Soap, a Warning, and a Scapegoat

Tianfu City was in an uproar.

All because of a piece of news.

News about Immortal Bridge.

Compared to it, the great battle outside the ruined temple beyond the city hardly mattered.

For a time, the major factions looked at one another in dismay. This concerned the fate of the entire realm.

Those who had been skeptical of the rumor about the Dragon Slaying Saber and the Heaven Reliant Sword now believed it completely.

"So the Heaven Reliant Sword and the Dragon Slaying Saber were dropped by immortals from heaven!"

No one knew when people had begun saying that.

Before long, a complete story emerged.

The immortals in heaven had deliberately placed the Heaven Reliant Sword and the Dragon Slaying Saber in the mortal world because they had seen that the Great Yan Kingdom had reached its end.

Officials were corrupt, and the common people could barely survive.

The immortals in heaven were choosing a new Son of Heaven!

"..."

Tianfu City fell silent.

The county yamen also chose to remain silent.

In fact, even the county magistrate himself was terrified.

Likewise, the news was so astonishing, yet it happened to tie in with the great battle and the strange phenomenon outside the city.

And it happened to be a feudal age steeped in belief in gods and ghosts.

So most people chose to believe it.

This story, and the events that had taken place here, spread through the Yan Kingdom and even across the entire continent at a frenzied pace.

The entire jianghu was shaken!

But Jun Jingyi paid it little attention.

It had nothing to do with him anyway. He was just a merchant.

He was neither one of the Eighth Prince's men nor a member of the jianghu, so why get involved?

Early that morning.

Jun Jingyi came to the restaurant and got down to his real business.

Selling soap.

"Mm... right!"

That was it!

Sitting upright on the second floor of the restaurant, he watched the endless stream of people coming and going below.

Jun Jingyi thought to himself.

Tianfu City probably had more people in it now than at any time in the past hundred years.

Heroes of the jianghu had gathered from all corners of the land.

Even the major factions of the Yan Kingdom had joined in.

In such a golden age, if a little capitalist from a later era like him couldn't see and seize the opportunity, what business did he have doing business?

A large flow of people meant money!

And these people came from all over. If he played his cards right, that meant free advertising.

And so, for this venture, the restaurant once again put out advertisements brimming with originality.

"Want to stay forever as graceful as a jade tree and radiant in appearance?"

"Want skin so soft and delicate it could be broken with a breath?"

"Why not try soap?"

"A gentle rub makes dirt vanish, leaving you beautiful and radiant. You deserve it! To celebrate our opening, everything is twelve percent off. Seize the chance now, for it won't come again!"

Red banners bearing advertising slogans hung all over Tianfu City.

Places offering free soap trials could be seen everywhere.

Soap became an instant sensation.

The young ladies of distinguished families were especially astonished, treating it like a priceless treasure!

Sikong Ye was utterly impressed.

He now had the same thought as Bai Ruoli: he wanted to pry Jun Jingyi's head open and see just what was inside it.

He had personally stirred up such a huge commotion in the jianghu.

Then he ignored it all and started doing business here as though nothing had happened?

And business was booming?

That soap... how on earth had this guy come up with it?

What was even more outrageous was that, when this guy had recruited so many beggars some time ago, Sikong Ye had thought he was being charitable.

And then he had built a soap factory...

Good grief. Apart from feeding them, he had saved a fortune on wages.

And another thing.

He had seen the soap clearly. The raw materials weren't even worth a few dozen copper coins.

But this guy...

One tael of silver a bar!

Profiteer!

If anyone ever again said this guy had a conscience despite being a merchant, he would beat them to death...

The Bai Residence.

"Mm... it really works well!"

Bai Ruoli looked at her clean skin and smelled the faint fragrance lingering on it, very satisfied.

Though it was a little expensive, it was worth it...

"Hee-hee, Young Master Jun is amazing!"

Beside her, Lian'er laughed happily.

Bai Ruoli had no answer to that.

He really was amazing.

Without even going outside to look, she knew this guy had made another fortune!

She didn't know why, but that was just how it was. As for the money ordinary people couldn't earn much of even if they worked themselves to death,

this guy picked it up as easily as reaching out a hand.

Most importantly, he got people to give him their money willingly, and they might even be more grateful to him for it.

"This really is..."

And then there was...

That legend.

Thinking of it, Bai Ruoli fell somewhat silent.

She didn't understand how Jun Jingyi could be so carefree.

With undercurrents surging like this, when a moment's carelessness could set off a major upheaval, this guy had cheerfully started doing business?

But this also confirmed one thing for her.

Everything that had happened during this period really had nothing to do with Jun Jingyi.

He simply had a little head for business and only wanted to make money. That was all.

Otherwise, if he had seen even a little of the current situation, he couldn't have started selling soap for money at a time like this.

He really had become someone else's scapegoat!

She shook her head helplessly.

Thinking of how Jun Jingyi had been before,

Bai Ruoli rose to her feet. "Lian'er, let's go to the Journey to the West Restaurant."

She intended to warn this money-grubbing fellow.

Although he was her enemy, he had helped her a great deal.

Kindness was kindness, and enmity was enmity!

She kept the two clearly separate.

Besides, she wanted to kill this bastard with her own hands, to make him show the same fear before her that she had shown in her previous life.

She couldn't let him die at someone else's hands, not even the Eighth Prince's!

"Ah, all right!"

Lian'er looked excited.

Had Young Master Jun's sincerity during this time finally moved her young lady?

"Hee-hee!"

Before long.

On the second floor of the restaurant.

Jun Jingyi looked at Bai Ruoli in front of him with a complicated expression.

"What I'm saying is true. You're in serious trouble. You might even die!"

Seeing the blank look on Jun Jingyi's face, Bai Ruoli sighed softly and helplessly repeated herself.

She was speechless. What an unlucky fellow. He didn't even know someone had set him up.

It seemed he wasn't all that smart after all. He just had a little cleverness for business.

"Uh..."

Jun Jingyi fell silent. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

This young lady had actually come all this way to warn him.

Someone might have been plotting everything that had happened during this time.

The target was the Eighth Prince.

And he might have become the scapegoat. The Eighth Prince might take revenge on him and kill him?

Ah, this...

"Alas, Young Master Jun, you've helped me, so I don't want you to die like this. If possible, I can resolve this trouble for you. How about I treat it as repayment for your kindness?"

"Uh..."

Jun Jingyi's expression was complicated.

He didn't know whether to refuse or accept.

After a moment's silence, Jun Jingyi nodded. "All right!"

Whatever the case, he couldn't arouse suspicion.

"Mm, then you must be careful during this time. But there's no need to panic too much. The Eighth Prince has no time to deal with you right now."

"The faction plotting in the shadows probably doesn't consider you important."

"As long as the Eighth Prince is alive, it isn't time for you to come onstage yet."

Bai Ruoli rose to her feet and nodded, offering Jun Jingyi a few mild words of comfort.

"Mm... all right!"

Jun Jingyi nodded again.

He watched Bai Ruoli leave, his feelings utterly complicated.

"So I'm my own scapegoat?"

"Mm... as for the Eighth Prince?"

Jun Jingyi curled his lip in disdain.

His plan had only just begun.

That guy was certain to survive this time, but he would never again have a chance to take a single step outside the Capital, not until this rotten kingdom disappeared.

Of course, he would disappear along with it.