From slave trader to the Immortal Lord of Ten Thousand Laws

Glug glug—

The wheels rolled over the blue bricks and stopped at the entrance of the Xu residence.

Xu Qingyue lifted the curtain, stepped onto the sedan chair stool, and slowly descended from the carriage. Qiao'er behind her couldn't stop smiling.

"Miss, did you see that just now when you said you wanted to sell the market rights to the opium, the Liu and Wei families were fighting so fiercely that they almost came to blows."

Xu Qingyue moved her head slightly and said softly:

"The market for 'Fu Shou Gao' (a type of medicinal paste) is quite profitable, and merchants have long coveted this lucrative opportunity. Now that I'm offering it to them with both hands, how could the Liu and Wei families possibly remain unmoved?"

As she was speaking, in the distance, at the Liu family mansion, the heads of the two families were discussing the matter in the guest hall.

Liu Changyi was about fifty years old. He had elderly parents and young children to support. He lived to be over forty before his father died, and thus naturally became the head of the family.

At this moment, he was sitting upright at the head of the table, wearing a dark blue straight-cut robe. The fabric was smooth and the cut was appropriate, but he did not appear arrogant or domineering. Instead, he exuded a mature and steady demeanor.

Look at their faces.

Liu Changyi had a slightly yellowish complexion, a goatee on his chin, large ears, and long, narrow eyebrows and eyes. His eyelids drooped slightly, and his eye bags were dark and deep, obviously caused by years of hard work. However, his eyes were dark and bright, revealing the shrewdness and calculation unique to businessmen.

In the guest seat sat a portly merchant.

This man was named Wei Jinhai, about forty years old, and was the head of the Wei family, one of the three major branches of the Wangyue Trading Company.

He had a fair complexion, with three layers of fat on his chin. His long, narrow eyes were squeezed into slits by the fat on his face, but his pupils were bright and darting around, revealing a cunning and snobbishness.

At this moment, he was leaning back in the huanghuali wood armchair in the guest area, filling the spacious seat to the brim. Most notably, he was holding a young woman in his arms!

The woman was dressed in a thin veil, with nothing underneath; her hair was loose and askew, her hairpins and ornaments were in disarray, and her face was flushed with spring.

She was sitting cross-legged on the man's thick thighs, her eyes filled with shyness.

Wei Jinhai's short, thick arm was tightly wrapped around the woman's slender waist, while his other hand restlessly reached into the woman's bosom, kneading and playing with her heavy breasts.

He squeezed her a little too hard, causing the woman's delicate body to tremble slightly in pain. She gritted her teeth and groaned a few times, but dared not resist. She could only lower her pretty face and bury it against his greasy neck.

"Brother Liu, what are you still hesitating about?"

"That little wench from the Xu family has even given up this golden goose, and you still don't dare to take it?"

Seeing Liu Changyi's hesitant and indecisive expression, Wei Jinhai couldn't help but raise his voice:

"Brother Liu, we've both been eyeing this piece of fat meat, the 'Ox-Longevity Ointment,' for a long time. Now that little vixen Xu Qingyue has personally delivered it to us, you refuse to take a bite. What's going on?"

Liu Changyi held the teacup, his expression grave, and said:

"It's not that I'm hesitant, but rather that something is very strange."

"Strange? What's strange about it?"

As Wei Jinhai spoke, he grabbed the woman's breasts and rubbed them roughly, his eyes narrowed and a grin spreading across his face, looking quite pleased with himself.

Liu Changbai sighed, "Alas, Patriarch Wei, who is Xu Qingyue? She's a shrewd businesswoman, her methods both firm and gentle. Why would she let someone else benefit from her without good reason?"

"Oh? What does Brother Liu mean?"

Wei Jinhai narrowed his eyes.

Liu Changbing shook his head: "I can't quite explain it, but I just feel... something's not right."

"Not right? Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Jinhai threw his head back and laughed loudly. He said dismissively, "Brother Liu, you're just being too paranoid. Why would Xu Qingyue sell herself? Who cares why!"

"Young man, if you see this juicy meat being offered to your mouth and don't eat it, you'd be a fool! Just like this woman, washed clean and offered to your bed, if you don't sleep with her, wouldn't you be a fool?"

As he spoke, he leered at the woman on his lap and gave her breasts a hard squeeze.

He then abruptly changed the subject, his face contorting with masculine fat, and said in a provocative and instigating tone:

"Or... Brother Liu, have you forgotten? The Zhao family owns 40% of the Wangyue Trading Company, while our two families each own 30%."

"Normally, that scoundrel Zhao Jiaren acts arrogantly because his family owns the largest share of the business. When has he ever given you or me any respect? How long have we been putting up with this?"

"Now is the perfect opportunity!"

"The profits from this 'longevity drug' are astonishing. If it were in our hands, given time, wouldn't we be able to bring down the Zhao family? Would we be afraid of being forever trampled under Zhao Jiaren's feet?!"

"Brother Liu, are you really content with this? Letting some greenhorn piss on your head while you have to fawn over him? Are you really content with that?!"

Wei Jinhai became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his spittle almost splattering onto Liu Changbai's face as he stared intently into his eyes and said:

"Brother Liu, don't hesitate any longer! This is a golden opportunity, don't miss it!"

Before he could finish speaking, the candlelight in the hall flickered.

"......Dry!"

Liu Changyi gritted his teeth inwardly.

Upon hearing the name Zhao Jiaren, he became furious, completely forgetting all the principles he had firmly remembered, such as thinking things through before acting and prioritizing the overall interests of the family.

"only......"

Liu Changyi raised his head, looked into Wei Jinhai's eyes, and tentatively asked, "From now on, how should our two families split the profits from this opium?"

"Haha! Brother Liu, is there even a need to ask?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Jinhai laughed heartily: "We're brothers, we share the good times and the bad. The profits from this 'longevity drug'... will naturally remain the same, a 50/50 split!"

"However... Brother Liu, just eating this fatty meat isn't enough now that it's in your mouth!"

"We need to make it... even fatter!"

He abruptly changed the subject, a cunning glint flashing in his narrowed eyes, and grinned, saying, "In my opinion, we should first hire some idle men and small-time merchants, and have them go to the market and snap up this 'longevity ointment' in large quantities."

"Firstly, it can create a buzz, making it seem like this 'longevity ointment' is a hot commodity that everyone is scrambling to get their hands on."

"Secondly, when the supply of this 'longevity ointment' falls short of demand, we will gradually release the stock held by individual investors."

"The price will naturally have to go up a bit."

"Ten times! Twenty times! Thirty times! When those high-ranking officials and nobles are desperate and can't get it, they'll be jumping up and down in frustration. Then, we'll decide the price of this 'longevity drug'!"

"Hehe! What do you call this? This is called 'a rare commodity for profit,' a sure way to make a fortune!"

"Brother Liu, what do you think of this plan?"

Wei Jinhai smiled greedily.

In his view, this method was excellent; it would not only not damage his reputation, but it would also make him a fortune.

It can be described as a double win of fame and fortune, excellent!

As Liu Changyi listened, his hand, which had been stroking his beard, stopped. He remained silent for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh and said:

"good!"

"Let's do it! We'll follow Patriarch Wei's plan!"

...

...

The capital city, west of the city.

"Knock knock—"

The wheels rolled over the blue bricks and stopped at the entrance of Cihang Temple.

A clear, melodious female voice came from beside the sedan chair:

"Miss, we've arrived."

Before the words were finished, a slender hand gently lifted a corner of the carriage curtain.

Zhao Qiaoling lifted the curtain, nervously poked her head out, and glanced at the gate of Cihang Nunnery.

The temple gate is simple, the courtyard walls are mottled, ancient trees reach for the sky, and the greenery is lush. Both inside and out, there is a sense of secluded tranquility.

"well...."

"I wonder if my mother would even want to see me..."

Zhao Qiaoling sighed softly.

She came to thank her mother, but she was worried about whether her mother would be willing to see her.

"Mother...would she even be willing to see me? Last time I came for the Lantern Festival, she didn't even turn her head..."

Memories flood my mind like a tide.

Zhao Qiaoling's nose tingled slightly.

But she quickly calmed down, mustered her courage, lifted her skirt slightly, stepped onto the sedan chair bench, and slowly stepped down from the carriage.

"Tap tap—"

Just as the master and his servants reached the door, a deep Buddhist chant suddenly rang out.

"Amitabha."

Following the sound, they saw a middle-aged nun dressed in a gray robe and wearing a monk's hat, who had been standing quietly inside the threshold. The nun held one hand in front of her chest, her face calm and expressionless, her gaze sweeping over Zhao Qiaoling and the others.

He opened his mouth and said:

"Esteemed guests, please wait a moment."

"What's wrong?"

Xing'er asked, frowning.

The middle-aged nun clasped her hands together in prayer.

She was slightly plump, with a dark yellow complexion, and standing there like a sun-darkened corncob, she slowly said:

"Today, the temple will not accept incense offerings or receive any visitors. Please, everyone, return home."

After saying that, she bowed slightly, making a gesture of seeing the guest off, but her gaze lingered for a moment on Zhao Qiaoling's beautiful face and gorgeous dress, seemingly casually.

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qiaoling's pretty face immediately turned anxious, and she hurriedly stepped forward, saying:

"Master! I didn't come to offer incense!"

"Oh? You're not here to burn incense?"

The middle-aged nun slightly raised her eyelids, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, and looked Zhao Qiaoling up and down before asking:

"If you're not here to offer incense and fulfill a vow, then what brings you here, gentlemen?"

The nun's gaze was somewhat sharp.

Zhao Qiaoling sensed the sharpness in her eyes and felt a sense of being overbeared. She swallowed hard, but before she could speak, her maid, Ju'er, spoke first:

"Master, we have come to pay our respects to my mistress."

"lady?"

The nun frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping back and forth among the group, and said in a questioning voice:

"May I ask if your lady is Benefactor Shen?"

"Exactly."

"Alas!"

A glint flashed in the nun's eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned down almost imperceptibly as she said irritably:

"Gentlemen...so you're from the Zhao family."

"Hmm? So what if it is?"

Ju'er retorted in an equally irritable tone.

When she saw that the nun's expression turned ugly after hearing that the group were from the Zhao family, she immediately lost her temper.

The nun, however, appeared completely innocent and said:

"Alas, since they are from the Zhao family, then I am even more sorry. Benefactor Shen has stated beforehand: whenever a member of the Zhao family visits, regardless of their relationship to the family, they must be seen off."

"She doesn't want to see anyone from the Zhao family."

"Therefore, gentlemen... please return."

Splash!

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Zhao Qiaoling's head. Her delicate body trembled violently, and the fiery expectation in her eyes instantly dimmed, as if a flame had been extinguished. She said in a trembling voice:

"Mother...did she really say that?"

"That's natural."

"real?"

"Yes, monks do not lie."

The nun put her hands together in prayer and chanted the Buddhist mantra again.

She says that monks don't lie, but she's actually saying deceitful things.

The claim that "she didn't want to see the Zhao family" was nothing more than a lie told to Zhao Jiaren, who ordered Shen Nianci to be imprisoned and prevented from interacting with outsiders.

But Zhao Qiaoling was unaware of these things.

Her eyes dimmed, and tears gradually welled up in them.

That simple temple gate, at this moment, seemed to her as an insurmountable chasm.

She hesitated, her heart filled with apprehension...

"Miss? Miss?"

Xing'er's voice rang out.

She grabbed the young lady's arm and shook it.

"Ah! It's nothing!"

Zhao Qiaoling snapped out of her daze, quickly shook her head, and wiped away the tears in her eyes.

Xing'er asked softly:

"Miss, this Cihang Nunnery... shall we still go in?"

"...I'm not going in."

Zhao Qiaoling walked back to the carriage listlessly.

"Let's go."

Zhao Qiaoling suddenly said.

"Miss, where are we going?"

Xing'er asked.

Zhao Qiaoling said aggressively, "Go to the Xu family and buy Jiang She! I'm furious right now. Once I buy him, I'm going to tie him up and have some fun with him!"

"Walk!"

Zhao Qiaoling gave an instruction and then lowered the curtain.

Upon hearing this, the driver immediately cracked his whip.

"drive!"

Knock knock knock—

The wheels rolled and rolled over the bluestone road.

Not long after.

The carriage came to a steady stop in front of the Xu residence.

The left half of the wheel rim happened to run over a small, shallow puddle that hadn't dried after the rain, splashing up a few drops of muddy water.

The right half of the wheel hub made a loud creaking sound.

The driver gripped the reins.

"Miss, we've arrived."

With a shout, Xing'er lifted the curtain.

Just as Zhao Qiaoling was about to lift her skirt and get out of the carriage, she called for the doorman to go and announce her arrival.

Suddenly...

"Whoa—!"

A drawn-out neighing of a horse suddenly rang out from the other end of the street, carrying a sense of urgency and undeniable force.

Turning his head, he saw a carriage drawn by four snow-white, plump and strong horses, its hooves thundering, which stopped in front of the main gate of the Xu residence in the blink of an eye.

The carriage had a vermilion canopy and a body made of the finest sandalwood, all painted with vermilion lacquer so glossy it could reflect a person's image.

The car windows were covered with a semi-transparent Shu brocade, vaguely reflecting the woman inside the carriage.

The carriage was almost twice the size of the most expensive carriages on the market, and looked magnificent; the white horses pulling the carriage were also excellent, with their bridles and saddles decorated with gold and silver, which shone brightly in the sunlight.

"Knock knock knock..."

The carriage came to a stop.

Several servants in blue robes quickly stepped forward, set up the sedan chair, and bowed respectfully.

"Rusting..."

The carriage curtain was slowly lifted by a withered, wrinkled hand, revealing an old woman inside.

She wore a dark brown brocade jacket, and her silver hair was styled into a neat round bun. A long, flat hairpin about nine inches long was inserted diagonally into the bun.

With the careful assistance of two maids, the old man stepped shakily off the carriage.

This old woman was none other than the Xu family elder—Fifth Aunt!

Fifth Aunt's face was loose and wrinkled, her lips were tightly pursed, and the corners of her mouth habitually drooped down. Her slanted eyes were sharp as an eagle's, revealing a harsh and stern look.

Her gait was somewhat unsteady, but she tried her best to straighten her back and maintain the dignity of a respected elder of the clan.

But Aunt Wu had sharp eyes; as soon as she got off the carriage, she spotted the horse-drawn carriage parked at the door.

She recognized it; it was the Zhao family's carriage.

"Hmph! The world is going to the dogs! What kind of cats and dogs dare to come to my Xu family's doorstep! Don't they know their place? How dare they step into my Xu family's gate?"

Fifth Aunt snorted coldly, staring straight at the carriage with undisguised contempt and disgust on her face.

Zhao Qiaoling had just gotten off the carriage when she happened to stumble upon this, and thus heard every single word clearly.

She wasn't stupid; she could naturally tell that the insults were pointed at something. But instead of showing any anger on Zhao Qiaoling's round and lovely face, a naive smile appeared on her face.

She tilted her head slightly, looked at Xing'er beside her, and deliberately raised her voice, asking:

"Xing'er, did you hear that? These cats and dogs...who are they cursing?"

"Hmph! The cats and dogs are obviously insulting you!"

Upon hearing this, Fifth Aunt scolded without even thinking.

But Zhao Qiaoling burst into laughter upon hearing this. She laughed so hard she nearly fell over, her crescent-shaped eyes brimming with triumphant joy.

"Hahaha! Did you hear that? There are actually people who are eager to admit they're cats and dogs!"

"?!"

Fifth Aunt's face froze slightly, then turned pale with anger, her lips trembling as she pointed at Zhao Qiaoling, gasping for breath: "You...you...you ill-mannered little brat! Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson on behalf of your mother!"

As he spoke, he raised his cane and struck.

If she were to take a solid hit, the little girl's round and adorable face would definitely be disfigured.

But as soon as the cane was raised, Zhao Qiaoling slapped it across the face.

"Snapped!"

A crisp slap rang out, leaving five red finger marks on the old woman's face.

Fifth Aunt was stunned by the blow.

He spun around and fell to the ground in a sorry state, only then hearing the little girl's vicious words after she revealed her fangs:

"Hmph! You're not allowed to talk about my mother like that!"