Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 403 - 403 402 Storm【Seeking monthly tickets at month-end】

403: Chapter 402: Storm【Seeking monthly tickets at month-end】 403: Chapter 402: Storm【Seeking monthly tickets at month-end】 This little interlude thus came to an end without further ado, allowing many of the merchants present to breathe a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t that they were afraid of the sword cultivator, but rather, if bloodshed were to disturb the good atmosphere of the Treasure Appraisal Meeting, the implications would not be favorable; traders seek only profit and have no desire to engage in violence and killing.

The reason there were so many people at this Treasure Appraisal Meeting was that nearly every party had brought powerful guards alongside, fearing an unreasonable rampage from the sword cultivator.

However, these potential dangers were expertly mitigated by Shen Yiguan’s control, truly reflecting the style of the Great Dao Sect, and commanding admiration.

By comparison, the brute force of the Shan Sect sword cultivators seemed rather lacking—this is the difference in levels.

With Bai Yujiang’s incident serving as a cautionary tale, no one else approached to provoke the couple, and the Treasure Appraisal Meeting began to focus on its main agenda, filled with professional haggling.

Gradually, people immersed themselves in the joy of trading, leaving any unpleasantness behind.

Quietly and unobtrusively, the Treasure Appraisal Meeting neared its end.

A great number of trade intentions were reached, which would require further contact and endless bargaining.

Two hours, for a Treasure Appraisal Meeting, was somewhat short, but this was the plan of certain individuals; their objectives had been achieved, and they had successfully humiliated the other party to some extent, so there was no need to drag the meeting out and risk complications.

Zhu Changwen, who had been on tenterhooks, finally relaxed.

He did not approve of such a convoluted appraisal meeting, which was completely unnecessary and likely to exacerbate conflicts; but he was also aware of what those Daoist merchants were scheming.

If Hou Niao were as impulsive as his junior brother, this could have turned into another grand feast for dividing the Bai family.

But Hou Niao held back.

“I have prepared a banquet at Binhai Lou with Shen Daoist joining us, would Daoist do me the honor of attending?” Zhu Changwen extended the invitation, a gesture of conciliation, the utmost effort on the part of the Jiedu Mansion.

He did not expect Hou Niao to accept the invitation, but it was a matter of showing the right attitude.

Contrary to expectations, Hou Niao nodded happily, “In that case, I’ll trouble Brother Zhu.

Ah, they say beauty is a feast for the eyes, and treasure a feast for the heart, why do I feel hungrier the more I look?”

The Treasure Appraisal Meeting, at last, drew to a close.

The merchants, in groups of threes and twos, discussed their views on the treasures, their estimates for bidding, and who might make a move, as they left the villa.

Flying in the sky, Bai Qingqian cast a longing look at the lawn for one last time, where every single item was something she had gathered with much effort.

That they had now become the possessions of others, even though she understood it was beyond recall, still left her with a sense of loss.

It was truly a pity.

In her view, the lawn had become desolate.

Bai Lingzhong and his sons were busily packing things, with dozens of cultivators guarding the villa.

One had to admit they were very cautious; even a villa as small as a pimple was guarded by dozens of cultivators.

Could even a fly possibly get in?

The personnel were composed of members from the Anhe Chamber of Commerce and Fengxing Chamber of Commerce; otherwise, with the foundation the Bai Lingzhong father and sons had now, they probably couldn’t support such a spectacle.

Just like that, coming simply and leaving lightly, she felt an unreality.

So then, would such forbearance bring stability to the Bai family?

If not, what should be done?

With internal and external troubles, she could not figure out a viable strategy.

Watching Hou Niao chatting and laughing along the way, she felt moved; he had indeed changed, making concessions at the Jiedu Mansion, grooming in Gushexiaozhu, showing restraint at the Treasure Appraisal Meeting—things he would never have done before, perhaps he had matured, but if she had to choose, which version of him would she prefer?

The one from before, or the one now?

What made her somewhat embarrassed was that it seemed like she preferred the more reckless guy from before.

Amid unsettled thoughts, a group of people arrived at the prestigious Seaside Tower in Mirage City, where various members of the Demon Clan from the sea served as ingredients for cuisine.

A single meal here might cost a small Cultivator years of resources for their Cultivation, but for these wealthy traders, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

The banquet attendees were few, accompanied by three officials from the Jiedu Mansion, with the main parties being the Shen Dong family and the mother and son duo of Hou Niao.

Additionally, there were several well-respected elders within Mirage City’s business circles, known for their generosity and extensive connections.

The purpose of all this was to bridge the gap between the two sides.

After all, in the Southwest region, aside from the Wu Sect and Shan Sect, others hardly mattered.

This was the crux of the issue.

The unspoken understanding was that if everyone could eat this meal in peace and harmony, then the unpleasantness of the past should be largely forgotten, or rather, pretended to be forgotten.

This was the wishful thinking of the Jiedu Mansion.

Neither Bai Lingzhong and his son nor the Wu Sect would back down; they would just resort to more cunning methods.

This was something everyone was keenly aware of.

But the hypocrisy of the Cultivation World lay just there; everyone could tolerate the Daoist Sect’s slow encroachment but not the direct, blood-drawing approach of the Shan Sect.

That was where the disagreement lay.

Hou Niao continued to be affable, addressing everyone as brothers and emptying his cup with each toast, as if he had transformed into a member of the Daoist Sect.

His previous unreasonable and straightforward behavior seemed like a thing of the past, leaving Bai Qingqian feeling rather estranged.

This meeting with her beloved went smoothly, yet somewhere deep inside, Qingqian felt that something was amiss.

But she could not put her finger on what exactly was wrong…

Zhu Changwen raised the cup before him, advising:

“…

Live to sing when successful, rest when failure strikes, sorrows and resentments also flow far and wide.

Drink while wine is available today, worry about sorrows tomorrow.

I advise you all, why trouble yourself over small gains and losses?

The future is vast, and natural beauty lies far away.

To be fixated on one issue or one place is to think too small.

The wealth of this world is never-ending; instead of bickering with each other, we should look beyond.

Come, come, come, let’s drink this cup of wine, and we all remain friends.”

With that, everyone raised their glasses together.

An elder from the business circle added:

“In our line of business, profit comes first.

Even if we regard each other as enemies, if you spare me this time, I would still do business with you the next.

That is the highest realm in the ways of commerce.”

Qingqian listened in admiration, wondering where Jiedu Mansion had found these remarkable figures, willing to go to great lengths to broker peace between the two sides.

For the long-term peace and stability of Mirage City, they had no choice but to do so.

Just like the success of the Treasure Appraisal Meeting, the atmosphere of the banquet at Seaside Tower was harmonious.

With the efforts of Jiedu Mansion, at least on the surface, a significant clash between the two behemoths of the Southwest region seemed set to conclude with a perfect full stop.

As everyone was indulging in their drinks, a very faint pulse of spiritual energy came through the windows of the second floor; in this world of Cultivation, confrontations between Cultivators were a common occurrence, happening all the time and everywhere, so it wasn’t unusual.

However, the direction from which the spiritual pulse originated was to the west, towards the direction of the villa.

The atmosphere then became somewhat tense as unease rose in everyone’s heart.

Except for Hou Niao, who continued to raise his glass and eat heartily…

No one moved.

In Mirage City, it was up to Jiedu Mansion to maintain order.

Everyone awaited news, hoping it was just a common nightly skirmish that happened around the city.

But to their dismay, a messenger talisman from Jiedu Mansion flew in through the window.

Zhu Changwen’s Divine Sense swept over it, and he instantly turned ashen.

Collapsing into his seat,

“Pirates!

Pirates have come ashore!

Less than an hour after the Treasure Appraisal Meeting ended, the villa was pillaged and left in ruin!”