Chapter 409: The First Shop is Reserved for You

Yesterday, when Xu Hongqiu mentioned she wasn't sure how to repay him, Chu Liang casually offered a small suggestion.

The Whale Gang, being the powerful business group in the realm of immortality cultivation, had influence over all the rivers and seas. They naturally had an advantage. Their presence in Taotie City was unmistakable, with enough shops to fill an entire street—each one offering a wide array of goods across various categories.

Chu Liang suggested that the Whale Gang could open branch stores on Red Cotton Peak for all their different businesses from Taotie City. They could just send a few people to manage the shops, with goods moving back and forth between Taotie City and Red Cotton Peak. Even if the profits weren’t huge, they wouldn’t be losing money either. This plan alone would temporarily make Red Cotton Peak look impressive, and Xu Hongqiu readily agreed.

This was no big deal to the Whale Gang. Compared to how Chu Liang saved her and her father's lives, this was hardly worth mentioning.

But when Chu Liang saw the scale of the operation today, it was clear she hadn’t just brought a few people to open a branch store.

A massive flying ship hovered in the air, and Xu Hongqiu descended from it. Chu Liang quickly went to greet her.

"Miss Xu, what’s all this..." Chu Liang asked, glancing at her and then at the flying ship. He was a bit confused.

"Didn't you ask the Whale Gang to open shops on Red Cotton Peak? After I told my father, we spent the night calculating all of our shops in Taotie City and decided that we would move everything we could over here first," Xu Hongqiu said with a smile.

"Wait a minute..." Chu Liang said as he raised his hand. "What I suggested was... opening branch stores? Just to make Red Cotton Peak look more impressive, that's all."

This setup might actually be too overwhelming for Red Cotton Peak to handle.

"You did say to bring just a few people and some goods to make Red Cotton Peak look more impressive," Xu Hongqiu replied with a smile. "But my father said that now that you're his sworn brother, if the people in Taotie City don't respect you, they're not respecting him. So, why bother with Taotie City anymore? We might as well move everything here."

"This..." Chu Liang said with a sigh. "Elder Brother Xu is such a good bro."

But with a quick thought, he immediately grasped the situation.

When he had initially reached out to those four or five pill shops, Taotie City had responded with a strict ultimatum: either stay in Taotie City or move to Red Cotton Peak, but not both.

Those shops were definitely afraid.

They were insignificant compared to the might of Taotie City. Their absence would go unnoticed in the bustling streets, making no difference to the city's grand presence. Yet, if they left Taotie City entirely, their businesses would be at risk of survival.

The Whale Gang, however, was a different story. If this massive entity pulled out all its businesses, Taotie City would lose an entire street overnight.

In that case, it would be Taotie City that had something to fear.

This would cause a massive scandal and harm their reputation. In addition, if the Whale Gang pulled out all its businesses, Taotie City would also struggle to find another major merchant with such widespread influence and abundant resources.

Therefore, if Xu Bashan released news of potentially moving the businesses, Taotie City would surely be forced to compromise.

Even though Xu Bashan had significant influence within the Whale Gang, the Ocean Tempest Hall still held power, meaning he couldn’t make decisions on his own. Moving the entire gang's businesses just because someone saved his life was simply unrealistic.

In the end, the most likely outcome would still be opening branch stores.

Chu Liang had asked for a small favor, and Xu Bashan had made a small effort, but it ended up being a big help.

Surely, only those who were experienced could come up with such an effective strategy.

This sworn brother of mine really understood the intricacies of human relations,

Chu Liang thought, as he immediately decided that this Big Bro was definitely someone he could rely on.

When Xu Hongqiu heard Chu Liang call her father "Elder Brother," she felt so weirded out by it. She knew it made sense, but it still made her smile falter for a moment.

She quickly changed the subject and said, "Let's get the brothers to start unloading. They don't have to wait up in the sky. We've already registered with Boundless Palace, so everything’s in order."

There was naturally a need to register such a massive enchanted tool with the higher-ups of the Mount Shu Sect before it even arrived. Otherwise, they would have already been warned or shot down by now.

"Great! Let's get moving then!" Chu Liang said with a grin. "I'll go contact the brothers in the Hall of Construction to start building the shops."

When Dan Lingzi saw all of this, he immediately became anxious.

He hurried over to stop Chu Liang and asked, "Young Hero Chu, didn’t we agree that my shop would be the first?"

"Weren’t you still thinking it over?" Chu Liang asked.

"I’ve made up my mind! No more thinking—I’m settling down on Red Cotton Peak for the rest of my life!" Dan Lingzi quickly replied.

He had hesitated before, but after witnessing the sheer scale of the Whale Gang’s operation, he knew this place was destined to flourish. Even a fool could see that.

What was there to hesitate about?

"Alright, the first shop is still yours," Chu Liang assured him. "But they're in a hurry, so I'll help them build the second and third shops first... The first one will stay reserved for you, and we’ll get to it later."

With that, he rushed off to Heaven-Reaching Peak, leaving Dan Lingzi standing there, mulling over Chu Liang’s words.

Why does this feel stranger the more I think about it?

...

Meanwhile, on that gently swaying pleasure boat in the Southern Regions, only the silver-scaled youth remained in the cabin.

Ji Lingjue took out a jade cup, poured a drink into it, and with a flick of his fingers, there was a sharp sizzling sound. The liquid in the cup seemed to encounter something scorching, instantly transforming into a swirling cloud of vapor.

The vapor in the air began to condense, forming a vague human figure.

As the apparition gradually solidified, it took on the silhouette of a graceful woman, though her face remained indistinct.

"Chi Menshen is dead," Ji Lingjue stated bluntly.

"Hmm?" The vapor rippled as the woman spoke. "Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on him?"

"It's my fault," Ji Lingjue admitted. "The plan to control the Whale Gang was already in motion, but when I was capturing the Inferno Dragon, I brought in two Mount Shu disciples, which led to the arrival of Di Nufeng... It was that teacher-disciple duo that ruined everything."

"Di Nufeng..." The woman mused, as if recalling a distant memory. "The child from eighty years[1] ago, right?"

"Yes," Ji Lingjue confirmed. "She was the only one who survived after the night of the Dragon Assassination in the capital of Yu."

"Heh..." The woman chuckled softly. "Last time, it was her disciple who killed Taowu, ruining Lu Chengchou's plan. And now, she's personally taken down Chi Menshen. Seems like some twisted form of retribution, doesn’t it?"

"If it weren't for what we did back then, she wouldn't even exist in this world," Ji Lingjue replied coolly. "If there's any retribution owed, it should be gratitude."

"Sigh, it's that fool Lu Chengchou's fault," the woman cursed under her breath. "We had been laying low for eighty years, flying under the radar. He just had to stir up trouble at Mount Shu. Now the situation is tense again, and our other plans will be affected."

"Where is that bastard now?" Ji Lingjue asked.

"How could he dare let us know?" The woman sneered. "Besides Xunyang, who wouldn’t want him dead? He’s nothing more than a cripple now, yet he knows too much about the Celestial Charm Sect. When we find him, we’ll make sure his soul and whatever remains of him are utterly destroyed."

"We have failed to take over the Whale Gang, so I need to lay low for a while," Ji Lingjue continued after a pause. "This was my mistake, but I'll make up for it when I have the chance."

"It doesn't matter," the woman replied. "Though the Whale Gang, with its hundreds of thousands of members, was an important piece in our plans, it's really just a force in the martial world. We have other ways. Ultimately, the key lies within the imperial court."

...

Deep within the sealed underground cavern, a wine jar filled with the aura of death had made its return.

Xuan Yinzi gently caressed the wine jar. He was so excited that he almost cried. He had been waiting for this jar for too long!

He had expected a single wine jar to accumulate enough aura of death in just three to five days, but it had taken so many days before the first jar finally returned.

He held it tightly, rubbing it for a long time before taking a deep breath and sucking in the aura of death in one gulp. It was like pouring water on parched earth—not enough to make a big change, but enough to quench the thirst for a while.

He had been so drained of energy and blood that he had nearly given up, even suspecting that some malevolent force was intercepting his Spirit-Slaying Jars.

Now, with renewed strength, he could create more Spirit-Slaying Jars!

The first one had returned, so the second couldn't be far behind.

As long as even one Spirit-Slaying Jar returned, it brought him a hundredfold benefit. At this rate, the day he would regain his strength and break free was within reach!

As Xuan Yinzi thought of this, he couldn’t help but laugh eerily, "

Heheheh—cough, cough!

Cough, cough, cough!

"

...

That night, Chu Liang arrived once again at the banks of the Bombax River.

Even though Red Cotton Peak was abuzz with activity, he couldn't ignore the pressing matters at hand.

He hadn't killed any wine-jar monsters in the past few days to collect more rewards, so they had surely accumulated.

Now was the perfect time to clear them all out.

Haha!

1. I think Di Nufeng is eighty years old.

https://www.wuxiaworld.com/novel/young-noble-be-monster-slaying/yns-chapter-124

mentioned her attending the Assembly of Immortal Sects sixty years ago. ☜