Youth must be seized early; how can one remain a youth for long? Chapter 106: Needle Point Facing Wheat Ears

“Hmph! Go back and tell your overseer! Stop using these lowly tricks, or I won’t be so lenient next time!” Bai Qingzhou barked coldly.

Without another glance at the two men, he turned and walked back into the shop.

Fan Tianhe, seeing Bai Qingzhou dispatch the pair in an instant, felt his spirits soar. He shouted, waved his arms, and hurried over to the fallen men. Pinching his nose, he began kicking their faces fiercely.

“That’s for bullying me! Bullying me!” Fan Tianhe vented all the grievances he had endured these past days.

“Hmph!” Only after the two men knelt, their faces battered and begged for mercy, did he finally stop and return to the shop.

Since dawn had yet to break, the street was deserted. The two men moaned on the ground for almost half an hour before gradually recovering, clutching their wounds as they limped away.

Inside the shop.

“Senior Bai! You were absolutely amazing just now!” Fan Tianhe’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Bai Qingzhou.

“You could be impressive too, if you tried harder…” Bai Qingzhou cast him a glance and asked casually, “You should be at Qi Refining Stage Two now, same as Chen Lin, right?”

“Yes! That’s right.” Fan Tianhe nodded vigorously, then sighed, “But Chen Lin’s talent is definitely better than mine. He advanced faster than I did this time.”

“Mm…” Bai Qingzhou replied simply, then surveyed the empty shelves and continued, “By the way, I forgot to tell you, from now on, this shop will no longer sell spirit herbs.”

“No more spirit herbs?” Fan Tianhe looked slightly surprised, then his eyes shifted as he probed, “Does that mean… we’ll be selling beast meat?”

He had heard rumors in the sect about Bai Qingzhou’s reputation for selling meat in the market.

“Yes, we’ll be selling beast meat.” Bai Qingzhou replied calmly.

“Ah…” Fan Tianhe’s face fell, muttering gloomily, “That’s so humiliating! I really don’t want people calling me a butcher…”

Hearing this, Bai Qingzhou recalled how he was once called “Bai the Butcher” back at Luogu Market. He himself hadn’t minded, but he hadn’t expected Fan Tianhe to react so strongly.

He immediately said sternly, “Humiliation? What’s wrong with being a butcher? As long as it makes money, what’s there to complain about!”

“But it’s just too…” Fan Tianhe hesitated, lowering his head.

This was a decision made personally by the sect leader and Bai Qingzhou. How could Fan Tianhe refuse?

Bai Qingzhou immediately spoke in a deep voice, “No more ‘buts’! You do as you’re told!”

“Alright…” Fan Tianhe agreed, bowing his head in resignation.

“Let’s go!” Bai Qingzhou stood up.

“Where to?”

“To the market, to see what beast meat they have here!”

“Alright.”

Fan Tianhe closed the shop door, and the two strolled toward the market.

The market was located at the plaza where the tournament had been held years ago, but now the grand stage had vanished. Instead, cultivators crowded the area, hawking their wares loudly.

The two went around inquiring about prices for various meats, with Bai Qingzhou directing Fan Tianhe to jot down the lowest prices for each type.

Drawing on his experience from Luogu Market, Bai Qingzhou meticulously surveyed the beast meat market, assessing potential profits and preparing for future pricing.

Under his guidance, Fan Tianhe became increasingly intrigued, asking about the nuances of selling meat. When he learned of the profits, his jaw dropped in disbelief.

After all, his monthly allowance was only one spirit stone every three months. Upon hearing that a meat shop could earn two or three spirit stones a day, he stopped complaining about the supposed humiliation of selling meat.

The two busied themselves all day. When the sun began to set, they finally made their way back to the shop.

“Senior Bai! The profits are truly impressive! When can we start?” Fan Tianhe asked with excitement.

Bai Qingzhou smiled and replied, “Don’t rush. Opening the shop is easy; the main thing now is to negotiate with rogue cultivators for cooperation. Once we secure our supply, we’ll open for business.”

He felt more at ease, for during his survey today he found no shops selling beast meat in Shuiying Market. This meant they could enjoy the advantages of being the first, without strong competitors—this reassured Bai Qingzhou.

“I can hardly wait now!” Fan Tianhe gazed at the sky, his eyes full of anticipation.

“Earlier today you said…” Bai Qingzhou suddenly stopped, his brow arched, eyes wary.

Ahead, outside their shop, stood more than a dozen people, gathered at the entrance with an imposing air.

Among them, Bai Qingzhou recognized the two who had been fed slop that morning, now standing timidly off to the side.

Seeing Bai Qingzhou and Fan Tianhe approach, the two pointed at Bai Qingzhou, as if identifying him to the man in the center.

“Senior Bai, what should we do…” Fan Tianhe edged closer, asking quietly, nervous.

Bai Qingzhou waved his hand, reassuring him, “Don’t worry. Let’s see what they want.”

Facing the crowd looming at the door, Bai Qingzhou felt no anxiety. After the battle at Dragon Tiger Mountain, such a scene did not faze him—he did not believe they would dare murder in Shuiying Market.

The two groups drew nearer.

“Well, well! What a fine Xuanyang Sect!” the middle-aged man in the center mocked, his voice strange. “A late-stage Qi Refining cultivator beating up early-stage ones—how shameless!”

“Pah!” Fan Tianhe, nervous moments ago, now shouted angrily, “Why don’t you ask what those two did first!”

The man glanced at him disdainfully. “Where did this little mouse come from, chattering away?”

“You!” Fan Tianhe was livid.

“It’s alright.” Bai Qingzhou stepped in front of Fan Tianhe and calmly addressed the man, “May I ask who you are?”

“Hmph! I am Zhou Cai, Outer Sect Steward of the Ironbone Sect!” The man lifted his head proudly.

“Greetings, Steward Zhou,” Bai Qingzhou cupped his hands, then asked coolly, “May I ask what brings you and your entourage here?”

Zhou Cai pointed at the two cultivators hiding behind him and said sternly, “I heard you assaulted them today? You, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, beating up early-stage ones—have you no shame?”

“Haha!” Bai Qingzhou laughed aloud, then replied cheerfully, “And why did I beat them, Steward Zhou? Surely you know the reason?”

“How should I know? Are you saying they deserved a beating just for waking up early to feed slop?” Zhou Cai exclaimed in surprise.

“Hmph! Steward Zhou, you needn’t play these worldly tricks. Such words only invite ridicule from fellow cultivators and disgrace your Ironbone Sect!” Bai Qingzhou retorted sharply.

“I think the one losing face is your Xuanyang Sect!” Zhou Cai shouted angrily.

The tension between the two sides mounted.

Their argument drew the attention of passing cultivators, who stopped to watch the spectacle, pointing and whispering about the two groups.

(End of chapter)