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Chapter 430: This Moment

On one hand, they were concerned that if he couldn\'t repay the money in the future, the debt would fall on Mount Shu; on the other hand, if he was confident he could make a profit... Why let outsiders benefit from it?

The Mount Shu Sect could invest as well.

The sect was currently short on funds, but this was precisely why they needed to invest and generate income. With this in mind, they summoned Chu Liang to ask about it. From their perspective, they weren\'t taking advantage of Chu Liang—they would be investing just like Taotie City and receiving the same amount of shares. What could be wrong with that?

The elders never expected Chu Liang to reject their offer.

But before they could react, Chu Liang quickly explained, "I\'m relying on the sect\'s fame and prestigious reputation to conduct this business. How can I ask for more investment? I\'ve already set aside a ten percent share for the sect, and quarterly dividends will certainly provide the sect with its due share."

Upon hearing this, the elders finally broke into satisfied smiles.

You should have said that earlier. Why were you playing hard to get? they thought.

Yesterday, these elders had discussed among each other for a while as they felt somewhat embarrassed to bring up this to Chu Liang. But now it turned out that Chu Liang had already prepared the dividend for them.

"But..." Chu Liang pondered as he spoke, "If the sect is willing to invest the same amount, I could give an additional ten percent. This way, the sect would hold a twenty percent stake in Red Cotton Peak\'s business profits."

"Twenty percent..." The elders exchanged glances, clearly intrigued.

They didn\'t need to know the exact figures; they only knew it was double what Taotie City would receive.

"We\'ll go with your suggestion," Venerable Wen Yuan promptly agreed.

"In that case, I have a small proposal," Chu Liang added.

"Please say what is on your mind," Venerable Wen Yuan encouraged as he nodded with a smile.

"Since we\'re discussing business operations, we should do this more formally," Chu Liang continued. "Proper accounting is necessary. I\'d like to propose that Senior Brother Yuan from the Hall of Conservation manage the accounts for Red Cotton Peak."

As Red Cotton Peak\'s business ventures grow, accounting will become a laborious and vital responsibility. If outsiders were to manage it, Chu Liang wouldn\'t feel at ease. However, if a Mount Shu disciple were assigned to handle it, two concerns would arise: first, whether they could perform the task efficiently, and second, that they wouldn\'t have time to focus on their cultivation. Unlike physical labor, this was not a task that could be done by rotating shifts.

At this point, Chu Liang thought of someone.

Senior Brother Yuan Zhuo from the Hall of Conservation, the one with the square face.

He seemed to possess an uncanny ability, almost like photographic memory. Once he laid eyes on something, it was etched in his mind forever. He could flawlessly recall the precise location of even the most obscure ancient book—down to the exact shelf, the corner it was tucked away in within the Hall of Conservation, and even the specific page and line where the text appeared.

This was no ordinary skill, and it made him perfectly suited for the meticulous task of managing the accounts.

"Oh?" The Conservation Master smiled, clearly pleased. "You certainly have a knack for placing the right people in the right roles. Little Square—ah, I mean Yuan Zhuo—has a photographic memory and a keen mind, and his integrity makes him the ideal candidate for managing accounts. From now on, he’ll be responsible for Red Cotton Peak’s finances. I’ll have him meet with you later."

"Thank you for your support," Chu Liang responded promptly, expressing his gratitude with a respectful bow.

Today, the Conservation Master appeared as a young man in a yellow robe, a stark contrast to his usual form. Yet, as Chu Liang studied him, there wasn\'t a shred of doubt—this was unquestionably the Conservation Master. Everything about him felt just as it should.

But as Chu Liang\'s cultivation level increased, a subtle thought began to creep into his mind: The Conservation Master seems... different from before.

He had asked about this previously and found out that the Conservation Master was a practitioner of the Great Dao of Reincarnation. This Dao was notoriously difficult and profound, which explained why so few cultivators chose this path.

As of now, the Conservation Master was at the phase of The Myriad Forms of Reincarnation, which was why he had to be in a different form every day.

The complexities of this process were beyond Chu Liang\'s comprehension.

...

When Chu Liang returned to Silver Sword Peak and noticed that Di Nufeng had also come back, he made sure to greet her first.

"Esteemed teacher, you\'re back?" he called out as he entered.

"Oh?" Di Nufeng smiled warmly as she saw him approach. "I just went looking for you and found you weren\'t around. Seems like perfect timing."

"You were looking for me?" Chu Liang asked, curious. "What’s it about?"

"I took a stroll around the imperial city these past few days and ended up in quite a few arguments... mostly me scolding people one-sidedly," Di Nufeng said with a chuckle. "Then, I made a bet with someone over there..."

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, Chu Liang immediately furrowed his brow.

Why does this feel so familiar?

He hesitated, then asked, "Could it be... another bet involving me?"

"Heh heh," Di Nufeng chuckled. "Last time, I made a bet with Wang Xuanling because he couldn’t win me in a fight no matter what, so fighting was pointless. This time, I made a bet with someone because I couldn’t win him in a fight no matter what, so fighting was pointless too. In situations like this, who else can I count on but my good disciple?"

Chu Liang scratched his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Who is it this time?"

"My father," Di Nufeng replied casually.

Chu Liang raised his eyebrows once more. The guardian of the Yu Dynasty\'s imperial family...

This was a rank well above that of Wang Xuanling.

Before he could dwell on it further, Di Nufeng continued, "My father... he\'s just a pretty formidable old man. He\'s currently the guardian of the imperial family, the Xia Family. He\'s been the Dao Master of Incinerating Heaven for decades. I never cared much for cultivation or had any interest in competing with him for the control of this Great Dao—I figured I’d just wait for him to die."

That’s a truly touching display of filial piety... Chu Liang thought to himself, biting back a response.

"But lately, Mount Shu has been in turmoil, and with the world finding out that the Baize celestial beast is now on the brink of ascension, those with ill intentions will surely target the Mount Shu Sect..." Di Nufeng trailed off, then added, "At least, that’s what Yan Zi said."

That definitely sounds more like something she’d worry about than you... Chu Liang nodded inwardly, keeping his thoughts to himself.

"Yan Zi is the most promising person on Mount Shu to reach the eighth realm. She\'s planning to force a breakthrough and compete for control of the Dao with the Sword Emperor of the West Sea," Di Nufeng continued. "I don’t want to slack off anymore either. Since my father stubbornly refuses to die... I\'ll have to forcibly break through as well. That explosion you heard last time? That was me hitting the threshold of the eighth realm."

"Esteemed teacher, you\'re truly impressive," Chu Liang said sincerely.

This wasn\'t just empty flattery.

The threshold of the eighth realm could be reached without even fighting for control of the Great Dao but it was still a stage that countless cultivators could only dream of achieving in their lifetimes. Yet, for Di Nufeng, it seemed as effortless as drinking a bowl of soup.

Whenever she decided to break through, she simply did it.

Comparing oneself to her could only lead to a jealousy so intense it might drive one to an early grave.

"Naturally, this made the Xia Family anxious," Di Nufeng said. "My father isn’t worried about me taking control of the Great Dao from him... in fact, he’d love for me to take over the Great Dao of Incinerating Heaven. But what he really wants is for me to return to the Xia Family and become the guardian of the imperial family in his place."

"But those old men in the imperial family don\'t see it that way. They don\'t trust me to be the guardian... not that I even want the job," Di Nufeng added, curling her lip in disdain. "I never liked the idea anyway."

Can’t really blame them, Chu Liang thought, a subtle smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Who wouldn’t be worried in their position?

"I argued with them a few times, but we couldn’t reach a decision, so I suggested we settle it with a bet," Di Nufeng said. "If the Mount Shu Sect can take first place in this Assembly of Immortal Sects, I\'ll break through and compete for control of the Great Dao with him. He won’t have to hold back, and we’ll let fate decide who becomes the Dao Master of the Incinerating Heavens.

"But if the Mount Shu Sect doesn’t win, I’ll never mention it again."

Hearing this, Chu Liang couldn’t help but give a wry smile. It reminded him of a sunny afternoon nearly a year ago.

One moment, he was enjoying hotpot, singing songs, and leisurely hunting lantern monsters. The next, his esteemed teacher was telling him he had to compete against some burly guys from Jade Sword Peak.

This moment felt eerily similar.

The level of difficulty in winning at the Assembly of Immortal Sects was no less daunting than when Silver Sword Peak defeated Jade Sword Peak back then.

Currently, Mount Shu’s core disciples were all quite powerful. The gap between them now wasn’t as vast as the one that had existed between Chu Liang and Xu Ziyang.

However, back then, the Jade Sword Peak had been the Silver Sword Peak\'s only opponent.

The Assembly of Immortal Sects, on the other hand, was a grand event where all the immortal sects from the Divine Nine, the Terrestrial Ten, and even those from the human realm participated—a fierce competition among the most outstanding prodigies of the generation!

The victor\'s name would be sung at the Dragon Terrace, honored at the Qinghong Banquet, and celebrated with unparalleled glory under the gaze of all.

Who could resist the desire to compete for such an honor?

To win, one had to overpower all their peers of the generation.

How could that be child’s play?

"You mustn\'t think of this as too difficult," Di Nufeng said with a smile. "All that talk about the Dragon Terrace and Qinghong Banquet is exaggerated. In the end, it’s just about fighting. Just beat all your opponents, and that’s it."

Chu Liang wanted to protest, but when he considered her past achievements, he knew she had every right to say that.

There was no way he could win an argument with her.