Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 341 - 341 340 The Late Penalty 2

341: Chapter 340 The Late Penalty 2 341: Chapter 340 The Late Penalty 2 Bai Qingqian fell into deep thought.

For a business to thrive, it is essential to borrow Spirit Stones and Spiritual Pearls to grow quickly and strengthen rapidly; moreover, when trading certain valuable treasures, temporary financial shortages may occur, leading to borrowing from peers within the industry.

Although Bai’s Trading Company had prepared ahead by setting up in Mirage City, most of their assets remained within Anhe Country, making their capital turnover somewhat tight, naturally resulting in the frequent use of intercompany borrowing.

The guarantor they found was the old Linhai-based Four Seas Trading Company, with whom they had interacted for decades.

The two sides knew each other well and maintained good mutual trust, ensuring no significant mishaps in their many years of cooperation.

But what Bai Qingqian had not expected was that such an old partner would transfer all of Bai’s debt to Fuyunlai without informing them.

Although the motive behind their action was still unclear, the event itself strongly suggested a conspiracy.

The elder continued, “This evening, Zeng Ji is hosting a banquet at his Zhaoyang Palace outside the town, inviting notable figures from various businesses in Mirage City.

The invitation has been sent, inviting you to attend the banquet.”

Bai Qingqian gave a cold smile, “An invitation in the morning and a banquet in the evening, they really don’t intend to give me any preparation time.”

For banquets of such a business scale, it is customary to notify several days in advance, as per business etiquette; it shows disrespect to be notified in the morning for an evening event.

Yet Zeng Ji did just that, taking advantage of the current internal and external troubles of Bai’s business, its modest strength, holding on to Bai’s debts as if holding the family’s lifeline.

Of course, it also deprived the Bai family of the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and form alliances; after all, even a sinking ship weighs a few kilos, and with careful planning, Bai could still find some assistance, though these supporters themselves weren’t very strong and were merely banding together for comfort.

After hesitating for a long time, the elder still advised, “Miss Bai, why don’t you take Hu Da and Hu Er with you?

Although it is a grand banquet with countless guests, I’m afraid Zeng Ji might suddenly make a move against you at the banquet.

If something happens, it would be difficult for us to explain to Third Master Bai.”

Bai Qingqian had already advanced to the Tongxuan realm earlier in the year, and as a business family, they never worried about resources; among the Bai family, she was one of the top prospects for cultivation, and she would have succeeded two years earlier if not for the family crisis.

But the Bai family did not cultivate for combat; they belonged to the Daoist health-preserving school, which was a choice determined by family traits.

It was impossible to excel in both higher realms of cultivation and combat while also handling business, as human energy is limited.

Therefore, the elder was concerned; Hu Da and Hu Er were Bai’s trained enforcers, also known as Guest Elders, a common practice among trading firms to have a force ready to deal with trouble.

Bai’s company had relatively fewer enforcers; unlike those unscrupulous businesses that relied heavily on such men to handle disputes.

Bai Qingqian noncommittally considered the real benefit of two enforcers during a potential conflict.

Those who became Guest Elders for trading companies, were they truly powerful?

They might handle ordinary Loose Cultivators well, but against stronger Sect forces, they would be ineffective.

“Do you mean Fuyunlai is forcing us to repay the loan due to our financial difficulties?”

The elder nodded; he had been in this business too long and knew all too well the myriad of tactics.

While business strategies might seem complex to outsiders, to an experienced practitioner like him, grasping a few key points could easily reveal the essence, nothing mysterious.

“Fuyunlai’s business has always focused heavily on artifacts; this is their expertise.

And over the past three years, we have invested heavily in collecting artifacts, especially those of the rare Thunder Attribute; the price of Thunder Attribute artifacts has been rising sharply recently, with significant upward fluctuations.

Fuyunlai would certainly be aware of this.

Therefore, using the debt issue to pressure us into submission and swallow our Thunder Attribute artifacts must be their intent.”

Seeing Bai Qingqian remaining silent, the elder emphasized, “Miss Bai, we all admire your vision.

Ever since you directed us to start hoarding Thunder Attribute artifacts three years ago, their price has doubled by now, I believe it’s time to sell.

Every good trading involves both purchase and sales; merely hoarding, leaving aside whether our finances can withstand, once the future prices of Thunder Attribute artifacts fall, wouldn’t all our efforts be in vain?

Especially now, with our finances troubled, you still hold on to them, the entire company is really struggling.

Selling a few items would solve our urgent needs and reduce others’ scrutiny, why not do it?”

Bai Qingqian didn’t explain.

She didn’t wish to elaborate because standing at different perspectives yielded different perceptions; the old man from the Bai family was purely looking at the issue from a business standpoint, somewhat missing the point.

In her view, Thunder Attribute artifacts were only part of the problem, and probably not the main issue; the real reason lay in them being Bai’s Trading Company, targeted by the Southwest’s largest power group, Wu Sect, and it involved Anhe’s situation.

Even without the trouble of Thunder Attribute artifacts, other problems would still arise, because their aim was to break her.

That was the key issue.

Would handing over those Thunder Attribute treasures secure Bai’s Trading Company’s safety?

She didn’t think so.

“Give me the invitation; I’ll attend on time.”

The elder hesitated to speak further, but finally shook his head and ceased to persuade; being a longtime member of the Bai family, he knew this Miss Bai’s temperament well—stubborn and unyielding until the very end.

Of course, he also didn’t believe there would be any real danger at the banquet in Zhaoyang Palace.

In the Cultivation Commerce world, it’s highly frowned upon to resort to violence when disputes cannot be resolved through dialogue.

If it came to that, there was no point in running businesses; they might as well find a place to become bandits.

Negotiation, compromise, stepping back to make mutual gains is the main melody of the business world.

Deviating from this would lead everyone in the business circle to shun you, true for both the Bai family and Fuyunlai.

After the elder left, Bai Qingqian sighed softly, seeing through the underlying truth of everything but unable to find the key to break the situation!

Once, she thought she had found it, but later, she lost that key.

She increasingly understood what was truly essential in the Cultivation World; she once thought it was resources, but now she knew, it was strength, solid strength!

The kind that allows one to overturn tables when things go wrong!

There was nothing to prepare.

Heading to the banquet alone, she wanted to see how Fuyunlai intended to swallow Bai’s Trading Company, to see if in Mirage City, there was no one who dared to uphold justice?

To show her intent, she purposefully wore a colorful garment!

… Hearing of the banquet at Zhaoyang, where furled moths touch fallen leaves.

A clear song follows the cold moon, a distant night entering the deep palace.