Chapter 14: So Ruthless, So Black-Hearted, So Greedy—If He Doesn't Succeed, Who Will?

Ten days passed, and the day when the Red Lantern's Merit Hall branch would be stationed at Qing Xi Fang drew ever closer.

The cultivators flooding into Qing Xi Fang grew more numerous by the day—loose cultivators, jie cultivators disguised with new identities, cultivators from minor immortal clans, cultivators from vassal sects of great sects—all manner of types, too many to count.

A market town that usually held a few thousand people had been packed to bursting by cultivators from within a few hundred li, even a thousand li.

【Taking 750 li, the actual area is 3.14*375²=4.4 million square kilometers, roughly one-twentieth the size of China.

Applied to the Eurasian continent's size (54 million square kilometers), the Wunan Cultivation World, with the Red Lantern as one of the Shi Sect, occupies one-tenth, or 5 million square kilometers.

Qing Xi Fang, as a Qi Refining market town under the Red Lantern, is the terminal hub in the commodity circulation chain. Considering the special event period, this radius of influence is still reasonable】

At Qing Xi Fang's horse-stopping ground, management staff wearing temporary-worker armbands were tearing their hair out dealing with cultivators' parking demands.

Wang Rongwen, however, hadn't come on horseback—he'd arrived on the clan head's flying spiritual artifact.

He observed the flow of people for a moment, clicking his tongue slightly.

Walking straight into Old Ghost's beast-medicine shop, the moment he entered, Wang Rongwen noticed Old Ghost was in conversation with a middle-aged man in a white robe, fair of face and beardless.

Seeing Wang Rongwen come in, the white-robed middle-aged man stopped talking.

"I'm counting on you."

"It should be done." Old Ghost replied with a smile, watching the white-robed middle-aged man leave.

"Business good lately?"

Wang Rongwen and Old Ghost were old acquaintances, so he didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly at Old Ghost's tea table.

First reaching up to close the shop door to prevent anyone else from coming in, Old Ghost put on a long face and began playing the misery card.

"Sigh, I'm only earning a bit of hard-earned money."

Saying so, Old Ghost poured himself a cup of tea.

He'd just been dealing with that jie cultivator for ages, talking until his mouth was parched—he needed spiritual tea to moisten his throat.

Rongwen's family head smiled faintly, watching the teacup quietly, waiting for Old Ghost to pour him tea.

But for some reason, that bastard Old Ghost, after pouring for himself, actually held the teapot in his hand.

He didn't pour for Wang Rongwen, nor did he show any intention of speaking, just stared fixedly at Wang Rongwen.

"What's this?" Wang Rongwen was somewhat startled and suspicious.

"You Wang family people are all something else. Daoist friend Rongwen, if you have something to say, just say it straight."

I won't let you drink it!

Every time I pour a cup of tea for you Wang family people, all my years wandering the jianghu have been for nothing!

Wang Rongwen, feeling it was somewhat absurd, frowned slightly.

Fine, fine, fine—playing it this way, are we?

Looking down on me?

Just watch how I deal with you!

He picked up an empty teacup from the tea table's cup tray and held it out in front of Old Ghost, sighing in exasperation.

"What a headache. Our clan head intends to organize a ghost-market auction with the Gu family, to rake in a sum before the Red Lantern's Merit Hall arrives.

I came this time on the clan head's instruction. He hopes you'll handle the distribution of invitations for this auction—it's just that you seem less than welcoming, Daoist friend?"

Old Ghost's face changed at the speed of light. He immediately took out a pot of eighth-grade Monkey Wine from his storage bag, and even produced a lower-grade magical-artifact-level golden wine cup, pouring a cup for Wang Rongwen.

"Welcome! Welcome! I just had a small little misunderstanding with Daoist friend Rongyuan.

But toward Daoist friend Rongwen, and toward the Wang Shi of Anbei, naturally I am incomparably welcoming, incomparably cordial, incomparably trusting.

Daoist friend Rongwen, eighth-grade Monkey Wine, collected just yesterday—a small token, hardly worth mentioning, please try it, please try it!"

Where's that wild arrogance you had when you were slapping my face just now?

You have a misunderstanding with Rongyuan too?

What misunderstanding?

Do you have a problem with the Wang Shi?

Thinking these thoughts, Wang Rongwen picked up the golden wine cup.

He didn't drink, just looked at the cup over and over, praising it.

"This wine cup is quite something, Daoist friend—quite something indeed."

Old Ghost's dry-laugh face seemed to have been hit by a pause button, his features appearing to freeze.

The Wang Shi are going too far—you brothers Wang Rongwen and Wang Rongyuan are going too far!

He clenched his teeth, thinking: if you're not ruthless, you can't stand firm!

Only by being a little harder on yourself can you earn spirit stones!

"If Daoist friend likes it, I'll gift it to you—hahahaha." Old Ghost said with a big laugh.

Looks like he's actually a pretty decent guy.

"Mm, the clan head and the second elder of Tea King Gu Shi are taking the lead, and Senior Zhuochi of Dripping Water Cave is also participating.

We expect to invite Guardian Cultivator Senior Jiang as well. With these four at this ghost-market auction, it's sure to be foolproof."

Wang Rongwen smiled and began briefing Old Ghost, but when it came to the key parts, he stopped talking.

"How many invitations do you need me to send out?" Old Ghost asked eagerly.

Wang Rongwen acted as if he hadn't heard what Old Ghost said, sighing in exasperation.

"Well, ah, the clan head is fond of Monkey Wine, but unfortunately eighth-grade Monkey Wine isn't common.

Although you happen to have it here, I'd feel too embarrassed to ask you to part with something you love."

A second round of sighing—a repeat performance!

Wang Rongwen is still going!

Clan Head: Rongwen, I'm your uncle. You want to use my name to freeload some wine—actually, I don't mind that much. But could you not make me sound so tasteless!

The old ghost fell silent this time too; he didn't even change his expression.

Silently, he took another pot of Grade Eight Monkey Wine from his storage bag, placed it on the tea table, and gently pushed it before Wang Rongwen.

Then he looked at Wang Rongwen with a resentful gaze.

Fellow Daoist, isn't that enough?

It's not like I didn't pour you tea; if you want to blame someone, blame Wang Rongyuan... I am innocent!

"Hahaha, Fellow Daoist's kindness, Rongwen accepts it. The auction will be held the night after tomorrow, same old place.

As for the invitations, issue three hundred this time. Remember, find more with high cultivation!

For the top-tier auction items, there are four or five High-Quality Magical Artifacts, over a dozen bottles of High-Quality Spirit Pills commonly used during the Qi Refining stage, and some Grade Eight superior spiritual materials."

Hearing the number three hundred, the old ghost nearly fainted from joy.

For such invitations, he would sell them for at least two Spirit Stones each.

Just this single wave, with Wang Rongyuan drinking his tea and Wang Rongwen stealing his wine and wine cups, would cover all costs, and he would make a huge profit!

Of course, doing such things meant he had to bear corresponding risks; if some random person investigated, he would have to take the blame.

"Brother Rongwen, rest assured, I understand, I understand everything. Once the matter is settled, there will be a generous reward!"

The old ghost grabbed Wang Rongwen's hand, on the verge of shedding tears of emotion.

"Hmm, then I'll go first. See you later."

Without a trace, he stored the cup of Monkey Wine just poured on the table into his storage bag, and Wang Rongwen left.

Seeing him walk far away, the old ghost muttered two curses, "The Wang family are all pigs," and then happily went off to make the invitations.

Recently, the number of cultivators in Qing Xi Fang had surged, all coming for the Red Lantern Beacon Merit Hall, planning to spend a fortune there.

Spending requires strength; these people had brought no shortage of Spirit Stones or other treasures.

Why did the Wang Clan Patriarch and other Foundation Establishment big shots choose this time to hold the Ghost Market auction?

It was to seize the harvesting window for quality leeks, to scoop up a sum before the Red Lantern Beacon Merit Hall arrived!

The old ghost had a bold idea—this time, the invitations should sell for three Spirit Stones each!

"Yulou, do you think Master's cultivation of the Dao is high or low? I saw him today refining Low-Quality Crafted items, and he shattered a full three of them."

In the evening, after finishing a day of study, the two brothers walked back to Fu Yuan Ju, and Yuan complained to his elder brother.

"You don't understand; Master has skill.

Cutting a piece of Cold Bin Iron into six parts to make artifacts, making two breaks even, three makes a small profit, four makes a huge profit.

Today he made eleven, and only shattered three; he has already made a huge profit."

Yulou truly admired Master Master Hongmei; he was a genius in business.

In terms of cost reduction and efficiency, Master Master Hongmei's level was at least ten stories high.

"Do people buy those Low-Quality Crafted items? Our family's Donkey Hair Sachets have at least four layers of prohibitions..."

Yuan really couldn't figure it out.

Where is Master Master Hongmei's greatness?

He cut open a fist-sized piece of Cold Bin Iron, added some scraps of other spiritual materials, and managed to forge three or four layers of prohibitions into a finger-sized Low-Quality Crafted item; one even had five layers.

Of the three shattered, two broke while attempting to forge the sixth layer!

Great, black-hearted, and damn greedy.

If Master Master Hongmei doesn't succeed, who can?

"Recently, cultivators in Qing Xi Fang have increased; Low-Quality Crafted items with three or four layers of prohibitions are prepared for those who cannot afford good artifacts.

What Master refines, even if it's just three layers of prohibitions, the base is Cold Bin Iron; used well in a fight, it can shatter my Black Jade Oil Beads."

Yulou and Yuan chatted as they walked all the way back to Fu Yuan Ju.

Bai Lu, who was lying on the counter reading a storybook, noticed them arrive and ran over to remind them.

"The Patriarch has arrived, Yuan; your parents have arrived too. They said, go see them as soon as you return."