Loyal Heart Roaming the Skies

Jiang Wang had been preparing himself for a long time, even missing the opportunity to enter the Illusory Realm. He often patrolled outside Qingyang Town, ready for anything. But the first unexpected visitor to arrive was not from any faction he had imagined.

When Qian, the steward, appeared outside Qingyang Town, he at least maintained a dignified appearance.

His clothes were clean, his hair and beard neatly groomed, and he was accompanied by more than ten guards.

There were three carriages, two carrying goods and one for himself.

Seeing Jiang Wang waiting outside the town, he was not worried, but rather pleased.

Because this indicated that Qingyang Town had anticipated the situation in Yang Country and had taken cautious measures. This undoubtedly increased the level of security.

Qian jumped down from the carriage with great enthusiasm and shouted loudly, "Jiang, my friend! I am here on behalf of the Four Seas Trading Alliance to assist Qingyang Town!"

Jiang Wang... naturally did not believe him.

Although they had not interacted much, the surname Qian had already left a deep impression on him. The words of this person were hardly worth believing.

"Thank you for your kindness!" Jiang Wang shouted, "But during the closure of Qingyang Town, no outsiders are allowed to enter or leave. Please understand, Steward Qian."

He turned and ordered loudly, "Xiao Xiao, have a few people go and take over the goods from the Four Seas Trading Alliance!"

"Alright!" Xiao Xiao replied loudly. Immediately, he directed two warriors to take over the carriages.

Steward Qian's face turned green. Seeing the warriors of Qingyang Town approaching swiftly, he hurriedly said, "Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! This time, we are here to provide manpower, manpower!"

"Manpower?" Jiang Wang looked puzzled.

"Yes!" Steward Qian shamelessly said, "In this time of crisis, manpower is scarce everywhere. Given our previous good cooperation, the Four Seas Trading Alliance is here to support Qingyang Town, including five Transcendent cultivators and ten ordinary warriors!"

"If it's manpower, then I..." Jiang Wang said, "I understand!"

With that, he turned and walked back into the town, leaving the Four Seas Trading Alliance standing alone.

A cool breeze blew.

"Please wait, sir!"

Steward Qian shouted from behind, "Of course, there are also goods! A whole carriage of goods, all donated for free!"

But he was afraid that Jiang Wang would only accept the goods, so he added, "The manpower and goods come together!"

Jiang Wang stopped and turned around, smiling ambiguously, "Steward Qian, you may not know that Qingyang Town is currently overcrowded and does not really need extra manpower."

"Given the current situation, I won't tell lies. Brother Jiang, you should be aware of the current situation in Yang Country. We people from Qi Country should unite to protect ourselves!"

"I am from Zhuang Country."

"Alas! In Yang Country, we are all foreigners! If we don't unite, who here will care about us?"

"The people of Qingyang Town are very united with me."

Steward Qian, with his thick skin, naturally would not be easily silenced. He immediately changed his approach, "In times of turmoil, what is most important? Transcendent power! As far as I know, apart from you, there are not many Transcendent cultivators in Qingyang Town, right? If our strengths are combined, we can manage Qingyang Town as solid as gold. We have five Transcendent cultivators!"

Jiang Wang glanced intentionally at the several Transcendent cultivators in Steward Qian's team, "Forgive me for being blunt, but not one of them can make me draw my second sword."

This was too arrogant. Not to mention the guards with different levels of cultivation, from Transcendent to Transcendent, just Steward Qian himself was a Transcendent cultivator in the Soaring Dragon Realm.

But for Jiang Wang's words, he really had no way to refute them.

No matter how strong he was, could he be stronger than Ximu Nan?

"Lord Jiang." Steward Qian's address went through a round of changes, finally settling on 'Lord.' Being accustomed to doing business, he understood that there was not much room for bargaining at this point, so he could only say with a heavy heart, "Just tell me, what will it take for you to accommodate us? The Four Seas Trading Alliance will surely repay this favor!"

The border of Yang Country was sealed, and he could not return to Jia City. When he heard the news of the plague, he chose to escape directly. Considering the chaos in Yang Country afterwards, he took all the advance payments from the Jia City government with him.

If he returned to Jia City now, he might "accidentally die of the plague" one day.

He was even less familiar with other places. Carrying resources and wandering around in chaotic times was a path to death.

In the entire city of Jia City, only Qingyang Town, with Jiang Wang's strong abilities, could be considered a safe haven. And at least Jiang Wang's strength was much stronger than the average city lord in Yang Country.

If possible, he certainly did not want to ask Jiang Wang for help. He was even less willing to stick his neck out to be slaughtered.

But the situation was as it was, what else could he do?

As the saying goes, fortunes change. When he claimed four thousand gold for two eggs and finally received two hundred Dao Yuan Stones, he was overjoyed and returned home with a full load. At that time, he could never have imagined today.

"What repayment or no repayment, there must be a future to speak of. Don't you think so?" Jiang Wang asked.

This was "haggling."

Steward Qian smiled apologetically, "That's true."

"Ordinary goods are not very useful at this time, because even with money, you can't buy anything. Qingyang Town needs supplies, ordinary people need food, clothing, medicine, and so on, and Transcendent cultivators need Dao Yuan Stones as supplements..." Jiang paused, "Yes, Dao Yuan Stones are very important."

Steward Qian instantly understood, "Speaking of which, Lord Jiang, you left a box of Dao Yuan Stones with me. I have been wanting to return it, but I have been busy with worldly affairs, so it has been delayed. I'll return it to you today!"

"Is that so? I don't remember that." Jiang Wang was surprised, "How many Dao Yuan Stones are in that box?"

"There should be three hundred!" Steward Qian gritted his teeth.

Jiang Wang looked disappointed, "Only three hundred?""Perhaps... it's five hundred!" Steward Qian's smile was already quite unsightly, but he declared with certainty, "I remember now, it's five hundred Dao Yuan Stones!"

Jiang Wang stared at him for a while, knowing that probably five hundred Dao Yuan Stones were enough to make him wince, but whether it was his bottom line, he couldn't tell. After all, such a person was old and cunning, not so easy to read.

Compared to the two hundred Dao Yuan Stones he was extorted for initially, it had already doubled and then some.

Jiang Wang then stopped and changed the subject, "To recover what was lost is indeed an unexpected joy. However, what truly concerns me is the issue of living supplies for the townspeople..."

Five hundred Dao Yuan Stones, equivalent to five Myriad Yuan Stones, certainly wasn't a small amount. But compared to the wealth Steward Qian had amassed during this short "disaster relief," it really wasn't much. The Dao Yuan Stones he left in Pingxi County alone exceeded this number.

He let out a sigh of relief in his heart, and a genuine smile appeared on his face, "There's no problem with living supplies! The Four Seas Commerce Alliance's stalls in Jiacheng haven't dispersed yet, and I can expedite the transfer of many supplies."

"Then I'll leave this matter to Steward Qian!"

Having finalized the cooperation, Jiang Wang called out, "Xiaoxiao, go arrange accommodations for the benevolent members of the Four Seas Commerce Alliance. Make sure the conditions are as good as possible."

"Steward Jiang is too polite!" Steward Qian laughed and stepped forward, wanting to walk alongside Jiang Wang, but saw that he had already headed into the town.

He didn't feel embarrassed, instead, he enthusiastically called out to the others, "Follow me into town! From now on, we're all one family!"

After all, Jiang Wang's skin was still not thick enough. If it were Chong Xuan Sheng, by now he would probably be able to walk arm in arm with Steward Qian, as close as family.

However...

Steward Qian, who had willingly walked into the "net," although he brought him a considerable profit, also cast a shadow in his eyes.

If even the steward of the mighty Four Seas Commerce Alliance could be like this, to what extent had the situation in Yang Country deteriorated?

Could he really maintain peace in Qingyang Town amidst such circumstances?

End of the chapter.