Chapter 907 - His Head Held High
From that moment on, Ye Qingyu's status could not be shaken, not by a singular force nor a singular domain.
Even the Dragon Human Race would not be able to touch him.
As this piece of news continued to spread and as various forces processed this information, it sparked off a chain of events.
Everyone was curious to know how the enraged Dragon Human Race would react after they heard this news.
However, before the Dragon Human Race could show any reaction, the various chambers of commerce and consortiums around Heaven Connect City and even along the entire stretch of the Road of Chaos made the first and most immediate move. And the Heaven Wasteland Building suddenly became the hottest place in town as the representatives of countless chambers of commerce and consortiums swarmed like bees to honey toward the representative station. This tiny representative station, which had been very quiet just two hours earlier, was now buzzing with life and full of crowds.
Since the announcement was released, those forces and sects who had run over to the representative station to tear up their cooperation agreement in a fit of righteous rage a few days ago were now all consumed with regret.
...
In a quiet room of Tong Yuan Chamber of Commerce on North Street in Heaven Connect City—
The chairman, Wu Yuan, sat alone on a decades-old, hard, red wooden chair. He sat upright and a cup of green tea was placed beside him. He held a formation brush made of wolf hair with a round jade ball accessory, and he was carefully labeling the various expenses and revenue on the accounting records that were recorded on the jade slip.
This was a habit he cultivated over a few decades. He would review the expenses and revenue on the accounting books every afternoon.
No one was permitted to disturb him during this period.
However, there was an exception on this day.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
He suddenly heard the sound of someone anxiously knocking on his door.
Chairman Wu Yuan frowned.
Before he could even react, a figure recklessly burst into the room, as though he had pushed the door open with his body.
Wu Yuan was stunned when he saw that it was his favorite disciple, Qian Jin.
"Qian Jin, why are you so flustered? Didn't I tell you that no one is to disturb me at this hour? Have you forgotten my words? What is wrong with you these days? Why have you become so easily agitated?" Chairman Wu Yuan put aside his brush and admonished his disciple angrily.
Qian Jin was clad in navy-blue long robes. His hair was a little untidy and he said agitatedly, "Charmain, there's been news… Big news!"
"What are you so anxious about? Slow down, the heavens are not about to collapse. How are you going to accomplish great things in the future if you get agitated so easily?" Chairman Wu Yuan said coldly, making his displeasure clear. "Didn't I tell you that you must not get flustered under any circumstances, you must learn to remain calm. I'm greatly disappointed by your behavior today. Speak slowly, please," Wu Yuan said. Then he lifted his brush and continued to annotate the accounting books.
"It's Ye... Ye Qingyu. He has been appointed as the deputy to Lord Ren Puyang. The Alliance of Domains has just released the formal announcement!" Qian Jin said breathlessly. He was not sure whether he was breathless because of this information or whether it was because he had been in such a hurry earlier.
Smack!
The moment he said those words, the wolf-fur brush fell from Chairman Wu Yuan's hand onto the accounting books. Instantly, there was a large patch of black ink on the paper.
"What… what did you just say…." He was completely stunned and this was one of the rare moments that his self-control left him. He could not even hold his precious brush properly and he sat in stunned silence. A while later, he finally rose from his seat, his eyes widening and his face frozen from shock. A drop of cold sweat dripped down from his forehead.
Qian Jin did not dare to utter a single word when he saw how shocked his chairman was.
It was a while before Chairman Wu Yuan finally sat back in his seat in a daze. He muttered as though he was sleep-talking, "How… how could it be..."
Qian Jin himself had yet to recover from his shock and his back was already drenched in cold sweat.
Fortunately, the chairman had stopped him from recklessly breaking their contract with the Heaven Wasteland Domain and coaxed him to wait a few more days. Otherwise, he would not be able to bear the consequences of his actions.
On the other end, after Chairman Wu Yuan got over his initial shock, he grew more and more excited.
He realized that he had been presented with a beautiful opportunity.
"Cough… Master? Master? Are… are you alright?" Qian Jin coughed dryly and pulled Wu Yuan out of his excited reverie. Then, he stammered, "Master, this seems a little odd to me. What do you think the Alliance of Domains is trying to achieve by conferring such a title on Ye Qingyu?"
Chairman Wu Yuan was the current chairman of the Tong Yuan Chamber of Commerce and he was also its patriarch. But to Qian Jin, this was the man who had mentored him since childhood and he was closer to his master than to his own parents.
The marketplace was like a battlefield and it was all about deceit, dishonesty, intrigue, and how to observe others through their actions and words. Chairman Wu Yuan had taught him all these things without holding anything back.
After he started to shadow his master while his master ran the chamber of commerce and started to learn the ropes of the business, Chairman Wu Yuan had forbidden him from calling him "Master". After all, close relationships were frowned upon in the world of business, which was filled with plots and intrigue. Qian Jin still felt a little resentful since he thought that Ye Qingyu was guilty of killing and stealing the treasures of others, but yet, he had not been punished and had even been publicly rewarded by the Alliance of Domains.
"Qian Jin, it has been so many years since I've taken you under my wing, and although you have learned a lot and I can see some of myself in you in the way you handle matters, you still lack experience and you tend to act brashly and recklessly. This is a big taboo in the marketplace and you must remember to change this habit." Chairman Wu Yuan had gradually calmed down and he seemed to have formulated a plan on how to handle this situation. He was in great spirits and did not chastise his favorite disciple, but instead, only gave him some advice.
"Yes, Master," Qian Jin said with his head bowed.
Now that he had gradually calmed down, he started to have a clearer view of the situation and could at least guess some of his master's thoughts.
The fact that Ye Qingyu could receive an appointment at the Alliance of Domains at this time also showed that it was highly possible that there was a hidden conspiracy behind the accusations that he faced.
Since Chairman Wu Yuan was an elder who had mentored Qian Jin from childhood, he immediately saw through Qian Jin's thoughts. He sighed softly and said, "You must not judge a situation by its appearance. You're still too inexperienced and you must learn how to stay calm and gain more experience. The Alliance of Domains is the core that controls the entire Vast Thousand Domains. Not one party has the ability to influence any of their decisions, and any decision they make must have the endorsement of the spokespersons of all the races. Now that Ye Qingyu has been appointed as the deputy of Ren Puyang, his status has been elevated all of a sudden to the point that would be impossible for an average person to achieve in a thousand years. It doesn't matter whether he had really killed someone and stolen their treasure. Now that he has the support of the Alliance of Domains, this is enough to scare most people from plotting against him or the Heaven Wasteland Domain."
Qian Jin was shocked, then a look of realization gradually spread across his face.
"So…. Master, what do we do now?"
He was still frightened when he recalled how he almost destroyed the cooperation agreement between the Tong Yuan Chamber of Commerce and the Heaven Wasteland Domain.
"Haha, young punk, the situation right now is very delicate but this is also a prime opportunity for us." Chairman Wu Yuan chuckled. He thought for a moment and his eyes flashed sharply. Then, he said, "Let's go. We are still on good terms with the Heaven Wasteland Domain, so now that their Lord Ye Qingyu has been promoted, we must prepare gifts to go congratulate him."
"Ah… You're right. The other Chambers of Commerce have offended the Heaven Wasteland Domain but we are still their partners. We would beat the others just on this point alone! Now that Lord Ye Qingyu has been appointed as the deputy, there is no need for us to beg for forgiveness, but instead, we will go to congratulate him." Qian Jin immediately understood Chairman Wu Yuan's intentions and nodded quickly. Then, he turned to enter the inner hall and started to select the congratulatory gifts.
...
At the same time, in front of the Heaven Wasteland Building—
The building that had been conspicuously quiet and shunned by everyone had suddenly burst back to life.
The representatives of the various forces and chairmen milled around the main gate, filling the place to the brim. All these were men of high-standing but now they were behaving like vegetable sellers at the marketplace. They held their precious and rare treasure up high as they frantically tried to squeeze through the main gate to the Heaven Wasteland Building, afraid that someone else might take their place. This rowdy atmosphere was rather comical.
This place was even livelier than the busiest street market in Heaven Connect City.
At this moment, Si Yuan held his head up, high and proud.
All who were at the representative station had rejoiced when they received word of Lord Ye Qingyu's promotion. Si Yuan had been both surprised and overjoyed, then he felt as though he could finally lift his head up proudly again.
This was the day he had been waiting for.
Great Dragon Turtle Demon had already predicted what would happen next and issued a series of commands. Si Yuan personally led several guards to stand guard at the courtyard authoritatively. Soon after, countless representatives from the various Chambers of Commerce and consortiums swept in, their eyes bloodshot, as though they were sharks that had sniffed blood. The scene was predictably wild and they almost covered the entire representative station.
This scene was even more intense and crazy than when the Heaven Wasteland Building had first been established.
A faint smile danced on Si Yuan's face and he did not say anything else. He led his men to maintain order, and after they received the visiting cards from the guests and verified their identities, he let them into the hall, one at a time.
In the main meeting hall on the first level, Great Dragon Turtle Demon sat calmly on the top seat.
Adviser Xu and Registrar Liu sat to the left and right of him respectively.
A heap of accounting books was piled up on their tables as they welcomed the never-ending throng of the representatives from the various Chambers of Commerce with faint smiles on their faces.
These representatives all groveled and smiled fawningly as they rushed to speak over each other as they showed off their treasures.
"Hehe, my lords, this is a ten-thousand-year-old divine ginseng. It has the ability to consolidate one's foundation. This would be greatly beneficial to one's cultivation of the foundation. This is considered priceless within Heaven Connect City…" a chairman said with a sycophantic smile. His brows were like curved sabers, his eyes long and narrow, and his face square. He was dressed in a brown silk long robe and wore a leather skullcap. He bowed to Great Dragon Turtle Demon and the others humbly, then continued to point at the golden gift boxes that the disciples behind him carried. "These are the Divine Jade Droplet Pills that are only found within Falcon City. They resemble a bright moon and each pill is full of goodness. It has the ability to immediately heal one's injuries and increase one's cultivation…"