Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 275 Step by step
Hong Haoran looked at him deeply. Wei Wuya's words made him more certain that Qi Yunxuan's arrival was not just about establishing a sect. It might involve the secrets of Xuanyuan Sect or even Qianqing Sect.

Qi Yunxuan is a descendant of Qi Xiaofeng's family. Qi Xiaofeng has served as the chief of the Qianqing Sect in Xishu County for a long time, and has a good relationship with some high-level officials of the Xuanyuan Sect.

Before, Qi Yunxuan even visited Yin Ningxuan, a senior member of Xuanyuan Sect. Not only was he received, but he also summoned Wei Wuya to meet him.

This shows that Qi Yunxuan at least has a good relationship with Yin Ningxuan.

But Wei Wuya also said that some people did not welcome them.

There is no doubt that this person is also a high-ranking member of Xuanyuan Sect.

Things became increasingly confusing, and Hong Haoran felt as if he was seeing things in a fog.

"Could you please tell me, Fellow Daoist Wei, which important figure in your sect is unwelcome?"

Wei Wuya shook his head. "I have nothing to say about this. I can only tell you that the current situation is very delicate. Fellow Daoist Hong, just know one thing: we support your sect. However, due to various factors, we cannot refuse Yun Xuanzong's decision to establish a sect here, nor can we come forward to target them."

"In short, we don't want Yun Xuanzong to mess up Xijiang County. If Qi Yunxuan honestly guards Ming Xuanzong's one acre and three points of land, then it's fine. But if their goal is to control Xijiang County, then it goes against our purpose."

"On this point, we agree with your Majesty. Your Majesty doesn't want to be replaced by Yun Xuanzong, right?"

After hearing these words, Hong Haoran was not happy, but became more worried, because he found that things were more complicated than he thought and were beyond his control, which was undoubtedly dangerous.

If it gets involved in the internal struggle of Xuanyuan Sect or even Qianqing Sect, it is likely to bring disaster to the Beastmaster Sect.

He didn't want to get involved, but he had no choice.

If Yun Xuanzong really has evil ambitions and wants to expand his influence in Xijiang County, he will inevitably come into conflict with the Beastmaster Sect. This is inevitable.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, can you tell me the truth? When you say 'we', do you mean your sect, or a part of your sect?" After a few breaths of silence, Hong Haoran looked at him and asked.

"Does it make a difference?"

"Of course I do. I must understand your sect's attitude clearly before I can act boldly. Fellow Daoist Wei also mentioned before that this Qi Yunxuan is a relative of Senior Qi Xiaofeng. Senior Qi Xiaofeng serves in Xishu County and has good relations with some of your sect's senior leaders. If we provoke him, our sect cannot afford it."

Wei Wuya smiled coldly and tapped the table twice with his fingers: "This is Xishu County! When a general is away from home, he is not subject to the orders of the emperor. Besides, the Qianqing Sect is not the emperor, and we are not its subjects."

…………

In late spring in March, the grass is green and the birds are singing. Although it is still a bit cold in Bianxia Town, there are signs of revival.

In Tianshan, in the meeting hall, Song Xian sat in the main seat, listening to Zhong Wenyuan report on the sect's recent situation.

After leaving the forbidden area of ​​Tianlan Mountain, he rushed back to the sect without stopping. Nothing unexpected happened along the way. After returning to the mountain gate, he immediately summoned Zhong Wenyuan.

During this period, nothing major happened in the sect, and everything was running on normal track. There was only one tricky thing. The Water Curtain Cave Spirit Pond in Far East Town was forcibly occupied by the forces of Dongluo City in Muhe Grassland.

This force is the overlord of Dongluo City, named Xinghuo Sect. There are several foundation-building cultivators in the sect, and its status is equivalent to that of Luoyun Sect in Bianxi City. They are not someone they can afford to offend.

Song Xian did not express his opinion on this. This result was actually within his expectations, it was just a matter of time.

Previously, the spiritual pond was occupied by a small force in the Far East Town of Muhe Grassland, and he took it back by force.

But now that the news has been leaked, it will inevitably attract more people to covet it. After all, it is a second-level spirit pool, and it is located on the Muhe grassland.

If they try to take it back by force, they will inevitably clash with the Xinghuo Sect. With the current strength of the Hunyuan Sect, they are far from being its opponent and can only suffer in silence.

After the two talked for a while, Song Xian returned to the mansion. Not long after, Su Zhirou received the news and rushed back from the training room.

When a husband and wife meet again after a long separation, they have something to share with each other from the heart.

The two hugged each other, and Song Xian recounted his experience of the trip to the Tianlan Forbidden Land, then took out the Rejuvenating Pearl from the storage bag.

Su Zhirou nestled in his arms, lovingly holding the jade-like, crystal-clear Anti-aging Pearl in her hands. Her expression was joyful yet also shy. "Husband, isn't it a waste to give this to me? I've been looking in the mirror lately and I've got wrinkles around my eyes."

"If you don't want it, I'll give it to someone else."

"No." Su Zhirou hurriedly held the thing in her arms.

Song Xian picked her up by the waist and walked towards the bed.

…………

The moon is bright in the sky and the magpies are flying south.

On the Muhe Grassland, at the Xinghuo Sect's mountain gate, a man strode quickly into a brightly lit room and bowed to the burly man seated inside. "Headmaster, a Foundation Establishment cultivator has arrived outside the mountain gate. He claims to be Song Xian, the head of the Tianshan Sect, and requests an audience with you."

The burly man frowned slightly. Not long ago, he ordered people to seize the second-level spirit pool in Yuandong Town that originally belonged to the Tianshan Sect. He didn't expect that Song Xian would come to his door in person at this time. He was really brave.

"Did he come alone?"

"There are two more Qi-refining monks following them."

The burly man pondered for a while. He guessed that Song Xian came for the matter of the spirit pond. He didn't want to meet him at first, so he just sent someone to get rid of him. But then he thought, if he avoided him, he would appear cowardly if he dared to come alone.

"Take the person to the main hall and wait."

"Yes." The man responded and left.

In the spacious and bright hall, Song Xian was led into the inner room. After a long while, he saw the leader of the Xinghuo Sect coming in from outside.

"Fellow Daoist Awad, I am Song Xian from the Tianshan Sect. I am sorry to bother you." Song Xian stood up and bowed in a dignified manner.

Although the two had never met before, they both knew each other's name. After all, there were only a few foundation-building cultivators in this area. Before Song Xian came, he had already learned about the basic situation of the Xinghuo Sect, so he recognized that the visitor was the leader of the Xinghuo Sect.

Awad looked him over and didn't return the greeting. Instead, he asked coldly, "Fellow Daoist Song, I wonder why you're visiting me so late at night?"

"That second-level spirit pond in Far East Town originally belonged to my sect, but now it's been forcibly occupied by yours. This is not good, and I'm afraid it will damage the harmony between our sects. I hope you can return it." Awad held his head high, like a victorious rooster, and walked straight to the main seat and sat down. He held the chairs on both sides with his hands and looked down at him condescendingly. "The territory of the Muhe Grassland in Far East Town, and all its resources and jurisdiction, belongs to us. You are overstepping your boundaries by occupying that second-level spirit pond. My sect is simply reclaiming it."

Song Xian sat down and replied calmly, "Our sect was also founded by cultivators from the Muhe Grassland. Moreover, the Far East Town area is closer to our sect. That second-level spirit pond was originally unowned land. Our sect discovered it first, so we naturally have ownership. How can it be considered as crossing the border?"

Awad snorted coldly, "The Tianshan Mountains were originally a barrier between the Muhe Grassland and the Qin State. Now that they've been occupied by you Qin cultivators, you're still not satisfied and have extended your reach into Far East Town. Are you taking advantage of the Muhe Grassland's lack of resources? That second-level spirit pond is indeed occupied by our sect. If Fellow Daoist Song is dissatisfied, feel free to come over and we'll take it."

Having said that, there was no possibility of compromise, and the hall seemed to be filled with a sense of tension.

After a few moments of silence, Song Xian slowly spoke, "Let's put this matter aside for now. Let's put the dispute aside. My visit today isn't just about the Spirit Pond. I also have a cooperative venture that I'd like to invite your sect to join."

Song Xian's sudden change of attitude surprised Awad, especially since he proposed cooperation and invited them to join. Logically speaking, they had just seized the second-level spirit pool of Tianshan Sect not long ago, and it was impossible for Tianshan Sect to approach them for any cooperation.

He was both wary and curious, and asked coldly, "What cooperation matters?"

"Our sect has built a fortress near Tianshan Mountain, intending to establish a large-scale gambling city. We would like to invite the various factions in Bianxi City and Dongluo City to join us and open a gambling house there. We hope your sect will participate."

This is the real purpose of Song Xian's trip. Before coming here, he had visited many forces in Dongluo City and persuaded them to invest money to open a gambling house in Tianshan.

As the largest force in Dongluo City, the Xinghuo Sect naturally cannot be left behind.

Although they had just occupied the sect's spirit pool not long ago, one thing is for sure, the long-term benefits of building a gambling city are far greater than the income from the spirit pool.

Moreover, with the sect's current strength, it is unable to take back the spirit pool from the Xinghuo Sect.

The reason why Song Xian acted as if he was going to bring an end to the incident and questioned why the Xinghuo Sect had seized the Spirit Pool was mainly to give an explanation to all the disciples after returning to the sect. If he did not ask about this matter at all, people would inevitably think that he was timid and weak.

Now that he had entered the tiger's den alone and had made his attitude clear, it would be easier for him to explain to everyone. As for his failure to get the spirit pool back from the Xinghuo Sect, the responsibility certainly was not his, but rather the sect's weakness did not allow it.

He has always attached great importance to maintaining his own image, because he knows that as the head of a sect, the most important thing is to maintain his image and prestige. Only when everyone respects and admires him from the bottom of their hearts can he lead and unite the sect.

"Open a gambling house?" Awad looked at Song Xian in confusion. Seeing his serious expression, he didn't know what he was up to.

He thought it was some kind of cooperation matter, but he didn't expect it to be such a trivial matter.

"That's right. To be honest, several factions in Dongluo City have already agreed to invest funds and open gambling houses in the gambling city built by our sect. As the largest faction in Dongluo City, I sincerely hope that your faction will also join."

Awad was skeptical. "Just opening a gambling house is really worth a visit from Fellow Daoist Song?"

Song Xian said, "Please allow me to explain slowly. The gambling city is just a name, and the gambling house is just a stepping stone. What I want is to establish a direct trading market between Bianxi City and Dongluo City. In the future, all material transactions between Bianxi City and Dongluo City can be carried out in Tianshan."

"Although Qin and the Muhe Grassland have reached a peace agreement, trade between the two sides has not developed much over the years."

"Products from the Muhe Grassland are not allowed to be sold in Qin, and forces from Bianxi City cannot open shops in the Dongluo City market. Similarly, Qin products are not allowed to be sold directly in the Muhe Grassland, and forces from Dongluo City cannot open shops in the Bianxi City market. This makes trade between the two sides extremely inconvenient, and goods can only be circulated through middlemen, causing prices to soar."

"Tianshan, serving as a barrier between the Qin State and the Muhe Grassland, is located between Bianxi City and Dongluo City, making it an ideal location for a trade springboard between the two sides."

"Our sect built the gambling city just to provide a platform for both parties. It is almost completed, and we have already invited many forces from Bianxi City and Dongluo City to participate. Once the gambling houses of various forces move in, it will surely attract many cultivators from Bianxi City and Dongluo City."

"Once the flow of people increases, commercial demand will naturally form. Then, everyone can open a shop in the gambling city to buy and sell goods, and then use it as a springboard to expand their shops to the West City Market."

"Your sect is the largest sect in Dongluo City, and you have a lot of resources such as ores, spiritual fields, and spiritual fluids under your jurisdiction. If you can sell them directly to Bianxi City, the value will naturally be higher. For your sect, it will be a hundred benefits and no harm."

Awad's eyes flickered slightly. He had never really thought about this. Listening to Song Xian's story, he couldn't help but feel a little moved, but he didn't express his opinion immediately: "Let me think about this matter."

Song Xian didn't expect the Spark Sect to make a decision after just one phone call. Today he just informed them of the pros and cons. The construction of the casino would take some time to complete, so there was plenty of time for them to think carefully.

"Then I'll take my leave now. I'll send someone to deliver the detailed plan in a few days. If you're interested in joining, please share any ideas or suggestions you have, and we'll do our best to accommodate them."

After leaving the Xinghuo Sect, Song Xian returned to Tianshan. Some time later, he personally visited the various sects in Bianxi City, explained the pros and cons, and invited them to invest money to open a gambling house.

Time flies, and several months pass in the blink of an eye.

The Shitouling Casino has been completed. The entire city covers an area of ​​30 miles. The streets inside are decorated with uniform celadon tiles. All the foundation buildings are ancient in style. The interior of the city is divided into several areas.

The gambling area is in the center of the city, with majestic and spacious attics standing there. The interior decorations are extremely luxurious, just like a royal palace.

The eastern part of the city wall is the place where brothels are performed.

The southern part of the city wall is a shop attic.

In the west of the city wall is the inn, as well as the alchemy hall and the weapon refining hall.

In the northern part of the city there are large-scale Colosseum and Military Academy.

.........

Three months ago, Song Xian ordered people to launch a massive publicity campaign in Bianxi City and Dongluo City. He arranged people to spread the news of the establishment of Stone City Casino in various places where monks gathered.

He also rented twenty spirit ships, posted a huge promotional brochure of the Shitouling Casino on them, and traveled around the various markets in Bianxi City and Dongluo City for twelve hours a day.

After the construction of the gambling city was completed, he invited all forces from Bianxi City and Dongluo City to come and watch.

A month later, the casino opened as scheduled. Seventeen forces from the entire Bianxi City and Dongluo City had settled in and opened gambling houses there.

The opening day was extremely lively, with not only loud drums and gongs and firecrackers, but also a large number of people.

This is because Song Xian has already greeted all the caravans and asked them to join in the fun on the opening day.

The caravans that traveled to and from the Muhe grassland to do business did not dare to offend him.

In addition, he also discussed with the forces that had already settled in the gambling house, asking them to send their own monks to show off the business when it opened.

Except for the opening of the casino, when Song Xian and Su Zhirou showed up together and exchanged some polite words, Zhong Wenyuan was in charge of the rest of the time.

(End of this chapter)