Chapter 9: Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion

"If I really need money, I'll just sell the Essence of Primordial Spirit. This thing is much more stable than gold or silver coins..."

It was precisely because he knew that the Essence of Primordial Spirit could be exchanged for money that Tang Chuyang ultimately did not ask his grandmother for money. If he lacked even this ability to be self-reliant, he would not be much different from the previous Tang Chuyang.

The next day, Tang Chuyang got up early. After a quick tidy-up, he left home without even saying goodbye and headed straight for the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Yesterday, he had already found out from his second sister where the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was located. The Tang family, being the first family of Jingyun County, was indeed a powerful clan, even though it had gradually declined. A dead camel is still bigger than a horse, and the location of their residence was not something an ordinary rich person could compare to.

The Tang family's mansion was in the most prosperous eastern district of Jingyun County. A quarter of the land in the eastern district belonged to the Tang family. The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was located in the most bustling part of the eastern market, only about a kilometer away from the Tang family's mansion. This was also why his second aunt, Tang Wenting, was able to rescue Tang Chuyang from Lin Qingyun in time.

If someone were to kill the only male descendant of the Tang family right at their doorstep, what face would the Tang family have left in Jingyun County?

After leaving the Tang family's gate, Tang Chuyang was only slightly curious about the ancient and elegant buildings around him. Compared to the modern buildings in cities on Earth, the scenery of Jingyun County was not much to his liking.

The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was not far from the Tang family's residence. It took Tang Chuyang less than ten minutes to arrive. On his way, he noticed that the street where the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion was located was extremely prosperous. Although the street was not crowded, it was bustling and lively.

"Oh! Isn't this the young master of the Tang family? Are you here to buy Ginseng Fruit again? Please come in! Please come in!"

As soon as Tang Chuyang reached the door of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, he was spotted by a servant at the entrance. The servant's polite and humble greeting made Tang Chuyang realize that his predecessor must have been a regular customer here. The servant's immediate mention of "Ginseng Fruit" also confirmed that his second sister was right about his predecessor's habit of eating Ginseng Fruit as a snack.

Tang Chuyang, however, did not bother to respond to the servant and simply nodded before entering the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.

As soon as he entered, Tang Chuyang was greeted by a fragrant aroma. Before he could react, a pink figure rushed towards him. If it weren't for the sweet and soft voice that greeted him, he might have instinctively kicked out!

"Little Master, you've made this servant miss you so much. Why haven't you visited the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion for so long?"

Tang Chuyang's face twitched. If it weren't for the various goods displayed in the hall and the customers negotiating prices, he might have thought he had entered a brothel. The images that flashed through his mind were all related to the woman speaking, which made him realize that this sweet-voiced woman in pink was an acquaintance.

"Qingjie, your Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion is doing so well, it doesn't seem to need one more customer..."

Tang Chuyang laughed casually and turned to head upstairs. In his memory, this charming woman named 'Qingjie' had often taken advantage of the previous Tang Chuyang. Moreover, the conflict between the previous Tang Chuyang and Lin Qingyun might have been partly due to her instigation. Knowing the whole story, Tang Chuyang had no good impression of this pretentious woman.

"Uh..."

Seeing the boy who used to be easily fooled by her now ignoring her and heading straight upstairs, Qingjie's delicate hand froze in mid-air. After a moment of shock, her face turned cold, but she quickly covered it with a smile and turned to her, saying in a sweet but aggrieved voice:

"Little Master, what are you talking about? The bond between us is not something ordinary people can compare to. Are you here to buy Ginseng Fruit again? Speaking of which, if it weren't for Young Master Lin..."

"Shut up!!"

Tang Chuyang suddenly turned around with a look of anger and shouted. This woman was bringing up the very thing he didn't want to hear. Although the previous Tang Chuyang was dead, the events had happened to this body and identity. The humiliating scenes in his mind were unbearable for Tang Chuyang, the successor. It was easy to imagine how the previous Tang Chuyang, with his spoiled nature, could not have tolerated it.

"It's not your place to meddle in my affairs, just do your business! Don't think too highly of yourself!"

Tang Chuyang's harsh rebuke was so sudden that Qingjie, still standing there, was stunned. It took her a moment to realize that she had been scolded by the most useless playboy in Jingyun County, and in public, no less, without any mercy!

"Damn it! Damn it! How dare this little brat talk to me like that?! I, I, hmpf! Anyway, the Lin family and the Zhang family's plan against the Tang family is about to be executed. I'll see how you can continue to be so arrogant!"

Qingjie's face turned black with anger, and she trembled with rage. After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she turned and walked away from the stairs.

Entering the second floor, Tang Chuyang slowed his pace, lost in thought. As he recalled the conflict with Lin Qingyun, he suddenly realized that the entire incident was suspicious. The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion had a strict rule against fighting within its premises, and even the once-powerful Tang family had no objections to this rule.

However, on the day Tang Chuyang had his incident, it happened right inside the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Although Tang Chuyang had initiated the fight, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion should have intervened immediately. Yet, they did nothing until Tang Chuyang was severely injured and his second aunt, Tang Wenting, arrived to save him.

"Could there be some collusion between the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and the Lin family?"

Tang Chuyang speculated in his mind. Having just arrived in this world, he needed to gather and understand a lot of information. Most of his time had been spent on cultivation, but now, he felt he needed to spend some time understanding the power dynamics in Jingyun County. The Tang family, a family of widows, was already in a precarious position, and he could not afford any mistakes.

"Little Master Tang? Hehe, it's been a while since you last visited our Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Are you here to buy Ginseng Fruit again?"

As he was lost in thought, Tang Chuyang was startled by a clear and pleasant voice. Looking up, he saw a middle-aged man in a green silk robe, with a dignified appearance, standing not far from him, smiling and greeting him.

"It's Cloud Manager. I thought you were out on business for half a year. Have you returned?"

Tang Chuyang showed a hint of surprise. This middle-aged man, named Yun Changtian, was the manager of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion in Jingyun County. He was known for his generosity and social skills, and it was rumored that his cultivation was also quite high. In the small Jingyun County, Yun Changtian was a significant figure, and even the local families like the Tangs and the Lins gave him some respect.

"Thank you for your concern, Little Master. The business is done, and I returned early because I was worried about the shop." As he spoke, Yun Changtian walked up to Tang Chuyang, took his hand, and led him inside, smiling.

"Hehe, let's not talk about that. Are you here to buy Ginseng Fruit today? I brought back quite a few spiritual herbs from my trip, and I'll give you a Ginseng Fruit as compensation for the injury you suffered two months ago due to the negligence of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion..."

"Compensation? Manager Yun, I was injured by that scoundrel Lin Qingyun, what does it have to do with the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion?"

Tang Chuyang's heart tightened, but he maintained a calm expression, expressing his confusion. He had been wondering if the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and the Lin family were colluding to set him up, the only male descendant of the Tang family. Now, seeing Yun Changtian speak so frankly and sincerely, he was somewhat puzzled.

However, his purpose in coming here was not to verify any collusion between the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and the Lin family. He came to test his greatest reliance in this world. Everything else could wait, but he needed to quickly experiment with the Spirit Summoning Diagram to see if he could create it!

"Since the establishment of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, we have had a rule that customers must not fight within the premises, and we are responsible for protecting their safety. Two months ago, when Manager Li and Qingjie saw you being injured by Young Master Lin, they did nothing, which was a failure on our part. Manager Li has been dismissed and sent to the headquarters in Liuyun City for punishment, and Qingjie's managerial duties have been revoked. Now, we only need to compensate you, Little Master!"

Having explained this, Yun Changtian, fearing that Tang Chuyang might refuse his apology, turned to him with a serious expression and said:

"I am following the rules of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Whether it's punishing Manager Li and Qingjie or compensating you, I am acting according to the rules. Please, Little Master, give me this face and do not refuse the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion's gesture..."

Yun Changtian's words were sincere and reasonable, and Tang Chuyang could clearly feel his sincerity. As a descendant of the Ma Yi Shen tradition, one of the basic skills he had learned from a young age was to read people's expressions, actions, eyes, and tone to judge their true intentions.

Therefore, beneath Tang Chuyang's innocent and young appearance, there was a seasoned and mature mind. From his observations, Yun Changtian, from the moment he turned to look at him, showed no signs of pretense in his actions, expressions, eyes, or tone.

"Alright, since Manager Yun has said so, it would be impolite of me to refuse. How about this, I'm tired of eating Ginseng Fruit. Do you have any spirit paper, spirit ink, or similar items? Could you prepare a set for me? My Tang family's ancestor was a spirit painter, and I have recently become very interested in the Spirit Summoning Diagram. I want to gather some materials to study it..."

"Oh? Little Master wants to create a Spirit Summoning Diagram?!"

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