129: Chapter 129 Foundation Building Evil Cultivator

Jin Mantang's eyes flickered with lewd light as he pinched her hard: "Hehe, as long as Manager Liu serves me well, no one in this Qingyue Market will dare touch a single hair on your head."

You carried the tray, walked steadily to the table, and set down the Spirit Wine.

Jin Mantang paused, glanced at you, and seeing that you were just an old Mortal woman with mediocre looks and no fluctuations of Spiritual Qi, he felt disappointed and waved his hand impatiently.

"Get out, don't be an eyesore here."

You said nothing, bowed slightly, turned to leave the room, and closed the door tightly behind you.

"Manager Liu has it hard too." Standing outside the door, you offered a brief assessment in your heart.

Not long after, violent shaking sounds and suppressed gasps came from the room.

You walked down the stairs and continued checking the accounts with a normal expression. What you had seen and heard in the market over these past few years had long made you understand the cruelty of the Cultivation World. Without strength, one could only sell everything that could be sold; this was nothing more than normal.

The next morning.

Just as you opened the tavern's doors, Manager Liu sent someone to summon you to the back courtyard's chamber.

The room was filled with the lingering scent of decadence, and the air was mixed with the smell of spiritual sandalwood and a certain fishy sweetness. Manager Liu, wearing a thin, plain undergarment, was sitting in front of the dressing table, staring blankly at herself in the bronze mirror. The blush at the corners of her eyes had not yet fully faded, and a few jarring red marks were faintly visible on her neck.

"Shuang Wan, you're here." Manager Liu looked at herself in the bronze mirror, her voice somewhat hoarse.

"Sister Liu." With a calm expression, you walked behind her, picked up the comb skillfully, and combed her slightly messy long hair.

Manager Liu was silent for a moment, then suddenly let out a self-deprecating laugh, her voice sounding stifled: "Last night's events… you saw them, didn't you?"

Your movements did not stop, and you responded indifferently: "Mn."

"Do you think… I am dirty?" Manager Liu's shoulders trembled slightly. She turned around and looked up at you. Those eyes, which usually exuded shrewdness and charm, were now filled with moisture, like a child who had done something wrong, carrying a sense of anxiety and grievance.

You put down the comb, pressed your hands on her shoulders, and said in a gentle yet firm tone: "In this world, being able to survive and protect the people under you relies on ability. You didn't steal or rob; you are surviving in your own way. How could that be dirty?"

Manager Liu was stunned, and the tears in her eyes finally broke through the dam. She hugged your waist, buried her face in your lower abdomen, and began to sob in a suppressed manner.

You gently patted her back without speaking again. You knew very well that what Manager Liu needed was not grand principles, but an outlet where she could drop her disguise.

After a while, Manager Liu's emotions gradually calmed down, and her tone was somewhat reflective.

"We women, in the end, have it better than men; at least we still have this skin to rely on." Manager Liu sighed, reached out to hold your wrist, and said, "Shuang Wan, I hope you will never be like me. You are a smart person; once you have saved enough Spirit Stones, leave this place of trouble."

You held her hand back and nodded slightly: "I know what I'm doing."

Manager Liu took a deep breath, her expression suddenly becoming extremely solemn. She lowered her voice and leaned into your ear.

"Shuang Wan, the market is about to change. I pried the truth out of Jin Mantang's mouth last night; the Zhao Family… has fallen."

You frowned: "Fallen? How so?"

"The Zhao Family's Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator stationed at the 'Spirit Stone' vein is dead!" Manager Liu's voice trembled slightly. "And the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Li Family and the Qian Family, although they were seriously injured, managed to save their lives. It was two against one; no matter how deep the Zhao Family's foundation is, they can't compete."

Your heart was shaken. A Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator was an expert capable of holding down a territory, yet they had fallen just like that. No wonder Manager Liu was in such a rush to find Jin Mantang as a backer. Qingyue Market was located at the intersection of the three families; once the Zhao Family weakened, this place would inevitably bear the brunt and become an abandoned pawn.

"With such a big matter, won't the Luoyun Sect intervene?" You were a bit puzzled. After all, Qingyue Market was within the Luoyun Sect's sphere of influence. With the people below fighting to the death, would those above just watch?

Manager Liu shook her head and smiled bitterly: "The Luoyun Sect is high and mighty; why would they care about the life or death of these cultivation families below? As long as the annual tribute is not lacking, they couldn't care less about who the Spiritual Vein belongs to. However…"

She paused, her tone easing slightly: "You don't have to worry too much either. Qingyue Market is a hen that lays golden eggs. Whether the Li Family or the Qian Family takes over, the probability is that they won't drain the pond to catch the fish. At most, it will just mean changing masters to pay rent to. Life certainly won't be as comfortable as before, but after all, who nearby doesn't know that the rent collected by the Zhao Family is the lowest and the most kind?"

You nodded thoughtfully: "As long as I can still do business, it makes no difference who I change to." You were calculating the same thing in your heart; as long as the market wasn't destroyed, you could continue to lay low and save Spirit Stones. At worst, you would just have to be more low-key in the future.

Over the next three days, the atmosphere in the market became unusually strange.

Just as Manager Liu had said, news of the three families preparing for peace talks spread like wildfire. The number of Zhao Family disciples, who had previously patrolled the streets of the market frequently, dropped by more than half. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Zhao Family was contracting its defensive lines and preparing to abandon Qingyue Market.

The Loose Cultivators and merchants in the market were in a panic. Some began to sell their goods at low prices in preparation to run away, while others went around forming cliques, attempting to scrape together enough bargaining chips before the new masters arrived.

However, just when everyone thought the situation would transition smoothly with the Li and Qian families taking over Qingyue Market, a sudden change occurred.

Two more days passed. At noon on this day, the sun was bright, and Wangjiang Tower was packed with customers.

You were standing behind the counter checking the accounts when, suddenly, a burst of terrified clamor came from outside.

"The… the sky, why has it gone dark?!"

You looked up abruptly, only to see that the originally clear sky had been shrouded by a layer of thick black clouds, and the entire market was instantly plunged into darkness as if it were midnight.

Alarm bells rang in your heart, and you immediately rushed out of the tavern. The streets were already crowded with panicked Cultivators, all looking up at the sky.

In the black clouds directly above the market, a figure was silently floating.

It was a man wearing a wide black robe, his long gray-white hair dancing wildly in the wind. His face was gaunt, but his features exuded a kind of wild and evil handsomeness, especially those eyes, scarlet as blood, as if they could swallow all vitality.

"Floating with the Physical Body… it's a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator!" In the crowd, someone let out a desperate cry.

Foundation Establishment Stage! Only by reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage can one fly briefly in the air using one's Physical Body without the aid of a Magical Artifact.

The Black-robed man looked down from above at the crowd below, who were like ants, his scarlet eyes flickering with greedy light. He took a deep breath and let out a blood-curdling laugh.

"Not bad, not bad! Such a rich scent of living people, such pure Qi and blood… This Seat likes it!"