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"Ahem!" Wang Shouzhe coughed twice and sent a voice transmission to Emperor Longchang, "Your Majesty, what era is this? Let's not think about fighting and killing all the time. The Myriad Demon Nation has so many resources of demon power, they are perfect partners for cooperation and creating a shared future."
"Hmph, working with you is truly too boring," Emperor Longchang rolled his eyes secretly and continued the voice transmission, "Fine, fine, do as you please, but don't forget the benefits you promised me."
"Your Majesty, you're the emperor of our Great Qian, can't you have a bit of responsibility?" Wang Shouzhe said helplessly, "Spending all day around those gambling stakes really sets a bad example."
"What do you mean by bad example? I've worked hard for the rise of Great Qian my whole life, can't I enjoy myself a bit in my old age?" Emperor Longchang retorted secretly, "The future belongs to you young people, am I not striving for you?"
"Alright, alright, Your Majesty, you have the final say. In any case, let's do a good job this time. Deep cooperation with the Myriad Demon Nation is quite beneficial for our Great Qian." Wang Shouzhe was also a bit helpless with him, as there were many troublesome people in the family, both old and young.
The Myriad Demon Nation wasn't far from the Great Qian, and in Wang Shouzhe's original grand strategy, the Myriad Demon Nation was naturally included. However, due to the Myriad Demon Nation's strong power and lack of significant aggression, Wang Shouzhe had placed it later in the sequence.
Unexpectedly, changes sometimes happen faster than plans. As friction and conflict with the Myriad Demon Nation intensified, it was better to simply resolve the issue.
As Wang Shouzhe had anticipated, the meeting this time was not very smooth.
Di Xiu of the Myriad Demon Nation was extremely conservative, and under his influence, the minds of the demons in the Myriad Demon Nation were quite closed and stagnant.
As a result, the first meeting between the two sides ended with almost no progress.
Although Ancestor Dragon mediated, and the first demon emperor of the Myriad Demon Nation, Di Xiu, was willing to sign a peace and friendship non-aggression pact, merely defining territorial boundaries and agreeing not to invade was obviously not Wang Shouzhe's true goal.
With the negotiations fruitless, Wang Shouzhe hinted to Emperor Longchang to retreat for the time being and concluded the first round of talks. After all, such a result was already anticipated, and Wang Shouzhe had long made arrangements, not in a hurry for immediate results.
After the negotiations ended.
The Wang Clan followed the established procedure and invited the guests from the Myriad Demon Nation to temporarily stay at the Wang Clan's guesthouse.
After large-scale renovations, many buildings within the Wang Clan's main residence had changed positions, including the guesthouse.
The renovated guesthouse was situated by the mountains and water, in an excellent location, with a top-grade spiritual vein running beneath it, less than ten miles from the core of the Wang Clan's Gathering Spirit Array, Stay Immortal Valley, making it a golden area rich in spiritual energy.
After being meticulously arranged by the Wang Clan members, the guesthouse was filled with spiritual energy, with exotic flowers and plants everywhere, truly resembling a holy realm.
However, for the sake of communication, the delegation sent by the Myriad Demon Nation this time consisted of at least ninth-order demon kings capable of transforming. Their usual residences were also rich in spiritual energy, so merely this aspect might not impress them.
Yet, in reality, once they truly settled into the guesthouse, they were all as if Grandma Liu entered the Grand View Garden, their eyes opened wide.
As the culmination of the Wang Clan's two hundred years of development, the guesthouse's design was grand and majestic, towering above the surrounding buildings. The organic combination of reinforced concrete and spiritual wood materials made its structure blend "modern" and "classical" styles, making it stand out prominently.
However, the design and appearance were not the biggest features of the Wang Clan's guesthouse.
Since the Wang Clan began constructing and operating the first guesthouse, over a hundred years had passed.
Under Wang Shouzhe's overall leadership, the management and business philosophy of the "modern guesthouse" was introduced to the Wang Clan, and the management team continued to explore and improve this system based on actual business conditions.
After over a hundred years, the Wang Clan had now mastered a complete set of scientific hotel management systems that fit the current social system.
In Wang Shouzhe's view, the Wang Clan's hotel was now no less advanced than the luxury brand hotels he had seen in his previous life, and due to the unique nature of the Basalt world, it even surpassed them in many details.
As a result, when the guests from the Myriad Demon Nation stayed there, they naturally felt a sense of novelty and wonder everywhere.
"Your Highness Nine Tails, I am your personal service manager, 'Xiaoman.' This is the Lingxu Suite you will be staying in." A female service manager at the Lingtai Realm led the Nine-Tailed Demon Emperor with a refreshing smile, showing her the suite she would be staying in, "This is one of the top suites in our Wang Clan's guesthouse, with the best facilities in every aspect."
"Here is the temperature control array, the current indoor temperature is 21 degrees, you can adjust it according to your needs."
"This is your bathroom, equipped with a massage bathtub, shower, and automatic flushing toilet." The female manager, Xiaoman, introduced the various facilities in the suite one by one, even demonstrating their use for the Nine-Tailed Demon Emperor who had never encountered them before, "This is the ice crystal wine cabinet, you can freely enjoy the fine wines stored inside. If you have any other dining needs, you can ring the bell to summon me for service."
"This is the dressing room, with perfumes, skincare products, and cosmetics produced by our Wang Clan."
"This is the wardrobe, where we've prepared some of the latest clothes, hats, shoes, and matching accessories jointly designed and produced by the Wang and Zhou Clans for you to try at any time, all free of charge."
"This is the bookshelf, which contains various classical literary works, the most popular novels of recent times, as well as news anecdotes, political summaries, technology and development, beauty reviews, and more."
As Xiaoman introduced, the expression in the Nine-Tailed Demon Emperor's eyes gradually shifted from initial indifference to a bit of astonishment, and by the end, her enchanting peach blossom eyes were filled with shock.
Is this the life of modern humans?
As a Void Realm Demon Emperor, she naturally couldn't have not infiltrated the human world after transforming, and she had a considerable understanding of the human world.
But the human world she had seen before was worlds apart from what it was now.
This made her almost doubt if there was something wrong with her memory.
"You go out first, I want to rest for a while," the Nine-Tailed Demon Emperor said.
Though she was extremely beautiful and enchanting, as a Void Realm Demon Emperor, her presence was still extremely intimidating even when deliberately restrained, naturally carrying an air of majesty.
Now that she spoke, it was naturally full of authority.
"Please rest well, Your Highness Nine Tails, you can summon me if you need anything." The female manager, Xiaoman, respectfully withdrew.
Watching the suite door gently close in front of her, the Nine-Tailed Demon Emperor's expression instantly became lively.
Foxes generally have lively and active personalities, and the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox was no exception. Just now, she had to keep up appearances in front of that human, which had stifled her.
Now that the person had left, the still young her couldn't wait to try out the new things.
Unfortunately, these human things were designed to be extremely intricate, and she couldn't figure them out after several tries. Without using force, she couldn't even open a bottle of [Dara Brand Vintage Red Wine].
Helpless, the Nine-Tailed Demon Emperor had to call Xiaoman back.
Under Xiaoman's patient guidance, she tried out the Wang Clan's cosmetics and skincare products, tasted the dry yet lingering Dara red wine with a crystal glass produced by the Wang Clan, and driven by her instinct to love beauty, she began to try on clothes one set after another.
The Longzuo Zhou Clan originally specialized in silk and cotton fabrics and ready-to-wear clothing, with deep family technical heritage and abundant talent. Even Wang Shouzhe's wedding attire back then was crafted by the Longzuo Zhou Clan.
Back then, after Wang Zongsheng, a family disciple who joined the Xuanbing Hall at Longzuo Academy, married Zhou Fangfang from the Longzuo Zhou Clan, who was also studying at the academy, the two families gradually began to cooperate in various ways due to their marital ties.
Later, as the cooperation between the Zhou and Wang Clans deepened, and with the introduction of new technologies and ideas, the Zhou Clan's clothing designers seemed to have opened the door to a new world, coming up with all sorts of brilliant and imaginative designs.
Today, the fabrics, clothing, and other products jointly produced by the two families had long since left Longzuo Commandery, gradually becoming popular throughout the Great Qian, and even starting to be exported to the Immortal Dynasty.
"Clothing," "food," "housing," and "transportation" are all indispensable needs for humans, so how could Wang Shouzhe give up such a vast market?
"Xiaoman, do you think this outfit looks good, or was the dress just now prettier?"
Women naturally love beauty, not to mention the already enchanting fox clan.
As the leader of the fox clan, the Nine-Tailed Demon Emperor tried these things tirelessly.
"Xiaoman, Xiaoman, the makeup you did for me just now was a bit too heavy, make the cheeks a bit lighter for a more youthful look."
"Xiaoman, help me try out that bubble bath."
An hour later, the Nine-Tailed Demon Emperor, who came from the countryside, quickly grasped the essence of indulgence, soaking in a bubble bath, sipping red wine, with a plate of roasted and sliced spiritual beef steak with skewers placed on the side, within easy reach.
"Ah, this is the life..."
The Nine-Tailed Demon Emperor lay comfortably in the bathtub, the swirling water precisely massaging the acupoints on her body, making her feel like she had wasted thousands of years of life before.
"Your Highness Nine Tails, you have such a great figure." Xiaoman said, flipping through a fashion magazine for her, "These models in the pictures are quite beautiful, but compared to you, they are worlds apart."
"Of course, I am the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox in human form." The Nine-Tailed Demon Emperor smiled smugly, "With just a slight beckon of my finger, I don't know how many men would go crazy for me."
"You are truly amazing, I wish I had your skills." Xiaoman said enviously.
"That's not difficult. I see you're quite young and already have Lingtai Realm cultivation, your aptitude isn't bad among humans." The Nine-Tailed Demon Emperor, having been served for a while, reciprocated, "I can teach you some simple charm techniques, and you'll be invincible among your peers."
"Thank you, Your Highness Nine Tails." Xiaoman said gratefully.
Similar scenes to the Nine-Tailed Demon Emperor's were happening everywhere.
However, the Wang Clan had always maintained integrity, with male managers attending to male guests and female managers attending to female guests, using methods tailored to each individual, rather than any ill-intentioned approach.
These young male and female managers were all carefully selected, possessing both education and aptitude, each being future elites of the Wang Clan's hotel chain and reserve talents for entering the Immortal Dynasty market.
As for Enlightenment Senior Di Xiu, he was personally attended to by Wang Shouzhe.
At this moment, in Di Xiu's Lingxu Suite, Wang Shouzhe and Di Xiu were drinking tea and chatting.
Wang Shouzhe knew that someone like Di Xiu, who had lived for tens of thousands of years and was a semi-immortal plant, appeared amiable on the surface but was actually the most conservative and traditional at heart. Therefore, he handled matters with patience and a long-term perspective.
"Master Wang Shouzhe, I never expected you to have Enlightenment Tea here." Di Xiu said, savoring the familiar aroma of the tea, "I remember over twenty thousand years ago, Enlightenment Senior and the Immortal Sovereign of that time came to the Myriad Demon Nation to find me, and we drank tea and discussed the Dao, talking about our ideals. Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, over twenty thousand years have passed."
"Speaking of which, this Enlightenment Tea was actually found by my sixth-generation grandson, Wang Fugui. He befriended Enlightenment Senior while traveling in the Immortal Dynasty, and was fortunate to receive some Enlightenment Tea as a gift, which he sent back to me as a token of respect." Wang Shouzhe spoke of Fugui with a hint of pride in his eyes.
That child was one of his most outstanding bloodline descendants, with no flaws except for having exam scores that were too good, even surpassing his ancestor.
"What a filial child." Di Xiu said with a hint of meaning, "Back then, Enlightenment Senior also advised me, hoping we could submit to the Immortal Dynasty and change the 'Ten Thousand Saints Kingdom' to 'Ten Thousand Saints Holy Land.' But you know, I don't like disputes, I just want to live quietly with the children."
The implication was, of course, to tell Wang Shouzhe that even the Immortal Dynasty couldn't force me to submit, so you'd better give up the idea.
"Let's not talk about business today, let's not talk about business." Wang Shouzhe shook his head with a smile, "It's just that I have a special wood-type talent, and I have a great fondness for spiritual and celestial plants, which is why I came to visit."
"I also feel that Master Wang Shouzhe's bloodline talent is somewhat peculiar, unconsciously making me feel a sense of closeness." Di Xiu said with slight curiosity, "I wonder what kind of wood-type talent Master Shouzhe possesses?"
Wang Shouzhe didn't answer the question directly but instead looked at Di Xiu seriously and said, "I noticed some plum blossom-shaped yellow and black spots on the side of your ears and neck, which, based on my experience, are definitely symptoms of the deadly black wilt disease for spiritual wood. Not only that, but your hair is also somewhat dry and yellow, which should be due to your roots suffering from pest damage and long-term malnutrition."
"This..." Di Xiu's expression changed slightly, "Master Wang Shouzhe has good eyesight. Whether it's spiritual plants or celestial plants, the most feared thing is disease. I've also asked spiritual plant grandmasters from the Immortal Dynasty to look at it, but they can only alleviate it temporarily, not solve the root cause. Over time, I've just let it be."
"The spiritual plant grandmasters of the Immortal Dynasty are indeed powerful, but if even they can't cure it, then it should be a problem with the spiritual veins and spiritual soil where Senior Di Xiu is rooted." Wang Shouzhe speculated, "Senior can try uprooting all the roots and soaking them in medicinal liquid. At the same time, all the spiritual soil needs to be turned over, baked with flames for sterilization, and the nutrients need to be rebalanced, reconstructing the microbial ecology in the soil."
"......"
Wang Shouzhe's words left Di Xiu bewildered.
He paused for a moment before asking, "What is sterilization, and what is microbial ecology?"
"These are professional terms in the spiritual plant cultivation technology developed by our Wang Clan." Wang Shouzhe said, "It's hard to explain clearly in a few words. If Senior Di Xiu trusts me, I can help you solve the problem."
"No worries, no worries, I've gotten used to it over time." Di Xiu laughed indifferently, "We semi-immortal plants live long lives, and a little disease is just a bit painful, it's not a big deal, not a big deal."
Senior Di Xiu was truly impervious to persuasion.
With one plan failing, Wang Shouzhe immediately moved on to the second plan.
He had a thought.
After a dozen breaths, the suite's doorbell rang.
Opening the door, a child-like Wang Lixian bounced in, "Daddy, Daddy, look, I've finished all my homework this time. Daddy, am I amazing? Shouldn't you praise me~"
Her appearance was truly adorable and clever.
Wang Shouzhe casually glanced at her homework and immediately spotted more than a dozen mistakes, causing his face to twitch.
Originally, according to the plan, he was supposed to praise her a few times, then start getting close to Di Xiu, and then accidentally reveal her identity as a celestial plant. But with such sloppy homework, he really couldn't bring himself to praise her.
It was quite obvious that Wang Lixian was up to mischief again, being lazy and cutting corners.
Immediately, Wang Shouzhe changed the plan on the spot, grabbed Wang Lixian, and started spanking her, "Wang Lixian, you're so young and already up to no good, always thinking about cutting corners and being lazy, what will become of you when you grow up?"
Wang Lixian burst into tears with a "wah."
This wasn't how the script was supposed to go~~ this spanking came too suddenly.
"Daddy, Daddy, I was wrong, I was wrong, okay." Wang Lixian cried and wailed miserably, "I'll change, I promise to change."
"Hmph, I think you've been spending too much time with His Majesty, picking up all sorts of bad habits." Wang Shouzhe continued spanking her.
Di Xiu was stunned.
What kind of trick is this!?
Could it be, this is a new kind of bitter trick?
But Master Wang Shouzhe, why do you think spanking your daughter would make me feel sorry?
But as he spanked, while Wang Lixian cried, some faint immortal spirit energy also began to escape along with her tears, gradually permeating the Lingxu Suite.
"This is?" Di Xiu was astonished, his voice trembling, "Immortal spirit energy, is this... could the girl be?"
Immortal spirit energy is an extremely rare pure energy in this world, generally only produced by big shots in the True Immortal Realm.
However, some celestial plants with innate immortal seeds, as they age and increase in grade, also gradually produce some immortal spirit energy.
As for semi-immortal plants like Di Xiu, who have cultivated to the peak, they can also produce a small amount of immortal spirit energy over time, but the quantity is very limited, far less than what Lixian had.
Moreover, even among immortal spirit energy, the attributes and characteristics can differ.
The immortal spirit energy produced by Wang Lixian, for example, clearly had life-type characteristics, which is why it had special effects like healing and restoring the source.
"Daddy, this has nothing to do with Grandpa Emperor, it's all Xian'er's own bad habits. Wuwuwu~ Xian'er was wrong, Xian'er promises to study hard." Although Wang Lixian was being spanked, she still loyally defended Emperor Longchang, who doted on her.
"You are incorrigible." Wang Shouzhe was furious and spanked her even harder.
Di Xiu was suddenly very nervous, "Master Wang Shouzhe, could this child be an immortal seed?"
"So what if she's an immortal seed? If she grows crooked, even if she becomes a true celestial plant, she'd only be a scourge to the world." Wang Shouzhe reprimanded harshly.
"Stop hitting, stop hitting~~ Master Wang Shouzhe, have you gone mad, this is an immortal seed." Di Xiu completely lost his previous composure, jumping up and down in anxiety, "You mustn't damage her."
"Fine, today, for the sake of Senior Di Xiu, I'll spare you this time." Wang Shouzhe finally stopped with a fierce expression, "Go, thank Senior Di Xiu."
"Thank you, Grandpa Di Xiu, for pleading on my behalf." Wang Lixian got up, clutching her backside, and tearfully bowed to Senior Di Xiu, looking pitiful and endearing.
"Good child, good child." Di Xiu, trembling with excitement, helped her up, "How old are you this year, how did you transform at such a young age? Is your foundation stable?"
"I..."
Wang Lixian was about to answer when she remembered her father's earlier instructions.
Her small brows furrowed, "Grandpa Di Xiu, why are you so dirty? Your hair is dry and yellow, and you have a lot of mold spots, wuwu~ the smell of mold..."
Wang Lixian took two steps back, seemingly a bit scared.
Even after being spanked, she still obediently followed her father's instructions.
Daddy said this wasn't lying, it was part of his plan to persuade Grandpa Di Xiu to treat his illness, called a "benevolent lie."
Wang Shouzhe also took the opportunity to pull Wang Lixian back, solemnly saying, "Xian'er, you should go home first, black wilt disease and some molds can spread among spiritual plants."
"Then Daddy, Grandpa Di Xiu, Xian'er will go home first." Wang Lixian, having completed her part, politely bowed and limped away, clutching her backside.
Watching Wang Lixian's departing figure, Di Xiu's heart broke.
He wanted to spend more time with Xian'er, but Xian'er's fearful eyes and the possibility of contagion left him feeling uneasy.
"Senior Di Xiu." Wang Shouzhe also took the opportunity to bid farewell, "I have matters at home, so I won't disturb your rest any longer."
"Alright, alright."
Di Xiu watched Wang Shouzhe leave with a somewhat lost expression.
Seeing Wang Shouzhe about to exit, Di Xiu finally couldn't hold back any longer and suddenly asked, "Master Wang Shouzhe, is there a cure for my illness?"
"There is!"
Wang Shouzhe paused, speaking with determination.
...
In the time that followed, the Wang Clan didn't rush to conduct a second round of negotiations, instead allowing the guests from the Myriad Demon Nation to continue enjoying the luxurious modern life.
If there's no demand, create demand for them.
As the saying goes, it's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Once they got used to the luxurious life of the Wang Clan, would these demons be able to adapt to their original ascetic lifestyles when they returned to their cold and barren territories?
Wang Shouzhe knew that from the moment they arrived at the Wang Clan, they had already lost!
Once their minds wavered and they developed desires and needs for human goods, the next step would be to harvest the demon labor... no, to engage in mutually beneficial cooperation and usher in a new era of peaceful coexistence between humans and demons.
...
