Northern Snow Trading House ~ Bonus Chapter

"Sure, but you have to promise not to say anything you shouldn't."

Jiang Hao put a finger to Xiaoxiao's nose and gave it a gentle tap.

Xiaoxiao stumbled back as if she had been shocked, but she still nodded happily. "No problem. I'll listen to you, Brother Jiang. I definitely won't ruin the Thirty-Person Group's plan." She spoke in a tiny voice, paying no mind to Fatty Liu, a three-ring Soul Master who was still snoring away. She was adorably foolish. How could he not hear her from that close?

The carriage slowly stopped along a luxurious street. A sign bearing the four characters "Northern Snow Trading House" hung above a freestanding four-story building. Eight guards flanked the entrance, standing or sitting with the most advanced Soul Tool Guns in hand.

At the sight of the carriage, a weathered old man hurried out. "Welcome home, young master! Please, come in. And welcome to the Northern Snow Trading House, honored friends of the young master."

The old man bowed respectfully. Fatty Liu stepped forward and said, "Uncle Wang, is my father here? I need to speak with him. These are my honored guests. Settle them in the main hall and make sure they want for nothing."

Fatty Liu patted Uncle Wang on the shoulder, then took Jiang Hao by the arm and led him inside. "Brother Jiang, come in for some tea. I'll speak to my father first. Once I've dealt with that, I'll come back and we can continue talking business."

With that, Fatty Liu seated Jiang Hao at an elegant wooden table and hurried up to the second floor.

Uncle Wang and several maids crowded around, setting fruit, tea, and pastries on the table one after another.

The pastries looked exquisite. Xiaoxiao curiously picked one up and took two bites, then coughed and spat it out. She wrapped it in a tissue and threw it in the bin. "Ever since I tried the osmanthus cakes from the Thirty-Person Group, I can't eat pastries like these anymore. They look delicious, but they don't taste half as good as those square little yellow blocks."

Xiaoxiao quickly took a sip of tea to rinse her mouth, then reached for the grapes beside her.

The grapes were all bright and translucent. They looked delicious, but the moment Xiaoxiao put one in her mouth, she spat it out too. "Wait, these grapes aren't sweet at all! Why do they look just like the grapes from the Thirty-Person Group's town but taste worlds apart? Brother Jiang, why is that?"

As Xiaoxiao spoke, Jiang Hao sampled the tea. "This tea tastes decidedly cheap. I should have Owl Bro research tea-roasting techniques and give Douluo World a shock with its tea."

(Yes, yes, yes. Have Old Owl bring Mixue over.)

"Unfortunately, none of our Martial Souls has a tea-tree Clone right now. We'll have to catch some Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest that can grow tea leaves and give them to Training Bro to cultivate." Jiang Hao made up his mind and shared those memories with Owl Bro before saying calmly:

"Xiaoxiao, have you noticed that a lot of the people in that town are young and able-bodied?"

Jiang Hao said no more. Xiaoxiao seemed to realize something and immediately covered her mouth, falling silent.

Soul Masters! They're all Soul Masters. Everything they make comes from their Martial Souls. A vast group of Food Type Soul Masters—is that the Thirty-Person Group's hidden strength?

Jiang Hao had used Soul Power to transmit his words, so the others heard nothing. They only thought Xiaoxiao was a picky eater who couldn't stomach anything, and they broke out in anxious sweats.

She was a guest the young master had brought here himself. If they failed to look after her, they would surely suffer for it.

Just as Uncle Wang grew nervous, an even worse premonition exploded in his mind. A showy blond man strode in with a swaying gait.

"Those, those, and those too. Pack them all up for me. I'm taking them back to the academy for classmates I haven't even met yet."

Jiang Hao was startled by the voice. He turned his head slowly and stiffly, then stared at the man who had entered. Isn't that Xu Sanshi? How did he end up looking like this?

Xu Sanshi even swayed as he walked. His once-golden hair now had dark-green streaks on both sides, as though he had dyed them in. He carried himself with extreme arrogance.

The guards behind him had already begun taking items off the shelves and piling them together. As luck would have it, Xu Sanshi also laid a hand on the goods Jiang Hao and the others had delivered to the counter.

Jiang Hao glanced at Uncle Wang beside him and said mildly, "It seems the shopkeeper has a problem to deal with. Go on, then. You don't need to wait on us the whole time."

Uncle Wang let out a quiet breath of relief and clasped his hands toward Jiang Hao. "Thank you, thank you. I'm sorry you had to see this. I'll handle it right away."

"Well, if it isn't Young Master Xu!

What wind blew you back here?" Uncle Wang hurried over to Xu Sanshi, his manner thoroughly fawning.

Xu Sanshi inspected a cask with both hands and gently pulled out the stopper. The fragrance of wine drifted from its mouth, and he breathed it in with delight. "Good wine!"

"Old man, is this a new product of yours? How much?"

"Young Master Xu, we've only just brought this wine in, so we haven't set a price yet. If you like it, I'll give you two bottles!

The young master wrote that it helps set a pleasant mood. If you like it, I'll give you more.

I was planning to send some to your residence as soon as it arrived. I didn't expect you to come here first!"

Uncle Wang had no idea he had made a fatal mistake.

"You dare humiliate me? Who do you think you are?" Xu Sanshi's presence turned fierce as waves of icy power seeped from beneath his feet into the floor. He smashed the wine bottle against it.

Jiang Hao watched him. Something's wrong with Xu Sanshi. His Martial Soul has awakened.

Through Owl Bro's Martial Soul Possession, Jiang Hao looked at Xu Sanshi again.

Behind Xu Sanshi, where there had been nothing before, a giant turtle now crouched with a python larger than itself coiled across its back.

The Xuanming Turtle. Removing his QQ actually awakened it.

Well, the Xuanming Turtle is inherently a creature of extreme yin and water. With his QQ removed and his yang energy gone, it makes sense that it awakened.

Who would've thought Master's Bro's accidental move would give the Xuanming Sect a way to grow so much stronger? I suppose they found a blessing in disaster.

Jiang Hao smiled and took a sip of tea, but a commotion outside caught his attention.

"Go smash every shipment outside that looks like this one!"

"Those goods belong to the Northern Snow Trading House! You can't touch them."

"The Northern Snow Trading House? That's exactly what we're smashing! How dare they look down on the young sect master of the Xuanming Sect?"

Uncle Wang had barely stepped outside when Xu Sanshi slapped him to the ground and ordered the others to start smashing the shipment of wine.

He was humiliating the Northern Snow Trading House in front of everyone.

Xu Sanshi fixed his gaze on Uncle Wang and hauled him up by the collar. Looking into the old man's terrified eyes, he gritted his teeth and said with cruel amusement, "You crossed the Xuanming Sect. That's all the reason I need to beat you."

Xu Sanshi had been living under crushing strain. He had thought that once he went to Shrek City and found a Soul Master to treat him, he could become a complete man again, but...

When he reached Shrek City, the Healing System Soul Master told him the injury had been dealt with so thoroughly at the time that it had already healed. There was no way to restore what he had lost.

Amid his extreme fear and resentment, his Xuanming Shield Martial Soul awakened and evolved into the Xuanming Turtle.

He had only just finished receiving his inheritance at home. He had gone out to buy some nice things for his future classmates, only to run into this.

"A servant dares to mock me? I told you to smash everything! Whatever happens, I, Young Master Xu, will take responsibility." Xu Sanshi held out a hand. Round Gold Soul Coins spilled from his Soul Tool and piled up on Uncle Wang's head. His arrogance knew no bounds.

"Main Body Old Rogue! Aren't you going to hit him? He's practically sitting on your face!"

"If you don't hit him now, it'll be too late!"

Just as Jiang Hao was about to give the order, a clear voice rang out from the Thirty-Person Group's convoy. "Stop!"

The Phoenix Crying Sword moved. A sword-shadow shot straight at Xu Sanshi, only to be blocked by a Xuanming Shield that suddenly burst into view.

"Hahahaha! Did you think I was still the Xu Sanshi I used to be?

This time, I haven't brought that useless fool with me. This is a genuine Eight-Ring Soul Douluo of the Xuanming Sect—the strongest defense below a Titled Douluo! He's nothing like those good-for-nothings who come here to collect Gold Soul Coins and idle their days away."

The Xuanming Shield's recoil hurled Qingzhu backward. She spat out a mouthful of blood before several Clones caught her.

Jiang Hao's urge to act faded. An Eight-Ring Soul Douluo, among the strongest fighters below a Titled Douluo, is on Xu Sanshi's side. If I step in, do I really stand a chance?

"They're nothing but dogs that have lost their home. Elder Liu, break one leg on every one of them, then cut off their third legs too!

As for the woman... heh. Take her back to the clan to carry on the family line."

"Xuanming Sect, you've gone too far! You dare abduct someone in broad daylight?"

Qingzhu forced herself to her feet and raised the tip of her sword toward Xu Sanshi...

Special thanks~

Thanks to Naruto Si Feng, Remnant Dream, Gazing at the Stars, and Notice Me for the gifts~

As a new author, I never imagined anyone would send me gifts. So here's an extra chapter to thank you!

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