The Devil's Tribulation

Chapter 268 Three companies join forces

The Ximen family in Yancheng, the Ximen family’s stewards have all arrived, as well as the head of the Li family, Li Minghao. A bunch of people were chattering, Ximen Ba and Li Minghao looked at each other, and Ximen Ba said, “Okay, stop arguing, it’s useless to say anything now, we can only wait for Deacon Wang to come out and see if he has gone to complete the handover procedures.”

Ximen Gui said, "Father, everyone knows that Steward Wang of Qianyuan Sect is in charge of this business. Since he has gone, he is most likely to handle the land handover." Li Minghao said, "Brother Ximen, I think we should prepare as soon as possible. No matter who bought the land, we have to take it away! We have been planning for so long, but in the end, someone else took the spoils. We are really unwilling to accept this!"

Just as Ximen Ba was about to speak, a servant came to report: "Master, Steward Wang has left. I have inquired and found out that it was indeed the Zheng family who sold the land to the Zhong family in Fancheng!" Ximen Ba said angrily: "How dare the small Zhong family go against me! Do they really want to die?!" Li Minghao asked in confusion: "The Zhong family in Fancheng? The Zhong family that recently sold peach blossom wine in Fuguang Town?" Ximen Ba said arrogantly: "Who else could it be? It's him!" Li Minghao was even more confused and asked: "I know this Zhong family. Do they have the ability to buy this land?"

Ximen Ba sighed and said, "The Zhong family has developed rapidly in recent years, but I don't believe that they have so much money to buy land. But now the facts are in front of us, and we have to believe it." Li Minghao said, "The Zhong family gave birth to a Divine Transformation cultivator a few years ago, and drove away the other two inferior families in Fancheng. It's only been a few years, and they have such strength? It's unbelievable." Ximen Gui said, "It's useless to say this now. We have to find a way to get the land back!" Ximen Ba glared and said, "Don't mess around! Although the Qianyuan Sect is no longer what it used to be, it's still easy for them to deal with us. Since the land has been bought by the Zhong family, they must want to come to Yancheng to develop. Then there will be plenty of opportunities to deal with them!"

In Wanbao Pavilion in Fuguang Town, Zheng Qilong and Qian'er were chatting happily. Although the Zheng family sold the land, they escaped a disaster, and the 300 million crystal beads required for the contract were also paid by Qian'er. How could Zheng Qilong not be happy? So after the formalities were completed, Zheng Qilong started drinking with Qian'er and Lu Qingshan. Qian'er asked while drinking: "Master Zheng, you have been suppressed by the Ximen family and the Li family for many years. It is not easy to hold on until now. I wonder what your plans are for the future?" Zheng Qilong's face changed, and he said angrily: "Those two families are ungrateful! Thinking back to the past... Forget it, let's not talk about it, let's drink."

Lu Qingshan and Qian'er looked at each other and said with a smile, "Brother Zheng, do you think this incident is too strange? The third elder of your family just disappeared for no reason, and there is no clue no matter how hard we look. It is really hard to understand." Zheng Qilong sighed and said, "Actually, I couldn't understand it at first. It has been so long since the incident happened. If I still can't understand it, I'm an idiot! The third elder was probably bribed by the two families." Lu Qingshan pretended to be surprised and said, "Isn't the third elder Zheng Shuyun your direct elder?"

Zheng Qilong smiled bitterly and said, "I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. The Zheng family is no longer the same as before. Now everyone has their own ideas. It's all my fault that I'm useless and can't unite people." Qian'er smiled and said, "If there is a chance for the head of the Zheng family to reorganize the family, would the head of the Zheng family be willing to give it a try?" Zheng Qilong's eyes narrowed and he thought to himself, "Sure enough! The Zhong family has great ambitions!" Zheng Qilong slowly put down the wine glass in his hand and said, "The Zheng family has seen the strength of the Zhong family. Although they are very strong, they are still a long way from defeating the other two families. Even if we, the Zheng family, are added, we are no match for them."

Qian'er smiled and said, "Master Zheng, haven't you forgotten that there is a Nian family in Yancheng?" Zheng Qilong was surprised and said, "Have you found out the details of the Nian family? The ancestor of the Nian family?" Qian'er said, "The ancestor of the Nian family is indeed seriously injured and has not recovered yet. Moreover, he hurt his soul when he impacted the Refining Void Stage. It is very difficult to heal him." As soon as Mou Xuyu arrived in Yancheng, he discovered that there was a breath of death in the forbidden area in the back mountain of the Nian family. According to Senior Brother Mou, the old man of the Nian family will die in ten or eight years at most.

Zheng Qilong sneered, "Serves you right! The ancestor of the Nian family was once instructed by our Zheng family ancestor, but later joined forces with the other two families to suppress our Zheng family. This is really retribution!" Lu Qingshan said, "Nian Fuqing started to stay in seclusion three hundred years ago. I think that was when he failed to break through to the Refining Void Realm. That old guy has persisted for so many years and is not dead. I think the Nian family has paid a lot of price." Zheng Qilong said, "If the ancestor of the Nian family died, there would only be one patriarch left in the late stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm, and the others would be in the early and middle stages of the Spirit Transformation Realm, which is even worse than our Zheng family. No wonder they have been so honest over the past few hundred years."

Zheng Qilong looked at Qian'er and asked, "If I remember correctly, the Zhong family seems to have only two cultivators in the early stage of the Spiritualization, and they have just been promoted not long ago. Why is the head of the Zhong family so confident that he can defeat those two families? Even if we add the Nian family, the three of us combined may not be a match for those two families! They have 6 cultivators in the late stage of the Spiritualization!" Speaking of strength, Qian'er did not hide it and smiled, "The Zhong family does have only two cultivators in the early stage of the Spiritualization. However, I hope they can take action, because the Zhong family also has a backer. When it comes to taking action, only their two families will die."

Zheng Qilong laughed and said, "As far as I know, the Zhong family has been trapped in Fancheng for thousands of years. If they really have a backer, why didn't they leave Fancheng earlier? You won't tell me that your Zhong family has only recently found a backer, right?" Qian'er smiled and said, "In fact, the Zhong family originally planned to keep a low profile for a while, but the Zhong family's wine business is too good. In order to make the Zhong family's wine spread throughout the Great Zhou cultivation world faster, they decided to come to Yancheng in advance to open a winery. I think the head of the Zheng family should know about the Zhong family's peach blossom wine, right? If there is no corresponding strength, can the Zhong family keep this piece of cake?"

Lu Qingshan knew the backers of the Zhong family, and said with a smile: "Master Zheng, you don't know, my sister-in-law's husband, who is also my brother's sworn brother, is an incredible person~ If the Zheng family cooperates with the Zhong family, they will definitely be able to drive the Ximen family and the Li family out of Yancheng!" Zheng Qilong bowed and said: "I haven't asked Master Zhong's husband yet?" Qian'er smiled and said: "My husband Pan Chengfeng." Zheng Qilong thought for a while, and suddenly said in surprise: "Is he the new disciple of the Great Elder Qiu of the Yu Lei Sect?" Qian'er nodded and said: "That's right."

Zheng Qilong was really shocked, and it took him a long time to recover. The Yu Lei Sect, the number one sect in Dongzhou, is a dominant existence in Dongzhou. Zheng Qilong calmed down a little and said, "Although your husband is a disciple of the Grand Elder of the Yu Lei Sect, the Yu Lei Sect has always been a transcendent existence. They won't care about these things, right?" Qian'er smiled and said, "That's why I said that if Ximen and the Li family dare to take action, they will die! We just need to defeat them by commercial means and make their business in Yancheng plummet. When that time comes, they can't stay and will withdraw from the battle for Yancheng by themselves."

Zheng Qilong began to think again, thinking, "I didn't expect the Zhong family's background to be so terrible. Either I have to be friends with the Zhong family, or I have to be enemies with the Zhong family. Is there any need to choose?" After thinking about it, Zheng Qilong looked at Lu Qingshan and said, "Brother Lu, please invite the head of the Nian family. To defeat those two families, we need the Nian family to work together."

Half an hour later, the head of the Nian family, Nian Xiongying, arrived. Nian Xiongying was a late-stage cultivator of the Spiritualization Realm. Hearing his name, one would think he was a mighty and majestic man. In fact, Nian Xiongying was of medium build and had an ordinary appearance, but his eyes were introverted and his mana was unusually powerful. Lu Qingshan smiled and said, "I hope you are well, head of the Nian family~" Nian Xiongying bowed and said, "How dare I not come when Pavilion Master Lu invites me? I just didn't know that head of the Zheng family was here. I'm sorry for the rudeness."

Lu Qingshan stood up and introduced: "I won't introduce the head of the Zheng family. This is Li Qian'er, the head of the Zhong family, and also the Taoist partner of my younger brother." Nian Xiongying casually bowed to Qian'er, looked at Lu Qingshan and said: "Master Lu, please speak frankly. I have something to do at home, so I can't stay for long." Qian'er smiled and said: "I thought the Nian family had been keeping a low profile in recent years because the ancestor was dying. It seems that everyone was wrong. Is the head of the Nian family going to have a breakthrough?"

Nian Xiongying's eyes were focused, and his aura burst out. A pressure that was infinitely close to the peak of the Spiritual Transformation attacked Qian'er. Qian'er was slightly stunned, her face turned cold, and she said lightly: "Is the Nian family master going to show me a sign of power? Unfortunately, this power is not enough!" Qian'er slapped the jade table casually, and the pressure immediately dissipated. Nian Xiongying was shocked and thought to himself: "This Zhong family master is only in the early stage of the Spiritual Transformation. Even if my pressure cannot overwhelm her, she can't be so calm and easily resolve it."

Lu Qingshan also put away his smile and said, "What does Patriarch Nian mean by this?" Nian Xiongying said angrily, "She is just a small cultivator in the early stage of the Spiritualization Realm, and she dares to speculate on the physical condition of our ancestor at will! If she was not in Pavilion Master Lu's place, I would have killed her with a palm!" Just as Lu Qingshan was about to speak, a powerful pressure suddenly came from the void, directly pressing Nian Xiongying to the ground, unable to move. Nian Xiongying was shocked, and his first reaction was: "A trap?! They want to kill me?" Lu Qingshan was also shocked, and hurriedly shouted: "Uncle Man, please let Patriarch Nian go, we still have business to discuss."

Uncle Man's voice came from the void: "It's not the pressure from this lord." Before Lu Qingshan could react, a young voice came from the void: "How dare you take action in front of me! If my junior sister loses a single hair, your family will be expelled from Yancheng!" Lu Qingshan was really dumbfounded this time. In addition to Uncle Man, there was actually a senior in his cave. Was the restriction outside the cave just for decoration?

Mou Xuyou, the sisters came to Yancheng, how could he still stay at the Zhong family, so he naturally followed them. But Qian'er didn't let him show up, so Mou Xuyou has been "hiding" all the time. Just now, he saw Nian Xiongying actually threatened Qian'er, although Qian'er was fine, but he had to react, otherwise if his junior brother knew, he would definitely suffer.

Uncle Man showed up, followed by Mou Xuyou. The two of them bowed to each other. Uncle Man did not dare to neglect him and said with a smile: "Fellow Daoist Mou from the Yu Lei Sect, long time no see." Mou Xuyou thought for a while and said: "It turns out to be Senior Li. It's been many years~" Li Man, Uncle Man's name. Li Man waved his hand and said: "I dare not call you senior. Fellow Daoist Mou is already a Void Refining cultivator. We can just call each other peers." Mou Xuyou said: "The last time we met was 500 years ago, right?" Li Man smiled and said: "Yes, it's almost 500 years ago. You followed Senior Qiu to participate in the mainland event. At that time, you were just in the middle stage of the Spirit Transformation. Now it seems that you are about to break through to the middle stage of the Void Refining. You are indeed a young talent~"

Lu Qingshan interrupted and said, "Uncle Man, you can talk slowly. Why don't you let Patriarch Nian go first? We still have things to discuss." Mou Xuyou looked at Patriarch Nian, whose face had turned purple and his eyes were bloodshot. However, Mou Xuyou did not let go. Instead, he looked at Qian'er and asked, "Junior sister, do you want to kill this guy? It's useless to kill the one who attacked our Yu Lei Sect first." Nian Xiongying almost peed himself when he heard what Mou Xuyou said. He wanted to beg for mercy, but he couldn't speak.

Qian'er bowed to Mou Xuyou and said, "Senior Brother Mou, please let Patriarch Nian go first. I still have something to discuss with Patriarch Nian." Mou Xuyou snorted coldly and said, "You are lucky, my sister is kind-hearted. Otherwise, I would have at least destroyed your cultivation!" After saying these harsh words, he withdrew his pressure. Patriarch Nian immediately turned over and knelt down, saying gratefully, "Thank you for not killing me, and thank you Patriarch Zhong."

Seeing that Mou Xuyou had released Patriarch Nian, Li Man said with a smile, "The juniors have something to talk about. Would you honor me by coming to my cave to have a chat?" Mou Xuyou bowed and said, "Then I'd rather obey than be respectful. Please." After the two big men left, the people below heaved a sigh of relief. Qian'er said, "Patriarch Nian, the matter of our other ancestor can no longer be concealed. Even if you break through the peak of the Spiritualization Realm, you can't support the Nian family by yourself unless you can advance to the Great Refining Void Realm."

Nian Xiongying coughed twice. He was just pressed down and got a little injured, but it was not serious. Nian Xiongying said: "Just tell me what Patriarch Zhong means, and the Nian family will do it." Qian'er said lightly: "Patriarch Nian thinks that the Zhong family is bullying others with their power?" Nian Xiongying didn't say anything, but anyone could guess from his expression. Zheng Qilong was also shocked just now. He knew that Qian'er's husband was a disciple of the Yu Lei Sect, but he didn't know that a Lianxu cultivator came with him today. Zheng Qilong kicked Nian Xiongying with his foot, and Nian Xiongying said reluctantly: "Since the Zhong family has such a big background, why do they need to discuss with small families like us? Just do what you tell us to do."

Qian'er said helplessly: "Patriarch Nian has misunderstood. If you hadn't taken action first, Senior Brother Mou would not have shown up. The Yu Lei Sect also has rules and cannot interfere in these mundane matters at will. Therefore, if you want to defeat the Ximen and Li families, you can't do without the support of the Nian family." Nian Yingxiong sneered: "It's not that Nian looks down on us. Even if the three of us join forces, we are no match for the Ximen and Li families. Now in the entire Fuguang Town, the two of them occupy 50% of the shops, the Nian family 20%, and the Zheng family only 10%, maybe less than 10%, and the rest are shops of some small forces! The Zhong family only has three shops. Many customers are used to buying items in their shops, and have even signed long-term contracts. How can we snatch customers away?"

Qian'er smiled and said, "Patriarch Nian is right, but don't forget the Zhong family's Peach Blossom Wine! What's more, there is a better wine than Peach Blossom Wine, which is currently being developed. Our three families will join forces to open a large store, or a supermarket! Everything will be sold there. When the time comes, we can use the Zhong family's wine as a lure to attract customers to the supermarket, which will naturally drive sales of other products. As long as you spend a medium-quality crystal bead in the supermarket, you can get some points! One thousand points can be exchanged for a jar of Peach Blossom Wine at the supermarket counter!" This was what Pan Chengfeng told Qian'er about some sales techniques in his previous life.

Qian'er talked nonstop about the points system, membership system, hunger marketing and other means. Zheng Qilong and Nian Xiongying were stunned, and even Lu Qingshan was fascinated. This talk lasted for an hour. When Qian'er finished, several people were still undecided. Finally, Qian'er said: "Now that the Zhong family has the land, as long as it is built, the Zhong family can move some people here first. After the winery is built, a supermarket can be opened in Fuguang Town. The land for the supermarket in Fuguang Town needs to be found by both of you. At least 100 acres of land and five floors are needed! If Brother Lu is willing, the Wanbao Pavilion auction can be held in the supermarket without charging you rent."

The three families discussed the supermarket's share for an entire afternoon. In the end, it was decided that the Zhong family would take 40%, and the Nian family and the Zheng family would each take 30%. In this way, the three families reached a preliminary consensus, but Zheng Qilong and Nian Xiongying had already seen the fate of the Ximen family and the Li family.