Chapter 46: Senior, How Could I Live Without You!

Hong Jiantao left less than ten days after receiving the order.

Naturally, Jiang Jiyue also went with him.

Until this moment, many, including the Symbol Masters inside Lingfu Pavilion, only then learned that Jiang Jiyue is Hong Jiantao's junior.

The shopkeeper left, and the most popular, often treating beautiful Symbol Master also left, causing a brief sigh among the pavilion's people and a slight unease.

But the others didn't have time for much lament.

Because after only a few days, the Luoxia Sect's newly appointed shopkeeper arrived.

The new shopkeeper, named Zhou Zhangkong, indeed, as Hong Jiantao said, is a Foundation Establishment cultivator and has served as a Law Enforcement Elder of the Luoxia Sect.

Law Enforcement Elders of a sect, besides requiring solid cultivation and strength, are often stubborn and old‑fashioned, with poor temperaments, making them hard to get along with.

Except that Xiao Zhangqing had been warned and was mentally prepared, the others in Lingfu Pavilion were clearly taken off guard and harbored doubts.

Over the years everyone had grown accustomed to the kind Shopkeeper Hong, and now a strict, short‑tempered Foundation Establishment cultivator arriving might be unpleasant.

However, fortunately, the new shopkeeper Zhou Zhangkong does not seem as unfeeling as he appears.

After arriving at Lingfu Pavilion, he gathered all Symbol Masters for a meeting, emphatically restated the pavilion's rules and purpose, yet took no concrete measures.

Lingfu Pavilion continued to operate as before; the Symbol Masters' workload and compensation remained unchanged.

After half a month, everyone felt somewhat at ease.

It seems the Luoxia Sect is still reliable, not assigning a difficult elder to impose restrictions on them.

After all, even these Symbol Masters of Lingfu Pavilion, even if they are First‑rank exclusive Symbol Masters with nominal affiliation to Luoxia Sect, are not true sect disciples, more akin to "guest officials".

Both sides signed an agreement, each taking what they need, mutually beneficial.

If Luoxia Sect tried to squeeze the Symbol Masters like cattle, they could pay a price and break away.

Only after becoming a Second‑rank Symbol Master, like Lu Qiu, would Luoxia Sect truly invest heavily to absorb them.

Thus, most Symbol Masters in Lingfu Pavilion remained unchanged.

Only Xiao Zhangqing felt his inner vigilance inexplicably rise.

He always sensed something off about the new shopkeeper, who didn't seem as easygoing as people guessed.

Moreover, since the sect changed the rules to dispatch a Foundation Establishment cultivator as a "supervisor", it wouldn't make sense without other tasks.

Xiao Zhangqing then drew several more hexagrams for himself.

He found the fortune not very good; though not fatal, the hexagrams indicated loss of wealth and disaster.

So Xiao Zhangqing, after careful consideration,

On the fifteenth day of the middle moon, donning the "Bai Wujie" mantle, when he met Lin Zixi, he told her this was the final transaction.

He then needed to leave Nanshan Fang for a while, with no set return date.

If one day he returns to Nanshan Fang and wishes to continue dealing Talisman Scripts, he will find a way to contact her.

Lin Zixi's complexion changed drastically upon hearing this.

The two sisters have turned their fortunes this year, soaring to success, moving into a Bing‑level Cave Dwelling, all thanks to senior "Bai Wujie", the mysterious Symbol Master!

With Bai Wujie, she could become a guest of honor of the Cao family; as a guest of honor, she gained capital, enabling her subsequent business, bringing in more Spirit Stones each month.

One could say, if Bai Wujie vanished, she would lose the capital for cooperating with the Cao family, the Cao family would cancel her benefits, and everything she now possesses would become a house of cards, possibly collapsing instantly.

"Senior, must you leave? Can't you stay?"

"Senior, will we meet again?"

"Senior, will you really come back?"

"Senior, don't lie to me, roughly when will you return?"

Lin Zixi, thinking of the possible upcoming situation, became flustered and tried various pleas to keep him.

In the end, the usually proactive, optimistic, daring her voice was almost trembling with a crying tone.

Xiao Zhangqing gave no promise; he also didn't know when the next transaction would be.

This new shopkeeper Zhou gave him a very complicated impression; he is no pushover.

He must be more cautious. Currently, the most important thing for him is to break through to the Late Stage of Lian Qi, advance his Symbol Technique to Second‑rank, after which the sky will be the limit and the sea wide for fish to leap, making it unnecessary to take risks now.

But for Lin Zixi, Xiao Zhangqing's noncommittal answer, merely a brush‑off, made her even more desperate.

She felt Xiao Zhangqing might abandon her, leaving forever.

Seeing Xiao Zhangqing refuse to answer, he turned away cleanly, disappearing into the night without a trace.

Lin Zixi was burning with anxiety, almost on the verge of tears.

"Senior, how can I live without you! Senior, just take me with you, Senior..."

……

……

The facts proved Xiao Zhangqing's worries were not unfounded.

Zhou Zhangkong's initial friendliness merely numbed the Symbol Masters of Lingfu Pavilion, causing them to lower their guard.

A month later, Zhou Zhangkong again summoned all Symbol Masters for a meeting.

This time, three First‑rank Symbol Masters appeared with faces ashen, their eyes showing anger, grievance, as well as fear and apprehension.

In contrast, Zhou Zhangkong, no longer the lukewarm newcomer, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator fully unleashed his aura, the fierce presence making everyone present shiver.

"For over twenty years, our Lingfu Pavilion has been the largest Talisman Script shop in Nanshan Fang; the combined scale of all other shops doesn't match ours, forming an almost monopoly. Yet over the years, our income has never risen to meet expectations. Even with recent turmoil and rising Talisman Script prices, revenue hasn't increased much."

"Before I came to Nanshan Fang, I heard that our Symbol Masters lack any sect loyalty, each only caring about themselves, doing the symbols perfunctorily without explanation, and even ignoring pavilion rules to line their pockets!"

"Initially I didn't believe it, thinking our Symbol Masters were deeply principled and knew how to follow rules."

"To my surprise, a casual investigation left me greatly disappointed!"

"Our Lingfu Pavilion actually has three entry-level Symbol Masters, who secretly draw symbols and sell them outside! Some even covertly cooperate with other Nanshan Fang shops!"

"They thought their secrecy, delegating work, made it flawless, untraceable, and thus not a violation?"

「Wu Qingchuan, Liang Jiangchuan, and Sha Shaowen, three Symbol Masters, I have decided on penalties of twenty thousand, ten thousand, and eight thousand low-grade spirit stones respectively based on the severity of your offenses. Any objections? 」

Zhou Changkong gazed at the three Symbol Masters with ashen faces, and he shouted in a low voice.

Whoa! The three Symbol Masters hadn't replied yet, but other Symbol Masters couldn't help whispering in astonishment, their shock evident.

The penalty is actually this severe?

Sha Shaowen and Liang Jiangchuan, although they are entry-rank Symbol Masters, they are both first-tier lower-grade Symbol Masters; especially Sha Shaowen, who was promoted only six years ago, still has shallow seniority.

Their monthly salary is only around two hundred low-grade spirit stones; even if they earn extra income privately, together they can make at most three hundred spirit stones a month.

This fine, I'm afraid, exceeds their savings over the years; they'd have to scrape together borrowed spirit stones to pay it!

On the contrary, Wu Qingchuan, the sole remaining first-tier upper-grade Symbol Master of Lingfu Pavilion, is very senior; although twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones is not a small amount for him, it won't hurt his bones.

However, according to others' speculation, Wu Qingchuan, as the mainstay of Lingfu Pavilion, would have some confidence even when facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and shouldn't be so easily handled.

As it turned out, it was unexpected.

The three Symbol Masters all accepted the penalty with pinched noses.

At the meeting, no one stood up to object to Zhou Changkong's penalty.

Wu Qingchuan felt stifled in his heart; he also wanted to resist.

But this new shopkeeper's attitude is too tough; he completely doesn't care about the long-term development of Lingfu Pavilion, whether it will cause disaffection and scatter people's hearts.

All he thinks about is providing the greatest benefit to the sect in the past few years!

It gives Wu Qingchuan a feeling of killing the chicken to get the eggs! If Wu Qingchuan resists, he has a hunch that not only will he suffer more, but even his wife and children will likely be implicated.

So Wu Qingchuan, besides anger, feels more of a nervous anxiety; perhaps today's penalty is just the beginning! Worse things are still to come.

He felt helpless for the first time; if... if he were a Second-rank Talisman Master, that would be great.

How dare Zhou Changkong bully him like this?

Not to mention merely selling Talisman Scripts privately; even if he threatened to leave Lingfu Pavilion, he could only persuade him kindly, offering better conditions to retain him…

(End of chapter)