Chapter 986: Accumulating Wealth with Moderation Huang Fugui

Azure Butterfly Valley, located in the State of Cai within the Eastern Wilderness, is one of the state's five major market towns. It functions as a supply depot, receiving transport teams that pass through. As the State of Cai is a small nation, the resources stockpiled here are not particularly precious; they mainly comprise common cultivation supplies like low-grade magic tools and elixirs used by junior cultivators.

To streamline supply transportation, the Seven Great Immortal Sects have established numerous supply depots across different regions, with Azure Butterfly Valley being one of them.

Liu Zhen, one of the three Core Formation cultivators stationed in Azure Butterfly Valley, is responsible for receiving mobilization envoys from various routes.

The Seven Great Immortal Sects do not engage in forced transactions; they pay spiritual stones for the supplies provided by Azure Butterfly Valley. Otherwise, the cultivation forces of the State of Cai would not bother with such a strenuous and unrewarding task. To make a horse run, you must feed it.

Inside the Azure Butterfly Pavilion, Liu Zhen was enjoying tea and conversation with two other Core Formation cultivators. All three wore expressions of deep satisfaction. Under the guise of defending humanity and using the authority of the Seven Great Immortal Sects, they acquired cultivation resources within the State of Cai at relatively low prices. They then sold these to the Seven Great Immortal Sects for a slightly higher sum, earning a substantial profit through high turnover.

“Fellow Daoist Liu, your strategy is brilliant! We made at least this much from the supplies requested by the Myriad Flower Palace. This is incredibly lucrative; if only the war could last for several more decades!” a young woman in her early thirties, dressed in a green skirt, held up three fingers and chuckled.

“It won't last long,” Liu Zhen remarked with a smile. “If it truly dragged on, neither the Seven Great Immortal Sects nor the demon race could endure it. Simply put, it's a conflict over territory. More precisely, it's a way to reduce surplus populations. Once a sufficient number of casualties have been sustained on both sides, the war will conclude. Our ancestors painstakingly built these foundations and maintained peace for centuries. Later generations desire to make their own mark and achieve glory. If there were no wars, internal conflicts would surely erupt. Territory is finite, and cultivation resources don't multiply significantly. As the number of cultivators and demonic beasts steadily increases, existing territories can no longer sustain the growing populations. Thus, war becomes inevitable, consuming a portion of the population. The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, is an eternal truth.”

“Fellow Daoist Liu, you speak wisely. That is excellent.”

Liu Zhen smiled, about to speak, when a sharp whistle suddenly pierced the air. He pulled out a communication disk, channeled a spell into it, and an urgent male voice promptly announced, “Martial Uncle Liu, the mobilization envoy from the Taiyi Immortal Sect has arrived.”

“The Taiyi Immortal Sect? Who is the envoy? It's not Huang Fugui, is it?!” Liu Zhen's mouth twitched as he spoke with a frown.

“Heh heh, Fellow Daoist Liu, it is indeed I, Huang. I have been tasked by the Taiyi Immortal Sect Master to transport supplies. I hope you will cooperate with me. Neither of us can afford the consequences should the war effort be delayed.”

“Martial Nephew Chen, please invite Fellow Daoist Huang over.” Liu Zhen put away his communication disk, his face clouded with worry. “Fellow Daoists,” he sighed, “it seems we’re going to have to make a significant sacrifice.”

“Suffer a loss? Does the Taiyi Immortal Sect dare to force buying and selling? If word of this gets out, won't others be disheartened?” the young woman in the green skirt asked, frowning.

Liu Zhen offered a wry smile. “It's not the Taiyi Immortal Sect itself,” he explained, “it's Huang Fugui. You’ll understand soon enough.”

Before long, Huang Fugui and his two companions appeared before Liu Zhen and his colleagues.

Huang Fugui was responsible for escorting commonly used cultivation supplies for junior cultivators, such as magic tools and talismans. These items are consumed in large quantities. Besides a batch allocated by the Taiyi Immortal Sect, Huang Fugui and his two companions needed to purchase more supplies when passing through various depots along their route. They carried over a million spiritual stones with them for this purpose. For this supply transport mission, Huang Fugui, Huang Youxin, and Li Qin served as escorts, with Huang Fugui bearing full responsibility.

“Fellow Daoist Huang, you must be weary from your journey. Please, have some tea and rest.” Liu Zhen said with a fawning smile, gesturing for them to take a seat.

“No need for tea, Fellow Daoist Liu,” Huang Fugui replied. “We need to procure a batch of supplies. Here is the list; you have one day to gather them.”

Huang Fugui displayed a Seven Immortal Order, while Huang Youxin produced a green jade slip and handed it to Liu Zhen.

Liu Zhen scanned the jade slip with his divine sense, his brows knitting together. “Fellow Daoist Huang,” he stated, “the quantity of goods you require is too vast. It will be exceptionally difficult to gather them all within a single day. Furthermore, the price you’ve offered is far too low. If we sell to you at that rate, we’ll incur a loss.”

Huang Fugui glared at Liu Zhen and retorted impolitely, “Stop feigning ignorance with me. Your words might fool some disciples from major sects, but they won't fool me, Huang Fugui. I conducted an investigation before I even arrived here. Your greed is boundless! You acquire a bottle of second-tier Spirit Returning Elixir for 500 spiritual stones, yet you sell it for 750 to the Myriad Flower Palace’s mobilization envoy. Do you not realize that every additional Spirit Returning Elixir sent to the front lines could save another cultivator's life? While the demon race invades and harms our human race, you hide in the rear, shamelessly profiting from the war. I am ashamed to be associated with people like you.” By the end of his speech, Huang Fugui's face was alight with righteous indignation.

Huang Youxin and Li Qin exchanged bewildered glances, having never witnessed Huang Fugui behave in such a manner before.

“Fellow Daoist Huang, it's a misunderstanding, entirely a misunderstanding! You must have misheard. We face our own challenges; a large number of mobilization envoys pass through the State of Cai, and how can we possibly supply so much? The 500 spiritual stones you mentioned? That was the old price. Things are different now; the prices of various cultivation resources are constantly increasing, making it very difficult for us.” Liu Zhen continued to explain with a fawning smile, while discreetly handing Huang Fugui a green storage bead.

Huang Fugui accepted the bead, scanned it with his divine sense, then returned it to Liu Zhen, his face stern. “What kind of person do you take me for?” he scoffed. “Do you believe I, Huang, would be bought off by you? If Senior Zhang were to find out—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the young woman in the green skirt produced a blue storage bead and offered it to Huang Fugui.

Huang Fugui’s face immediately brightened, and his tone abruptly shifted. “Senior Zhang also considers the war effort, and you all certainly have your difficulties,” he said. “However, you must gather everything we need within one day. The prices are clearly marked, and you’ll still make a profit, so don't be too greedy. Hundreds of thousands of cultivators are fighting bloody battles on the front lines. One more elixir, one more talisman, could save another cultivator's life. You should possess that understanding. Senior Ye on the front lines is still waiting for these supplies!”

“Fellow Daoist Huang, rest assured,” Liu Zhen promptly replied with a fawning smile. “We will issue orders immediately to ensure everything you require is gathered within one day. Please, Fellow Daoist Huang, settle in and get some much-needed rest.”

Liu Zhen, still smiling fawningly, agreed and dispatched someone to escort Huang Fugui and his two companions to their quarters for rest.

“Fellow Daoist Liu, this Huang Fugui is truly shameless!” the young woman in the green skirt exclaimed. “He took our benefits, yet he didn't raise the price. He profits from us on one hand and pockets the difference on the other. I bet the price he reports will be significantly higher than his acquisition price, even more unscrupulous than us.”

Liu Zhen shook his head with a bitter smile. “You’re mistaken about that,” he corrected. “This fellow is exceedingly cunning. Not only does he *not* pocket the difference, but he actually dips into his own pockets to purchase additional cultivation supplies. During the last demonic invasion, this same Huang Fugui was also a mobilization envoy. He spent 100,000 spiritual stones of his own to acquire cultivation resources and transport them to the front lines. He then spread stories everywhere about how he was willing to spend his entire fortune to resist the demon race. This made a significant number of junior cultivators admire him immensely. When the higher-ups learned of this, they sent auditors to check his accounts. They discovered that the cultivation resources Huang Fugui purchased were both high quality and low-priced, and that he truly had paid out of his own pocket. Consequently, the Nascent Soul True Monarch not only reimbursed him the 100,000 spiritual stones but also rewarded him an additional 50,000 spiritual stones, urging others to emulate Huang Fugui.”

“Even so,” the young woman persisted, “we don’t have to accept his quoted prices, do we? I don’t believe he can do anything to us. The Taiyi Immortal Sect doesn’t govern us; we aren't their subordinate force.”

“You must understand,” Liu Zhen countered, “he is a mobilization envoy, which means he has direct access to the Nascent Soul True Monarchs on the front lines. If he were to slander us, we’d be in serious trouble. Tens of thousands of spiritual stones is a small price to pay for peace of mind. Huang Fugui knows how to handle things; once he takes a bribe, he won't spread tales. Just you wait! After the war ends, he will undoubtedly bring a batch of low-level demonic beasts to sell to us.”

In a nearby green pavilion, Huang Fugui, Huang Youxin, and Li Qin were leisurely enjoying tea and conversation.

“Fairy Li, Youxin,” Huang Fugui began, “this is your share. Just remember, when we reach the front lines, keep your mouths shut about this!” Huang Fugui grinned, revealing a set of yellowish teeth, and distributed a sum of wealth to Li Qin and Huang Youxin—a practice known as 'sharing the spoils'.