I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Time flies like an arrow; a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

In the backyard of the Treasure Pavilion, the Spirit Gathering Array operates day and night, continuously drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the surrounding dozens of miles, forming a layer of visible spiritual mist above the courtyard.

The door to the secret room slowly opened, and Su Wanqing, Zhao Ling, and Xu Muyao walked out one after another.

Their aura was completely different from a month ago. Every gesture they made carried a natural Daoist charm, and the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to come alive, pulsating with their breath.

With the aid of the top-grade Nascent Soul Pill refined by Zhao Ling, the three people in the second batch of seclusion entered the early stage of Nascent Soul without any unexpected incidents.

"This feeling is truly wonderful."

Su Wanqing gently clenched her fist, feeling the inexhaustible magical power within her body, her eyes sparkling with joy.

In the Southern Wilderness, she thought she would only ever reach the Nascent Soul stage. Who would have thought that upon arriving in the Eastern Divine Continent, she would so easily open the door to the Divine Transformation stage?

Zhao Ling stretched out a big yawn, her bones making a series of crisp sounds.

She rubbed her empty stomach and muttered, "I've reached the Nascent Soul stage, but this fasting period has been too long; my mouth tastes bland. Brother Yifei, we need to have Zuixianlou send over a feast today; I want braised spirit deer meat!"

Zheng Yifei stood in the courtyard, looking at the three of them, a satisfied smile on his face: "No problem, eat as much as you want today, it's on me."

Another month passed, and Xu Tianyang, Xu Zhenghai, and Wang Changsheng also ended their seclusion.

As expected, with top-grade pills as a backup, coupled with the unique cultivation environment of the Eastern Divine Continent, the three of them successfully broke through.

Thus, the entire twelve-member team that had survived countless near-death experiences in the Southern Wilderness had reached the Divine Realm!

Twelve early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators—what kind of concept is that?

In Liuhua County, there are no more than ten Nascent Soul cultivators in total.

If Zheng Yifei's team were to fully reveal their strength, they would be able to uproot and crush the old forces in Liuhua County within a single day, leaving not a trace.

But Zheng Yifei didn't get carried away.

He knew very well that Liuhua County was just a drop in the ocean in the vast Eastern Divine Continent, with prefectural cities, county cities, and even the capital of the Tianlong Dynasty above it.

In those large places, the Nascent Soul stage might just be the threshold for guarding the house; there are plenty of old monsters at the Void Refinement, Body Integration, or even Mahayana stages.

A tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind; before having absolute self-defense capabilities, prematurely revealing one's fangs will only invite annihilation.

"Listen up, everyone! From this day forward, no one is allowed to display their Nascent Soul stage cultivation level outside."

Zheng Yifei summoned everyone to the council hall and solemnly issued a direct order: "Sect Master Ouyang, please have each of you craft a high-grade Hidden Spirit Jade Pendant. Combined with the Hidden Spirit Technique, this will suppress your cultivation to the late Nascent Soul stage or the peak stage."

Everyone nodded in agreement. They had all risen through the ranks from the bottom, so they naturally understood that the way of survival was the rule for longevity in the cultivation world.

After settling internal affairs, Zheng Yifei continued his routine life.

Every morning, he would change into his faded, dark-colored constable's uniform, with the standard long knife at his waist, and appear at the police station on time for roll call.

He would occasionally take Wei Jun and a group of constables for a stroll on the street, scolding petty thieves and kicking vendors who were blocking the road, perfectly portraying the image of a low-level constable.

But behind the scenes, Zheng Yifei had mastered the art of "human relationships and social skills" to an extreme.

The world of cultivation is never just about fighting and killing; it's more about exchanging interests and building connections.

Zheng Yifei knew that if he wanted to make money safely in Liuhua County through Duobaoge and Nanyu Gambling House, he had to satisfy everyone in every aspect.

The first day of each month is the day when Duobaoge and the gambling den settle accounts and distribute profits.

That night, Zheng Yifei would personally change into plain clothes, carry an inconspicuous food box, slip in through the back door of the county government office, and head straight for Magistrate Liu Zhengyi's Jingxinzhai. The food box didn't contain food or wine, but a thick stack of gold notes, representing the unwavering 30% stake in the two companies' businesses.

Besides the county magistrate, Zheng Yifei also never missed the other two powerful figures in the county government: the registrar Wang Bo and the chief constable Wan Chongshan.

In a private room at Zuixianlou, Zheng Yifei held a wine glass and looked at Wang Bo and Wan Chongshan sitting opposite him with a smile.

"My two brothers, things have been very busy at the police station and the clerk's office lately, thank you for your hard work. I've got some local specialties from outside the city, just a small token of my appreciation."

As Zheng Yifei spoke, he slid two exquisite storage bags out of his sleeve and pushed them precisely onto the table next to their wine glasses.

Wang Bo's eyes gleamed with shrewdness.

He subtly scanned the storage bag with his divine sense, and found 30,000 gold notes inside, along with two bottles of fourth-grade Qi Gathering Pills.

Wan Chongshan was a rugged man with a straightforward personality. He picked up the storage bag, squeezed it, and his chubby face immediately broke into a wide smile.

"Brother Zheng, you're being too polite. We're all colleagues, it's only right that we help each other out."

Wang Bo skillfully slid the storage bag into his sleeve and picked up his wine glass: "From now on, in the county government, anyone who dares to cause trouble for Brother Zheng is going against me, Wang Bo."

Wan Chongshan also raised his wine glass, his voice booming: "Wang the Registrar is right! Brother Zheng, you don't need to keep an eye on the police station every day anymore. I'll take care of things for you. You can just focus on managing your business. If anyone dares to cause trouble at your place, I'll break their legs!"

"Thank you both very much, brothers. I'll drink this, but you can do as you please."

Zheng Yifei tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

"He who takes a man's money is bound to him; he who eats a man's food is bound to him." With Wang Bo and Wan Chongshan mediating between them, and with the tacit approval of County Magistrate Liu Zhengyi, Zheng Yifei was able to thrive in the county government.

Having secured the official connections, the next step was dealing with the local bullies of Liuhua County—the three major families.

Previously, due to the rise of Duobaoge and the change of ownership of Jinli Gambling House, Zheng Yifei's relationship with the Zhao, Zhang and Li families had reached a freezing point.

In particular, Zhao Wuji, the head of the Zhao family, regarded Zheng Yifei as a thorn in his side after he was trapped and extorted from a gambling house by Zheng Yifei using an array.

But Zheng Yifei understood that harmony brings wealth, and if he pushed the three major families too hard, they might secretly cause trouble, which would also affect Duobaoge's business.

So he took the initiative to extend an olive branch.

Half a month later, also on the top floor of Zuixianlou, Zheng Yifei hosted an extremely luxurious spiritual food banquet.

Accompanying them were not only Wang Bo and Wan Chongshan, but also County Magistrate Liu Zhengyi.

The three family heads, Zhao Wuji, Zhang Wanlin, and Li Changgeng, who were invited to the event, all had somewhat stiff expressions when they entered the room.

Especially Zhao Wuji, whose eyes couldn't help but twitch when he saw Zheng Yifei's smiling face.

But after a few rounds of drinks and several dishes, Zheng Yifei took the initiative to raise his glass and get straight to the point.

"Three patriarchs, there may have been some misunderstandings between us in the past. I, Zheng Yifei, am a rough man and don't know the proper etiquette. If I have offended you in any way, I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to you all today."

Zhang Wanlin and Li Changgeng exchanged a glance but remained silent.

Zhao Wuji snorted coldly, maintaining his air of superiority.

Zheng Yifei put down his wine glass and continued, "The pie in Liuhua County is huge, and I don't intend to eat it all by myself. I invited the three of you here today to discuss a collaboration."

"cooperate?"

Zhang Wanlin frowned slightly: "Officer Zheng's Treasure Pavilion is making a fortune every day, and the Southern Region Gambling House has sucked up all the gamblers in the city. Our three families are now so poor they can barely afford to drink soup. What kind of cooperation can we possibly have?"

"Master Zhang, you are mistaken."

Zheng Yifei smiled and took out three prepared contracts from his pocket, distributing them to the three people: "Duobao Pavilion is currently overproducing. The low-level magic weapons and pills that the workshop refines every day cannot be sold out by our store alone."

I plan to have 30% of the new products from Duobao Pavilion sold on consignment through shops owned by the three families at a wholesale price 20% lower than the market price.

Upon hearing this, the three family heads were stunned. Buying goods at 20% below market price meant a huge profit margin; it was practically giving them money for free.

Zheng Yifei didn't give them time to think and continued, "In addition, the daily turnover of gambling dens in the Southern Region is huge, and some gamblers are so desperate that they need to borrow large sums of money."

Our gambling den doesn't deal in loan sharking. From now on, whenever there's such a need, we'll directly refer you to the money shops under the three families' names. You can set the interest rate yourselves; we won't take a single penny.

If the previous sale of religious artifacts was like giving away money, then giving up the gambling den's lending business is like giving away a hen that lays golden eggs.

The money shops owned by the three major families are most in need of high-quality borrowers who are willing to do anything to recoup their losses.

Zhao Wuji looked at the contract in his hand, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

He couldn't understand how this ruthless constable, who had extorted money from his gambling den, could suddenly have such a kind heart.