85: threaten

The midsummer sun shone diagonally into the Brocade Pavilion silk shop, with fine dust dancing in the beams of light... Zhuang Xian raised an eyebrow and sized Wei Zhong up, a hint of playfulness flashing in his eyes.

“Boss Wei, are you warning this Young Master? Do you intend to oppose me? With just you, what can you possibly do to me?”

After speaking, he gave a cold laugh and lightly fanned himself with his folding fan, his posture arrogant to the extreme.

Wei Zhong's face instantly turned pale, and he was momentarily speechless, not knowing how to retort.

However, Embroiderer Su’s willow-like brows furrowed slightly as she plucked up the courage to speak.

“Young Master Zhuang, behind this silk shop are the City Lord's Estate and various noble ladies. If you act wildly here and the Estate Lord finds out, I'm afraid things won't go well for you either, right?”

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Xian snapped his folding fan shut. The sharp 'clack' startled everyone.

He threw his head back and laughed loudly, his arrogant laughter shaking the dust off the beams above.

“Hmph! What can the Bei Batian do to me? Before my Xihua Sect, he can only wag his tail and beg for mercy! Today, even if I tear this place down, the City Lord's Estate wouldn't dare to utter a peep!”

After saying that, he took leisurely steps, circling the two of them. The elegant jasmine scent from the Embroiderer drifted into his nose; he suddenly leaned in close, taking a greedy deep breath with an intoxicated expression on his face.

“This fragrance is truly top-grade! Haha, consider it carefully. I'm leaving now.”

With that, he led the Golden Core Elder away ostentatiously toward Chunxiang Tower, leaving behind the worried Embroiderer and the distressed Wei Zhong.

After Zhuang Xian had walked far away.

The Embroiderer said with a face full of concern:

“Husband, why don't we move somewhere else?”

Wei Zhong looked at the walls covered in exquisite silk, which were the crystallization of their years of hard work as a couple.

He let out a long sigh, his voice filled with helplessness:

“We've worked so hard here for so many years and finally managed to save up for a shop like this. If we move elsewhere, we'll have to start all over again, and it might not reach its current prosperity. Sigh!”

He paused, his gaze falling on his wife's face:

“Moreover, that man named Zhuang is clearly no ordinary person. The spiritual Qi in him is like a torrential beast; I tremble with fear just being near him. Even if we wanted to move, it likely wouldn't be easy. Plus, the elder behind him gives me the same feeling as facing the City Lord, making it impossible to even think of resisting. Sigh, let's first contact the ladies of the various families in the city to see if they can support us and protect us from harm.”

Hearing this, the Embroiderer also felt it was worth a try and said:

“Then I will go pay them a visit first to gauge their intentions.”

Wei Zhong nodded, pulled a stack of sound transmission talismans from his robe, and stuffed them into her hand, saying:

“Don't be stingy with the sound transmission talismans. Use them whenever possible to avoid being harassed by that bastard while you're out.”

The Embroiderer's face flushed. “I understand.”

Wei Zhong waved his hand and said:

“Go ahead, I'll look after the shop.”

Watching his wife's departing back, his heart was filled with helplessness and worry, not knowing how they would overcome this crisis.

Shortly after the Embroiderer left, a sudden strange wind whipped up outside the silk shop.

Withered leaves swirled as if controlled by an invisible hand, slamming hard against the doorframe with a 'bang bang' sound.

Wei Zhong, who was busy with the accounts, felt his heart skip a beat, and the beads of his abacus scattered all over the floor with a clatter.

He looked up and saw that the Golden Core Elder who had been behind Zhuang Xian had returned at some unknown point.

The elder was as thin as a lath, his silhouette twisting and deforming in the gloom like a vengeful spirit crawling out of the netherworld. He was surrounded by a heart-palpitating pressure, and wherever he passed, the air seemed to freeze into ice.

“Boss Wei, have you considered it?”

The elder's raspy voice sounded like sandpaper rubbing together; every word was like a sharp blade, scraping painfully against the eardrums.

He stepped forward slowly, and the ground actually formed fine frost under his feet. A sliver of chill climbed up Wei Zhong's ankles, piercing straight into his marrow.

Wei Zhong forced himself to stand up, but his legs wouldn't stop trembling.

He looked at the elder, his voice carrying a plea:

“Senior, please show some mercy! My wife and I share a deep affection, I hope...”

“Deep affection?”

The elder suddenly sneered, a bloodthirsty light flashing in his eyes.

He made a grasping motion with his withered hand from a distance, and the two Waiters who were organizing silk in the back hall were instantly dragged into mid-air by an invisible force.

The two struggled in terror, their faces turning purple as gurgling sounds came from their throats. Their feet kicked wildly in the air, and their desperate gazes felt like a knife to Wei Zhong's heart.

“Wei Zhong, do you know who you have offended?”

The Golden Core Elder's lips curled into an evil smirk that sent shivers down one's spine.

“Within three days, send your wife to the North City Manor Villa. Otherwise... there will be no need for the Brocade Pavilion to continue existing!”

Seeing the Waiters suspended in the air, Wei Zhong's face instantly turned as white as paper.

He fell to his knees with a 'thud'. Just as he was about to beg for mercy, the elder's gaze coiled around him like a poisonous snake.

“Think carefully before you speak, or else these two lives will be gone.”

Wei Zhong's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his back was already drenched. Faced with the elder's methods, he was filled with terror.

Trembling all over, he knelt heavily on the floor tiles, his forehead hitting the ground painfully.

“Senior! I am willing to offer up all my Family wealth, I only beg you to spare our Family! The treasures in the silk shop, my years of savings—you can have it all!”

“Slap—”

The elder gave a mocking laugh and with a casual wave of his hand, the two Waiters were thrown like broken kites toward the shelves.

Silk scattered everywhere, and the two Waiters lay among it, their breathing weak and blood seeping from the corners of their mouths.

“Manager Wei, what my Young Master wants are not these external possessions. Remember, within three days, go to the manor to serve my Young Master! If I don't see your wife at the manor serving as a maid by the evening of the third day, you won't need to see the sun on the fourth day!”

After speaking, the elder's figure flickered and he vanished instantly, leaving behind a mess and the slumped Wei Zhong... Inside the gilded pavilion on the top floor of Chunxiang Tower, it was luxurious to the extreme.

Zhuang Xian reclined on a Shark-silk soft couch, looking lazy and relaxed. A singing girl kneeling before him was using a silver spoon to feed him iced Spiritual Fruits.

Suddenly, the window frame made a slight 'click' sound, and the Golden Core Elder appeared in the room like a ghost.

“Is the matter settled?”

Zhuang Xian asked flatly, his tone carrying a hint of nonchalance.

The elder gave a fawning smile and nodded quickly:

“I have already intimidated him. I told him to send her to the Young Master's villa by the evening of the third day at the latest.”

Hearing this, a smug smile appeared on Zhuang Xian's face.

He stood up, spat the fruit pit into a Shark-silk handkerchief, and used the corner of it to gently wipe his lips. The gold-trimmed edges of his clothes shimmered coldly.

“That Wei Zhong is but a mere marketplace merchant, yet he possesses such beauty. However...”

He suddenly threw the handkerchief onto the singing girl's face, scaring her into a huddle.

“She ultimately belongs to this Young Master! When one's virtue does not match their position, disaster is bound to follow. This Young Master is actually saving him, haha...”

The Golden Core Elder chuckled and complimented:

“Young Master is right. Put that way, Wei Zhong should even be grateful for Young Master's life-saving grace. As the old saying goes, a charming face dazzles the eyes, but a beauty's smile can end a life...”

Hearing this, Zhuang Xian glanced at him sideways, his eyes full of disdain.

“Stop right there! Your old yellow teeth are almost all gone, and you don't even know how to speak properly.”

“Young Master's lesson is noted, hehe.”

The Golden Core Elder smiled apologetically, his eyes full of sycophancy... (The novel was reported and put in a 'little dark room,' so it can't be searched anymore. Only those who added it to their bookshelf can see it. Sigh, the editing is making me dizzy, the update will likely be delayed. Sorry!)