A Long Grind to Daoist Monarch

Chapter 394 - 242: Master’s Cultivation of Bandits, Three Blades and Three Swords

Pai Bang?

Bai Qi sat leisurely on the chair, raising his eyes to look at the young lady in cyan clothes with a crisp voice:

"What good materials did you Hongming Firm bring in that even drew the greed of Pai Bang?"

Duan Xiaowan said seriously:

"It’s our Hongming Firm, Young Master."

Bai Qi didn’t comment, this large Weapon Craftsman Guild could be called a daily gold influx, far superior to the fish market business of Black River County.

Moreover, its reputation was extremely prominent, rising steadily in recent years, having already overshadowed the Bai Sheng Firm of the Zheng Family.

Who among the heroes of the Green Forest Dao in Celestial Water Prefecture doesn’t wield a Wind-listening Saber?

The Military Soldiers of Zhechong Prefecture, each and every one of them practices with the Black Snake Spear!

A posture of claiming the throne in the Weapon Craftsman Guild!

But the same saying holds true, no reward without merit.

Receiving favors without reason is equivalent to incurring a debt of gratitude.

If it were merely owing Li Yuan, Master Li, it would be easy to say, but Hongming Firm is such a huge industry, with over a hundred inside and out.

Counting the apprentices, miscellaneous tasks, and lads, the number of clerks in the shops below is even more difficult to count.

Once a deeply entangled relationship is involved, similar troublesome matters in the future will be inevitable.

Bai Qi understood clearly, secretly sighing:

"Master sees through so clearly, all friendship and ties are shackles and nets. Even a Four Cultivation Grandmaster, trapped within, has to revolve back and forth, unable to extricate themselves."

Duan Xiaowan frowned lightly, this Young Master was incredibly steady-minded.

Had it been someone else of this age, suddenly acquiring a thunderous reputation shaking a commandery, they would have long been riding high.

She composed her demeanor, stood straight, and placed her hands at her lower abdomen:

"It’s not something particularly rare, just a ship of unrefined Fire Cloud Stone, Sinking Water Copper, and two large boxes of Yangxiao Steel.

The most valuable item probably is a Ghost Crow Stone Egg obtained from a border auction in Xingping Prefecture."

Such wealth!

Bai Qi couldn’t help clicking his tongue, subconsciously calculating that this shipment alone would be worth at least seventy to eighty thousand taels of snowflake silver.

To bring out so much money in a single shipment, last time at the dock, he saw four or five cargo ships flying the flag of Hongming Firm, showing its foundation!

"How long has it been detained? Have you found out where the problem lies? Is someone stirring things up?"

Bai Qi frowned slightly.

"About ten days. Normally, Pai Bang would give Master Li some face, but this time it’s very unusual. After receiving the silver and even a feast, they still refuse to act, and when asked about it, they evade and make excuses."

Duan Xiaowan replied.

She looked at Bai Qi sitting on the chair, thinking to herself, this Young Master truly had a remarkable presence, like someone adept at business, asking questions with clear focus and relevance.

"It’s evident that someone is working behind the scenes, offering them more than your Hongming Firm."

Bai Qi took a sip of tea, speaking in a calm tone:

"You should check the shipments of Bai Sheng Firm recently and see which line or connection they’ve recently established with Pai Bang.

Or, start with the local bully at the docks and thoroughly understand who’s in charge of Pai Bang’s operations here, to see if there’s been any change.

Business is merely seeking profit, and harmony is most important.

If you’re proceeding smoothly and suddenly stumble inexplicably, there’s definitely someone tripping you up in the dark."

Duan Xiaowan deeply agreed, admiration surfacing in her eyes. She hadn’t expected the Young Master, so young, to understand the ways of social conduct so profoundly.

"I have also secretly investigated, but it was of no use. The Daoist Official’s Office is busy apprehending the remnants of the White Sun Sect, every attempt to meet the Daoist official was met with closed doors..."

Bringing a pig’s head yet couldn’t enter the temple door, no wonder it’s so urgent, even reaching out to me.

Bai Qi understood, casually asking:

"Did Hongming Firm take on a big order?"

Duan Xiaowan was taken aback, then lowered her voice to say:

"A private job. Although the court has clear regulations, forbidding knives but not swords, Young Master, you know, for Green Forest Dao Jianghu people, that’s insignificant.

Since the extermination of Red Eyebrow, Fulong Mountain has become a demon nest, with dozens of Demon Kings and Monarchs entrenched there, as long as nothing major occurs, the Daoist official never interferes..."

Bai Qi raised an eyebrow:

"Is this business unspeakable? Miss Duan, does Master Li know?"

The young lady in cyan clothes laid the groundwork so extensively, fearing misinterpretation clearly showed a guilty conscience.

It didn’t seem like any legitimate venture.

"Young Master, you misunderstand! I absolutely have not pocketed private gains or betrayed from within!"

Duan Xiaowan immediately panicked, hurriedly explaining:

"This time, Hongming Firm took a joint order from the seventy-two bandits of Fulong Mountain, making a batch of Wind-listening Sabers for those bandit strongholds outside the city.

Young Master also knows that under the jurisdiction of Celestial Water Prefecture, beyond the Six Commanderies, they pay no heed. Whenever disasters occur, and the people cannot sustain, they can only flee, becoming either servile households or servant households, or they become bandits and thieves.

After Red Eyebrow, to stabilize the situation and avoid a second Heaven-defying Saber, the Daoist Official’s Office hired a batch of people, allowing them to camp outside the city.

It’s said, killing a creature over five hundred years old, taking the Inner Pill as an offering, could earn a servile household status in the County City."

Rearing bandits for oneself?

Bai Qi seemed surprised, then smiled knowingly, only with a hint of sarcasm:

"Letting the bandits outside the city slay the demons of Fulong Mountain? Both sides consuming each other, sparing the Daoist Official’s Office the trouble.

Which Daoist conceived such a clever plan? Truly remarkable."

Duan Xiaowan bowed her head:

"The idea of Daoist Xuanji from Zhi Xin Temple. After Red Eyebrow’s demise, several bandit leaders under the guise of acting on divine missions sprung up from Fulong Mountain, all supported by Zhi Xin Temple.

In these years, they’ve gained momentum, collectively known as the ’Seventy-two Bandits,’ though most are mere makeweights, only the leaders of a few groups have considerable skills.