Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 375 - 231: Struggle Between the Trading Firms (Part 2)
The messenger left, overjoyed. One spirit stone wasn’t much, but with the short distance he’d traveled, it was enough pay.
"As expected, nothing is going right." Lu Chang’sheng used magical power to tear open the letter.
Seeing what was inside, he couldn’t help but sigh.
Lu Chang’an looked at him, puzzled. "Father, who sent the letter?"
"Your Mr. Yu!" Lu Chang’sheng quickly finished reading, magical power surging in his palm as he summoned a blaze to burn the letter to ash.
"Is something serious happening?" Lu Chang’an’s face grew stern.
Though Yu Hai and Wang Futian had gone out from the city to hunt down Red Cloud Daoist, if things went smoothly, they should be back to Platinum Immortal City in a few days. If nothing urgent happened, why would he send a letter?
Lu Chang’sheng said grimly, "The siege has failed!"
Lu Chang’an exclaimed, "How is that possible!"
The Gu Family elder plus a dozen Qi Cultivation experts had nearly driven Red Cloud Daoist to the brink. Now, with the Supreme Profound Sect’s Foundation Establishment master involved and Red Cloud Daoist’s whereabouts exposed, there shouldn’t have been any surprises.
But as Lu Chang’an mulled it over, he felt something was off. "Even if the clearing failed, it shouldn’t affect us much."
The pill shop closing up would simply mean less profit. Lu Chang’an knew his father’s temperament; he wouldn’t be too upset by something like that.
So why did he seem so rattled?
"The Foundation Establishment master from Supreme Profound Sect must have discovered something, so he requested help from his sect. The newcomer is somehow connected to Zhu Qing."
Lu Chang’an suddenly understood, though a thread of hope lingered. "Didn’t Zhu Qing’s contact only have authority at the ninth level of Qi Cultivation? Foundation Establishment cultivators have far higher standing; why would they meddle in this petty business?"
The gap between Foundation Establishment and Qi Cultivation was enormous. Anyone at the Foundation Establishment level had lived at least a century.
Zhu Qing may know the Emperor’s Skill, but in front of a Foundation Establishment master, it’s child’s play.
No Foundation Establishment cultivator would bother acting against them over something so trivial.
"Let’s hope so. Still, we must be cautious. The few of you should shelter at the Glazed Glass Trading House for now," Lu Chang’sheng instructed.
If it wasn’t so dangerous to go outside, he’d rather send them out of Platinum Immortal City for a while. Unfortunately, with Red Cloud Daoist still out there, that would be even riskier than staying here.
Just as Lu Chang’an said, Zhu Qing’s influence probably isn’t enough to sway a Foundation Establishment master from Supreme Profound Sect.
Even if the master disliked them, he wouldn’t openly strike within the Immortal City.
"Ultimately, our standing just isn’t high enough. If I were a Tier-Two Alchemist or a Foundation Establishment cultivator, this wouldn’t be happening."
Tier-Two Alchemists outrank most Foundation Establishments. No matter how clever Zhu Qing thinks he is, he couldn’t touch me.
"Now we wait for the date agreed upon with Heaven-Burning Valley." he thought to himself.
Soon, Li Nangua gathered the Lu Mansion family and packed their things, ready to head to the Glazed Glass Trading House.
As an Honored Guest Elder at Glazed Glass Trading House, Lu Chang’sheng had a place to stay there.
But before that, Lu Chang’sheng reached out to Liu Yun in advance.
This was a matter involving a Foundation Establishment True Man; if he didn’t explain ahead of time, things could spiral out of control after the fact, making everything worse.
But as he arrived at Glazed Glass Trading House, he bumped into Liu Yun’s usual attendant.
The man, hurrying by, nearly collided with Lu Chang’sheng.
"Alchemist Lu! You came at just the right time."
He was anxious, but seeing it was Lu Chang’sheng, he visibly relaxed.
"Fellow Daoist Fu, what’s going on?"
This man was named Fu Chen, nominally Liu Yun’s bodyguard, though in reality, he simply followed Liu Yun’s side under the title of bodyguard.
Lu Chang’sheng had heard that Fu Chen was somewhat related to Liu Yun by blood, though he wasn’t sure whether they were direct kin or from another branch.
"Someone from Head Office is here checking the accounts. They’ve reached Alchemist Lu’s records and are saying Liu’s been taking a salary for nothing."
In his urgency, Fu Chen blurted out his relation to Liu Yun, only realizing what he’d said afterward. There was no unsaying it, so he just brushed it off and hurried Lu Chang’sheng along to handle the situation.
"Seems Liu Yun’s situation at the Trading House isn’t so great either," Lu Chang’sheng thought.
He knew—unintentionally, he’d gotten involved in Glazed Glass Trading House’s internal strife. But backing out now wasn’t an option; if word got out, his reputation would take a huge hit.
Inside the trading house, in a grand hall, a tall, thin cultivator sat in a chair, his palm pressed against a jade scroll.
The jade scroll was likely the company ledger. Several cultivators in charge of the accounts stood to the side, eyes drooping, acting half-asleep.
On the other side, Liu Yun stood with several deputy managers, each wearing a different expression, no one knowing what the others were thinking.
"The profits at Platinum Immortal City have been declining for years, Fellow Daoist Liu, you can’t escape responsibility!"
The tall cultivator’s face wasn’t harsh; instead, he seemed full of sympathy.
Liu Yun still had some connections, and since the man was already certain he could remove Liu Yun from his post, he didn’t see a reason to mock him, letting him keep some dignity.
As a trading house inspector skilled at dealing with people, he knew how to handle situations delicately, especially since this involved a clash between two major figures in the company.
Even if Liu Yun wasn’t central, he still represented the reputation of that young lady’s faction.
Liu Yun’s face was bitter. "There’s a reason. Red Cloud Daoist blocked the main routes everywhere, so—"
"I understand, but that’s just not an excuse. Every Immortal City branch faces challenges, and how you cope with that is part of your job."
"We care only about the results."
The tall cultivator shook his head and listed similar cases where other branch managers had faced comparable situations and ultimately lost their positions after profits dropped.
"Fellow Daoist Liu Yun, the directors have emphasized that managers must be forward-thinking, and you’ve fallen well short."
"Also, someone’s accused you of taking pay without working—so, what do you have to say?"
The tall cultivator paused, then said.
The issue of ’taking a salary for nothing’ wasn’t his idea; it was brought up by a superior from a rival faction before he left for the review.
He had to mention it, or his future in the company would suffer.
Trying not to antagonize Liu Yun’s side, he made sure to imply he didn’t have a personal stake.
"Impossible! The spirit stones at this branch have always been used with proper records!"
Liu Yun breathed deep. He knew this was an enemy’s attack move.
So-called "ghost salaries" were actually a widespread practice within the trading house, often used for greasing palms and gift-giving.
Within all the Immortal City branches, it was basically an unspoken rule—a standard part of business, and seldom used as ammunition against the managers.
Unless their patron lost all power and influence.
Thinking of this, Liu Yun felt a chill.
"Then where did these resources go?"
The tall cultivator frowned, reading off parts of the jade scroll.
"Last March 3rd, warehouse expense: five batches Guiyuan Pill materials, nothing recorded as received."
"March 28th, warehouse expense: ten batches Guiyuan Pill materials, no corresponding pills recorded."
······
The tall cultivator’s face grew cold.
The young lady’s faction was clearly on the way out, and the Glazed Glass Trading House’s future would fall to the rival group.
With their position lost, plus the undeniable drop in Platinum Immortal City’s revenues, he figured Liu Yun should just own up and accept punishment—why be so stubborn?
But when he looked at Liu Yun, the latter wasn’t alarmed at all. Instead, his eyes lit up.
"Inspector, you’ve got the wrong idea. All those resources were spent with proper justification."
"Check the notes below."
The tall cultivator looked down, and saw that it was itemized: the expenditures were attributed to Alchemist Lu.
"Alchemist Lu? Who’s that?"
His expression didn’t change.
According to his knowledge, Platinum Immortal City had no noteworthy Lu family alchemist. Even if they’d produced a class-B alchemist in recent years, that wouldn’t justify such a massive consumption of materials.
In short, what the jade scroll recorded—’materials procured for Alchemist Lu’—far exceeded the supply given to any class-B alchemist.
