Chapter 58: You Let Them Plunder, Now You Got Slapped in the Face and Can't Even Strike Back! |
At Flavorful Bistro, Wang Rongsheng sat in the seat of honor on the second floor, exchanging pleasantries.
Logically speaking, since he was only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, he had no right to sit at the head of the table among a group of shopkeepers who were mostly at high-tier Qi Refining.
However, he had the Wang Clan backing him. With the recent booming success of Hundred Treasures Pavilion, and his newfound interest in ordering goods from his peers, the others naturally fawned over him.
Strength was the ultimate truth. Backed by the Wang Clan's power and their thriving business, Wang Rongsheng naturally sat a little taller.
"I heard a couple of days ago that some cultivators bought talismans at Hundred Treasures Pavilion, only to find them unwieldy to use.
"I thought to myself, that can't be right. When the Wang Clan does business, we never sell our goods on the cheap.
"Fellow Daoists are willing to buy because they trust our goods. If there were any flaws, it would damage the Wang Clan's reputation.
"But when I investigated further, I discovered that the people spreading these rumors were secretly operating as rogue cultivators.
"Fellow Daoist Gao Jian helped me uncover the truth. As it turns out, they were acting on someone else's behalf.
Wang Rongsheng's gaze slowly swept across the faces of the chief shopkeepers at the banquet, striking fear into several of them.
Well played. He had invited them here to discuss cooperation, only to make an example of someone first.
Truly worthy of the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom. They were ruthless.
Che Zengye had a guilty conscience, but as a seasoned and slick operator, he naturally wouldn't show any weakness.
'You say you've found out—I don't believe you.'
The Che family and the rogue cultivators traded in secret. They could never have known the Che family was behind it.
Che Zengye's judgment was that Wang Rongsheng was bluffing!
"Originally, I wanted to report this directly to the Town Guardian Cultivator to handle, but the Patriarch stopped me.
"The Patriarch said that the prosperity of Clear Stream Market relies on everyone's joint efforts, and infighting does no one any good.
"Our Hundred Treasures Pavilion's business is too good, so it's normal to attract jealousy. Only the mediocre avoid envy."
It sounded as if the Wang Clan intended to let the matter go and pursue it no further.
Wang Rongsheng bringing this up today seemed to be merely a warning.
But as he spoke, he suddenly turned to glare at Che Zengye and shouted.
"Boss Che, is our Patriarch right or not?!"
This sudden strike frightened Che Zengye so badly that he trembled, his face instantly turning deathly pale.
Seeing Che Zengye in such a wretched state, the others at the banquet were dumbfounded.
'The Wang Clan actually found out?'
'How could the Che family's work be so sloppy?'
Wang Rongsheng stood up, stared straight at the trembling Che Zengye in his seat, and said coldly:
"Your Che family will pay two thousand spirit stones as an apology, and our Wang Clan will not pursue this matter any further.
"Otherwise, the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom will take action and trample your Che family's ancestral land.
"Everyone who needs to know is aware that Patriarch Mangxiang is attaining Golden Core.
"Fellow Daoist Che, I advise your Che family to think things through quickly.
"Within ten days, give me an answer!"
The Patriarch hadn't agreed to report it to the Town Guardian Cultivator for a very simple reason: the Town Guardian Cultivator would feast, and the Wang Clan would get nothing!
Rather than resolving the problem through the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's system, it was better to handle it themselves!
Having paid so much tribute to Patriarch Mangxiang, the Wang Clan had the right to borrow his prestige on a small scale.
Wiping the unstoppable cold sweat from his forehead, Che Zengye forced a smile and played dumb.
"Fellow Daoist Rongsheng, our Che family has never done anything like collude with rogue cultivators. Are you mistaken?"
Wang Rongsheng smiled, too lazy to explain.
"Get out of here and prepare the spirit stones!"
Only then did Che Zengye realize that the Wang Clan had completely uncovered the truth.
He and the Che family's patriarch, Che Zengshu, had treated the matter too lightly. They thought throwing dirty water was just a tactic, and the worst consequence would be a bit of trouble for colluding with rogue cultivators.
But before the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom, if you dared hand them evidence of your underhanded deeds, the Wang Clan naturally had the right to determine the gravity of your punishment!
Che Zengye fled in a panic. The Che family had to scrape together two thousand spirit stones as quickly as possible; otherwise, the Wang Clan might truly trample their ancestral land.
With the chicken slaughtered, Wang Rongsheng looked at the remaining monkeys.
"Now, we can discuss ordering goods, Fellow Daoists."
—
After seeing Gao Jian off, Wang Rongsheng shook his head and instructed Yulou.
"He is a poisonous snake. When dealing with his kind, you must establish clear boundaries. You cannot let the poisonous snake's enemies think you have a special relationship with him."
The reason they were able to easily obtain the information about the Che family pulling strings behind the scenes naturally came down to the help of the Clearbrook Market Security Patrol. Gao Jian had exerted effort, so the Wang Clan naturally had to show their gratitude.
"Yulou understands. It's just that we can't afford to fall out with people like Gao Jian. Petty ghosts are tough to deal with," Yulou said with a bitter smile.
Mu Yingxi was very easy to talk to, and no matter how ugly Mu Changze's greed was, he still maintained a decent facade.
Gao Jian was different. This mad dog had hysteria written all over his face, and he had thrown his weight around Clear Stream Market for decades.
"He is tough to deal with. For him to not have been assassinated after all these years, it can't be just good luck.
"However, Wondrous Peak Mountain and Valley Spirit Sect are fighting fiercely, and the prices of all sorts of talismans have gone up slightly.
"Yulou, the prices of the various goods in Hundred Treasures Pavilion must be adjusted promptly. We cannot afford to lose out!"
After Hidden Dragon Market was breached, Valley Spirit Sect essentially slapped Wondrous Peak Mountain right across the face, leaving the faces of all the Purple Palace cultivators of Wondrous Peak Mountain red and swollen.
'You let them plunder, to the point where sect disciples changed loyalties one after another. Now you got slapped in the face, and you can't even strike back!'
Above them was the law of the Immortal Alliance: no Purple Palace cultivator was allowed to act recklessly. Any who did would be watched.
Once targeted by the Immortal Alliance, they would at the very least suffer a massive hemorrhage of wealth. Those who went too far would be thrown straight into the Immortal Suppressing Pass.
Below the Purple Palace realm, Foundation Establishment cultivators were allowed to engage in magical combat, but if someone died, they had to pay with their life—a life for a life.
No matter how high your cultivation base was, as long as you weren't at the Golden Core realm, the Immortal Alliance would not allow any cultivator to easily disrupt the stability and grand scheme of the Wunan Basin's cultivation world!
Therefore, even though Valley Spirit Sect and Wondrous Peak Mountain were beating each other's brains out, their magical combat was strictly limited to the Qi Refining stage.
How to put it? They fought until the sky went dark, yet simultaneously, it wasn't too intense.
So far, not a single Foundation Establishment cultivator had dared to make a move. It was entirely Qi Refining cultivators grinding against one another.
The only impact this war had on Clear Stream Market was that the prices of talismans, magical artifacts, and many other goods rose slightly.
Wondrous Peak Mountain posted a bounty: as long as rogue cultivators helped them kill Valley Spirit Sect cultivators, they could use their military merit to exchange for all techniques, treasures, talismans, and spiritual pills below the Purple Palace realm that Wondrous Peak Mountain possessed.
As a result, rogue cultivators began to spend money in droves, seeking to improve their strength and seize opportunities in the war.
"Did the two sides fight like this in the past when Hidden Dragon Market changed hands?" Yulou asked.
Wang Rongsheng used to operate in Hidden Dragon Market. Hearing Yulou's question, he spoke meaningfully.
"Over three hundred years ago, the sect across the Hidden Dragon River was still Huishan Prefecture. Later, Huishan Prefecture was crushed by Wondrous Peak Mountain.
"Valley Spirit Sect was established through the cooperation between the Ning clan, the direct lineage of Huishan Prefecture, and the Gu Shen Clan, a prominent Purple Palace family under the Sky Serpent Sect. They actually have a blood feud with Wondrous Peak Mountain.
"When a blood feud like this ignites, it's hard to say when it will end."
Seeing Yulou remain silent, Wang Rongsheng found it a little strange.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you speaking? Are you worried?"
Yulou smiled and explained.
"No. The Patriarch previously planned to have Yu'an join Wondrous Peak Mountain after reaching the Qi Refining stage.
"Looking at it now, I'm afraid Yu'an won't be able to go to Wondrous Peak Mountain."
Caught off guard by Yulou's train of thought, Wang Rongsheng couldn't help but laugh.
"You have good aptitude, so you have the chance to join a sect. When I was young... hahaha, never mind, let's not talk about it.
"I'm going to cultivate. Yulou, leaving Hundred Treasures Pavilion in your hands means the Patriarch truly chose the right person.
"But the current situation is complex. You must not become arrogant. If you encounter difficult or major issues, do not make decisions on your own. Come discuss it with me first."
—
At night, around seven-thirty, Hundred Treasures Pavilion finally boarded up its doors after a full day of business.
Yu'an collapsed exhaustedly into a chair and grumbled.
"Brother, isn't our focus supposed to be on cultivation right now? We can just let the clerks handle the matters at Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
"With Bailu keeping an eye on things, you'll know immediately if anything happens. Why do you have to drag me here to stand guard every day?"
The kid Yu'an had actually brought this suffering upon himself.
As Yulou's younger brother, he possessed a stubborn refusal to admit defeat. Whatever Yulou did, he would follow suit.
However, Yulou didn't sleep until late at night, and he woke up before five in the morning. After waking up, he would first cultivate for an hour and a half.
In the morning, he went to Forge Peak Residence to learn the craft from Hongmei. In the afternoon, he managed the shop at Hundred Treasures Pavilion. Even upon returning at night, he didn't rest but cultivated for another hour and a half.
Yulou's schedule was an endless, grueling grind. Yu'an simply couldn't handle it.
"Hahaha, it's easy for you to say.
"Let's go. We'll head back together.
"Bailu, you've worked hard too. I'll give you a day off tomorrow to rest well."
Bailu was frightened by Yulou's words. She hurriedly explained in a panic.
"Ah, Young Master Yulou, I'm not tired at all! This is what I should be doing. I don't need to rest! I don't need to rest!"
Having been poached by Yulou from under Tang Nianqiu, Bailu received her first wages at Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
To her, the job at Hundred Treasures Pavilion was absolutely wonderful—she could actually earn a salary!
Because of this, she didn't feel tired in the slightest. When Yulou told her to rest, she instead worried that she was being discarded for incompetence.
"If she's not resting, then I, Wang Yu'an, won't rest either!"
Stubborn fools were just like that. Yulou had merely used Bailu to lightly provoke him, and he obediently returned to his path of being an overachiever.
When it came to taming Wang Yu'an, Yulou was a professional.
Returning to Fortune Source Residence, Yulou was surprised to find Tang Nianqiu actually sitting behind the counter in the lobby, seemingly doing the accounts.
Seeing them walk in, Tang Nianqiu looked up and said.
"Late as always. Yulou, you don't need to push yourself so hard."
Seeing Yu'an disappear into the backyard without looking back, Wang Yulou turned to Tang Nianqiu and spoke with feigned passion.
"We sons of the Wang Clan naturally take the prosperity of our family business as our duty. It is no hardship for me.
"Uncle Nianqiu, there is actually a matter I'd like to ask of you."
Tang Nianqiu's expression remained unchanged. He subtly glanced past Yulou at Bailu, who was looking down at the floor tiles, and understood immediately.
"Oh? What is it? We're all family here. Your uncle will definitely do his best to help you."
Yulou stepped aside, pulled the nervous Bailu forward, and explained.
"Bailu is a fine seedling for becoming a chief clerk. I'd like to borrow her for Hundred Treasures Pavilion for a few years to train her properly. In the future, she might even have a chance to advance to Qi Refining."
Tang Nianqiu shook his head inwardly, but on the surface, he nodded repeatedly.
"Hahaha, good! It's a good thing—a great thing—that my goddaughter has caught your eye."
Having resolved the issue of Bailu's affiliation, Yulou was in an excellent mood. After chatting with Tang Nianqiu for a few more sentences, he went back to cultivate.
For a long time, the lobby of Fortune Source Residence remained completely empty. Bailu had no intention of returning to explain herself.
Behind the counter, Tang Nianqiu scoffed coldly and slammed the account book heavily onto the desk.
"An ungrateful wretch with a cold heart! The Wang Clan is like this, and even the daughter I raised is like this!"
The laws of the Immortal Alliance stood above all. No Purple Palace cultivator was allowed to act rashly; those who did would be targeted.
Once targeted by the Immortal Alliance, the absolute minimum punishment was a severe bleeding of resources. Those who crossed the line were directly imprisoned in Immortal Suppressing Pass.
Below the Purple Palace realm, Foundation Establishment cultivators could engage in magical combat, but if someone died, they had to pay with their own life—a life for a life.
No matter how high one's cultivation base was, short of the Golden Core realm, the Immortal Alliance would never allow any cultivator to carelessly disrupt the stability and grand scheme of the Wunan Basin's cultivation world!
Thus, even though Valley Spirit Sect and Wondrous Peak Mountain were fighting like rabid dogs, their magical combat remained strictly limited to the Qi Refining stage.
They fought intensely, yet restrained themselves from total devastation.
So far, not a single Foundation Establishment cultivator had dared to make a move. The conflict consisted entirely of Qi Refining cultivators grinding each other down.
For Clear Stream Market, the only impact of this war was a slight, across-the-board increase in the prices of talismans, magical artifacts, and various other goods.
Wondrous Peak Mountain had issued a bounty. If rogue cultivators helped them kill Valley Spirit Sect cultivators, they could exchange their military merit for any of Wondrous Peak Mountain's techniques, treasures, talismans, spiritual pills, and other resources below the Purple Palace level.
As a result, rogue cultivators began spending wildly, seeking to improve their strength and seize opportunities in the war.
"When ownership of Hidden Dragon Market changed in the past, did the two sides also fight like this?" Yulou asked.
Wang Rongsheng used to operate in Hidden Dragon Market. Hearing Yulou's question, he spoke with profound meaning.
"Over three hundred years ago, the sect across the Hidden Dragon River was still Huishan Prefecture. Later, Huishan Prefecture was utterly crushed by Wondrous Peak Mountain.
"Valley Spirit Sect was established by the Ning Clan, the direct lineage of Huishan Prefecture, in partnership with the Gu Shen Clan, a major Purple Palace family under Sky Serpent Sect. They share a blood feud with Wondrous Peak Mountain.
"When a blood feud like this breaks out, it's hard to say when it will end."
Seeing that Yulou remained silent, Wang Rongsheng found it a bit strange.
"What's wrong? Why the silence? Are you worried?"
Yulou smiled and explained, "No. The Patriarch previously planned to have Yu'an join Wondrous Peak Mountain after reaching Qi Refining.
"Looking at it now, I'm afraid Yu'an won't be going to Wondrous Peak Mountain."
Caught off guard by Yulou's train of thought, Wang Rongsheng laughed.
"You both have good aptitude and the chance to join a sect. When I was young... hahaha, better not to talk about it. Let's leave it at that.
"I'm going to cultivate. Yulou, I'll leave Hundred Treasures Pavilion to you. The Patriarch indeed chose the right person.
"But the situation is complex right now, so you must not become complacent. When you encounter difficult or major issues, do not make decisions on your own. Come discuss them with me first."
—
At night, during the second quarter of the Hour of the Dog, Hundred Treasures Pavilion finally closed its doors after a long day of business.
Yu'an slumped heavily into a chair, exhausted, and complained, "Brother, our priority right now is cultivation, isn't it? Let the clerks handle the matters at Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
"With Bailu keeping an eye on things, you'd know immediately if something happened. Why do you need to drag me here every day to stand guard?"
This kid Yu'an was actually bringing this suffering upon himself.
As Yulou's younger brother, he possessed a stubborn streak and refused to admit defeat. Whatever Yulou did, he would follow suit.
But Yulou didn't sleep until late into the Hour of the Pig, woke up before the Hour of the Rabbit, and cultivated for three hours first thing in the morning.
In the morning, he went to Forge Peak Residence to learn from Hongmei. In the afternoon, he watched the shop at Hundred Treasures Pavilion. When he returned at night, he didn't rest, but instead cultivated for another three hours.
Yulou's intensity was a relentless, ceaseless grind, and Yu'an couldn't handle it.
"Hahaha, you make it sound easy.
"Let's go, we'll head back together.
"Bailu, you've worked hard too. I'll give you a day off tomorrow to get a good rest."
Bailu was frightened by Yulou's words. She hurriedly explained in a panic, "Ah, Young Master Yulou, I didn't work hard. It's my job. I don't need to rest! I don't need to rest!"
Having been poached from Tang Nianqiu by Yulou, Bailu had just received her first payment of spirit stones at Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
To her, the job at Hundred Treasures Pavilion was absolutely fantastic—she actually got paid!
So, she didn't feel tired at all. When Yulou told her to rest, she instead worried that he might be dissatisfied with her performance.
"If she doesn't rest, I, Wang Yu'an, won't rest either!"
That was how stubborn he was. Yulou had merely used Bailu to lightly goad him, and Yu'an obediently returned to his path of being the ultimate overachiever.
When it came to taming Yu'an, Yulou was a professional.
Returning to Fortune Source Residence, Yulou was surprised to find Tang Nianqiu sitting behind the counter in the main hall, seemingly balancing the books.
Seeing them enter, Tang Nianqiu looked up and said, "Back so late again. Yulou, don't push yourself too hard."
Watching Yu'an dive straight into the backyard without looking back, Yulou turned to Tang Nianqiu and said with feigned passion, "As sons of the Wang Clan, it is our natural duty to make our family business prosper. I am not tired.
"Uncle Nianqiu, there is actually a favor I'd like to ask of you."
Tang Nianqiu's expression remained unchanged. He subtly glanced at Bailu, who was standing behind Yulou and looking down at the floor tiles, and he immediately understood.
"Oh? What is it? We are all family, Uncle will definitely do his best to help you."
Yulou stepped aside, pulling the nervous Bailu forward, and explained, "Bailu has the makings of a great head clerk. I'd like to borrow her for Hundred Treasures Pavilion for a few years and train her well. In the future, she might even have the chance to advance to the Qi Refining stage."
Tang Nianqiu shook his head internally, but nodded approvingly on the outside.
"Hahaha, good. For my goddaughter to catch your eye is a good thing, a great thing."
Having resolved the matter of Bailu's employment, Yulou was in an excellent mood. He chatted with Tang Nianqiu for a few more sentences before going back to his room to cultivate.
A long time passed, and the main hall of Fortune Source Residence fell empty. Bailu had no intention of returning to explain herself.
Behind the counter, Tang Nianqiu let out a cold snort and slammed the ledger down heavily.
"Ungrateful, cold-hearted wretch! The Wang Clan is like this, and raising a daughter turns out the same way!"
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