Chapter 158: Chapter 155: How Is This Possible?
The mounting losses,
and the uncertain future,
had already made the shopkeepers of several merchant guilds consider leaving.
The only reason they hadn’t left was that the profits were simply too good to abandon,
and they still had enough stock in their warehouses to continue selling for a while longer.
But once their warehouses were empty,
if the situation hadn’t improved, they would almost certainly pull out.
This was undoubtedly bad news for Shen Changchuan.
Without the major merchant guilds providing all sorts of Immortal Cultivation goods,
who else would come to Dawan Village? Who would keep setting up stalls here and providing him with rental income?
"Has the situation really gotten this bad?"
"But please, ask Brother Si and the others to stay and see how things go. As for the transportation problem, I can solve it for you."
After learning the details of the situation,
Shen Changchuan pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Younger Brother Shen, you’ll solve it? Could it be..."
"That’s right. I will personally take action and escort your transport teams. If anyone dares to attack, I will make sure they never return!"
"After I’ve killed them all two or three times, I refuse to believe anyone would still dare to cause trouble!"
A murderous glint flashed
in Shen Changchuan’s eyes.
When dealing with the likes of Tribulation Cultivators, there was no need for mercy.
After all, once most Tribulation Cultivators successfully robbed a caravan, they would slaughter the escorts to the last man to ensure their identities remained secret.
This wasn’t his past life;
there was no law to speak of here.
"This... wouldn’t this be too much trouble for you?"
Si Houqing asked, clearly surprised.
Although he knew this was good for their guild,
he still had his reservations and couldn’t help but ask.
’Having secure transportation would be ideal.’
’But if it interrupted Shen Changchuan’s secluded Cultivation and cost them a favor, it wouldn’t be worth it.’
Moreover,
in Si Houqing’s eyes, Shen Changchuan was a peerless prodigy.
But he hadn’t fully matured yet,
and if he were to meet with a mishap and fall along the way...
’That would be a huge loss!’
’The benefits of Younger Brother Shen one day reaching the Soul Emergence Realm far outweighed anything they could gain from operating here a little longer!’
For a moment,
Si Houqing hesitated.
"It’s no problem. I’ve been in seclusion for over three months and just had a small breakthrough. It’s the perfect time to test my current abilities."
"Besides, this period of bitter Cultivation has been quite exhausting. It’s a good time to get out and stretch my legs."
A flash of fiery battle intent
flickered in Shen Changchuan’s eyes.
On the path of Cultivation, a balance of exertion and rest is the Righteous Dao.
This was also a perfect chance to test the fruits of his recent efforts.
At the same time, he could use the killing to deter those lurking in the shadows.
He would let them know that Dawan Village had an expert watching over it,
and if they dared to cause trouble,
they would surely pay the price in blood!
"Oh, right, Brother Si. For this operation, I will change my appearance and identity, and participate under the guise of aid hired by Dawan Village."
"When the time comes, please cooperate, Brother Si, and don’t leak any information about me."
"Just treat it like last time, as one of the helpers hired to deal with the Blood Slaughter Three Demons."
Remembering something,
Shen Changchuan added a word of caution.
He didn’t want to attract too much attention from the outside world so soon.
As far as outsiders were concerned,
he was just a Little Cultivator at the Fourth or Fifth Layer of Qi Introduction.
’This harmless facade is actually quite useful.’
"Oh? Since Brother Shen insists, I will certainly keep it a secret!"
Si Houqing glanced at him and nodded.
Although he didn’t know why Shen Changchuan was going to such lengths to hide his identity,
he would do as he was told.
Afterward, Shen Changchuan and Si Houqing went over some more details to avoid any mistakes later.
With the discussion settled,
that very noon, Shen Changchuan invited the other guild shopkeepers to discuss the matter.
The specific contents of the meeting,
were unknown to anyone but those who attended.
No one knew what happened in the meeting, what kind of plan was proposed, or what decisions were made.
However, as the guild shopkeepers were leaving,
deep in their eyes,
a hint of worry could be seen.
...
"This—this is impossible?!"
The caravan stopped before the entrance to Dawan Village.
Shen Shaochong looked up, staring at the bustling Cultivators coming and going. Dawan Village had changed so much he almost didn’t recognize it.
His mouth hung slightly agape,
his eyes
filled with utter confusion.
’Is this really the same dilapidated, remote, and once-forgotten little mountain village from my memory?’
’Why can’t I recognize it anymore?’
’Look at the road, the walls, the Cultivators coming and going... and look at those commercial streets in the village, like a fledgling Immortal Cultivation Marketplace.’
’Even a town wouldn’t be much better than this!’
’It’s only been half a year...
what in the world happened here?’
Shen Shaochong blinked blankly
and subconsciously looked back at his father, Shen Shiyin.
But at this moment,
his father, Shen Shiyin, who had always seemed so composed in Shaochong’s eyes,
was also staring in bewilderment.
’What’s going on?’
’It’s only been a little over half a year since I was last here to collect tribute, right?’
’Is this still the Dawan Village I was in charge of for years?’
’I was the Garrison of Dawan Village for years and never saw any potential like this!’
"Father, what do you think?"
Shen Shaochong’s words pulled Shen Shiyin back to reality.
"I’m looking, aren’t I?!"
Shen Shiyin glared at him.
Composing himself,
"Let’s go. No matter what, Dawan Village is ultimately a subordinate territory of the Shen Family. Let’s go in and see what’s going on."
There was little change in Shen Shiyin’s tone, but if one listened closely, they could hear the slight, concealed tremor in his voice.
Clearly, his heart was anything but calm.
’How could he be calm?’
’He had assumed the bastard who stole his position would be struggling, unable to make ends meet, perhaps even reaping nothing at all.’
’He, on the other hand, had soared to new heights after leaving, blessed with good fortune every step of the way.’
’The entire journey here,
he had eagerly anticipated this reunion.’
’He couldn’t wait to see that arrogant bastard, who had schemed so much and used his influence to push him out, finally facing ruin and hardship. He was ready to laugh at his downfall.’
’He’d been full of smug superiority.’
’But as it turned out...’
’now that he was actually here, he realized...’
’it was he who was the clown all along!’
’Crisis? Hardship? Ruin?’
’The man was doing just fine—’
’in fact, he was doing countless times better than him!’
’This massive, crushing reversal of expectations...’
’how could he possibly come to terms with it so easily?’
