Chapter 270

Chapter 270: Partnership in Business

"Damn it, do these assholes not know the title ‘Wave Brother of Immortal City’ belongs to me?"

Swinging open the courtyard gate, Wang Lang strode inside, cursing loudly.

Zhou Luo was eating dinner with Lin Xi and others.

Without a hint of reserve, Wang Lang shouted "Sister-in-law!" before plopping himself down at the table.

"Xiao Cui, prepare an extra bowl and chopsticks for him," Lin Xi smiled gently.

Noticing the grime and dust all over Wang Lang, Zhou Luo frowned. "You encountered an ambush?"

"Hell yeah! It’s always true that the bold get fat while the timid starve to death in this world," Wang Lang sneered.

Unlike Zhou Luo with his concealment techniques, he could only lead his pursuers on a mad dash around the city.

Yet, the bastards knew the layout of Immortal City’s inner wards even better than he did. Before he realized it, they’d cornered him in a dead-end.

He watched helplessly as they started setting up a hidden formation to attack him.

Wang Lang made a snap decision—he barged into a random family’s courtyard. He did spook the family head, but his gift of the gab prevented any retaliation.

He stayed under their watchful eyes until nightfall before finally making his escape back.

The whole ordeal was too embarrassing to explain in detail.

"Couldn’t you call for the guards?" Zhou Luo asked, puzzled.

"How the hell could I? You think I could fight back?" Wang Lang looked utterly exasperated.

Immortal City’s rules were clear: anyone who started a magical fight would be expelled immediately, with further punishment depending on circumstances. This meant if he struck first—even just summoning guards—he’d get banished.

This absurd regulation had emboldened the bandits for ages.

But Immortal City preferred caution. After all, how could they prove you were acting purely in self-defense? What if you killed everyone involved and swore they attacked first?

Thankfully Wang Lang had connections and vaguely recognized the compound’s owner. Otherwise, barging into private homes within Immortal City let the resident retaliate freely—no rules applied.

After a quick exchange, Zhou Luo passed Wang Lang a potion bottle as a small comfort and urged greater caution in future.

"I was too cocky this time. Should’ve dragged those bastards straight to Brother Tiger’s place," Wang Lang grinned, pocketing the potion. Anyone who survived Immortal City’s black markets had some tricks. If he’d headed straight for Brother Tiger’s territory, that lot would’ve backed off immediately.

These words intrigued Zhou Luo.

After dinner, he took Wang Lang to his study.

"You want to open an alchemy shop?" Wang Lang stared at Zhou Luo in surprise.

Zhou Luo nodded. "I plan to start a shop. It’s a decent way to earn income."

He’d originally considered something grander like a Treasure Pavilion. But after much thought, the risks felt too high—especially in an Immortal City as treacherous as this, where becoming a target was easy. Alchemy seemed safer. Even if people knew the shop was his, they wouldn’t suspect a thing.

Moreover, he was the Lin Family’s Sixth Elder, so perhaps he could also leverage that reputation to expand the market.

As far as he knew, the Lin Family had no alchemy shops within the Immortal City, since alchemy had always been their weak point.

As for other shops, they did once exist, but due to the conflict with the Lu Family, they were severely short on manpower and ultimately pulled out.

It could be said that for both sides, The Great Battle demanded total commitment, reaching a life-or-death struggle.

Wang Lang observed him and suddenly chuckled. "Brother Zhou seems to be looking for an escape route."

Now that the conflict between the Lu and Lin families was escalating, with the Lin Family falling into disadvantage, Wang Lang naturally assumed Zhou Luo planned to flee.

Zhou Luo did not deny it.

Wang Lang grew even more certain. He stated seriously, "Brother Zhou, we could partner to open a shop. After all, I am also a spiritual symbol master."

He was a high-grade spiritual symbol master and typically supplied talismans to specific shops.

But who would prefer to work for others when they could be the boss?

These words piqued Zhou Luo’s interest.

Partnering with Wang Lang wasn’t entirely out of the question. Moreover, it would be an opportunity for him to craft a few top-quality spiritual symbols to sell in the shop.

That way, everyone would attribute these symbols to his involvement.

"How much capital are you planning to invest?" Zhou Luo inquired.

Wang Lang gave an awkward smile. "Brother Zhou, I’m not as wealthy as you, my contribution would be small. However, I could manage the shop for you and provide the spiritual symbols. In return, you’d only need to give me thirty percent of the profits."

Zhou Luo pondered it.

Thirty percent wasn’t excessive, but honestly, even without Wang Lang’s involvement, he felt confident enough to run the shop alone. Manpower was definitely not a concern.

However, Wang Lang’s sourcing channels and talisman crafting skills were genuinely valuable to him.

"Twenty percent. You should realize even without you, I could still open this shop." Zhou Luo laid out his baseline.

Clear accounts strengthen bonds, even between brothers – this must be definitive.

Hearing only twenty percent, Wang Lang’s expression shifted slightly, but he didn’t object immediately.

Opening his own shop had been a long-held desire.

But the spiritual stones required for such an endeavor were substantial. Lacking family support all these years, and maintaining three women in his household, he simply had no spare funds to start a venture.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sunk to procuring business for the black market.

Now, with this chance presented, he truly found no reason to decline.

Finally, gritting his teeth, he nodded. "Alright, twenty percent it is. Brother Zhou, I trust you. This shop will surely flourish under our partnership."

His words instantly established a brotherly bond between them.

Zhou Luo smiled faintly. "Then tomorrow we’ll go scout some locations."

He believed in Wang Lang’s ability. Once the shop grew, he’d consider bringing over a couple of promising children from his household.

After all, the spiritual energy within the inner city rivaled that of the Lin Family’s spiritual vein; cultivating them here in the Immortal City would be ideal.

"Deal! I’ll go fetch my life savings." Wang Lang agreed heartily and returned home.

…

The next day, Wang Lang took Zhou Luo straight to the center of the inner city.

Since they were opening a shop, investigating potential locations was essential.

But Wang Lang brimmed with confidence, claiming he’d already found the perfect spot.

He then guided Zhou Luo to a vacant shopfront next to the Yao Chi Pavilion.

"Brother Zhou, I’ve considered this spot for years. The foot traffic here dwarfs even the city center!" Wang Lang announced earnestly.

Zhou Luo shot this guy a skeptical look.

Was that truly the reason he picked this location?

His gaze drifted involuntarily to the neighboring Yao Chi Pavilion and, not far away, the Zhen Yin Tower where patrons listened to music and watched dances.

"Brother Zhou, do you doubt my integrity? Trust me, I’ve observed it thoroughly. Genuinely heavy foot traffic passes here daily – it’s highly promising," Wang Lang insisted with great seriousness.

He genuinely wasn’t lying. He had indeed considered this location several years prior.

Zhou Luo hesitated briefly, then recalled that this guy was investing spiritual stones too. He surely wouldn’t be this unreliable.

"Alright. We’ll open it right here then."

"No problem! Leave it all to me," Wang Lang replied, radiating absolute confidence.

With the location settled, the next step was negotiating the rent.

Originally, Wang Lang intended to lease it. But Zhou Luo worried that if business boomed, competitors might outbid them.

After all, they themselves had previously secured advantages using spiritual stones.

To avoid such troubles, he decisively chose to purchase it outright.

Faced with this, Wang Lang managed only a single remark.

"Boss Zhou, you’re so generous!"