An Unexpected Windfall (Seeking Reads, Seeking Votes)!

As the large force assembled, Wang Yu's stream of nonsense made the matter grow bigger and bigger.

But he was not panicked. With profit laid out before them, as long as he gave this pack of "hyenas" an excuse, even if they did not die, they would be stripped of a layer of skin.

Ideally, it would have been best for Steward Xu to handle this matter personally. But after unexpectedly discovering the connection between Su Qing Shan and Xu Estate, this was the only path left to him.

Demonic Path, Demonic Path!

The longer Wang Yu stayed here, the more he felt like a fish in water!

Several hundred elites from the Law Enforcement Hall mobilized. There were not many people traveling at night to begin with, and upon seeing such a display, they wished they could dig three feet into the ground and bury their heads there. Who would dare spare it another glance?

On the road, Zhuo Shouqing said to Wang Yu,

"You said you signed an oppressive contract. Where is it? Let This Seat have a look."

"Right here—"

Wang Yu handed over the copy in his possession. After reading it, Zhuo Shouqing said in surprise, "Such generous terms are called oppressive? Are you trying to deceive This Seat!"

"I would not dare, Lord Zhuo. Think carefully—does our Inverse Spirit Blood Sect have contracts like this? It is all an illusion. Otherwise, this disciple would not have been deceived and fallen into their trap."

Zhuo Shouqing frowned in thought. That made sense!

And the term was only one year. Combined with Wang Yu's earlier testimony, it gave him the impression that they intended to squeeze him dry within a year. On top of that, the contract explicitly offered no cultivation whatsoever, making that intention even clearer!

It resembled a consumable.

"Good, very good! Daring to commit such a heinous, heaven-incensing crime in Evil God Ward under This Seat's jurisdiction—confiscate their property! Their property must be confiscated!

"Wang Yu, was it? Rest assured, you and your brothers will all receive the fairest treatment and feel the warmth of the sect."

Wang Yu's vision darkened. His empty arm really was warm enough, but his flattery did not stop, leaving Zhuo Shouqing comfortable all over.

Before long, Xu's Pill Shop came into view.

"Surround it!"

With a sweep of Zhuo Shouqing's hand, the Law Enforcement Hall cultivators surged forward and surrounded the entire pill shop so tightly that not even water could seep through. Wang Yu's eyes rolled, and he stepped forward of his own accord, shouting,

"Those inside, listen up—you have been exposed.

"Hand over all public property gained through exploitation and embezzlement, or you will surely suffer Soul Extraction, your souls and spirits refined. You will become little ghosts for all eternity, barred from Samsara and forever denied rebirth!"

After that roar, Wang Yu ran back to Zhuo Shouqing's side and said ingratiatingly,

"My lord, please."

"Oh—

"Not bad."

Zhuo Shouqing was very pleased with Wang Yu's behavior, feeling a satisfying sense of everything going exactly as he wished. He coughed lightly and released the pressure of Foundation Establishment, enveloping the entire Xu's Pill Shop.

Inside.

Old Zhu, who was staying up late on the third floor doing the accounts, let out a long sigh. Looking at his trembling grandson, he said helplessly,

"Things have come to this. We can only negotiate. I hope I can leave you a Life Path."

"Grandfather, I do not want to die! Your grandson does not want to die!"

Zhu Xiao Sun, dressed in white cloth sleepwear, scrambled forward and clung to his grandfather's leg, tears and mucus streaming down his face. He had planned to leave the sect in a few days to lie low, but who could have expected the matter to be exposed so quickly, so suddenly? There had been no time to react at all.

"Xiao Sun, let go."

Seeing the determination in his grandfather's eyes, Zhu Xiao Sun lowered his head and followed Old Zhu out of Xu's Pill Shop. Outside, armored soldiers stood with halberds in hand, their bearing stern and imposing.

The heavy atmosphere instantly crushed Zhu Xiao Sun's emotions. He collapsed to his knees and repeatedly kowtowed to Zhuo Shouqing.

"It was not me, it was not me...

"He did it all. My grandfather did it. It has nothing to do with me."

"Alas—"

Seeing his grandson behave like this, Old Zhu was deeply disappointed. He took out ten Storage Bags from his robes and handed them all to Zhuo Shouqing, remaining silent.

The moon was dark and the wind was high. Wang Yu hid in the shadows, further concealed by the Night Concealment Spell, and they did not discover him.

Zhuo Shouqing, however, was utterly bewildered. They had submitted so easily? In past property confiscations, even the mildest resistance had ended in mutual destruction. He had never seen anyone so obedient.

How strange.

Using his Divine Sense to inspect the Spirit Stones in the Storage Bags, he found a total of ninety-six thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones. Converted into Mid Grade Spirit Stones, that was nine thousand six hundred pieces—a very substantial sum even for him.

The exchange rates between Spirit Stones had always been relatively stable.

The difference between low grade and mid grade was tenfold, while the difference between mid grade and high grade was a hundredfold. As for Top Grade Spirit Stones, they were treasures in themselves and were not used as regular currency.

Thus, there were only three exchange ratios: 1000:100:1.

Old Zhu was about to speak and take all the blame upon himself when Zhuo Shouqing said, "That is all? Are you trying to fob off beggars? I heard you embezzled three hundred thousand Spirit Stones."

Old Zhu's knees gave out, and he fell to the ground. He no longer looked as light and composed as before, his lips trembling.

"H-how... much?"

"Heh."

Zhuo Shouqing smiled. He liked hard bones. Raising his chin, he had his subordinates pour into Xu's Pill Shop like fish, carrying away everything that could be moved before pasting sealing talismans over the entrance.

He had one squad escort the Zhu Clan grandfather and grandson back to the Law Enforcement Hall.

Then he turned and tossed a stack of contracts into Wang Yu's arms. Not only were his three contracts inside, but Zhou Tao and the others' contracts were there as well. Wang Yu's eyes lit up. He had not expected such a benefit.

"What happened tonight has nothing to do with you.

"The Foundation Establishment cultivator behind Xu's Pill Shop will be dealt with by the Law Enforcement Hall. You and your brothers should behave yourselves. Are you willing to follow This Seat from now on?"

Wang Yu hurriedly cupped his fists and agreed.

"This subordinate will give his all and die in service to Lord Zhuo."

"What a sweet tongue. Here, this is your reward."

Wang Yu's vision blurred as a small Storage Bag landed in his hand. Inside were not only one thousand Spirit Stones, but also a set of Law Enforcement Hall disciple robes and a token.

This was truly an unexpected windfall!

Zhuo Shouqing left after saying that, without mentioning when Wang Yu was supposed to report to the Law Enforcement Hall. A faint suspicion arose in Wang Yu's heart.

Zhuo Shouqing had seen the problem with tonight's affair, but he had not said anything. Instead, he had lavished praise on him. He was telling Wang Yu to go undercover at the various shops—he had really become an informant...

"So be it."

After working half the night, Wang Yu leisurely returned to his residence and slept soundly. With his cultivation, two hours of sleep were enough.

Early the next morning, he arrived at Xu's Pill Shop.

He had originally come to wait for Zhou Tao and the other three, but unexpectedly, they had arrived even earlier than Wang Yu. After a little thought, he understood why.

The pay Old Zhu had offered was abnormally high. Two hundred a month? Who would dare dream of that? Only Wang Yu, who had not known the market rate before, had thought it was too little.

With such a high-paying job, they wanted to work hard and avoid being dismissed. Naturally, each had arrived earlier than the last. They were competing, one might say.

"Hey, over here."

Zhou Tao, Huang Kai, and Luo Ping Hu had been wondering what was going on with the sealing talismans at the pill shop entrance. Upon hearing Wang Yu call out, they immediately came over.

Zhou Tao had the highest cultivation, at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, and his alchemy skills were even stronger. They had met once yesterday, and now the three seemed to regard him as their leader, so he was the one who spoke.

"Alchemist Wang, did you call us over because you know what happened to Xu's Pill Shop?"

"It is a long story—"

Wang Yu shook his head with a sigh and pointed to a nearby shop. "Why not talk while we eat? You gentlemen have not had breakfast yet, have you?"

"Alright..."