sonovelo Chapter 722: No Freeloaders Around
Chapter 722: No Freeloaders Around
Chapter 722: No Freeloaders Around
"Need a sturdy, high-quality house in just three days? Trust the Mount Shu Sect’s Hall of Construction—where speed meets excellence!"
"Seeking a safe haven? The Mount Shu Sect’s Hall of Construction builds secure, top-quality homes—fast and reliable!"@@@@
"Let the Mount Shu Sect’s Hall of Construction protect your wealth!"
"..."
Banners fluttered high above the peak of the Great Astral Sect. Yun Chaoxian stood with his arms crossed, watching the construction crew at work. He nodded in satisfaction.
"This Feng-grade building is truly remarkable," he remarked. "Not a single senior or junior brother has managed to break it. We really have to thank Chu Liang for this."
"Heheheh!" Lin Bei laughed heartily from across the way. "Chu Liang said that the Great Astral Sect is family, so the quality had to be top-notch. If he weren’t stuck at Mount Shu right now, he’d definitely be here in person to supervise. Just wait and see."
A few days ago, after Lin Bei helped the Hall of Construction secure a construction project in the East Sea, this information was "accidentally" leaked. Word quickly spread that the Mount Shu Sect’s Hall of Construction could help build high-quality buildings for a fee, and this caused an immediate sensation.
For cultivators, constructing a building was hardly a challenge. Even a hundred-story tower was nothing impressive. However, a structure that could withstand a strike from Di Nufeng? That was virtually unheard of.
The fact that the Mount Shu Sect could mass-produce such buildings was nothing short of a blessing for the fellow cultivators of the other righteous sects.
Immediately, the Mount Shu Sect’s Hall of Construction started getting a flood of orders.
As the Hall of Construction had only five senior members, Chu Liang didn’t blindly accept all requests. The intricate enchanted formations and techniques weren’t something that could be mastered overnight, and training new members would take time.
Among them, Senior Brothers Li Wanda, Li Wanke, Fang Zhonghai, and Chen Baoli were capable of handling projects on their own. However, Bi Guiyuan was still inexperienced and could only construct structures of a lower grade than the Feng-grade, making him unfit to work on projects by himself.
To manage the demand, Chu Liang introduced a lottery system.
Sects wishing to purchase buildings had to enter the draw, where lucky winners were randomly selected. This ensured fairness, transparency, and prevented an overwhelming influx of orders.
The five members of the Hall of Construction were now experiencing the troubles of success.
In the past, they barely had any work in a month and often worried about having nothing to build. But now, even as they were still wrapping up the Red Cotton Peak reconstruction, their schedule was already booked well into next year.
Xu Hongqiu still wore her signature scarlet robes wherever she went. A black cloak draped over her shoulder, making her seem even more valiant and heroic. She had outgrown her youthful, innocent appearance; her complexion had become fairer and her features sharper. A fierce intensity burned in her eyes.
She had been involved in the Whale Gang’s leadership since her teenage years, holding a high position for quite some time. Early on, she established ties with Red Cotton Peak, bringing enormous profits to the Whale Gang. Now, the entire Eastern Whale Division looked to her as its leader. All that remained was for her to break through to the seventh realm, at which point she would officially assume the role of vice-chief.
Initially, as the daughter of Xu Bashan, the chief of the Whale Gang, she shouldn’t take on this role. However, her family’s influence within the gang had become so deeply entrenched that, even if she had no desire for the position, many would still push for her to take on this position.
"Alright!" Xu Hongqiu said with a chuckle. "But don’t even think about offering it for free. I know you spent a fortune on the Demon-Slaying Sword recently, and Red Cotton Peak isn’t exactly overflowing with funds. Whatever the cost, we’ll pay in full. The Whale Gang has made plenty of money working with the Mount Shu Sect over the years."
"At least take a discount," Chu Liang replied. "Even setting aside our ties with the Whale Gang, your teacher was the one who created all the enchanted formations for these buildings. That alone is reason enough to make things easier for you guys."
"Haha, fair enough," Xu Hongqiu agreed. With the business discussion settled, she changed the conversation. "How’s Jiangjiang been lately?"
Though she and Jiang Yuebai were on good terms, they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. If she wanted to know how Jiang Yuebai was doing, she had to ask Chu Liang.
"She’s still traveling the world with her father," Chu Liang said simply.
Xu Hongqiu sighed, "Haaaaaa, I wonder when she’ll be back. I really miss her."
"Me too," Chu Liang replied, sighing as well.
As the conversation went on, Xu Hongqiu suddenly said, "Oh right, there’s one more thing."
She placed a jade slip on the table. "This is this year’s shipping ledger. I used to have Little Yi handle the verification, but now that you’re back, I’ll leave it to you."
"Alright," Chu Liang said with a nod. Then, with a smile, he added, "He’s been handling this well, so there’s no need for me to wear myself out. I’ll just pass it along to him."
Red Cotton Peak’s high-end goods were distributed through the Four Extremities Hall, while bulk shipments were handled via the Whale Gang’s maritime routes. Their partnership operated on an annual basis. Payments were not made per transaction; instead, funds were held in reserve and settled periodically. Once the shipping ledger was verified, Red Cotton Peak would then issue payment to the Whale Gang.
However, since the two sides had been collaborating for years and with Mount Shu Sect backing the agreement, Xu Hongqiu had little concern about discrepancies. She was more than comfortable leaving the verifications to the Mount Shu Sect.
Reviewing account ledgers and verifying numbers was no simple task. Fortunately, Chu Yi had spent the past few years training under Senior Brother Yuan, honing a methodical and structured mindset. He was perfect for the task, and Chu Liang was more than happy to delegate the responsibility to him.
"But he’s still just a kid..." Xu Hongqiu mused. "Silver Sword Peak truly has no place for idlers, does it?"