Chapter 30: Unexpected Delight

As the large group assembled, Wang Yu’s wild talk only served to escalate the situation. Yet, he remained unperturbed. With profits at stake, he knew that providing these "hyenas" with an excuse would prompt them to fight tooth and nail. Ideally, Deacon Xu would have been the best person to handle this, but after unexpectedly learning about Su Qingshan's connection to the Xu household, Wang Yu realized this was his only course of action.

A demonic sect, indeed! The longer he stayed, the more Wang Yu felt at home.

Hundreds of elite members from the Enforcement Hall were dispatched. There were few people out at night anyway, and upon witnessing such a spectacle, they wished they could bury themselves three feet underground, not daring to glance twice.

On the way, Zhuo Shouqing addressed Wang Yu. "You claimed to have signed an exploitative contract. Where is it? Let me see it."

"It's right here—"

Wang Yu handed over his copy. After reviewing it, Zhuo Shouqing exclaimed in surprise, "These are generous terms! You call this an exploitative contract? Are you trying to deceive me?"

"Oh no, Sir Zhuo, I wouldn't dare. Please consider: does our Reverse Spirit Blood Sect typically issue contracts like this? It's all a facade, otherwise, disciples wouldn't be so easily misled and fall prey to it."

Zhuo Shouqing frowned in contemplation. He realized Wang Yu had a point. Moreover, the contract's term was only one year. This, coupled with Wang Yu's earlier testimony, suggested an intent to exploit individuals to their demise within a year. The explicit written clause denying any cultivation or training only strengthened this suspicion. They were treated like mere consumables.

"Excellent, excellent! To dare commit such heinous acts, provoking both divine wrath and public resentment, right here in Evil God's Workshop under my jurisdiction—their property must be confiscated! A thorough raid is in order! Wang Yu, is it? Rest assured, you and your brothers will receive the fairest treatment and experience the sect's benevolence."

Wang Yu's vision briefly flickered; his empty sleeve certainly felt "warm" enough. He continued showering Zhuo Shouqing with endless flattery, much to the latter's satisfaction.

Shortly after, Xu's Elixir Emporium came into view.

"Surround it!"

With a grand sweep of Zhuo Shouqing's hand, the Enforcement Hall cultivators surged forward, completely encircling the entire emporium. Wang Yu's eyes flickered, and he promptly stepped forward, bellowing loudly.

"Hear me, those within! Your transgressions have been exposed. Surrender all public assets acquired through exploitation and corruption, or your souls will be extracted and refined, condemned to eternal servitude as petty devils, never to enter reincarnation or attain liberation!"

After his loud proclamation, Wang Yu scurried back to Zhuo Shouqing's side, fawning. "Sir, please proceed."

"Oh— Well done."

Zhuo Shouqing was quite pleased with Wang Yu's initiative, feeling a sense of genuine satisfaction. With a soft cough, he unleashed the immense pressure of his Foundation Establishment cultivation, enveloping the entire Xu's Elixir Emporium.

Inside the emporium, Old Zhu, who had been tirelessly working on ledgers on the third floor, let out a long sigh. He looked at his trembling grandson and said resignedly, "It has come to this; we have no choice but to negotiate. I hope I can secure a way out for you."

"Grandpa, I don't want to die! Your grandson doesn't want to die!" Little Zhu Sun, clad in white linen pajamas, scrambled to embrace his grandfather's leg, tears and snot streaming down his face. He had planned to leave the sect in a few days to avoid this, never imagining that events would unfold so quickly and abruptly, leaving no time to react.

"Xiao Sun, release me."

Observing his grandfather's resolute gaze, Little Zhu Sun lowered his head and followed Old Zhu out of Xu's Elixir Emporium. Outside, soldiers stood with halberds, their presence stern and imposing. The oppressive atmosphere instantly overwhelmed Little Zhu Sun. He collapsed to the ground, frantically kowtowing to Zhuo Shouqing.

"It wasn't me, it wasn't me... He did it, my grandfather did it. It has nothing to do with me!"

"Alas..." Old Zhu watched his grandson's pathetic display, his heart filled with disappointment. He retrieved ten storage pouches from his robes, handed them all to Zhuo Shouqing, and remained silent.

Under the dark, windy night, Wang Yu remained hidden in the shadows, further obscured by the Night Concealment Charm. The opposing party did not detect him. Zhuo Shouqing, however, was utterly bewildered. They surrendered so easily? In all his previous property confiscations, it had always been a fight to the bitter end; he had never encountered such compliant individuals. How peculiar.

His spiritual sense scanned the storage pouches, revealing a total of ninety-six thousand low-grade spirit stones, which converted to nine thousand six hundred mid-grade ones. To him, this was a substantial sum. The conversion rate between spirit stones had always been relatively stable. Low-grade stones converted to mid-grade at a tenfold difference, while mid-grade to high-grade was a hundredfold difference. As for supreme-grade spirit stones, they were considered treasures in themselves and not used as conventional currency. Thus, the conversion ratios were effectively 1000:100:1.

Just as Old Zhu was about to confess and take all the blame, Zhuo Shouqing spoke, "Is this all? Are you trying to fob me off with scraps? I heard you embezzled three hundred thousand spirit stones."

Old Zhu's knees buckled, and he crumpled to the ground. His previous nonchalant demeanor vanished, and his lips began to tremble. "How... how much?"

"Heh." Zhuo Shouqing smiled; he preferred challenging cases. With a lift of his chin, his subordinates swarmed into Xu's Elixir Emporium like a school of fish, seizing everything movable before affixing seals to the entrance. He then instructed a team to escort Old Zhu and his grandson back to the Enforcement Hall.

Turning, he tossed a stack of contracts into Wang Yu's arms. These included not only Wang Yu's three agreements but also those belonging to Zhou Tao and the others. Wang Yu's eyes brightened; he hadn't anticipated such an unexpected boon.

"Tonight's events have nothing to do with you. The Foundation Establishment cultivator behind Xu's Elixir Emporium will be dealt with by the Enforcement Hall. You and your brothers just be honest. Are you willing to work under my command from now on?"

Wang Yu promptly clasped his fists and assented. "Your subordinate pledges unwavering loyalty and service to you, Sir Zhuo, even unto death."

"What sweet words. Here, a reward for you." Wang Yu's vision blurred as a small storage pouch landed in his hand. Inside, he found a thousand spirit stones along with a set of Enforcement Hall disciple's robes and a token. This was an absolute unexpected windfall!

Zhuo Shouqing departed after speaking, without specifying when Wang Yu should report to the Enforcement Hall. Wang Yu's mind began to form a subtle conjecture. Zhuo Shouqing had clearly seen through the events of that night but chose not to comment, instead offering praise. This implied he was being tasked with infiltrating various shops, effectively becoming an informant.

"This works out well."

After toiling for half the night, Wang Yu leisurely returned to his lodging for a good sleep. Given his cultivation, two hours of rest was ample.

The next morning, he arrived bright and early at Xu's Elixir Emporium. He had initially come to wait for Zhou Tao and the other two, but to his surprise, they had arrived even earlier. It only took a moment of thought for him to understand why. Old Zhu's offered remuneration was unusually high—two hundred a month? Who would have dared to imagine such a figure? Only Wang Yu, unaware of the market rate, had initially found it insufficient. Given such a lucrative position, they were eager to work hard and avoid dismissal, naturally arriving earlier than one another, ready to compete, one might say.

"Hey, over here."

Zhou Tao, Huang Kai, and Luo Pinghu were initially perplexed by the seals on the emporium's door. Upon hearing Wang Yu's call, they immediately approached him. Zhou Tao, with the highest cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Condensation and superior alchemy skills, had met Wang Yu yesterday. He now seemed to be the unspoken leader among the three, so he was the one to speak.

"Alchemist Wang, did you call us because you know what happened at Xu's Elixir Emporium?"

"It's a long story—" Wang Yu shook his head with a sigh, then pointed to a nearby shop. "Why don't we discuss this over food? You haven't had breakfast yet, have you?"

"That works..."