Chapter 34

The night was quiet.

In the room, the sound of counting money... or rather, the sound of counting explosive talismans, was quite pleasant.

Young Master Zhao, a serious person, was counting so earnestly.

The old man in the hemp robe, his lips twitching.

Are those explosive talismans?

Yes, they are explosive talismans, a thick stack of them, enough to cover the walls.

Damn, where did he get so many explosive talismans?

The old man in the hemp robe felt a chill all over. He wasn't afraid of explosive talismans; a couple wouldn't do much, but if there were many, they could not only shake him but also blow him up.

After all, he couldn't use his true essence.

It was a bet! He said it himself, no use of true essence, and no one could withstand it.

Having a master is really good.

This thought flashed through the old man's mind a thousand times. Such a large number of explosive talismans must have been given by that old guy.

A miscalculation, a serious miscalculation.

Who would have thought that Zhao Yun had such a deep background? Are explosive talismans so cheap?

"This one goes here."

"Another one, if I win, you can't back out."

"My master has a bad temper."

Zhao Yun had finished counting, still harmless, and started pasting the explosive talismans, targeting vital points, such as the crotch, forehead, chest, and back. He aimed to blow the person up in one go.

"Come, take the sword technique."

The old man in the hemp robe didn't say much, handed over the prepared Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique, and then turned to leave.

He had to leave; staying meant getting blown up. This kid is like an animal.

"No! Let me try."

Zhao Yun took a step forward, grabbed the old man. Honestly, he really wanted to test the new explosive talismans' power, to see if they could shake the Xuan Yang realm, to have a better understanding.

"Get lost."

The old man in the hemp robe flared his nostrils and disappeared through the wall. In the middle of the night, he was really bored, coming here to chat and getting scared by explosive talismans. He wanted a cultivation technique, not a sword technique.

The night was still quiet.

The old man left, and Zhao Yun, holding the ancient scroll, chuckled. So, without the diamond, don't take on the porcelain work. I have explosive talismans.

Soon, the sound of swords could be heard in the room.

Zhao Yun was practicing sword techniques, with extraordinary talent, learning quickly. He had grasped the essence of the Heavenly Thunder Sword Technique, each strike accompanied by thunder, truly formidable. Combined with the Wind God Step, he could deliver a lethal strike.

Of course, this required practice.

Xiu'er had once said, external techniques are ultimately external forces; to be strong, one must be hard internally. With sufficient foundation, even an ordinary palm could destroy the heavens and earth.

Thinking of the Moon Goddess, he glanced at his consciousness.

It had been days, and she showed no signs of waking, only becoming more dreamlike.

"Such a formidable explosive talisman."

In the attic, the old man in the hemp robe held an explosive talisman, studying it under the lamp.

He had taken it secretly before leaving.

Explosive talismans, he had seen before, but Zhao Yun's were slightly different. Comparing them, the kid's talismans seemed more authentic. The lightning patterns and fire aura on the talisman indicated that it was enhanced with lightning and fire, making it incredibly powerful.

"The method to draw explosive talismans is known only by the royal family."

The old man muttered, his eyes deep. As a former member of the Heavenly Sect, he knew ancient secrets. The method to draw explosive talismans was banned by the Great Xia Dragon Dynasty a hundred years ago, known only to the royal family's direct lineage, impossible to spread to the common people.

In fact, it wasn't just the method to draw explosive talismans.

Other secret techniques and cultivation methods, such as earth penetration and invisibility, were also banned. The secret manuals circulating in the world were leftovers from the royal family, clearly aimed at consolidating their rule.

"Is he from the royal family?"

The old man in the hemp robe frowned, referring to Zhao Yun's master.

This guess made sense.

Even if not from the royal family, he must have a connection. The Heavenly Sect had many experts, and the royal family was also deep and mysterious, with countless hidden dragons and tigers.

"If he's from the royal family, would he lack elixirs?"

The old man in the hemp robe pondered, hands in his sleeves.

There were many loopholes in this matter.

But one thing was certain: that old master was absolutely terrifying.

The next day, Zhao Yun left the weapon shop early.

The herbal shop was a place he often visited. Cultivation consumed resources, so he would go every few days to buy pills and spirit liquids, essential for cultivation.

Fortunately, he had enough silver to support it.

Returning to the weapon shop, he saw the old man in the hemp robe from a distance, his face somewhat dark.

It's not my fault.

Zhao Yun remained calm. In the middle of the night, you came to bet with me.

No, I need to find a way to get back.

The old man in the hemp robe took a deep breath, feeling bitter about giving away a sword technique. A Xuan Yang realm cultivator being outmatched by a Ning Yuan realm was embarrassing.

"Let's have a big fight."

Zhao Yun narrowed his eyes, eating candy, and locked himself in the room.

By "big fight," he meant forging weapons.

This time, however, the weapons he forged were enhanced with a thread of lightning, increasing their power. This was true forging, infusing lightning into the weapons without it dissipating, requiring skill.

Undoubtedly, it consumed much more energy.

Soon, the first weapon was forged, a large halberd, with lightning patterns, enhanced hardness, and flexibility, reaching the peak.

The quality improved, and so did the price.

The next day, the Liu family weapon shop opened, but there were few customers.

Looking at the Zhao family, their shop was closed.

The second day, the Liu family lowered the price of their weapons from fifty taels to forty taels. No one bought at fifty, and no one bought at forty, waiting for further reductions.

This was Liu Canghai's desperate move.

It had been too long, and he needed to recover his losses quickly.

Additionally, there was pressure from various families.

This monopoly was a joint effort, with each family investing a lot of money. Monopolizing was good, as it would eventually bring profits and justify the investment to their families.

Unfortunately, they lost.

Or rather, they were disappointed in Liu Canghai. They had invested and taken risks, but it was all for nothing. The money must be returned, and the families were already dissatisfied.

Every family had its own problems.

The pressure from all the families was piled on Liu Canghai, pushing him to the brink. With no support from his own family and demands from others, he was in a dire situation.

Thus, the price reduction.

Knowing it would result in losses, he had to push through, aiming to recover his money quickly to cover the losses. The other families would get their money back, but the losses would be his to bear.

The third day, the price dropped again.

Good weapons, bought for fifty taels, were now thirty taels.

This was the day Zhao Yun had been waiting for.

The silver was already prepared; it was time to counterattack.

The counterattack was also a monopoly.

Selling at fifty taels and buying back at thirty, he would empty the Liu family weapon shop, then refine and forge the weapons, raising the price again.

"How many, I'll take how many."

Lu Meng, covered in a black robe, ran over with silver tickets. At thirty years old, he had never been so extravagant, throwing silver tickets with a dominant air.

"Really rich."

Many people on the street glanced over, seeing at least ten carriages parked outside the Liu family weapon shop, all loaded with weapons.

"These two families are interesting."

People muttered, recalling how the Liu family had been buying madly and the Zhao family selling madly. Now, the roles were reversed, with the Zhao family buying madly and the Liu family selling madly.

"A business war, this is a business war."

Perceptive people saw the underlying conflict.

Snap!

The sound of a whip, and the carriages, all loaded with weapons, started moving, emptying the Liu family weapon shop completely, not a single weapon left.

"Must be the Zhao family weapon shop."

Wang De sneered, confident in his deduction.

"Do I need to say it?"

Liu Canghai shouted, knowing that Zhao Yun wouldn't miss the opportunity. Selling at fifty and buying back at thirty, it wouldn't result in a loss.

"But... this cheapens the Zhao family?"

"Money lenders, my family, other shops, and other families are all demanding money. What can I do?" Liu Canghai clutched his chest, spitting out blood.

He must have been under extreme stress.

At that moment, he cursed Zhao Yun and Liu Cangkong a thousand times. The strategy was right, but his family and allies failed him.

At the critical moment, everyone dropped the ball.

His own forging master was missing, and even if he couldn't find one, he could have hired the other side's master or sent people to eliminate them.

But now, he was fighting alone, risking everything, while his family and allies turned against him.

Most infuriating was Liu Cangkong.

As the family head, a single word from him could have helped, at least providing financial support. Without it, he wouldn't be in this situation.

But Liu Cangkong did nothing.

As he spoke, many people entered, a crowd of managers and representatives from other families, hearing about the big sale and coming to demand money.

"Give it, all of it."

Liu Canghai was straightforward, returning every penny invested.

"Very generous."

The crowd smiled, having their money back, they could report to their families.

"No need to thank me."

Liu Canghai said coldly, feeling another surge of anger. Having such poor allies was frustrating, all eager to demand money.

"Anger is bad for your health."

The managers smiled, entering and leaving in a group.

After they left, more people came.

The manager of the Liu family bank, fanning himself, clearly there to demand money.

Liu Canghai had borrowed a lot of silver from the bank recently.

"Such urgency?"

Liu Canghai couldn't catch his breath, coughing up more blood. He accepted the demands from other families but was surprised by his own bank. Could he run away? If not for the pressure, he wouldn't have lowered the prices.

"Three, one thing at a time."

The bank manager smiled insincerely, focused only on collecting money.

"Take it, and go."

Liu Canghai sneered, handing over a stack of silver tickets, his entire fortune. The losses would be his to bear, years of hard work gone in a moment.

"Goodbye."

The bank manager took the tickets and left, indifferent.

"Closing, the weapon shop is closing."

Liu Canghai waved his hand, sitting down weakly. With no weapons left, it couldn't be called a weapon shop. His forging master was missing, and without a source of weapons, there was no point in keeping the shop open.

Then, the family order arrived.

It was an order to be exiled to a remote town.

"Three, take care."

Wang De said coldly, turning to leave, his back straight, no trace of respect, only contempt.

The world was cold.

Liu Canghai had no chance of recovery, exiled by his family, like being sent to a cold palace. Even as a family member, he had no future.

He left, and many of his employees left as well.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. If this place was no longer viable, they would find new opportunities elsewhere.

"Good, very good."

In the room, Liu Canghai's laugh was hard to interpret, whether it was sorrow or despair.

He lost.

In this business war, he lost completely.

Want to return to the family?

Probably not. With such losses, they wouldn't even consider it. Thinking of returning? Forget it, no chance of influencing the family's power.

He understood his position.

As an external member, he was always just a puppet for the family.

Useful when needed, discarded when not.

For years, he had been deceiving himself, hoping to return to the family. Now, he realized the reality was much harsher than his dreams.

In the back garden of the Zhao family weapon shop, weapons were piled up.

After a full circle, they had returned.

Then, the sound of firecrackers.

The Zhao family weapon shop was reopening. The people of the city were already used to it, with frequent closures and reopenings, quite amusing.

Looking at the prices, many cursed.

Not without reason, as the weapons were now priced at one hundred taels.

Seeing the weapons, no one complained.

The weapons were excellent, enhanced with a thread of lightning, the lightning patterns clearly visible. Just this feature justified the price of one hundred taels.

"Fine, I spent all my money, and now they have better weapons."

"Trade in old for new, fair price." The Zhao family weapon shop's policy was known in the city. Any existing weapon could be traded, and they would take as many as needed.

"Shrewd businessman."

The old man in the hemp robe, hands in his sleeves, glanced at Zhao Yun.

"Without money, there's no cultivation resources."

Zhao Yun looked tired, having forged weapons all night without rest.

Shrewd businessman, he admitted it.

Mercy doesn't lead an army, and righteousness doesn't conduct business. All businessmen are shrewd, and his weapon shop didn't sell inferior weapons.

The old man in the hemp robe didn't deny this.

Weapons enhanced with a thread of lightning deserved the price of one hundred taels.

Zhao Yun drank, lost in thought.

The Liu family weapon shop was defeated, with no forging master, cutting off their supply. To monopolize again, they would need twice the resources, as the price had risen to one hundred taels. Without family support or financial aid from others, the Liu family weapon shop couldn't make a comeback.

Unless they found a new forging master.

This was no longer important. What mattered was that the Zhao family weapon shop had established its reputation, firmly rooted in the city. What Liu Canghai failed to achieve, Zhao Yun did, truly monopolizing the weapon market. This business would grow, not just in the city but in other cities as well.

Money was a good thing.

Future cultivation resources would largely depend on it.

Now, he could focus on cultivation.