Chapter 222 - Chamber of Commerce Negotiation
Chapter 222 - Chamber of Commerce Negotiation
Guessing the identity of the long-haired female cultivator, Lu Chang'an was more or less surprised.
He could not help but recall Li Congren's description of the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce:
"The Devil Cult will also give that Chamber a thin face. Even if they encounter it, they can break the bank and not drive them to extinction."
At that time, Lu Chang'an only thought that the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce had a lot of energy and was well known in both the black and white worlds.
At the moment, he had the feeling that he had gotten into a pirate ship.
Who would have thought that the long-haired female cultivator who joined the sect halfway and covered her face with a thin veil would be the personal disciple of the head of the Demon Sect.
"Fairy Master has finally released this woman."
Lu Chang'an secretly thought.
In the past two years, with the chaotic situation at the border, the Devil Cult has been building up its strength for many years, and has already established a climate, and has a great deal of power in the surrounding area.
Miss Wei's identity, when looking at this area, is more intimidating than the true disciples of the sect.
It was not difficult for Lu Changan to understand Fairy Shi's choice.
Even if you kill Miss Wei, it won't erase the hidden danger. Once the Demon Sect finds out, as the leader's own disciple, he will never let it go.
If he didn't kill Miss Wei, Lu Changan had already erased her memories of the secret territory.
By letting this girl go, he should have made her make a demonic oath.
Even if it is revealed one day in the future.
As a third-ranked formation master, Fairy Shifu is definitely a target for all the major powers to recruit.
Even if it is a Third Order Formation Master with a False Dan cultivation, its status is completely comparable to that of a True Dan cultivator.
At that time, it would not be easy for the Demon Sect to move Fairy Shifu, and they might even have the desire to recruit her.
"Before leaving the relics, I wonder if Fairy Shifu will follow my advice and destroy the formation at the core of the relics, prompting the space that is collapsing to break down."
Returning to his room, Lu Chang'an was somewhat curious about this.
It is only possible for Fairy Master Shifu to do so when she becomes a Third Order Formation Master, and it requires the skill of four or two to set off the chain reaction of the ancient remnant formation.
The answer to this is likely to be known to Miss Wei, who has just boarded the Spirit Ship.
Lu Chang'an had previously taken Miss Wei's life at will, but now he dared not reveal his identity and ask her face to face.
From the way Miss Wei was treated.
He suspects that the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce is deeply colluding with the Devil Cult.
A few decades ago, although the Demon Cult was routed in the Liang Immortal Cultivation Realm, it learned from past lessons and seems to have developed well in the neutral Immortal Cultivation State of Jing, or at least infiltrated within the Merchant Guild.
The pattern of the Immortal Cultivation Realm in the Kingdom of Jing was different from that of the Kingdom of Liang.
In Liang, clans are the supreme power and have absolute dominance.
However, in Jing Country, the Merchant Alliance is so powerful that it can even compete with the clans in that country.
The Jing country's merchant union is made up of large and small chambers of commerce, embracing the warmth of the group, advocating trade and freedom, mastering most of the country's immortal city and market channels. Compared to the sects, the trade alliance's rejection of demonic sects is relatively small, and is more profit-oriented.
"If the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce is indeed colluding with the Demon Cult. It's not completely bad news for this cross-country trip."
A few moments later, Lu Chang'an figured this out.
......
Two days later.
The Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce's spirit ship has returned to the right track and is gradually leaving the border of Liang.
Lu Chang'an sensed that the aura of heaven and earth outside the spirit ship was getting thinner and thinner, and was even close to being cut off.
Under such circumstances, the power of many spells would be greatly reduced.
The flight speed is slow, and the recovery of mana is even more difficult.
Coupled with the chaos between the two countries during the war, it is indeed difficult to be secure when traveling alone.
With the protection power of the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce's spirit ship, it can at least eliminate all kinds of robbing cultivators.
Lu Chang'an looked back at the direction of Liang through the window of the guest room and saw a deserted area, his mood was complicated.
Now, he has reached the age of one hundred and forty-two, and has been practicing in Liang for more than one hundred and twenty years, so it is inevitable that he has some ties to the people and things of that land.
However, Lu Chang'an had sought a complete opportunity to complete his dan formation, including dan formation spirits, and needed a peaceful environment for cultivation.
First, cultivate to the peak of Foundation Establishment, and then find a third-stage spiritual vein to make the pills.
This time, I met with my old friends and traded for the secret method of pandan transformation, so I'm quite happy overall.
The only thing I regret is that I didn't get to see Zhao Siyao.
When he arrived at Golden Cloud Valley, Zhao Siyao was in seclusion, preparing for her dan formation.
Even Zhao Tan, Zhao Si Yao's disciple, had gone to the frontline to guard the area.
"Fellow Daoist Wu."
The prohibition of the room door was touched, and the purple-faced strong man from next door, approached Lu Chang'an for a visit.
The purple-faced strong man was injured, but he also endured the pain and paid out 3,000 spirit stones to stay in the guest room next door to Lu Chang'an.
This person has a heavy aura of death, not very social, in the spirit ship only with Lu Chang'an can chat a few words.
"Fellow Daoist Fang, please come in."
Inside the guest room, the two of them chatted about some war topics.
Between their words, the purple-faced strong man revealed his dissatisfaction with the upper echelons of the Liang Clan.
"If it wasn't for the Liang Sect's presumptuousness in starting the war and taking the lead in invading other countries, we wouldn't have ended up in today's situation."
"'The Secret Realm of the Green Underworld' would have opened in three or four more years, and that would have been the way for many base-building Daoists to obtain the chance to form dan......."
The purple-faced man's tone was fierce, with hatred in his eyes.
Because of the war, he was forced to go to the front line, almost died, and then became a deserter, wanted by the clan.
If it was a peaceful era, he would have reached the peak of the late stage of Foundation Establishment in a few years, and would have been able to participate in the Green Destiny Mystery Realm, and his strength would have been in the upper echelon.
"Affected by the war, I'm afraid that the 'Green Underworld Secret Realm' may not be able to open smoothly."
Lu Chang'an sighed lowly, not too sure about this either.
Because of the war situation, he had long ago made a trade-off, choosing to raid the Ancient Ruins and give up the Green Destiny Mysterious Realm.
There was one thing that Lu Chang'an didn't tell the purple-faced strong man.
Even if the Liang Clan didn't take the lead in invading the Beacon Country, the flames of war would have come sooner or later.
This was the conclusion Lu Chang'an had drawn from the information from Tian Zhi Lou.
"Sect inspection cultivators!"
While chatting, a shout of alarm came from the rear of the spirit ship, slightly disturbing.
The two of them walked out of the room.
Only to see the rear of the spirit ship, two spirit boats about ten feet long flew in.
On each of the two spirit boats, there is a False Pill real person in charge, leading a team of twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"Spirit ships ahead, accept inspection!"
The two spirit boats, flying at a faster speed compared to the massive spirit boats, were impossible to get rid of.
The spirit ship of the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce didn't disobey and stopped.
Unless they don't want to do business, the Liang clan's routine inspections, the incoming and outgoing Jing spirit ships will all cooperate.
The border is guarded by the clan's true dan masters, and when they encounter a tough challenge, the inspecting cultivators can contact them via emergency transmission.
"Both of you, when we left Zijing Immortal City, our spirit ships had already passed the inspection."
Inside the spirit ship of the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce, a middle-aged man in a Confucian shirt smiled and welcomed him out, saying without being overbearing. The middle-aged man in a Confucian shirt is the False Pill Realist who sits on the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce's spirit ship.
In fact, after the spirit ship left Liang, the green light was given all the way, and this was the first time it was investigated.
"We have received the latest clues that within your Chamber of Commerce's spirit ship, there may be sect fugitives who have gotten in under the radar."
"Your Excellency, please rest assured, we only catch fugitives and have no intention of making things difficult for your Chamber of Commerce."
This team of sect inspection cultivators were quite polite to the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce.
The three major chambers of commerce of the Jing Country Business Alliance, each of which had True Dan cultivators in attendance, had strong financial power and extraordinary influence.
"The Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce is willing to cooperate with the investigation. I hope that after you all board the ship, you will not disturb the honored guests on the upper deck of the spirit ship."
The Confucian-shirted middle-aged man raised his hand, causing the spirit ship formation to open a channel.
One of the sect False Dan, with a dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators, entered the spirit ship and searched inside.
......
"Fellow Daoist Wu, Mister Fang will return to his room first."
The purple-faced strong man's heart trembled and his legs and stomach went weak, he forced himself to calm down and returned to the neighboring guest room.
The terrified cultivator was not the only one.
The dozens of Liang cultivators who boarded the ship are essentially smugglers, and many of them are not recognized by the public.
The following hour.
For the Liang cultivators on the spirit ship, it was an ordeal.
The only good news was.
This team of sect cultivators didn't check too closely, entering each room and simply asking a couple of questions.
Many of the guest rooms on the spirit ship are cultivators from the Jing Kingdom Chamber of Commerce.
Liang cultivators only occupy a portion of the rooms.
Not much time.
Two sect cultivators, with guarded expressions, entered Lu Chang'an's room.
"What is your honor's name?"
"My name is Wu Fan."
"What are you doing in the Jing Kingdom?"
"Mister Wu is a casual traveling merchant, traveling between the two countries, doing a little bit of small business."
Lu Chang'an said with his usual expression.
Strictly speaking, loose cultivators are not subject to the dispatch of sects.
The two cultivators sized up Lu Chang'an for a few moments, didn't notice anything unusual, and left the room.
This team of sect cultivators didn't go to the superior guest room to explore.
Two of the Foundation Cultivators, who had just approached the guest room of "Mr. Wang", seemed to have been authorized by some kind of voice transmission, and suddenly bowed and retreated.
One hour later.
This team of sect cultivators finished their inspection.
A total of seven fugitives and suspicious people were arrested, and one of the cultivators disobeyed and was killed on the spot.
The Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce not only did not stop, but also assisted in the arrests and maintained order.
Two of the seven cultivators were from the guest room and five were from the bilge.
Hoo!
The purple-faced man in the neighboring room, with cold sweat seeping out of his back, let out a long breath and saw off the distant sect inspectors.
Lu Chang'an came over and asked about the situation, but the purple-faced man was vague.
In fact, Lu Chang'an's divine sense had detected the truth.
The purple-faced man had injuries on his body, and his aura was very heavy and suspicious, attracting two sect cultivators to probe and interrogate him.
At the critical moment, the purple-faced man bribed the inspecting cultivators and offered a large amount of wealth to escape.
"The staterooms on a spirit ship are private spaces, with prohibitions to isolate them. So there is room for private bribery and negotiation......"
Lu Chang'an secretly said.
Half of the cultivators who boarded the ship were in the cargo hold below, and half were in the guest rooms.
The former had five taken, the latter only two.
In the cargo hold, there is no way to bribe in public.
Once you become a key suspect, you'll be arrested and taken away, leaving little room for maneuver.
Furthermore, the sect cultivators will also look at the people.
Cultivators who stay in the guest rooms have more financial strength. Certain hard-core, if they fight to the death and have talismanic treasure-type cards in their hands, they will also face the risk of backfiring.
Of course, staying in the guest room does not mean that you will be safe and sound, but just more opportunities to control your destiny.
Not every inspector is easy to talk to, easy to buy.
Lu Chang'an even suspected that each trip might have a certain mission target.
......
The inspections of the sect cultivators are something that the cultivators of the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce take for granted, as if they are just a small episode and don't care much about it.
But the following two days. Many of the cultivators living in the cargo hold have negotiated with the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce, hoping to spend spirit stones and move to the guest room.
Obviously, living in the guest room is more secure, and the chances of surviving the smuggling to the Jing Kingdom are greater.
"What! Six thousand spirit stones to stay in the guest room? Before it was still three thousand spirit stones."
The Liang cultivator who went to negotiate felt chilled.
The price of the guest room, doubled!
"I'm not hiding anything from you all, the guest rooms are indeed almost full."
"The price increase is actually a fair screening for all of you."
The steward of the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce, said carelessly.
Most of the cultivators in the cargo hold were rather strapped for cash, and after spending the price to board the ship, the spirit stones on their bodies were basically drained.
In the end, there are very few cultivators who can afford to pay 6,000 spirit stones to get on board.
You should know that a top-grade magic weapon is only worth 2,000 spirit stones.
In the Foundation Stage, there are only a few cultivators who can afford to pay as much as Lu Changan in the entire Liang Kingdom.
The next half month.
The spirit ships of the Nine Stars Chamber of Commerce were safe and sound.
Since then, no more sect cultivators have come to inspect the ship; the thieves on the road also dare not hit the ship.
In this half month, many Liang cultivators who boarded the ship had their fate changed.
Especially those in the lower cabin.
Some of the skillful ones, in order to gain security, signed a contract of sale with a cultivator from one of the chambers of commerce on the spirit ship.
For example, if they work for a certain chamber for twenty years and become a member of that chamber, they can get a legal identity that will guarantee their safe arrival in the Jing Kingdom.
There are also female cultivators in the bottom cabin, in order to collect spiritual stones, they stay in the guest rooms and sell their bodies on the spirit ship.
A female cultivator who has built up her foundation can be called a fairy or even an ancestor of a clan in a small place in Liang.
But now she has put down her noble stature and prostrated herself at the knees of others.
Lu Chang'an's door was once knocked on by such a female cultivator.
"Moving to another country, the road is hard, like a lamb to be slaughtered. This road is really not suitable for ordinary cultivators......."
Lu Chang'an lamented in his heart.
Compared to the struggles of the bottom cabin cultivators.
The third floor of the spirit ship Wang Gongzi, living a life of song and dance, far away from the country and beautiful maidservants to wait for them.
Lu Chang'an is also curious, this Wang Gongzi is what kind of person, can let the clan inspection cultivators, dare not enter the door inspection.
He once wanted to use his divine sense to check his real face, but in the end he held back.
If the other party has any special treasures on his body, which can be sensed and probed, then it would be purely a complication.
......
This day.
A trade fair was held on the second floor of the Spirit Ship's meeting hall.
All cultivators staying in the guest rooms were eligible to participate.
Cultivators from the Liang Kingdom only accounted for a small portion. Most of them were cultivators from the major chambers of commerce of the Jing Kingdom Business Alliance.
Nowadays, the spirit ship is far away from the cultivation world of Liang, so there is no need to worry about inspections by clan cultivators.
Lu Chang'an and the purple-faced man surnamed Fang attended the trade fair together.
After that bribe, the purple-faced man didn't have many spirit stones left.
He came to the trade fair mainly to get to know the cultivators of the Jing Kingdom Chamber of Commerce, or to make good relations with the powerful Liang cultivators.
The hall was not small, and there were dozens of wooden square tables.
Cultivators could sell or buy certain items on the tables.
At the trade fair, Lu Changan saw the figures of Mr. Wang, Miss Wei.
In front of Mr. Wang's table, there were many people gathered, including merchants from the Jing Kingdom and cultivators from the Liang Kingdom.
Miss Wei didn't sell any items and simply strolled around the fair, her eyes occasionally lingering briefly on one of the square tables.
Lu Changan could see that Miss Wei's body had not yet healed.
It seems that after leaving the Ancient Ruins, she encountered something in the middle of the journey and was injured again.
"Fellow Daoist Wu, how well have you considered what Mister Jia said last time?"
Walking to a certain square table, a dark and thin old man with a bright gaze, about fifty years old, looked at Lu Chang'an with a smile on his face.
The old man's name is Jia, and he is the head of the Crescent Moon Chamber of Commerce.
The Crescent Moon Chamber of Commerce is the Jing Chamber of Commerce that introduced Lu Changan to the ship. Of course, this matter was secretly planned by Li Congren, the connector is not the same person.
The steward, Mr. Jia, didn't know Lu Chang'an's identity, but only knew that he was the Jing cultivator who was introduced to the ship by his own Chamber of Commerce.
"I'm a casual cultivator, I'm used to being free, I really don't want to sign that contract and be driven by others for 20 years."
Lu Changan bluntly refused.
A few days ago, the Crescent Moon Chamber of Commerce's Mr. Jia took the initiative to contact Lu Chang'an, wanting him to sign a 20-year contract to serve as the Chamber's bodyguard.
During the contract period, he would supply the Spirit Vein Dojo with the basic needs of spirit stones and rice.
The biggest reward is to give Lu Changan a legal identity of the Chamber of Commerce, which can guarantee the safe arrival in the Jing Country.
"Fellow Daoist Wu should think carefully, today is the last chance. I am mindful of the fact that you have a destiny with the Crescent Moon Chamber of Commerce, which is why I have this kind intention."
Steward Jia said with a slightly cold face.
"If your chamber is willing to give an offering status, Mister Wu can consider it."
Lu Chang'an thought about it and didn't rebuff death.
The status of an envoy has a high status and much more freedom.
Lu Chang'an is going to Jing country, cultivation to the ninth level of foundation building, still need a lot of years, the second stage of the spirit vein is indispensable.
In order to reach the end of the dan, he will need a third-order spirit vein.
If he can establish a good relationship with the local Chamber of Commerce, it will be beneficial to his plan of attaining the dan.
"Offerings?" Steward Jia was stunned for a moment and asked rhetorically, "May I ask what skills Your Excellency has?"
"If the dan master or array master reaches the middle rank of the second order, and the other skills reach the upper rank of the second order, it's barely negotiable, but it's still necessary to sign a twenty-year contract."
Lu Chang'an thought about it, the only skills that he personally had reached the second rank upper grade were Puppet Master and Talisman Master.
"Mister Wu has a second-order lower-grade skill that doesn't force the status of an envoy, so he can become an external cultivator of your Chamber of Commerce. However, the contract signed shall not exceed ten years and cannot force personal freedom."
Lu Chang'an mused.
Steward Jia was dumbfounded, a hint of sneer flashed in his eyes, and he paid no more attention to Lu Chang'an.
Lu Chang'an negotiated with two more chambers of commerce, giving the same harsh conditions.
Lu Chang'an had a feeling that these chambers of commerce seemed to be winning and weren't worried about him not giving in.
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