Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 340 - 340 339 The Late Penalty 1

340: Chapter 339 The Late Penalty 1 340: Chapter 339 The Late Penalty 1 PS: Today, I’m adding two more updates to finish the story, and also, I’m kindly asking for a wave of monthly tickets.

Additionally, my stockpile of drafts has run out.

It’s likely impossible to maintain five updates each day, so I’m reducing it to four.

I hope for understanding from all my friends.

Have a pleasant weekend.

………

The sensation of finally achieving freedom through flight is incomparable.

To regain what was lost, nothing could stir the heart more intensely.

After roughly discerning the direction, he made a general judgment and kept his altitude below five hundred feet, speeding along, with the stars above and the moon underfoot; one couldn’t fly too high, for in the vast sea, dangers came not just from beneath the waves, but also from threats in the sky.

Below a thousand feet was the airspace where cultivators of his realm should remain; crossing it was forbidden.

The return journey still posed a test.

………

Guyun Cottage.

Bai Qingqian stood solemnly by the window, with the desolate autumn wind slicing through her, thin as a leaf and highlighting her frailty.

In these three years at Mirage City, each day passed like an eternity, like walking on thin ice.

Not to mention making Bai’s Trading Company flourish, even maintaining its previous scale was extremely difficult.

Sharp as she was, Qingqian had realized she was being targeted, but she didn’t know who was sabotaging Bai’s Trading Company.

Mirage City had its own merchant guild, yet the situation within was murky, further fragmented into various factions, large and small, twisted and complex.

With no clear leader, it seemed as if they were covered yet exposed.

Depending on the situation, one would look for different people.

Whenever a significant incident occurred, a certain force was sure to be involved; not truly immersing oneself in it, outsiders or powers with shallower roots would find themselves mired in confusion, clueless with no leads to follow.

The standing of Bai’s Trading Company in Mirage City belonged to those with insufficient strength.

This was related to many factors, such as the gradual decline of the Anhe Daoist, the past glory of the Bai family, and the relentless pressure from the Wu Sect among others.

To resolve this issue, there was only one method for Bai’s at present—to seek refuge with a major power, looking for a protector.

They chose the Quanzhen Sect, which was the only option in the Southwest territory, because no other power dared or was willing to confront the Wu Sect, including the Buddhist Sect and Taihao, which mostly adopted an indifferent, bystander attitude.

However, the process of strengthening ties with the Quanzhen Sect was not smooth-sailing.

This wasn’t child’s play, where today I’m good with you and tomorrow I’m good with him; it wasn’t that simple.

In the Cultivation World, all relationships must withstand the test of time and interests, until both sides are inextricably linked, containing parts of each other, before they can truly rely on one another; just like the Bai family and the Anhe Daoist, their interests were deeply intertwined, inseparable, allowing them to assist each other without hesitation in times of need.

Regrettably, the part of the Anhe Daoists who had aligned with the Bai family was the faction that supported warfare and independence, and they were now so suppressed by the Wu Sect that they could barely breathe, let alone protect a trading company, specifically one as remote as the Linhai branch.

They approached the Quanzhen Sect, dealing with it both openly and secretly; in the open was Bai San-Ye’s activities in Jin City.

Because Da Feng Plain lay close to Anhe and was an important trading route for Bai’s to head north to Shan Country.

A few friends were quite familiar with it.

One was Bai Qingqian’s connection with Hou Niao, which was not only an undercover line but also a kind of investment in the future, an investment that wouldn’t show returns in the short term; it was out of faith in this person’s cultivation prospects.

As a result, one line had an uncertain future while the other was completely severed.

Over three years ago, terrible news came from the shellfish farms of Crab Claw Island: Quanzhen cultivator Hou Niao had perished, hunted by a pod of tiger whales from the Sea Clan.

At that time, the Jiedu Mansion even made a big show of rewarding his efforts, proclaiming widely his dedication to protecting the resources of human cultivation at the cost of his own life.

Bai Sanye wasn’t faring well either; his activities in Jin City met with nothing but obstacles.

For some reason, the Quanzhen Sect seemed only marginally interested in Bai’s Trading Company, showing a perfunctory attitude, almost as if they could take it or leave it, leaving him at a loss as to their true stance toward the Anhe Daoist Sect.

As such, the Quanzhen Trading Company in Mirage City adopted a strategy of cautious acquaintance toward Bai’s Trading Company, without getting deeply involved.

Having a warm face pushed up against a cold ass—that’s precisely what Bai’s Trading Company had experienced in Mirage City during this time.

Some divisions are stark, such as the disparity in strength within Bai’s Trading Company.

With the most powerful, Bai Er Ye, confined in Divine City, the rest of the family, restricted by their cultivation realms, found it hard to connect with the upper echelons of national cultivation powers.

For example, Bai Sanye could only wander aimlessly in Jin City, and Bai Qingqian could only work hard in Mirage City; without sufficient personal power, they had no chance for fair negotiation.

Cultivation first, business second; without a cultivation realm to back one up, many ideas are nothing but wishful thinking.

Over the past three years, Bai’s Trading Company had been squeezed from all sides—supply chains intercepted, clients poached, increasing trade disputes, not to mention numerous malicious trade incidents.

It was as if a net were ensnaring them, leaving them unable to struggle free.

An elderly man stood before her, still recounting this year’s business conditions, “…Talisman sales held steady, elixir revenue and spending were slightly in deficit.

The shortfall in artifacts has begun to impact our normal resource flow.

Adding personnel expenses, taxes, rent, and losses, the total deficit for this year comes to…”

“Miss, the Four Seas Trading Company, which has guaranteed our loans, no longer accepts our borrowing requests and has transferred the guarantee to Fuyunlai Trading Company…”

Bai Qingqian furrowed her brow, “Fuyunlai?

Sounds familiar, but isn’t that just a small, practically unknown local trading company from Linhai?

Can they afford to take on our transactions?”

The old man sighed, “In Mirage City, there are dragons and tigers hidden in the depths.

Many trading companies do not show off, but in reality, they have big backers; these matters are not easily clarified.”

“So, what’s the story with Fuyunlai?

Taking on our debt now, are they trying to kick us while we’re down?”

The old man lowered his gaze, feeling some disappointment toward the young mistress of the Bai family.

When she had taken over four years ago, he had thought business would finally have a solid leader, but it seemed she was still too young.

Facing the wolfish, tiger-like business environment of Mirage City, she was overly conservative and lacked initiative, particularly in terms of networking and business relations.

In such critical matters, they, the servants, could not intervene.

Thus, time was wasted, and three to four years down the line, the healthy business had been run into its current dire straits.

Of course, perhaps she shouldn’t be entirely blamed.

The Bai family’s loss of influence in Anhe and Divine City, and the decline of the Anhe Daoist Sect in the Southwest, were deeper reasons.

Expecting a woman to stand up and miraculously turn the tide was somewhat overly optimistic.

But in desperate times, people always hope for miracles.

“It’s said that Fuyunlai’s shadowy backer is one of the major shipmasters in Mirage City, Zeng Ji.”

Bai Qingqian’s expression turned surprised as she lifted her head, “Zeng Ji?

The shipmaster who, three years ago at Crab Claw Island, was left in a sorry state by the tiger whale pod?”

The old man nodded, “Exactly that.

He keeps a low profile, staying out of the limelight, but his financial strength is formidable.

He represents one of the local powers of Mirage City, with several trading companies under his banner, specializing in ship transport and artifacts in particular.

This time, he took over our debt from the Four Seas Trading Company, perhaps because he set his sights on our substantial inventory of artifacts.”