Chapter 274

Chapter 274: Showdown at the Door?

As dusk approached, the crowd at Yao Yuan Pavilion gradually thinned out.

Almost everything on the store’s counters had been snatched up. Had Wang Lang not forcefully shooed people out, they’d likely have lingered even longer.

Seated behind the counter, Wang Lang leafed through the ledger, grinning from ear to ear.

Today’s earnings had filled Yao Yuan Pavilion’s pockets, and judging by the momentum, tomorrow would likely bring another packed house.

"Look at this guy, acting like he’s never seen real money before," Zhou Luo stepped out, offering a mocking chuckle at Wang Lang’s expense.

"Hey, Boss Zhou, why don’t you seem happy about this?" Wang Lang tilted his head upward, thoroughly perplexed.

"The good times have only just begun." Zhou Luo replied with a light laugh.

"Whether good times are starting or not remains unknown, but you need to hurry and restock—especially those Gu insects," Wang Lang cautioned.

"That’s too sudden, impossible to manage now." Yao Wu emerged from the back room, sounding helpless.

Zhou Luo had specifically summoned her to the shop to formalize an agreement, preventing any future disputes over profit distribution.

"Well, I don’t care about that. Xiaowu, you’ll just have to work through the night and speed up the refining," Wang Lang declared, embodying the authority of a shopkeeper.

Yao Wu glared at him. "You think refining Gu insects is so easy?"

"We still have some Gu insects in stock. Start limiting purchases tomorrow—claim the supply can’t keep up with demand yet," Zhou Luo proposed.

Yao Wu still had a batch of Gu insects promised to Hong Xiu to refine, leaving little spare time.

Just then, three cultivators in blue robes abruptly entered the shop.

They moved with an imposing urgency.

"We’re closed. Come back tomorrow." Wang Lang remained seated behind the counter, not even glancing up as he dismissed them bluntly.

"And who gave you permission to open this shop?"

The lead male cultivator suddenly spoke with clear hostility, his tone aggressive and confrontational.

Zhou Luo’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

Wang Lang jerked his head up, spotting the emblem on their chests. A flicker of unease crossed his eyes.

He rose from behind the counter with a forced smile, approaching the trio. "Friends, since we bought this shop, does Immortal City forbid selling goods?"

The middle-aged man at the front scowled and snapped, "If you plan to sell potions, why haven’t you submitted materials and paid dues to the Potion Alliance?"

"Exactly! Are you looking down on the Potion Alliance?" added one of the men behind, voice dripping with displeasure.

Watching this unfold, Zhou Luo immediately understood.

Clearly, their new shop’s success had drawn covetous eyes, and now these people were here to stir trouble.

Such incidents were hardly rare in daily life.

He just hadn’t anticipated such shamelessness inside Immortal City—especially since they invoked the Potion Alliance.

The Potion Alliance was an internal coalition within the city aiming to unite all Pill Masters for mutual study and advancement.

As a Pill Master himself, Geng Feng had once invited them to join. But Zhou Luo had refused.

Little had he expected to be visited by people that day.

Judging by their appearance, it did not seem to be the true intention of the Potion Alliance, but rather a deliberate attempt to cause trouble.

After all, such a colossal entity like the Potion Alliance should not have stooped to the level of protection rackets.

Recalling the group of shopkeepers and bosses that Wang Lang had rejected during the day, it was likely they had united to try and suppress them.

However, that group should be members of the Potion Alliance, and if mishandled, it could easily provoke that behemoth.

Wang Lang had also guessed their intentions, and he looked grimly at Zhou Luo beside him.

Zhou Luo then walked unhurriedly toward them and asked, "Does selling potions here require permission from the Potion Alliance?"

"It naturally does, or else you lack the qualification to sell potions," the middle-aged man leading them said arrogantly.

"But how do I recall there being no such rule in the Immortal City? Could your Potion Alliance be larger than the Immortal Sect?" Zhou Luo retorted.

The faces of all three immediately changed, especially the leading middle-aged man, whose brow furrowed deeply.

They were originally hired to suppress the other party and gain some benefits on the side.

Yet the other party had pitted them directly against the Immortal Sect.

If they handled it poorly, it might anger the colossal entity, the Qinyuan Sect.

"In this Immortal City, the rules of the Immortal Sect reign supreme, but our Potion Alliance aims to protect the interests of all Pill Masters. You opening a shop is one thing, but failing to sell according to Potion Alliance regulations disrupts the market," the leading man said firmly.

The Yao Yuan Pavilion had used a high-volume, low-margin strategy that day to attract customers, offering affordable and quality goods, likely stirring discontent among some rivals.

But Zhou Luo paid no mind; if he yielded today, he could forget about any discounts in the future.

Moreover, once they backed down, everyone would only think them easy targets.

"I’m not a member of the Potion Alliance, so what do your rules have to do with me?" Zhou Luo asked in return.

"You look down on the Potion Alliance?" the leader immediately tried labeling him.

In this situation, if he admitted it, he would offend the Potion Alliance, and with them exaggerating the story to their superiors, the business probably couldn’t continue by the next day.

If he did not admit it, they could seize the chance to force him to abide by the Potion Alliance regulations.

This trick had always worked against newly opened shops without backing or solid foundations.

They often profited handsomely from it.

Zhou Luo’s gaze darkened slightly, and he said indifferently, "I have no issue with the Potion Alliance, but this shop is for my children. If you’re dissatisfied, go find them."

"Where are they?" the leading man asked, his eyes flickering.

"They are Inner Sect disciples of the Immortal Sect. If you have any issues, you can go directly to the Inner Sect of the Immortal Sect to lodge your complaints."

After speaking, Zhou Luo directly took out a token of the Qinyuan Sect.

His voice was forceful, especially after revealing the token, when he silently released his mental strength.

That powerful mental strength pressed down like a giant mountain, and the trio’s faces paled as their hearts shook.

Inner Sect disciples of the Immortal Sect?

They were not someone they could provoke; even elders of the Potion Alliance might tread carefully.

And judging by the token, it did not look fake at all.

"Esteemed sir, today was a misunderstanding. Let’s be civil and prosper together," the leading man said with a sheepish smile.

They were the lowest rung in the Potion Alliance, just extorting others under its name.

If they truly offended an Inner Sect disciple of the Immortal Sect, the lightest punishment might be expulsion from the alliance, and the worst could mean losing all cultivation.

That was not something they could accept.

"A misunderstanding? I don’t think so," Zhou Luo sneered coldly.

These days, boasting about one’s father is satisfying, but showcasing one’s children isn’t bad either.

Although his pair of children hadn’t formally entered the Inner Sect yet, with just the token, these people likely wouldn’t foolishly go to verify it.

Even if they did, it wouldn’t matter.

After all, they would join the Inner Sect eventually.

Their minds trembling, the trio’s leader resolutely took out a storage bag and offered it.

"Shopkeeper, we were blind to the obvious."