The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 907 - 498: Reunion at Langya

He Sect Leader naturally recognized Gongshu Zhao. Although he didn’t understand why the Hall Master of Qianjin Hall would be in the God Demon Prison, he was very astute and kept his questions to himself, quietly listening to the conversation between the two men before interjecting, "Lord Divine Monarch, Langya Sect Master has been increasingly irritable these days and might soon seek out Lord Ning."

"This matter requires Gongshu Zhao’s help." Changtian glanced at the man before him, "Additionally, summon Qi Zai and Qingluan back. It’s truly unwise to be out playing at such a critical moment!"

His voice faintly revealed his displeasure, and He Sect Leader responded softly with a "yes", then proceeded to report the affairs of Hidden Stream after Ning Xiaoxian’s departure, one by one. Though they usually communicated through messengers, these exchanges could only convey a few words, nowhere near as detailed as a face-to-face report.

Indeed, trade is the best means of communication. Once Hidden Stream’s external strategy changed, its relations with other Immortal Sects and Monster Clans immediately improved. Currently, the busiest departments within the sect are the Foreign Affairs Hall, responsible for external communication and guest reception, and the Immortal Plant Garden, which handles spirit grass cultivation and elixir refining. Ning Xiaoxian, as the Garden Director, had neglected her duties for several months, forcing He Sect Leader to promote two Deputy Garden Directors, yet the entire garden remained in chaos.

With the opening of business, resources poured into Ba Snake Forest from all directions, including the previously scarce spirit stones, magic artifacts, immortal techniques, and other major goods. The agreement with the Northwest Alliance fell into insignificance, as the Northwest Immortal Sect could no longer hold Hidden Stream’s lifeline. However, Hidden Stream had not yet developed a war mentality, maintaining a facade of politeness and calm with the other side.

The Conservative Faction initially worried that once Ba Snake Forest was open, outsiders would seize the opportunity to cause trouble. Yet no such incidents occurred. On one hand, strict access control and enhanced patrols by Hidden Guards and Lin Guards were implemented. On the other hand, sects coming from afar were motivated by business and profit, and who would really go against money? Only He Sect Leader and Langya knew that Yin Jiuyou’s avatar had met its end in Hidden Stream. This person never tolerated losses, and it was feared that he might employ some formidable tactics.

However, if Yin Jiuyou’s true body personally made a move, there would be no stopping his methods whether or not Hidden Stream was open. Therefore, the two decided to prepare for any eventualities while focusing solely on open business.

One must admit, in terms of fighting and bullying, Hidden Stream was a master. But when it came to doing business and prospering through harmony, everyone in this demon sect was an outsider. Unfortunately, you can’t expect such a demon sect, filled with fugitives, murderers, and petty criminals, to produce any business geniuses. Thus, even though the accounts showed a significant increase in revenue over the past few months, the profits were surprisingly low.

When Ning Xiaoxian casually browsed through several account books brought by He Sect Leader, she was nearly bursting with anger. Take the ledger from the Foreign Affairs Hall as an example. Since this hall must inspect goods, artifact refiners and pill masters were called from the Refining Room and Immortal Plant Garden to assist, paid per piece reviewed. She flipped to a page and saw that on a certain date, over seventy items involved the work of a dozen artifact refiners and pill masters for inspection—an enormous waste of manpower! And could such a modest transaction truly require so many people? Was there really no corruption involved?

He Sect Leader, busy as he was today, couldn’t pay attention to such trivial matters. She frowned and flipped through a few more pages, growing angrier as she read. These examples were rife, and there were significant fluctuations in goods prices. For instance, the selling price of a Snake Flame Grass was pushed down to seven hundred spirit stones, whereas normally it would fetch at least a thousand; and the cost of a medium-grade Dark Level magic artifact had somehow ballooned to three thousand spirit stones—what kind of robbery was that?

She narrowed her eyes. It was unexpected—how long had Hidden Stream begun doing business? How long had she been away from Hidden Stream, and already someone was trying to meddle for profit? It seems there were dishonest creatures among the demons as well.

These fellows had their hands in her pockets; how could she sit idly by? Where could she find some capable individuals on short notice? Her strength alone was limited; she needed to find good helpers. As she pondered over the accounts and her thoughts, she missed out on the conversation between He Sect Leader and Changtian, realizing only when Changtian called her several times, that the ground floor had emptied, with everyone else gone.

"Ah, how long have you been talking?"