Cultivation: I Have Studied Abroad in the Modern World-Chapter 1266 - 562: Supreme Treasure’s Origin, the Peacock Returns (Part 2)
The Heavenly Emperor Body and Zhang looked at her with smiles that were not quite smiles.
"I know how to find the location of the All Heaven Stars Array, I can help you launch the stars!"
Mu Qingyan glanced at the Water Mother, then at the two with the Heavenly Emperor Body, only feeling that she had a long way to go if she wanted to take charge of the Jiushan Sect.
Outside the Xuanwei Realm, at the Heaven-Reaching Sword Peak, the Water Mother looked at the delivered detector and couldn’t help but sigh: "Your Jiushan Sect’s artifact refining is really fast."
Zhang smiled gently, holding the Heavenly Inference Array Plate, silently deducing.
Beside her, Master Pang sincerely said, "We have to thank the generous contributions from the Northern Continent cultivators."
The sky over the Northern Continent cultivators was about to collapse.
Lady Qian Ji sat in Guanlan Palace, going through the No Struggle City’s accounts several times, before picking up the ledger nervously and walking to the Taoist temple where Gu Hong Taoist was located.
"What’s wrong?"
Seeing her expression, Gu Hong Taoist couldn’t help but ask.
"There’s a problem with the accounts."
Gu Hong Taoist’s expression became solemn. Actually, most of No Struggle City’s resources weren’t of much help to his cultivation, but the city’s disciples were counted as his audience, which had a significant impact on him.
"Where’s the problem?" Gu Hong Taoist asked further, "Has the income decreased?"
"There’s no decrease." Lady Qian Ji presented two Jade Tubes to Gu Hong Taoist and said, "I seem to know what Jiushan Sect is doing."
"What is this?"
"This is No Struggle City’s ledger from ten years ago, and this is this year’s."
Gu Hong Taoist took a look, frowned, and wondered, "The income seems to have increased quite a bit?"
"Yes." Lady Qian Ji nodded and said, "And the disciples’ Magic Artifacts, Spirit Talismans, and Pills have been upgraded."
"All relying on Nine Mountains Department Store?"
Lady Qian Ji nodded slowly and said, "However, City Lord, if you look closely, you’ll see that our No Struggle City has undergone a huge change."
"What change?"
Lady Qian Ji shook her head: "City Lord, you do not understand the specific industries of No Struggle City, so you naturally cannot see the issue."
Gu Hong Taoist looked at her, still appearing bewildered.
"In the past, our No Struggle City’s income relied on the city gate tax, which was tax paid by passing merchants." Lady Qian Ji explained, "We provided them with safety guarantees in exchange for an agreed portion of their goods or Spirit Stones."
Gu Hong Taoist stroked his chin and spoke, "You always said you didn’t care about background as long as the rules were followed, we would provide protection. Now it seems you were right."
Lady Qian Ji smiled slightly, giving no credit to herself: "That is due to the city lord’s trust."
"What does this have to do with Jiushan Sect?"
"City lord, look at the ledger from ten years ago, you’ll find that what we collected were primarily Spirit Stones, Magical Treasures, Pills, or Spirit Talismans."
"But this year’s ledger shows mostly two items... Nine Mountains Money and spiritual material, with Nine Mountains Money accounting for sixty percent."
"While it seems like the value has improved, the composition is completely different."
Gu Hong Taoist was taken aback, seemingly still not understanding.
Seeing this, Lady Qian Ji decided to explain more clearly: "The Nine Mountains Department Store has caused most Artifact Refiners, Pill Masters, and Talisman Makers in No Struggle City to go out of business. Even our disciples now rarely learn artifact refining and alchemy."
Gu Hong Taoist frowned, appearing to grasp the issue.
"Of course, the cultivators in No Struggle City earn more than before—they can sell resources."
"The problem is, these resources, when exchanged, often are not for Spirit Stones, but for Nine Mountains Money, which they may then spend in Nine Mountains Department Store."
Jiushan Sect’s approach is indeed groundbreaking, even Lady Qian Ji hadn’t fully understood its intricacies, but as the actual manager of No Struggle City, she had already spotted the underlying dangers. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"In fact, many people, once they have Nine Mountains Money, just want to deposit it in Heaven and Earth Bank to accumulate interest for their cultivation."
At this point, Lady Qian Ji concluded: "In other words, Jiushan Sect has been using Nine Mountains Money to exchange for our Spirit Stones, and in the process, has crippled our refining and alchemy industries, leaving us only able to sell spiritual materials to them to generate income."
Upon hearing this, Gu Hong Taoist suddenly stood up, pacing back and forth in the Taoist temple, seemingly anxious: "How could it be like this?"
Lady Qian Ji shook her head with a very troubled expression and said: "Jiushan Sect’s actions are unprecedented."
"The quality of the various goods in Nine Mountains Department Store is so high that even if the prices are a bit expensive, it has eliminated much of the merchants’ competition."
"If this continues, the Northern Continent cultivators are likely to unite against it, but then there’s still the Nine Mountains Bank."
"Not only does it purchase resources in large quantities, but Nine Mountains Money is safe and easy to use, and it even offers interest. More cultivators are benefiting from it, so naturally, they are more inclined to deposit Spirit Stones in the bank."
"More and more cultivators supply Jiushan Sect with spiritual materials, most cultivators keep their savings in Heaven and Earth Bank, while others rely on Jiushan Sect for their income; in a sense, they are living under Jiushan Sect’s nose."
Lady Qian Ji’s meaning was clear—most of No Struggle City’s industries are now obsolete, and if Jiushan Sect stops purchasing spiritual materials, or if they stop purchasing them in large quantities, many cultivators may lose their livelihoods.
"If there’s a problem with Nine Mountains Department Store, especially Heaven and Earth Bank, many could be wiped out overnight."
"City Lord, I’m beginning to wonder, in No Struggle City now, whose word holds more sway—ours or Jiushan Sect’s?"
Gu Hong Taoist was startled, initially wanting to say certainly his own, but recalling Lady Qian Ji’s words just now, he found it hard to declare.
"Jiushan Sect has essentially become the largest power in the Northern Continent without a drop of blood." At this, Lady Qian Ji said with shame, "We should never have agreed to let Jiushan Sect open stores in No Struggle City back then."
Gu Hong Taoist’s expression grew even more unpleasant as he spoke somberly: "This isn’t your fault alone, who could have foreseen... Jiushan Sect, Jiushan Sect... "
"Despite taking countless precautions against them, this kind of tactic caught us off guard. Were it not for you, I might still be in the dark."
He suddenly spoke softly: "I shall send letters to ask Suspended Island and Heavenly Mountain about the situation on their end."
After more than half a month, two replies arrived, and upon reading them, Gu Hong Taoist turned pale: "They are like us, their resources and the hearts of their people are both controlled by Jiushan Sect!"
Lady Qian Ji nodded slowly, sighing: "I’ve heard that Nine Mountains Department Store has long opened in various major cities of the Human Clan in the Northern Continent."
"Were it not for your reminder, those two sides might not have discovered the problem yet." Gu Hong Taoist, flinging the letters on the table, smirked cynically, "Dumber than us!"
"So what does the City Lord think should be done now?"
"What do you think?"
"I think...let it be," said Lady Qian Ji surprisingly.
Gu Hong Taoist glared at Lady Qian Ji, who just bitterly smiled and said: "When I went back and calculated again, I found that sixty percent of No Struggle City’s wealth is in Heaven and Earth Bank...earning interest."
Gu Hong Taoist couldn’t hold back, realizing that he himself was the one profiting at the expense of others?
"It’s not deliberate on our part, it’s just that those cultivators use Nine Mountains Money to pay taxes, and many spiritual materials are hard to preserve, it’s better to sell them to Jiushan Sect..."
"..."
Gu Hong Taoist closed his eyes and only opened them after a long while: "This is not a big problem...we cultivators are not businessmen; if some profit is lost, it is just lost."
Lady Qian Ji slowly nodded, understanding what the City Lord meant— for the City Lord, resources and Spirit Stones were not the crux, as strength was still the ultimate measure for cultivators.
"But Jiushan Sect’s Sun-shooting Divine Bow is troublesome."
True, in terms of strength, even the City Lord might not compare...
"What’s so troublesome about it? It’s just a petty trick." A soft laugh came from the corner, causing both of their expressions to change as they looked towards the source, where a figure slowly appeared in the corner of the Taoist temple—none other than the Peacock Emperor.
Gu Hong Taoist rejoiced: "Emperor, you came from the West Continent, is the Pure Land repaired?"
