Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 244 The Prodigal Son of Sichuan
Gui Da admitted his mistake with shame, while also finding his boss's expression really infuriating, wondering where he learned it from.

Xiaoqing, fanning herself, entered a luxurious carriage and flaunted her wealth upon entering the city, throwing down a silver ingot with unparalleled extravagance.

Speaking in a slightly accented Mandarin, he approached the brokerage and said he wanted to buy a house to live in temporarily.

Buy a house for short-term residence.

When these two words appeared together, the broker was a little confused. What was the customer talking about?

If it weren't for the fact that the other person was dressed in silk and satin, one would have thought they had encountered a madman.

But he later understood that the God of Wealth was just that unconventional.

I found one I liked and bought it on the spot.

what?
Some people haven't moved out yet and are still packing up their furniture.

Pay more and leave immediately.

Problems that can be solved with money are not problems.

Their extravagant spending is astonishing; they're throwing money around without any semblance of the gentle, refined style typical of the Jiangnan region.

In an instant, the persona of the young master from Sichuan and Chongqing, who came from a wealthy merchant family with a powerful background, was firmly established.

Xu Xuan had Xiaoqing create this persona because the land of Bashu is thousands of miles away from Jianye, and the Shu Road is so difficult that it is harder than ascending to heaven, making it difficult to verify her true identity.

At the same time, since they were not from a prominent family, people like Xie Yu, who could readily refer to their family genealogy, had nothing to say.

More importantly, it is widely acknowledged that merchants from Sichuan and Chongqing are wealthy.

The Central Plains region was plagued by war for many years, so despite being located in a plain area, the people lived in poverty for most of the time.

The Jiangnan region has experienced relatively little warfare. The most recent conflict was with the Wu Kingdom established by Sun Quan. Only during the final stages of the Three Kingdoms period did a few major battles occur, resulting in a better economy.

The Shu region is known as the Land of Abundance.

The land is fertile, the people are prosperous, there are ten thousand chariots and a million soldiers, the fields stretch for thousands of miles, the reserves are abundant, and the terrain is advantageous. This is what is called a land of plenty, a mighty country under heaven.

Back then, the Shu Han state, with its limited territory, resisted Cao Wei and launched numerous northern expeditions, relying on its strong logistical capabilities.

After Li Bing controlled the floods, the area became almost self-sufficient in natural resources. In addition, Zhuge Liang fully developed the local resources and people's livelihood, which further boosted the area's financial strength.

Therefore, the stereotype is that merchants who can leave Sichuan are rich.

After taking over the courtyard, Xiaoqing didn't immediately go to investigate, as she wasn't capable of doing such meticulous work.

Therefore, Xu Xuan devised an alternative approach.

The really violent kind is—spending money.

Spending money in huge amounts.

Xiaoqing is really not short of money.

Not to mention that any item in her sister's treasure trove would be an extraordinary treasure, just the gold and silver notes she seized after breaking into so many water palaces would be enough to make her go crazy for a while.

Besides, she only needs to spend money for a few days to complete her task and then she can stop, so she naturally has no scruples.

If you see something attractive or fun, just buy it.

I'll buy a coral as tall as a person.

A huge luminous pearl, I'll buy it.

Such beautiful calligraphy and painting! Although I can't understand it, I'll buy it.

Huh? There's a brocade box too?

This style and texture are familiar.
They even have boxes from the Dongting Dragon Palace! Jianye truly lives up to its reputation as a big city; you can still buy things like this.
It is said that a fisherman fished it out of the river. The amazing thing about this thing is that it can be cut with a knife and axe without leaving a mark, and it is not damaged in the slightest when soaked in water or burned. It is definitely a rare treasure.

Xiaoqing immediately accepted the offer and even used it to open up new avenues of thought.

They began purchasing rare and precious items, supposedly to present to their elderly father in Sichuan.

Everyone understands the competition for favor.

So all sorts of people selling treasures came along, and some of them were actually quite good.

Things like coins spitting out of the mouth of a three-legged toad, and treasure bottles with little people talking inside.

Xiaoqing collected everything that seemed interesting, even those she didn't understand.

However, she simply couldn't bring herself to touch the artifact that had just been unearthed a few days prior and was insisted to be a divine artifact from the ancient Chu Kingdom.

Her persona was that of a nouveau riche, not a fool. In the end, she even frequented pleasure boats, painted barges, and brothels, and spent lavishly on the Qinhuai River.

To put it simply, Ji Rui didn't have as much fun as she did.

Unfortunately, even though the young lady kept falling on Young Master Qing, she never had a chance to go any further. Young Master Qing was just playing around, in a very pure way.

Such extravagant spending was unparalleled even in Jianye City, the heart of Jiangnan.

Other wealthy families are certainly richer than Xiaoqing, but they would never spend money in a way that seems to hate it.

He became famous overnight; whose spendthrift son was he that was released?

Within days, countless people had their eyes on Young Master Qing's money.

Even Li, the prefect, came out to beg for alms while he was in distress.

Despite being very troubled by the matters instructed by the Prime Minister of Changsha, he could not forget to amass wealth.

Part of it was supplied to Yin Xian, and the rest was kept for himself. If things failed, it could offset some of the fact that he had not done a good job.

"Oh~~~ Changsha Xiang will be celebrating his 37th birthday in ten days."

"Take this and that over first."

"A small gift will be presented at that time."

Of course, it wasn't a free gift; rather, they fabricated a reason to open up a trade route from Jiangnan to Shu, ideally with a monopoly.

Even so, Young Master Qing's boldness left the well-informed prefect speechless.

Should we advise Lord Yin not to go to Yuzhang to become the prefect? ​​This Shu region is a much better place.

Other prominent families, after observing for a few days, were also somewhat tempted.

If we don't take what Heaven has given us, we'll suffer the consequences. It's our destiny to get rich!

Of course, the White Lotus sect members in Longjiang Guanzhong also set their sights on this spendthrift son who was all show and no substance.

They like people like that the most.

Some of the brothers in the sect came through a master-disciple relationship, some by chance, and some actively sought them out, but most of them were tricked into joining.

So, during one of their shopping trips, this group of people took the initiative to contact Young Master Qing.

"What are these mere mundane things? Young Master Qing, would you like some elixirs?"

"Essence pills? Five-Mineral Powder?"

"Is something like Five-Stone Powder worthy of being called an elixir? What I'm talking about is an elixir that can prolong life, strengthen the body, and cleanse the body of impurities."

Next came the lavish praise of elixirs, rivaling even the hype surrounding health supplements in later generations.

Young Master Qing stated that he was a man of experience and had a natural distrust of alchemists.

The other party wasn't annoyed. It had been just as difficult when they tried to win over the prefect, but once he took the elixir, he would believe them.

It wasn't a threatening tactic; the elixir was genuinely effective.

Although the White Lotus Sect primarily cultivates the path of the soul, they also collect pill formulas as a supplementary practice.

The big shot currently in charge of flooding Jiangnan is one of the best among them. Although he can't compare to the Dan Ding School, he is definitely a true master in the mortal world.

In particular, their fearlessness of worldly karma and their willingness to refine elixirs are also factors.

"There were alchemists from the pre-Qin period who lived in seclusion and practiced alchemy in the Guanzhong Plain. If you don't believe me, you can go and see for yourself."

After pondering for a long time, Young Master Qing finally succumbed to his curiosity and decided to go and take a look.

The members of the White Lotus Sect were overjoyed; it was a done deal.

Xiaoqing was overjoyed; it was a success.

Xu Xuan's plan has come true.

Instead of going to great lengths to find out, it's better to just accept being invited in openly.

Longjiang Pass was the center of grain transport, tribute transport, and military transport in the Jiangnan region.

There are many convoys and ships coming and going every day, and a large amount of goods are handled and exchanged here.

(End of this chapter)