Chapter 157: Blackmailing Vice Director Yang
“Vice Director Yang, the flames of anger from the Southern Palace, Myriad Treasures Palace, and Qingyang Palace are all awaiting to be extinguished by us. I only have one word. If you can put out the flames of their fury, then I will not pursue Lu Wuji’s matter.”
Shangguan Yi set forth his bottom line.
There was a rueful look on Yang Zhao’s face. Extinguish the flames of anger from these three places? He knew that he didn’t have the ability to do so. He had always been close to the Northern Palace.
He had no business dealings with the other three and thus only had a middling relations.h.i.+p with them.
If even the face of the general director wasn’t useful, then where did he rank on the totem pole? He would only be inviting humiliation.
His mouth displaying an exceedingly stiff smile full of bitterness, Yang Zhao couldn’t help but ask, “General director, the fault definitely lies completely on Lu Wuji this time. However, I’d still like to ask, just who is this Jiang Chen? Does he command so much face that three out of the four great sites would act collectively for him?”
“You’re asking me, but who should I ask?” Shangguan Yi asked expressionlessly in return.
“This matter cannot be delayed. General director, if the patience of these three sites are exhausted, then I’m afraid it will become more and more difficult to talk to them later on.” Zhou Kai further fanned the flames.
Shangguan Yi’s gaze was full of meaning as he looked at Yang Zhao.
Yang Zhao’s eyes wanted to evade his gaze, but there was nowhere for him to hide. He could only smile ruefully, “General director, you also know that my power is limited. My face isn’t big enough to appease these three great powers. It’s not that I don’t want to, I really don’t know where to begin. Can you give me a hint? Offer gifts and apologies? I can make Lu Wuji do this.”
“Offer gifts and apologies?” Zhou Kai smiled diffidently. “Vice Director Yang, do you think that s.h.i.+ Xiaoyao and Elder Ning raised such a big fuss just for a word of apology?”
Yang Zhao had no retort available as he’d been put in a bind by Zhou Kai. He was in a low position now and could only allow Zhou Kai to jeer however he wanted.
“Old Qi, do you have any suggestions? You can’t kick me while I’m down now, you have to give me a hand.” Zhou Kai opted for a coaxing tone as he asked Qi Tiannan for ideas.
Qi Tiannan mused for a bit and said, “I think the crux of this matter is still on Jiang Chen. The anger from the three sites could be a great matter or it could be a small matter. Although Lu Wuji has offended them, but the youngster was immature and gave offense with his words. At the end of the day, the matter is over when their anger dies. They continue to hold on surely because Jiang Chen isn’t willing to let go.”
Shangguan Yi nodded slightly. After so much had been said, Qi Tiannan’s words had finally hit the spot.
“Old Qi’s words are correct. Jiang Chen had also said previously that however our Dragonteeth Guard would like to handle this, it is our internal affair and he wasn’t at liberty to inquire. However, he wouldn’t treat this matter as if nothing had happened.” Zhou Kai also spoke up. “Lu Wuji threw Jiang Chen into the Black Dungeons and subjected him to a round of threats. The spirits of a young man are proud and he certainly won’t be willing to let this matter go so easily.”
“Old Zhou and Old Qi’s words make a great deal of sense. Vice Director Yang, resolving this matter lies in Jiang Chen’s hands. Only when Jiang Chen’s anger is a.s.suaged and he approves, will the three sites let go as well.”
Shangguan Yi was also resigned. Having three of the four great sites announce their intentions to halt cooperation with the Dragonteeth Guard was undoubtedly a lethal blow.
For every day that this situation persists, then it would be a day later that the Dragonteeth Guard could resume normalcy.
...
The person in question, Jiang Chen, was busying himself and quite at peace.
He had already gotten in touch with a dilapidated brewery and was making preparations to distill the Nine Magnificence Dew Wine. Now that all the materials were all at hand, everything was in readiness.
Simultaneously, he began preparing the Four Seasons Eternal Spring Pill. Compared to the Nine Magnificence Dew Wine, the Four Seasons Eternal Spring Pill was much easier to refine.
This was a pill for retaining youthful looks, and was actually much easier to refine than the Vast Ocean Pill or the Heavenly Karma Pill.
“Bais.h.i.+, you’ve done well. I can tell that Elder Ning values you highly. This is a chance for you. You’re my disciple, but I hope you can also find opportunities to make strides in your own career.”
Qi Bais.h.i.+ was quite grateful. “Honored master, your disciple would still like to stay by your side and work for you.”
“I need you to make it into the Southern Palace. This will also aid your future development.”
Jiang Chen’s first goal was martial dao.
The dao of pills was just supplementary to him pursuing martial dao. Since he’d accepted Qiao Bais.h.i.+ as his disciple, he naturally needed to have a few considerations for his future career.
Logically speaking, if Qiao Bais.h.i.+ could make it into the Precious Tree Sect through the Southern Palace, it would be quite a good choice for him.
Qiao Bais.h.i.+ was also quite sensible as he knew that this was his honored master making preparations for him. He nodded. “Honored master, you will always be my priority no matter where your disciple goes. If you tell me to go to the Southern Palace, then your disciple will surely work with all my heart.”
“Bais.h.i.+, you’ve never let me down.” Jiang Chen nodded. “This Four Seasons Eternal Spring Pill will be the way in which you ascend. I will pa.s.s this onto you now.”
Qiao Bias.h.i.+ was touched and felt quite proud. He knew that his honored master completely trusted him and that he was placing a lot of importance on him.
Jiang Chen pa.s.sed down the pill recipe to Qiao Bais.h.i.+ and gave him a few pointers on the knacks of refining. In actuality, Jiang Chen hadn’t refined this pill much in his previous life.
But in the memories of his past life, the Four Seasons Eternal Spring Pill had astonis.h.i.+ng results with regards to retaining youthful looks.
If he used even slightly better ingredients and refined a supreme rank Four Seasons Eternal Spring Pill, it would even produce instantaneous effects.
After giving the Four Seasons Eternal Spring Pill to Qiao Bais.h.i.+, Jiang Chen focused on brewing the Nine Magnificence Dew Wine.
In the next three days, he completely immersed himself in creating the Nine Magnificence Dew Wine. No matter who came to visit from the outside world, they were all held at bay by Gouyu and his eight personal guards.
Feng Yan, the disciple of the Myriad Treasures Palace, had a spring in his step lately. Because of this time’s issue, he had been specifically singled out by s.h.i.+ Xiaoyao and now occupied the position of administrator.
Although he was a vice administrator, the speed of his ascension was an absolute three levels in a row compared to that of an ordinary disciple.
This made the other disciples who had been toiling away with him in the bottom ranks for many years all envious beyond belief.
Feng Yan was quite delighted, but didn’t forget who he owed all this to. He knew that it was all because of Jiang Chen that he could occupy this position. Whether or not he could continue to sit in this seat in the future, or even have the opportunity to take a further step forward would depend entirely on Jiang Chen!
Therefore, when he was kept outside the door by Jiang Chen’s personal guards, not only did Feng Yan not lose his temper, but he was actually quite patient. He came once every morning and once every night. Not even thunder and lightning could deter him.
Those from the Dragonteeth Guard were also blocked outside the door.
Vice Director Yang Zhou had initially maintained an air of superiority. He’d sent one of his men to come start a discussion with Jiang Chen and see if they could handle this privately.
It was without a doubt that this man hadn’t even set foot inside the door before he’d been hauled off by the personal guards.
Yang Zhao then sent someone with higher authority bearing a lot of gifts as well, fully giving the impression of wis.h.i.+ng to offer gifts in apology. They were all brusquely turned down by the personal guards.
The flames of anger burned within Yang Zhao’s heart. Despite his power and status as the third personage of the Dragonteeth Guard, he’d actually been rejected twice by a foreigner village buffoon!
If this was before, Yang Zhao would’ve surely flown into a rage.
However, this time, he was at his wits end. He suppressed his rage and personally made a visit, deciding to have a conversation with Jiang Chen with his status as a Vice Director of the Dragonteeth Guard.
What he hadn’t counted on however, was that he continued to receive the cold shoulder.
“My house’s young master is in closed door cultivation. All matters must wait until he emerges.”
Yang Zhao calmed the fires of anger within his heart with great effort, and asked when Jiang Chen would emerge. The answer he received was, “We’re not sure.”
Yang Zhao, a person with such a deep degree of shrewdness, almost couldn’t hold it in and wanted to roll up his sleeves and come out swinging. But reason told him that once he started throwing punches, he would start a death feud and relations with the three great sites would be utterly destroyed.
As much power as Yang Zhao had and as much capability he had, he had absolutely no courage in this area. He also had no ability to bear the consequences of this disastrous outcome.
Forcefully swallowing this humiliation, Yang Zhao prepared to return in a few days.
A man suddenly walked out when he was about to leave. “Hold, you’re Vice Director Yang, right?”
Yang Zhao had been met with a door shutting in his face. When he heard these words, it was as if a drowning man had latched onto a log as his eyebrows arched with happiness eyebrows. “Yes, that’s me.”
He didn’t dare put on any airs at this moment or throw his weight around as the third personage of the Dragonteeth Guard.
Although the other side was a blank sheet of paper in the Skylaurel Kingdom and even though the other side had no power or influence at all, he, Yang Zhao, could definitely not put on any airs during this moment.
“Why hasn’t Lu Wuji come?”
As Yang Zhao had made it to the position of third personage within the Dragonteeth Guard, not even the general director had talked to him with such an interrogative tone in recent years.
But now, the circ.u.mstances bore greater importance than the person. Even though he’d been slapped on the left cheek, he still had to offer his right cheek and smile, “Lu Wuji has neglected his duties in the course of handling a case and has been grounded.”
“What a nice dereliction of duty, you’ve done away with all responsibility quite nicely!” The person walking out from within was Jiang Chen’s younger cousin Xue Tong, the captain of his eight personal guards.
“I have a list here. Take a look.” Xue Tong radiated out a surge of true qi and sent the list floating in front of Yang Zhao.
Xue Tong’s moves were a bit rude and made Yang Zhao feel a bit irritated, but he still reached out a hand and s.n.a.t.c.hed the sheet.
Xue Tong said blandly, “This is my young master’s bottom line. The day you collect all these items and deliver them to us is the day that anger of my house’s young master will be placated.”
Yang Zhao flicked a careless glance and his brow immediately furrowed. “First rank Cloudflower Gra.s.s? King of Mauve Jade Ginseng? These… these are all spirit rank ingredients. This… this is highway robbery!”
In his haste, Yang Zhao had forgotten the filter on his mouth.
Xue Tong smiled slightly. “Don’t be mad Vice Director Yang. If you think this is extortion, then treat it as a joke and rip it up after you’ve read it.”
Rip it up? If anger could burn this list up, it would’ve long since turned to ashes. However, how could Yang Zhao possibly rip it up?
What did ripping it up represent? It meant that they were completely and openly hostile and had completely declared war on the three great sites.
“Alright, alright, alright. I concede my defeat this time. If these items are collected, can Jiang Chen represent the position of the three great sites?”
Xue Tong spread out his hands, seemingly not wanting to say much more. “Let’s talk after you’ve collected all of them.”
With that, he flicked a careless glance at Vice Director Yang and turned to walk inside, leaving Yang Zhao standing outside awkwardly with a face full of bitterness.
“Keep it in, keep it in, can’t lose my temper. Jiang Chen this dumb animal, how dare a foreigner threaten me?! See how I’ll get you after all this is over. Who would’ve thought that I, Yang Zhao, who could act however I wished for half my life, would be humiliated by these guard dogs today! Jiang Chen, Jiang Chen!!” Raging killing intent surged within Yang Zhao’s heart.