Xiuxian: I use magnetic fields to prove my truth

Chapter 197: Conquer
When Yuan Hongying received the letter from home, she could hardly believe it.

She had just complained to her senior brother yesterday, and today the Liang army withdrew.

This was a major war between two nations, a matter of national survival, and the eldest brother resolved it in just one day.

Only now did Yuan Hongying truly realize the terrifying influence of her senior brother.

She looked at Zhou Qing with eager eyes and said, "Thanks to the protection of my senior brother, Xinzheng was able to preserve its lineage. I really don't know how to repay my senior brother."

Zhou Qing said, "You don't need to think about repaying me. Just take good care of your own cultivation, and that will be your way of repaying me."

Yuan Hongying nodded obediently, bid farewell to Zhou Qing, and returned home.

The following month was peaceful for Zhou Qing, but turbulent for the entire sect.

Zhou Qing's new version of the array plates has begun to go on sale, and as expected, it has caused a great uproar in Western Antarctica.

Compared to the basic version of the Anti-Qing Restoration Array, which can only reduce the activity of desires in one's heart, the complete version of the array can directly put desires to sleep, allowing them to remain undisturbed for ten days. Its effects are so powerful that they are difficult to calculate.

And the price is the same as the base model.

In an instant, almost all cultivators in need traveled thousands of miles to the shops now controlled by Mu Zhuosha and Zhou Qing.

Meanwhile, the shops controlled by rival affiliated families were completely deserted.

This even had unexpected consequences.

Because of the large-scale movement of cultivators, the shops controlled by Zhou Qing and others, as well as the markets where they were located, were much more prosperous than before. Their flow of people far exceeded that of other markets near Golden Core sects, second only to Sanwan City.

The anti-Qing restoration formation plaques naturally played a major role in this, but Zhou Qing's other two types of talismans were also a contributing factor.

Most cultivators in the Western Continent had heard of these two types of talismans and were interested in purchasing them, but the distance made them hesitant. Now, with the added motivation of the Anti-Qing Restoration Array, their resolve has naturally become much stronger.

All these factors, taken into account, combined to create such a grand occasion.

Of the sixty-seven Golden Core sects, the eighteen shops controlled by Zhou Qing and others were naturally overjoyed, while the other forty-nine sects felt the pressure.

They put pressure on the shopkeepers of the Qingyun Sect within their own territories, urging them to reach a reconciliation with Zhou Qing as soon as possible, so that Zhou Qing's talismans and array plates could circulate within their territories and enable the departing cultivators to return.

The forty-nine shops were already struggling to survive due to poor business, and with the added pressure from the local sects, they suddenly felt they could hardly hold on any longer.

They flocked to the four major families, demanding an explanation from the four family heads, preferably a refund of their prepayments.

The four major families were unwilling to back down.

They've already used all the proceeds to buy soft black jade and hire array masters; where would they get the money to refund?

Given their wealth, they shouldn't be in such dire straits, but they recently spent a lot of money to host a formation competition.

They thought that the conference would give them the leverage to fight against Zhou Qing, but who would have thought that they would end up benefiting others, with all the advantages going into Zhou Qing's pocket.

After several setbacks, even the four major families, with their deep reserves, were starting to falter.

The shopkeepers naturally harbored resentment when the four major families refused to refund their money.

While sending people to cause trouble in the four major families, they were also eager to befriend Zhou Qing, hoping that he could help them out of their predicament.

The manager of Sanwan City was naturally the most proactive.

That morning, Zhou went for a walk in the bamboo grove. As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard gate, he saw a large group of people standing in front of the gate. These people were the heads of the middle-ranking affiliated families and the managers they had sent to oversee their various shops.

The person at the very front of everyone was the manager of Sanwan City.

The shops in Sanwan City are the most important shops of the Qingyun Sect, and the three shopkeepers are naturally representatives of all the shopkeepers.

Upon seeing Zhou Qing emerge, Hu Guan was the first to step forward, his face contorted with grief, and said, "Dean Zhou, we bow to you in gratitude, please do everything you can to save us."

He then bowed deeply to Zhou Qing.

The others quickly followed suit and bowed as well.

Zhou Qing remained unmoved and smiled, "Manager Hu, what are you doing? Just say what's on your mind. I can't accept such a grand gesture."

"We can take on this responsibility! We can take on this responsibility!"

Hu Guan smiled ingratiatingly, "Our lives are now in Dean Zhou's hands. If Dean Zhou is willing to lend a helping hand, it would be like giving us a second parent."

Hu Guan spoke with extreme humility, but Zhou Qing was unwilling to believe him easily.

This guy is two-faced and fickle. When he has something on you, he'll fawn over you to the extreme. But once you actually believe him and hand over the evidence, he'll immediately turn his back on you.

Zhou Qing smiled and said, "Manager Hu, how do you want me to save you?"

Hu Guandao said, "This matter doesn't require much effort from Dean Zhou. As long as Dean Zhou can put aside past grievances and authorize us to sell the new version of the Anti-Qing Restoration Formation and the two types of talismans, we will be saved."

Zhou Qing stared at him with a half-smile and said, "It's not that I'm trying to make things difficult for you all. When we met at the Transmission Hall, I took the initiative to invite the three managers, hoping to cooperate with them."

"The three of you refused so firmly, yet now you've come knocking on my door. How can I trust you with such fickle behavior?"

Hu Guan, Liao Qifeng, and Xuan Zhen exchanged bitter smiles.

Hu Guan said, "We were blind and did not recognize Dean Zhou's abilities, which is why we made such a short-sighted move. We hope that Dean Zhou will not hold our mistake against us. From now on, we will follow Dean Zhou's lead."

The others quickly chimed in, "That's right, that's right. From now on, wherever Dean Zhou points, we'll go. If Dean Zhou says east, we'll never go west. We hope Dean Zhou will have mercy and not hold it against us."

Zhou Qing thought to himself, "That's enough of a reprimand. It's time to get down to business."

He said, “It’s not difficult for me to save you. I can not only authorize you, but I can even take back your old formations and help you remake them into new ones before reselling them.”

"But I have one condition."

Everyone was overjoyed and said, "As long as Dean Zhou is willing to help, we will agree to any conditions."

Zhou Qing said, "From now on, the share that each shop submits needs to be redetermined. You should discuss this with Yu Liangmou. The most important point is that you can choose the shopkeepers for your shops, but I must appoint the accountants. If anyone dares to cheat on the accounts, don't blame me for being impolite."

All the shopkeepers were stunned.

They all understood the significance of Zhou Qing's move. If Zhou Qing appointed the accountant, then their respective businesses would no longer be a secret to him.

They can no longer conceal their profits as they did before, nor can they embezzle public funds for private gain, so their income has naturally decreased significantly.

But at this point, it was absolutely impossible to refuse Zhou Qing.

If Zhou Qing refuses to lend a hand, none of them will survive this ordeal.

(End of this chapter)