Chapter 1897: The Unshakable Chamber of Commerce

Miao Zhantian's sudden death caught Wenwen Tian off guard, leaving him unable to immediately stop the chaos.

Moreover, Miao Zhantian had taken on massive loans for this descent into the mortal realm; the divine realm likely has no concept of "debt dies with the debtor," so the creditors who suffered losses—including Lingxu Shengzun, who lost the physical form of Zhenjun Shenxi—might also demand a share of his estate, and could they not justifiably claim this as compensation?

Debt collectors, those scrambling for the inheritance, and those urgently seeking to fill vacancies will all spring into action at this time.

Besides the Lingxu众, Sharili Tian and other forces, as well as other minor deities, will likewise seize every opportunity.

As long as the great vortex exists, other seas will not remain calm, so letting Naruo Tian describe the current state of the divine realm, perhaps only one word is most apt:

Chaos!

"Our opportunity has come." He Lingchuan murmured, "We must seize this window of opportunity!"

"Naruo Tian also said that the Lingxu众's decision-making efficiency is low, and the turmoil caused by Miao Zhantian's death is too great; even if Lingxu Shengzun steps in and forcibly suppresses this matter, this upheaval will not subside in the short term."

"Conservatively estimated, the demons will be occupied with internal strife for the coming months, leaving them no spare capacity to attend to the human realm." This is the precious time bought by the Battle of the Inverted Sea, "and furthermore, Lingshan and Mouguo are both bewildered and pose no threat to us."

"In other words, the best time for us to act is precisely these coming months!"

The situation has shifted, and the divine realm's turmoil has only just begun.

For He Lingchuan, this is indeed a rare golden period; whether the grand plan succeeds hinges on the next hundred or so days.

Recalling Naruo Tian's final reaction, He Lingchuan murmured, "Should we add fuel to their chaos?"

"Naruo Tian believes that even if we take Shanjin, we cannot hold it—what do you plan to do?"

Even if Naruo Tian speaks alarmingly, there is some truth in his words.

"Others are others, I am I." He Lingchuan gazed at the temple wall, its masonry very even, repaired several times with fine craftsmanship. As a small border fortress, the temple of Bai Zhan Tian is quite well-built, the most orderly structure in this town.

The more hopeless the place, the more fervently people cling to their faith in the divine. But what, exactly, do they believe in?

Others say it is a寄托, but He Lingchuan believes it is a yearning.

A yearning for their insignificant lives to have meaning, even if only at some time, some moment.

"Naruo Tian is right—holding Jiangshan steady is far harder than storming cities and seizing land." He leaned back against the chair, "But the best solution certainly does not rely on divine aid!"

"As long as you have a plan, that's good." This kid always schemes in silence, speaks little, yet reassures people.

"By the way, Naruo Tian also said that if the Lingxu众 can't find you, they'll go after your subordinates." Zhu Xiuer reminded him, "The Yangshan Chamber of Commerce is widespread in Shanjin—wouldn't it be easy for them to take revenge on you?"

If we strike back against the Yangshan, wouldn't He Lingchuan suffer losses?

Is this man hard to catch? Are Yangshan's business and personnel not easy to apprehend? Aren't gods and their lackeys easily seized one by one?

Zhu Xiuer worried anxiously.

Since following He Lingchuan, it is no longer the carefree spider it once was.

"Auntie, put your mind at ease." He Lingchuan smiled, "There is absolutely no way it's as easy as you imagine."

"How so?" Zhu Xiuer immediately asked him, "Didn't Naruo Tian say your business in the alliance will also be affected? He couldn't be speaking baselessly."

The relationship among deities is also subtle—clearly Sharili Tian and the Lingxu众 are at odds, yet they still manage to communicate secretly.

The soul-capturing mirror in He Lingchuan's arms chirped: "Exactly, exactly—I remember Boss Situ said to the lord, their father and son's ambition is to overthrow Yaoguo, then gain the support of the贝迦 and the gods, so they can develop in Shanjin! That brat, that brat—would he, for the gods' favor, stab you in the back? We must guard against it, we must guard against it!"

"The gods naturally want to cause me trouble; the simplest way is through human proxies to attack the Yangshan."

Zhu Xiuer, mirror: "Exactly."

"Then I ask you, what is 'Yangshan'?"

"Huh?" Not understanding, "Isn't Yangshan just your chamber of commerce?"

"Then what is a chamber of commerce? Or rather, what does a chamber of commerce consist of?"

Zhu Xiuer's face couldn't drop, but her voice could: "This question, you should ask my sister!"

Oh dear, thinking gives me a headache—why must it strain its brain like this?

The soul-capturing mirror, however, had deeply considered: "Mainly composed of people, money, and goods, I suppose?"

"Whose people, whose money, whose goods?"

"Um..." The mirror and Zhu Xiuer together looked flustered, "Aren't they all yours?"

"Since it's such a profitable venture, do you really think I'm the only one running it?" He Lingchuan countered, "Do all the profits go solely to me? Are all the goods mine alone? And is the business entirely managed by my subordinates? Where would Yangshan get so many people?"

"Um..." The mirror's mind couldn't keep up.

Please... you.... 收藏_（! ）

"Whenever Yangshan enters a new place and launches new business, what's the first step?" He Lingchuan laughed, "You should remember this, right?"

The mirror has a good memory: "Seems like it's first to pay respects at the dock, then recruit people."

Yangshan never takes the low road; it always aims high, usually first establishing good relations with local powers, negotiating fairly, only then opening for business.

What are they negotiating? Could it be just those few items on the public account?

"What does 'joining' mean?" He Lingchuan tapped the table, "That's called shares!"

"Local areas all have Yangshan shares, and local areas all must receive money from Yangshan!" He Lingchuan asked them, "You just said, the gods want to find someone to strike against Yangshan?"

"Their... in the human realm... what was it called? Proxy." Zhu Da Niang scratched her head, struggling to recall the term, "Oh dear, isn't it just the local powers?"

The gods themselves cannot descend or act, so of course they must let local authorities act as agents.

But local powers already profit greatly from Yangshan—how could they then ruthlessly cut themselves?

"Do you know who provides Yangshan's protection umbrella on the alliance's territory?"

Zhu Da Niang blurted out: "Boss Situ?"

"The Original Hometown Association."

Zhu Da Niang was very surprised.

"Isn't the Original Hometown Association just the so-called Old Fellow Association?"

It knows that's merely a loose organization, often holding gatherings, but lacking strict structure, even without fixed bylaws.

Could this protect Yangshan?

"The members of the Original Hometown Association have all been carefully selected by me and Yu Hai—either they possess learning, or talent, or connections, including students returned from the贝迦, as well as elites from local aristocratic families." Speaking bluntly, there are no ordinary people in the Original Hometown Association, "They and their families behind them, to varying degrees, have some connection with Yangshan, and some even currently run Yangshan's business."

If someone can always make money from you, they'll find it hard to be ruthless toward you.

This is called binding interests.