Chapter 220: The Tall Tree Draws the Wind
Although involving the Holy Kingdom made things a bit tricky, Sang Zhe firmly believed in Meng Qiyan and the others’ capabilities. He even specifically sent Shi Qingyan to train the new employees. With the three of them around, he figured the newcomers would blend in quickly.
He was confident that even without Nian Nian’s help, they would soon hear the information they needed.
—
—
In Linzhou, Floating Splendor Commerce.
In the office on the top floor, Bai Ming stared silently at the letter in her hand.
“Three entire provinces worth of goods lost?”
“…Yes.”
In front of her, the little maid timidly lowered her head and replied, “They were all robbed at the same time by unknown bandit cultivators. When our guest cultivators arrived, they found no traces. It’s as if the attackers vanished into thin air, leaving no clues behind.”
“Unknown bandit cultivators… Ha, spare me the nonsense.”
Bai Ming scoffed, “You guys in the Holy Kingdom truly are as domineering and unreasonable as the rumors say. You can’t even pretend a little.”
“Master, what should we do?”
“…Suspend sales of the communication devices in the three provinces. Convert it to a limited-time sale.”
Bai Ming calmly stated, “Find a few insiders to act as pawns. On the sale day, buy all the communication devices, then slowly release them back into the market at a price that’s been hiked by ten percent under the guise of resellers.”
“During the stop-loss period, have the workshop’s artifact crafters work overnight on a new batch. We’ll calculate overtime pay at five times the normal rate.”
“Yes.”
The little maid respectfully complied, but worry still flickered in her beautiful eyes, “But, Master, what if the next shipment is also intercepted? Even if we work overtime, no matter how big our business is, we can’t afford such a drain.”
Bai Ming shot her a displeased glare, making the little maid shrink her neck in fear.
“You think I don’t know?” She said, slightly irritated. “If we can’t strike a deal with the Demon Cultivators, which other sect dares to stand against the Holy Kingdom?”
“The Demon Cultivators are our best hope. If they refuse to stand up for us, we… will have to submit to the Holy Kingdom.”
The terms of reconciliation proposed by the Holy Kingdom were nearly incomprehensible for Floating Splendor Commerce. Yet, even in the face of such insanity, Bai Ming seemed to have no better plan.
She had no reason to sever ties with the Holy Kingdom, nor the power to do so.
In this situation, she could only pin all her hopes on the Demon Cultivators.
Taking a deep breath, a hint of silence flickered in Bai Ming’s beautiful eyes.
“Tomorrow… I’ll call the Demon Cultivators’ sect leader.”
Seeing the little maid’s mournful expression, Bai Ming softened her tone and said, “Don’t worry.”
“I, Bai Ming, have built myself up from scratch. What challenges have I not overcome until now?”
“Just a mere Holy Kingdom. I will find a way to deal with it.”
The little maid wanted to say more, but Bai Ming waved her off.
The moonlight streamed through the large floor-to-ceiling window, spilling into Bai Ming’s office.
Staring outside, Bai Ming felt increasingly irritated.
“Sigh, I want to drink again.” She silently shook her head.
Actually, the last time she drank with Sang Zhe was a rare and enjoyable experience for her.
As a merchant, she had rarely opened her heart or connected with anyone since arriving in this world, always acting with calculation and strategy.
While her intentions during that last drinking session with Sang Zhe weren’t entirely innocent, she had to admit that sipping wine together and chatting was quite a stress reliever.
It had been a long time since she felt such a light and pleasant atmosphere.
“Tomorrow, I should figure out a way to invite Brother Sang out for another drink,” she muttered to herself.
—
—
Though one would assume investigating the Holy Kingdom and Floating Splendor Commerce would keep Sang Zhe overwhelmingly busy, he had actually been rather relaxed these past few days.
On one hand, the Punishment Department had no significant work, with most employees dispatched to gather information.
On the other hand, the ones truly concerned with the matter were Meng Qiyan, Yan Rouwan, and Shi Qingyan.
Sang Zhe was merely a hands-off manager.
Each day, he ambled about the branch office like an old man at a park, cradling Jiao Jiao and Hei Xia, enjoying the moments when employees respectfully called him “Master Sihu.”
Besides that, his nights were dedicated to rejuvenating Meng Qiyan from her daily fatigue and labor.
Ever since Meng Qiyan had pioneered the concept, Zhang Xiaoying had become increasingly enthusiastic about sharing a bed and serving one husband with the other two wives.
During this time, with Meng Qiyan living at home, she and Xiaoying often stumbled upon new ways to have fun with Sang Zhe every night.
Fun was fun, but some of those games were quite exhausting.
Just thinking about being tossed around by his two charming wives each night left Sang Zhe with sore limbs and a deflated spirit.
“Sigh. Life is tough.”
His two cats mewed in sympathy.
Suddenly, the communication device sounded, revealing Bai Ming’s invitation.
“Brother Sang, last time we didn’t have enough fun, so why not come to Linzhou this time for a proper drink?”
Reading Bai Ming’s invitation, Sang Zhe fell into deep contemplation.
…Again?
It had only been a few days since the last invite.
No, wait.
The urgency in her tone suggested the situation had worsened considerably.
It appeared she was quite anxious.
Unusual for Sang Zhe, the more anxious she was, the more he felt inclined to delay.
In negotiations, the more desperate the other party, the more concessions they’d make.
So he nonchalantly replied with something like “Oh, I’m quite busy lately, not convenient. Maybe another day?”
Sending that off, he continued to stroll around with his cats.
Not long after, another message came through.
“Word is that the Demon Cultivators’ sect leader has a fondness for the comics and novels from Fusa Pavilion. Coincidentally, these days are the author’s annual meeting at Fusa Pavilion, where all popular authors will be in attendance.”
“Would your sect leader be interested in attending the banquet?”
Oh ho.
That’s clever.
Knowing he’d be difficult to convince, they switched tactics to appeal to the sect leader’s interests.
This was undoubtedly a smart move. Even though Sang Zhe recognized the flattery, he found it hard to refuse.
Because Hua Jianglian truly loved Fusa Pavilion’s comics and had long wanted to meet her favorite author.
Their sect leader stayed cooped up at home every day and must have felt rather lonely. Given the chance to take her out for some exposure was indeed a chance.
After some hesitance, Sang Zhe agreed, “Thank you for your kind offer, Bai brother.”
“I’ll be awaiting your arrival.”
As he closed the communication device, he could almost imagine Hua Jianglian bouncing three feet high with excitement upon hearing the news.
Just as he pondered how to convey this to the sect leader, the communication device sounded again.
This time it was Meng Qiyan.
“Come to the Heavenly Punishment Department. We have news.”
—
—
When Sang Zhe arrived at the Heavenly Punishment Department, everyone was already gathered.
Meng Qiyan, Yan Rouwan, Shi Qingyan, and Tang Yubbing awaited him.
“What’s with the seriousness?”
Sang Zhe was a bit taken aback, “What, is it something major?”
“Not small.”
Meng Qiyan’s expression turned rarely grave: “Floating Splendor Commerce is indeed clashing with the Holy Kingdom now.”
“And it might be a bit more severe than we imagined.”
Yan Rouwan pointed to the map on the table: “Our team collected intel from near Tianlang City in the southern region. They say there’s been a shortage of communication devices from the Divine Machine Pavilion recently.”
“They’re reportedly limiting the number of devices sold, which has led to skyrocketing prices—up to hundreds of spirit stones each in the three provinces.”
“And from what our informants have uncovered, the reason is that their goods were robbed.”
Robbed? Sang Zhe blinked.
Who was bold enough to rob Floating Splendor Commerce’s goods?
“Floating Splendor Commerce hires cultivators for every shipment, most in the Nascent Soul to Transformation stage, occasionally even Harmonization stage.”
“In the past, there have been instances where goods were brazenly stolen by otherwise clueless little thieves, but those mostly got resolved easily. Just a matter of throwing more money at hired help. Floating Splendor Commerce never lacks money.”
“But this time is different,” Meng Qiyan stated seriously.
“The goods from the three provinces were taken simultaneously.”
“The escort cultivators included both Transformation stage and Harmonization stage, far beyond what ordinary thieves could manage.”
“And the execution was clean; they took what they wanted and left without a trace. Our guest cultivators who rushed over couldn’t pin anything on them.”
“This meticulously planned robbery clearly wasn’t a coincidence.”
Sang Zhe pondered for a while before speaking, “Are you saying… it was the Holy Kingdom’s doing?”
Shi Qingyan’s cold voice interjected, “I specifically investigated.”
“There were indeed signs of Holy Kingdom troops operating nearby the robbed area.”
No wonder.
The southern provinces were neither too big nor too small.
Losing this batch of goods, while it wouldn’t cripple Floating Splendor Commerce, would certainly hurt for a time.
Clearly, the Holy Kingdom aimed to achieve just that.
No wonder Bai Ming was in such a hurry to expedite a collaboration with the Demon Cultivators.
“But Senior Sister, you’re impressive. Even Floating Splendor Commerce couldn’t find clues, and yet you managed to track them down.”
Shi Qingyan remained calm as she responded, “Even though the other side had taken enough precautions, they’re still soldiers of the Holy Kingdom. Their skill in robbery and smuggling remains inexperienced.”
“And that’s where we, the Demon Cultivators, excel.”
Sang Zhe: “…Got it.”
That left only one question.
“What did Floating Splendor Commerce and the Holy Kingdom clash over?”
It was Tang Yubbing who spoke this time.
“Though it’s just my personal speculation.”
“I think the reason may not be as complicated as we envision.”
“A tall tree draws the wind; exposed wealth attracts envy. Nothing more.”
“Since the Holy Kingdom stopped governing all states and counties, while on paper each state still paid tribute to the Holy Kingdom, it’s mostly just formality, with the bulk taken by local sects and families.”
“This is because there are mostly commoners in the states; the tax amounts are trivial spirit stones and merely serve as a waste to the Holy Kingdom.”
“But what if there exists a state?”
“Where the tax payments alone could make the Holy Kingdom envious?”
She slowly pointed at a location on the map.
Sang Zhe attentively focused on the spot she indicated.
…Linzhou.
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