A few days later, Shopkeeper Qian had the opportunity to verify the doubts in his heart.

Qian Fuming, an Elder of Rising Sun Peak and the patriarch of the Qian Family, personally paid him a visit.

Previously, members of the Qian Family had repeatedly urged Shopkeeper Qian to sell his assets, but he had managed to deflect their requests each time.

Qian Fuming needed to refine a powerful magic treasure, a process requiring a large amount of Spirit Stones to purchase spirit gold and other precious materials. Having waited for so long, he was already growing impatient.

Upon seeing Shopkeeper Qian, he immediately assumed an air of authority befitting the family's pillar. "Jinbao," he demanded, "why has the task I assigned you still not been completed?"

"Jinbao" was Shopkeeper Qian's childhood name within the clan; his formal name was Qian Xingji.

Only Qian Fuming, the Clan Leader of the Qian Family, and a few of the older generation clan members would address him this way.

Shopkeeper Qian's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly ushered his Clan Uncle to the seat of honor.

Then, standing respectfully and deferentially before him, he said with an earnest and humble expression, "Clan Uncle, please understand. A few days ago, I audited the store's assets and discovered we were already deeply in debt. I had no choice but to transfer some shares!"

This was, of course, the excuse Shopkeeper Qian had concocted.

He certainly couldn't admit that to prevent his hard-earned assets from being stripped away, he had gifted shares in the two shops to someone else.

SLAP!

Qian Fuming slammed his teacup hard on the table, and the porcelain instantly shattered into powder.

A cold, harsh glint flashed in his eyes as he asked icily, "What did you say?"

Under his gaze, Shopkeeper Qian felt his knees buckle, and he instantly dropped to the ground, wailing mournfully.

"Clan Uncle... over the years, I've had to turn over a large amount of Spirit Stones to the family annually, and also provide for you.

"It's been difficult to make ends meet for a long time!

"I only failed to realize the extent of the shortfall because I hadn't audited the books.

"To prepare for selling Baodan Pavilion and Ascending Pill Shop, I went through the accounts from the beginning and discovered a massive deficit.

"If I were to sell them directly, I'm afraid I wouldn't earn a single Spirit Stone and would instead lose a significant amount.

"That's why I took the liberty of transferring some shares... to cover the deficit and keep these two shops running."

Qian Fuming naturally wouldn't believe his one-sided story.

Fortunately, Shopkeeper Qian was well-prepared. He took out an account book from his Universe Bag and presented it to Qian Fuming.

As a Spirit Sea Realm expert, Qian Fuming's spiritual sense was extremely strong. It didn't take him long to scan through years of income and expenses.

The result? Surprisingly, he found no discrepancies whatsoever!

Shopkeeper Qian was taking advantage of Qian Fuming's ignorance of business, having doctored the books long ago.

Even an old fox, seasoned in the ways of commerce for many years, would be utterly unable to find a single flaw.

Qian Fuming closed the account book, his gaze fixed coldly on Shopkeeper Qian.

He stared until Shopkeeper Qian felt a chill run down his spine, then finally spoke, "The accounts state that sixty percent of the shares in the two shops were sold to cover the deficit. Who is the buyer?"

Although he couldn't find any errors, Qian Fuming felt that this matter wasn't as simple as his nephew, Shopkeeper Qian, had described.

There was undoubtedly some trickery involved that he wasn't aware of!

But it didn't matter much. All he needed to do was find out who the buyer was, then use his power to force them to return the shares.

"Shen Mo, a disciple of Stars Peak from the Riverside Sect," Shopkeeper Qian said, his head bowed and voice trembling.

"Shen Mo..."

Qian Fuming muttered, a look of surprise appearing on his face. "A disciple of Stars Peak? Is this the same Shen Mo who defeated Tian Qisheng?"

Shopkeeper Qian looked up at Qian Fuming, feigning ignorance, then quickly lowered his head again. "Your nephew is not entirely sure."

Damn it, it's him!

Qian Fuming's expression darkened instantly.

If it had been any other cultivator, he could have gone to their door and intimidated them, forcing them to spit out the sixty percent share they had swallowed.

But with Shen Mo involved, the matter immediately became thorny.

Tian Qisheng of the Tian Family, who was only one Minor Realm weaker than him, had sought trouble with this person to stand up for the Tian Family.

The result was that he, an Elder of the Spirit Sea Realm, had been defeated by a disciple in the Qi Gathering Realm...

Putting aside the disgrace, he was subsequently reprimanded by both Yuan Jing, Peak Master of Bright Moon Peak, and Tian Zhaoquan, Hall Master of the Affairs Hall.

And he, unlike the Hall Master of the Affairs Hall, lacked such a powerful backer. If he were to try and intimidate Shen Mo, whether he could even defeat him was debatable, let alone the fact that he might subsequently be taught a lesson by the Stars Peak Master on how to conduct himself!

Not only Zhou Shili but also the Law Master, the Supreme Elder, and other high-ranking members of the sect favored him.

Qian Fuming truly didn't have the courage to confront him now!

"Explain the reasons and the course of events in detail," Qian Fuming said to Shopkeeper Qian, composing himself.

Shopkeeper Qian had been mulling over how to handle today's situation for months.

Naturally, his explanation was flawless.

The more Qian Fuming listened, the more agitated he became. He patiently heard him out before asking, "Jinbao, since you still own a forty percent stake in both shops, can you sell them?"

"Replying to Clan Uncle, Baodan Pavilion and Ascending Pill Shop are now owned by Fellow Daoist Shen.

"If I want to sell my shares, I must obtain his consent!

"Moreover, one of the reasons he agreed to take over was that I would continue as Shopkeeper, helping him manage his businesses.

"I imagine it's highly unlikely... he would agree to me selling off all my shares!"

In reality, according to Shen Mo's original idea, it wouldn't have mattered even if Shopkeeper Qian had a complete falling out with the Qian Family and Qian Fuming.

But Shopkeeper Qian obviously had different thoughts.

Therefore, the approach he took was relatively gentle, avoiding a complete break with Qian Fuming.

After pondering for a long time without figuring out how to proceed, Qian Fuming found Shopkeeper Qian's earnest and humble face particularly repulsive!

"Fine!" Qian Fuming snorted coldly. "Remember, at the beginning of next month, to hand over the usual forty percent of Spirit Stones to the family."

With a flick of his sleeve, he rose and left Baodan Pavilion.

He planned to return and think carefully about how to reclaim the Baodan Pavilion and Ascending Pill Shop businesses!

After seeing Qian Fuming off, a light, triumphant smile appeared on Shopkeeper Qian's face.

Then, he took out a Sound Transmission Talisman and relayed the news to Shen Mo.

At this moment, Shen Mo had already returned to the Defense Division in Hongye City.

Upon receiving Shopkeeper Qian's message, he couldn't help but chuckle aloud.

How could Qian Fuming not be aware of Shopkeeper Qian's little tricks?

If it were me six months ago, daring to touch this lucrative prize... I'd likely have been summoned and subjected to threats and intimidation long ago!

And if I had stubbornly held on, this Elder of Rising Sun Peak would have had a thousand ways to deal with Shopkeeper Qian and me.

Now, I also have the capital to make a Peak Elder feel wary!

However, Shen Mo also knew in his heart that this capital was still too flimsy.

Ultimately, it was built upon the favor of the sect's higher-ups, not on their fear of his own cultivation strength.

Numerous thoughts flashed through his mind and vanished.

Shen Mo cleared his mind of distractions and continued to absorb the nature's spiritual energy.

The potent medicinal effects of the Nine Holes Stone Marrow had all been converted into the foundation for his sixth layer of the Qi Gathering Realm.

After cultivating in seclusion for a while longer, Shen Mo was confident he could break through to the seventh layer.

Only then would he possess the true strength to battle a cultivator at the Second Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm, rather than relying on opportunistic tactics and the "Insight into All Beings" ability to discern weaknesses to defeat Tian Qisheng.

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH!

Invisible vortexes of spiritual Qi continuously surged into Shen Mo's body, gradually advancing his cultivation.

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