothing more than a warning.
But as he spoke, his head snapped around, his eyes locking onto Che Zengye as he barked loudly.
"Boss Che, don't you think our Patriarch is right!"
This sudden strike terrified Che Zengye so much that his entire body trembled, his face turning deathly pale in an instant.
Seeing Che Zengye look so utterly pathetic, the other guests at the table were dumbfounded.
The Wang Clan really found out?
How could the Che family have botched the job so badly?
Wang Rongsheng stood up, glaring coldly at the shivering Che Zengye.
"If your Che family pays two thousand spirit stones as an apology, the Wang Clan will drop the matter.
Otherwise, the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom will personally strike and tear down your family estate.
Everyone who needs to know already knows that Patriarch Mangxiang is about to attain the Golden Core realm.
Fellow Daoist Che, I advise your family to think things through quickly.
Give an account within ten days!"
The Patriarch had refused to report this to the Town Guardian Cultivator for a very simple reason: if the Town Guardian Cultivator stuffed his pockets, the Wang Clan wouldn't get a single bite!
Rather than resolving the issue through the system of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, it was better to take matters into their own hands.
Having paid so many tributes to Patriarch Mangxiang, the Wang Clan had every right to use his terrifying reputation to back themselves up in small-scale disputes.
Wiping the unstoppable cold sweat from his forehead, Che Zengye forced a faint smile and feigned ignorance.
"Daoist Rongsheng, our Che family has never done anything like colluding with rogue cultivators. Could you have made a mistake?"
Wang Rongsheng smiled, too lazy to explain.
"Scram back and prepare the spirit stones!"
Only then did Che Zengye realize that the Wang Clan had truly uncovered the absolute truth.
He and the Che clan Patriarch, Che Zengshu, had made things far too simple. They thought throwing mud was just a tactic, and at most, colluding with rogue cultivators would just be a minor headache.
But in front of the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom, the mont you dared to hand them a weapon to use against you, they had every right to weigh the price of your life!
Che Zengye fled in a miserable panic. The Che family had to scramble to gather two thousand spirit stones as quickly as possible, otherwise the Wang Clan might truly raze their ancestral grounds.
Now that the chicken had been slaughtered, Wang Rongsheng turned his gaze back to the rest of the monkeys.
"Now, my fellow Daoists, we can discuss the details of our wholesale orders."
——
After seeing Gao Jian off, Wang Rongsheng shook his head and cautioned Yulou.
"He is a venomous snake. When dealing with his kind, you must maintain clear boundaries. You cannot let the snake's enemies think you share any special relationship with him."
The reason they could easily discover that the Che family was playing dirty was naturally inseparable from the assistance of the Clearbrook Market Security Patrol. Since Gao Jian had put in the effort, the Wang Clan naturally had to show their gratitude.
"Yulou understands. It's just that people like Gao Jian are difficult to offend. Petty characters are the hardest to deal with," Yulou said with a wry smile.
Mu Yingxi was incredibly easy to talk to, and though Mu Chunze's greed was unsightly, he still kept up appearances on the surface.
Gao Jian was different. This mad dog wore his hysteria on his sleeve and had run rampant in Clear Stream Market for decades.
"He is indeed troubleso. The fact that no one has managed to assassinate him after all these years ans it can't just be good luck.
Regardless, the fighting between Miaofeng Mountain and the Valley Spirit Sect is intense, and the prices of various talismans have risen by a small margin.
Yulou, you must adjust the retail prices of the goods in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in a tily manner. We cannot afford to lose out!"
After Hidden Dragon Market was overrun, the Valley Spirit Sect had effectively delivered a vicious slap to Miaofeng Mountain's face, leaving the faces of Miaofeng Mountain's Purple Palace experts thoroughly red and swollen.
You wanted a cut, yet you squeezed your sect disciples so hard they changed lineages one after another.
Now you've been slapped in the face, and you can't even fight back!
With the Immortal Alliance laws hanging overhead, no Purple Palace cultivator could easily intervene. The mont they struck, they would be targeted.
Once targeted by the Immortal Alliance, a cultivator would have to bleed imnse wealth at the very least, and those who went too far would be imprisoned directly in the Immortal Suppressing Pass.
Below the Purple Palace, Foundation Establishnt cultivators could engage in magical combat, but if soone died, a life must pay for a life—an exact eye-for-an-eye retaliation.
No matter how high your cultivation base was, as long as you weren't a Golden Core master, the Immortal Alliance would never allow any cultivator to easily disrupt the stability and grand strategy of the Wunan Basin's cultivation world!
Therefore, even though the Valley Spirit Sect and Miaofeng Mountain were about to beat each other's brains out, their spiritual duels were strictly confined to the Qi Refining stage.
In a sense, the sky was falling, yet the actual scale of combat remained restrained.
Up until now, not a single Foundation Establishnt cultivator had dared to make a move. It was entirely the Qi Refining cultivators grinding each other down.
The only impact this war had on Clear Stream Market was that the prices of talismans, Dharma treasures, and various other goods had shot up by a small margin overnight.
Miaofeng Mountain had posted rewards: any rogue cultivator who could help Miaofeng Mountain kill a Valley Spirit Sect cultivator could exchange their military rit for any technique, treasure, talisman, or spiritual elixir below the Purple Palace realm within Miaofeng Mountain.
As a result, rogue cultivators began spending their resources, seeking to boost their power to grasp opportunities in the war.
"Did the two sides fight like this back when Hidden Dragon Market changed hands in the past?" Yulou asked.
Wang Rongsheng used to operate in Hidden Dragon Market. Hearing Yulou's question, he spoke with deep aning.
"More than three hundred years ago, the sect across the Hidden Dragon River was Huishan Prefecture. Later, Huishan Prefecture was crushed by Miaofeng Mountain.
The Valley Spirit Sect was jointly established by the Ning Clan, the direct lineage of Huishan Prefecture, and the Gushen Clan, a grand Purple Palace family under the Sky Serpent Sect. They actually share a blood feud with Miaofeng Mountain.
When a blood feud like this erupts, it's hard to say when it will ever end."
Seeing Yulou fall silent, Wang Rongsheng found it sowhat strange.
"What's wrong? Why are you quiet? Are you worried?"
Yulou smiled and explained.
"No, the Patriarch previously intended to have Yu'an join Miaofeng Mountain after he achieved Qi Refining.
Looking at it now, I'm afraid Yu'an won't be able to go to Miaofeng Mountain anymore."
Thrown off by Yulou's train of thought, Wang Rongsheng burst into laughter.
"You boys have great aptitude and have the chance to join a sect. When I was young... haha, let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it.
I'm going back to cultivate. Yulou, I leave the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to you. The Patriarch truly chose the right person.
But the current situation is complex. You must not grow arrogant. If you encounter difficult or major matters, do not make decisions alone. Discuss them with first."
——
In the evening, during the second quarter of the dog hour, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion finally shut its doors after a long day of business.
Yu'an slumped heavily into a chair, complaining exhaustedly.
"Brother, isn't our main focus supposed to be cultivation right now? We can just leave the matters of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to the shop assistants.
With Bailu keeping an eye on things, you'll know imdiately if anything goes wrong. Why do you have to bring here to stand guard every single day?"
The boy was actually bringing this suffering upon himself.
As Yulou's younger brother, he possessed a stubborn streak that refused to admit defeat. Whatever Yulou did, he would copy.
But Yulou didn't sleep until near the end of the pig hour, and rose before the rabbit hour, spending the first three hours of the day cultivating.
In the morning, he went to Forge Peak Residence to learn the craft from Hongi, and in the afternoon, he minded the shop at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. Even upon returning at night, he wouldn't rest, spending another three hours cultivating.
Yulou's routine was like an unrelenting, non-stop machine. Yu'an simply couldn't handle that level of intensity.
"Haha, you make it sound easy.
Co on, let's head back together.
Bailu, you've worked hard too. Tomorrow I'll give you a day off to get so proper rest."
Bailu was startled by Yulou's words. She explained in a panic.
"Ah, Young Master Yulou, I'm not tired! This is all what I should do. No need for rest, really, no need!"
Ever since Yulou snatched her away from Tang Nianqiu, Bailu had received spirit stones for the first ti at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
To her, working at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion was absolutely wonderful—she actually got paid wages!
Therefore, she didn't feel tired at all. When Yulou told her to rest, she instead worried that she was being rejected for being incompetent.
"If she's not resting, then I, Wang Yu'an, won't rest either!"
Stubborn people were just like this. With a gentle nudge using Bailu, Yulou easily guided him straight back onto the path of endless grinding.
Returning to Fortune Source Residence, Yulou was surprised to find Tang Nianqiu sitting behind the counter in the main hall, apparently balancing the ledgers.
Seeing them walk in, Tang Nianqiu looked up and said.
"Still so late. Yulou, don't push yourself too hard."
Wang Yulou watched as Yu'an slipped into the backyard without looking back, then turned to Tang Nianqiu, speaking with an intentional air of passion.
"As sons of the Wang Clan, it is naturally our duty to revitalize the family business. I am not tired.
Uncle Nianqiu, however, there is one thing I would like to ask of you."
Tang Nianqiu's expression remained unchanged. He subtly glanced past Yulou at Bailu, who kept her head down staring at the floor tiles, already understanding everything.
"Oh? What is it? We are all family here. Your uncle will certainly do his best to help you."
Yulou turned slightly, pulling the nervous Bailu forward as he explained.
"Bailu is excellent material to be a chief assistant. I want to borrow her to work at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion for a few years to train her well. In the future, she might even have a chance to advance to Qi Refining."
Tang Nianqiu shook his head inwardly, but his face was filled with continuous nods.
"Haha, great! It's a good thing, a wonderful thing, that my goddaughter has caught your eye."
Having resolved the matter of Bailu's employnt, Yulou was in high spirits. After chatting with Tang Nianqiu for a few more monts, he went back to cultivate.
For a long ti, the main hall of Fortune Source Residence remained empty and silent. Bailu showed no intention of coming back to explain herself.
Behind the counter, Tang Nianqiu let out a cold snort and slamd the ledger down heavily.
"An ungrateful wretch with a cold heart. The Wang Clan is like this, and even the daughter I raised turns out the sa!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers