Chapter 252

Chapter 252: Understanding Satisfaction

Shenmu City in the central region

The celebration of corrupt merchants came to an end. A group of them gathered at Qinghuan Tower to celebrate. This time, both small and big businesses in Shenmu City made a profit. It was just a matter of how much they earned.

However, they still found the profit not satisfying enough. They all expressed their wishes for a fierce fight between the Shenmu Sect and the Spiritual Moon Sect that would last for ten or eight years. They believed they could make tons of money that way.

Lin Jiang shook his head at this. These people had too big of an appetite. It was a bit dangerous to be associated with them. He wondered if they were not afraid of retaliation from the Shenmu Sect by making money this way.

So Lin Jiang quietly slipped away and returned to the business establishment. The people there were working overnight to tally the profits.

"Uncle, we roughly calculated it. We earned nearly as much profit in three months as we did in the past two years. We still have a lot of raw materials, so we won’t need to purchase for at least three to five years. We sold too little."

Lin Cunjian said to Lin Jiang. They started later, and Lin Jiang’s heart is not dark enough. Other businesses directly collaborate with the steward of the Shenmu Sect and buy their supplies in large quantities. Lin Jiang didn’t establish that connection and instead capitalized on the Shenmu Sect’s increased military strength, profiting from the rising market prices.

"Cunjian, you must remember that each person can only earn wealth within their own knowledge. They may earn a little more due to certain opportunities, but often it will slip away in other ways. What can’t be seized, one must be content. Do you understand?"

"Yes, uncle."

"Everyone has been extremely tired these few months. We will give everyone double pay for two months, and in a few days, we will have a gathering and prepare some delicious food."

Lin Jiang nodded. Most of the goods in their business were made by themselves, with only a small portion provided by cooperating cultivators. Lin Cunjian and the others have been exhausted these past months, so Lin Jiang couldn’t be too demanding. Of course, he would earn the most, that goes without saying.

Since Lin Jiang lost his properties, he started to handle business matters properly. He owns all the shares in the business, while Lin Cunjian and the others are just employees. At most, they have slightly more conscience compared to other cunning merchants.

"Thank you, uncle."

Lin Cunjian replied. The descendants of the Lin family don’t think Lin Jiang is deceiving them, because he gives them higher salaries compared to other businesses. Plus, the business takes care of their food and lodging, so they receive much better treatment than other people.

In their hearts, they felt grateful towards Lin Jiang and believed that Lin Jiang had already treated them like family, not treating one another badly.

········

The Bing State, a Wilderness outpost.

Lin Jiang was boasting with a group of independent cultivators. Anyway, they were all strangers to each other and might never see each other again after today. It didn’t matter if they boasted.

Of course, Lin Jiang wasn’t foolishly bragging about how wealthy he was. He only boasted about some extravagant things, making everyone laugh out loud.

Drinking, boasting, and finding women were excellent ways for independent cultivators to relieve stress, especially in the Wilderness. No one knows how long they can survive there, and every step in the Wilderness could be a trap, causing immense mental pressure.

"Bang!"

In the midst of the conversation, a burly man pushed open the door, emitting a strong aura that silenced the scene. Everyone turned their heads and saw a heavily built man standing there. Some quietly used their divine sense to investigate and their expressions changed afterwards.

"Son, come here."

Lin Jiang didn’t care at all and waved his hand at the big man.

With this, the independent cultivator who bragged with Lin Jiang at the same table was shocked. So it turns out you weren’t bragging, huh? You really do whatever you want with your son at the Nascent Soul stage.

Small Shadiao sat down next to Lin Jiang and saw food and wine on the table. He grabbed it and started eating without fear of being poisoned. After all, he had the body of a monster with tough skin and flesh. Even ordinary poison couldn’t kill him.

"Son, how was the harvest?"

"See for yourself."

Small Shadiao tossed out a bag, and Lin Jiang used his spiritual sense to check it. He immediately showed a face full of surprise.

"I’ll take my leave first."

The independent cultivators at the same table scattered. They were at different levels and couldn’t chat together, so it was better to leave early.

"You did well this time. You previously took over four hundred thousand spirit stones from me, rounded up to five hundred thousand. Adding the interest, it’s about eight hundred thousand. As we are family, I’ll only take a small profit, which is not considered usury. I think the gains this time are worth three to five thousand spirit stones. Young man, keep up the good work, and next year I’ll find you a little female bird."

Lin Jiang smiled and said happily, after the battle between Shenmu Sect and Spiritual Moon Sect ended, Lin Jiang’s days in Shenmu City became ordinary. Meanwhile, Small Shadiao had accumulated a huge debt and was banned from leaving. In desperation, he asked Lin Jiang for help to go to Wilderness to hunt demons and repay the debt. Lin Jiang agreed and handed over his business to Lin Cunjian and others, while he took Small Shadiao to Wilderness.

Of course, Lin Jiang stayed at the base and talked big, while Small Shadiao did most of the work.

Upon hearing Lin Jiang’s words, Small Shadiao suddenly lost his appetite. He slammed the table and asked. Where is the waiter?

"Excuse me, is there anything you need?"

"Light a lamp."

"Ah!"

"It’s too dark."

"Ah!"

"Go quickly."

"Yes, yes."

The little buddy didn’t dare argue with the Nascent Soul expert, so he quickly activated the lighting formation.

Small Shadiao glanced at Lin Jiang’s face and said. It’s still too dark, can’t see clearly.

"I’ve told you not to hang out with shady folks. Look at this kid, now even picking up nonsense."

"You’re really ruthless."

Small Shadiao was so angry that he spat blood. This time, he hunted three third-level demonic beasts, each worth at least tens of thousands of spirit stones. But under his jerk of an owner, they suddenly became only three to five thousand?

"Thanks for the compliments, my son."

"If you’re capable, don’t just pick on me. Go bully others if you can."

"I’m just useless. I’m just trying to act tough. Go ahead, bite me."

"I want to change…"

"Ahem, be more discreet, you are a human now."

Small Shadiao looked sad and angry, and stopped talking. He lowered his head and ate his meal quickly. He had learned from experience not to argue with his master, because he could never win. No one could outsmart his master.

Lin Jiang laughed loudly. He loved seeing Small Shadiao trying to defeat him, but unable to do so. It was very satisfying.

In the following days, neither Lin Jiang nor Small Shadiao went outside. They stayed in their room and dealt with their prey. Small Shadiao didn’t know much about medicinal herbs, so he relied on his instincts to find them. As a result, he didn’t find many, and instead focused on hunting demons.

However, different parts of the demons had different values, so they had to be carefully separated. This required precision, something Small Shadiao wasn’t good at, so Lin Jiang had to do it himself.

Once the prey was divided, Lin Jiang didn’t sell it to the shops in the outpost. He had stayed at the Wilderness outpost of the Five Elements Sect for many years and knew how shady the shops there were. He wasn’t going to give those dishonest merchants a chance. Instead, he planned to take everything back to Shenmu City and keep all the profits for himself.

After a few days of rest, Lin Jiang once again bid farewell to Small Shadiao, encouraging him to continue working hard. He wanted him to pay off the debt he owed and earn enough food for the future.

As soon as they went outside, they saw a huge flying boat landing. The boat had a crescent moon-shaped emblem on it. Lin Jiang thought to himself, "Isn’t this the symbol of the Spiritual Moon Sect? Why are they here?"

Sure enough, a large group of beautiful female cultivators came down from the flying boat, and the independent cultivators at the base were amazed. Some people have been here for decades, and even the female pigs are graceful and attractive.

But as the leading female cultivator’s powerful divine sense swept over, the group of people’s faces changed, and they dared not look her in the eye.

The leading female cultivator sensed that her divine sense disappeared here in Small Shadiao, and her eyes met with Small Shadiao, acknowledging each other silently.

"Dad, do you think she likes me? She smiled at me."

"Shut up quickly, you don’t understand anything, go away."

Lin Jiang quickly covered his mouth. That person is a powerful expert in Soul Changing. Are you looking to die? You, a mere fourth-stage rookie, are not worth her attention.

"Boring."

Small Shadiao felt speechless and quickly left the base, returning to the life of a laborer, earning money for her boss.

The guardian of the base, Nascent Soul, appeared and had a conversation with the Soul Changing cultivator of the Spiritual Moon Sect. The power behind this base is from the Bing State, but they have a good relationship with the Spiritual Moon Sect, so they naturally have to arrange a suitable place for them.

When the people from Spiritual Moon Sect left, a group of cultivators who practiced alone immediately started discussing again.

"Those girls are so pretty, I wonder if they are here for business. If they are, I would do anything to help their business."

"I think you don’t know what’s good for you, look closely, those are people from Spiritual Moon Sect."

"What is Spiritual Moon Sect?"

"Spiritual Moon Sect is a sect in the central region. They have a powerful leader called a Tao Achieving Ancestor."

"Hiss."

"Do you still want to help take care of them?"

"Well, that’s not a bad idea. With my looks and charm, seducing a few female disciples shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

The group of cultivators couldn’t stop talking about women for even three sentences, and a cheerful atmosphere filled the air.

"Why is Spiritual Moon Sect here? Are they hunting demons? Usually, major sects don’t hunt demons."

Someone asked with curiosity. Top sects don’t engage in demon hunting. Firstly, they don’t care about the money involved. At most, they establish outposts in the Wilderness. Dangerous tasks are usually handled by independent cultivators. The sect leaders prefer to exploit from their high positions. Secondly, if the major sects get involved, they might exert too much force and provoke a counterattack from the demon race. It could even lead to a war between humans and demons, which would be detrimental to all parties involved.

"It’s probably because of the traitor Xiao Lingyue from Spiritual Moon Sect."

Someone replied. The conflict between Shenmu Sect and Spiritual Moon Sect has caused quite a stir. Even in Bing State, the news has spread widely. Well-informed people have known about it for a while.

Lin Jiang also felt that this possibility was very likely. He suddenly sensed danger and realized that it wouldn’t be safe here anymore.

"Should I run away?"

Lin Jiang hesitated. He had only been here for less than two months and hadn’t earned any money yet. Should he risk his life for money or prioritize his life over money?