Chapter 961: Popular

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After thinking it over, Wu Jiangtao and Wu Ranze exchanged a glance and sighed in regret.

They planned on bringing Zhuo Fan to the city lord so they could flank him on both sides and gain his trust to lead to a better cooperation.

[But this guy broke it off completely!]

Baili Jingyu was so moronic and useless that a bit of praising got to his head and got him to accept anything on the spot. 

Anyone that had met with Baili Jingyu had some, if not complete, disgust for this city lord over his degeneracy. To keep such revulsion hidden and simper in such a smooth way was an amazing talent in and of itself. 

Wu Jiangtao took a deep breath and adressed Baili Jingyu, “City Lord, the talk now didn’t even earned us his indentity. What are we supposed to put on record?”

“Just put whatever. Haven’t we always been doing this?”

Baili Jingyu mocked, “Don’t think for a second that I don’t know what you’re doing. Only a couple of the transfers are genuinely reported every day while the rest are fakes. Humph…”

Wu Jiangtao nodded.

[Yeah, it’s hard to keep them all in the open. It’s easy to see it] 

Wu Jiangtao sighed and left with his son.

However, Baili Jingyu’s drawn out voice came again, “Old Wu, do you have any good stuff around? Mind sending some my way?”

Wu Jiangtao jerked, knowing where he was going with this and turned to the the two girls, “Lord, don’t you already have them?”

“I’ve been upping my cultivation regime and need many more cultivation cauldrons…”

Wu Jiangtao sighed, “City Lord, it would’ve been so much better if that was so, and you wouldn’t have stayed at just the Radiant Stage. Why lie when you’re clearly out to have fun with them?”

“Yeah, I got bored of them and want new toys.”

No longer bothering to cover up his vices, Baili Jingyu spoke the truth. But then he changed topics, “Also, I don’t want someone from your clan. I don’t wanna get burned.”

Wu Jiangtao chuckled, “Lord, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know well enough.”

Baili Jingwu scoffed, “I didn’t use to see what you guys were up to or how things are done, but working together these past two years, even a fool would know. Three years ago, you sent that girl over so your son would make a scene and then threatened me to break it off with Baili Jingwei. Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been doing these two years. Be thankful I’m still keeping the peace. All I ever care about is going on as I am, enjoying the carefree life of a city lord, so don’t ever try to play me!” 

Wu Jiangtao nodded, “Alright, it’s not any trick anyway. I only did that because you were getting out of hand and needed to be reined in. Wealth and politics don’t match, the golden rule of our company. As long as you stick to your business, we’ll stick to ours. Get some rest, City Lord, I shall take my leave. Furthermore, I let you meet our client as you were as a show of strength. Next time, remember to have some decency. You’re the City Lord of Goldbough City, so act like it!” 

Wu Jiangtao left with his son.

“It’s my business how I am, not yours, you old coot!”

Baili Jingyu roared behind them then put on a cocky expression as he returned to his wine bath, “What’s so wrong about how I am? Didn’t someone appreciate me just now? Humph, that sir has good eyes at least, a man of culture, he-he-he…”

Meanwhile, Wu Ranze sported a dark face as he exited the castle, “Father, I can’t believe that fool actually figured it out. We can’t have brother know about this, about sacrificing the brother and sister like that. He’ll blow things out of proportions!”

“I know that, but I never expected this to remain hidden forever.”

Wu Jiangtao turned cold, “To control the 250th City Lord, I had to take approapriate measures. The only reason I bother trying to keep it hidden from Randong is due to his temper. Anyway, watch your brother and don’t let him get close to that dumb city lord. Also, where is the client? We have to stick around as much as possible over the next three days and gain this big fish’s trust.” 

Wu Ranze nodded with determination, “Don’t worry father, I’ll make it so he will be sure to cooperate with us indefinitely!”

Wu Jiangtao nodded, showing his confidence in his eldest son…

Over the next three days, Wu Ranze was hard at work as the best host out there to Zhuo Fan. His favoritism didn’t stop at showing him the best attractions in town, but also giving no small amount of pills and ores as gifts.

All for the sake of give and take.

Zhuo Fan struck many more deals with Wu Ranze and had given him hundreds of thousands of demonic spirit stones. The joy on Wu Ranze was obvious, taking it as a sign of future wonderful cooperation.

Thus, Wu Ranze threw himself completely into the task of looking after his most important client, while not forgetting to start selling his prized goods to the outsider; at a premium of course, and to the high society of the empire.

Money made the world go round. Baili Jingyu saw the Serene Shores Trading acting like the best host, and since he finally found a true friend who knew him best at long last, he started giving the same honor as well, showing Zhuo Fan the city and its impressive sights.

With the city lord and the company’s eldest young master tending to someone in full daylight, they began catching many eyes and curiousity as to Zhou Fan’s identity.

Of course, they learned nothing as not even the two hosts knew any more after so much research into anything that might give them the smallest idea as to who this mistery client was. 

Towards a tight lip man such as Zhuo Fan, any other city lord would instantly grow suspicious and try to get to the bottom of this. Not this lord though, a hedonist who only cared about himself and had no right to even be a city lord to begin with, was content to let matters rest.

As for the Serene Shores Trading, they only had money in their eyes.

Like so, Zhuo Fan stayed in Goldbough City these three days without anyone finding anything about him. Now the commercial line was ready for his personal use.

All formalities were handled by the city lord. Money sure paved the way in this case.

Just as he was taking young Sanzi to go through and to western lands, a shocking news stirred the entire Sword Star Empire.

It led to Zhuo Fan, the vile demon, finally leaving his mark on the peaceful rich town of Goldbough, one of disaster.

“Prime Minister, Goldbough City’s lord, Baili Jingyu has sent a gift. May your future be limitless and live forever!” 

In the Prime Minister’s house in the imperial capital, Baili Jingwei just entered his home with Shangguan Feiyun and Danqing Shen, when a servant bowed and presented a black stone.

Baili Jingwei frowned, “You mean that idiot Baili Jingyu sent this? Take it back. I’m going to see the Patriarch and have no time for gifts.” 

“Er…”

The man hesitated. Baili Jingyu had warned again and again to give this gift to the prime minister and pave the way to his career. But now the prime minister wouldn’t even hear it.

Danqing Shen chuckled and advised, “Prime Minister Baili, why must you deny his kind intentions? Ha-ha-ha…”

“Dragon Cleaving Sword King, this guy is as useless as it gets from a human being, an annoying fly who clings to his miserable existence. His gift has strings attached, and I’m not about to gamble with the safety of the empire over some moron.” Baili Jingwei spoke coldly. 

Shangguan Feiyun muttered, “He’s the lord of Goldbough City, where Serene Shores Trading is. Why then did you placed him there if you disdain him so much?”

“For the exact same reason as you mentioned.”

Baili Jingwei smiled, “Since coming to office, I’ve promoted trade heavily. By leaving any competent lord behind, then Serene Shores Trading wouldn’t have grown to this size. Since this dead weight was laying around, might as well use him for something. On one hand, he’s there as deterrence, to show that we still care about that place and not let the merchants go overboard. And two, he won’t cause any trouble to them. I bet that these past years, that old Wu must’ve gotten him to play along. Anyway, he’s there to keep things in balance and I don’t expect him to do anything worthy of note.” 

“Ha-ha-ha, Prime Minister is so shrewd, using everyone to the bone. Not even a dead weight escapes you.” Shangguan Feiyun’s sarcastic laugh came, then turned to the black stone with a curious gaze, “What could this thing be? I’ve never seen it before.”

With a vague smile, the servant bowed, “Prime Minister and Sword Kings, this is a new item sold by the Serene Shores Trading, that’s all the rave right now. In just three days, the imperial capital’s high class have been fighting over it. City Lord had sent to all the princes and generals without any refusing him. Prime Minister, who only came back to imperial capital, isn’t yet aware of this…”

“Just what is it to make it so popular?” Shangguan Feiyun held it out of curiosity…

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