NOVPUB
Chapter 331: Pleasant Cooperation
This arrangement meant that Lu Yang’s side only needed to provide barbeque grills and the fire seed, leaving operations to the Nine-Netherworlds Creed, while still getting sixty percent of the profits.
Even Fifth Elder hadn’t anticipated such bold antics from Lu Yang. This is far more profitable than selling Size At Will (Localized Version) with Old Nine during our younger days! New talents emerge in every generation, and the student surpasses the shifu.
Lu Yang was not worried about the Nine-Netherworlds Creed removing Fifth Elder’s restriction or replicating the fire seed to cut out the Heavenly Court Creed and go solo. He had already hinted to them that the strength of the Heavenly Court Creed’s Dou Heavenly Sovereign and creed leader outclassed the Nine-Netherworlds Creed. The underlying message was: I’m only discussing cooperation with your Nine-Netherworlds Creed politely because of the ancient Nine-Netherworlds. If you don’t acknowledge the Heavenly Court Creed, we’ll have no choice but to show no courtesy and sever ties with you.
If the Nine-Netherworlds Creed dares to betray us, they’re simply courting their own demise.
Lu Yang had another motive for tasking the Nine-Netherworlds Creed with opening the chain stores—restricting the creed’s movements. Although we currently can’t eradicate them, keeping their members occupied during this period may prevent them from committing worse atrocities. Rather than let them commit evil deeds, I might as well keep them busy with something else. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝖕𝖚𝖇.𝖈𝔬𝔪
Having completed the mission from the creed leader and finished discussing the cooperation details, Shi Huagu was greatly pleased. I bet I’ll be able to fully repay the one-billion debt soon.
At the thought of his debt, Shi Huagu shifted his gaze to the silent Qin Yanyan and chuckled. “This must be the reincarnation of Creed Leader Qin you have found, right?”
Lu Yang smiled back. “Don’t you already have an answer in your heart, Creed Leader Shi?”
Qin Yanyan remained expressionless, not wanting to say a word. I mean, what can I say? The Nine-Netherworlds Creed is convinced that I’m Qin Haoran’s reincarnation. Even if I clarify that Li Haoran is the real deal, they probably won’t believe me.
“Who could have thought that the former leader of the Nine-Netherworlds Creed, Creed Leader Qin, would reincarnate as a woman? Such is the unpredictable nature of the world.” That said, Shi Huagu genuinely admired Qin Haoran.
Various signs had suggested that Qin Haoran had successfully reincarnated, possibly related to the Reincarnation Dao Fruit. This Dao Fruit was precisely what Shi Huagu was most interested in. Why were the three vice creed leaders so obsessed with competing for Qin Haoran’s legacy? It was because they suspected that it contained clues about the Reincarnation Dao Fruit!
Shi Huagu decided that there was no longer a need to have someone continue masquerading as Qin Haoran’s reincarnation. The real one is already in front of me. When I vie for the legacy, I’ll ask for Qin Yanyan’s assistance.
But the Nine-Netherworlds Creed and the Heavenly Court Creed have just forged an alliance. Now’s not the time to talk about such matters. The creed leader assigned me the task of building relations with the Heavenly Court Creed, so future negotiations will definitely fall to me. There’s no need to rush.
“May I ask if we can invite Qin Yanyan to return to the Nine-Netherworlds Creed? Qin Haoran had managed the Nine-Netherworlds Creed for nine hundred years, leaving behind many traces. Seeing those familiar sights may stimulate her memories.”
Qin Yanyan panicked. If she entered the Nine-Netherworlds Creed alone, that would be akin to a sheep entering a tiger’s den; even the slightest mishap could be fatal.
Li Haoran stepped forward and shielded her, slowly saying, “As far as I know, your creed is not one united entity, right? Putting aside the new creed leader’s attitude toward Qin Yanyan, how would those old subordinates view her? Would they support her in becoming the new creed leader? Wouldn’t that cause chaos in your creed?
“Moreover, the meaning of reincarnation lies in severing ties with the past life. Deliberately pursuing past life memories would not be an ideal move.
“As vice creed leader, is this all you have to show for your understanding of the Nine Netherworlds and cycle of reincarnation?”
If anyone present was the most knowledgeable about the Nine-Netherworlds Creed, it wouldn’t be Lu Yang, the one spouting nonsense with a straight face, but Li Haoran. With the memory fragments of his past life, Li Haoran could roughly reconstruct what Qin Haoran understood of the cycle of reincarnation and the Nine Netherworlds.
After the cycle of reincarnation, karma would be erased. The Nine Netherworlds were a place for reincarnation and wiping karma clean.
Shi Huagu didn’t suspect why Li Haoran possessed such a profound comprehension of reincarnation. He’s an ancient genius who often interacted with the ancient Nine-Netherworlds. It’s normal for him to know these things.
I was just trying my luck in asking for Qin Yanyan. Since it didn’t work, forget it then.
He laughed heartily. “It was just a joke. Please don’t take it seriously.”
Lu Yang was also smiling. “Glad that it was a joke. I thought you wanted to steal someone from our creed. Even the Heaven Mandate Immortal and the others never attempted something like this.”
Shi Huagu could sense that beneath Lu Yang’s seemingly calm tone was an undercurrent of anger, forcing him to give up on probing further.
Lu Yang said languidly, “In any case, it’s a good thing that our creeds have forged a partnership. Consider this barbeque shop yours. Here, take this jade pendant. If you want to contact me, you just have to crush it.” He tossed a jade pendant to Shi Huagu.
Lu Yang and the others couldn’t keep lingering in the barbeque shop, so they might as well pass the shop to the Nine-Netherworlds Creed. If they wanted to look for the Nine-Netherworlds Creed, they could come here anytime.
Realizing the trust Lu Yang placed in him, Shi Huagu dared not be impolite and turned to Huo Huashen. “Select a few trustworthy men to manage this barbeque shop!” Once the chain expands in the future, this will be our flagship shop. Getting a Divine Transfiguration cultivator to oversee the place won’t be excessive.
“Understood!” Huo Huashen told himself that he must seize this opportunity to earn spirit stones. If it ever gets out that I was the one who brought back that one-billion debt note, I’ll at least have something to say for it.
Shi Huagu dispelled the truth-appraisal secret spell. Maintaining it all this time put a huge strain on him mentally. Throughout our conversation, Young Creed Leader Lu didn’t utter a single lie.
He couldn’t help but admire Lu Yang inwardly. This is the disposition of the future leader of the Heavenly Court Creed, huh? He is candid and aboveboard, not deigning to bamboozle or test me with lies.
In stark contrast, I have been secretly using the truth-appraisal spell all this time, which makes me seem petty in comparison.
In fact, right from the start, the Everlasting Immortal Fairy had already informed Lu Yang that Shi Huagu was using a truth-appraisal spell and asked if he needed her to block it.
Lu Yang declined, not wanting to trouble the Everlasting Immortal Fairy. That’s too troublesome. I can deceive people with just the truth. Why do I have to be worried about Shi Huagu appraising anything?
~~~
On the way back to the Nine-Netherworlds Creed, Shi Huagu suddenly thought of a possibility. “Could that young creed leader have already known about the one-billion debt note and purposely sent it to me? He burdened me with a crushing debt, then dangled the lucrative future of the barbecue shop before me, leaving me no choice but to agree to the business partnership?”
Cold sweat drenched Shi Huagu. This young creed leader is so scheming!
What’s more, this is an overt conspiracy. I have no other alternatives.
As expected of Dou Heavenly Sovereign’s disciple and the future leader of the Heavenly Court Creed!
~~~
On the way back to the Dao-Seeking Sect, the flying shuttle didn’t travel as fast.
Fifth Elder asked curiously, “Lu Yang, regarding your analysis of the situation of the world as well as the strategic plan for the Nine-Netherworlds Creed and the upcoming chain expansion of the barbeque shop, I don’t seem to remember you mentioning any of that to me?” In the original plan, there were no countermeasures for the two questions raised by the Nine-Netherworlds Creed’s leader.
“Oh, I came up with them on the spot.”
