"Brother Ding has come!"
"Brother Ren is here as well."
Outside one of the mansions on Jade Capital Peak, there stood a teller of the Celestial Nation's Chamber of Commerce, surnamed Ding. As he arrived, he soon discovered many of his colleagues were here as well. There were about a dozen of them standing under the shade of a tree.
Teller Ding proceeded to cup his fists and exchange pleasantries with his colleagues. Among them, Ren Xuanming swept his gaze across the crowd and remarked sarcastically, "It looks like other than those who are on duty, everyone else has temporarily placed all other business aside to come here."
The crowd chuckled as they thought, 'We could say the same for you.'
Having just arrived, Teller Ding didn't know why everyone else was just waiting here. He didn't bother asking either and simply proceeded to cup his fists towards the servant guarding by the gates of the mansion, saying, "My name is Ding Haoran, and I'm a teller from the Chamber of Commerce. I request an audience with Manor Head Zhao. Please help me send the word to him."
When his colleagues under the shade heard this, they couldn't help revealing an awkward expression. The servant was then seen replying politely, "Manor Head Zhao is not here."
Ding Haoran asked curiously, "Hasn't he registered himself already?"
The servant replied, "Yes, he has. But he only briefly looked around the place before going back out. It looks like he went off to visit a friend."
As a servant, he shouldn't be revealing so much information. However, at the end of the day, this place was still the property of the Chamber of Commerce, and these people were all its employees. Hence, as a lowly loose cultivator who needed to rely on the Chamber of Commerce to survive, he didn't dare offend them and had no choice but to reply honestly.
Ding Haoran was stumped as he slowly turned to look at his colleagues standing under the shade of the tree. He finally understood why they were waiting here.
After musing to himself for a while, Ding Haoran cupped his fists towards his colleagues, then turned around and went on his way. He intended to visit the other person who had just arrived—Manor Head Sikong.
Under the shade, Ren Xuanming yelled, "Brother Ding, stop wasting your energy! That Manor Head Sikong and this Manor Head Zhao arrived together. Afterward, they left together as well. You'd be running around for nothing, so you might as well wait here with us. When this Manor Head Zhao returns, he'll surely pass by this place and we'll be able to see him clearly then. We won't miss him."
Ding Haoran was stunned. In the end, there was little he could do but laugh bitterly as he walked on over to the shade.
Not long after, the crowd noticed another person approaching with rushed steps through a small path in the forest. This person was none other than Luo Ping.
He was supposed to be on duty in the Chamber of Commerce today, but after finding out from someone that Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei had registered themselves in Jade Capital Peak, he immediately applied for emergency leave and rushed here. No matter how low his odds of success were, he had to give it a shot somehow.
When he arrived, he immediately noticed the crowd that was already here and couldn't help remarking deep down, 'These bastards sure react quickly.'
Little did Luo Ping know that by taking the initiative with Miao Yi before this, he'd taught these people a lesson and caused them to keep such a close eye on the mansions at Jade Capital Peak. Thus, the moment Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei registered themselves, there was an immediate reaction from these people.
Like all the others before him, Luo Ping was quite puzzled as to why these people were waiting here. Facing the sneaky smiles of his colleagues, he cupped his fists at them, then proceeded to ask the servant by the gate about Manor Head Zhao. Unsurprisingly, he received the same response as the rest of them.
Luo Ping immediately understood everything. Just as he was about to go visit the other Manor Head, Ren Xuanming was already beckoning him over with his hand and said teasingly, "Brother Luo, don't trouble yourself any further. Just wait here with us…"
These were the same words as before, and it caused the entire crowd to break out into laughter.
'No wonder all these people are waiting here!' Luo Ping was feeling quite helpless, but he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he gave up now. Hence, he too started walking towards the shade of the tree.
However, he had only taken a few steps forward when he suddenly halted, turning to look at the mansion behind him. He then shifted his gaze towards another mansion on the mountain and thought, 'Ah! This seems like one of the two other mansions that Lin Pingping had reserved in addition to Miao Yi's. Then could it be… visiting a friend...'
Luo Ping's eyes instantly brightened, and he bade farewell to his colleagues with cupped fists.
'He's not waiting anymore?' The crowd was puzzled from Luo Ping's sudden retreat. However, Ren Xuanming noticed something suspicious from the shift in Luo Ping's expression. He shouted, "Brother Luo, you're not going to wait anymore?!"
Luo Ping didn't even turn around. He simply waved his hand and answered, "I have to be on duty."
This was obviously just a cursory reply. In truth, Luo Ping headed straight for Miao Yi's mansion immediately after. The people standing guard knew that he was Miao Yi's acquaintance, so they let him in soon after announcing his arrival.
When Luo Ping entered the rear garden, he noticed there were a few unfamiliar faces standing guard. He made his way along the small winding path to the quiet pavilion atop the rockery. There, he noticed three people sitting down. Miao Yi was among them, but the other two were completely unfamiliar faces.
Luo Ping's heart thumped as he figured his hunch was all but assured at this point. He quickly made his way up the rockery, then cupped his fists at Miao Yi, while his gaze was focused on Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei instead. He asked, "Brother Miao, are these two friends..?"
Miao Yi lightly slapped on the table and laughed. "Zhao Fei, Sikong, it looks like someone is here to buy you two dinner."
Zhao Fei replied with a simple 'Oh.' After which, he and Sikong Wuwei proceeded to examine Luo Ping, a little confused as to what was happening.
Miao Yi had even called out their names already. Luo Ping was immediately beside himself with joy. The people he was looking for were here as expected. Since Miao Yi had reserved mansions for these two, they must have a rather close relationship. Luo Ping was relieved to have finally found a solution to his problem. He hastily took out his name card and handed it to Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei as he introduced himself.
As Luo Ping sat down, he laughed bitterly at Miao Yi, "Brother Miao, why didn't you tell me earlier that you're friends with these two Manor Heads? I had to go through so much trouble because of you. Just now, I was at one of the mansions the two Manor Heads were staying in, and much to my dismay, the people in question weren't there at all."
However, deep down he was sighing in astonishment, 'It looks like this man is quite close to all the Subjugation Crusade survivors of the Fifth Earthly Branch. What a stroke of luck.'
Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei looked at one another. They understood the purpose of Luo Ping's visit now, but the two of them couldn't simply agree to do business with him, as they had already promised Miao Yi's 'Little Sister'.
Miao Yi didn't reply to Luo Ping and instead shouted to Yan Xiu, who was standing guard at the bottom of the rockery. "Yan Xiu, go prepare a welcoming feast for the two Manor Heads."
"I'll do it. I'll do it. I'm very familiar with the capital city. I'll go make the arrangements." Luo Ping immediately jumped at the chance to organize the welcoming feast, and stated clearly to everyone around— 'Don't anyone take this away from me' . He then quickly departed to make the preparations.
When Luo Ping left, Sikong Wuwei asked, "What's up with that?"
Miao Yi briefly explained the story to them. He then said, "Last time, I only told him about how I promised my business to Wen Fang after the meal. This time, you two can do the same as well. When you guys get to know each other better afterward, you can use his name as a deterrent to deal with all the other annoying people from the Chamber of Commerce. He's already used to it anyway."
As such, after the welcoming banquet that night, it was to no one's surprise that Luo Ping's reaction was that of a bitter laugh. He shook his head in resignation as he pointed at Miao Yi who had him fooled.
As the banquet ended, Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei went back to their own mansions, their bodies reeking of alcohol. And as expected, they were met with a large group of people by the entrance. They didn't beat around the bush and quickly used Luo Ping's name to turn down all these people and send them away. That way they wouldn't be offending the other party either.
All the tellers could simply go back crestfallen. One of them grumbled, "We waited the whole day here for nothing."
Another complained resentfully, "That bastard Luo Ping has actually taken hold of three of them on his own. It looks like he'll surely take the top spot for the sales rankings at the end of the year. How lucky can he get…"
"Luck? How can he be so lucky all the time…" Ren Xuanming mumbled to himself as he stood alone in front of the gates of Zhao Fei's mansion. Suddenly, his eyes brightened as he seemed to have figured something out. He quickly rushed to Miao Yi's mansion. However, he didn't go inside and only asked the servant guarding the gate a few questions via voice transmission.
After confirming that Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei had indeed left this place after having drinks, Ren Xuanming departed with a grim face...
Over the next few days, Gu Sanzheng, Tan Lao, and Ye Xin of the three major sects had arrived as well. The day for the Fifth Earthly Branch survivors of the Subjugation Crusade to report to Jade Capital Peak was just around the corner. None of them would think of arriving precisely on the day itself, as they wouldn't be able to shoulder the responsibility if something were to happen to cause them to be late. Hence, they all made it a few days ahead of time.
Even though there were people from the Chamber of Commerce assigned specifically to deal with the trades from the three major sects on a regular basis, Ren Xuanming was still unwilling to give up. He didn't want to lose out to Luo Ping in the sales rankings at the end of the year. Hence, when he heard that the members of the three major sects had arrived, he still chose to look for them, despite everyone else having already given up.
As the first one to arrive, Gu Sanzheng did grant Ren Xuanming an audience, surprisingly. As the two of them sat in the living room, Ren Xuanming took out a gift box again and smiled as he pushed it to Gu Sanzheng. "Brother Gu. I hope you'll accept this small gift of mine to commemorate our first meeting."
When the other party told him of his identity, Gu Sanzheng immediately knew what he was here for. He didn't wish to meet with him originally. However, he figured he shouldn't go around offending people carelessly, so he ultimately decided to grant Ren Xuanming an audience.
Gu Sanzheng showed no signs of accepting the gift. He was always the frigid type. He wasted no time in explaining the harsh truth to Ren Xuanming right from the start. "Brother Ren, it's not that I don't wish to work together with you. It's just that my school has always maintained a partnership with one of the seniors in your Chamber of Commerce. I cannot make such a decision on my own."
Ren Xuanming was still unwilling to give up. He chuckled and said, "Even if we can't do business, we can still be friends. I have long admired Brother Gu. Tonight, I'll be organizing a welcoming banquet in Spring Glory House for Brother Gu. I hope you'll do me the honor of attending."
In the end, Gu Sanzheng declined Ren Xuanming's gift, as well as his invitation for the welcoming banquet using the excuse saying that he had some other matters to attend to. Ren Xuanming ultimately left with an awkward expression on his face.
He unexpectedly bumped into Luo Ping as he exited the gate. The two of them were not particularly close to begin with. Luo Ping could tell what just happened from the look on Ren Xuanming's face. He mocked, "Brother Ren, you really don't know when to quit! Why torment yourself so?"
"Hmph!" Ren Xuanming flicked his sleeves and left.
Luo Ping didn't want to waste time with him either. He proceeded to ask the guard by the entrance to announce his arrival, and after getting permission to enter, he walked inside the mansion.
Having not gone far, Ren Xuanming creased his brows as he thought, 'I ended up failing. How can that bastard be so confident? Otherwise, why would he mock me so?'
He walked to the forest with quick steps, then abruptly turned around and hid himself between the trees.
Inside the living room of the mansion, as Luo Ping presented to Gu Sanzheng his name card and introduced himself, he noticed a slight annoyance from the latter's face. He immediately took out Miao Yi's 'recommendation letter' and handed it out with both arms as he said, "Brother Gu, I was asked to hand this to you by a friend."
Gu Sanzheng was somewhat confused. As he took the jade archive and examined it with his transcendence energy, he couldn't help his surprise...
By the time Luo Ping came out from the gate, his expression was practically glowing. Miao Yi's recommendation letter was very effective indeed. Even though the other party hadn't openly promised him anything, and had refused the welcoming banquet as well, his expression was significantly better after reading the letter. Gu Sanzheng even said to Luo Ping that he would have to trouble him if he ever needed his help.
Luo Ping was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, while the other person was going to be a Manor Head who would oversee an entire domain. What could he ever need Luo Ping's help with? It wasn't as though Luo Ping could fight and kill Gu Sanzheng's enemies for him. Obviously, the other party meant that he would look for him whenever he had something to sell. Having gotten a major customer, Luo Ping's mood was naturally good.
After Luo Ping left, Ren Xuanming slowly walked out of the forest he was hiding in. Luo Ping was in the mansion for a longer time than he was, and judging from his expression, it wasn't hard to guess what had happened. Ren Xuanming's expression instantly darkened!
Over the next few days, Ren Xuanming went to look for Tan Lao and Ye Xin as well. However, it was to no avail. None of them were willing to trade with him.
The other tellers from the Chamber of Commerce seemed to know it would end like this, so none of them came to visit those three. The only ones that did were him and Luo Ping. However, judging from his secret surveillance of the situation, it was evident that he and Luo Ping had received two entirely different treatments.
Hiding in the darkness as he watched Luo Ping leave Ye Xin's mansion in a jubilant manner, Ren Xuanming gnashed his teeth in hatred and said, "The three major sects are just bullying me!"
That said, it wasn't as though he could do anything to the three major sects. One, the three major sects had a rather decent relationship with the Chamber of Commerce. And two, not anyone could afford to offend the forces of the three major sects within the Fifth Earthly Branch. Their Sect Masters were individuals who could meet the Overlord directly. If he were to offend them, then given the connections they had, they didn't need to spare much effort to take care of a measly employee from the Chamber of Commerce. There was nothing Ren Xuanming could do but leave resentfully...