Protect Our Patriarch-Chapter 777 Book 6: 51: Wang Shouzhe is doomed!

……

"What can you do~" Wang Shouzhe looked at her speechlessly.

"I can massage your back and legs, clean up," Lu Xiaoyi looked at Wang Shouzhe with tearful eyes, "If Master is still not satisfied, I can learn to do laundry and cook. Just don't sell Xiaoyi, I don't want to become some old man's sacred artifact."

Isn't this all the work of a maid? It's really putting Xiaoyi in a tough spot.

Dongfang Zhenyuan, who was beside them, finally snapped out of his shock: "Young Master Shouzhe, this maid-type sacred artifact probably won't fetch much money, right?"

Maid-type sacred artifact?! You're the maid-type sacred artifact!!!

Lu Xiaoyi was furious and immediately turned her head to glare at Dongfang Zhenyuan, hands on her hips, and cursed, "What are you talking about, you old geezer? This... no, this Yi Wood Creation Bottle is a top-tier sacred artifact, capable of absorbing the essence of heaven and earth to cultivate spirit plants, spirit rice, spirit medicine..."

She then went on to list a whole bunch of her advantages.

The more Dongfang Zhenyuan listened, the more shocked he became, and even his tone turned excited: "It really is a top-tier sacred artifact... one that can gradually strengthen a Holy Clan or Holy Dynasty!"

In the short term, the effects of this Yi Wood Creation Bottle might not seem strong, but any cave heaven, holy dynasty, or holy clan that exists spans easily over hundreds of thousands of years, and some ancient holy clans have been passed down for hundreds of thousands of years.

The longer the time, the stronger the foundation this Yi Wood Creation Bottle can add to a family.

"Young Master Shouzhe, why sell a sacred artifact?" Dongfang Zhenyuan forced himself to calm down and focused on the matter at hand.

"Just temporarily short on money, looking to raise some funds," Wang Shouzhe replied truthfully without hiding anything.

Selling a family heirloom sacred artifact just because you're short on money? What kind of logic is that!?

Dongfang Zhenyuan's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.

At this moment, the way Dongfang Zhenyuan looked at Wang Shouzhe was like looking at a super spendthrift.

If such a thing happened in his Dongfang clan, it would be better to nip it in the bud early on.

After a long while, Dongfang Zhenyuan took a deep breath: "Young Master Shouzhe, this sacred artifact is too top-tier for our branch to handle. If you really want to sell it, you'll need to have the Divine Treasure Hall headquarters operate it, take some time to announce it across the Dongxia Divine Continent, and give people time to raise funds. Only then can you maximize the benefits. I conservatively estimate that this Yi Wood Creation Bottle could auction for around fifty Chaos Spirit Stones. If competition is fierce, it might sell for even more..."

"That's too troublesome," Wang Shouzhe said impatiently, "How about I sell it to your Divine Treasure Hall at a discount, will you take it?"

"No way!"

Dongfang Zhenyuan shook his head firmly.

Are you kidding? Even with just a knee-jerk reaction, he could guess that this Yi Wood Creation Bottle must be a sacred artifact of Young Master Shouzhe's family. If they casually took it, what would happen if the family's ancestor came to claim it back?

Even though the Divine Treasure Hall has a Holy Venerable backing it, there's no need to invite such a big trouble.

"If your family's ancestor goes to the Divine Treasure Hall headquarters to discuss, you could entrust it for auction, and our Divine Treasure Hall would only charge a few Chaos Spirit Stones for operational fees," Dongfang Zhenyuan added.

"Forget it then." Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhe immediately put away the Yi Wood Creation Bottle and stood up, "Thank you for your time today, Hall Master Dongfang."

"Wait..." Dongfang Zhenyuan hurriedly called after him, "Are you short on spiritual stones? If it's not a large amount, our Divine Treasure Hall can lend you some, just with normal interest."

For someone like Young Master Shouzhe, who is a VIP and major client of the Divine Treasure Hall, it's best not to offend him if possible. And if they can befriend him, who knows how much business they could do with him in the long run.

Moreover, lending to Young Master Shouzhe is a guaranteed profitable deal.

"Not too much," Wang Shouzhe pondered for a moment, "Just a loan of thirty Chaos Spirit Stones."

"Poof!"

Dongfang Zhenyuan almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Not much? Thirty Chaos Spirit Stones is not much?

We're all humans, how can there be such a huge difference in the concept of money?

"Is there a problem?" Wang Shouzhe looked at Dongfang Zhenyuan with some doubt.

"No, no problem." Dongfang Zhenyuan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, "It's just that the number of Chaos Spirit Stones is a bit much, and our Tianrui branch doesn't have enough in stock, so we'll need to borrow some. I can initially provide fifteen Chaos Spirit Stones, and the rest will need to be gathered from other branches, which will take some time."

Wait?

After saying this, Dongfang Zhenyuan suddenly realized, secretly astonished.

Did he just agree to lend thirty Chaos Spirit Stones?

For the branch, this is a huge sum of money! If anything goes wrong... Dongfang Zhenyuan might not be able to repay it in his lifetime.

"Alright, then I'll trouble Hall Master Dongfang." Wang Shouzhe pondered for a moment, "I know loans require collateral and interest. As for collateral, here, use the Yi Wood Creation Bottle."

As Wang Shouzhe spoke, he tossed the green bottle to Dongfang Zhenyuan.

Dongfang Zhenyuan was startled and quickly threw the hot potato back to Wang Shouzhe: "The Yi Wood Creation Bottle is certainly qualified as collateral, but it's too valuable for our branch to handle, so please keep it yourself, Young Master. We'll just sign a collateral agreement."

The Yi Wood Creation Bottle is certainly weighty enough as collateral, but leaving such a high-level item in the Divine Treasure Hall branch is like leaving a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. If it gets damaged or stolen, Dongfang Zhenyuan's life would be over. He couldn't bear such a risk.

Besides, he wasn't worried about Wang Shouzhe not repaying the loan.

The Divine Treasure Hall's agreements are very effective, and if Wang Shouzhe can't repay, the headquarters would naturally take the agreement to their family's ancestor to claim the debt.

As for which family... that's not a big issue.

There are only a few families capable of raising a prodigal like Young Master Shouzhe... It's currently inconvenient to investigate randomly, for fear of offending them, but if something really goes wrong, and the bomb goes off, could Young Master Shouzhe's family really run away?

"As for the loan interest, let's calculate it at ten percent per century," Dongfang Zhenyuan thought for a moment and offered a relatively favorable interest rate, "These thirty Chaos Spirit Stones will generate three Chaos Spirit Stones in interest every century, with interest settled every century. Are you willing, Young Master?"

Such interest, on Earth, would be like giving away money.

But in the Holy Domain, where the social structure is stable, and the average lifespan and family inheritance period are extremely long, a century passes in the blink of an eye, and ten percent interest per century is actually quite high, doubling the principal and interest in a thousand years.

"The interest is acceptable," Wang Shouzhe considered for a moment and said, "In that case, let's sign the contract."

For such loan contracts, the Divine Treasure Hall naturally has templates. After both parties finalized their opinions, Dongfang Zhenyuan immediately had someone call over the manager in charge of related business to draft a contract for Wang Shouzhe to review.

To be honest, the manager's hands were shaking while drafting the contract, and his expression didn't return to normal until the contract was completed.

After a thorough review and signing of the contract, Wang Shouzhe also left a soul imprint on the agreement.

As promised, Dongfang Zhenyuan gathered the Tianrui branch's stock and handed over fifteen Chaos Spirit Stones to Wang Shouzhe.

As for the remaining Chaos Spirit Stones, they would be provided within no more than three years.

Moreover, the contract contained many strict confidentiality clauses. This wasn't proposed by Wang Shouzhe but was a requirement from Dongfang Zhenyuan.

Although this loan was just business for the Divine Treasure Hall, even with just a knee-jerk reaction, Dongfang Zhenyuan knew that this money was likely to be used against Prince Wenyu, so it had to be kept confidential.

He didn't want to be mistaken for siding with Wang Shouzhe and thus offend Prince Wenyu.

After signing the contract, Wang Shouzhe and Yun Tiange returned to the Jiang Clan.

On the way back, Yun Tiange, who had been holding back for a long time, couldn't wait to pester Wang Shouzhe to see the fifteen Chaos Spirit Stones as soon as they arrived at the Jiang Clan.

Wang Shouzhe had no choice but to let her take a look.

Yun Tiange was finally satisfied, but after seeing them, she became somewhat depressed and said wistfully, "Shouzhe, I've lived my whole life and never seen so many Chaos Spirit Stones. How about letting me taste one, just one... Ever since I tasted the flavor of a Chaos Spirit Stone, I found I can't go back..."

"Hehe~"

Wang Shouzhe immediately put away all the Chaos Spirit Stones and waved his hand, "These are the principal for making money. Our future wealth and prosperity depend on this principal, so stop trying to waste it here."

Yun Tiange felt a bit discouraged upon hearing this, but then she thought of something and asked hopefully, "Then when you make money, can you..."

"Don't talk about the future." Wang Shouzhe gave her a sidelong glance and reminded her, "Just follow my plan and do your work well, and you won't be left out in the future."

With Wang Shouzhe's promise, Yun Tiange immediately became full of energy and ran off to work enthusiastically.

If it weren't for seeing it with their own eyes, the cultivators of the Shenwu World would never have imagined that the woman working hard for cultivation resources in front of them was the same person as the noble and esteemed Immortal Emperor in their eyes.

……

Time flew by.

Another short period passed.

The grain prices in Tianrui Holy City remained at a low level, only half of the original selling price. The downward trend continued, and the market atmosphere grew increasingly cautious.

Most major families had considerable grain reserves in their clan's treasury, so even if they didn't buy grain temporarily, they could rely on their reserves for quite some time.

For a while, except for families that were really short on grain, most families remained silent and paused their grain purchases.

The market was in a slump.

At this point, the Jiang Clan, as the agent for the Wang Clan's grain, felt increasing financial pressure and finally couldn't sit still, starting to tentatively lower prices.

But as the Jiang Clan lowered prices through various channels, major grain merchants in Tianrui Holy City also lowered prices.

In short, they just had to sell a little lower than the Jiang Clan, making it impossible for the Jiang Clan to sell their grain.

After a series of back-and-forth struggles, grain prices continued to decline, about to drop to thirty percent of the original price.

"Young Master Shouzhe, there's a big problem."

One day, Jiang Jianmu, who had been enduring for a long time, finally couldn't hold on any longer. He rushed into Wang Shouzhe's courtyard, drenched in sweat, and said with a pale face, "We've received notifications from multiple channels saying that grain isn't selling, and to protect everyone's interests, they won't settle the payments they owe us for now."

"In addition, the authorities have started sealing and inspecting our grain warehouses, claiming they've received reports that our grain contains harmful substances and needs inspection. Moreover, the checkpoints for other Immortal Dynasties have also started delaying our spirit rice shipments..."

"Hehe~" Wang Shouzhe chuckled, "As expected, similar tactics are universal no matter where you go."

Since he had already offended Prince Wenyu, Wang Shouzhe had long anticipated the possible moves the other party might use.

He had to admit, Prince Wenyu was someone who cared about his reputation, or rather, he cherished his "feathers," using only conventional business competition methods without resorting to particularly vile or dirty tricks.

"Young Master, what should we do next?"

Seeing Wang Shouzhe so calm, Jiang Jianmu was also infected by his composure and gradually calmed down, cautiously asking.

"If I weren't here, what would you do?" Wang Shouzhe didn't answer directly but instead asked leisurely.

Jiang Jianmu's heart stirred, knowing that the young master was intentionally testing him. He forced himself to calm down, thought seriously for a moment, and then slowly said, "First, use past connections and relationships to smooth things over with the authorities and various checkpoints. Although Prince Wenyu is a prince, our Jiang Clan is also a well-established Immortal Clan, and as long as we're willing to pay a price, we can even go cry to the Holy Emperor, and then the checkpoint difficulties would naturally be resolved."

"Second, try to persuade various channel merchants to hold steady. Even if we suffer losses this time, we must quickly recover the payments. Third, we could ask someone to speak to Prince Wenyu and ask him to show mercy..."

"Change the third point to continue the price war," Wang Shouzhe smiled, "Isn't Prince Wenyu trying to crash the market? Let's help him crash it further. I've now raised some funds, so I can slowly play with him."

The cost of growing spirit rice in the Shenwu World is inherently lower than in the Holy Domain, and even with transportation costs, it's still much lower than the current selling price. Even if sold at the current price, he could still make some profit and wouldn't lose money.

Even if the spirit rice is stuck and can't be sold, he wouldn't actually lose much. After all, the warehouses storing the spirit rice are equipped with formations, and the spirit rice can remain fresh and retain its taste for decades or even a century, without affecting sales. It's just that maintaining the formations consumes spiritual stones, and over time, it might become somewhat uneconomical.

On the other hand, Prince Wenyu, despite his grand market-crashing efforts, is actually burning money every moment due to the cost of growing spirit rice in the Holy Domain, and his losses are far greater.

Continuing to drag this out, he didn't believe Prince Wenyu could outlast him.

Moreover, now that he had funds, he could take the opportunity to acquire a batch of low-priced spirit rice. Once the price of spirit rice returns to normal in the future, he could sell it slowly and make a big profit.

Such tactics were something Wang Fugui could play skillfully at the age of ten, so Wang Shouzhe naturally found it easy.

After a pause, Wang Shouzhe continued, "As for crying, your Jiang Clan is quite adept at it. Have Immortal Lord Haoran visit all thirty-one Immortal Clans and various Immortal Dynasties to cry, making sure to inform every family and household that the Jiang Clan finally has a bite to eat, but Prince Wenyu wants to destroy the Jiang Clan."

"……"

Jiang Jianmu was dumbfounded.

What does it mean that the Jiang Clan is adept at crying?

However, Young Master Shouzhe's words made sense. Prince Wenyu is someone who values his reputation, and under "public pressure," he might be compelled to relent. Even if he doesn't, as long as they can get him to slow down his offensive, it would give the Jiang Clan a chance to catch their breath.

However, there's still a problem here.

"Young Master, but what's the reason for Prince Wenyu to bully the Jiang Clan? Without a legitimate reason, it's hard to convince people. After all, Prince Wenyu has always had a graceful and courteous image, not the type of prince who is aggressive."

"If there's no reason, make one up. By the way, you can consult with Baoguang. That kid is quite good at spreading rumors and fabricating stories, often with angles that are tricky and hard to guard against," Wang Shouzhe suggested.

"Jianmu will follow your orders."

After listening to the leader's instructions, Jiang Jianmu had a plan in mind and bowed before leaving.

In the subsequent situation, no matter how Jiang Jianmu "counterattacked," the changes to the situation were minimal, and the price of spirit rice continued to decline, already dropping to thirty percent of its previous highest price.

During this period, the sales of spirit rice from the Holy Domain Development Corporation were dismal, and they faced obstacles everywhere, making progress extremely difficult.

Just when the Jiang Clan and the Wang Clan behind them were in an absolute predicament, seemingly with no chance of turning the tables.

Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

Cuiwei Residence.

In this elegant palace surrounded by green bamboo atop a small hill, bursts of laughter could be heard.

Prince Wenyu and a group of confidants were happily having a "team-building" session after achieving a phase victory.

"Following His Highness is truly a pleasure," said a middle-aged man with a round, blessed appearance, drinking "Heavenly Fat Fragrance," and praising repeatedly, "I've never tasted seventh-grade spirit rice wine in my life, truly thanks to His Highness's great fortune."

This man, Helian Duocai, came from a first-class family, which in the Tianrui Holy Dynasty, with its thirty-one Immortal Clans, was somewhat insignificant.

However, Helian Duocai had shown extraordinary talent in business from a young age, gradually turning an average first-class family into a strong first-class family through his efforts.

Prince Wenyu, with the intention of recruiting talents, brought him into his team of advisors, although he usually didn't have much presence in the team. Unexpectedly, this time he made a contribution.

Prince Wenyu, with a demeanor of respecting talents, said gently, "Duocai, as long as you can force Wang Shouzhe to cooperate obediently, you'll be my first-class advisor. When I inherit the Holy Diagram one day, I might even elevate your Helian family to an Immortal Clan."

Helian Duocai was overjoyed and repeatedly thanked Prince Wenyu.

"Judging by the Jiang Clan's weak countermeasures, floundering like headless flies, they should be no threat," he confidently analyzed, "But I've heard that Wang Shouzhe comes from a powerful family, and although he's a frivolous wastrel, his identity is extraordinary, and his pride must be high."

"In the short term, making him bow and apologize might be quite difficult, requiring long-term suppression, during which our losses will inevitably be significant."

"No matter," Prince Wenyu said calmly, "Sacrificing some immediate interests for long-term gains is a trade I'm willing to make. Besides, I don't require Wang Shouzhe to bow and apologize; such childish behavior is just child's play."

"When Wang Shouzhe and the Jiang Clan are overwhelmed and can't hold on, I'll personally visit him, treat him with courtesy, and invite him to join in the grand endeavor."

The advisors immediately showered Prince Wenyu with praise: "His Highness truly has a broad mind and great vision, we are in awe."

"By the way, Your Highness, I've recently heard some unpleasant rumors," Pei Chang'an recalled another matter, looking somewhat serious, "It's said that Immortal Lord Haoran is visiting various Immortal Clan ancestors, crying to everyone that Your Highness is bullying the Jiang Clan."

Prince Wenyu frowned slightly: "That old guy is so shameless?"

"Your Highness, you did call him an old guy," Pei Chang'an said helplessly, "As the saying goes, the older, the thicker-skinned. Plus, the Jiang Clan was already at the end of their rope, and finally managed to get a bite to eat with Wang Shouzhe's help. Now facing this difficulty, they're naturally going to fight like cornered beasts. It's understandable that he's slandering you everywhere."

"Slandering?" Prince Wenyu squinted his eyes and sneered, "It's just legitimate business competition; what handle does he have to slander me?"

"Uh... he's telling everyone that you're bullying the Jiang Clan and suppressing Young Master Shouzhe all because of Jiang Muxian," Pei Chang'an said with a strange expression, "The rumor is that you hinted to the Jiang Clan that you wanted to take Jiang Muxian as a concubine, which forced her to become Wang Shouzhe's maid. You then turned your love into hate, and that's why you're suppressing grain prices and bullying the Jiang Clan in revenge."

Then, Pei Chang'an vividly recounted the words Immortal Lord Haoran used to cry to his elders.

The content of this crying sounded extremely absurd at first, but upon careful consideration, it seemed to have some logic, and the story surprisingly fit together. The key point was that Immortal Lord Haoran's confident and determined demeanor made people wonder if what he said might be true.

After all, Immortal Lord Haoran is an Immortal Lord, and if he didn't have some evidence, would he be so certain?

Even with Prince Wenyu's usual excellent composure, his face grew darker and darker, until he finally spat out one sentence: "That old dog Haoran, truly shameless."

"Your Highness, do you really intend to take Jiang Muxian as a concubine? If so, we can plan carefully~" Several close advisors sneakily observed Prince Wenyu's expression and tentatively asked.

Given Jiang Muxian's status and bloodline talent, she's qualified to marry into an Immortal King's Mansion as a Crown Princess. It's quite normal for His Highness to want to take her as a concubine, though it's somewhat excessive and bullying!

"Get lost!" Prince Wenyu said angrily, "I originally intended to show some restraint, so the Jiang Clan wouldn't be so miserable. Duocai, continue the suppression, and don't give the Jiang Clan any breathing room."

"Yes, Your Highness." Helian Duocai quickly accepted the order.

……

At the same time.

In the northern part of Tianrui Holy City.

Near the central area, there was a vast Immortal Mansion, which was the residence of the East Sea Immortal King in the Holy City.

As one of the Immortal Kings of the Tianrui Holy Dynasty's royal lineage, the East Sea Immortal King was stationed in the east for many years, and the East Sea Immortal King's Mansion was naturally located in a major state in the eastern part of the Holy Dynasty.

However, given the deep foundation of the East Sea Immortal King's Mansion, it was impossible not to have its own residence in the Holy City.

Including this Immortal Mansion in the northern part of the Holy City, the East Sea Immortal King's Mansion had at least five Immortal Mansions in the Holy City, and the estates, medicine gardens, and spiritual beast parks around the Holy City were numerous.

Many relatives of the Immortal King's Mansion also resided permanently in the Holy City.

This Immortal Mansion in the northern part of the Holy City was currently the residence of "Little Immortal King Qingyang," Lüqiu Qingyang, who hailed from the East Sea Immortal King's Mansion.

Since Lüqiu Qingyang enjoyed military training, after she moved into this Immortal Mansion, it had been remodeled several times according to her needs. The original Martial Training Ground of the Immortal Mansion had been expanded repeatedly, now resembling a small military camp.

Deep within the Immortal Mansion.

In the training ground used for military exercises, Lüqiu Qingyang, clad in armor, finished her morning training and walked to the edge of the training ground with a middle-aged female general, taking a break while keeping an eye on the new recruits training in the field.

"Aunt Sun, the new female soldiers recruited this time are quite good. With proper training, we should be able to pick out many promising ones," Lüqiu Qingyang chatted casually with the middle-aged female general beside her.

This Aunt Sun was named Sun Yumin, and her family had been the family guards of the East Sea Immortal King's Mansion for generations. When Lüqiu Qingyang was only five or six years old, Aunt Sun was assigned to her side to ensure her safety.

Over the years, although they were nominally in a master-servant relationship, they were very close in private, almost like family.

Therefore, Lüqiu Qingyang spoke to her in a very casual tone.

"Indeed~ Over the years, you've been focused on military training, and now the Qingyang Legion is finally on the right track. If the Immortal King knew, he would surely be proud of you," Aunt Sun said with a smile of shared pride, then shifted the topic, "Your Highness, the gatekeeper just sent a message saying that Qiuyun and the others have arrived."

Upon hearing this, Lüqiu Qingyang's face lit up with joy: "Great! Quickly! Bring them over!"

Ever since being underestimated by that Wang Shouzhe in Cuiwei Residence, she had been holding a grudge, wanting to prove herself and show that guy her strength.

Her Qingyang Legion was not just a decorative pillow!

So, as soon as she returned home, she immediately sent a secret message to her family, asking her most capable female generals to come over, and summoned the elites from each battle group.

Now, after some time, they had finally arrived!

Under Lüqiu Qingyang's anticipation, it wasn't long before several travel-worn female generals were brought before her.

They weren't wearing dresses but rather neat and light armor, looking valiant and spirited. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Their cultivation levels were all in the Divine Realm or mid-stage, slightly lower than Lüqiu Qingyang's, but they stood straight as spears, even after traveling for many days without much rest, still full of energy and vigor.

If it were just this, it would be fine, but the key was that they all carried a faint aura of blood and killing intent. This appearance clearly indicated they were seasoned warriors who had seen real battle.

These were Lüqiu Qingyang's trusted subordinates, destined to be trained as Void Realm battle group leaders in the future.

Behind each of them were the elites of their respective battle groups, all female generals in the mid to late Purple Mansion Realm, trained as elite warriors to reach the mid to late Divine Realm.

Seeing Lüqiu Qingyang, they also showed a hint of joy and collectively saluted with a military gesture: "Greetings, Legion Commander!"

"Good, good, good! It's good to have you here!"

Looking at them, Lüqiu Qingyang felt a surge of pride, and her eyes shone with a dazzling light.

She was determined to prove herself and her Qingyang Legion to that Wang guy, who looked down on them. This time, she would definitely turn the tables and show him her strength!

"Someone, send my invitation to that Wang Shouzhe," Lüqiu Qingyang said with a gleam of pride in her eyes, "Didn't he want to 'visit' my Qingyang Legion? This time, let him have a good look."

……