Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 417 Asking
"I am ashamed, I have not yet had the chance to congratulate Master Li on his Foundation Establishment!"

Madam Feng put on a smile, stepped forward a few paces, and respectfully presented a jade box with both hands.

Behind her, seven or eight other traveling merchants followed suit, each with a different expression.

Li Xiangming glanced around at the crowd, recognizing most of them. He then waved his hand, accepting the gifts, and casually asked, "Zhang Zhi'ang didn't come?"

"This one……"

Madam Feng avoided eye contact and replied in a low voice, "Chairman Zhang had some trivial matters to attend to, so he didn't have time to come."

"Ah."

Li Xiangming simply responded with a faint "yes" and then fell silent.

A moment of silence fell over the room.

The traveling merchants looked at each other, hesitant, but none of them dared to sit down.

One of them gently nudged Madam Feng.

Madam Feng turned around and glared at the other person fiercely, but she didn't lash out. Instead, she took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and said softly, "Master Li, we have come here today to ask you something. I wonder if Master Li can answer it?"

"You said."

Li Xiangming's voice was calm, revealing no emotion.

Madam Feng became even more nervous, but she still asked in a low voice, "Monkey Valley has been closed for more than two months. When everyone returned, they saw that the Puyin Mountain Exchange had been moved and renovated. What is the purpose of this?"

After Zhao Jindou went missing in Daishan, the Puyinshan Guild Hall was leaderless.

The traveling merchants were eager to compete for the position of chairman.

Lady Feng considered herself no less capable than anyone else, and of course, she was unwilling to fall behind.

Unexpectedly, this patriarch of the Li family suddenly returned to Puyin Mountain, stirring things up behind the scenes and trying to push Zhang Zhi'ang to the position of chairman.

Zhang Zhi'ang is wealthy and experienced.

Even without the Li family's help, the probability of him running for president is very high.

After much deliberation, she had no choice but to give up the opportunity and instead support Zhang Zhi'ang.

He thought that after Zhang Zhiang came to power, he would be able to get a share of the benefits.

But then, Li Xiangming suddenly ordered the sealing off of Monkey Valley, which came as a shock to everyone.

If we compare the camps occupied by various demon-hunting groups and demon-hunting cultivators to scattered villages, then Monkey Valley is the only market among these villages.

Here, demon hunters can not only safely and efficiently sell the demon beast materials they have, but also purchase all kinds of cultivation supplies they need.

However, once Monkey Valley is closed, all of this will come to naught.

The demon-hunting cultivators couldn't even get wine, let alone exchange for resources, so they complained endlessly.

The traveling merchants were also crying and complaining.

There's no one in the valley, so where will they buy monster materials?
And to whom are they selling their goods?
We can't keep going around negotiating business with each monster-hunting group like before, can we?
To be honest, even if the demon hunters were willing to cooperate, the traveling merchants would not accept it.

Because it's not just the demon-hunting groups that are used to using exchanges; there are also a large number of "lone wolf" demon-hunting cultivators.

Once they return to the traditional way, itinerant merchants with limited time and energy can only deal with a few demon-hunting groups. Wouldn't that just cause them to lose customers and market share?
Realizing this, Madam Feng immediately panicked and, together with the other traveling merchants, went to see Li Xiangming, pleading for the opening of Monkey Valley.

However, Li Xiangming appeared extremely arrogant. He only met with Zhang Zhi'ang and did not lift the ban on Monkey Valley. He did not even give a proper explanation, only vaguely saying that there would be a day when the valley would be opened.

Madam Feng was naturally very dissatisfied with this.

They felt that Li Xiangming had damaged the interests of the association.

But Li Xiangming is not only surnamed Li, but also a Foundation Establishment cultivator who is unparalleled in popularity. Who can do anything to him?

Zhang Zhi'ang was the first to back down and leave Monkey Valley. Seeing this, the others had no choice but to trust the Li family's reputation and go back to wait for news.

More than two months have passed in the blink of an eye, and Monkey Valley has finally opened to the public.

Many traveling merchants rushed back overnight upon hearing the news, and Madam Feng was no exception.

Upon entering the valley, she immediately noticed the dramatic changes that had taken place in Monkey Valley.

Not only have all kinds of infrastructure been completely renovated, but many new buildings have also been added. Even the originally dense woodlands on the east and west sides have been completely cleared, creating a large open area of ​​land.

Monkey Valley is the territory of the Li family.

She has no right to interfere with what Li Jia'ai does.

What made her uneasy was that the Li family had moved the Puyinshan Guild Hall and Puyinshan Exchange without her consent. Not only did they move, but they also completely upgraded the exchange and replaced all the employees.

What does it mean?
Isn't this just an attempt to seize control of the exchange?
At this moment, the more submissive Madam Feng appeared on her face, the more tormented she was inside.

"what for?"

Li Xiangming looked bewildered: "From what I understand, the number of demon-hunting cultivators on Puyin Mountain has more than doubled compared to a few years ago. The old exchange only allowed one or two people to trade at a time, which is outdated. After this expansion, the exchange can accommodate ten to fifteen people at the same time, and it has also set up exclusive channels for ordinary demon-hunting cultivators and demon-hunting group members. This is a good thing. Do you have any questions?"

Madam Feng gritted her teeth; of course she knew it was a good thing.

In fact, she was amazed by Li Xiangming's design of building the exchange in a circular shape with windows on all four sides, but this exchange, no, the current trading house, would only be considered perfect if it were controlled by the guild hall.

If the trading house is controlled by the Li family, how can the guild hall manipulate prices in Puyin Mountain?

But she also has her pride; there are some things she can't make public.

After thinking for a long time, she stammered, "The previous staff at the exchange might be dissatisfied."

"You want to get jobs for them?"

Li Xiangming raised an eyebrow: "Coincidentally, the trading house's staff is not yet at full capacity. You can easily bring them back."

Madam Feng was speechless. As long as there were people from the Li family inside, the prices set by the trading house would always revolve around the Li family. Could the old shopkeeper force the new shopkeeper who had a Li family background?
Seeing that she couldn't get through to them, Madam Feng quickly gave the other traveling merchants a few meaningful glances.

However, the few who had originally formed a united front all fell silent.

Madam Feng was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage, her fists clenching so tightly they cracked.

But how could she dare to lash out in front of Li Xiangming?

So much so that he froze on the spot, trembling slightly.

After a while, Li Xiangming's voice came through: "Is there anything else?"

Madam Feng felt as if she had been granted a pardon and lowered her head, saying, "That's all. Please excuse Madam Feng as I take my leave."

After saying that, she left the room with a pale and ashen face.

Seeing this, the other traveling merchants all smiled wryly.

It wasn't that they deliberately tricked Madam Feng, but rather that Li Xiangming's imposing presence was too overwhelming; every moment they stayed in the room, their hearts beat faster.

Of course, pressure is one aspect, but another is that they know that even if they speak up, it will be of no use.

If Li Xiangming takes a firm stance, he can say a few more words, and even if it doesn't work out, it can still incite the resentment of the other merchants and unite them as one.

But now, Li Xiangming's choice to feign madness and agree to let the old friends return is by no means a sign of relenting, but rather a gesture to save face for them, hoping to resolve the matter peacefully.

Of course they didn't want to accept it, but what could they do if they didn't?

Is this a coup?
Didn't you do the same thing last time?
As a result, it was treated as air.

(End of this chapter)