Free—Was It Really That Important?

Feixian Island, outside the Penglai Cloud Sea Foundation.

A large crowd of extravagantly dressed figures, either rich or noble, blocked the entrance in a fury.

Quite a few of them bore injuries on their faces and bodies.

They were all guests of the Penglai Cloud Sea Foundation—or rather, benefactors whose names appeared on the Immeasurable Merit List outside.

Originally, they had thought that after donating so much money,

their families' reputations would receive an enormous boost.

But who could have expected this?!

All they had done was deliberately or casually mention these matters in public settings—at a banquet hosted by some fairy maiden, for instance, or at an assembly jointly held by several families.

Yet it had caused an uproar.

The moment many cultivators heard that they were connected to the Penglai Cloud Sea Foundation, they flew into a rage and attacked without mercy.

They truly beat them as though they meant to kill them.

If one person could not win, they would form a group to beat them—chasing them across several islands if necessary.

Only after asking around did they learn what Penglai Yunhai had done during the disaster relief efforts.

It was simply beyond description; even "outraging Heaven and enraging man" was not enough.

It was utterly bestial behavior!

Just hearing about it made them furious beyond measure.

Let alone those cultivators from the Disaster Area who had personally lived through it?

Thinking of it this way,

they suddenly felt that the beatings they had received were not entirely without cause.

But the problem was that they had spent real gold and silver. Whatever their motives, they had ultimately wanted to do something good.

The ones who had failed to act like human beings were the Penglai Cloud Sea Foundation!

Yet when the scandal erupted, they were the ones left holding the bag. How could that be acceptable?

Thus,

they decided that no matter what, they would make Penglai Yunhai give them an explanation!

Bang!

At the forefront of the crowd was the young master of the Shi family.

He still bore injuries and looked utterly miserable, but the resentment and fury emanating from him were also the strongest.

The moment Shopkeeper Zhong stepped outside,

he saw that the other man was stepping on the Penglai Cloud Sea Foundation's signboard!

His vision immediately went dark.

"Th-this... what are you all doing?"

"Doing your mother!"

Shi Yiming's eyes were bloodshot. Pointing at Shopkeeper Zhong with one hand, he gritted his teeth and said, "You dog-fucking Penglai Yunhai, you made me lose love—"

Shopkeeper Zhong: "???"

The other guests beside him also began denouncing him one after another.

"Shopkeeper Zhong, shouldn't you give us an explanation for what happened in the Starry Archipelago?!"

"We donated so much money. Where exactly did you spend it? How did you spend it? Why can't you even compare to the Langya Merchant Association?"

"They gave away Jade Void Pills for free, made soup, and even gave massages... But you? You used defective pills for charity and sold Jade Void Pills at more than ten times the price. Truly worthy of the three great merchant associations of the Northern Region joining forces to do business here, aren't you?"

"We donated money to do good deeds, to support charity, because we trusted the name of your Three Great Merchant Associations! But now it seems we truly trusted the wrong people!"

"Not every merchant association is the Langya Merchant Association. Corrupt Merchants will always be corrupt merchants!"

"This senior doesn't care! I donated so much money, yet while walking down the street, someone smashed a half-finished magical artifact straight into my head. I nearly got smashed into an idiot! Your foundation bears primary responsibility for this matter!"

"Give us our money back! You must give it back!"

"That's right! Return the money, or we'll smash up your shop today!"

"..."

Seeing this,

Shopkeeper Zhong could not help growing nervous.

Good heavens.

Judging by the looks of this crowd, they were not merely putting on a show. If he did not give them a satisfactory answer, they might truly start fighting.

Even though...

with the backing behind Penglai Yunhai, they had no fear of the forces on this mere island.

But they were merchants, after all, and valued harmony above all. If they truly came to blows, the Three Great Merchant Associations would no longer have even a shred of business with this archipelago in the future.

They did not care about the profits from a single Qingyun Archipelago.

But this matter had already caused no small stir and would certainly spread elsewhere. They could not possibly abandon all those territories too, could they?

At this thought, Shopkeeper Zhong resolved to do something.

He stepped forward and took a deep breath.

"Everyone, calm down and listen to me!"

"Returning the money..." Shopkeeper Zhong swept his gaze over the crowd. "That is impossible!"

The crowd: "..."

"To be honest with you all, we only just learned of this matter ourselves. I am also thoroughly enraged, because this was absolutely not my intention, nor was it the intention of our Three Great Merchant Associations!

Our original intention truly was to follow the Langya Foundation's example, providing disaster relief and saving lives. We even wanted to do better than them!

But our foundation was established in haste, and the disaster erupted suddenly, resulting in a mixed bag among our subordinates, each harboring their own schemes!

Especially that group in the Starry Archipelago—they were all temporary hires!

They have absolutely nothing to do with our foundation!"

Shopkeeper Zhong wore a face full of misery as he spoke.

Shi Yiming spat directly in his face. "Bullshit! If you let poorly trained dogs loose, does that mean you bear no responsibility? You think you can fob us off with an excuse like that? Keep dreaming your fucking Spring and Autumn Annals dream!"

"..."

"Exactly! Don't even think of fooling us with that excuse!"

"You take us for idiots? The people I sent out have already investigated. The way that group sold pills at exorbitant prices, even the words they used, were exactly the same. Someone clearly taught them—yet you still claim they were temporary hires?"

"Everyone, don't listen to this corrupt merchant! If he does not give us an explanation today, we'll smash his shop!"

"That's right! Smash the shop!"

"Smash the shop! Smash the shop!"

For a time, the crowd's outrage surged sky-high.

All kinds of spiritual lights flickered between Heaven and earth. One by one, the radiance of magical artifacts emerged, and hundreds of powerful auras instantly locked onto the Penglai Cloud Sea Foundation's storefront.

As if an invisible storm were about to descend.

Shopkeeper Zhong's face filled with urgency. He stretched out his hand to press them down. "Everyone, I know you're anxious, but don't be anxious yet! Listen to what I have to say..."

The crowd quieted slightly.

Shopkeeper Zhong took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and said, "If you... smash the shop! Then you can't hit me!"

The crowd: "..."

"Fuck! Beat him to death!"

"Damn it!"

"..."

Penglai Merchant Association headquarters.

The heads of the Three Great Merchant Associations had gathered together, their expressions incomparably grim.

"In just three days, over a hundred foundations that we established across numerous islands have been smashed one after another. Do you have anything to say?" Tang Qian asked with a dark expression.

"More than that!"

Gou Ansheng shook his head. "As far as I know, one shop was smashed, repaired, then smashed again—five times in a single day!"

Tang Qian: "..."

He could not help cursing a few times inwardly.

What was that supposed to convey?

That the foundations they established were hated that much?

Did he need to say that?

Did this senior not know?

The female head of the Cloud Palace Merchant Association was called Xu Yanshuang. Her cultivation was not low, her beauty untouched by age, and she possessed a mature charm.

Frowning, she looked at the pile of Jade Slips on the table recording bad news. "I just don't understand. They are both foundations, both saving people... so why is the Charity Foundation on the Langya side beloved by everyone, while everyone here wants to beat us?

Is it simply because they were free?

Yes, we did make some money from them, but we also genuinely saved their lives! In the face of life and death, were those worldly possessions really that important?"