Yun Che's hand slowly loosened.
Ji Ruyan collapsed to the ground, clutching her throat and coughing painfully. Yun Che turned his back to her and said coldly, "I saw with my own eyes the miserable plight of the Wood Spirits, and I witnessed their tragic fate with my own eyes... Right there, in the place where they had always curled up in fear, all the Wood Spirits, men and women, young and old, were brutally murdered..."
"They are by no means utterly evil; on the contrary, their pure goodness purifies the soul of anyone who comes into brief contact with them... And yet they met such a tragic end at the hands of the Black Soul Sect! Before this, who knows how many Wood Spirits and other beings suffered the same fate. Your Black Feather Chamber of Commerce may not have directly participated, but you have always been complicit... You truly deserve to die!"
"..." The pain gradually faded. Ji Ruyan still sat on the ground, her lips pale, breathing heavily, offering no rebuttal.
"I returned to Heiya City to kill! The people of the Black Soul Sect, the people of the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce... and of course, you!"
Ji Ruyan: "..."
"I am sparing you for now because I want to hear why you specifically requested to meet me alone. You had better give me a sufficient reason; otherwise, I will be the first to use your blood to mourn the souls of those Wood Spirits!" Yun Che's cold voice carried an even icier murderous intent.
Ji Ruyan slowly raised her head and said softly, "Young master... do you truly intend to kill the people of the Black Soul Sect? Just because they hunt Wood Spirits?"
"They deserve to die!" Yun Che's every word was grim.
Feeling Yun Che's bone-chilling killing intent so closely, Ji Ruyan's face showed not fear but joy: "If that is the case, then Ruyan has truly gambled correctly."
She stood up, her bright eyes rippling with slight emotion: "Brother Lingyun, I beg you... save the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce."
"???" Yun Che frowned: "Save the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce? Are you joking?"
"Young master is a man of great righteousness. Since you hate the Black Soul Sect so much, you must also deeply detest the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce for aiding the tyrant. But the truth is not at all what you have seen."
Ji Ruyan bit her lip, a hint of sorrow in her gaze: "The rise and fall of a merchant guild often happens overnight. A guild's long-lasting prosperity is far more difficult than that of a dynasty or sect. Our Black Feather Chamber of Commerce has existed for fifty thousand years, longer than any sect in the Heiya Realm. Even across the entire Divine Realm, there are very few merchant guilds that have flourished for so many years, and they are even rarer in lower star realms."
"With such a deep history and foundation, the roots of the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce are firmly entrenched. Our wealth and reputation go without saying... But, young master, have you ever wondered why such a guild would risk annihilation and the ruin of its reputation to engage in filthy underground transactions, earning only meager profits?"
"..." Indeed, after learning of the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce's status and witnessing its grandeur, Yun Che had wondered about this more than once. He said coldly, "You're not going to tell me you were coerced by the Black Soul Sect, are you?"
"Coerced is an understatement." Ji Ruyan said, "Previously, in the Heiya Realm, the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce and the Black Soul Divine Sect each went their own way, coexisting peacefully. But a thousand years ago, the Black Soul Sect suddenly struck. They vilely kidnapped my father when he was still a child, forcing my grandfather to agree to integrate their filthy underground trade into the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce."
Yun Che: "..."
"My grandfather had nine children in total, but aside from my father, all died young. Under duress, my grandfather had no choice but to agree... Shortly after, when the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce sold the first Wood Spirit Pearl, my father was released. But this leverage was firmly grasped by the Black Soul Sect, which then completely dragged the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce into a quagmire of darkness. For every forced underground transaction, the Black Soul Sect used Mysterious Shadow Stones to record complete evidence... pushing the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce deeper and deeper."
"From then on, the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce was forced to be under the Black Soul Sect's control. Otherwise, once the sect made that evidence public, everything the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce had built would be destroyed overnight, and we would fall into a miserable state condemned by the world and even future generations."
"And the Black Soul Sect did this not merely to control our Black Feather Chamber of Commerce, but to firmly grasp the entire Heiya Realm in their hands. Because every filthy, sinful underground transaction not only left leverage against the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce but also against the customers! The Black Feather Chamber of Commerce must report every detail of the customers' information and desired purchases to the Black Soul Sect, and even the transaction scenes are secretly recorded in full with Mysterious Shadow Stones..."
"Heh, playing with such a big fire, aren't they afraid of burning themselves first?" Yun Che said scornfully.
"Of course not... Because the one executing the underground transactions is never the Black Soul Sect, but always our Black Feather Chamber of Commerce. If things ever come to light, the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce will be destroyed, but it will never harm the Black Soul Sect."
Ji Ruyan sighed softly: "Not long after that, my grandfather, feeling he had failed his ancestors, died of depression. After my father inherited the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce, the only thing he could do was to be extremely careful, never letting the world know that the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce had such a sordid side. For this reason, he personally managed the underground trade. Every customer, especially new ones, he would personally receive and vet, not daring the slightest oversight."
"So, the 'Master Ji' I met that day was your father... the current guild master of the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce?" Yun Che asked. He truly had not expected this. And no one would ever imagine that the leader of such a massive guild would personally 'serve customers.'
No wonder that when he directly mentioned 'Wood Spirit Pearl,' the man had shown deep rejection and disgust... and the change afterward was full of unnaturalness.
"Indeed, it is my father." Ji Ruyan nodded. Seeing the surprise in Yun Che's eyes, she smiled bitterly: "With the reputation and life of the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce at stake, my father had to handle it personally. He couldn't truly trust anyone else."
"But please rest assured, young master. The information we gave the Black Soul Sect about you is fabricated. We told them you were from the distant Jingyue Realm, and even if they investigate there, it will take a long time. The only ones who know your true origin are my father and me. You must be wondering how we could so easily deceive the Black Soul Sect... Actually, the Black Soul Sect's main goal is to control the major sects of the Heiya Realm. They don't care too much about outside customers unless they have special identities. Moreover... you used the Black Feather Stone of Huo Rulie, the Fire Sect Master of the Yan Shen Realm, and the Fire Sect Master's identity was also fabricated... He was the only one before you who risked falsifying his identity, and his claimed origin was also Jingyue Realm."
"..." Yun Che narrowed his eyes. Hearing this, he finally understood something. He said with a half-smile: "I see. No wonder. No wonder your gaze and voice transmission last night were so strange, and just now you said you wanted me to save the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce... It turns out you're not asking me, but hoping to use the power of the Yan Shen Realm to help your Black Feather Chamber of Commerce escape this quagmire."
"Exactly!" Ji Ruyan responded excitedly: "While carefully managing the underground trade, my father has also been desperately seeking a way out. Until... several hundred years ago, my father encountered Sect Master Huo Rulie, who was urgently seeking Wood Spirit Pearls."
"It is common for powerful beings from middle star realms to come to the Heiya Realm seeking things, but those in high positions never deign to come personally, especially for forbidden items like Wood Spirit Pearls. Yet Huo Rulie, as the supreme existence of the Yan Shen Realm, came personally to find Wood Spirit Pearls. It was the first time my father had encountered such a thing, and it also revealed the Sect Master's character."
"After easily discerning the Sect Master's identity, my father formed a plan. He fabricated a false origin identity for a 'customer' for the first time and sold the finest Wood Spirit Pearl at that time to the Sect Master. After that, my father would deliberately set aside a Wood Spirit Pearl every so often, and whenever the Sect Master requested it, he would immediately agree."
"Your father wanted the Fire Sect Master to owe him a favor?" Yun Che immediately understood.
"Exactly." Ji Ruyan nodded: "My father said that the Fire Sect Master is upright and resolute, clear in his favors and grudges, and also righteous. People like that will surely repay kindness and avenge wrongs; they hate being indebted. Over the years, my father has been trying his utmost to accumulate enough favors with the Fire Sect Master. When the time is right, he can ask the Fire Sect Master to help the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce break free from the Black Soul Sect's control... Although the Black Soul Sect dominates the Heiya Realm, an existence like the Yan Shen Realm can easily suppress them."
"Hmph." Yun Che sneered: "But unfortunately, the Fire Sect Master's Black Feather Stone ended up in my hands, proving he won't come again. So you've turned your attention to me?"
"Yes." Ji Ruyan nodded, deep pleading in her eyes: "The Black Feather Stone not only symbolizes a special 'honored guest' status but also carries deep taboos. A figure like the Fire Sect Master would never want others to know he came many times to a lower star realm to buy forbidden Wood Spirit Pearls. Yet he gave it to you, young master, proving that you must be someone very close and trusted by the Fire Sect Master."
Yun Che: "..."
"Last night, you spent hundreds of millions without changing expression, as if discarding ordinary stones. Knowing the other party was a Black Soul Sect branch master, you severely wounded him without any hesitation, showing you hold the Black Soul Sect in contempt. Moreover, with your Divine Soul Realm initial stage cultivation, you could easily defeat someone in the Divine Tribulation Realm. Such talent is unheard of by my father and me... My father and I are utterly convinced that your origin is extraordinarily extraordinary, possibly even surpassing the Yan Shen Realm."
Yun Che raised his hand to pinch his chin, momentarily speechless.
Damn, this misunderstanding is huge.
The reason he could throw down four hundred million Purple Mysterious Stones without blinking was that he had casually scooped them from the treasure vault of the Bingfeng Empire, not earned them through hard work, so he didn't feel the pain. As for severely wounding that black-clad middle-aged man, he had simply kicked him out of the way to obtain the Wood Spirit Pearl; at that time, he didn't even know what the Black Soul Sect was.
"With your abilities, young master, you can surely save our Black Feather Chamber of Commerce from this quagmire. Or, you could relay the matter to the Fire Sect Master. I believe that with the friendship my father has built with the Fire Sect Master over the years, along with your personal request, the Fire Sect Master will certainly lend a hand."
Yun Che: "..."
"Young master, this action is not just to save my Black Feather Chamber of Commerce." Ji Ruyan continued to plead: "Countless large and small sects and merchant guilds in the Heiya Realm are under the Black Soul Sect's control. The all-powerful Black Soul Sect runs rampant in the Heiya Realm, and the evils they commit go far beyond hunting Wood Spirits... For instance, the Zhefeng Villa mentioned at last night's trading meet was actually wiped out by the Black Soul Sect! The reason was simply that they wanted to seize Zhefeng Villa's forging abilities. After brutally massacring the villa, they imprisoned the swordsmiths like slaves in the sect, forcing them to forge weapons day and night. And you saw firsthand last night the tragic fate of the Zhefeng Villa's eldest daughter."
Yun Che: "..."
"You spent a fortune to buy the Royal Wood Spirit but then released it out of righteousness. Because you witnessed the Black Soul Sect slaughtering Wood Spirits, you were enraged and wanted to destroy the sect. This shows you are a man of great righteousness and justice... I beg you to save the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce. The Black Feather Chamber of Commerce... and the entire Heiya Realm will never forget your great kindness."
With a sorrowful voice, Ji Ruyan bowed deeply.
"..." Yun Che was silent for a long time. Clearly, Ji Ruyan had completely misunderstood... but her reasoning was plausible.
But unfortunately...
Yun Che looked down askance and said coldly: "Miss Ruyan, do you... think I am especially stupid?"
Ji Ruyan looked up: "What do you mean by that, young master?"
"Although I have only been in the Heiya Realm for a few days, I know that in terms of history and foundation, the Black Feather Chamber of Commerce, which has stood for fifty thousand years, is definitely superior to the Black Soul Sect. 'Far superior' would not be an exaggeration. I heard outside Heiya City that the Black Soul Sect even relies on your Black Feather Chamber of Commerce's intelligence network. Yet such a Black Feather Chamber of Commerce was so easily subdued by the Black Soul Sect a thousand years ago, and since then, not only has it failed to counterattack, but it hasn't even been able to resist." Yun Che gave a faint smile: "Do you think I would believe that?"
Ji Ruyan said urgently: "No, no, Ruyan absolutely did not deceive you..."
"I believe you didn't lie to me." Yun Che's voice remained cold: "Let me ask differently. Did you perhaps leave something out, such as..."
Yun Che's voice turned icy: "The Shenwu Realm!"