Chapter 1898: The Unkillable Chamber of Commerce

Myozanten’s sudden death caught Bishamonten off guard, preventing immediate intervention to stop the chaos.

Furthermore, Myozanten had incurred significant debt for this descent to the lower realm. It seems there's no concept of "debts dying with the debtor" in the divine realm. Would the creditors who suffered losses, including Revered Lingxu, who lost the true Lord Shenxi's form, also claim a share of Myozanten's inheritance and rightfully consider it compensation?

Those seeking to collect debts, those vying for the inheritance, and those eager to fill vacant positions would all spring into action at this time.

Besides the Lingxu faction, Shalitien and other powers, along with lesser deities, would also seize the opportunity.

As long as a great whirlpool existed, other waters would not remain calm. Therefore, if Naraka Deva were to describe the current state of the divine realm, one word would be most apt:

"Our chance has come," He Lingchuan murmured. "We must seize this window of opportunity!"

"Naraka Deva also mentioned that the Lingxu faction's decision-making is very inefficient, and Myozanten's death has caused too great a stir. Even if Revered Lingxu intervenes to forcefully suppress the matter, this upheaval will not subside anytime soon."

"Conservatively, the Heavenly Demons will be preoccupied with internal conflicts for the next few months, effectively having no time to bother with the mortal realm." This was the precious time the Battle of the Upside-Down Sea had bought him. "Furthermore, Mount Ling and the State of Mu are both bewildered and pose no threat to us."

"In other words, the best time for us to act is these next few months!"

Change had arrived, and the upheaval in the divine realm was just beginning.

For He Lingchuan, this was an exceptionally rare golden period. Whether his grand ambition would succeed depended on these next hundred-plus days.

Remembering Naraka Deva's final reaction, He Lingchuan mused, "Should we add fuel to their chaos?"

"Naraka Deva believes that even if Golden Flash is captured, it can't be held. What's your plan?"

Even if Naraka Deva's words were alarmist, there was some truth to them.

"Others are others; I am myself," He Lingchuan said, gazing at the temple wall. The bricks were laid perfectly flat, and all repairs had been meticulous. For a small border town, the Temple of Hundred Battles was well-built, the most orderly structure in the settlement.

In places of greater despair, people's faith in deities grew more fervent. What exactly did they believe in?

Others called it a form of solace, but He Lingchuan believed it was a yearning.

A yearning for their small lives to have meaning, even if only for a single moment.

"Naraka Deva is right; holding onto a territory is far more difficult than conquering it," he said, leaning back in his chair. "But the best method certainly isn't relying on deities!"

"It's good that you have a plan in mind." This young man always planned secretly and quietly, yet he inspired great confidence.

"Oh, right, Naraka Deva also said that if the Lingxu faction can't find you, they'll go after your subordinates," Aunt Zhu reminded him. "The Yangshan Merchant Guild is spread throughout Golden Flash; wouldn't it be easy for them to retaliate against you?"

If Yangshan were targeted for retaliation, wouldn't He Lingchuan suffer losses?

He was hard to catch, but weren't Yangshan's businesses and personnel easy targets? Wouldn't the gods and their lackeys capture them easily?

Aunt Zhu was filled with worry.

Ever since following He Lingchuan, she was no longer the carefree spider she once was.

"Rest assured, Auntie," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "It's definitely not as easy as you imagine."

"How so?" Aunt Zhu immediately asked him. "Didn't Naraka Deva say your business in the allied forces' territory would also be affected? He couldn't have been talking idly."

The relationships between the gods were subtle. Although Shalitien and the Lingxu faction were at odds, they often found ways to collude in secret.

The Soul-Snatching Mirror in He Lingchuan's arms piped up with a startled sound, "That's right, that's right! I remember Situ He telling you, Master, that his and his father's ambition was to overthrow the State of Yao, then gain the support of Beggar and the gods to develop in Golden Flash! What if that boy, what if that boy stabs you in the back for the gods' favor? We must be vigilant, we must be vigilant!"

"Of course, the gods want to cause me trouble, and the simplest way is to use their mortal agents to target Yangshan."

Aunt Zhu and the mirror responded, "Exactly!"

"Then I ask you, what is 'Yangshan'?"

"Huh?" Aunt Zhu didn't understand. "Isn't Yangshan just your merchant guild?"

"And what is a merchant guild? Or rather, what constitutes one?"

Aunt Zhu's face couldn't fall, but her voice did: "You should ask my sister that question!"

Oh, thinking gave her a headache. Why bother with such mental exertion?

The Soul-Snatching Mirror, however, pondered deeply: "It's mainly made up of people, money, and goods, right?"

"Whose people, whose money, whose goods?"

"Uh..." The mirror and Aunt Zhu were equally confused. "Aren't they all yours?"

"Since it's such a profitable business, am I the only one running it?" He Lingchuan retorted. "Do I earn all the money alone? Do I provide all the goods myself? And are all the operations managed by my subordinates? Where would Yangshan get so many people?"

"Uh..." The mirror's mind struggled to keep up.

"When Yangshan expands to a new place and starts a new business, what's the first step?" He Lingchuan asked with a smile. "You must remember that, right?"

The mirror, with its good memory, replied, "It seems like first you pay respects to the local powers, then you bring people in as partners."

Yangshan didn't operate on a low-level. They always aimed high, typically establishing good relations with local powers, negotiating well, and only then opening for business.

What did they negotiate? Was it just about the public accounts?

"What does 'bringing people in as partners' mean?" He Lingchuan tapped the table. "That's called 'shares'!"

"Local entities hold shares in Yangshan, and local entities all profit from Yangshan!" He Lingchuan asked them, "Who did you say the gods would use to target Yangshan?"

"Their mortal... what was it? Agents." Aunt Zhu scratched her head, struggling to recall the word. "Oh, aren't they just the local powers?"

The gods couldn't descend or act directly, so they naturally had to rely on local powers.

But local entities already profited handsomely from Yangshan. Why would they cut themselves deeply?

"Do you know who Yangshan's protector is in the allied forces' territory?"

Aunt Zhu blurted out, "Situ He?"

"The Homeland Association."

Aunt Zhu was very surprised.

"Isn't the Homeland Association just a so-called 'fellow countrymen's association'?"

She knew it was just a loose organization, often holding gatherings but lacking strict structure or even fixed rules.

Could that protect Yangshan?

"The members of the Homeland Association were carefully selected by me and Yu Hai. They are either learned, talented, or well-connected, including scholars who returned from Beggar and elites from local influential families." To put it bluntly, there were no ordinary people in the Homeland Association. "They and their families are all, more or less, connected to Yangshan; some even primarily run Yangshan's businesses now."

If others could consistently profit from you, it would be difficult for them to harden their hearts against you.

This is called "binding interests."