Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 302 The Chamber of Commerce Dispute
Seeing Li Ji'an's slickness mixed with decisiveness and ruthlessness, the old steward was slightly taken aback.

He was naturally quite unhappy with the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce.

Even the president, Master Yuxiao, was holding his breath, but there was nothing he could do. The headquarters of the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce and the Sishui Chamber of Commerce were both located in the same province, and both were engaged in commerce mainly based on talismans.

The current plan of the Surabaya Chamber of Commerce is to keep the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce in check, as long as they don't openly target the Surabaya Chamber of Commerce.

Once we have a firm foothold in the future and the strength to confront it head-on, then we can settle things once and for all!

However, it is clear that the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce is not an easy force to be fooled, having stood for thousands of years. Since the Sishui Chamber of Commerce returned to the Wanshang Domain a century ago, the resistance from the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce has remained unchanged.

They have been openly accepting benefits from the Surabaya Chamber of Commerce, but they are ruthless when it comes to resisting.

It was as if they were treating the Surabaya Chamber of Commerce like a plaything.

Many people within the Chamber of Commerce were already dissatisfied. If they wanted Master Yuxiao to be more assertive, they might as well be more open and direct.

"This... Elder is now the most powerful among us, and I will do my best to cooperate." After a moment, the old steward suddenly felt a surge of excitement. Perhaps he could use this incident to forcefully change the president's policies toward the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce and boost morale.

Anyway, with the Chamber of Commerce's Black Gold Heirloom Token in his possession, Li Ji'an can take the blame no matter how big the problem is!

"Good!" Li Ji'an's lips curled up, and he immediately looked at the old steward and said, "Then let's give this fairy a spirit ship jade talisman!"

The old steward grinned slightly, weighed the two spirit ship jade tokens he had promised the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce, and decisively handed them both to Li Ji'an.

"This one is for this fairy, and you can handle the other one." Li Ji'an only took one and pushed the other back.

“Elder Huang, you are the highest-ranking member of our chamber of commerce here, so naturally you should control this item. It will also facilitate negotiations with the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce afterward,” the old steward said directly.

“That’s not appropriate!” Li Ji’an immediately waved his hand.

He then explained, "My master instructed me before he passed away that people's hearts are unpredictable and the world is cold and indifferent. When traveling, one must keep a low profile. I will also try my best to keep the cause and effect between my master and the Chamber of Commerce a secret from outsiders."

"Ah? Then... how do we face the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce? Isn't this going to make this old man..." The old steward's eyes widened instantly.

“As a senior steward of the Chamber of Commerce, Steward Yuan is loyal, brave, mature, and prudent. It is only natural that you should deal with outsiders,” Li Ji’an said matter-of-factly.

"..." The old butler suddenly became a little breathless.

"Alright, Lao Yuan, relax. Just treat us like ordinary business partners." Li Ji'an waved his hand and led Yao Rui to a pile of goods in the Sishui Chamber of Commerce.

"Elder, I'm afraid I can't hold on any longer!" The old steward panicked completely.

Li Ji'an looked into his eyes and nodded emphatically: "This elder is not an ungrateful person. No matter how reckless you are this time, when we return to the Chamber of Commerce, this elder will personally back you up!"

After speaking, Li Ji'an said no more.

The old steward glanced at Li Ji'an, then at the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce not far away, sighed, and could only grit his teeth.

He then glanced at the remaining spirit ship jade talisman in his hand, took a deep breath, and exclaimed, "Damn it!"

After that, whenever a cultivator came to approach and test him, the old steward no longer refused them outright as before, but instead left them with expectations.

However, unlike the other chamber of commerce leaders who openly sold tickets, he kept his prices low, only indicating that he had them and waiting for the final opportunity.

Curious items to live in.

It is even more precious because of the countdown at the last moment!
However, not long after, a young and beautiful woman came looking for them.

"Steward Yuan, I've come to collect those two spirit ship jade talismans." The beautiful woman wore a professional, fake smile.

Yuan Yishui laughed even more exaggeratedly, his face full of wrinkles as he smiled: "Of course, of course, Fellow Daoist Liu, please have a seat."

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, you're too kind. I won't sit down. There are two newly recruited employees who don't have spirit ship jade talismans yet. Fellow Daoist Yuan, why don't you give them to me now?" the beautiful woman replied with a smile.

"Okay, okay." Yuan Yishui nodded and bowed, repeatedly saying "okay."

However, no other action was taken.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, the jade talisman?" The beautiful woman's fake smile was starting to crumble.

"Of course, of course," Yuan Yishui said, still smiling and bowing.

"Then give it to me!" The beautiful woman was already somewhat angry.

"Here you go!" Yuan Yishui continued with a simple smile.

"Yuan Yishui, what exactly do you mean? Are you going to give it to me or not?" The beautiful woman's anger intensified.

"Give it to me! Give it to me!" Yuan Yishui's face was almost frozen with laughter, but he still didn't take the jade talisman.

"Hmph!" The beautiful woman finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Yuan Yishui, we were being generous by asking you to exchange jade talismans, but you've taken advantage of our kindness. Don't blame us for ruthlessly wiping out your Sishui Chamber of Commerce! In the future, you won't be able to capture even a tenth of the talisman business in the entire Baoping Continent!"

"Slap!" Yuan Yishui finally stopped laughing and shouted, "Liu Yinyue, isn't your Jinhua Chamber of Commerce going too far? I was originally going to give you two spirit ship jade talismans in good faith for the sake of harmonious coexistence between the two chambers of commerce, but you are so rude!"
I will not give this jade talisman as a gift. Once I return to the Chamber of Commerce, I will resign from all my positions.

"..." Liu Yinyue was momentarily stunned to see that the old housekeeper, whom she had always bullied, actually dared to get angry.

"How dare he?"

Upon returning to the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce group, the team leader frowned and looked at Liu Yinyue: "Xiao Liu, everything was already agreed upon, how could you mess it up?"

He had naturally sensed the change that had just occurred.

Based on the fragments of information gleaned through divine sense, it can be concluded that Liu Yinyue was likely overly arrogant in front of Yuan Yishui because of the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce's long-standing pressure on the Sishui Chamber of Commerce, which resulted in her provoking Yuan Yishui to the point of overreacting.

"The manager has misunderstood. I... I didn't do anything. I just went to ask for the jade talisman as usual. That old thief is very cunning and deliberately provoked me!" Liu Yinyue confessed truthfully, but no one believed her.

"Hmph! Fine, if you dare to oppose me, then you'd better think about the consequences!" Manager Jin Hua glanced coldly at the group from the Sishui Chamber of Commerce.

Before long, all the previous chamber of commerce members had boarded the spirit ship, and it was the turn of the nine members of the Sishui Chamber of Commerce.

At the same time, this also means that the safest route to leave the Tiancang Domain and head to the Wanshang Domain is about to be closed.

Those cultivators who failed to board the spirit ship basically had no hope.

Their fate was either to be hunted down by the Alliance patrols and sent to the front lines, or to risk breaking through the Wanfa Palace's defenses on the border of the Tiancang Domain and traversing the vast barren lands to reach the Wanshang Domain.

However, regardless of the method, for these cultivators below the Core Formation stage, it is almost always a matter of life and death.

Two months ago, the merchant alliance's spirit ship arrived, bringing with it a lot of goods and cultivators from the merchant alliance. As a result, the people in Qi Family Immortal City were mixed together, and it was impossible to just grab anyone and send them to the front line like in other immortal cities.

Now that the spirit ship has sailed away, there is no need to distinguish whether the remaining ones are merchants or cultivators from the Myriad Commerce Domain; they can all be taken to the front lines.

"The last spirit ship jade talisman!" Soon, when the Sishui Chamber of Commerce was loading goods onto the spirit ship, the old steward spread the word that they had one last external shipping ticket.

"Please, fellow Daoist, have mercy! This is all of Guo's wealth, a total of seven thousand spirit stones. Please be lenient!"

"Young friend, I am a cultivator at the Pseudo-Core stage, and I am willing to sign a ten-year spiritual contract with your esteemed merchant guild. Would you agree?"

“Godfather, if you can help me escape from the fire, I am willing to become your godfather and repay your life for saving my life.”

"My dear Yuan, I entrust my future to you..."

In an instant, Yuan Yishui's sea of ​​consciousness boiled over, and countless voice transmissions surged forth.

"Those who are close to becoming third-tier talisman masters can obtain this spirit ship jade talisman for free and will receive the treatment of a guest elder..." In the end, he still used the fundamental interests of the Sishui Chamber of Commerce as bait.

Unfortunately, most of the skills at the mid-stage of the second tier and above have already been snatched up by the merchant guilds ahead of us.

After all, in the Wanshang Domain, skilled craftsmen who have mastered various arts are the core productive force and determine the rise and fall of the merchant guilds.

Especially for talisman masters, with their unique nature, they have always been among the top three in the cultivation world, alongside alchemy and artifact crafting, making their position even more remarkable.

Therefore, until the very last moment, the near-third-tier rune master talent he wanted still failed to appear.

Left with no other choice, Yuan Yishui switched to bidding with spirit stones.

"Eight thousand spirit stones!"

"Eight thousand five hundred spirit stones."

"Nine thousand spirit stones, that's all I have."

……

Recently, hundreds of cultivators have been flocking to Qi Family Immortal City every day, with Foundation Establishment cultivators being the most numerous. In addition to the initial group of independent cultivators, more and more family and sect cultivators have been joining the city.

"Is there a higher price?" Yuan Yishui asked telepathically.

"Wait! I...I am a late-stage second-tier alchemist, and I am willing to sign a spirit contract with your esteemed merchant guild." At the last moment, a female cultivator disguised as a beggar arrived in a disheveled state.

"Wanzhi!" Li Ji'an's divine sense swept over her, and a hint of joy rose in his heart.

Although this apprentice was not particularly clever and was somewhat pedantic, he showed courage at this crucial moment.

"Oh? Has Your Excellency verified this?" Yuan Yishui looked at the beggar version of Guo Wanzhi with some delight, and questioned her alchemy skills.

The worst fear is that at this crucial moment, the other party might deliberately deceive them in order to board the spirit ship.

Guo Wanzhi was momentarily at a loss. How was Danyi supposed to prove it? This was beyond her expectations.

Most importantly, the Sishui Chamber of Commerce doesn't have much time left. Once all the goods are unloaded, everyone must board the spirit ship. Guo Wanzhi can't possibly refine a batch of pills on the spot to prove it.

“Old Yuan, there’s no need to verify. I believe this fairy is a seasoned alchemist!” Li Ji’an said promptly.

Guo Wanzhi, who was initially a little awkward, was drawn in by his words and turned her head to look at him. Her face showed gratitude involuntarily, but when she met his face, she felt a sense of disgust for no reason.

Li Ji'an was also somewhat helpless, mainly because Huang Jie's appearance was indeed somewhat frivolous, and his nature was lewd, sleazy, and ruthless. His face reflected his heart, and over time, even his eyes made people uncomfortable.

Most importantly, the longer the essence, blood, and soul of the Formless Mask are activated, the easier it is for one's mind and character to be assimilated by it. Currently, there are only three people in Li Ji'an's Formless Mask: one is Fu Zhenren from the Lieyang Sect, who is at the peak of the early True Core stage; the second is Yu Dan Zhenren; and the third is Huang Jie.

He wouldn't dare to provoke the first two in public, as he wasn't sure if Master Chun Yuan was among them.

Therefore, he could only activate Huang Jie's essence, blood, and soul.

Therefore, it is almost certain that for a long time to come, he will have to live with Huang Jie's mask, and his mindset will be assimilated.

Therefore, it's best to play the role from the beginning so that once one's personality is assimilated, the separation won't be too great.

“Elder Huang…” Yuan Yishui’s eyelids twitched slightly, and he couldn’t help but glance at Li Ji’an.

The first one was Yao Rui. Li Ji'an was so frivolous, Yuan Yishui didn't think much of it. At least Yao Rui's magical aura was indeed very strong, and the strength she showed was convincing.

However, at this moment, Elder Huang's blatant smile made Yuan Yishui suddenly realize the truth.

Could it be that the female cultivator from earlier was also there for this reason?

In an instant, his feelings toward Li Ji'an plummeted.

"Old Yuan, don't you believe me?" Li Ji'an winked at Yuan Yishui.

Seeing that Yuan Yishui seemed to still hesitate, Li Ji'an directly revealed the black gold token again.

"I will obey the elder's order!" Yuan Yishui stopped struggling.

He then handed the jade talisman to Guo Wanzhi, who was in disguise.

"...Thank you!" Guo Wanzhi accepted the spirit ship jade talisman, still feeling as if she were in a dream.

Then, disregarding the uncomfortable look in Li Ji'an's eyes, Guo Wanzhi still bowed slightly to Li Ji'an and gave a slow salute.

"Hehe, no need for such formalities, fairy. Let's board the spirit ship first." Li Ji'an laughed heartily and then led Yao Rui and Guo Wanzhi onto the spirit ship.

However, Yao Rui, who was originally next to Li Ji'an, narrowed her long eyes.

The look in his eyes as he glanced at Li Ji'an from the side and behind was full of disdain and disgust.

At the same time, his senior brother's dignified, upright, and unsmiling appearance kept flashing through his mind.

"Senior brother, where did you go?" When all the merchants boarded the spirit ship, she searched almost everyone carefully, but still couldn't find even the slightest trace of her senior brother.

Both she and her senior brother were at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Logically, even if Li Ping'an was disguised, she should have been able to recognize him by his familiarity with his magical aura. Unfortunately...

"Wait!" Just as Li Ji'an led Guo Wanzhi and Yao Rui to the steps of the spirit ship, a malicious voice came.

Immediately, the head steward of the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce, with a large pregnant belly, stroked his mustache with one hand, his eyes narrowed into slits, and looked at Li Ji'an and his party.

"Steward Yuan, we were only able to come to this region to do some small business after receiving the Holy Palace's approval. You must not do anything that violates the Holy Palace's rules, otherwise it would be unforgivable if it brought shame to the Wanshang Region Merchant Alliance."

Yuan Yishui's face was wrinkled from smiling, but inwardly he was groaning.

After a brief silence, he smiled and replied, "Manager Liu's suggestion is correct. I was just afraid of making a mistake due to my lack of discernment, so I have followed your association's guidelines in everything I do. As long as your association does not violate any rules, I can guarantee that my Sishui Chamber of Commerce will also be without any problems on this trip!"

"Hehe, Steward Yuan knows that our Jinhua Chamber of Commerce and Wufu Chamber of Commerce are closely connected and share weal and woe, so naturally we will not do anything out of line. We are just worried that Steward Yuan's eyesight is failing and he has made a mistake."

Therefore, for the sake of harmony between our Merchant Alliance and the Holy Palace, I, Liu, have volunteered to help Steward Yuan with his inspection. Steward Liu flew over with a smile, blocking the entrance to the spirit ship where the Sishui Merchant Guild was boarding.

Yuan Yishui's face was bitter, but as the weaker party, he really couldn't muster the strength.

Weak nations have no diplomacy, and the Surabaya Chamber of Commerce is no exception.

With the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce pulling in the Wufu Chamber of Commerce, he really didn't dare to resist at all.

Helpless, he could only give Li Ji'an a meaningful look.

Li Ji'an smiled sneer and continued climbing the steps.

"Are you all from the Sishui Chamber of Commerce? You all look unfamiliar. Could you be fugitives being hunted by the Holy Palace, or deserters trying to escape to the Wanshang Domain?" Manager Liu stared at Li Ji'an and the other two with a friendly smile, speaking very bluntly.

(End of this chapter)