Qian Xi frowned at those words, her expression darkening.
"Young Master Jing, what are you saying? Why should we run?"
"We are all officially registered members of the Prefecture's Civil Affairs Division. This place is our residence."
"Even if your Jing clan holds the store license, all of us here have been owed back wages by your family for years, the shortest delay being more than five years!"
"If you don't settle these debts, why should we leave?"
"What's more, all these years the Jing store has managed to survive only because my husband, Wu Yan, has been working tirelessly to hold it up."
"He has gone to sea and not yet returned. And now you would drive me away? How can your conscience allow it?"
This daughter of the Qian clan, though born without spiritual talent, had worked diligently for her family's schemes. By entering the Jing store in marriage, she had become a piece on the board.
With the backing of the Qian clan, she had managed within the rules to establish herself inside the Jing store, nearly turning from guest into master.
Perhaps her words carried some truth and might persuade some of those present.
But why should Jing Qian care?
Such petty squabbles and trivial entanglements were not worth his time.
Only by cutting through the mess with a swift blade could he keep his mind clear and devote himself fully to cultivation.
He spoke again:
"Shopkeeper Wei, I will not pursue past matters any further."
"I will only ask you one thing: I have already entered the Fatebinding Realm, gained an official position in the Prefecture Office, and taken control of my clan's authority."
"Are you willing to dedicate yourself wholeheartedly for the sake of my Jing family, for the prosperity of the Jing store?"
These words were directed straight at the elderly man standing in the center of the crowd.
Jing Qian waited for his reply. But the old man only trembled slightly all over, unable to speak.
Everyone present, more than thirty people in total, was shocked by his inexplicable reaction.
Normally, this man, who managed the store's daily operations, was smooth-tongued and eloquent, able to turn black into white with a few words.
Yet now, under Jing Qian's pressure, he couldn't even bring himself to declare loyalty?
Seeing no answer, Jing Qian spoke coldly once more:
"In that case, if you still feel any gratitude for the Jing clan's years of support, then take this iron spike and end your life at the store's gates."
With a clang, he tossed an iron spike onto the ground.
The old shopkeeper, trembling, shuffled forward step by step, and actually picked it up!
With difficulty, he carried the iron spike out the main doors and into the street.
There, he turned the point toward his own throat and suddenly dropped to his knees!
Puchi!
The iron pierced clean through his throat, blood gushing onto the ground.
Without uttering a single word, he died kneeling at the entrance of the Jing store.
The crowd gathered in the hall was utterly horrified, nearly breaking down in shock.
How had it come to this?
This old fox had served as the store's shopkeeper for over twenty years, one of the Jing clan's closest confidants and most trusted men.
In fact, he was distantly related by blood, a cousin to Jing Qian's grandmother.
As for why he had betrayed the clan, what schemes or reasons he had… Jing Qian simply did not care.
This world was not like his previous life. Here, treachery could cost him his life.
Whoever the traitor was, they still had to die.
After the old man's death, Jing Qian rose to his feet, walked over to another person, and stared directly into his eyes.
"And you? Will you devote yourself to the Jing clan or choose self-sacrifice?"
The man before him shook like a leaf, yet still staggered out the door.
He kicked the old shopkeeper's corpse aside, yanked the iron spike free, and clenched it in his hand.
Then, imitating the old shopkeeper, he pressed the spike to his throat, dropped to his knees, and stabbed himself to death.
Jing Qian took another step forward, stood before yet another man, and asked coldly:
"And you? Will you also choose self-sacrifice?"
That man too repeated the actions of the first two, walking out the door, picking up the spike, and kneeling to die at the gate.
The store's entrance faced directly onto the main street of the seaport market, where people bustled back and forth.
Such a bizarre and terrifying sight was unheard of!
Very quickly, large crowds gathered to watch.
One after another, the other stores also received word and sent people to investigate.
And before the eyes of the onlookers, person after person emerged from the Jing store, each killing themselves at the door.
Such ruthlessness was rarely seen in ordinary life. Who would have thought that within the Jing store, there could be so many like this? It was as if the entire staff were hardened to the bone!
In the blink of an eye, the Jing store's entrance ran with rivers of blood, and corpses were strewn across the ground.
Inside the hall, the remaining people trembled uncontrollably, their terror beyond words.
The situation had become far too strange, far too horrific.
Only Qian Xi seemed to come to her senses. She cried out:
"This isn't right!"
"You're behind this! This is your"
Before she could finish, a transparent thread appeared, sealing her lips shut.
Then, to her horror, she realized she had lost control of her body. Against her will, she turned and walked outside to the main street.
There, she pulled the iron spike from one of the corpses. Under that mysterious power's control, she pressed it to her throat.
With boundless fear and hatred in her eyes, she dropped to her knees.
Puchi!
The daughter of the Qian clan fell dead in the street.
Yes, this was all a one-man show orchestrated by Jing Qian himself.
These jackals and tigers who had preyed upon the Jing clan were all nothing more than pawns caught in his Soulweaving technique, and under his command, they slaughtered themselves at his doorstep.
In this merciless fashion, he announced his presence to the entire seaport market of Hunzhou.
From this day forth, the Jing store was restored!
The corpses piled at his gate served as a warning to all who might covet his family's wealth.
Of course, Jing Qian knew that those eyeing the Jing clan's fortune might not stop here.
But rather than wasting time on hollow politicking, why not spend it tempering his Life Pattern instead?
Of all the people in the store, nine out of ten were already dead. Only three remained.
Jing Qian finally spoke again:
"You three will you swear loyalty, or take your own lives?"
"I will swear loyalty!"
"Please, young master, forgive me!"
"I have never once harbored disloyalty to the Jing clan!"
The three dropped to their knees, kowtowing desperately.
"Then drag the bodies out back and burn them."
"Yes, young master!"
As though granted amnesty, the three scrambled to obey his command.
Who they were, Jing Qian did not know.
But with the insight of the Worldly Insight, he saw clearly that these three were the only ones who truly bore him goodwill.
So he allowed them to live for now.
Jing Qian then strolled out the door, heading toward the other side of the market.
Behind him, the crowds remained, unwilling to disperse.
Most who came to this seaport market were opportunists, here to profit from the platform it provided.
And each of the twenty-four licensed stores represented an immense commercial opportunity.
If the long-decayed Jing store could rise again, it would mean new possibilities for everyone watching.
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