From the fake emperor to the concubine

"Absolutely not!"

The fat man from the Jinliu faction slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. The sandalwood table groaned under the weight of his thick, fleshy hands.

His face, full of fat, was trembling, his tiny green eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was sharp, like a rooster being strangled.

"Are you crazy!"

The fat finger almost poked Lingbao's face: "Do you know how many industries our Red Dust Workshop has now? We don't even need to count the goods they hoarded. Just the destruction of these industries alone would not even be worth a fraction of the value of these supplies if we sold ten of you!"

The fat man became more and more agitated as he spoke, his brocade robe embroidered with gold ingots already soaked with cold sweat, clinging tightly to his round belly.

Thinking of the consequences, Xu Ke swallowed hard and turned to look at the head of the Lingbao lineage.

Although he already knew that people from this lineage acted strangely, such a shocking proposal still made Xu Ke's hand holding the sword tremble slightly.

The abbot of the Tiantong lineage stroked the rim of his teacup with his fingers: "As expected of someone who deals with treasures all day long, his vision is indeed high."

He dragged out his words in a sarcastic tone: "You can just throw away the foundation we've built up over a hundred years. Anyone who didn't know better would think you're the direct descendant of some immortal sect, that you don't care about any treasures."

"That's right!" The fat man trembled with excitement, and suddenly pulled out a jewel-encrusted dagger and stabbed it into the table.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Xu Ke's mind. The absurd suggestion of the Lingbao lineage's host kept swirling in his head, like a rusty, dull knife slowly scraping away at his thoughts.

Xu Ke, who had suddenly gained some insight, had his inspiration vanish completely after the argument between the Jinliu and Tiantong factions.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Xu Ke roared, "Shut up! With a powerful enemy at hand, how long are you going to keep fighting amongst yourselves?"

The hosts of Lingbao and Tiantong were startled and shut their mouths at the same time.

Xu Ke stared at the host from the Lingbao lineage: "Tell me your thoughts first."

His fingers tapped lightly on the sandalwood table, each tap seeming to strike the hearts of everyone present. The candlelight cast varying shadows on his angular face, making his hawk-like eyes appear even sharper. Wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner on the corner of the table, but they could not dispel the heavy atmosphere in the council hall.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the fat man from the Jinliu faction jumped up: "Xu Ke, he's gone mad, are you going mad with him too?"

The fat man's double chin trembled with his excited shouts, and his brocade belt almost broke from his round belly.

"Absolutely not. Not even a single item of my Red Dust Workshop's goods can be discarded at will."

The voice, sharp with anger, sounded particularly jarring in the empty council chamber.

The host from the Tian Tong lineage said coldly, "I share the same stance as that fatso; we absolutely do not agree to give up."

Xu Ke said coldly, "Fine, you say you won't give up, then come up with an idea."

He slowly rose, the dark patterns on his black robe faintly visible in the candlelight, and looked down at the two of them: "You are well aware of the situation outside. More and more people are looting, and our Red Dust King's guards are becoming increasingly unable to resist."

Xu Ke opened a crack in the carving, and flames soared into the sky everywhere in Hongchenfang, turning half the night sky blood red.

Screams and curses drifted on the wind, interspersed with greedy cheers.

Xu Ke's knuckles tightened on the window frame, and the hardwood groaned under the weight.

“In fact, some people have already targeted our Red Dust Manor's guards.”

"These are nothing compared to what we can handle. The real problem is that those looters are showing signs of forming a united front. Once they're all together, who can stop them?"

Xu Ke's gaze grew increasingly cold as it fell upon the hosts from the Tian Tong and Jin Liu factions: "Can you hold them off?"

The host from the Tiantong lineage turned away guiltily, unwillingly retorting, "It's not that easy. Those people are just a disorganized bunch; there's absolutely no way they could unite."

The host from the Jinliu faction remained unconvinced: "Even if they unite, there will be issues of profit distribution, which might actually be a good thing for us."

As he spoke, the fat man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his massive body unconsciously shrinking into the shadows like a frightened mole.

Xu Ke sneered repeatedly: "So what? Those people outnumber us by at least ten. Before they run into trouble themselves, they could wipe us out several times over."

"Unless you can come up with a suitable solution to the current problem, shut up now."

The two men from the Jinliu lineage and the Tiantong lineage exchanged a glance, realizing they indeed had no good solution.

The fat man slumped back into his chair, the luxurious brocade making a tearing sound. His eyes were filled with despair.

For him, discarding the goods of the Red Dust Workshop was even more devastating than having an extraterrestrial demon fall from the sky.

The outside world is in complete chaos. If they could solve it, why would they stand idly by?

We've already figured out a solution.

Another burst of fire shot into the sky outside the window, and figures could be vaguely seen chasing and fighting on the rooftops. Xu Ke's profile was illuminated by the firelight, his lips pressed into a cold, straight line.

After all, if the Red Dust Pavilion were to be disrupted for even a short time, the resulting loss of various resources would be astronomical.

Seeing that the two of them were silent, Xu Ke continued to speak to the host from the Lingbao lineage: "Tell us your thoughts first."

Another explosion came from outside the window, causing dust to fall from the beams.

The host from the Lingbao lineage continued calmly, "Actually, it's nothing serious."

He brushed off non-existent dust from his sleeves with an elegant gesture, as if he were savoring tea and admiring the moon. The jade pendant hanging from his waist swayed gently with the movement, the two characters "Lingbao" on it gleaming warmly in the firelight.

“You’ve all fallen into a misconception, thinking that our Red Dust Workshop has suffered a particularly huge loss.” As he spoke, he took out a roll of account books from his sleeve, the parchment making a slight rustling sound as it was unfolded.

His fingers moved among the dense numbers, looking at each one.

"However, in my opinion, now is precisely when our losses are relatively small."

Suddenly, a rapid gong sounded outside the window, followed by a series of explosions caused by the battle between the guards and the enemy.

But the noise did not affect his speaking speed at all; his voice remained as steady as a mountain stream.

"Although we lost a lot of supplies, they were ultimately just things used by low-level cultivators. No matter how large the quantity, it was just a lot in appearance."

He then took out a low-grade spirit stone, and with a light flick of his fingertips, the spirit stone turned into dust and fell through his fingers.

"In fact, the pills, magic treasures and artifacts used by truly advanced cultivators are still well preserved by us."

"Isn't preserving these things more important to us than those inferior goods?"

“Take the Star Armor that the Li Huo Sect sent five days ago, for example. That one set alone is enough to offset a third of the goods lost today.” As he spoke, a guard brought over a long sandalwood box. The moment the box was opened, a dazzling blue light burst forth, illuminating everyone’s hair and beard with a vibrant green.

The star patterns on the armor in the box flowed on their own, as if the entire starry night sky had been engraved on them.

"We should just let them loot the ordinary stuff. Maybe they'll even start fighting over the uneven distribution of resources."

"As for us, as long as we protect the most valuable things, as long as we have these things, our Red Dust Workshop will not fall."

After the host from the Lingbao lineage finished speaking, he picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

The tea had long since gone cold, but he savored it with relish, as if he were enjoying some kind of nectar.

He put down his teacup and, seeing everyone staring in disbelief, asked in confusion, "Am I wrong?"

The fat man from the Jinliu faction gasped repeatedly: "It's not that it's wrong, it's that it's absolutely right. It's just... it's just..."

His thick palms unconsciously rubbed the hem of his brocade robe, wrinkling the fine fabric.

Fine beads of sweat glistened on his forehead in the firelight.

His chubby face was flushed with regret and turned bright red: "How could I not have thought of such a simple thing before?"

The things he's lost now will make the fat man's heart ache whenever he thinks about them for years to come.

His thick palms unconsciously pressed against his chest, and the scene of the warehouse being ransacked seemed to reappear before his eyes. The mountains of spirit stones and boxes of talismans were like a wheat field devoured by locusts, and in the blink of an eye, they were empty.

But... if they can use these things to attract everyone's attention, they'll transfer the truly most valuable treasure away...

A glint suddenly flashed in the fat man's eyes, and his chubby face trembled slightly with excitement. He thought of the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir Furnace, the Flying Feather Stream Sword, the Heavenly Extreme Divine Thunder Secret Technique, and the Crimson Sky Rejuvenation Art hidden in the secret chamber. As long as he could protect those things, any loss would be worthwhile.

The fat man knows how to do this.

His stubby fingers unconsciously fiddled with the abacus, his lips moving rapidly as he silently calculated gains and losses.

The more he talked, the brighter his eyes became, and by the end, a hint of joy even appeared on his face.

After all, one of those most valuable treasures could be worth countless low-grade spirit stones, cultivation techniques, or talismans.

What he regrets now is that he didn't think of this method when the riots first broke out.

The fat man slapped his thigh hard, sending waves of fat rippling across his body. Had he known this would happen, why had he led his guards in such a desperate resistance?
Those brothers who died in battle, those destroyed formations—it all seems like a waste of effort now.

The loss of both the treasures and the people also pained him deeply.

Training a capable and loyal subordinate requires a huge amount of resources.

Looking back now, I realize how ridiculous I was.

He involuntarily looked out the window, towards the direction of the Golden Flow Clan's secret warehouse. If only he had acted sooner.

"Thanks a lot this time, thanks." The fat man was covered in sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

He smiled gratefully at the host from the Lingbao lineage.

He then said urgently, "I agree with Xu Ke and the Lingbao lineage's suggestion. Let's act immediately without delay. The sooner we act, the less loss we can incur for Hongchenfang."

Before he finished speaking, he had already begun to move towards the door. His round body possessed an agility that seemed disproportionate to his size, and he dashed out in the blink of an eye.

Who would have thought that pile of fat could burst forth with such astonishing speed?

Before Xu Ke could even speak, the guy had already vanished.

All that remained was a strange wind carrying a mixture of sweat and spices, and the surprised shouts of the guards outside the door.

Xu Ke's hand was suspended in mid-air, and his open mouth looked somewhat comical.

Now, only three people remain in the room.

The candlelight suddenly flickered, casting the three people's shadows on the wall, twisting them into strange shapes. The shouts of battle from afar outside the window seemed to have subsided, making the silence inside the room even more eerily quiet.

Xu Ke looked at the head of the Tiantong lineage with a half-smile, awaiting his decision.

“I agree. Under the current circumstances, this is indeed the best option, and I have started preparing.”

The host of the Tian Tong lineage stood up and hurriedly left the room.

Just after everyone had left, the head of the Lingbao lineage suddenly remembered something and clapped his hands, saying, "I suddenly realized that we can't keep all the treasures. We have to leave one or two for people to fight over, otherwise someone with ulterior motives will definitely notice something amiss."

He slammed his hand on the table, causing the lone candle to flicker violently, and the shadows on the wall to twist and distort.

"I'll inform the people at Tiantong about this, and I'll ask you to inform the people at Jinliu."

As he spoke, he rose and straightened his robes, the jade pendant swaying gently at his waist. His movements remained elegant and composed, but his speech was faster than usual, revealing his inner urgency.

Just as Xu Ke was about to refuse, the head of the Lingbao lineage had already left the room.

His fingers had barely lifted halfway when he caught only the fleeting glimpse of the other person's departing robes. The blue robe flashed past the doorway, so fast it made him wonder if he was seeing things.

Xu Ke's lips twitched twice; this guy must have done it on purpose.

They didn't say anything earlier, but now they're passing this hot potato to me.

Just then, Jin Liu's loud voice rang out from outside the window, scolding his men for being too slow. There was a hint of excitement in his voice; he was clearly unaware of the trouble that was about to unfold.

Xu Ke rubbed his temples and suddenly felt a terrible headache.

Glancing at the ever-growing eye demon in the sky, Xu Ke sighed helplessly: "Hopefully, the sect leader can resolve this problem soon."

Tianxuan Sword Sect!

A chilling sword light flashed in the sky above. Even from a great distance, one could still feel the soaring sword energy.

As one of the three major righteous sects, the situation here is quite different from that of other sects.

The radiance of the mountain-protecting formation enveloped the entire mountain range, creating a stark contrast with the chaotic scene around it.

Flying swords of all sizes filled the sky, clustering together in groups of three or five to form small formations. These small formations, when combined, created an incomparably magnificent grand formation. (End of Chapter)