Nanyang City:
" Seventh Master, this can't go on."
The Chamber of Commerce's old accountant took the accounts and went to find Seventh Master Shen, Shen Yifeng.
Although the Shen Family's general affairs are mostly managed by the Shen Family who are not capable of becoming sorcerers, the vast wealth accumulated by the Shen Family over a thousand years still needs a person in charge, and among the twelve main branches, Shen Yifeng is the most suitable candidate.
His Thousand Eyes Spell allows him to monitor others' every move from thousands of miles away. Although it may not necessarily monitor you, such a deterrent effect prevents the illegitimate sons of the Shen Family from easily tampering with the accounts.
The old man complained, but his expression was respectful, and he didn't even dare to look the other person in the eye.
" Xiaohua, don't complain so easily," Shen Yifeng said with a smile. "With the foundation our Shen Family has built over so many years, do you think it can't hold up for more than two months?"
The old man called Xiaohua felt somewhat strange. He remembered that when he was a ten-year-old child, this man called him that. Now he was eighty-seven years old and had reached the age of knowing one's destiny, but this Seventh Master was exactly the same as he was back then.
The warlock is truly something else!
Suppressing his envy, the old man honestly said, "I'm not complaining, Seventh Master. Our Shen Family family is wealthy, but our expenses are also high. To reassure those traders, the rubies, agates, and spices we offer are all hard currency from the West Sea. To stabilize prices, we buy goods from cloth and grain merchants at three times the market price, which has suppressed their dissatisfaction. But if things don't circulate, even if we keep buying, we can't sustain it, no matter how rich we are. How about we summon those cloth merchants and ask them to reduce production?"
"Reduce production?" Shen Yifeng sneered, "Do you know the consequences? Once we make those cloth merchants reduce production, those wealthy merchants will think that my Shen Family is no longer stable. If we can't stabilize, will those maritime merchants who buy goods from us still dare to follow us?"
The old accountant remained silent. Indeed, the Shen Family had taken a large amount of goods from the market, which had stabilized people's hearts. Those bosses who couldn't go to sea trusted the Shen Family, which was why they followed them in taking and stockpiling goods. With people taking goods, cloth merchants wouldn't reduce production, and those large textile workshops wouldn't stop operating. Only then could the whole of Nanyang barely maintain its current bustling scene.
"But we..."
"Keep collecting!" Shen Yifeng interrupted the other person, "You don't need to worry about the accounts, nor do you need to worry about how long the river blockade will last. Nanyang is the foundation of the Shen Family. As long as it exists, no matter how great the losses are, the Shen Family will always be able to recover them, understand?"
"Yes, Seventh Master."
"Go ahead, don't worry too much, things will be resolved soon."
"Yes"
After the old man left, Seventh Master Shen sat in a chair and closed his eyes in deep thought.
Not long after, an unexpected figure appeared.
Shen Laoqi sized up the newcomer, somewhat surprised. The newcomer was Laoshi'er, the last direct descendant of the family, and was extremely young, only in his early twenties.
They are the direct descendants of the Shen Family family, born after the incident involving their ancestor decades ago.
In terms of seniority, the Laoshi'er might already be their great-grandson, but in the Shen Family, as long as one's position as the legitimate son is acknowledged, they are all of the same generation. This is a unique rule of the Shen Family.
Due to the significant age gap, the third branch of the family actually had a very distant relationship with the older generation, rarely getting together, especially with them.
His own techniques were feared by many, even more so than his second brother, making people reluctant to get close to him. Why did this guy suddenly seek him out today?
What is it?
" Seventh Brother." The Laoshi'er looked at Shen Laoqi hesitantly, but finally said, "I... I'm a little scared."
"You're still afraid?" The Laoqi remained unmoved by his younger brother's pitiful expression, his gentle smile masking a wary tone.
The three main wives after the Laojiu were the youngest and the easiest targets back then. Moreover, because they were young and still studying magic techniques, they didn't go out much on weekdays. To be honest, they were quite suspicious.
However, the Laoshi'er in front of him was alright. Perhaps because he cultivated fire magic, he was usually quite lively and got along well with his older brothers. Unlike the other two, he was not as introverted. Even so, Shen Yifeng did not intend to let his guard down.
"It's true?" The Laoshi'er sat down opposite him, head down, eyes filled with confusion. "Sixth Brother said there's a monster among us, is that true?"
Shen Laoqi looked at Laoshi'er, a half-smile on his face, "Aren't you afraid the monster is me?"
"I've thought about it," Laoshi'er nodded, "But if Seventh Brother isn't a monster, then this Seventh Brother is the safest!"
Shen Yifeng: "."
This kid's got a good head on his sleeve.
That makes sense. His own technique allows him to control the entire situation, and the whole of Nanyang is under his surveillance. To guard against him, Laoliu never dares to show his true form, for fear of being monitored by the Evil Eye planted by him. Indeed, it can be said that if he were not a monster, then this place would be the safest.
Thinking of this, Shen Yifeng sighed with a wry smile. The reason was actually very simple, but it seemed that all his brothers were more wary of him than trusting him. But that made sense, as the older generation of the Shen Family's direct descendants were all incredibly capable, and the strong were more willing to trust themselves.
" Seventh Brother, let's work together?"
"Cooperation?" Shen Yifeng looked at the other party. "How do we cooperate?"
"Third Brother possesses the strongest surveillance technique, and I possess the strongest attack technique. With the two of us working together, no one will dare to mess with us. What do you say?"
Shen Yifeng frowned. "Why don't you go find your sixth brother?"
The Laoliu controls the magic array in Nanyang. After the incident, he practically put them under house arrest in secret. Judging from his motives, he is the least likely person to be parasitized, especially now. Without him, the entire Nanyang City would have been overrun by the living zombies long ago.
There's no reason for him to be a monster; it's actually safer to go to him.
"Sixth Brother doesn't believe me," the Laoshi'er shook his head. "He never shows his true identity; he doesn't need cooperation at all."
"That's true."
Shen Yifeng nodded. The Laoliu's true form is now extremely well hidden, and he controls all the magic arrays in Nanyang City, giving him absolute initiative. He doesn't need to cooperate with anyone at all.
"Why should I cooperate with you?" Shen Yifeng looked at the other party. "I can monitor the whole situation, or I can stay on the sidelines like Laoliu."
" Seventh Brother, you're different." Laoshi'er shook his head. " Seventh Brother, you don't have enough ability to protect yourself, and if that so-called monster were to attack, Seventh Brother would be the first to be dealt with!"
"So, are you here today to come and see me, Laoshi'er?"
The Laoshi'er frowned, about to speak again, when he saw the Laoqi suddenly stand up and look in the direction of the south gate.
"What's wrong with Seventh Brother?"
"We have guests. Wow, how rare!"
Who goes there?
In Laoqi's eyes, he could clearly see that dozens of miles away, beneath the city gate, a scholar in white robes, accompanied by a child, was brazenly requesting an audience at the city gate.
The one who was questioning them was none other than the mascot general on the city gate: Lord Hong Rui.
"I am Chen Qing, the Prefect of Liuzhou, sent by the Imperial Court to visit Nanyang. I humbly request that Your Excellency open the gates!"
" Chen Qing?" Shen Yifeng became even more interested and said directly to the person behind the Laoshi'er, "You guys, why don't we hold off on making a move today and go greet the guests first?"
Upon hearing this, the Laoshi'er's expression immediately changed, his face shifting between light and dark.
A few moments later, there was a rustling sound at the doorway, and the figures of two other teenagers appeared; they were the other two from the third branch of the family.
" The Thousand-Eyed Warlock lives up to his name!" said a handsome young man with eagle-like eyes. "I've been practicing Divine Concealment for a year now, and even my sister-in-law can't see through me. How did Seventh Brother discover it?"
"Sister-in-law can't see through you?" Shen Yifeng chuckled. "You believe that woman's words? The two of you you passed by had completely different styles of flirtation. Even I, a layman in the art of wind manipulation, could tell. How could you not see it, sister-in-law?"
Laoshi: "."
"Practice some more, and remember to pay attention to the details." The Laoqi shook his head helplessly, walked straight past the three of them and headed outside, seemingly without any sense of caution.
The three men watched with furrowed brows, but still dared not make a move.
Apart from Shen Laojiu, who was not much older than them, the other masters of the former nine houses were all great sorcerers with a reputation spanning two hundred years. If they were discovered, the three of them really wouldn't dare to make a move casually, even though Shen Laoqi didn't have the same amazing battle record as the others.
After Shen Yifeng walked away, the Laoshi'er looked at the other two and asked, "Why aren't you making a move?"
"Why aren't you moving?" The Laoshi rolled his eyes. "Aren't you known for having the strongest offensive techniques in the Shen Family?"
"We have to show some spirit, don't we?" Laoshi'er said guiltily, pursing his lips.
"What do we do now?" The Laoshiyi frowned. The three of them were close in age and had been best friends since childhood. They usually stuck together as a group, but there was still a generation gap between them and their older brothers.
So when Sixth Master Shen convened the family meeting that day and announced the parasitic matter, the three of them did not guard against each other. Instead, they discussed who posed the greatest threat and concluded that Shen Laoqi, who could monitor them at any time, was the most troublesome. That's why they put on this test today.
"Let's go and see," the Laoshi'er said with a light cough to ease the awkwardness. "Last time, when that Vice Minister Wang came here, we didn't attend the banquet, and what a huge opportunity we missed! We were too passive. This time, more people are coming, and they might be from the imperial court again. We have to make an appearance this time."
"Hmm, that makes sense." The three nodded, looking like Laoda- ups, and then hurried off in the direction Shen Yifeng had gone.
After the group left, an eye opened on the table in the room, and Shen Yifeng, in the distance, saw everything.
"Childlike personality?" Shen Yifeng shook his head and chuckled. The Laoshi'er brother and his group were not young, all over twenty years old, but because they spent most of their time cultivating their techniques and rarely went out, their temperaments were not much different from those children in the academy.
After becoming the legitimate wife, she would often try to act more mature, which made her look even more like a child.
But is this a disguise or the truth?
Shen Yifeng sighed. This shadow that had surrounded the Shen Family for decades made him afraid to get too close even to his once-familiar brothers, let alone this distant, adopted brother. He wondered if the Shen Family could weather this storm.
" Chen Qing?" Hong Rui, whose face was full of scars, was taken aback. The name looked familiar. These days, the old lady in his family was always talking about his promising son.
Does the arrival of this guy mean that reinforcements from the imperial court are on their way?
No, no, no. We can't be too optimistic. Last time, even that Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review came, and he was utterly useless, wasn't he?
"Do you have any token to prove it?" Hong Rui asked loudly.
"We don't have this official document anymore." Chen Qing shook his head. "The only token was taken away by Sixth Master Shen when Vice Minister Wang came last time."
Hong Rui was taken aback upon hearing this. He turned around and glanced at Sixth Master Shen beside him, asking cautiously, "Master Shen, is that true?"
Upon hearing this, Sixth Master Shen began to scrutinize the young man very seriously.
Knowing about Wang Ye means that the Prince really did successfully take his third brother to Liuzhou?
So what was the prefect of Liuzhou planning to do, coming here alone this time?