Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 240 - One Hundred and Eighty-Six: Busy

Chapter 240: Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Six: Busy

"...."

Mentally lashing out at Su Jinxuan once again,

Xu Yuan composed his fluctuating emotions and opened her hand, calmly saying,

"I need you to investigate two Sects."

Lou Ji massaged the back of her hand as she smiled and asked,

"Which two?"

Xu Yuan replied softly,

"Shenji Sect and Myriad Medicinal Sect."

Lou Ji raised her eyebrows slightly, her voice tinged with confusion as she asked,

"Aren’t those two Sects rather well-behaved?"

Xu Yuan said in a low voice,

"During my travels, I stumbled upon some opportunities and heard some things, but I’m not sure, so I need to check first."

Lou Ji thought for a moment without asking further and readily agreed,

"Alright, I’ll arrange for someone as soon as I get back."

Xu Yuan smiled slightly at this.

In Cang Yuan, one of these Sects was engaging in experiments on a massive scale using sacrificial subjects for medicinal purposes, while the other had discovered a significant Secret Realm.

Moreover, the locations of their Sect gates were all on the route he had previously traveled.

At this time, Lou Ji spoke again, her voice still soft,

"Is there anything else?"

Xu Yuan looked up,

"Aren’t these two matters enough?"

Lou Ji’s beautiful eyes flickered, and her brows slowly furrowed.

Before she could speak to give a hint, she heard Xu Yuan methodically say,

"In the next two years, intelligence will be very important. If necessary, we might need to provoke internal strife within some Sects or even cause conflicts of interest between Sects. For these tasks, I will need your Black Scale Guards, so fifteen million Silver Taels is not a lot."

"..."

After a few seconds of silence, Lou Ji sighed, stood up, and said in a low voice,

"But how do you plan to explain this to the others in Changtian?"

The total compensation amount could only be diverted twenty million Silver Taels, and with Lou Ji claiming eight-tenths of it, how could the rest of the forces be satisfied with the remaining two-tenths? Wouldn’t they tear Xu Yuan to pieces?

Xu Yuan pointed to the contract on the rosewood table, smiling as he spoke,

"Haven’t you read the contract?"

Lou Ji’s beautiful eyes scanned it and she nodded,

"I have, what about it?"

Xu Yuan picked up the contract,

"This only states the conditions under which my Prime Minister’s Mansion assists the Myriad Manifestation Sect in training troops. Of course, in addition to what is written in black and white, there are other agreements made privately, like handing over evidence we have to them."

Lou Ji’s eyes flashed,

"Are you planning to corner them with this?"

If you raise the price on them once, you can do so again, but the Myriad Manifestation Sect would not allow itself to be extorted indefinitely.

Xu Yuan also shook his head in denial,

"We can’t play that card. If things go south, the Myriad Manifestation Sect might prefer mutual destruction rather than yield, and we want to avoid that at all costs, as the loss would be substantial."

The current smoothness was because the Myriad Manifestation Sect was caught off guard, and their elite troops were all inside the Sect gate, unable to call for their war beasts from other places in time.

The forty thousand of the Black Scale Army could certainly destroy the Myriad Manifestation Sect, but their own losses would be significant.

Yuan Hao said that in the best-case scenario, we would still sacrifice over ten thousand soldiers.

After pondering for a moment, Lou Ji asked,

"Then what do you plan to do, Changtian?"

Xu Yuan pointed at the green, viscous spirit-blocking ointment on the city walls,

"Xinyao mentioned that this substance could only be removed with a special solvent; otherwise, the formation patterns and materials would have to be discarded together. This kind of Protective City Formation must be expensive, and the Myriad Manifestation Sect probably isn’t willing to part with it."

"The storerooms of the Myriad Manifestation Sect in East City are now in our hands; the goods inside would be troublesome to move.

"These confiscated defensive weapons on the city walls are not of great value to us, after all, the maintenance molds for the Myriad Manifestation Sect’s weapons are different from those of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, making them too costly to adapt."

Having said that,

Xu Yuan tapped on the desk and grinned,

"Moreover, if possible, I hope to station troops here in Wanxiang City to secure the interests of our commerce association."

After speaking,

Xu Yuan looked up and met Lou Ji’s beautiful gaze,

"Money will be needed for these matters, and we should still be able to squeeze a few million out of the Myriad Manifestation Sect, as these Sects are richer than we imagine."

Lou Ji’s beautiful eyes gradually lit up with a smile,

"Changtian, are you... planning to hike up the price from the ground?"

Xu Yuan’s voice carried a hint of amusement,

"What do you mean hike up the price? Haven’t you seen our signed contract? None of these things, whether on paper or verbally, have I agreed to.

"And even if we don’t pursue them, the Myriad Manifestation Sect would definitely do so on our behalf. For instance, whether they offer silver notes or actual silver, what would the quality of that silver be? The fate of the shopkeepers, workers in the medicinal gardens, and lower-level staff, along with matters of industrial handover, there are too many details at play here."

"Sister, the real negotiation has just begun."

Xu Yuan stretched lazily, stood up, and looked into the distance with a sigh,

"Looks like the real busyness is just about to start."

...

...

...

The day after the contract signing,

a squadron of flying Demonic Beasts landed in the East City of Wanxiang, bringing shopkeepers sent by Hua Hong to negotiate the finer details.

And just as Xu Yuan had expected, for the following period, he was so busy that he barely had any time to sleep.

He wished he could break every quarter-hour into two to make more time.

Either he was going over reports of financial and property handovers or wrangling with the Sect Master and the Great Elder of the Myriad Manifestation Sect, and occasionally, the Black Scale Army would cause some violent incidents within the city.

He would even have to be woken up at night to find time to meet with the secret envoys sent by the higher-ups of the Prime Minister’s Mansion to demand money.

Xu Yuan found it hard to imagine how Xu Yinhè managed to handle all these complex tasks while still keeping up with his cultivation.

It was constant noise in his ears, never a moment of peace.

He wanted to delegate authority to those beneath him but regrettably had no one familiar and trustworthy enough.

Let Lou Ji do it?

Forget it, that auntie would just sit there with her legs crossed, watching the drama unfold.

Xu Xinyao was willing and capable of helping, but her approach was too soft, and there was the risk of blowing her cover.

As for Big Ice Lump...

Well, let’s get back to Xu Xinyao.

Another early morning,

in the tasteful chamber, Xu Yuan, dressed in a white robe nightgown, sipped wakeful tea with drooping eyes while he listened to the reports from several shopkeepers below.

Only after all of them had left did he slowly lift his gaze to the only middle-aged man still standing to the side, his eyes heavy with fatigue:

"What did they just say?"

Bai Zhao... oh no, now it’s Bai Jingtian, he thought briefly, and summarized succinctly:

"Many merchants from the Yunhua money shop that was handed over yesterday are demanding to withdraw money, in large sums."

"Can you handle it?" Xu Yuan asked wearily.

Bai Jingtian’s eyes slightly hardened as he knelt with his hands folded:

"I, Bai, wish to share my young master’s worries."

Xu Yuan, too tired to care about the kneeling gesture, waved his hand dismissively:

"If you can, then go. Someone will follow and protect you. If you manage well, there’s still the chamber of commerce matter to attend to in the afternoon."

Bai Jingtian clenched his fists tightly.

He realized this was an opportunity, an enormous opportunity for him.

With a forceful kowtow, Bai Jingtian got up, stepped back twice, and swiftly turned to leave:

"Understood."

As he watched the retreating figure leave, Xu Yuan sighed deeply:

"I hope you don’t disappoint me..."

"Indeed."

Lou Ji was lying on her side on the nearby couch, chuckling softly:

"If he disappoints, it really says something about your judgment, Changtian~"

Xu Yuan glanced at her with a side-eye:

"Sister, can’t you lend me a hand?"

Lou Ji’s lips curled into a smile:

"Didn’t your sister give you a massage last night?"

Xu Yuan tapped on the stack of documents in front of him:

"I’m talking about these matters."

Lou Ji laughed:

"Sister is the examiner; I can’t get involved firsthand~"

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and ignored her, continuing to review the documents handed up to him.

As if suddenly remembering something, Lou Ji said with a light laugh:

"However, your sister did manage to bring someone over who can comfort you."

Accustomed to his foxy sister’s teasing over the past few days, Xu Yuan did not stop reviewing the documents and spoke, "Someone from the Hook Bar?"

"Hmm... if Changtian wishes, your sister can arrange that."

Lou Ji turned to lay on her stomach on the couch, propping up her chin: "But that’s not it this time~"

"Then who is it?"

Xu Yuan asked casually, "Su Jinxuan, maybe? It seems like there hasn’t been news from her for a while."

"It’s Ran Qingmo."

"What?" Xu Yuan’s actions halted.

Lou Ji did not reply immediately, unhurriedly reaching for the blanket to drape over herself.

Xu Yuan’s gaze was questioning as he watched her movements.

Just then, Lou Ji stretched out a fair arm and pointed towards the doorway:

"There."