Chapter 152: Filial Sons and Worthy Grandsons Enter the Golden Furnace to Help Me Refine the Blood Marrow Restoration Pill! |
Guo Yaoyue. Since parting ways in Clear Stream Market, Wang Yulou had never seen this person again.
But not seeing him did not mean he had forgotten about him.
The reason he hadn't investigated the truth behind the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda case was that it didn't have much to do with him.
However, the incident where Clear Stream Market was controlled by a mysterious grand cultivator was closely related to Yulou. It had directly exposed Hongmei's identity as a disciple of the Sky Serpent Sect and allowed the Wang Clan to obtain Anning's Minor Grotto-Heaven.
As for Guo Yaoyue, Wang Yulou had not forgotten him at all; rather, he remembered him vividly.
"Guo Yaoyue? I don't know him. Who is he?"
Xihai Qingfeng flicked his sleeves, poured another cup of tea for Yulou, and asked.
"He is a member of the Annex City Enforcement Team. He can probably be considered a subordinate under Senior Zhang's tutelage.
"This time, True Person Jinshan and True Person Haikuo set a plan to investigate the truth by advancing along five different paths simultaneously.
Xihai Qingfeng might have had his own reasons for not speaking. With this in mind, Wang Yulou offered a vague explanation and lost the desire to press further, turning instead to another matter.
"Senior Qingfeng, today Senior Longhu and I just negotiated a piece of land in South Annex City. I plan to build a combat arena.
"However, having not been in the West Sea for long, I don't know where to find reliable and capable construction cultivators. I wonder..."
Five dragons regulating the water, with Yulou as the chief.
As long as the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda case remained unresolved, the direction of the water's flow would serve as Yulou's bargaining chip.
With the two True Persons having set the direction, the actual value of this chip wasn't immense, but if utilized well, it could still play a massive role.
Yulou trailed off at the end, simply looking at Senior Qingfeng with an expectant expression.
Old man, time to get to work!
Naturally, Xihai Qingfeng wouldn't deny Wang Yulou face on such a matter. After all, he was still implicated in the case. However, when Yulou mentioned South Annex City, his interest was piqued.
"Ah, Yulou, you don't know this, but that land in South Annex City is like flowers in a mirror, moon in water. Xihai Longhu is tricking you!
"Whether the expansion of South Annex City will succeed is still up in the air. Otherwise, why do you think our Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda and my third junior brother's Myriad Dao Origin Hub are still stationed in East Annex City? We have no confidence in it!"
With Shen Guang hanging high above, his three disciples competed to show their worth. If the South Annex City expansion succeeded, Xihai Longhu would have a greater chance of rising to the top. This was why Qingfeng and Zhongcheng targeted him so much.
As for whether this targeting would cause Shen Guang's dissatisfaction...
First, Shen Guang didn't want his subordinates to be too united.
Second, Qingfeng and Zhongcheng both did their jobs very well. Not firmly supporting the South Annex City expansion was not a major issue in itself.
Third, all three were good disciples. Toward Shen Guang, Qingfeng and Zhongcheng were utterly loyal—the kind of loyalty that made them change their names. How could they not be loyal?
"Hahaha, Yulou understands Senior Qingfeng's meaning. But since the land has already been negotiated, let's not speak of anything else.
"I plan to slowly build the combat arena in four phases. For the first phase, I'll build the arena's core structure.
"Specifically, it covers an area of roughly three hundred mu. I'll build a massive pentagonal enclosing wall upon it.
"You are an experienced senior familiar with the West Sea. Please help Yulou estimate how many construction cultivators would be appropriate to hire."
Seeing Wang Yulou so determined to build on three hundred mu right away, Xihai Qingfeng nodded thoughtfully.
Three hundred mu equated to six million spirit stones. Even with a discount, it would cost at least two million...
Only a fool would shell out so many spirit stones. Combining this with True Person Jinshan and Li Haikuo's attitude toward the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda case, did this mean the West Sea wouldn't fall into chaos?
With this in mind, he smiled and said,
"Yulou, you are Perfected Man Fujiao's disciple. I have always held the utmost admiration for Perfected Man Fujiao.
"Your matters are my matters. You don't need to worry about the construction of the combat arena; I'll help you build it for free.
"It's just that regarding the current case, our Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda is truly being wronged terribly. I've already asked the cultivators at the demon sorting yard, and they don't know that rogue cultivator at all.
"I only hope that you, Yulou, can find out the truth soon and restore True Person Jinshan's innocence, as well as the innocence of this old brother of yours."
Xihai Qingfeng was also a fascinating character, or at least an extremely clever one. Facing Wang Yulou, who was a few centuries younger than him, he still referred to himself as "this old brother." Able to bow and bend, he was truly someone of note.
Therefore, Lian Chengxian simply couldn't comprehend what he had lost.
The direction of the water's flow was an extremely insignificant chip. It was like a rare bullet that could only be fired from a very small number of gun chambers.
But once Yulou took charge of leading the investigation, this bullet found the perfect chamber in his hands—the first shot: the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda, secured!
"Senior Qingfeng, I don't like hearing these words. Your willingness to help me stems from your closeness to me, and for that, I am naturally endlessly grateful.
"But how could I dare let you help me for free? It wouldn't be appropriate.
"As a junior, accepting that would be inappropriate, and it would be equally inappropriate if outsiders were to find out.
"Moreover, whether you help or not, I will strictly follow the True Person's Sacred Decree and uncover the truth as soon as possible.
"How about this, Senior? I'll first pay you a deposit of five hundred spirit stones, and then you can arrange for people to start building. What do you say?"
Xihai Qingfeng's nose nearly went crooked from anger. Wang Yulou's attitude was ugly, utterly ugly.
Not only was the boy unappreciative, but he even suspected that Qingfeng was trying to scam him.
I am the dignified manager of the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda, a disciple of Immortal Venerable Shenguang, and a first-rate seasoned Foundation Establishment cultivator in the West Sea! Would I really stoop to scamming you?
However, Wang Yulou had already spoken.
Combining this with the understanding he had gained during his brief interactions with Wang Yulou, Xihai Qingfeng could only endure it, forcing a dry laugh as he accepted Yulou's deposit of five hundred spirit stones.
"Good, good, good. Yulou, I knew the fine son-in-law chosen by the True Person would definitely be a dragon among men, an existence akin to a Wunan heavenly genius. This old brother was too hasty, too hasty."
Putting the five hundred spirit stones into his storage bag, Xihai Qingfeng still had to maintain superficial harmony, though he felt unspeakably awful inside.
What kind of nonsense was this!
"No, no, Senior—"
The two conversed for a short half-hour before Yulou leisurely left Xihai Qingfeng's residence.
Senior Qingfeng was an elder as warm and gentle as a clear breeze and a bright moon. He even gifted Wang Yulou half a tael of the sixth-grade spirit tea "Emei Peak."
It should be known that when Wang Yulou first came in and sat down, he had only been willing to spare a dozen leaves for him.
How should one put it? Face was something you earned for yourself!
The prestige of being the head of the investigation team was just that high!
True, Xihai Qingfeng had Immortal Venerable Shenguang as a massive backer from above, but that didn't mean he dared to casually exploit his master's face for major matters.
This half tael of sixth-grade "Emei Peak" spirit tea was a manifestation of Senior Qingfeng's subjective initiative and practical boldness.
Of course, even if Senior Qingfeng wracked his brains, he would never guess that Wang Yulou didn't have the slightest intention of investigating the truth.
This, too, was something he learned from Perfected Man Fujiao—after all, Yulou was his disciple.
——
At the demon sorting yard, Zhou Yingxi, bringing along Fairy Mingdu, had pretty much finished questioning alongside Daoist Friend Yunshu.
The statements from all the cultivators at the demon sorting yard were almost identical—they hadn't sold fake materials, hadn't beaten anyone, and didn't even recognize the rogue cultivator who filed the complaint.
What could be said? Such confessions held little reference value.
"What do we do? We can lock up and interrogate those two, but I'm afraid it won't be easy to directly detain and interrogate the cultivators in the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda, right?"
Mo Yunshu wasn't naive either; she belonged to the practical faction, a person who took her work quite seriously.
Thus, facing the results of the investigation at the demon sorting yard, she found it somewhat difficult to proceed.
"The cultivators at the demon sorting yard are all employees of the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda. An enterprise of Immortal Venerable Shenguang is naturally worthy of trust. Don't you think so, Little Sister Yingxi?"
Jin Mingdu held Zhou Yingxi's hand, attempting to sway her with this gesture of intimacy.
In her view, since Wang Yulou was willing to help her, Zhou Yingxi, as Yulou's dao companion, should naturally be willing to help her ancestor as well.
Investigating the case? The demon sorting yard had already been checked, and the statements of the cultivators there could absolutely be believed. In this way, the case would swiftly arrive at a "truth" that satisfied everyone.
Under Mo Yunshu's questioning gaze and Jin Mingdu's eager eyes, the pressure in Zhou Yingxi's heart grew even heavier.
She didn't understand what gave Mo Yunshu the nerve to look at her like that, let alone why Jin Mingdu thought she would listen to her opinion. She only felt that these two vixens had set their sights on her husband.
Mo Yunshu was bullying her for being inexperienced in worldly affairs, while Jin Mingdu was bullying her for having a slightly lower family status—they were both the worst kind of wicked women!
Under this pressure, Zhou Yingxi chose to use her husband—a man who only played high-stakes games—as a shield. She smiled at Fairy Mingdu and Mo Yunshu.
"We should listen to Yulou's opinion. He went to see Senior Qingfeng. Let's wait for him here first, alright?"
The two naturally didn't object. Meanwhile, outside a shop within the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda, Wang Yulou happened to run into an elder.
"Seventh Uncle? Hahaha, Yulou pays his respects."
Seeing that it was Wang Yulou, Zhou Fangming hurriedly offered a bitter smile. "Yulou, how could I accept your bow? Are you also here at the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda to make purchases?"
After marrying Zhou Yingxi, the senior elders of the Zhou family naturally became Wang Yulou's seniors as well.
Although Zhou Fangming wasn't very reliable and was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator forcibly elevated by Perfected Man Fujiao in recent years, he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator nonetheless. Thus, Yulou remained highly respectful when meeting him.
But Zhou Fangming didn't dare accept Wang Yulou's courtesy. Unaware of the matter regarding the merging of Dao foundations to open the Purple Palace, he only assumed Wang Yulou was a top-tier heavenly genius of the Behemoth Lineage.
"More or less. What is Seventh Uncle looking to buy? I'm quite familiar with Senior Qingfeng; I might be able to help you haggle down the price."
What a joke. Zhou Fangming wasn't a total idiot. As a century-old veteran cultivator, he naturally wouldn't bother Wang Yulou and owe him a favor.
"Just buying some demonic beast meat and essence blood pills. The ancestor suddenly decided to refine pills and needed materials, so he sent all of us out.
"People have also been sent to the fourteen outposts. As you know, my cultivation base isn't very impressive, so I ended up with the chore of running errands in Western Sea Immortal City."
Zhou Fangming was already over a hundred and twenty years old when he achieved Foundation Establishment. Having lacked the natural conditions for it, he had been forcibly dragged into the realm by Zhou Bojiao. Naturally, his cultivation base wasn't up to par.
He patted his storage bag and continued, "See? I just bought eight thousand spirit stones' worth of goods. Let's leave it at that. I still have to hit up a few more shops to clear out their stock. Go about your business, Yulou—remember to come drink with me when you have time."
After seeing off Seventh Uncle, Wang Yulou found the encounter rather amusing.
Although Zhou Fangming was at the Foundation Establishment realm, he still carried the demeanor of a wealthy clan's playboy. He even leveraged his elder status to adopt a brotherly tone and invite Wang Yulou for drinks—likely drinks accompanied by courtesans.
Little did he know, Wang Yulou was already the absolute top-tier VIP in the eyes of the Bright Moon Night Inn's manager.
——
From a distance, Zhou Yingxi noticed Wang Yulou looking around left and right.
He was observing Immortal Venerable Shenguang's Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda. Immortal Venerable Shenguang was indeed extraordinary; the Pagoda encompassed numerous different types of shops and was exceptionally well-managed.
Yingxi considered sending a voice transmission to Wang Yulou to vent her grievances, but then realized that complaining would be akin to admitting defeat, so she decided against it.
"Yulou, over here!" Mo Yunshu called out, raising her hand.
'Bitch!'
Fairy Mingdu could clearly feel that when Mo Yunshu called out to Wang Yulou, the hand holding hers in fake camaraderie suddenly tightened for a split second.
It was just a split second before relaxing again, but Fairy Mingdu still noticed it.
Her beautiful eyes shifted slightly as she discreetly glanced at the valiantly dressed Mo Yunshu in her combat magical robe, and then at Zhou Yingxi in her exquisite magical robe, radiating an ethereal aura. She thought to herself that it was truly hard to say which of these two was more captivating.
Female cultivators like Mo Yunshu, who appeared unadorned and unassuming, were actually incredibly popular among male cultivators.
As for Zhou Yingxi, she belonged to the type who could make male cultivators endlessly covetous relying solely on her beauty and figure.
If she were a male cultivator forced to choose between these two beauties, it would probably be a tough decision, right?
However, she was a female cultivator!
With this in mind, Fairy Mingdu looked back at Yulou.
She saw that Yulou seemed to be looking right at her, and he even smiled and nodded in greeting.
Wang Yulou had the utterly average face unique to true heavenly geniuses. Besides his magical robe, there was nothing outstanding or distinct about him; he was so ordinary that he couldn't be any more ordinary.
And yet, beneath Yulou's gaze and greeting, Fairy Mingdu subconsciously straightened her posture slightly—every girl knew exactly where her advantages lay.
Then, she felt the hand locked in false affection being actively shaken off by Zhou Yingxi.
'Two bitches!'
Girls' thoughts were extremely meticulous, and Zhou Yingxi knew exactly what was going on.
One didn't treat herself as an outsider, and the other seemingly wanted to become an insider. They completely failed to put her in their eyes!
With this in mind, she stopped pretending to be calm.
Yingxi took a large step forward and, under Yulou's surprised gaze, pressed herself against him of her own accord.
'What's wrong?'
'Those two like you.'
'Nonsense. They're just ordinary Fellow Daoists. You're overthinking it.'
Zhou Yingxi didn't reply to Wang Yulou's bullshit. Nestled in his embrace, she proactively recounted the information they had just gathered from the demon sorting yard.
A victor had no need for many words. Watching the harmonious picture of the married couple, Mo Yunshu didn't have any particular thoughts.
It was Jin Mingdu whose heart actually experienced some ripples.
A hero saving a beauty never went unnoticed. Even though Wang Yulou had only saved Jin Mingdu from a hidden arrow, he was a true heavenly genius.
In Jin Mingdu's eyes, Wang Yulou was the heavenly genius who ruthlessly crushed Lian Chengxian, and he was destined to be the core figure of the Behemoth Lineage in the future.
Why would such a heavenly genius lack the admiration of beauties?
"Fairy Mingdu, I'm afraid we really can't use the words of the demon sorting yard's cultivators as our direct basis. After all, this matter has broad implications, and the process of uncovering the truth must be able to withstand everyone's scrutiny."
Wang Yulou spoke solemnly.
'Bullshit!'
'If the case is solved so quickly, wouldn't the chip I worked so hard to get just vanish?'
'I must make the evidence irrefutable, not letting a single bad person off, nor wronging a single good one.'
"Yulou, the problem right now is that we don't know if the cultivators at the sorting yard secretly aligned their stories or if they answered truthfully. Their testimonies simply don't match the commotion those two kicked up," Mo Yunshu analyzed.
Among the four present, Wang Yulou wanted to use his investigative authority for his own benefit, Zhou Yingxi wanted to protect her husband from the covetous gaze of two bitches, and Jin Mingdu wanted to clear her ancestor Jinshan's name as soon as possible.
Only Fellow Daoist Yunshu truly wanted to investigate the case.
This wasn't ironic; it was just a little too realistic.
"True, that is an issue. How about this: Yunshu, you don't need to follow us anymore.
"Little Xi, go contact the people from the Punishment Court. Screen through all the friends, family, and associates related to that complaining rogue cultivator and the gatekeeper Chen Nian.
"A clumsy method isn't necessarily a bad method. This case involves far too much; even Senior Qingfeng is immensely worried about it.
"We must show the resolve of breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats, handling this well and forging it into an ironclad case!"
The Information Gathering Court didn't have many people. The three West Sea patrolling inspectors and the Immortal Alliance Emissary were all dispatched forces of the Immortal Alliance, making manpower severely limited.
To investigate the case, they still had to rely heavily on the Annex City Enforcement Team and the Punishment Court—which meant things cycled right back to the wrestling match between Shen Guang and the Red Lantern Illumination Sect factions.
Thus, Wang Yulou's muddling of the investigation carried an inherent sense of helplessness.
Grand Cultivators rarely stated their thoughts outright. As the fuses, they had to tread carefully with every step to avoid being saddled with a mountain of blame in the end.
"Are you saying there's nothing left for me to do?"
Mo Yunshu was somewhat puzzled.
"Of course not. Yunshu, I need you to go to the Information Gathering Court and round up those colleagues who have been off-duty for a long time.
"The True Persons have issued the Sacred Decree. No matter how special their backgrounds are, it's time for them to get moving.
"Once they're organized, follow the people from the Punishment Court to investigate the friends and families of Chen Nian and that rogue cultivator.
"Oh, right, none of the people participating in the investigation are allowed to line their own pockets during this time. To build an ironclad case, we must pay attention to every detail!
"I absolutely forbid a situation where spirit stones vanish into thin air wherever the investigation team's hands reach!"
Everyone received a stipend from the Immortal Alliance, and contributing to the case was their duty. What logic was there in them taking things randomly?
Furthermore, if they took too much, it would make things difficult for Wang Yulou.
Of course, this meant it would make Wang Yulou look bad in front of the various Foundation Establishment bigwigs and the two True Persons, nothing more.
——
Faced with the several pieces of good news Wang Yulou brought back, Wang Xianmao was clearly somewhat startled.
"One thousand mu? You're not joking, are you?"
Yulou took out the Daoist contract he had established with Xihai Longhu. The Patriarch snatched it away, staring at it word for word, reading it twice in its entirety before putting it down.
"Xihai Longhu didn't give you these conditions for nothing, Yulou. If the combat arena can't bring prosperity to South Annex City, he'll take this land back.
"When you first started the racetrack, even with the family's support, it took several years to turn a profit. With the scope of this combat arena being so large, isn't this a bit too reckless?"
Taking advantage of a thousand mu of land felt great, but it required real spirit stones to develop. Xihai Longhu wasn't running a losing business. If the results were poor and the land was reclaimed, all the initial investment would be lost entirely.
To put it bluntly, this was the cultivation world's version of a wager. If Wang Yulou won, it would be mutually beneficial.
If Wang Yulou lost, South Annex City wouldn't lose a thing, but he would suffer a massive loss.
"Patriarch, the investment is huge, but Senior Qingfeng from the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda is willing to provide me with many free construction cultivators. We don't have to worry about the hardest part of the combat arena's construction. The rest is just the cost of materials and formation arrays.
The materials can be recycled later, and we, the Wang Clan, can handle the formation arrays ourselves. This way, I'm confident I can open the combat arena with just a hundred thousand spirit stones.
When we recover the materials and arrays down the line, we'll recoup most of our expenses at the very least. It's the equivalent of a free trial and error."
The labor cost for cultivators wasn't low. Since Xihai Qingfeng was willing to do him a favor, Wang Yulou naturally accepted without hesitation, saving a large sum of spirit stones.
The rest were merely minor expenses. The combat arena wouldn't be constructed entirely out of spiritual materials; they would only be used at the nodes of the formation array.
However, an expanse of three hundred mu was indeed vast. The cost of these array nodes alone made Wang Yulou's teeth ache.
Frankly, he was currently one of the most powerful second-generation youths in the West Sea, which was why he could receive assistance from all sides and secure such an impeccable start—one so perfect that even drawing a heavenly hand in mahjong couldn't adequately describe it.
'What exactly is going on with that case? Do you have any leads?'
Wang Xianmao asked with concern via voice transmission. He was naturally glad to see Wang Yulou secure the leading authority for the five dragons regulating the water.
But the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda case had complex implications, and he worried Yulou might be duped.
'This is actually a bit like pulling true gold from the fire. As for the case, I don't intend to genuinely investigate it.
Let Jin Mingdu and Guo Yaoyue grind it out. With Mo Yunshu, Chen Yanghe, and Qiu Lianpu smoothing things over in the middle, they'll eventually hammer out a result acceptable to all sides.
What I'm focused on is that as long as this case is still ongoing, I'll be able to...'
'That is why I'm having the Punishment Court and the Annex City Enforcement Team expand the scope of the investigation.
Patriarch, is there any problem with the step Yulou is taking here?'
Wang Yulou's tactic was to neutralize the two True Persons' decrees of "must find the truth" and "do not implicate too many." By leveraging his investigative authority, he engaged in "targeted expansion."
Making a huge fuss over two insignificant pawns was merely for show. Through this performative process, the sword of "truth" could be hung over the heads of whoever Wang Yulou wanted—it all depended on his methods.
In this way, he could fully exploit the value of his bargaining chip.
It could be said that Wang Yulou was stirring the storm—stirring the storm of the West Sea.
The meaning of entering the game became incomparably concrete.
'No major problems, but there are plenty of minor ones. Have you ever considered whether Xihai Qingfeng's favors are that easy to take?
A seasoned Foundation Establishment cultivator of his caliber is top-tier under the heavens. If things turn sour, I fear you'll suffer a massive loss in the future.
Moreover, such methods cannot be too obvious, or the True Persons will definitely take issue. The limit is hard to grasp.'
Relying on the True Persons' Sacred Decree and leveraging the chaos in the West Sea, Wang Yulou had achieved his goal of pulling a bargaining chip out of thin air to create value for himself.
But in Wang Xianmao's eyes, this operation carried extreme risk.
'Pulling true gold from the fire. To survive in the Immortal Alliance, one can't stand firm without being ruthless. This is something both you and Old Ancestor Xianzhu have reminded me of many times.
Furthermore, owing Xihai Qingfeng a favor isn't a bad thing. Think about it, Patriarch.
As for the True Persons' opinions, my master is Perfected Man Fujiao. As long as he has no objections, the minor complaints of the other True Persons don't matter.'
In the past, before becoming a True Person's disciple and a Core Disciple of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect, he had cowered and hesitated.
Now, if he still cowered and hesitated after becoming a True Person's disciple and a Core Disciple of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect...
Then what value did his status as a True Person's disciple and a Red Lantern Illumination Sect Core Disciple hold?
Zhou Bojiao wasn't dead yet, the Zhou clan still needed him, and Wang Yulou had a backer.
'Good. Since you've thought it through, I'll support you. If you need any help, just say the word. I came to the West Sea to help you build up your power!'
Wang Yulou nodded and brought up his other plan.
"Patriarch, the three thousand disciples of the Red Lantern Illumination Sect are arriving one after another. The increase in cultivators in the West Sea won't stop there. These three thousand disciples were summoned by the Ancestral Master's Sacred Decree.
However, over the years, the sect has distributed various techniques to low-level cultivators, causing the price of resources to soar. The threshold for Foundation Establishment is low, but the cost of Foundation Establishment resources is high.
In the future, more Qi Refining cultivators will flock to the West Sea to accumulate Foundation Establishment resources.
I was thinking we could take advantage of the situation and open another two or three inns, taking the low-price route.
We can throw in some small measures to help these new West Sea cultivators integrate, thereby winning over their patronage."
Wang Xianmao fell into deep thought, recalling the cage-rooms Wang Yulou had built at Fortune Source Residence in Clear Stream Market.
"You still want to build those tiny rooms?"
Yulou waved his hand and replied.
"No need. Clear Stream Market has many rules, but the West Sea has few.
The land in South Annex City is vast; it wouldn't be hard for us to build two hundred small courtyard houses first.
Each house would have two or three rooms and a water well. That's about enough.
These houses will be strictly for rent, not for sale. If the reception is good, we can continue expanding.
At the same time, we'll open a low-priced inn in East Annex City and run it normally.
We'll see which path works out and keep whichever one does."
Actually, it wasn't that Clear Stream Market had many rules while the West Sea had few.
Rather, when they were in Clear Stream Market, Wang Yulou had to obey the Red Lantern Illumination Sect's rules—even though the Wang Clan was a vassal of the Behemoth Lineage, they still had to abide by sect laws. This boundary was even more restrictive on the Wang Clan than some of the Immortal Alliance's rules.
The West Sea was different. Various factions converged here, and South Annex City was Immortal Venerable Shenguang's territory.
In South Annex City, let alone the rules of Western Sea Immortal City, even the rules of the Immortal Alliance could be tossed aside!
Wang Yulou had already met with the three West Sea elders of the Hall of Benevolence.
As for their relationships, they weren't great.
In his heart, Xihai Longhu deeply resented him for trying to catch a white wolf empty-handed.
Zhongcheng was a smiling tiger. He seemed amiable and charitable, but anyone who believed that was as foolish as Lian Chengxian.
Xihai Qingfeng had been fleeced by Wang Yulou—the sixth-grade Emei Peak spirit tea was a true treasure.
But at the end of the day, a connection had been made.
The current conflicts were temporary. As they interacted over the long term, Wang Yulou was confident he could turn these people into Fellow Daoists bound by mutual interests.
To survive in the West Sea, one had to pay their respects at Shen Guang's dock.
With the Immortal Venerable absent, his three disciples were the breakthrough points, and Yulou was currently making his breakthrough.
"The combat arena, the special small-house inn... whatever other thoughts you have, lay them out one by one."
Wang Xianmao smiled and nodded, offering encouragement.
Wang Yulou's concepts all had the potential to be realized. The former utilized the vast empty land in South Annex City to fill a gap in the West Sea's industry.
The latter leveraged the desire of bottom-tier cultivators within the Red Lantern Illumination Sect to reach Foundation Establishment, targeting their need to flock to the West Sea for opportunities.
As the Patriarch of the Wang Clan for many years, Wang Xianmao could tell that Yulou's ideas were not castles in the air. Thus, he was highly looking forward to whatever else Yulou had in mind.
"Patriarch, you should open a shop too and become the head manager. Are you interested?"
Yulou said with a sly smile.
"Let me be the head manager?"
Wang Xianmao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Asking a seasoned Foundation Establishment cultivator to be a manager—only Wang Yulou could come up with something like that.
Even as a head manager, it wasn't very meaningful...
Seasoned Foundation Establishment cultivators were typically the core backbone of large factions or the leaders of small factions. They already belonged to the middle echelon of the Immortal Alliance.
Only Wang Yulou would dare rely on the Patriarch's favor to make such a request to his face. Anyone else wouldn't dare breathe a word of it.
"Why is Bright Moon Night Inn so successful?"
Hearing Yulou's question, Wang Xianmao scoffed.
"Because the Moon Splendor Sect's methods are despicable enough. Having disciples from the Ten Sects serve clients—how could it not be successful?"
Whether the Moon Splendor Sect was despicable or not wasn't the issue. The Ten Sects had lost nearly all their face because of them.
But Wang Yulou had a different perspective.
"The managers of Gu Family Tea House are often Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the manager of Bright Moon Night Inn is also at the Foundation Establishment stage. This is one of the reasons these businesses are booming.
Patriarch, with me here, the Wang Clan will no longer be stuck with just two or three Foundation Establishment cultivators long-term, or three or four at best.
In the 'Yu' generation alone, I believe we can produce at least seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators!
We must resolutely aim for the top. The Ancestral Master will successfully form his Golden Core, and he will be glad to see our Wang Clan keep up with his footsteps."
He still believed. He believed that Mang Xiang could achieve the Golden Core realm.
The supposed five losses regarding the Golden Core at the Gathering Immortals Platform were a sham; the votes were merely symbolic. The true crux of the matter was that the Conservative Faction and the Reformist Faction within the Immortal Alliance had reached a stalemate upon the Gathering Immortals Platform.
This stalemate didn't mean Mang Xiang's allies were incompetent. The Conservative Faction had secured the core resource distribution positions within the Immortal Alliance early on. Their accumulated foundation could easily withstand the pressure from the Reformist Faction.
It merely meant the process would be more tortuous. Wang Yulou had confidence in his Ancestral Master.
How many years had it been since Shen Guang achieved his Dao? Yet he already dominated the West Sea.
How could the Ancestral Master's myriad years of cultivation be trapped by the Gathering Immortals Platform's restrictions?
Shen Guang had the various Demon Gods of the West Sea backing him, but Patriarch Mangxiang had the numerous Immortal Venerables of the Immortal Alliance's Conservative Faction behind him. The Ancestral Master didn't lack in any aspect; he merely suffered from poor luck!
Wang Xianmao fell silent for a long time before activating his divine ability again, sending a voice transmission.
'Do you really intend to become a half-step Purple Palace cultivator?'
Playing with the small stone turtle in his hand, Yulou answered.
'As long as one is alive, there is always hope.
'The future holds too many changes. We cannot let our worries about it shackle our present steps.
'Expanding the Wang Clan's foundation will be immensely beneficial to both me and the family.
'If it can help me, I'll naturally be satisfied.
'Even if it doesn't help me, it's still a good thing.
'Over the years, I've received numerous conveniences from the family; it's high time I properly repaid them.'
Since Wang Yulou felt this way, what more could Wang Xianmao say?
"Fine, tell me. What kind of shop do you want me to manage?"
When a junior in the clan had the heart to lay bricks and add tiles for the family's growth, Wang Xianmao naturally wouldn't drag his feet.
Having finished his daily routine of bonding with the small stone turtle, Yulou tossed it back into the spiritual scenery pool. He tilted his head and smiled at the Patriarch.
"An auction house. The most unique auction house.
"Patriarch, our Wang Clan is going to open a top-tier auction house in the West Sea.
"The vast West Sea is a fine place to achieve great things. It doesn't lack high-class underground auctions or legitimate auction houses.
"But I want to build one that is the most unique, the most extraordinary auction house in the West Sea!"
Wang Xianmao didn't ask how Wang Yulou planned to do it—he trusted that Yulou had everything calculated out. Instead, he simply retorted:
"Decorating the 'most extraordinary' one will probably cost quite a few spirit stones, won't it?"
Shaking his head, Yulou looked toward Clear Stream Market and replied with a sigh.
"A mountain need not be high; it is famous if an immortal resides there.
"How an auction house fares has nothing to do with its decor, but purely with its methods of operation.
"Patriarch, do you remember the Great Goods Store I set up in Clear Stream Market?"
Wang Xianmao's pupils shrank. He understood Wang Yulou's meaning.
True Person Hansong had once mentioned to the Mo family that a spirit stone crisis was bound to happen.
Shen Guang having the Myriad Dao Origin Hub fully open the exchange of divine abilities and secret techniques might stem precisely from this consideration—reap the harvest quickly, for they couldn't afford to delay.
The Great Goods Store of the past handled cultivation resource contract trading. It fleeced many fools until they howled in pain, while simultaneously making many smart people red-eyed with envy over the profits.
When Yulou mentioned the auction house being unique, he was probably referring to this, right?
"I remember. After the sect took it over, they left it in absolute shambles. Senior Brother Qiusheng has already been forced to execute two of the sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators,"
Wang Xianmao said faintly.
Spirit stones were good things. They drove countless cultivators to live and die for them.
With Wondrous Peak Mountain and Valley Spirit Sect fighting for so many years, the contract trading for war materials had remained perpetually booming.
In the face of such enormous, tempting profits, embezzlement wasn't merely a possibility; it was an absolute certainty.
"That's why we need you to oversee things. Otherwise, I fear we'll see a second Wang Jiahui. That would only end up harming our own people."
Wang Xianmao nodded in understanding.
However, he soon realized: weren't Wang Yulou's concepts identical to what he had done back in Clear Stream Market?
"Yulou, after going around in circles all these years, the directions you've proposed are still quite similar to your time in Clear Stream Market. Do you not have any new ideas?"
Wang Yulou glanced at the Dragon Tiger Platform. The Patriarch's divine ability was active again.
'I actually want to set up an assassin hall. The West Sea is a mix of fish and dragons. If we ran an assassination business, there would be no shortage of cultivators willing to sell their lives.'
"I also want to establish my own Forge Peak Residence. Hahaha, after studying the artificing path for so many years, I am now even stronger than Hongmei was back then."
The two began conversing with one set of words spoken aloud, and an entirely different set communicated secretly.
'Don't even think about it. The restrictions in the West Sea are few, but the Immortal Alliance's strength here is exceptionally formidable. You should understand the difference.'
"That's doable. Just let... let Yuming come over to coordinate with you and handle the daily work, so you can focus entirely on artifact refining. How does that sound?"
This indicated securing Wang Yulou's position as the leader of the Wang Clan two generations down the line.
However, considering Wang Yulou's current influence, the nominal Patriarch Wang Rongjiang was actually nothing more than a rubber stamp.
In truth, Wang Yulou possessed extraordinary innate talent. Now was precisely the moment for his precious sword to be unsheathed. Skipping over the "Rong" generation to directly become the Wang Clan's leader wouldn't be a problem at all.
'I understand. Five dragons regulating the water, hah. There aren't many Immortal Alliance grand cultivators in the West Sea, but three True Persons act directly within the Great Heaven. I naturally know the difference.'
"We can do that. And while we're at it, we'll open a restaurant focused on boutique dishes. In the future, our Wang Clan will walk on two legs: the unique auction house is one, and a boutique restaurant catering to Foundation Establishment cultivators is the other. This way, we can advance steadily."
The combat arena, the inn, the unique auction house, and the boutique restaurant—these constituted the development direction Wang Yulou had charted for the Wang Family's Western Sea Branch.
Of course, there were bound to be changes in the future.
It was just that they would proceed with these plans for now. Immortal Venerable Shenguang's Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda was simply too formidable; many of Wang Yulou's other ideas couldn't be realized. A West Sea branch of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, for example, couldn't be launched at all.
It was only because his skill in artifact refining was extremely high that he dared to open a West Sea Forge Peak Residence under the pressure of the Demon-Suppressing Treasure Pagoda.
'As for assassins and such, never entertain the thought again.'
"Yes, our family's Taste-Knowing Bistro has been running for many years. We have abundant experience when it comes to managing restaurants. I'm most confident in this aspect, hahaha."
"It's just that, Patriarch, the combat arena and the inn won't cost many spirit stones; I can shoulder those myself.
"However, the auction house and the restaurant will require some support from the clan."
The core of the combat arena lay in the land, and the inn was merely a small business.
In its initial stages, the auction house would require massive amounts of resource contracts and credit backing. Even if they could rally the support of other cultivators, the Wang Clan would still need to invest a portion to get it off the ground. It was a heavy-asset venture.
The restaurant, on the other hand, was heavily reliant on talent. Wang Yulou needed the Wang Clan's cooks—and the Lin family's cooks were already on their way as well.
He had thought of all this well in advance.
"Support. We'll support everything. The clan has exchanged everything convertible into spirit stones this time. In the short term, we'll likely reach our wealthiest state in a millennium. Funding your businesses won't be difficult."
Initially, Wang Xianmao was brimming with confidence, but it quickly turned into concern.
The Wang Clan's accumulation—from various secret magical combat spells to post-Foundation Establishment cultivation methods, divine abilities, spells, and inheritances in auxiliary paths—was actually quite vast. After all, they had been passing it down for a thousand years.
Now, suddenly opening all of it to outside sales would naturally rake in a huge sum of spirit stones, but in the future, it would impact the Wang Clan's competitive edge to survive in the cultivation world.
Teaching a disciple would starve the master to death.
"There's no need for you to worry, Patriarch. With Yulou here, everything will be fine!"
Wang Yulou spoke these words with profound presence and spirit.
He was already standing at the turning point of transforming from a hidden dragon in the abyss to a dragon seen in the fields.
In Wang Yulou's eyes, the chaotic situation in the West Sea was nothing more than a stage.
He would walk to the very end. Wang Yulou had faith in himself.
Without self-confidence, how could one dream of attaining Great Freedom?
Patting Yulou's shoulder, the old Patriarch also revealed a smile.
Indeed, their family's Qilin child had finally reached the time to bare his fangs and reveal his brilliance.
——
Two days later.
Wang Yulou was about to reveal his brilliance, and Wang Xianmao was thrilled.
However... Zhou Fangming wasn't very happy.
He had realized he was about to be thrown into an elixir furnace and turned into an alchemical ingredient.
No, to be precise, all the direct lineage members of the Zhou family brought by Zhou Bojiao to assume his post in the West Sea were likely about to become alchemical ingredients together.
In the backyard of the Treasure-Wielding True Human's Residence, an exceedingly profound concealment formation array blanketed everything.
Perfected Man Fujiao remained sprawled in the pool. Hovering quietly and spinning in the air above the water was a golden magic treasure elixir furnace.
Zhou Fangming and dozens of the Zhou family's Foundation Establishment cultivators had been drawn into midair. Right now, their entire bodies were bound by
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