noffsinger Chapter 37: Chishan's Forces
Chapter 37: Chishan's Forces
Li Wuwei nodded slightly, patted Zhang Zai on the shoulder, and chuckled:
"Go and prepare."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zai understood that the sect leader had something to say to Sister He Yu, so he obediently withdrew.
After he left, Li Wu sat down to the side and looked at He Yu, saying:
"What is the current situation of the various forces in Chishan?"
Upon hearing this, He Yu pulled out a map from the cabinet behind him, placed it on the table, and unfolded it, marking the various forces within Chishan.
There are more than twenty in total.
Most of them are new forces that were supported by five Foundation Establishment forces after the Battle of Chishan.
A small portion of them were relocated from former Qi-refining forces.
Their Qing Shi Sect is located in Qing Shi Mountain, a good location in the middle area, rich in spiritual energy, but there are also many other forces nearby.
He Yu pointed to the surrounding forces and said:
"The Xiaoxi Sect and Chongming Sect each have twenty-seven disciples, while the Changhe Sect and Zhuwan Temple each have fifteen."
"According to Liu Ming's observations, their shops in the market are doing very poorly, with monthly profits not exceeding ten spirit stones."
Liu Ming was one of the original followers of Li Wu, and now he is in charge of managing two shops in the market.
At this point, He Yu asked with great curiosity:
"Sect Leader, why did you tell us to pay attention to the number of their disciples and the revenue of their shops?"
Seeing her puzzled expression, Li Wu explained:
"They distinguished themselves in the battle of Chishan, obtained Lingshan, and were ordered to establish a sect. They became sect leaders, and their ambitions soared to the heavens. So they opened their gates wide and recruited disciples."
"However, little do they know that governing a sect is like governing a country, and the key lies in the economy. Now, they have so many disciples, but their income is so little, and they are unable to make ends meet. If this continues, chaos will inevitably break out."
"However, chaos breeds change, and that's when our opportunity will come."
He Yu pondered for a moment, understood the meaning behind Li Wu's words, and hesitated before saying:
"But... these sects were all supported by Foundation Establishment forces. If trouble arises, they probably won't just sit idly by, will they?"
Li Wuwei nodded slightly and said:
"Those Foundation Establishment forces are very shrewd. If there is profit to be made, they will help once or twice, but they will not help without restraint."
"Just wait and see. In three to five years, the various forces in Chishan will surely attempt to annex them."
"Won't they care?"
"It will impose restrictions, but not complete constraints."
He Yu nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly changed his tone, slamming the account book down in front of Li Wu and saying:
"Since the sect leader knows that the most important thing for the sect is to balance income and expenditure, then please take a look at the sect's revenue over the past three years."
Looking at the account book in front of him, Li Wu felt a bad premonition. He flipped through it and saw that there were indeed continuous losses.
In the expenditure section, there is a section circled in vermilion ink.
It was precisely the number of spirit stones he took each time.
This made Li Wu feel a little embarrassed, so he coughed lightly twice.
"Ahem, well... I won't be taking any more spirit stones from you from now on."
He did indeed collect a lot of spirit stones over the past three years, mainly to purchase talismans, pills, and lightning-attribute spiritual items.
However, having been confined to the Qi family for the past two years, these spirit stones remained unused.
After thinking for a moment, Li Wu found an excuse and said:
"I have a use for those spirit stones. I will go out in a while and bring back many spiritual items."
"In addition, I will use that sum of spirit stones to help Zhang Zai organize a merchant caravan."
"The number and strength of our disciples are probably not enough to form a traveling merchant force. You can go to the market and find some people."
He Yu nodded slightly and said:
"I understand. As for the traveling merchant caravan, I'll go find Niu Er; he's trustworthy."
Li Wu nodded and then instructed:
"By the way, pay more attention to news about lightning-attribute spiritual objects."
"it is good."
After the discussion, Li Wu did not rush to the Qi Gathering Realm, but stayed on the mountain for a few days.
During this time, Li Wu went to see Lu Sui.
After learning the various elixirs from Qing Shi Men, Lu Sui's alchemy skills improved dramatically, and his reputation gradually spread, earning him the title of the number one alchemist in Pukou Market.
As a result, the Zhao family began to pay more attention to him and invested more resources, and his cultivation level broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining.
In the courtyard, Li Wu sipped his spiritual tea, shaking his head and saying:
"The number one alchemist in Pukou Market, what a reputation!"
"They're all just empty titles; they shouldn't be taken seriously."
Lu Sui waved his hand and sighed:
"When I first entered the market, I thought I would become a sword cultivator and continue to roam the world with my sword, upholding justice. But I never expected to end up on the path of alchemy."
Li Wu nodded in deep agreement and said:
"I never imagined that I would become the leader of a sect."
"Brother Li, are you still not happy with your position as sect leader? I know that He Yu is the one who manages all the affairs of the sect."
"Sigh, let's not talk about that."
Li Wu waved his hand, changing the subject:
"Brother Lu, with the Zhao family expanding their elixir business, will the Zhou family just sit idly by?"
The main reason why the five Foundation Establishment forces live in harmony is that each of them has its own spiritual objects to manage, and they do not offend each other.
On the contrary, they complemented each other and supported the entire market.
However, if the Zhao family wants to expand their pill business in the market, it will inevitably clash with the Zhou family.
Lu Sui shook his head and said:
"The subsequent pills will mainly be sold to markets in other counties, which is also the strategic goal of the five major Foundation Establishment forces."
Li Wuwei nodded slightly. In that case, disputes could indeed be avoided.
"This place is much more harmonious than the Qi-gathering area."
Those in the Qi gathering world, whether they understand it or not, are essentially cannibals who refine elixirs and scheme for their own path.
In comparison, this place is simply paradise.
The two then talked about many things, from their initial trip to Pukou Market to the various connections between the five Foundation Establishment forces.
"As far as I know, we seem to have had a falling out with the forces in Guang'an County."
Upon hearing this, Li Wu frowned and asked:
"What do you mean?"
Lu Sui shook his head and said:
"I don't know the specifics either. It just so happens that Zhao Qianyuan has also returned and is currently in the clan. You can go and ask him."
Li Wuwei nodded slightly and then changed the subject.
…………
The next day.
Li Wu piloted the flying shuttle towards the valley.
After the notification, Zhao Qianyuan was met soon after.
"Brother Li, it's been a long time!"
Zhao Qianyuan now sports a beard and looks old, like an ordinary businessman.
He strode up to Li Wu, took his hand, and said affectionately:
"I've visited your temple several times, and each time you were in seclusion. I thought you were deliberately avoiding me."
Li Wu smiled calmly and replied:
"How could I avoid seeing Brother Zhao? It's just that I'm now the head of a sect, so naturally I need to go into seclusion and break through to the late stage of Qi Refining as soon as possible."
As he spoke, Li Wu revealed his aura.
Zhao Qianyuan immediately showed a look of surprise and exclaimed:
"Late stage of Qi Refining! Brother Li is only a few years old, yet he's already at the late stage of Qi Refining. He's truly a genius!"