Chapter 283

Chapter 283: The Upstart Enters the City

Early in the morning, on Pearl Street in Giant Shell City, shopkeepers had just propped up their doors to start business when over twenty ragged young people looked around, shouting, “Hey, this ready-made clothing shop looks good, doesn’t it?”

“Fool! You can’t buy clothes from a ready-made shop; they need to be custom-made, you know? You think it’s fine for the boss to just pick any random outfit? How embarrassing!”

“Ugh! Leaving Wan Nest Island in such a hurry, I originally placed an order for custom clothes, and now it’s all gone to waste!”

Well! This group was making quite a racket, causing Pearl Street to come alive. Many shop assistants stood outside the stores, sneering, seeing the newcomers as just hicks from the countryside.

Some onlookers, with too much to say, mocked, “Where did these filthy beggars come from? Don’t they realize where they are? This is Pearl Street in Giant Shell City; it’s not a place just anyone can access.”

“Boom…” Before the speaker could finish, they were thrown back, crashing through the shop door.

Chef Zhao retracted his palm and awkwardly laughed at the crowd, “Why can’t you take a hit? I just lightly tapped!”

Li Hui stepped into the shop, and the shopkeeper and assistants rushed to notify the patron in the front hall. They saw a group of poorly dressed cultivators enter, led by a young boy standing with his hands behind his back.

“How dare you!” the shopkeeper shouted, his nose in the air, pointing at Li Hui. Again, there was a loud “boom.”

This time it wasn’t Chef Zhao who made the move, but rather Song Zining, the only other Concentrating Spirit stage cultivator who willingly joined the ship, besides Si Ma Suiyun.

“If you want to die, we can oblige! What background do you think our young master has? How dare you be so disrespectful without being prudent and respectful? Do you think I won’t deal with you? Your employer will also have to face the consequences!” Despite the "宁(ning)" in Song Zining’s name, he was a pirate from Minghai Gate and certainly wasn’t one to back down from conflict! He chose to follow Li Hui because he had insight and lofty aspirations.

Now that he had decided to follow Li Hui and had witnessed the Hongmo Sect’s deadly methods, he felt a surge of anticipation and knew he must perform well, doing what was expected of a loyal subordinate.

The shopkeeper, confused about these people’s backgrounds, had no choice but to endure and serve cautiously. Thus, the group settled in at the Bianque Building on Pearl Street in Giant Shell City.

Li Hui loved to indulge, enjoy fine food, and wear beautiful attire. Under Chef Zhao’s influence, he had become more discerning. With Huo Qiniang managing their outfits, their clothing standards had elevated, and they used dragon scale gold for shopping.

Only then did the merchants of Giant Shell City realize they had a major client and hurried to inquire about their needs.

“Hmm? Asking what we need?” Chef Zhao sneered, “You should be asking what we don’t need! We’ll buy anything and everything—just buy, buy, buy!”

In the coming days, the merchants of Giant Shell City fully realized just how extravagant these “country bumpkins” were—they were truly without compare!

After leaving Wan Nest Island, Huo Qiniang and Chef Zhao had amassed a significant number of silver money symbols and gold money symbols, but their quantity was too large for the small markets to handle.

Using frost silver and dragon scale gold for transactions was much more cost-effective. Both minerals were incredibly cheap overseas, allowing them to create more room for procurement while gaining the merchants’ recognition, so they offered even better hidden treasures to entertain them.

In the Daling Dynasty, the purchasing power of real gold and silver was much stronger, providing more options during transactions compared to silver money symbols and gold money symbols.

Within just two days, Li Hui and his group had exhausted all desirable items in Giant Shell City.

Compared to Grand Xuan, the Daling Dynasty felt infinitely smaller; Huo Qiniang suddenly felt like a pond was far too limited—barely even a puddle. To purchase talisman paper and talisman ink, they would need to go to major cities with millions of cultivators.

Returning to this place, his mindset had drastically changed. However, Li Hui had no time for reflection; he was busy with something important.

In the vast hall, a giant map lay spread out, marking important sites like Yin Wind Gorge, Tianlai City, Fusu City, Shanghe Village, and Chuxia Mountain.

These places indicated the route he had taken after leaving Jade Spring Mountain, as well as the ones he was most concerned about. Twenty-eight talisman flags floated up, suddenly emitting golden light, and he could faintly hear the sound of bells.

“Dong, dong, dong…” As the bell sounded, a Nine-Tier Lotus Platform appeared beneath Li Hui’s feet, lifting him above the map, creating a connection with distant locations, and light and shadow quickly converged, forming a temple.

“What energy is this?” A voice emerged, laced with disbelief and surprise.

“Lieutenant Liu! By the looks of things, I should address you as General of the Pacification of Demons,” Li Hui said, smiling serenely, his aura dignified as if he were a seasoned monk.

“Your Majesty! I’ve been anxiously waiting for you,” Lieutenant Liu exclaimed joyfully. He and his companions were able to enjoy opportunities for cultivation thanks to Master Yingjun’s guidance, so they deeply felt gratitude and never dared to harbor a rebellious heart.

Li Hui suddenly turned serious, asking, “What’s really going on at Guangxiao Temple? Complaints abound, and fury surges like a tide. Also, I feel your energy has expanded hundreds of times but has become chaotic and contrary to your true nature. And Mu Qianyun seems to be away from Fusu City; how is she?”

Lieutenant Liu hesitated for a moment before sighing, “Your Majesty, speaking of the current situation at Guangxiao Temple, I cannot provide a judgment. Luo Chongba and Shen Shancai have built numerous temples, excessively praising those who serve the country and people, erecting countless merit tablets, and organizing countless Ghost Armies.”

“This is a good thing, right?”

Li Hui, slightly distracted, then recalled that during his time in Fusu City, he had taken in an unattractive boy named Luo Chongba as a disciple. He had also rescued a grandson of an artifact master named Shen Shancai in Tianlai City, giving him a drunken talisman to seek refuge at Guangxiao Temple in Fusu City. It seemed these two together had stirred up quite a fuss.

“It started as a good thing. Thus, I wholeheartedly supported it, yet Shen Shancai has turned it into a business,” Lieutenant Liu replied with a bitter smile. “Dalong has countless corrupted officials, and many people have suffered from unjust grievances. Shen Shancai thought if descendants wanted to clear their ancestors’ names, they could pay money to create a golden body and smooth over the issues with officials to erase the stain on their ancestors’ names. At first, it was important to clarify reputations, but as the number of clients increased, they lost the energy to discern true grievances.”

“Now even wealthy landlords are seeking to have golden bodies made for their ancestors.”

“Hey, that little brat has lost all sense of propriety and is just after money,” Li Hui slapped his forehead, hearing Lieutenant Liu continue, “Now Guangxiao Temple has established five hundred sixty-eight branch temples and added various services, such as seeking aid, blessings, and ancestor worship. I can only do my best to restrain and organize the ghost army, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing. We’ve had skirmishes with the dark soldiers protecting several temples, but they were effortlessly defeated.”

Implied was that the enemy was easily defeated, leading to their overwhelming victory.

Li Hui understood; apparently, the little rascal Shen Shancai had become a lapdog for the wealthy, helping them handle affairs with the “Underworld.” Whether or not he could manage it was one thing, but he certainly had put on quite a show; there was no way he could expand so widely without making a strong impression.

Five hundred sixty-eight branch temples! Just thinking about it was terrifying; at least two to three new branches opened daily—the interest compounding was unmatched.

“Is the Dalong Buddhist Sect just allowing this to happen, letting them become stronger?” Li Hui exclaimed in astonishment.

“It’s not that they’re indifferent; it’s because they can’t spare the manpower!” Lieutenant Liu explained. “Ever since the disaster at Linggui City, the days have not been easy for the Three Sects and Four Sects…”