319: Communications from the Southern Desert

"Little beauty, come and have some fun with me."

"No, don't come any closer!"

"Scream all you want, no one will help you."

"I beg you, let me go, please, I'm begging you!"

In the wilderness outside Jiangzhou, a group of ruffian-like Loose Cultivators were chasing a woman clad in black robes.

The glimpses of her face and the graceful figure her robes couldn't conceal constantly stirred their minds.

Until the woman suddenly stopped.

Just as the men were about to approach, a large bag flew towards them.

The woman caught the bag, slightly raised her head, revealing a stunningly beautiful face beneath the hood, but her voice shattered all illusions.

"Heh heh heh, the last batch is in my hands."

"These thousand or so wild monsters should be enough for them to grind. My Main God Space plan is finally complete in its initial stage. Now, all I need are some management personnel."

"I just wonder if losing over a thousand customers will affect the Night Roaming Ruins... Bah, it doesn't matter."

This woman was none other than Zhou Yan, fishing for lawbreakers while playing a female character.

It must be said, this trick was already worn out in the Northern Frontier. On his way here, he had encountered many honey traps. Now, using the same method himself, there were still fools falling for it.

No wonder such tactics were written into textbooks.

This was also why Zhou Yan instinctively wanted to run when he first met Han Yue.

However, that time, the hero saving the beauty was the normal outcome, though ending up in a bandit village afterward wasn't much better.

After taking stock of his gains, Zhou Yan prepared to return to Jiangzhou City to discuss cooperation matters and inquire about where to find management talent.

He had originally said he wouldn't return, but this was already his eighth trip back to Jiangzhou.

Fortunately, the Little Mouse had guided him back then; even in a dazed state, the route was still recorded on the map.

These past days, Zhou Yan had been using his female character to fish in the Night Roaming Ruins. However, after a few incidents, they had become aware of the anomaly and grown vigilant.

But today, a new batch of Demonic Path cultivators arrived, so Zhou Yan casually fished again.

Now that the matter was completely over, he set off to return. Yet, another terrifying legend was added to the Night Roaming Ruins.

"Buzz—"

Zhou Yan halted his steps, taking out a Talisman from his Storage Pouch.

He usually kept important items in his backpack, less important ones in the profound ring, while communication devices for quick access were stored in the Storage Pouch on his chest.

Was this the Talisman given by Xiao Sheng?

The characters on the Talisman glowed brightly, and a half-body projection appeared before his eyes.

Xiao Sheng no longer looked bald; his hair had returned to normal, though his face still bore a weary expression.

But he soon showed a shocked expression, rubbed his eyes, and stared at Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan immediately realized and quickly transformed back into his male form. Only then did Xiao Sheng breathe a sigh of relief.

"You scared me, thought my eyes were playing tricks. I said Master messed up my brain, but no one believed me. I almost mistook you for a fairy, Old Zhou."

Zhou Yan smiled awkwardly, removed his hood, and spoke to the projection.

"You said you'd contact me earlier. Why did it take so long? Did something happen?"

This seemed to touch a nerve for Xiao Sheng, who gritted his teeth and said.

"It's all because of that old geezer! I just lost my hair, and when I came back, he accused me of betraying the faith and gave me a good beating. I could only get out of bed after my hair grew back."

"So old-fashioned! He talks about Dao and Buddha being one family, but it's just discrimination. I didn't change my beliefs; why treat me like this!"

Listening to his endless complaints, Zhou Yan knew the topic had been successfully diverted.

"By the way, Old Zhou, I almost forgot the main thing while rambling."

"When can you deliver that batch of goods?"

Hearing this, Zhou Yan's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Though it sounded like a normal question, coming from Xiao Sheng, it always felt odd.

Before Xiao Sheng left, he had requested to purchase a large quantity of Zhou Yan's food.

He had discovered that this food held profound mysteries, especially in eliminating addictive habits or negative influences. Zhou Yan understood this referred to the food's ability to clear negative effects.

Thus, Xiao Sheng planned to buy in bulk and sell it at the Kurong Temple to help people break bad habits, accumulating Karma in the process. This was a method he accidentally discovered in the Kaifeng.

In a sense, this was trading money for Karma, something he was naturally happy to do.

"We can do it, but we're so far apart. How do we deliver it?"

Xiao Sheng smiled confidently.

"I have a route in the Northern Frontier."

Zhou Yan almost cursed out loud, a reaction instinctive to someone from Hua Xia, making his heart tighten.

Why did this process feel increasingly wrong?

Xiao Sheng didn't notice Zhou Yan's unease and continued explaining.

"Coincidentally, before I left, I came across a newly formed organization called the Heaven and Earth Society. Currently, they specialize in logistics."

"I heard their management has connections in all Four Regions, with good access to transportation."

"I had my Senior Brothers investigate for a while; they're indeed reliable. Can't guarantee safe transport for precious items, but for food, it's absolutely safe."

"Alright, you decide."

"But let me say this upfront: I'll take the money, but don't reveal I'm the supplier."

"Remember to clean up any traces. My sect doesn't know I'm doing this."

"No problem, trust me!"

"Since you're on board, I'll have the Heaven and Earth Society contact you later."

"Give me five tons of goods first. I'll transfer the payment directly from the Lianxing Pavilion to you."

"That's settled then. I'm going to rest now. Farewell."

The moment the image disappeared, Zhou Yan's eyes widened, and he cursed loudly, though Xiao Sheng could no longer see it.

"Holy crap, buying groceries is one thing, but you're ordering by the ton? Wait, this stuff really is measured in tons, isn't it?"

Zhou Yan couldn't shake the feeling this would lead to trouble.

He'd make some delicacies, hand them over to the Heaven and Earth Society for smuggling—no, for "logistics"—to the Southern Desert, where Xiao Sheng would sell them.

It sounded weird no matter how he thought about it.

And this Heaven and Earth Society also felt strangely familiar, though he couldn't place it at the moment.

Forget it, since he agreed, it wasn't convenient to back out now.

After all, Xiao Sheng asked for nothing but some food and even offered to pay. It wouldn't be right not to repay this favor.

Sigh, if possible, he really didn't want to sell pre-prepared meals.

"Wait."

"pre-prepared meals?"

Zhou Yan suddenly had a flash of insight.

Originally, Taiyi City's main foreign trade was Demonic Path products, like Gundams or hero fragments, or mid-to-low-end weaponry.

Since Zhou Yan took over, Demonic Path products had mostly ceased, with only the legitimate parts continuing operations.

Plus, the Grace Group's involvement in weaponry wasn't originally for profit but had other purposes.

So, this somewhat loss-making project was also halted, retaining only what was needed for research and self-defense.

But the Kaifeng still had deficits and needed more trade to sustain expenses.

The Eastern Region was barren; relying entirely on one Kaifeng to operate independently was difficult to maintain long-term.

Zhou Yan initially found it troublesome, but now he wondered: Was there a future in pre-prepared meals?

Yes, and a huge one!

He could completely develop a Spirit Food industry in Taiyi City.

With his current Cooking Skill, he was more than qualified to be a teacher.

And because the main city residents had some NPC characteristics, their production efficiency might be higher, and the output superior. Perhaps they could really make it work.

Then, Taiyi City could handle mid-to-low-end products, the main city mid-to-high-end, and he himself could produce top-tier pre-prepared meals.

Wouldn't this be healthier and more cost-effective than spirit smoke?

Recalling the scene he saw during the Heart Demon Tribulation, Zhou Yan felt somewhat tempted.

After all, Heart Demons don't create things out of thin air for no reason. If it appeared, it proved this scenario could truly happen.

So, using food to drive commerce should also be feasible.

With his mind made up, Zhou Yan no longer walked slowly but hurried back towards Jiangzhou City. Now that he had a direction, he needed to implement it quickly.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Eastern Region, a plot targeting Taiyi City was quietly unfolding.

"I originally planned to cut off their foreign trade, but they were so naive, voluntarily stopping those high-demand goods. It saved me some effort."

Wang Defu looked coldly out the window.

"First, wage an economic war to destroy their faith, then slowly consume them."

"When the time is ripe, we'll strike together. I don't believe that wild god has much power."

The Middle-aged Man sitting in the chair scoffed.

"You're really invested in your son, staying so patient. I thought you'd just storm their gates."

Wang Defu wasn't provoked.

"I must avenge Wilde."

"No matter how useless he was, he was my only son."

"With my current body and Realm, it's hard to have another child. Severing my future—the Taiyi God and those lowly commoners all deserve to die!"

The Middle-aged Man stood up, picked up a cup, and walked to his side.

"You talk as if you truly loved him. Was he your only heir, or the vessel you chose for yourself? Don't you know?"

Wang Defu showed a weary expression.

"Enough, George. At this point, don't say such unpleasant things. After all, I haven't performed the Possession yet. How do you know I didn't genuinely care for him?"

"You can fool me, but don't fool yourself."