Chapter 78: Slapping a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's Face is Truly Satisfying! |
The Clear Stream Market Talisman Master Competition was a highly unusual event. It took the name of Clear Stream Market while borrowing the authority of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
The name "Talisman Master Competition" clearly defined both the content and the nature of the contest.
Under the Wang Clan's leadership, the Town Guardian Cultivator of Clear Stream Market had also joined the panel of judges, meaning the event's authority was once again endorsed by the Red Lantern Illumination Sect.
Only with this foundation established could Wang Rongsheng invite various families and sects to participate.
If the Wang Clan had organized it alone, the upper limit of the competition would have been exactly what Yulou initially envisioned.
With the competition about to begin, Wang Yu'an agonized over whether to place a bet.
Yu'an's mother, Chen Luwan, was currently at her peak. She had come to Clear Stream Market to compete as a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator. Yu'an's maternal grandfather had been accepted into the Wang Clan precisely for his talisman crafting abilities.
His mother had even become one of the Wang Clan's talisman managers. It was safe to say that Chen Luwan's talisman crafting skill was second to none among the Wang Clan's Qi Refining cultivators.
But when it came to betting on his own mother to win, Wang Yu'an lacked confidence. It wasn't that he didn't love her; the lineup of contestants invited to the competition was simply too luxurious.
Seven hundred miles east of Clear Stream Market was a family renowned for talisman crafting—the Liu Clan of Muddy Pool—and they had also sent two talisman masters.
The field was packed with formidable opponents, and many of the participants were far from ordinary.
However, under Lao Gui's urging, Yu'an still placed a twenty-spirit-stone bet on his dear mother taking third place.
He knew the Wang Clan would tilt the competition segments slightly in favor of their own talisman masters. Yu'an just hoped his mother could secure third place.
That would be enough.
"Wang Yu'an, your brother is looking for you! Hurry to the racetrack preparation area!"
An errand boy from the Yang family finally found Yu'an at the racetrack and hurriedly called out.
Yu'an jogged over and found Yulou so busy his feet barely touched the ground.
"Yu'an, you're in charge of the on-site work for the horse racing warm-up. If there are any problems, contact me immediately. I have to go receive our Fellow Daoists from Clear Stream Market!" Yulou said, patting Yu'an's shoulder.
"Got it, brother. Leave it to me, don't worry!"
Yu'an had always liked horse racing, and since the Wang Clan had acquired shares in the racetrack, he naturally had a thorough understanding of how things were run.
Yulou rushed off without looking back. The "Fellow Daoists" of Clear Stream Market actually referred to the bosses and shopkeepers of the other stores in the market.
As the Wang Clan's most prominent public figure in Clear Stream Market, Yulou was young, but he had gained the recognition of his peers through his formidable business acumen.
Because of their business dealings, Wang Yulou interacted with these people frequently. As a result, even those who previously held grudges had come out today to show face and offer their support.
As the host, Yulou naturally couldn't be impolite. At the very least, he needed to make the rounds and greet everyone.
——
"Where is Wang Yulou?"
Inside the racetrack's VIP room, Zhou Yingxi held her Seven-String Zither and asked Tang Nianqiu.
The VIP room offered the best view. Today, it had been set aside to host the Foundation Establishment seniors and Zhou Yingxi, an arrangement Yulou had specifically requested.
Zhou Yingxi had a fiery temper and was a noble daughter of the Zhou family; she naturally required courteous treatment.
As the shopkeeper of Flavorful Bistro, Old Tang had always been top-notch at receiving guests, so he had been assigned to handle the reception.
"Uh, well, he's quite busy right now, so I don't know exactly where he is. Should I send him a sound transmission talisman?"
"Forget it, there's no need."
Standing by the window, Zhou Yingxi had already spotted Wang Yulou. Her peer was currently in the western grandstands, greeting the Fellow Daoists from Clear Stream Market who had come to watch the competition.
Despite his youth, Yulou was extremely popular among a crowd of Qi Refining cultivators whose cultivation bases were all higher than his own. He navigated the interactions with utmost propriety.
Even from a distance in the elevated VIP room, Zhou Yingxi could see Yulou crack a joke that made all the shopkeepers burst into laughter.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Wang Yulou moved from the western grandstands to the southern grandstands.
"Bailu, go arrange for Senior Gao Jian's concubines to head up and perform a dance for everyone!" Yulou instructed Bailu beside him.
The reason he had just made so many shopkeepers laugh was precisely because he had brought this up.
This Clear Stream Market Talisman Master Competition was not only heavily promoted by the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom, but also attended by the Town Guardian Cultivator and Gao Jian's enemy, Wu Jinyan.
The man surnamed Gao was terrified. He had repeatedly expressed to Yulou that he wanted to help out and do whatever he could.
Unable to refuse, Yulou simply told him he had taken a liking to Gao Jian's concubines.
That animal surnamed Gao played the groom every year, using weddings as an excuse to gift spirit stones to the Town Guardian Cultivator, and had married over a dozen concubines.
Hearing Yulou's words, Gao Jian thought the young man wanted to dive into his harem, and had already reluctantly agreed in his heart.
But to his surprise, Yulou merely wanted his concubines to come over and perform a warm-up dance.
That was why the shopkeepers had laughed so happily just now—when that bastard Gao suffered misfortune, which shopkeeper in Clear Stream Market wouldn't be overjoyed?
Even the New Year wasn't as joyful as today!
At that moment, the door to the VIP room opened, and Wang Xianmao walked in with Mu Chunze and Wu Jinyan.
After offering her greetings, Zhou Yingxi continued looking through the window to see what Wang Yulou was doing.
By now, Gao Jian's concubine dance troupe was in position and had begun their routine, while Wang Yulou completed a quick round of greetings with all the supporting families and sects.
Of course, these superficial interactions didn't count as true connections, but this was exactly how connections were built bit by bit.
"Your family's Yulou is not bad. Very impressive indeed, Brother Xianmao," Mu Chunze said. With a sweep of his divine sense, he had grasped the general situation.
"Hahaha, it's absolutely absurd! Having Gao Jian's concubines perform a dance—it's too absurd!"
Wang Xianmao called it absurd, but his face beamed with delight. Clearly, either his words or his expression was a lie.
"Father, I'll head down first. I still need to play the zither later," Zhou Yingxi said, leaving the VIP room.
Watching his daughter go looking for Wang Yulou right before his eyes, Mu Chunze was somewhat speechless.
'Silly girl, you've completely fallen under his spell.'
However, his speechlessness quickly vanished. Under the divine sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could hear the conversations of the many cultivators in the racetrack.
In the western grandstands, Che Zengye of the Che family was chatting with Wang Rongsheng.
"Fellow Daoist Rongsheng, if you ask me, your family's Yulou is the true Town Guardian Cultivator of Clear Stream Market. Over the past few years, thanks to the racetrack and Great Goods Store, the number of customers in Clear Stream Market has increased significantly. This is all inseparable from Yulou's management. He's the most incredible business genius I've ever seen."
Ever since being warned by Wang Rongsheng, the Che family had become an important partner of the Wang Clan. They couldn't just hit a stone with an egg and court death, so naturally, they could only submit.
Of course, this submission didn't mean becoming vassals of the Wang Clan, but rather cooperating more with them to achieve mutual benefit.
It was precisely because of this that Che Zengye harbored such sentiments today.
"That's right. If Wang Yulou truly became the Town Guardian Cultivator of Clear Stream Market, our market would probably develop even better," another shopkeeper chimed in.
"Fellow Daoists, please speak cautiously. Senior Mu is a highly respectable senior. Choose your words carefully."
Wang Rongsheng was exceedingly clear-headed and quickly stopped the loose lips of these big-mouths.
But in the VIP room, Mu Chunze had already heard everything.
Wang Yulou hadn't done anything or said anything, but he had still firmly slapped him across the face.
In the eyes of the many shopkeepers of Clear Stream Market, the Foundation Establishment stage Mu Chunze's contribution to the market was far inferior to Wang Yulou's!
Slapping a face... slapping a Foundation Establishment cultivator's face was truly satisfying!
Wang Yulou had no idea how much psychological damage he had just inflicted upon Mu Chunze.
Watching Zhou Yingxi chatting with Wang Yulou, Mu Chunze gritted his teeth and took a sip of spirit tea.
His daughter was about to run off with someone else.
He had been a Town Guardian Cultivator for so many years, yet his reputation was worse than a lowly Qi Induction realm cultivator.
The deer antlers on Mu Chunze's head were practically smoking with anger.
Even from a distance, standing in the elevated VIP room of the racetrack, Zhou Yingxi could see that Yulou seemed to have told a joke, causing all the shopkeepers to burst into roaring laughter.
Afterward, Wang Yulou exchanged a few more pleasantries with them before making his way from the western grandstands to the southern grandstands.
"Bailu, go arrange for Senior Gao Jian's concubines to go up and dance for everyone!"
Yulou instructed Bailu, who stood beside him.
This exact arrangement was why he had just amused so many of the shopkeepers.
This Clear Stream Market Talisman Master Competition was heavily promoted by the Wang Clan of Anbei Kingdom, attended by the Town Guardian Cultivator, and even involved Gao Jian's enemy, Wu Jinyan.
Terrified, the man surnamed Gao had repeatedly expressed his desire to help Yulou in any way he could.
Unable to shake him off, Yulou finally said he had his eye on Gao Jian's concubines.
That animal surnamed Gao played the groom every year, using his weddings as an excuse to gift spirit stones to the Town Guardian Cultivator. He had taken over ten concubines in the process.
Hearing Yulou's request, Gao Jian assumed the young man wanted to battle it out in a den of beauties. In his heart, he had already grudgingly agreed.
He never expected that Yulou merely wanted his concubines to come over and perform to warm up the crowd.
That was why the shopkeepers had laughed so heartily just now. When Gao Jian suffered a misfortune, which shopkeeper in Clear Stream Market wouldn't be happy?
Even the New Year wasn't as joyful as today!
At that moment, the VIP room door opened, and Wang Xianmao walked in, leading Mu Changze and Wu Jinyan.
After Zhou Yingxi offered her greetings, she returned her gaze to the window to watch Wang Yulou.
By now, Gao Jian's concubine dance troupe was in position and had begun to perform, while Wang Yulou did a simple round of greetings with all the supporting families and sects.
This sort of superficial interaction couldn't be considered a solid network, but connections were built up bit by bit in exactly this manner.
"Your family's Yulou is quite good. Very good indeed, Brother Xianmao." Sweeping his divine sense over the area, Mu Changze gained a general understanding of the situation.
"Hahaha, it's incredibly absurd! Having Gao Jian's concubines come out to dance is too ridiculous!"
Wang Xianmao called it ridiculous, but he was smiling brightly. Obviously, either his words or his expression were false.
"Father, I am heading down first. I still have to play the zither later." After saying this, Zhou Yingxi left the VIP room.
Watching helplessly as his daughter went to find Wang Yulou, Mu Changze was left somewhat speechless.
'Silly girl, you have been completely captivated by him.'
However, his speechlessness quickly faded. With the divine sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he could easily eavesdrop on the conversations of the many cultivators in the racetrack.
In the western grandstands, Che Zengye of the Che family was chatting with Wang Rongsheng.
"Fellow Daoist Rongsheng, if you ask me, your family's Yulou is the true Town Guardian Cultivator of Clear Stream Market.
"Over these past few years, relying on the racetrack and the Great Goods Store, the number of customers in Clear Stream Market has increased significantly.
"This is all inseparable from Yulou's management. He is the most formidable business genius I have ever seen."
Ever since being warned by Wang Rongsheng, the Che family had become an important cooperative partner of the Wang Clan—they knew better than to court disaster by hitting a stone with an egg, so naturally, they could only submit.
Of course, this submission didn't mean becoming vassals of the Wang Clan. It simply meant cooperating more closely with them to achieve mutual benefit.
It was precisely because of this that Che Zengye harbored such sentiments today.
"That's right. If Wang Yulou really became the Town Guardian Cultivator of Clear Stream Market, our market might develop even better," another shopkeeper echoed.
"Fellow Daoists, please speak cautiously. Senior Mu is a highly admirable senior, so choose your words with care."
Wang Rongsheng was incredibly clear-headed and hurriedly put a stop to the nonsense of these big-mouthed individuals.
But Mu Changze, up in the VIP room, had already heard everything.
Wang Yulou hadn't done anything and hadn't said a word, yet he had still delivered a firm slap right across Mu Changze's face.
In the eyes of the many shopkeepers in Clear Stream Market, the Foundation Establishment stage Mu Changze had contributed far less to the market than Wang Yulou!
When it came to slaps to the face, slapping a Foundation Establishment cultivator was the most satisfying of all!
Wang Yulou had no idea how much psychological damage he had just dealt to Mu Changze.
Looking down at Zhou Yingxi, who was now chatting with Wang Yulou, Mu Changze gnashed his teeth and took a sip of spirit tea.
His daughter was practically about to run off with the boy.
After having been a Town Guardian Cultivator for so many years, his reputation still couldn't compare to a minor Qi Drawing realm cultivator.
The deer horns on Mu Changze's head were practically smoking from anger.