EBE Chapter 280 Change of Identity
Chapter 280 Change of Identity
The old man in front of him, who called himself Lin Baiyu, was the same old man Lin Changsheng had met before he fled from Yunmengze to Green Wilderness City. He had given Lin Changsheng a jade slip containing information about Green Wilderness City.
Unexpectedly, based solely on their brief encounter years ago, Lin Baiyu would use this as a pretext to come and visit.
"I was unable to personally entertain Elder Zhang Meng after our hasty parting years ago. I have been disrespectful to such an esteemed person. I recently learned of Elder Zhang Meng's name and brought some of the younger members of my clan to visit him and apologize."
Lin Baiyu's skin was loose and wrinkled, making him look very old, yet he still put on an apologetic expression.
The young man beside him also took out a bulging storage bag and respectfully handed it over.
"It's not worth the two of you coming all this way just to apologize for what happened back then. You might as well just say what you have to say."
Lin Changsheng took the storage bag, but instead of putting it away immediately, he looked at the two of them with a half-smile and asked them a question.
However, seeing Elder Zhang Meng accept the storage bag, Lin Baiyu breathed a sigh of relief and felt more at ease.
Their brief encounter back then could at most help them get in touch with the elders of Mingling Peak.
To truly establish a relationship with Elder Zhang Meng and thus achieve better development in Green Wilderness City, one must pay other prices.
If I had known that the villain I helped back then would one day become the Sixth Elder of the Ghost Valley Sect, I should have cherished that relationship back then.
Looking at Elder Zhang Meng, who sat in the main seat with a dignified expression and exuding an aura of inner energy, Lin Baiyu felt a great sense of regret.
……
Subsequently, Lin Baiyu, representing the Lin family, openly expressed their desire for better development in Green Fairy City and hoped to gain the support of Elder Lin Changsheng.
In return, the Lin family will allocate a portion of their profits as dividends every year.
Lin Changsheng did not refuse.
This has become an unwritten rule in the entire cultivation world.
The Guigu Sect established immortal cities, markets, and gathering places, where various families moved in, vying for good locations and properties, and paying fees.
If one secretly gains the support of the sect elders, it's equivalent to having a powerful backer in the Immortal City. Even if one occasionally engages in some shady dealings such as bullying customers or double-crossing others, it won't have a significant impact.
Sometimes, after causing too much of a commotion, powerful sects would step in to help smooth things over and mitigate the impact.
Some shops, though ostensibly run by family power, are actually owned by influential members of the sect.
They profit from both sides, hoarding resources from independent cultivators and earning rent, land rent, and secret share dividends from small family forces.
Small families struggle to survive within it.
The most pitiful group is the large number of independent cultivators.
No qualifications, no background, no resources.
Harboring the dream of transcending the mortal realm and becoming an immortal, they toil and struggle day and night in the immortal city, just to fight for a slim chance.
The more independent cultivators there are in the immortal city, the greater the flow of people, and the more the people behind them make a fortune.
This is why high-level cultivators are willing to establish sects and gathering places for cultivators.
Lin Changsheng has always relied on his superb skills in cultivating immortality and other arts to pursue a high-end career path. Although he has never lacked resources, he is still an exploited person.
Now that he has advanced to the Golden Core stage and joined the ranks of high-level cultivators, he has begun to become a dominant figure qualified to divide the spoils.
……
After seeing off the Lin family elders, Lin Changsheng successively selected several local family forces and established cooperative relationships.
The smallest of them all was a family with two Foundation Establishment cultivators, roughly on the same level as the Xi Danhe family he joined back then.
Surprisingly, when Lin Changsheng was sifting through the many visiting cards, he unexpectedly saw a visiting card from the 'Xuanmiao Chamber of Commerce'.
Moreover, the person who came was none other than Jin Mengqiao from the Xuanmiao Chamber of Commerce.
"Junior Jin Mengqiao of Xuanmiao Chamber of Commerce pays respects to Senior Zhang Meng and congratulates you on attaining the Dao!"
Jin Mengqiao's delicate features were adorned with light makeup, and her gorgeous purple dress accentuated her wealth and nobility. However, her words and expressions revealed her to be extremely well-behaved and sensible, showing the proper etiquette of a junior.
Lin Changsheng immediately recognized Jin Mengqiao, who had an extraordinary background.
Recalling their last meeting, when he took the initiative to come to her door to buy a Core Formation spiritual item, Jin Mengqiao's perfunctory attitude that day was completely different from her submissive demeanor today.
However, he was now appearing as Zhang Meng, so Jin Mengqiao naturally didn't recognize him.
Beside her still followed a taciturn old woman. Unlike before when she concealed her cultivation level, this time the old woman directly revealed herself to be a Golden Core cultivator in the early stage, and her aura was even stronger than Lin Changsheng's.
"Xuanmiao Chamber of Commerce? This elder has never heard of this name. It doesn't seem to be a local chamber of commerce?"
"Speak, what brings you to this elder?"
Lin Changsheng muttered something under his breath, shook his head, and asked in a cool and indifferent tone, maintaining the dignity of an elder.
"Replying to Senior, our Xuanmiao Chamber of Commerce mainly operates in the central and eastern waters of Jiuzezhou. In recent years, our merchants have been interested in expanding into the mineral resources industry of Gunzhou, and our planned trade routes may pass near your Mingling Peak mountain range. That is why I have come to consult you on this matter."
Jin Mengqiao smiled sweetly and explained her purpose in a graceful manner.
Although she was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, she treated Lin Changsheng, a Golden Core cultivator, with utmost respect, neither humble nor arrogant.
However, upon learning that Jin Mengqiao's purpose in coming was to ask him for a favor, Lin Changsheng felt a strange sensation.
Back then, when he bought the Core Formation spiritual item from Jin Mengqiao, he was ripped off.
In order to successfully buy the item he wanted, Lin Changsheng had no choice but to swallow his pride and silently get ripped off.
Now that their status has changed, Lin Changsheng naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.
"Hehe, so it's a caravan passing through. Taking into account my spiritual vein damage costs, land damage costs, and protection fees, I will take 50% of the profits from each shipment."
Lin Changsheng smiled faintly and said.
"Fifty percent? Fellow Daoist Zhang Meng's appetite is a bit too big, isn't it? My Xuanmiao Chamber of Commerce is not some small chamber of commerce without a background."
"Moreover, the same route between the two continents is not only found at your Daoist temple. Perhaps your sect has other elders who wish to achieve this cooperation."
Before Jin Mengqiao could speak, the taciturn old woman beside her frowned slightly and reminded her with a hint of displeasure in her tone.
“What you say is true, but it seems you have forgotten that there are many wandering cultivators here. It is very dangerous for ordinary merchants from other places to pass through here.”
Lin Changsheng sneered, his appearance as a villain making him look every bit the ruthless bandit.
Back then, his cultivation was still at the Foundation Establishment stage, and he was staying in the Li clan's territory. He dared not provoke such a powerful Golden Core cultivator.
But now he is also a Golden Core cultivator, backed by the Ghost Valley Sect, and has the advantage of controlling the border area between the two continents.
As long as Jin Mengqiao keeps her eye on Gunzhou's mineral resources business, she can't get around him.
Ultimately, after some discussion, the two reached an agreement to take a 35% cut of the profits.
However, there was a condition: each time the caravan went to Gunzhou, they had to help Lin Changsheng gather the necessary mineral resources.
Jin Mengqiao looked pitiful and reluctantly agreed.
However, Lin Changsheng already knew that the price of minerals in Gunzhou was lower than the average price of mineral resources. After purchasing them at a low price and transporting them to Jiuzezhou, he could still get a considerable premium.