Dao Companions Help Me Live Forever

Chapter 234: Illusory and Real

In the city of Wangshu, there was the Qu Mansion.

Everyone in the city knew that not long after the Chu Mansion's master was appointed by the Tiancheng, he assimilated into the local customs and selected two families as in-laws in the city.

They were the Qu family and the You family.

These two families were both prominent local clans, with several Gold Core cultivators in their ranks. After joining forces with the Chu Mansion's master, they formed a strong alliance.

In these years, the Chu Mansion's master ruled with inaction, and these two families exerted great effort and reaped most of the benefits.

Of course, since Chu Yanran was born, the previously equal status of the two families gradually shifted.

The Qu family had quietly become the first noble family in Wangshu.

In recent years, the Great Unity Society emerged and, with the support of the City Lord's Mansion, seized most of the profitable businesses in the city.

After all, in a city with a stable overall development, the market share is limited.

If someone takes a bigger piece, someone else has to take a smaller piece.

From this perspective, the Qu family was also a party that suffered losses.

However, in these years, the cultivators in the Qu family followed the Chu Mansion's master and made quite a profit from the Demon Suppression Army. Overall, they made a slight profit compared to before, so they had no objections.

Otherwise, if the Great Unity Society had done this, the Chu Mansion's master would have long been in trouble.

But now that the Demon Suppression Army is facing disbandment, the Qu family's source of wealth has been cut off, and they have other ideas in mind.

So when Chu Yanran arrived with the Chu Mansion's master's order, they immediately agreed.

In the council chamber.

Representatives from various families in the city gathered together, and the atmosphere was somewhat solemn.

Cultivators are not aloof.

On the contrary, even a powerful sect like the Xuan Yang Sect has to recruit disciples widely and use the Eight Great Heavenly Cities to suppress a realm and plunder resources.

What qualifications do the strongest in their families, who are only at the Gold Core Realm, have to be aloof?

If the family's income decreases, they have to reduce the resources for daily cultivation, and the younger generations of the family will not receive good training.

Over time, the family will decline and eventually disappear into the dust of history.

So when the Qu family notified them to discuss important matters together, although they had doubts in their hearts, everyone still came, and they were all important figures from each family.

"Brother Qu, since you called everyone here, it can't be just to have us sit here, right?"

"The Lord of the Mansion is being unfair. He has eaten his fill, so does he not care about us? We have been working hard these years and have not caused any trouble for him."

"Now the Great Unity Society is going too far, and the City Lord's Mansion is making all sorts of excuses. Someone has to stand up and say something."

Someone took the lead, and the hall was filled with the complaints of the crowd.

"Before, I thought that the President of the Great Unity Society, Bai, knew how to be a decent person. Even the Gold Core treasures like the External Dao Gold Core were given away for free."

"Our Zhang family made quite a profit from selling qualifications. But in recent years, our chances of winning have become lower and lower, and our Zhang family's pill refining business has been completely taken over by the Great Unity Society."

"Now our pill refining room loses two to three hundred thousand Spirit Stones every year."

"Most of the pill refining masters in our pill refining room have been poached by the Great Unity Society."

"And the key is, we can't beat them."

"The Great Unity Society is simply unfilial. At first, that Grand Love Garden promised stable profits, so we invested and bought most of their houses."

"But the result is that the house prices skyrocketed, and there are hardly any buyers."

"Not only that, if someone sells, we have to take over, otherwise the house prices will plummet."

"Now we are barely holding on, and only the Great Unity Society is thriving."

"I don't know where the Great Unity Society learned these tricks. Daddy regrets it now, especially regrets it. It would have been better to be honest and farm at home, relying on rent to sustain our lives."

"Now we owe a lot of debt, and even the spiritual fields have to be mortgaged to others."

There are also shares of the Supreme Elder in there. If they are taken away, Daddy won't be able to live anymore."

The crowd was discussing fervently, their eyes filled with bitter tears.

Don't be fooled by their appearance of being experienced and cunning after practicing for a hundred years.

Their thinking patterns have actually become rigid due to years of experience, and they are completely powerless against the skilled tactics of the Datong Society.

In the past, when faced with such almost fraudulent methods, they could have just flipped the table and refused to play.

If they can't solve the problem, they can't solve the person who raised the problem.

Unfortunately, the City Lord's Mansion, which should have stood with them, has turned its back and gone to the grandmother's house this time.

They can't win with force, and they can't win with softness either.

As the current head of the Qu family, Qu Ming, seeing the angry crowd, couldn't help but rub his forehead and secretly feel fortunate.

Fortunately, this time they were called here for a good reason, otherwise they might have started fighting on the spot.

"Everyone, please calm down."

"I invited you all here, naturally, to provide you with a solution. The current appearance of Shufu City is all thanks to the hard work of our families year after year.

The foundation of the Datong Society is shallow, so how can it go against the opinions of the masses?"

"So, I want to announce some good news to everyone."

"I believe everyone also knows that a few days ago, after Chu Mansion Lord returned, he specially invited President Bai for a meeting.

The situation seemed very unfavorable.

But the actual situation is not like that. In fact, under the persuasion of Chu Mansion Lord, President Bai agreed to share the industries of the Datong Society with everyone.

We can all earn Spirit Stones together and be happy."

Qu Ming clapped his hands and said to the back hall in a triumphant manner:

"President Bai, please come and say a few words to everyone."

After a while, a somewhat haggard-looking Yu Xian walked out of the back hall and bowed to the crowd.

"President Bai greets everyone, fellow daoists."

Most of the people present had suffered losses at the hands of the Datong Society, so seeing Yu Xian's appearance, instead of feeling sympathy, they felt a sense of relief.

After all, Yu Xian is an outsider, and Chu Mansion Lord is still on the side of their own people.

They had misunderstood the Lord of the Mansion before.

Yu Xian smiled bitterly and said, "According to Chu Mansion Lord's suggestion, the Datong Society intends to split and auction off all industries except for the Great Love Project.

If any of you are interested, you can participate in the auction at the Datong Society after one month."

"They actually want to split and auction off the Datong Society."

The crowd immediately became excited and interested.

They had all suffered losses at the hands of the Datong Society, and they knew that besides the Great Love Project, the other projects of the Datong Society were like golden egg-laying chickens.

If they could get even one of them and continue with the previous model without making any changes, they could make a lot of money.

As for the Great Love Project, they didn't want it.

Doing good deeds and losing money is something their wealthy families can't afford.

However...

There are no free lunches in the world. Just as news of the lawsuit was spreading, President Bai came out to appease them.

Could it be that Chu Mansion Lord and President Bai have other agreements in private, and everything now is just an act?

Some doubts arose in their hearts.

But overall, Yu Xian's performance did indeed appease them.

Just like the concerns of the County Magistrate Yan in Qiufeng City, it is easy to invite a god but difficult to send them away.

Once the Sect's supervision comes down, they must return with achievements.

Moreover, the supervising cultivator responsible for the first-level of the City Lord's Mansion is already a Nascent Soul True Monarch. To satisfy such a person, the price they have to pay is enough to cause serious harm.

If it weren't for the collusion between the Datong Society and the City Lord's Mansion before, and if they hadn't pushed them to the limit, they wouldn't have had such thoughts.

So, after the crowd dispersed from the Qu Mansion, they each used their connections to inquire about the situation.

It is only natural that I coincidentally heard that the Lord of the Chu Mansion was severely injured while exterminating demons outside.

Now, Miss Chu and her mother, who used to be the Miss of the Qu Family, are privately selling the Chu family's properties.

But strangely, they only want Spirit Stones.

Someone visited the Lord of the Chu Mansion under the pretext of visiting him, but they were blocked and told that it was inconvenient to see guests.

These actions raise suspicions.

Until a rumor spread that the Lord of the Chu Mansion had inquired about the Infant Transformation Pill from the Yan Supervisor at the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce, and it was confirmed that the Infant Transformation Pill would be sold at the auction held by the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce in the Xuanyang Realm.

People who were interested rushed to the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce to inquire.

Although the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce theoretically does not allow the leakage of customer privacy, these inquirers are all influential figures in the city and the main source of the Chamber of Commerce's customers.

So the Yan Supervisor neither admitted nor denied it, but nodded to confirm that the Infant Transformation Pill would indeed appear at the auction.

In this way, the clever ones immediately understood everything.

The Lord of the Chu Mansion pretended to be sick and injured, but in reality, he was preparing to break through the Nascent Soul stage. Now, selling the properties under his name and only accepting Spirit Stones is evidence of this.

The reason why President Bai compromised with the Lord of the Chu Mansion is probably because they reached an agreement in secret.

Or perhaps they were simply threatened by the Lord of the Chu Mansion, and the Spirit Stones they auctioned would become resources to support his breakthrough.

After thorough investigation and evidence collection, the Datong Society itself was overlooked, and everyone's attention was focused on the possibility of the Lord of the Chu Mansion breaking through the Nascent Soul stage.

The difference between the Gold Core Realm and the Nascent Soul Realm is only one major realm.

But one realm makes a world of difference.

Of course, breaking through the Nascent Soul Realm is not easy, otherwise the Lord of the Chu Mansion would not be so low-key.

Being too high-profile not only invites jealousy, but also may lead to unexpected changes. If he fails, he will become a laughingstock.

Some people, thinking they have the correct answer, secretly conceal this information, selling the Lord of the Chu Mansion a favor.

As for filing a complaint, only fools do that.

Now everyone is busy dividing the cake of the Datong Society, occasionally a few families privately meet to discuss.

After all, although each family has considerable assets, they have limited cash flow and need to work together to succeed.

...

In the Lord's Mansion.

Chu Yanran recounted the recent changes in the city to the Lord of the Chu Mansion one by one, while comforting him:

"Father, rest assured, President Bai has promised me that as long as I hand over the Spirit Stones to him, he will not harm you."

"Yes, Father, with me and Yanran here, President Bai wouldn't dare to harm you. We can even die together with him, and we won't let him off easily."

Duan Hong, who looked weak and pale, cheered from the side.

The Lord of the Chu Mansion glanced lightly at Duan Hong and said nothing.

He knew that Duan Hong was most likely a member of the Datong Society, but he couldn't say anything now, not even hint at it. He could only watch his daughter fall into the trap of this man's tenderness.

Because that Devil Monarch senior was almost always by his side.

Once he showed any flaws, it would be a city-wide catastrophe.

Speaking of which, he was quite honored to be treated so cautiously by a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

At the same time, he became even more wary of President Bai's identity, as he could make a Nascent Soul True Monarch obey his every command.

Perhaps the Sect had finally caught him, but without investigating thoroughly, they didn't dare to really execute him.

Otherwise, they would truly incur the wrath of a Divine Transformation Devil Venerable, and even the Jiuyang Immortal Sect wouldn't be able to protect them.

His previous thoughts were a bit too idealistic.

"Father is fine here. Listen to President Bai's orders and consult with Duan Hong on everything. Although his cultivation base is not as high as yours, he is much smarter than you."

The Lord of the Chu Mansion said calmly.

"Yes, Father, I understand. If it weren't for Duan Lang accompanying me during these days, I really wouldn't know how to get through it."

Chu Yanran tightly held Duan Hong's hand, her face filled with a happy smile.

The Lord of the Chu Mansion: "..."

"That's enough, you should leave now."

The bald man had an expressionless face.

Chu Yanran looked at Chu Fuzhu reluctantly and said, "Father, I will come to see you often. Take care of yourself."

Chu Fuzhu nodded slightly, no longer wanting to talk to his foolish daughter.

Shortly after Chu Yanran and Duan Hong left.

Yu Xian appeared in front of Chu Fuzhu on time.

"Chu Fuzhu, thank you for your cooperation. Otherwise, I would have been in a difficult situation."

Chu Fuzhu sneered, "Bai Chairman is truly skilled. He can manipulate things effortlessly. Now the whole city is guessing when I will break through. They probably have no idea that I am already your captive."

Yu Xian smiled, "It goes both ways. Chu Fuzhu didn't tell me about the Sect's supervision either. If the supervising cultivator from Xuan Yang Sect comes, I will have to flee. But if Chu Fuzhu turns the tables in a desperate situation, it will become a great story. Unfortunately, Chu Fuzhu probably doesn't know that they have no intention of actually reporting to the Sect for supervision. The previous information was intentionally released to scare you and me."

Chu Fuzhu shook his head, "It's their own fault for being attracted by the small benefits you offered, losing their rationality and foresight, hesitating to make big decisions, and wasting a great opportunity."

Yu Xian said, "I actually think it's your fault."

Chu Fuzhu asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Yu Xian sighed, "If it weren't for your Sect's supervision being too ruthless in their searches, they would have gained something every time they acted. This would have made them more cautious about reporting, and you wouldn't have miscalculated. But I also understand your Sect's supervision. After all, if someone asks me to do something, even if I don't succeed, I still expect to receive half of the benefits."

Chu Fuzhu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "Chairman Bai is truly a clever person."

Yu Xian said, "Chu Fuzhu, you flatter me. A few days ago, you were still calling me a demon."

"Chu Fuzhu, I have no intention of killing you. As long as you cooperate, when I finish what I need to do, you will still be the Lord of your mansion. And the Great Unity Society can still cooperate with you."

Chu Fuzhu asked in surprise, "Aren't you afraid of me seeking revenge afterwards?"

Yu Xian laughed heartily, looking very confident.

"I have always believed that there are no eternal enemies in this world, only eternal interests. You and I are not mortal enemies who will fight to the death. Besides, apart from the Great Unity Society, who else can give you another chance to condense your Nascent Soul?"

Chu Fuzhu fell silent for a moment and asked, "What exactly do you want to do?"

Yu Xian thought for a moment, with a sunny smile on his face.

"It's a secret, but I believe it should be a good thing."

"Chu Fuzhu, rest well and don't look too haggard when your daughter sees you. She will be worried."

Yu Xian waved his hand and bid farewell.

Chu Fuzhu glanced at the bald man standing silently on the side like a statue since Yu Xian arrived, and sighed inwardly.

"A single wrong thought leads to a complete loss."

Recalling the past, he had long given up on the idea of breaking through. Whether he broke through or not was irrelevant. He spent his days indulging in the scenery, leaving the political affairs of the Lord's Mansion to the Qu and You families to handle.

But how did he end up like this today?

Perhaps...

Chu Fuzhu remembered the day he first met Yu Xian, when they toasted and exchanged cups, and the idea of breaking through Nascent Soul took root and sprouted in his heart.

"He truly is a demon."

If he wasn't a demon, how could he have easily let his desires take root and become uncontrollable?

He sat down, his body suddenly showing signs of aging.

(End of this chapter)