Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 303 The Overlord of the Business Alliance
The fact that the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce suddenly jumped out to openly target them, and that Master Meng of the Wufu Chamber of Commerce did not step in to stop it, meant that he tacitly agreed with the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce's Manager Liu's intentions.

If the Sishui Chamber of Commerce cannot provide a reasonable explanation to prove their identity, they may not be able to board the spirit ship.

As for the mermaids who were refused entry to the ship, they fought to the death and reported it to the Holy Palace?
The merchant alliance's spirit ship wasn't worried at all. The reason they dared to swagger around and bring people onto the spirit ship was naturally because they had the Holy Palace's tacit approval.

Manager Liu looked at Li Ji'an and the other two with ill intent.

Li Ji'an smiled faintly and revealed his black and gold identity token.

"Hmm? A heirloom token!" Steward Liu opened his eyes instantly, carefully sensing the aura emanating from it.

The inspection confirmed that it was indeed a heirloom token that was distributed equally among all members of the merchant guild when the merchant alliance was founded. Although it has lost its original function of being recognized and respected by everyone in the merchant alliance, it is still quite precious.

Moreover, with this token, it shouldn't be a problem for anyone in the merchant alliance to do something convenient.

"Fellow Daoist, you are truly blessed! Please." Steward Liu cursed inwardly, but outwardly he still bowed respectfully.

Li Ji'an put away the token and walked into the spirit ship.

"You two wait!"

"Hmm? Can't this young master bring maids?" Li Ji'an turned to look at Steward Liu.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Steward Liu was speechless for a moment.

However, as his mind raced, he focused his energy and said, "It's not a problem that you have the Merchant Alliance's heirloom token, and it's also reasonable for you to bring a maid. However, our Five Blessings Merchant Guild's Master Meng only brought one maid on this trip. You're bringing two maids at once, which takes up a precious spot here. Isn't that a bit unfair?"

His words were open and aboveboard, and he spoke quite loudly, so that all the cultivators present could hear them.

Those who remained were the losers who had failed to obtain tickets. Upon hearing this, they immediately became indignant, as if the reason they failed to board the spirit ship was because these two maids had taken up their spots.

Upon hearing this, Yao Rui immediately took a step back. Just now, when she came into close contact with the beggar dressed as a man, she unexpectedly recognized his identity.

The smell of medicinal herbs emanating from her, and the soul jade that inadvertently peeked out from her waist, clearly belonged to Guo Wanzhi.

Previously, when Li Ping'an was in seclusion, Yao Rui had chatted with Guo Wanzhi, Li Ping'an's senior sister, many times, and their relationship was not bad.

Now that the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce is targeting her, and there can only be one maid, she decisively gave the opportunity to Guo Wanzhi.

After all, although he was also at the late Foundation Establishment stage, he was focused on alchemy, and his offensive and defensive methods were quite different.

Yao Rui believed that even if she crossed the barren land on her own, there was still a chance of survival.

However, she had just taken a step back when a hand grabbed her.

"brush!"

Li Ji'an grabbed Yao Rui's wrist, glanced at Manager Liu, and then took out another item from his storage bag and handed it to Guo Wanzhi.

"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand. My family only has this one maid. As for this alchemist, my family doesn't have the prestige to take her as a maid."

"Hmm? If it's not your maidservant, then what is it?" Steward Liu narrowed his eyes, trying to discern the object in Guo Wanzhi's hand with his divine sense.

After a moment of surprise, Guo Wanzhi suddenly showed a hint of joy and immediately raised the object in her hand high.

"what!"

"This is... the guest elder token of the Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce!"

"Hiss, even the guest elders of the Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce have sought help from the Sishui Chamber of Commerce, this..."

The moment the token appeared, the members of the major merchant guilds inside the spirit ship all showed surprise.

The token that Guo Wanzhi took out was very ordinary, just a regular guest token, and it didn't have the power to be passed down through generations. Compared to Li Ji'an's heirloom token from the Sishui Chamber of Commerce, it was just an ordinary means for the Chamber of Commerce to win over technicians, and it was not worth mentioning.

However, it was precisely because it belonged to the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce that this ordinary token became extraordinary.

The most powerful force in the Wanshang Domain is the Merchant Alliance, which is composed of eighteen merchant guilds from various states within the domain. Currently, the dominant force within the Merchant Alliance is the Jiuding Merchant Guild.

The current leader of the business alliance is Tong Shangren of the Jiuding Business Association!
"Elder Huang, this is... a guest jade token from the Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce?" Yuan Yishui trembled suddenly, quickly stepped forward, and carefully examined the jade token in Guo Wanzhi's hand.

"That's right, that's right, it really is the jade token from the Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce!"

In an instant, Yuan Yishui looked at Li Ji'an with a look of shock.

Because he had just clearly seen that the jade pendant was given to Guo Wanzhi by Li Ji'an.

“It’s that gentleman…” He quickly realized the root of the problem.

At the same time, their gazes toward the jade pendant were intense.

"If we can establish a relationship with the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce through this, our Sishui Chamber of Commerce will no longer fear the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce's targeting!"

"Haha, Steward Liu, you are indeed public-spirited and righteous. In order to secure a spot for the cultivators present, you did not hesitate to push forward the guest elder of the Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce. You are truly admirable!" Yuan Yishui immediately praised Steward Liu loudly.

"Nonsense, utter nonsense! I had no such intention whatsoever. Please forgive me, Fairy. I absolutely did not mean that. My Jinhua Chamber of Commerce has always been the most loyal supporter of the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce. Please board the ship quickly!" Steward Liu's expression changed drastically as he hurriedly explained.

The moment Manager Liu saw the logo of the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce, he was startled.

A thousand years ago, the Jinhua Chamber of Commerce was just a caravan under the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce. Now, it has become a chamber of commerce in the entire Wanshang Domain that is respected and worshipped by countless traveling merchants. This is naturally due to the support of the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce.

He was most familiar with the logo of the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce.

With just one glance, I was already certain of the jade pendant's authenticity.

The Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce actually looked down on cultivation domains like the Heavenly Azure Domain, since it was too monopolistic and dominant, and its commerce was not thriving.

However, it is true that more than two hundred years ago, a group of people came here to run the business.

Moreover, the identity of that tribe is not simple.

Although they did not achieve anything significant in this region and quietly left more than a hundred years ago, the merchant guild tokens they issued here were genuine.

Because of the current status of that branch in the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce, these tokens may be more valuable than other tokens.

Thinking of this, he became even more anxious. He firmly imprinted Guo Wanzhi's image in his mind and observed her position after entering the spirit ship.

At the same time, he gave Yuan Yishui a cold glare.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist!" Guo Wanzhi recovered from the shock caused by the jade tablet and looked at Li Ji'an in surprise again.

Holding the jade token in her hand, she knew that it belonged to a guest alchemist, but the magical power that "Huang Jie" was showing was wood-type magic.

"Haha, it's alright, just don't forget your previous promise." Li Ji'an laughed heartily and reminded him.

Guo Wanzhi took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Li Ji'an again: "Please rest assured, fellow Daoist, I am by no means a person who goes back on his word or abandons his promise after using it."

"good!"

"Elder, this way please; Fairy, this way please." Yuan Yishui immediately stepped forward to lead the way for Li Ji'an and Guo Wanzhi.

The spirit ship has three levels. The first level is where the person in charge of the spirit ship and distinguished guests reside, and it has only three rooms.

The second floor was the residence of the chamber of commerce's managers.

The third floor housed the quarters for the chamber of commerce staff, as well as passenger cabins open to the public.

Soon, Yuan Yishui led Li Ji'an and Guo Wanzhi to a room on the second floor.

The room is not near the ship's side and is relatively enclosed. If it weren't for the spirit ship's spirit-gathering array, the room would feel oppressive, and it is obviously one of the worse rooms on the second floor.

However, for ordinary cultivators, this is already a place they can only dream of. After all, the spiritual energy in this room has reached the level of a second-tier spiritual vein. Not only will it not consume spiritual energy along the way, but it will also allow them to concentrate on their cultivation.

"Elder Huang, I'm sorry to trouble you to stay here for the time being." Yuan Yishui bowed and scraped, showing great respect.

Li Ji'an waved his hand dismissively, stating clearly, "We're taking advantage of the Chamber of Commerce!" "Elder Huang, you're too kind. Elder Huang is a guest elder of my Sishui Chamber of Commerce, so there's no need to talk about taking advantage," Yuan Yishui said, his obsequiousness growing even stronger.

He glanced at Yao Rui and Guo Wanzhi beside Li Ji'an, and regretted that there were no outstanding female cultivators among the crew members he had brought on the spirit ship.

However, he had already secretly planned to spend a lot of money to get a few beauties for the Wanshang Domain when he returned.

As long as we can bind him to the Sishui Chamber of Commerce, given the connections his master has with the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce, he might be of great use in the future!
"Elder, please rest first. I'll go prepare some spiritual food and wine for you so you can relax." Yuan Yishui exchanged a fawning glance with Li Ji'an, a hint of feigned lewdness flashing in his eyes.

……

"Whoosh!" As soon as Yuan Yishui left the cabin, Yao Rui and Guo Wanzhi subtly moved away from Li Ji'an.

They were all late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, and Yuan Yishui's posture just now could not escape their senses.

Seeing this, Li Ji'an was slightly embarrassed. He should have known better than to leave behind Huang Jie's essence and soul.

"Ahem~" He coughed lightly, slightly easing the atmosphere.

"I am not a hypocrite, so there is no need for you two to be so wary." Huang Jie's appearance determined how others treated him, and any further explanation from him would only have a negative effect.

"Pfft~" Yao Rui and Guo Wanzhi couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.

"Hmph, you actually have some self-awareness!" Yao Rui relaxed a little from her previous wary attitude.

Guo Wanzhi quickly suppressed her smile, sat up straight, and spoke first: "I will remember your kindness, Young Master Huang. However, I already have a true love in my heart and cannot accept anyone else. So... I will remember your kindness. In addition to repaying you with my body, I can grant you three requests. As long as I can do them, I will not disappoint you."

Looking at Guo Wanzhi's resolute posture, Li Ji'an's lips unconsciously curved into a smile. Xu Xiaochun, that kid, is really lucky.

I wonder if he is still alive?

"Hey! Let me make this clear beforehand. I'll remember your kindness in saving me today, but I already have someone I love. Don't even think about making a move on me, or you'll repay kindness with enmity, and don't blame me!" Yao Rui hurriedly declared this in advance.

Li Ji'an chuckled and glanced at Yao Rui sideways: "You're probably overreacting. Although I, Huang, am fond of women, my fairy, you're neither curvy nor shapely, so I really can't get you."

"I..." Yao Rui was instantly furious.

Li Ji'an even sensed that it seemed to be about to break through the transformation.

In reality, Yao Rui's figure was not as Li Ji'an jokingly described.

This time, it's just a deliberate alteration of the ordinary form.

However, Li Ji'an, being in the mid-stage of True Core realm, had already seen through its disguise with his divine sense.

Beneath her fiery red hair, her full breasts and slender figure accentuated her perky and full buttocks.

"Then I thank Fellow Daoist Huang for not remembering this kindness." Yao Rui finally suppressed her indignation and said through gritted teeth.

Furthermore, her previous statement that she already had someone she liked was nothing but a lie.

She did have some respect for her senior brother Li Ping'an. After decades of cultivating together, she had always been overshadowed and had developed a sense of submission.

They even wanted to follow in his footsteps.

However, to say that I have a sweetheart, I haven't reached that point yet.

She's not love-struck!
"Of course, of course!" Li Ji'an leaned against the bed made of spirit wood.

"However, since you have said that you are my maid on this trip, you should do what a maid should do, right? Otherwise, if you are given another chance to be driven away, I really won't be able to do anything about it."

Yao Rui's gaze fell on Li Ji'an's gently twitching foot, and her expression darkened slightly.

"Greetings, Master Meng! Greetings, Manager Liu!" Just then, the greetings of the gatekeeper from the Sishui Chamber of Commerce came from outside the cabin.

"You're too kind, too kind. May I ask if the esteemed female alchemist is here?" Master Meng's demeanor was kind and loving, and his voice was even more gentle.

……

Yao Rui's eyes relaxed instantly. She walked to the reclining bed where Li Ji'an was leaning against, squatted down, and placed her hands on one of Li Ji'an's dangling legs.

"Hiss!" The first move was a vicious ripping and spinning motion, almost making Li Ji'an cry out in pain.

"Meng Xiangnian of the Five Blessings Chamber of Commerce greets fellow Daoist." At that moment, the cabin door opened.

Master Meng looked at Guo Wanzhi with a warm expression.

Guo Wanzhi looked slightly nervous.

As the person involved, she naturally knew that the other party had come only because of the jade pendant engraved with the identity of the Nine Cauldrons Chamber of Commerce.

Everyone else thought the jade pendant belonged to her.

The other party is clearly doing this out of respect for the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce.

Moreover, the spiritual cultivation of Master Meng in front of her was higher than hers, so he could see through her disguise at a glance.

She wasn't sure if anything would go wrong if the other party discovered her identity.

Furthermore, he was worried that if the Jiuding Chamber of Commerce found out about his actions, it might cause unnecessary trouble.

"This junior greets Master Meng." Guo Wanzhi rose to return the greeting.

"Haha, easy, easy. May I ask your name, friend? Now that you're on the spirit ship, there's no need to worry too much. You can meet me in person now." Seeing Guo Wanzhi's demeanor, Master Meng assumed she was still concerned about the war in this region and offered words of comfort.

"Yes, ma'am!" Guo Wanzhi nodded, and then the disguise spell on her body dissipated, revealing her true appearance and figure.

"My surname is Guo."

Upon seeing this, Master Meng nodded slightly: "Master Guo, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

His eyes were calm, and his expression was natural, without the sleazy and sinister aura that Li Ji'an possessed.

"Master Meng flatters me!" Guo Wanzhi bowed gracefully.

"Hmm?" Master Meng turned to look at Li Ji'an and Yao Rui. Li Ji'an was fine, as he was in his true form, but Yao Rui still hadn't removed her disguise spell.

This is considered impolite to speak to someone in person.

However, Master Meng's eyes flashed briefly, and he didn't take it to heart.

He came here only because of the jade token from Guo Wanzhi's Jiuding Chamber of Commerce; he didn't even need to look at the black gold inheritance token from the Sishui Chamber of Commerce.

"Master Guo, this place is so cramped and oppressive, it must be quite a hardship for you. I sincerely invite you to rest in the private room on the first floor. I hope you will do me the honor."

"A private room on the first floor!" Guo Wanzhi was slightly pleased.

To be honest, having just entered the spirit ship, this environment did make her a little uncomfortable. After all, she had lived in a mansion since childhood, and after entering the Biyun Sect, she had lived in a third-level spirit vein cave on Dan Ding Peak for a long time. She had never lived in a place with such an environment before.

However, she was able to endure it during her escape.

But now that this opportunity has come, I can't help but feel a little tempted.

However, after a fleeting moment of infatuation, she soberly realized her predicament: the identity jade token belonged to that lewd fellow Daoist, and she was merely an imposter.

If it's about moving to a more comfortable and spiritually enriched upper-floor private room, that should be decided by Fellow Daoist Huang.

Moreover, she dared not gamble on whether Master Meng would kick her off the spirit ship after he found out that the jade tablet was not his.

He was even more uncertain about what uncontrollable consequences would occur if he refused Master Meng.
Therefore, she pretended to comb her hair, but her eyes were already looking at Li Ji'an for help...

(End of this chapter)