The Long Journey to Immortality

Upon hearing the price, Lü Zhi, who was about to take a sip of tea to calm his nerves, almost dropped his teacup on the ground.

"What's going on?" Lu Zhi sensed a conspiracy. He looked at Kong Qiaosheng and said, "Brother Kong, go and find out who's sitting in that private room."

Lu Zhi reacted quickly. He guessed that it was his shout just now that revealed his identity, which not only scared away his competitors but also brought out his enemies.

Even before Kong Qiaosheng left the private room, he already had several names in his mind.

He gulped down two mouthfuls of tea, spitting the small tea leaves back into the cup, then turned to Yi Qiyan and said, "Qiyan, I will definitely help you get the Five Poisons Token. I'll cover the extra cost."

Yi Qiyan wanted to refuse, but Lü Zhi didn't give her a chance to speak and immediately announced a price by shouting it out.

"Ten thousand three hundred."

Hearing the tone of Lü Zhi's voice, Yi Qiyan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to respect Lü Zhi's choice.

After all, if they were to truly become Daoist partners, how could they possibly treat each other with the utmost respect?

Being a little bit domineering and assertive can actually bring more sweetness and smooth out the relationship.

With the price announced, it's certain that a major drama is about to unfold.

The cultivators who had gone upstairs returned to their seats, craning their necks to look at the two private rooms on the second and third floors of the hall, waiting for an auction of spirit stones to begin.

Without knowing the details of his opponent, Lü Zhi is in a completely passive position in terms of strategy and tactics.

Especially since it was obvious that the other party had deliberately interfered and stirred things up, Lü Zhi knew that this matter definitely couldn't be settled with just three or four thousand spirit stones.

There was nothing he could do; the "Five Poisons Token" was something he was determined to obtain.

He absolutely had to get his hands on this thing, as long as it didn't exceed his limits.

Sure enough, when Lü Zhi anxiously raised the price again, just as the auctioneer was about to bring down the hammer, the other party remained unmoved and once again issued the paper sword.

"Eleven thousand spirit stones."

This was almost as if the cultivators bidding against Lü Zhi had written words like "disgusting" and "price gouging" on their paper swords.

Suppressing his displeasure, Lü Zhi tried his best not to let his negative emotions show. He continued to bid against his rival while waiting for Kong Qiaosheng to return so that he could find out which of his opponents Kong Qiaosheng was.

When the price was driven up to 15,000 spirit stones by the two, Kong Qiaosheng finally found out the other party's identity through his connections.

"It's Young Master Lan Ya from Dongweng Shop."

Upon hearing his mortal enemy's Taoist name, Lü Zhi cursed at the air in front of Yi Qiyan and the other two, "I knew it was this damned duck."

It was not a good time to inquire about information, so Han Lu and the other two could only suppress their curiosity about this "Young Master Lanya" and continue to watch the battle as bystanders.

One side was determined to win, and the other knew that the other was determined to win. Naturally, this battle for the spirit stones seemed quite intense to outsiders, giving the impression of a life-or-death struggle.

The price soared, quickly reaching 20,000 spirit stones.

In this situation, Lü Zhi really wanted to openly curse and expose the identity of this troublemaker, severely damaging the good reputation of Dongweng Shop.

Unfortunately, not only did the auction rules forbid this, but the way he found out the other party's identity was also through "shady means," so he naturally couldn't vent his displeasure in this way.

Fortunately, this young master Lan Ya from Dongweng Shop was not a rich man with a storage bag full of spirit stones.

Worried that Lü Zhi might remove the "stool" at a crucial moment and stop bidding, leaving him to buy this sect treasure at a high price that he would never use, Young Master Lanya ultimately only called out a price of 28,000 spirit stones and stopped raising the price.

Ultimately, at the auction, Lü Zhi won the Five Poisons Token for the astronomical price of 28,500 spirit stones.

When the Five Poisons Token was delivered to the private room, the people inside, seeing that they had finally obtained the token they had longed for, felt no joy whatsoever.

Lu Zhi gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "This matter cannot be left like this."

Chapter 838 Revenge

Because of their close relationship, Yi Qiyan didn't feel comfortable speaking up.

Especially considering that she had just received Lü Zhi's "favor" and acquired the Five Poisons Token, which had sold for 28,500 spirit stones, for only 9,000 spirit stones.

But Han Lu and Wen Erya did not have such concerns.

Han Lu and Wen Erya immediately echoed and supported Lü Zhi's revenge action.

Of course, Han Lu didn't forget to inquire about Lan Ya's identity, his status in Dong Weng's shop, and how he became enemies with Lü Zhi.

Kong Qiaosheng helped Lü Zhi, who was still pondering what methods to use to retaliate, answer all of these questions.

"Young Master Lanya is the grand-disciple of the current president of the Dongweng Merchants Association, Venerable Bodhi, and is also one of the hot candidates for the next president of the Dongweng Merchants Association. There is about a 30% chance that he will take over the Dongweng Merchants Association within the next hundred years."

As for the reason for his feud with Lü Zhi, Kong Qiaosheng answered somewhat hesitantly, his gaze lingering between Yi Qiyan and Lü Zhi. He carefully considered his words for a long time before finally explaining the reason.

"About fifteen years ago, Lü Zhi and this young master Lan Ya both took a liking to the same female cultivator..."

They only said half the story, but Wen Erya and Han Lu understood it completely and imagined what would happen next.

As for Yi Qiyan, she didn't have any particular feelings about Lü Zhi's previous romantic history.

Seeing Yi Qiyan's calm expression, Kong Qiaosheng breathed a sigh of relief.

After Han Lu finished answering her questions, the private room fell silent. Everyone's eyes were focused on Lü Zhi, and the only sound they could hear was each other's breathing.

When nearly 80% of the idle cultivators in the hall had dispersed, Lü Zhi finally had an idea and said, "Brother Kong, help me make this arrangement."

"In the next few days, arrange for a few people to sit in the hall and watch the private room where the guy is sitting, bidding up the price appropriately. Make sure he spends an extra three or four hundred spirit stones to get each item."

Not knowing what the other party was determined to obtain, Lü Zhi's counterattack seemed somewhat weak, but in his view, it was the only option available.

Even Han Lu could tell at a glance whether this method was good or bad.

"Fellow Daoist Lü, what do you think of this idea? He ambushed you today, so he will most likely be on guard in the coming days."

"Perhaps your revenge will only lead you to buy a few more valuable magical artifacts that you don't need."

Han Lu's words made Lü Zhi, who was already feeling depressed, quite unhappy. He said angrily, "Then, Fairy Han, do you have any good ideas to help me severely weaken this dead duck and vent my anger?"

Lu Zhi had thought that Han Lu was the kind of cultivator who only asked questions but didn't know how to answer them, but he didn't expect that Han Lu would actually give a good suggestion and come up with an excellent solution.

"I have a rough idea, but I need to know a few things to make sure it's feasible. After all, I'm not from Donghai, and I'm not very clear on how the merchants' association operates."

After saying this, Han Lu didn't keep him in suspense any longer and immediately asked Lü Zhi a few more questions, trying to figure out the specific situation in order to verify whether her initial idea was truly feasible.

"My first question, Fellow Daoist Kong, since you say that Young Master Lanya is a possible heir to the Dongweng Shops, is he currently in charge of the operation of a few Dongweng Shops in a certain area?"

Upon hearing this question, Kong Qiaosheng nodded and said, "Of course there are. They are located in places like the Star Islands. The nearest Star Islands are only two and a half days away from the Dragon Head Islands. There are a total of eight shops in several places, with an annual turnover of about 500,000 spirit stones. If you are lucky, you can make a profit of more than 10,000 spirit stones."

"The second question," Han Lu organized her thoughts and continued, "If a cultivator wants to buy some valuable materials from a shop managed by Young Master Lan Ya, but that shop doesn't have the goods in stock, under normal circumstances, would the shop suggest that the buyer go to a shop that has the goods in stock, or would it spend manpower to help with the transportation and delivery of the goods from a shop that has the goods in stock according to the customer's needs?"

“Naturally, it’s the latter,” Lu Zhiyin said, having vaguely guessed Han Lu’s thoughts after hearing her two questions. “The more business you do, the more money you earn, and the stronger your management skills, the more likely you are to be selected as the future president of the chamber of commerce.”

Han Lu smiled and said, "Then it seems my idea is feasible."

"Once this storm has passed, I will use my True Spirit's innate supernatural power to change my appearance and pretend to be a customer to place a large order at one of the shops managed by Young Master Lanya."

"Then we'll find another opportunity to rob those valuable goods being transported along the way."

"The business suffered losses, although the main reason for the accountability was the mistake of the escort personnel."

"But the blame will certainly fall heavily on Young Master Lanya as well."

"Whether it's the amount of spirit stones or the impact on Young Master Lan Ya's position in Dong Weng's shop, isn't this arrangement much better than Fellow Daoist Lü's plan?"

Lu Zhi nodded, then shook his head. "However, putting aside the fact that this action violates the unspoken rules of the East China Sea, there are still quite a few wanted criminals who have committed heinous acts such as robbing merchant houses."

"But Fairy Han, how were you able to determine which valuable resources were missing from the shops managed by Dead Duck, and how were you able to determine which route the guardian cultivators of Dongweng's shops, who were escorting the valuable resources, would take? What were their specific movements?"

Hearing these two obvious "loopholes," Han Lu chuckled and said, "Fellow Daoist Lü, this is you taking revenge, not me."

"At most, I'll just lend a hand and take some small risks for you as an outsider."

"I believe this information should not be difficult for you to grasp."

"If we can't get it, then just pretend I didn't say anything, and we'll follow Fellow Daoist Lü's method."

Han Lu gave the choice to Lü Zhi.

The major trading companies in the East China Sea are both partners and competitors, and there are always instances of them secretly sabotaging each other.

The feud between Lü Zhi and Lan Ya Gongzi stemmed from Lü Zhi's "stealing love from someone else," as well as their opposing stances.

After a moment of contemplation, Lü Zhi made a promise of revenge in front of Yi Qiyan. Naturally, he could not let the matter rest.

"As Fairy Han said, knowing these things is indeed not very difficult for me... Let's do as Fairy Han arranges."

"However, as far as I know, there are quite a few powerful protectors in Dongweng Immortal Pavilion."

"At least three Foundation Establishment cultivators accompanied the goods that were being transported, which contained thousands of spirit stones."

"If the goods are worth tens of thousands, then at least one Golden Core cultivator will be needed to lead the way."

"The value can reach 100,000, and there may even be several cultivators in the mid-stage or late-stage of the Golden Core realm protecting you."

"Fairy Han, can you guarantee that this matter will be handled flawlessly by yourself, without revealing the slightest clue?"

Although Lü Zhi was constantly instilled with the idea that "my sister is invincible" while spending time with Yi Qiyan, he still harbored a slight distrust of Han Lu.

Han Lu was not upset by Lü Zhi's question, even though she felt distrusted.

She smiled and said, "As long as Fellow Daoist Lü's information is accurate, then I'll take care of everything."

Chapter 839 Strategic Planning

Han Lu didn't care that Lü Zhi, whom she didn't know very well, underestimated her.

In fact, she herself is somewhat unsure of her own abilities.

Just like when she first advanced to the Golden Core Realm, she only realized her true potential after a fierce battle with Venerable Pot Lamp.

This time, five more pill patterns appeared on the golden core in a short period of time.

Her strength has improved by leaps and bounds, needless to say, but to what extent? Han Lu couldn't say for sure; only actual combat could test it.

Therefore, this idea was proposed partly to make the disgusting young master Lan Ya suffer heavy losses, and partly to find a few opponents with some strength against whom one could unleash one's full potential without too much concern for comfort, so as to assess one's own strength.

Based on the information revealed in Lü Zhi's words, Han Lu further refined her plan.

She said, "Since large transactions involve spirit stones of high value, there may be cultivators at the late Golden Core stage to help protect and escort the transaction."

"When we are pretending to be buyers and transacting with Dong Weng's shop, the large orders we place cannot be too big."

"Fellow Daoist Lü, what do you think of the range of 50,000 to 70,000 spirit stones?"

Lu Zhi was an insider in the industry, and for a moment he couldn't think of such an effective method due to the so-called unspoken rules, but Han Lu was still willing to consult him, the "mastermind," for advice.