Chapter 713: A Major Event

Chapter 713: Chapter 674: A Major Event

Wang Shifeng was highly efficient. With capital from Zhang Yang, Zhan Yingluo, the Tenth Princess, and Han Chuxue, he immediately secured the shop they had their eyes on. The shareholders were all straightforward people; to put it bluntly, none of them were particularly concerned about money. Zhang Yang, however, was an exception. A lost bet in the Divine Space was giving him a real headache, and he was counting on this wine venture to turn his fortunes around.

Even a hero can be stumped by a lack of funds. Powerful Cultivators couldn’t always eat and drink for free, or resort to petty thievery. It wasn’t just a huge loss of face; it damaged a practitioner’s dignity. However, it was always easier for the powerful to make money, and those with a clan or personal strength to fall back on had even less to worry about.

The shop had originally sold sauces and also ran a small side business with things like tofu and bean sprouts. It was a time-honored establishment, having operated for over twenty years. Unfortunately, the owner had no heirs and was getting on in years. He was struggling to keep up with the increasingly fierce competition in Haojing, so he decided to sell the shop and live out his remaining years in peace.

“Forget everything else. Just this shop alone—even if we do nothing with it, the price is guaranteed to increase in a couple of years. It’s a profitable venture either way.”

Wang Shifeng was very pleased with himself. He had originally planned to rent, but in Haojing, if you had enough money to buy a commercial property, it was always a better deal than leasing. If the business ended up losing money, they could simply resell the shop in a couple of years and recoup their entire investment.

‘Just look at his petty scheming. You can tell he has no future in cultivation.’

Wang Meng couldn’t care less about such matters.

Having received Wang Meng’s approval, Wang Shifeng breathed a sigh of relief. He had acted the moment he heard the news, finalizing the deed transfer for the shop without consulting Wang Meng.

Wang Meng surveyed the surroundings. The earth qi was good; the shop was situated right on the tail end of a small Spirit Vein in Haojing. The building’s layout was also excellent. It was three stories high: the first floor could be a public tavern and eatery, while the second and third floors could house private rooms for discerning Cultivator patrons. There was also a large backyard that could serve as a kitchen and warehouse.

The backyard still contained many large vats used for making sauces. Once those were cleared out, they could be replaced with wine vats, which was very convenient.

Wang Meng casually set up a few Array Techniques in the backyard but kept their cores sealed. He would wait until the renovations were complete to activate them, after which they wouldn’t have to worry about petty thieves or troublemakers.

“Let’s open for business as soon as possible.”

The location was decent, and the shop’s original decor was already suitable for a wine shop. With just a few minor modifications, they could open for business.

“No problem.”

Wang Shifeng nodded. They didn’t have the funds for a major renovation anyway. For now, they had to be practical. Every silver coin spent before the grand opening was an expense; income would only start flowing in afterward.

Wang Shifeng was taking this very seriously. It wasn’t just because he owned a ten-percent share of the wine shop; more importantly, Fairy Han also held a ten-percent share. The mere fact that he had this small connection with her filled Wang Shifeng with enough energy to knock over a bull.

His spirits were high, but reality was proving to be a bit cruel.

“Wang Shifeng? Instead of focusing on your auction house, you’re off starting some tavern? You have your priorities completely backward! Don’t you know the family has strategic interests in Wang City?!”

At the Wang Family’s regular meeting, which Wang Meng had skipped, Wang Hantian publicly laid into Wang Shifeng. The closer Wang Shifeng got to Wang Meng, the more Wang Hantian disliked him. He didn’t care about seniority; in the Wang Family, strength was the only thing that mattered.

Wang Shifeng explained with a smile, “This is also a PR move for the auction house. It’s being led by the Bai Family of Wang City…”

‘The Bai Family holds Wang Meng in high esteem. By helping Wang Meng, I can make the Bai Family more loyal to our own Wang Family.’ This was a strategy Wang Shifeng had devised long ago.

Wang Ang chuckled. Wang Hantian was too direct, always speaking his mind without hitting the mark. Wang Ang, however, cut to the chase. “What’s this I hear about Wang Meng opening some wine shop?” he said. “Why are you getting involved in such nonsense? It’s a guaranteed money pit.”

Wang Zongzheng frowned as well. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have cared. Wang Shifeng was just a hedonistic wastrel, and as long as he didn’t cause trouble or bring shame to the Wang Family, he could do as he pleased. But Wang Zongzheng had just cut Wang Meng’s family allowance, and now Wang Shifeng was secretly funding him. This irked him. However, he also knew that Wang Shifeng wasn’t aware of the allowance being cut, so he couldn’t hold it against him yet.

Wang Shifeng pretended not to notice the Patriarch’s expression. He desperately wanted to name the other investors, but he had promised to keep it a secret. After all, it wasn’t appropriate for outsiders to know about the involvement of Han Chuxue, Zhan Yingluo, and the Little Princess.

Their allowing him to be part of this was a sign of immense trust—the kind Wang Shifeng hadn’t experienced in years. And even though holding it in was agonizing, he had to keep his mouth shut.

Seeing Wang Shifeng’s silence, Wang Ang simply smiled. He wouldn’t press the issue in front of the Patriarch; he wanted to maintain a magnanimous image.

After Wang Zongzheng dismissed the meeting and left, Wang Shifeng prepared to slip away. These were the busiest days leading up to the wine shop’s grand opening.

But Wang Ang called out to him. “I’m afraid you haven’t heard. The Patriarch has cut off Wang Meng’s monthly allowance. Siding with him like this is the same as going against the family. You need to think carefully about what you’re doing.”

Wang Shifeng froze. He had been so busy lately that he really hadn’t heard the news.

But he had come too far to turn back now. The look in Wang Ang’s eyes, as if he were looking at garbage, sent a sharp pang through him. ‘No one is born to be a failure,’ he thought. ‘I tried hard back in the day, I tried everything, but nothing worked. That’s why I adopted a different lifestyle. Is there really only one way to live?’

Somehow, in the time he had spent with Wang Meng, he had started to reclaim something he had lost long ago: his dignity.

In the face of Wang Ang’s threat, Wang Shifeng merely smiled. “My dear nephew, you should just focus on your cultivation. You aren’t the Patriarch yet!”

With that, Wang Shifeng swaggered off, leaving a stunned Wang Ang in his wake. ‘What just happened? How dare Wang Shifeng disrespect me like that?’

Some news is impossible to suppress, especially when it involves such a “man of the hour” as Master Wang. Word spread like wildfire through the aristocratic circles of Haojing: that character, Wang Meng, was actually going to open a shop to sell wine!

“Pfft. Wang Meng is opening a wine shop? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Mo Chengkong found this hilarious. ‘Wang Meng? A wine shop? Instead of focusing on cultivation, he’s wasting his energy on something like this? The guy must have a screw loose.’

“This is an opportunity, though. Didn’t that punk love to smash up other people’s shops? This time, he’s the one opening a store. Heh heh.”

“Exactly. Let’s see how he likes it when his own shop gets smashed.”

Mo Chengkong said viciously. Ever since Wang Meng’s return to Haojing, he had suffered one setback after another, leaving him full of pent-up resentment.

In Haojing, there was no shortage of people who hated Wang Meng as much as Mo Chengkong did.

The Seventh Princess had heard the news as well. She had no intention of causing trouble for him, however—just a quiet disdain.

“Him? He’s guaranteed to lose his entire investment. I just hope he doesn’t drag anyone else down with him.” Ji Ruyan was currently plagued by the matter of their marriage. ‘I hope Father sees what a good-for-nothing he is and changes his mind,’ she thought. But she knew the truth: her father didn’t care about the man himself; it was all about consolidating imperial power.

Standing nearby, Ji Jin’Er heard her sister’s words and had a lot she wanted to say but couldn’t. ‘The wine is actually amazing,’ she thought. ‘We could have just made a fortune quietly. This is going to cause a huge mess now that it’s public.’

“Seventh Sister, why are you so sure Wang Meng will lose everything? I’d think opening a wine shop in Haojing would be really profitable,” Little Jin’Er asked, her wide eyes full of innocent curiosity. Acting this way was perfectly in character for her.

“It’s about reputation and quality. What kind of decent wine could he possibly sell? He’s just using his name as a Wang Family disciple to swindle people. But he’s seriously underestimating how things work.”

‘Business isn’t that simple,’ Ji Ruyan thought. ‘The wine industry is monopolized by the Wine God Clan. And even if you ignore that, you still have to consider the wine’s quality, public approval, and a dozen other factors…’

Ji Jin’Er tilted her head. “But what if his wine is actually really good?”

“It would still be the same,” Ji Ruyan said, completely confident in her assessment.

“Why?”

Ji Jin’Er played along with her sister, asking with feigned curiosity. In her mind, though, it was simple. ‘The wine is fantastic, I trust Sister Chuxue’s judgment, and besides, Wang Meng is a really interesting person.’

“It’s simple. As long as the Wine Immortal is around, there’s no room for anyone else in the market!”

“What if his wine is even better than the Wine Immortal’s?”

“Haha, that’s a funny joke.” Ji Ruyan assumed the Tenth Princess was just kidding, so she laughed along and dropped the subject.

Ji Jin’Er stuck out her tongue. ‘But I really do think it’s better than the Wine Immortal’s wine,’ she thought. ‘The fragrance is richer and so unique. It leaves my mouth feeling fresh all day. And the best part is, no one can smell the alcohol on my breath! I always get caught when I sneak sips of Father’s Wine Immortal liquor because of the smell.’

Ji Ruyan didn’t notice her sister’s strange expression. She had just been summoned by her father, the Emperor. The official who delivered the summons had discreetly hinted that it was about her marriage.

‘Marriage?’ Ji Ruyan scoffed internally.

The outcome, however, was completely unexpected. The matter was decided just like that, giving Ji Ruyan no opportunity to object.

Normally, Ji Xuanyuan doted on his children, but when matters of imperial power were at stake, he was an emperor whose authority could not be questioned.

Ji Ruyan felt dazed as she exited the grand hall. The matter was basically settled; all that remained was to pick an appropriate date.

‘Me and the man I despise most?’

‘How could this have happened?’

But she quickly composed herself. ‘You have to fight for your own destiny,’ she thought. ‘If I just let them control me, my life will be ruined. There must be a way. If I can’t change things on my end, I’ll have to try another angle. As long as I can make Father see Wang Meng for who he truly is, to shatter his “disguise,” surely he’ll come to his senses.’

In another palace, one filled with all sorts of peculiar objects—rockeries shaped like ghouls, puppet monsters crafted from bamboo, and other frightening contraptions—dwelled the Tenth Princess, Ji Jin’Er. This was her residence.

The Tenth Princess was busy playing with her “treasures”—a collection of wonderful gadgets for scaring people. She gave them a quick cleaning before hiding them in various corners of the palace, ready to pop out at the flick of a switch.

Just then, a palace maid approached.

The moment she saw the maid, Ji Jin’Er tossed aside her gadget. “Did Father summon Seventh Sister for something interesting?” she asked.

The maid informed her that the Seventh Princess was to be married to Wang Meng.

“Oh my god, things are about to get really interesting!” Ji Jin’Er’s eyes sparkled. She found that everything involving Wang Meng was just getting more and more fun. (To be continued.