...
Wang Baoguang shivered and hurriedly struggled to climb out of the deep handprint.
Even in such a sorry state, his treasured [Miniature Photo Disk] was still well protected, without a scratch.
After confirming the condition of the Miniature Photo Disk, he carefully dusted off the mud and dirt, tidied his clothes, and then quickly entered Wang Shouzhe's study, grinning obsequiously as he bowed and said, "Ancestor Grandfather, you called for ?"
He acted as if nothing had happened.
Clearly, he was used to being beaten.
Wang Shouzhe beckoned him over and gestured with an open hand.
Wang Baoguang's face imdiately fell.
He would never dare to defy Ancestor Grandfather's orders. Despite his reluctance, he respectfully placed the Miniature Photo Disk into Wang Shouzhe's open palm with a bitter expression.
Taking the Miniature Photo Disk, Wang Shouzhe imdiately began to review the photos Baoguang had taken through the crystal screen.
He had to admit, this brat's photography skills were quite good. The sa subjects, but his photos always turned out better than others'.
Wait a minute... isn't this a photo of him and Yun Tiange walking side by side into the Drunken Immortal Pavilion? From the angle of the photo, Yun Tiange almost seed to be leaning into his arms... and then there was a photo of him sneaking a lecherous glance at Lüqiu Qingyang!
Wang Shouzhe put down the Miniature Photo Disk, looking at Wang Baoguang with a complex expression.
How on earth did this rascal manage it?
"Uh..." Wang Baoguang said weakly, "In a crowded place, it's much easier to hide and not be noticed than in Ancestor Grandfather's courtyard. Even a True Immortal wouldn't constantly have their divine sense active, covering everyone. But, I wouldn't dare go into the private rooms of Cuiwei Residence..."
"As for capturing the right monts, that's all about talent. I don't know why, but I can always keenly grasp the right mont to take the perfect photo~~ Ancestor Grandfather, look at this series of photos of you leaving, so arrogant, so domineering~"
And then, there was no more.
Soon, Wang Shouzhe's courtyard was filled with many wooden stakes. Wang Baoguang's limbs were tied with ropes, suspended in a large character shape, face down, while the Spirit Artifact Lu Xiaoyi wrapped the Miniature Photo Disk in energy, happily taking photos of Baoguang from various angles like an unmanned aerial cara.
"Young Master Baoguang, turn your face a bit, yes, great angle, give us a smile. Click~"
"Young Master Baoguang, let's do a close-up from above~~ focus on your micro-expressions~~ showcasing your defiance and disdain after being punished... Click"
"Let's capture a stubborn little expression of not learning from mistakes... Click"
"The next shot is important, it should reflect your unwavering gossip spirit in the face of countless difficulties! Slightly turn your face, face the light, eyes firm, yes, just like that, Young Master Baoguang, you truly have talent, Click."
Just as Lu Xiaoyi was happily taking photos, Cai Youdao walked into Wang Shouzhe's courtyard.
Seeing this scene, he chuckled, "Isn't this Baoguang? Aren't you the one who claims to 'fear no authority, determined to pursue gossip to the end'? What happened, did you stumble?"
"Hello, Senior Cai." Wang Baoguang greeted, nonchalantly saying, "On the road to realizing one's ideals, one is bound to encounter so bumps. Don't mind it, just stand up, dust yourself off, and continue moving forward."
"Well, I admire your resilience, kid." Cai Youdao rubbed his hands and chuckled, "Want to teach you so advanced stealth techniques? I've offended countless people in my travels, and it's these tricks that have kept alive. But... your Senior Cai is a bit short on cash lately..."
"Senior Cai, your vision is a bit narrow." Wang Baoguang's spirit lifted, and he righteously said, "Stop focusing on my little bit of money, how will you ever achieve financial freedom that way? If we're going to do sothing, let's do sothing big..."
Hearing this, Cai Youdao's interest was piqued.
He conjured a fan from sowhere and began fanning Wang Baoguang, eyes shining as he asked, "Baoguang, tell , what good ideas do you have? How can we do sothing big and achieve financial freedom?"
Before Wang Baoguang could answer, Wang Shouzhe's voice ca from inside, "Old Cai, get in here."
Cai Youdao's face tightened, and he quickly lowered his voice, "The big boss is unhappy, I'll go deal with him first, then we can discuss our grand plan."
"Make it quick, and say nice things, my Ancestor Grandfather loves flattery."
Did they think he was deaf? At such a short distance, did they really think he couldn't hear if they lowered their voices?
Inside the study, Wang Shouzhe's face darkened, "Wang Baoguang, you get in here too."
"Yes, Ancestor Grandfather."
Wang Baoguang quickly rolled off the wooden stakes.
The stakes and ropes weren't very sturdy to begin with; he simply didn't dare struggle out of respect for Ancestor Grandfather's authority. Now that he had permission, he easily broke free with a tug.
Before long.
Cai Youdao and Wang Baoguang stood in front of Wang Shouzhe's desk, each with their hands hanging down, looking like they were ready to receive a lecture from the big boss.
"Old Cai, how's the task going?" Wang Shouzhe took a sip of tea and spoke casually.
"I followed them a bit, but only dared to stay on the outskirts." Cai Youdao replied, "But you know, big boss, even though my injuries have mostly healed and I can barely put on a show of force, infiltrating the prince's residence for intel is out of the question. If the two True Immortals on the other side discover , I might lose my life."
He paused, then looked at Wang Shouzhe with puppy eyes, "Boss, when I put on a show of force this ti, I hurt my foundation a bit. How about you give a raise as compensation?"
"Heh~"
Wang Shouzhe sneered, too lazy to deal with him, and instead turned to Wang Baoguang with a slight headache, "Can't you do sothing more productive?"
"Ancestor Grandfather, I am doing sothing productive." Wang Baoguang said innocently, "Didn't the Clan School encourage everyone to develop a career based on what they love most?"
Career? Your career is being a gossip and saring your own ancestor?
Wang Shouzhe really wanted to slap him to death and be done with it.
Now that the Wang Clan's population had grown, it was inevitable to have a few troublemakers. But none were as bizarre as Wang Baoguang, who could always infuriate him to the point of wanting to slap him to death.
However, Baoguang was ultimately his descendant, his bloodline.
Wang Shouzhe took a deep breath, controlled his tone, and said calmly, "Since you like intelligence work so much, report to Elder i and put your talents to use there."
"I won't go!" Wang Baoguang was startled, imdiately shaking his head like a rattle drum, his tone firm, "I don't like intelligence work, I only focus on 'restoring' gossip stories based on the emotional lives of big figures. I rember when I was little, Ancestor Grandfather, you said that one should focus on their career and not be half-hearted... Dreams are precious, never stifle children's dreams... It's not hard to do sothing well, what's hard is doing it for a lifeti..."
"You can shut up now." Wang Shouzhe interrupted irritably, "Since you love emotional gossip so much, I'll give you a chance. Do it well, and you can continue your dream. Fail, and you'll go back to the family farm and work as a farr for life."
Hearing this, Wang Baoguang's eyes lit up with excitent, and he pounded his chest, "Don't worry, Ancestor Grandfather, I guarantee I'll complete the task."
"Hmph, let's see if you can do it first." Wang Shouzhe casually wrote down a few nas, handed it to Wang Baoguang, and then waved his hand impatiently, "This task has so danger, let Old Cai assist you, be careful, now go, don't linger in front of ."
"Got it~ Just wait for my good news~"
Wang Baoguang, as if he had received an imperial edict, imdiately dragged the bewildered Cai Youdao out with great excitent.
Once they were out of Wang Shouzhe's courtyard, he couldn't help but let out an excited howl to the sky.
From today on, he was no longer a man walking in the shadows, but one gossiping by decree~!
After they both left, Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but rub his temples, which were starting to ache.
At least he had given Baoguang sothing suitable to do. Whether or not the rascal succeeded, at least it would occupy a lot of his energy, and he wouldn't be constantly gossiping about Wang Shouzhe.
...
In the blink of an eye, another seven or eight days passed.
In the study, Wang Shouzhe was at his desk, drawing and sketching, sotis deep in thought, sotis frowning, as if contemplating a grand plan.
Half an hour later, he finally finished his work.
Seeing this, Jiang Muxian, who had been waiting by the side, imdiately brought over a bowl of seventh-grade heavenly fat spiritual rice porridge: "Young Master, don't overwork yourself, have so porridge and take a break."
Wang Shouzhe took the porridge and drank it, casually chatting with Jiang Muxian, "How's your practical training progress lately?"
At the ntion of this, Jiang Muxian's expression turned indescribable, tears almost welling up in his eyes, "Barely, I can barely last two incense sticks against Baoguang."
"Isn't Baoguang supposed to be very busy lately?" Wang Shouzhe was a bit surprised, "How does he have ti to oversee your training?"
"He is indeed very busy, leaving early and returning late every day, who knows what he's busy with." Jiang Muxian's eyes were filled with confusion, as if questioning life itself, "But no matter how busy he is, he never forgets my practical training. Every day before dawn, he calls for training, and only after beating does he leave... Before leaving, he repeatedly tells to train well, that he'll check my progress when he returns... And then at night, it's another round of beatings..."
Jiang Muxian didn't even know how he had survived these past days.
Wang Shouzhe's mouth twitched.
He didn't expect Baoguang to be so responsible, diligently pursuing his dream while not forgetting his mission to train Jiang Muxian.
Just then.
Jiang Jianmu requested an audience outside.
"Co in," Wang Shouzhe said casually.
Jiang Jianmu entered with a hint of urgency on his face, and imdiately reported, "Young Master Shouzhe, there's been a situation these past few days that needs your attention. The two major grain rchants within our Holy City suddenly announced a 20% price drop, causing our sales across all channels to plumt, with many custors even requesting refunds."
A price war?
Wang Shouzhe's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't seem surprised, his expression remaining calm as usual, "No need to rush, let's observe the situation for a few more days. As for the custors requesting refunds, just follow the procedures for processing returns."
Jiang Jianmu hesitated, worried, but still accepted the order and left to handle the matter.
"Muxian, you should go train too, don't get beaten again tonight," Wang Shouzhe chuckled.
Jiang Muxian, thinking of the consequences if he didn't improve today, shivered and quickly left to train diligently.
Once everyone had left.
Wang Shouzhe spoke, "Tiange, what do you think?"
Yun Tiange erged from the shadows, walking to Wang Shouzhe's side, "It must be Prince Wenyu making a move. The current 20% price drop is likely just a test."
"Starting with a price war." Wang Shouzhe smiled, "Just as I expected."
"In terms of strategy, I still admire your thods, Young Master Shouzhe," Yun Tiange praised, "You first played the role of a playboy, displaying an arrogant and domineering persona, then let him know you have a Holy Lord backing you, naturally making Prince Wenyu hesitant to resolve the issue with force."
In Yun Tiange's view, if Prince Wenyu had truly chosen to use force in secret, given the current strength of the Holy Domain Developnt Corporation, it would have been very difficult to handle, and problems would have been inevitable.
As a prince and a local power, the forces he could mobilize were not to be underestimated.
But after Wang Shouzhe's performance, Prince Wenyu abandoned the idea of using force, leaving only the option of a formal comrcial battle. No matter how badly Prince Wenyu beats Wang Shouzhe in this comrcial battle, it would only reflect Wang Shouzhe's incompetence.
However, Prince Wenyu probably never imagined that comrcial warfare was one of the Wang Clan's strongest fields.
Wang Shouzhe's move was essentially pulling his opponent into his own domain of expertise, then using that domain advantage to crush the opponent.
"Since Prince Wenyu has chosen to make a move," Wang Shouzhe pondered for a mont, a smile appearing on his face, "then our Holy Domain Developnt Corporation must not disappoint His Highness."
Ever since Wang Shouzhe decided to sell grain to the Holy Domain, he knew this day would co sooner or later.
The cake was only so big, and if the Shenwu Developnt Corporation made money, there would inevitably be those whose interests were hard.
Faced with such a situation, it would naturally be a matter of skill.
In the following days, the grain prices in the Tianrui Holy Dynasty continued to drop slightly each day. Occasionally, they would stabilize for a while, but soon they would drop again. The more this happened, the more hesitant people beca to buy grain. Who knew if the prices would drop again tomorrow?
The atmosphere of watching and waiting grew stronger, the grain trade volu plumted, and the entire grain market fell into a slump.
...
Divine Treasure Hall, Tianrui Branch.
As a super comrcial organization with business spread throughout the Dongxia Divine Continent, the Tianrui branch of the Divine Treasure Hall was not inferior in scale to the main residence of any immortal clan. With the backing of its headquarters, it even surpassed many.
However, at this mont, Dongfang Zhenyuan, the branch master of the Divine Treasure Hall's Tianrui branch, was pacing back and forth in his luxuriously decorated study.
As the branch master of the Divine Treasure Hall, he had weathered countless storms and handled nurous thorny issues over the years. By rights, there should be little that could trouble him now.
But at this mont, his expression was sowhat grave, and he seed indecisive.
The reason for his dilemma was simple: the recently "famous" Young Master Shouzhe had just arrived at the branch with a Divine Treasure Hall VIP Token, requesting a eting with him, Dongfang Zhenyuan.
Under normal circumstances, Dongfang Zhenyuan would have gladly agreed and done his utmost to warmly welco him, fulfilling the requests of a VIP Token holder as much as possible within the rules of the Divine Treasure Hall.
However, the current situation was different. The grain price drop turmoil was causing a stir in the Tianrui Holy City, with the price drop trend spreading throughout the entire Holy Dynasty and soon affecting neighboring immortal dynasties.
Ordinary people couldn't understand the reasons behind this.
But the well-inford Dongfang Zhenyuan had already received news, knowing that it was due to a secret eting between Prince Wenyu and Young Master Shouzhe that ended in discord, triggering this comrcial battle.
As a result, this battle had stirred up a storm in the Tianrui Holy Dynasty, causing widespread alarm.
Among the princes of the Tianrui Holy Dynasty, Prince Wenyu had gained significant popularity over the years, surpassing other candidates, and had a considerable chance of ascending to the Holy Emperor's throne in the future.
Although this possibility was not a certainty, in a situation where he had a choice, Dongfang Zhenyuan naturally didn't want to offend Prince Wenyu.
But similarly, he didn't want to offend the mysterious and promising Young Master Shouzhe.
From the beginning, Dongfang Zhenyuan had decided to maintain a neutral stance.
And now that Young Master Shouzhe had co to see him, it was likely about the grain comrcial battle.
This matter was sothing he couldn't agree to, but he also couldn't refuse too bluntly, lest he offend Young Master Shouzhe. He needed to co up with a way to refuse Young Master Shouzhe's request for assistance with the VIP Token without damaging their relationship.
As an experienced businessman, it didn't take long for Dongfang Zhenyuan to co up with a plan. He then put on a hurried appearance and entered the reception hall.
"Young Master Shouzhe, I was just caught up in so trivial matters, forgive for not welcoming you sooner." He wore a smile that made people feel like a spring breeze, greeting Wang Shouzhe while also acknowledging Yun Tiange, who was with him, "Zhenyuan greets Immortal Lord Tiange."
After a round of formal pleasantries, the two took their seats, and the maids served various precious spiritual fruits and brewed immortal tea, attentively entertaining Wang Shouzhe.
Once seated, the two didn't imdiately get to the point but instead chatted like old friends who hadn't seen each other in a while.
After more than an hour, Dongfang Zhenyuan finally couldn't hold back and broached the topic, "Young Master Shouzhe, is there sothing you need from our branch?"
"Chatting with the branch master was so enjoyable, I almost forgot the main business." Wang Shouzhe slapped his forehead, feigning realization with a smile, "I ca this ti to ask the branch master to help procure so pills."
"Pills?" Dongfang Zhenyuan was surprised.
He didn't ntion grain, but instead asked for pills?
However, as long as it wasn't asking him to take sides, everything was negotiable.
He imdiately laughed heartily, "Young Master Shouzhe's request is sothing our Divine Treasure Hall will naturally fulfill. Tell , what kind of pills do you need, and how many?"
"The branch master is straightforward. I need two thousand ninth-grade [Boundless Pills], two hundred tenth-grade [Ascending to Immortality Pills], and twenty eleventh-grade [Manifestation Pills]." Wang Shouzhe continued as Dongfang Zhenyuan's mouth opened wider, "Oh, and can our Divine Treasure Hall get twelfth-grade [Dao Yuan Pills]? If so, get two."
Dongfang Zhenyuan was a bit annoyed, his expression displeased, "Are you here to make fun of , Young Master? Dao Yuan Pills are such heaven-defying treasures that only a Dao Master barely qualifies to touch them. Each one is priced astronomically and is always in demand but never available. How could our Divine Treasure Hall possibly acquire them?"
As he said this, he couldn't help but internally complain. Why not just ask us to get a Holy Diagram or a Dao Book?
"Then the Boundless Pills, Ascending to Immortality Pills, and Manifestation Pills should be obtainable, right?"
Wang Shouzhe was well aware of the rarity of Dao Yuan Pills and hadn't held much hope. Seeing Dongfang Zhenyuan's response, he wasn't offended and continued to ask.
"This..." Dongfang Zhenyuan composed himself and thought seriously, "Boundless Pills and Ascending to Immortality Pills are manageable, but the quantity you're asking for is quite large. As for Manifestation Pills, even if I go all out, getting a few would be the limit. The difficulty with Manifestation Pills isn't just the ingredients; they require an alchemist of Holy Sovereign level and a Dao Master to assist in their refinent. Even Holy Sovereigns and Dao Masters don't have many."
"Alright, then reduce the quantity a bit. Place an order for a thousand Boundless Pills, a hundred Ascending to Immortality Pills, and ten Manifestation Pills," Wang Shouzhe said with a smile, "As for the price, I won't let the branch master suffer a loss. Let's use the higher auction prices as a reference. As for the delivery ti, don't worry too much, I'm not in a rush. Just aim to complete it within a hundred years."
Wang Shouzhe didn't request eighth-grade [Rebirth Pills], as those could be refined by the family's alchemist, Wang Shouye, with the help of an Immortal Lord, and should be left for him to practice.
As for the other pills, buying them would never be a loss.
"This... the total price would exceed seven Chaos Spirit Stones." Dongfang Zhenyuan calculated in his mind, his eyes lighting up, "Are you really placing this order, Young Master?"
Such a large order was rare even for him, and if it went through, his rits and rewards would be substantial.
"Do you really think I'm just here to waste ti, branch master?" Wang Shouzhe chuckled and shook his head.
"Alright, alright! The main issue is that Manifestation Pills take too long to gather. I can get you the first two types within thirty years, and I'll strive to gather the Manifestation Pills within sixty years." Dongfang Zhenyuan couldn't help but feel elated.
After all, the profit margin Wang Shouzhe offered was quite generous.
With a business deal concluded, Dongfang Zhenyuan's wariness eased considerably, and his deanor beca even more pleasant.
"Oh, I also have a treasure I'd like your branch to appraise for a price," Wang Shouzhe ntioned casually.
"Haha, you've co to the right person, Young Master." Dongfang Zhenyuan said confidently, "No matter what treasure it is, I can quickly appraise its value. It's my expertise."
Wang Shouzhe nodded slightly, as if reassured, and took out a small green bottle, nonchalantly saying, "I have a 'family heirloom sacred artifact' that I'm considering selling. Please appraise its value, branch master."
Family heirloom sacred artifact?
Dongfang Zhenyuan stood up abruptly, stunned.
In that instant, it was as if a string in his mind snapped, leaving him montarily blank.
Simultaneously, the Spirit Artifact of the Yi Wood Creation Bottle, Lu Xiaoyi, erged from the bottle.
Her small face was mournful, her big eyes brimming with tears, looking as pitiful as could be.
After all the anxiety, had this day finally co?
Had her master finally decided to sell her?
The more she thought about it, the sadder she beca, until she couldn't hold back and burst into tears, "Master, please don't sell ! I'm willing to do anything for you!"
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