Chapter 263: Arrangements Before Seclusion

Although seclusion was imminent, Tang Zhao still made time to go down the mountain and return to his shop.

The storefront of White Jade Flourishing Shop was the same as usual, and business was a bit better than before, but it wasn't exactly booming. The shop's location and business model determined that it could never be as bustling as the large restaurants in the city.

During the time Tang Zhao was away, the shop had been managed diligently by Shopkeeper Liu and looked after by Xue Yeyu, so everything ran very smoothly. Although she had no heart to attend to things here during the last ten days because of Shi Chunqing's affair, the shop wouldn't fall into chaos just because it was left unattended for ten days.

When he arrived at the shop, the first person he saw was Wei Se; he was organizing the shelves like a shop assistant.

Hmm, Wei Se had changed into a look he hadn't seen before, but Tang Zhao recognized him at a glance because Wei Se hadn't changed his pale-colored eyes.

"You've come?"

"I've come."

After exchanging these two inexplicable sentences, Tang Zhao couldn't help but smile, breaking the atmosphere that was filled with a sense of awkward artistry, and said, "Did you run into trouble?"

Wei Se shook his head and said, "The journey was smooth, and I arrived as promised. Shopkeeper Liu has also taken good care of me."

Tang Zhao nodded. The time they had agreed upon was the third month, but he had delayed it. Since Wei Se couldn't wait for him, he had to work in the shop first. Don't let Wei Se's claim that he knew nothing but being an assassin and couldn't survive outside fool you; just like his self-proclaimed "rough man" status, these were all words of self-deprecation. Having been an assassin for many years, he had gone to various places to lurk for missions and was quite skilled at reading people and situations; how could he fail to earn a living anywhere? He could do odd jobs very well; he only followed Tang Zhao for the sake of his future.

Tang Zhao returned to the shop, hastily went over the accounts, and then seized the time to arrange matters for the coming months.

The first thing was to arrange the several large orders he had received on the road, mainly the Snow Dragon Carriage customized by Wang Fei. The resident Talisman Sword Master disciples in the shop couldn't make this, and he didn't have the time, so he handed it over to Jiang Shenyi. Jiang Shenyi had said that if he wasn't casting swords, he wouldn't cast swords, and he wasn't participating in the seclusion, so he had taken over the defense of the mountain. He wasn't very busy at first, so Tang Zhao gave him the blueprints; Jiang Shenyi had extraordinary attainments in Rune Formulas and would certainly be able to make it. Although Jiang Shenyi was the youngest among the remaining fellow disciples, he was the pillar of strength and could hold the fort. The two senior brothers, Qin and Deng, were instead more responsible for general affairs. Tang Zhao trusted him the most; he not only entrusted the order to him but also entrusted the shop to him. During this period, if White Jade Flourishing Shop encountered any major issues, they could seek help from Jiang Shenyi.

Besides this, Wang Fei also placed a batch of External Injury Hand Flashlights on behalf of the Snow Mountain Wangfu. As a formally decreed Wangfu of the Imperial Court, the Snow Mountain Wangfu could not purchase military supplies on a large scale before the world truly fell into chaos. The External Injury Hand Flashlights were considered a borderline case; if used well, they were also strategic materials.

Tang Zhao wouldn't make this batch of hand flashlights himself; after standardizing the Rune Formulas and materials, he handed them over to the White Jade Disciples in the shop and transferred some Moyu Disciples to assist, temporarily implementing a manual workshop model. White Jade Flourishing Shop was responsible for interfacing with the Wangfu, and then responsible for logistics and after-sales service. This was the first time the shop was responsible for a large-scale business, so Tang Zhao attached great importance to it and also instructed Shopkeeper Liu to be extra cautious and provide comprehensive service, ensuring the customer was satisfied.

Furthermore, there was the matter of preparing for the Sword Casting Conference.

"The Sword Casting Conference requires a lot of supplies, and our shop is responsible for a portion of the procurement and conference affairs. This must be taken seriously; this is our own family's business, and making money is not the priority. The Sword Casting Conference must be held well."

Shopkeeper Liu agreed, feeling very happy—these were all trades he had done in the past and were also trades he was good at. Making money wasn't the first priority, but it didn't mean he couldn't make money; a Sword Casting Conference had quite a lot of profit in it. He said, "I understand this. Procurement will focus on quality; we must never let anyone pass off inferior goods as quality ones."

Tang Zhao didn't say much more; as long as the business was fair and just, making money was the right thing to do. This wasn't him abusing his power for personal gain either; the shop had shares from other fellow disciples, and the accounts could also be supervised, which was far better than those unscrupulous merchants outside.

"Also, the matter of using the Talisman Association to promote the shop should also be arranged. We previously planned to hold it on a large scale, but I've thought about it and will slightly reduce the scale. Don't have too many people go, and don't let the guest outshine the host."

The reason for being low-key was, firstly, that the Sword Casting Conference was to clear the name of Zhuoyu Villa, and Xue Xianyun's reputation was the most important; everything else came second. Secondly, Tang Zhao felt that this was a troubled time; if the ordinary shop assistants from the shop went to Zhuoyu Villa and there was danger, ordinary people had no power to protect themselves, and it would be difficult even to retreat.

It wasn't that he was cursing the Sword Casting Conference to not go smoothly, but Tang Zhao had a premonition from the bottom of his heart that this conference would not be peaceful. Not to mention the repeated warnings from all over, just from his experience after the Talisman Association, he had a psychological shadow regarding such chaotic and crowded conferences, always feeling that it was difficult to have peace. If Jianzhou was fought, it was fought, and if it was destroyed, it was destroyed, but Zhuoyu Villa was his own home; he would absolutely not allow it to be turned into that state.

It just so happened that he was facing the same enemy as Jianzhou—the Turtle Bandits. To deal with these people, no amount of preparation was too much.

Perhaps he should invite outside help.

Liu Qiguang solemnly agreed; in fact, he had heard a little about the affairs on the mountain, after all, White Jade Flourishing Shop and Zhuoyu Villa were too closely linked. He also vaguely felt that a storm was coming and had already made many arrangements.

"Of course, the auction can be held. Mark out a piece of land on the mountain, first set up an exhibition, keep the atmosphere relaxed, and you can add entertainment; set up a marketplace on the side, and hold the auction on the last day. All these processes can be included, just reduce the scale according to what we discussed before. But the assistants outside who have poor martial arts and whose backgrounds are unknown should not go up the mountain." He thought for a moment and added, "If you go up the mountain early to set up, let Wei Se follow."

Liu Qiguang nodded and reported to Tang Zhao about his work in recruiting talent and poaching people; the shop had already filled several professional positions. These people could be used to set up the venue, but they would need to be withdrawn when the time came, as they were not considered core members after all.

"The person I found earlier who can host the auction has arrived and is now managing the boutique area. You can meet her; she is beautiful, has a silver tongue, and knows her goods. Although she is not a Sword Smith, she can talk about ordinary Art Tools in great detail. She also understands jewelry and antiques, making her the most suitable to be a shop manager."

Tang Zhao smiled and said, "I remember you mentioned this girl; you once saved her?"

Liu Qiguang sighed and said, "That was more than ten years ago. That year, my daughter was abducted by kidnappers. I chased after them but didn't save my daughter..." He said, his expression dimming, "But I did save several other children. This girl looked like my daughter, so I paid extra attention to her. I originally wanted to adopt her as a foster daughter, but she was lucky; her family was found, and she followed her family back to the south. I heard her family is also in business and is a very well-established wealthy family there. She has grown up in these few years and has become even more outstanding. It is said that she came out alone to carve out a career according to family rules. I met her when I went to the state capital and recognized her. She has been quite competent here, and even if there were no past connection, I would still promote her."

Tang Zhao smiled and said, "Every drink and every bite is destined by heaven. You helped her back then, and she is helping you now; it really couldn't be more appropriate."

They then chatted about many business matters. Tang Zhao repeatedly emphasized that the urgent matter at hand was to pay attention to safety. The boutique shop was stuck at a major traffic artery, making it the most suitable to act as eyes and ears; if there was any sign of trouble, it must be reported in time.

"If this Sword Casting Conference is a success, the shop in Jichun City can be opened. By then, we will have lit up the first center on our commercial map."

In fact, the shop in Jichun City could have been opened long ago; he had had a piece of land there for a long time—as a member of the Jichun City Land Inspection Department, he could even be considered a local snake and could protect his own shop himself. However, in order to make a splash when entering the city, he had held back and was not in a hurry to open a branch.

Next, Tang Zhao met the girl with the potential to be a shop manager, surnamed Gao, called Gao Yuechen. Sure enough, she was bright and beautiful, with a generous demeanor. It seemed that not only was her knowledge outstanding, but she had also been tempered in the business world and was very articulate in dealing with people and things.

Tang Zhao deeply felt that Shopkeeper Liu probably had a transference effect, which was why he felt the other party looked like his daughter; after all, this girl didn't look like Shopkeeper Liu in the slightest, and it was absolutely impossible for her to look like his daughter.

Gao Yuechen was also very satisfied with Tang Zhao. Although she felt he was young, he had great vision and a sharp mind, his goals were clear, and his business planning was at a strategic level, not to mention the halo of being a promising Talisman Sword Master and future Sword Smith. Such a person would not be treated lightly even by her own family, and they would even scramble to befriend him.

She also said bluntly, "This young woman is currently out for training; in the long run five years, in the short run three years, I will have to return home. But as for the time I work in the shop, I will naturally do my best and obey the boss's arrangements."

Tang Zhao had known about this long ago and smiled, "Of course, that's fine. Having this connection is already rare. As long as Miss Gao performs her duties, the treatment will absolutely be treated equally, and I will not hold back in other aspects."

After meeting Gao Yuechen, Tang Zhao finally found Wei Se.

Previously, Wei Se had found Liu Qiguang and used some vague language to make Liu Qiguang believe that he was Tang Zhao's confidant, naturally accepting him into the shop to take on an important position. Wei Se had also done a great job and was even more valued by Shopkeeper Liu. Tang Zhao seeing him this time meant he had logically become one of his own.

Tang Zhao said, "My seclusion this time will be another few months; you come up the mountain with me. Madam Hua Rong might be worried about her daughter and come here to visit; it wouldn't be good if she saw you."

Although he had previously said that he wouldn't care about the relationship between Wei Se and Madam Hua Rong, he actually couldn't really not care; it wouldn't be good if a scene broke out here and hurt anyone.

Wei Se said, "Are you sure someone will come to cause trouble at the Sword Casting Conference?"

Tang Zhao said bluntly, "I won't hide it from you. Someone will come to cause trouble, and they are our old acquaintances."

Wei Se said, "The Turtle Bandits?"

Tang Zhao nodded and said, "These restless turtle sons, I don't know what they have their eyes on on my mountain, but in short, it has been premeditated for a long time. I suspect..."

It wasn't just a suspicion; he was eighty percent sure that the senior brother's defection was contacted by these Turtle Bandits.

They were truly an evil, disgusting organization that committed all kinds of atrocities and fanned the flames everywhere.

When Wei Se heard "Turtle Bandits," he only frowned. Compared to the Yama Shop, which was like a psychological shadow, he had no qualms about the Turtle Bandits; if he had, he wouldn't have defected so cleanly and decisively.

He thought for a moment and said, "Then I won't go up the mountain with you; I'll stay at the foot of the mountain to keep watch. I spent some time among the Turtle Bandits and am familiar with their style; perhaps I can uncover some extra clues."

Tang Zhao thought about it and nodded, "Then take care of yourself."

He actually trusted Wei Se's ability very much; after so many years as an assassin, perhaps he really could discover something.

Wei Se said, "By the way, there is a letter for you here."