Tang Yuehua had been trying incredibly hard to get on top.
After all, for a well-behaved girl like her, who had only ever studied etiquette,
being granted power by Jiang Ce, that tentacle monster, and given a way to solve her Martial Soul problem
had given her hope of controlling her own future. It was all like stepping into a whole new world.
On top of that, they were in the intelligence room, and she was afraid someone might barge in. The thrill made her work even harder.
Dawn was just breaking.
Jiang Ce had already used Venom to take human form and was sitting in a chair, watching Tang Yuehua busily bob up and down,
her three heads swaying.
"Not bad. You're really giving it your all."
At that moment, Tang Yuehua felt as if she didn't want to move even a single finger. She was also terribly dehydrated.
"Thank you for the praise, Teacher."
Her smile was weary, yet utterly seductive.
It was just that her clone had been having too much fun, and her real body was paying the price.
But just then, how could she possibly spare a thought for her real body? Her consciousness was tucked away in this clone, working hard to give herself to him and play the disobedient disciple who seduced her teacher. Let her real body bear the teacher's discipline.
"You did well. It's just about dawn, too. Time to get to work."
"Yes, Teacher. I'll make the arrangements right away."
Tang Yuehua braced herself against Jiang Ce and struggled to her feet. With a pop, she pulled the champagne cork, and a stream of fine bubbles immediately surged from the bottle's mouth.
Jiang Ce picked up a bead and put it back in place. Tang Yuehua shuddered and nearly fell over again.
Jiang Ce used Super Healing on her, restoring her injuries and stamina. Then he turned back into a mass of Venom and enveloped her once more.
"Have someone go to the auction house and buy some fresh Soul Beast corpses. I'll eat them to restore my years. The older they are, the better."
"Yes, Teacher."
In the back courtyard of Moonlight Pavilion, Tang Yuehua had people purchase a batch of Soul Beast corpses from the auction house—
two ten-thousand-year Azure Wolf Tigers and Wolf Green Snakes, along with ten Soul Beasts ranging from five to eight thousand years old.
Soul Beasts that were both old and fresh took time to find. The auction house didn't have much in stock, so Tang Yuehua had them note down the request and send another batch next time.
A tentacle poked out of Tang Yuehua's chest. It wavered as it looked at the Soul Beasts.
"These have all been dead for a while. Sigh, forget it. I'll make do."
The tentacle split into countless fine threads and quickly wrapped around every corpse. In moments, they had all been digested.
"Converting stale ones is less efficient, only about twelve percent. I swallowed all these Soul Beasts, and my lifespan only increased by around ten thousand years.
"What I can pass back to you is about a thousand years' worth of Soul Beast lifespan, equivalent to over a year of hard cultivation."
Jiang Ce had now recovered to thirty-five thousand years.
"My Soul Power has recovered, too."
Tang Yuehua could feel the Soul Power flowing back to her and was astonished.
So this was the Soul Power her teacher returned to her after devouring Soul Beasts.
Earlier, she had split off a body after half her cultivation was taken away, leaving her at only level four and a half. Now she was back at level nine.
"You really have returned to level nine. But your Martial Soul is holding you firmly in place, so you can't break through."
At Jiang Ce's words, Tang Yuehua's expression grew a little dejected.
Her Martial Soul had undergone a malignant mutation into the Ruyi Ring, pinning her Soul Power at level nine. She couldn't even obtain her First Soul Ring.
If she simply couldn't cultivate, that would be manageable. She could eat pills and medicinal herbs little by little, and eventually build her way up to level ten—
That way, she could at least obtain her first Soul Ring.
But her Soul Power was completely pinned in place. None of the things she had eaten before had helped at all.
"All right, what are you afraid of? Once your eldest senior sister obtains a Soul Ring, I'll solve your Martial Soul problem."
"Thank you, Teacher."
Tang Yuehua's eyes shone as she looked down at her chest. Its proud curves completely blocked her view, so she couldn't see the tips of her toes at all.
Just then, a maid came to report.
"Miss, the steward is looking for you."
Tang Yuehua nodded.
Jiang Ce's voice echoed in her mind.
"Looks like someone's getting restless."
"The eldest son of the Liu Family in North City, Liu Ren. He's a notorious playboy in Heaven Dou City."
Tang Yuehua thought for a moment and guessed the reason for his visit.
"Does he think a toad can eat swan meat?"
Jiang Ce gave a cold laugh.
"The swan meat is already in my mouth. He can't even touch her, let alone covet her."
The Black Latex Suit tightened abruptly. Tang Yuehua's legs went weak, and she nearly lost her balance.
"Yes, Teacher."
Tang Yuehua bit her lip. Her teacher's domineering streak made her heart soften a little.
Tang Yuehua hurried into the intelligence room. The steward was already waiting, a letter with its seal intact clasped in his hand.
"Miss, this was delivered by someone from the Liu Family. It's not an invitation. It's a formal letter."
Tang Yuehua opened the envelope and scanned it. The curve of her lips turned cold.
In his letter, Liu Ren said that the Liu Family had originally had its eye on the plot of land in North City and that Moonlight Pavilion had acted in bad faith by snatching it up first.
His terms were simple—
Either transfer the land to him at the original price, or the Liu Family would join forces with several other trading houses to cut off all of Moonlight Pavilion's supply channels.
They demanded a response within three days. Otherwise, Moonlight Pavilion would bear all the consequences.
"Find out who's been closest to the Liu Family these past three days."
Tang Yuehua set the letter on the table.
The steward accepted the order and left. In less than an hour, he returned with the information.
The owner of a stone shop in the south of the city had gone to the Liu Family that very night after Moonlight Pavilion struck him from its supplier list.
Two small trading houses in the west of the city, whose business ties had also been cut, had dinner with Liu Ren's steward yesterday.
The coldness in Tang Yuehua's eyes faded instead—
She wasn't afraid of having many enemies. She was afraid of enemies lurking in the shadows.
Since Liu Ren had laid all his cards on the table, this would be easy to handle.
"The stone shop owner has an only son who recently racked up a sizable gambling debt.
"The books of those two trading houses in the west aren't clean, either. They've certainly been dodging taxes. As for Liu Ren himself..."
The steward hesitated, then lowered his voice.
"On the surface, the Liu Family deals in building materials. In secret, they've been fencing goods for the poaching mercenary groups that enter Soul Hunting Forest outside the city. Finding their ledger would be enough to prove it."
Soul Hunting Forest was guarded by the authorities. Anyone entering to hunt Soul Beasts needed a permit and had to pay Gold Soul Coins.
The entrance was garrisoned by the army, and the Spirit Hall's enforcement squads conducted random inspections inside.
Some poaching mercenary groups killed more than their quota, then sold their high-quality prey under the table on the black market.
The Liu Family was one link in that black chain, responsible for fencing the goods.
"I understand. I'll handle this."
Tang Yuehua's eyes flickered.
"You just keep taking care of the arrangements for Moonlight Pavilion."
The steward acknowledged her and withdrew.
"Have you thought about how to handle it?"
Jiang Ce's voice rang out lazily.
"First cut off his claws, then pull up his foundations. The stone shop and those two small trading houses won't be hard to deal with, and Liu Ren himself is no threat.
"But he has the North City Chamber of Commerce behind him. If Moonlight Pavilion openly falls out with the entire Chamber of Commerce, doing business in Heaven Dou City will become difficult at every turn.
"So Liu Ren has to be dealt with, but we can't give the Chamber of Commerce anything to hold against us."
"So how were you planning to deal with him?"
"I'll have Tang Jiu sneak into the Liu Family and find the ledger they use to fence stolen goods, then make three copies.
"I'll anonymously send one to the chairman of the North City Chamber of Commerce, keep one, and use the last as a gift when I negotiate with Liu Ren."
Tang Yuehua's lips curled up.
"Not a bad plan. But you seem to have forgotten something—"
"The power you have now. When you have power, some things become much simpler."
Yuehua froze.
It was true. She had forgotten her teacher's power.
With her teacher backing her, she had gained confidence and a sense of security,
but she had never thought of using that power to simply crush her opponent.
Yesterday, when planning the intelligence network, she had still considered having her teacher rewrite people's memories to ensure their loyalty.
Today, when faced with Liu Ren, she had instinctively returned to her old habit of relying on schemes.
She had forgotten she was no longer a helpless vase.
She had forgotten that this world had always been ruled by the strong.
"Let's go. We'll finish this quickly."
"Yes, Teacher."
Tang Yuehua immediately rose and headed straight for North City.
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