31: Chapter 31: Bankrupting the Whole Country! The Wrath of a Top-Grade Water Spirit Root and a Foundation Establishment Ancestor!

1 million spirit stones.

Shen Ji stared at the number on the panel.

This was almost 90% of the Shen Family's cash flow in the simulation.

If he threw it in, it would either soar to the heavens or be ruined.

"Manager Luo Bin knelt in the courtyard."

"Blood dripped from the bone fracture on his shoulder, soaking into the brick gaps."

"You remained silent."

"The logistics elder of the Tianxing Sect embezzled one million spirit stones, was caught by the Audit Hall, and is now scouring the world for someone to fill the gap."

"Once this gap is plugged, the pill supply chain in Central Province will be firmly held by the Tianxing Sect, and no one will be able to pry it loose for the next ten years."

"But one million spirit stones — all the liquid assets on the Shen Family's books, barely enough."

"If the negotiation fails, the Shen Family won't even be able to afford to stock the shelves with spirit herbs."

"Hu Wansan rushed over from the side hall."

"Seeing the wound on Manager Luo Bin's shoulder and that blood-stained iron token on the ground, he froze at the threshold."

"Family Head, one million... we can't sustain this."

"Liu Qingqing also rushed to the front courtyard."

"She was holding the newly lulled Shen Lang in her arms. She glanced at the iron token, and her face sank."

"Shen Ji, you don't really intend to throw the entire family fortune into this, do you?"

"You crouched down and flipped the iron token over."

"The back was engraved with the internal number of the Tianxing Sect and an elder's private seal."

"Hu Wansan, how much non-core industry does the Shen Family have left in Yunzhou?"

"Hu Wansan was stunned for a moment, then started calculating."

"Two grocery stores in the north of the city, the Spirit Nurturing Pool in the east suburbs, and that small spirit field co-owned with the Liu family... altogether it's worth about 150,000."

"Sell it all."

"Liu Qingqing's expression changed."

"Shen Ji!"

"You stood up and turned to look at her."

"Qingqing, let me ask you one thing."

"When you married me, what industry did the Shen Family have?"

"Liu Qingqing opened her mouth but didn't respond."

"A broken shop, a half-dead old stall from the Ling Family."

"Liu Qingqing only learned later that to marry her, Shen Ji had overdrawn all his assets at the time and borrowed quite a bit of debt!"

"You reached out to tuck the hair blown by the wind behind her ear."

"In less than two years, I turned it into the largest trading firm in Yunzhou."

"Even if I lose it all, I can do it all over again."

Shen Ji looked at the panel.

The golden trait "Wealth Returns After Being Spent" was the fallback.

Even if he really lost everything, he could make a comeback.

"Liu Qingqing stared at you."

"She handed Shen Lang to the wet nurse and turned into the inner courtyard."

"When she came out again, she had an embroidered box in her hand."

"My mother left me this dowry, it contains 30,000 spirit stones."

"She stuffed the box into your hand, her tone revealing a bit of determination."

"Take it. If we lose, at worst our whole family will go back to setting up stalls on the street."

"You smiled."

"Three days later."

"In Yunzhou City, all sale procedures were completed."

"Together with Liu Qingqing's dowry and all the retained profits of Shens Shop, they gathered 1.03 million spirit stones."

"You personally escorted Manager Luo Bin, brought four Qi Refining stage guards, and traveled day and night to Central Province."

"Central Province, Tianxing Sect Outer Sect Assembly Hall."

"The secret room was brightly lit."

"Sitting opposite was Elder Qian, the logistics elder of the Tianxing Sect, an old cultivator at the early Foundation Establishment stage."

"Behind him stood two guards with sabers."

"Elder Qian played with a jade cup, eyeing you sideways."

"A loose cultivator from Yunzhou, you have quite some nerve. One million spirit stones, can you really come up with that?"

"You took off the storage bag and threw it directly onto the table."

"The opening of the storage bag was wide open."

"The light of the spirit stones illuminated the entire secret room."

"The jade cup in Elder Qian's hand stopped."

"A powerful Foundation Establishment divine sense instantly pressed down, carrying undisguised greed and murderous intent, locking onto you tightly."

"You withstood the pressure and leaned back against the chair."

"Elder Qian, for every day that hole of yours is dragged out, the people from the Audit Hall will investigate more."

"My money is clean, the source is clear; payment and contract are exchanged simultaneously."

"On this territory of the Tianxing Sect, if you move against me, that dirty account of yours will truly become a dead end."

The "Business Sniffing" trait was running in the background.

Elder Qian's bottom line was 800,000.

Shen Ji offered one million, directly buying out the entry ticket for subsequent competitors and completely severing the other party's thoughts of murder and robbery.

"The killing intent in Elder Qian's eyes flickered several times, and finally, he retracted the spiritual pressure."

"His fingers tapped on the table three times."

"Ten-year exclusive supply? A trading firm from another province, can you handle such a large volume?"

"Would I come if I couldn't handle it?" You smiled.

"Elder Qian might want to look at it from another angle — what you need is not a buyer, but a partner who can fill the hole for you and provide stable long-term shipments."

"Which of the local trading firms in Central Province doesn't have dealings with the Audit Hall? Do you dare to use them?"

"Elder Qian was silent for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea."

"Bring the contract."

"Manager Luo Bin immediately took out the pre-drafted contract jade slip and handed it over with both hands."

"Half an hour later."

"Elder Qian's spiritual imprint fell on the jade slip, and the contract took effect."

"When you walked out of the Assembly Hall, the sky in Central Province was just beginning to brighten."

"Manager Luo Bin followed behind, his shoulders that had been tense all night slumped."

"Family Head, it's done."

"Hmm." You put away the contract jade slip and patted his uninjured shoulder.

"Go back and set the bone in your shoulder. The battle ahead will be ten times harder than this one."

Forty-three years old, autumn.

The news of the Tianxing Sect's exclusive supply contract exploded in the Central Province business circle.

The Shen Family trading firm, a wild card that broke out of Yunzhou, became the biggest disruptor in the Central Province pill market overnight.

Countless small and medium-sized forces moved at the news.

The door to the temporary trading house was piled high with visiting cards.

You were not in a hurry to open stalls.

You first opened the first flagship store in Huaiyang City, the core of Central Province.

Manager Luo Bin sat at the front desk, and Hu Wansan remotely coordinated the supply from Yunzhou.

Within half a year, loose cultivators and disciples of small sects in Huaiyang City lined up to purchase goods.

The banner of the Shen Family trading firm stood firm in Central Province.

Forty-three years old, February.

Birthday lottery.

"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the green trait — 'Health Preservation Expert'!"

Forty-four years old, February.

"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the blue trait — 'Virility Tyrant Body'!"

Shen Ji glanced at the trait description.

Blue quality, physique enhancement, full of energy.

Combined with "Blessed with Many Children", it can multiply the efficiency of offspring reproduction and cultivation feedback.

Forty-four years old, autumn.

The Central Province branch expanded to three cities.

On your way back to Yunzhou from Huaiyang City, you passed by the ferry market south of Kushui Town.

In the crowd, a figure in a light green dress was crouching in front of a medicine stall.

She was bargaining with the stall owner, staring fixedly at a second-grade Ice Core Grass.

Qin Yao.

A female loose cultivator you met once at a tea stall in Kushui Town three years ago.

She had lost weight, the cuffs of her clothes were worn, but her back was still straight.

You walked over.

"Ice Core Grass, three Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Last month's market price in Central Province."

Qin Yao looked up and recognized you.

"Senior? The one who pointed the way in Kushui Town?"

"Don't call me Senior, it makes me look old."

You took out a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone and threw it to the stall owner. "The grass is hers."

The stall owner was overjoyed and kept thanking you.

Qin Yao stood up, put away the Ice Core Grass, took a step back, and performed a proper salute.

"Thank you, Boss Shen. I will repay you."

"You recognize me?"

"Who in Central Province doesn't recognize the Shen Family trading firm now."

She paused.

"But three years ago in Kushui Town, you weren't that famous yet."

Shen Ji looked at the panel.

Qin Yao, Qi Refining Level 5.

Being able to rise two levels in three years of independent cultivation as a wild card, her aptitude was excellent.

More importantly, she had no sect background and no family ties.

Liu Qingqing had given birth to four children in a row, and her body needed recuperation.

Introducing a new female cultivator to match the trait physique was imperative.

"You invited Qin Yao to sit at a nearby tea house."

"After a few pots of tea, her background was mostly figured out."

"An orphan, her sect was destroyed, she had been struggling at the bottom of Central Province for three years, making a living by identifying spirit herbs for medicine shops."

"At parting, you left a copper plate of the Shen Family trading firm."

"If you lack spirit stones, pills, or cultivation resources, take this plate to the Huaiyang City branch and look for Manager Luo Bin."

"Qin Yao took the copper plate, her fingertips tightening."

"Boss Shen, I cannot accept rewards without merit. What do you want?"

"Someone who can help me identify medicine." You answered honestly.

"Qin Yao stared at you for three breaths, then put away the copper plate."

"I will consider it."

Forty-five years old.

"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the white trait — 'Mental Stability'!"

In the same year, in the summer, Qin Yao officially joined the Huaiyang City branch of the Shen Family trading firm, serving as a spirit herb identifier.

You used the excuse of inspecting the headquarters to frequently travel back and forth to Central Province.

Every time you arrived in Huaiyang City, you would always stay for two more days.

At the end of forty-five years old, Shen Ji laid out the deep-level layout of Central Province to Liu Qingqing.

Core topic: Taking a concubine.

"Liu Qingqing sat in the main seat of the main hall, holding the teacup for a long time without drinking."

"You sat in the side seat."

"For the Shen Family to gain a foothold in Central Province, the current foundation is not enough. We must expand the family and accumulate bloodlines with high aptitude."

"Liu Qingqing put down the teacup."

"The female loose cultivator who understands pharmacology in Central Province?"

"You nodded."

"The hall was quiet for a moment."

"Liu Qingqing stood up, pulled a pre-drafted contract from her sleeve, and pressed it on the table."

"I saw early on that you were running to Central Province too often. I will set the rules, she will be under my management after entering the door. You must stay in the main courtyard for ten days every month."

Forty-six years old, spring.

Qin Yao officially married in as Shen Ji's concubine.

In the winter of the same year, Qin Yao gave birth to a son, named Shen Yun.

"Ding! Detected the birth of a fifth child! Offspring aptitude assessment: Top-Grade Water Spirit Root!"

"Triggered 'Blessed with Many Children' feedback mechanism! Host luck + 80!"

"Obtained high-grade water-type spiritual power empowerment! Meridians expanded three times!"

Top-Grade Water Spirit Root, luck + 80.

The feedback amount from this one child was equal to the sum of the previous four.

"Forty-seven to fifty years old."

"Liu Qingqing added another son and two daughters, Qin Yao added a son and a daughter."

"Including the previous children, there were ten in the Shen Family backyard."

"Branches opened in twelve cities in Central Province."

"Manager Luo Bin managed the business with an iron fist, earning the title of 'Iron-Blooded Chief Manager'."

"Hu Wansan balanced the general ledger perfectly and was called the 'God of Wealth of the Shen Family' by his peers in Central Province."

"Under the feedback of a massive number of offspring, your cultivation reached the peak of Qi Refining Level 7."

Forty-eight years old, the second day of the second month.

"Ding! Congratulations on obtaining the white trait — 'Iron Head Technique'!"

An urgent intelligence report popped up on the panel immediately after.

"You were in the secret room preparing to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining Level 7, when urgent knocking sounded outside the door."

"Manager Luo Bin's voice squeezed through the door crack, heavy with gravity."

"Family Head! Eldest Young Master Shen Tian is in Huaiyang City —"

"He severely injured the Zhao family's eldest young master!"

"You pushed open the door of the secret room."

"Manager Luo Bin's forehead was covered in cold sweat."

"The Ancestor of the Zhao Family has declared that if the Shen Family does not give an explanation within three days —"

On the panel, Shen Tian's information column had been refreshed.

In the Huaiyang City auction house, Zhao Hong, the eldest young master of the Zhao family, used his power to forcibly seize a third-grade magic treasure and secretly delivered a fatal blow.

Shen Tian fought back desperately, breaking his meridians.

The Zhao family.

A first-class family in Central Province.

Ancestor of the Zhao Family, Zhao Yuandao, Foundation Establishment mid-stage.

"You stood in front of the door."

"The spiritual power that had accumulated for half a month in your body to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining Level 7 slowly calmed down."

"At the end of the corridor, Liu Qingqing hurried over holding the youngest daughter, followed by Qin Yao."

"Everyone's eyes were fixed on you."