As the large team assembled, the situation escalated due to Wang Yu's wild accusations.
But he wasn't panicked. With利益 (lìyì - benefits, profit) at stake, giving these "hyenas" an excuse would strip them bare, even if it didn't kill them.
Ideally, having Steward Xu handle this would be best. But after unexpectedly discovering Su Qingshan's connection to the Xu Residence, this was his only path left.
Demonic path, demonic path!
The longer he stayed, the more Wang Yu felt like a fish in water!
Hundreds of elite Enforcement Hall members mobilized. There were few people out at night to begin with; seeing this阵仗 (zhènzhàng - formation, display), they wished they could dig a hole and bury their heads, not daring to take a second look.
On the way, Zhuo Shouqing said to Wang Yu,
"You said you signed an oppressive contract? Where is it? Let me see."
"Here it is—"
Wang Yu handed over his copy. After reading it, Zhuo Shouqing exclaimed in surprise, "Such generous terms, and you call it oppressive? Are you trying to deceive me?"
"Dare not, dare not, Lord Zhuo. Think carefully, does our Reverse Blood Sect have contracts like this? It's all an illusion. Otherwise, this disciple wouldn't have been deceived and tricked."
Zhuo Shouqing frowned in thought. That made sense!
Moreover, the term was only one year. Combined with Wang Yu's earlier testimony, it gave him a sense of purpose—to exploit them to death within a year. The explicit denial of any training in black and white made this purpose even stronger!
It resembled treating them as consumables.
"Good, good, good! Daring to commit such heinous acts in the Evil God Market under my jurisdiction—raiding the residence! We must raid the residence!
"Wang Yu, right? Don't worry, you and your brothers will receive the fairest treatment and feel the sect's warmth."
Wang Yu's vision darkened. His empty arm certainly felt warm enough. He kept flattering Zhuo Shouqing nonstop, making him feel very comfortable.
Soon, the Xu Family Pill Shop came into view.
"Surround it!"
Zhuo Shouqing waved his hand grandly. Enforcement Hall cultivators stepped forward, sealing off the entire pill shop. Wang Yu's eyes shifted, and he proactively stepped forward, shouting loudly,
"Listen inside, your deeds are exposed.
"Hand over all the embezzled and exploited public assets! Otherwise, we will definitely extract your souls and refine them, turning you into minor ghosts forever, unable to reincarnate, never to transcend!"
After this shout, Wang Yu ran back to Zhuo Shouqing's side, fawning, "My lord, please."
"Oh—
"Not bad."
Zhuo Shouqing was very satisfied with Wang Yu's actions, feeling a comfortable sense of things going his way. He cleared his throat lightly and released his Foundation Establishment pressure, enveloping the entire Xu Family Pill Shop.
Inside,
Elder Zhu, who was working on the accounts late on the third floor, let out a long sigh. Looking at his trembling grandson, he said helplessly,
"Things have come to this; we can only negotiate. I hope we can leave you a way out."
"Grandfather, I don't want to die! Your grandson doesn't want to die!"
Zhu Xiaosun, wearing white cloth sleepwear, scrambled over and clung to his grandfather's leg, tears and mucus flowing. He had planned to leave the sect in a few days to lay low. Who would have thought things would explode so quickly and suddenly, giving no time to react.
"Xiaosun, let go."
Seeing his grandfather's firm gaze, Zhu Xiaosun lowered his head and followed Elder Zhu out of the Xu Family Pill Shop. Outside, armed guards stood stern and imposing.
The heavy atmosphere instantly crushed Zhu Xiaosun's composure. He broke down, kneeling and kowtowing repeatedly to Zhuo Shouqing.
"It wasn't me, it wasn't me...
"He did it all, my grandfather did it. It has nothing to do with me."
"Sigh—"
Elder Zhu looked at his grandson's behavior, deeply disappointed. He took ten storage pouches from his robe and handed them all to Zhuo Shouqing, remaining silent.
The moon was dark, the wind high. Wang Yu hid in the shadows, concealed by the Night Concealment Curse, so they didn't notice him.
Zhuo Shouqing, however, was baffled. They gave in so easily? In past raids, the worst cases ended in mutual destruction; he had never seen anyone so compliant.
How strange.
Using his spiritual sense to check the spirit stones in the storage pouches, there were ninety-six thousand low-grade spirit stones, equivalent to nine thousand six hundred mid-grade stones—a substantial sum even for him.
The exchange rate between spirit stones had always been relatively stable.
The difference between low-grade and mid-grade was tenfold; between mid-grade and high-grade was a hundredfold. As for top-grade spirit stones, they were treasures themselves and not used as常规 (chángguī - conventional) currency.
Therefore, the ratios were 1000 : 100 : 1, only three conversion rates.
Just as Elder Zhu was about to speak and take all the blame, he heard Zhuo Shouqing say, "Only this much? Trying to fool a beggar? I heard you embezzled three hundred thousand spirit stones."
Elder Zhu's knees went weak, and he knelt on the ground, losing his earlier calm demeanor, his lips trembling.
"H-how many?"
"Heh."
Zhuo Shouqing laughed. He liked tough nuts. Lifting his chin, his subordinates swarmed into the Xu Family Pill Shop like fish, taking everything movable, then pasting a seal on the door.
He ordered a team to escort the Zhu grandfather and grandson back to the Enforcement Hall.
Then, he tossed a stack of contracts into Wang Yu's arms. It contained not only his three copies but also those of Zhou Tao and the others. Wang Yu's eyes lit up; he hadn't expected this additional benefit.
"Tonight's matter has nothing to do with you.
"The Foundation Establishment cultivator behind the Xu Family Pill Shop will be handled by the Enforcement Hall. You and your brothers behave yourselves. Would you be willing to work for me from now on?"
Wang Yu quickly clasped his fists in agreement.
"Your subordinate will spare no effort, even at the cost of his life, to serve Lord Zhuo."
"Such a sweet talker. Here, your reward."
Wang Yu's eyes blurred as a small storage pouch fell into his hand. Inside were not only a thousand spirit stones but also a set of Enforcement Hall disciple uniforms and a token.
This was completely an unexpected delight!
After speaking, Zhuo Shouqing left without mentioning when Wang Yu should report to the Enforcement Hall. A guess gradually formed in Wang Yu's mind.
Zhuo Shouqing had sensed something off about tonight's events, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he praised him greatly—this was sending him undercover into various shops. He had really become an informant...
"This is fine too."
After working half the night, Wang Yu leisurely returned to his residence to sleep. With his cultivation level, two hours of sleep were enough.
Early the next morning, he went to the Xu Family Pill Shop.
He originally came to wait for Zhou Tao and the other two, but unexpectedly, they arrived even earlier than him. After a moment's thought, he understood.
The remuneration Old Man Zhu offered was abnormally high—two hundred per month? Who would dare imagine that? Only Wang Yu, who didn't know the market rate before, thought it was too little.
With such a high-paying job, they wanted to work hard to avoid being fired, so they naturally came earlier and earlier—it was a competition.
"Hey, over here."
Zhou Tao, Huang Kai, and Luo Pinghu were initially puzzled by the seal on the pill shop's door. Hearing Wang Yu's call, they immediately gathered around.
Zhou Tao had the highest cultivation, eighth layer of Qi Refining, and more advanced alchemy skills. Having met yesterday, the three seemed to regard him as the leader, and he was the one to speak.
"Alchemist Wang, did you call us because you know about the Xu Family Pill Shop situation?"
"It's a long story—"
Wang Yu shook his head and sighed, pointing to a nearby shop. "How about we talk while eating? I assume you haven't had breakfast yet."
"That works too...…"
(End of Chapter)