Chapter 408: Empty Promises

Chapter 408: Empty Promises

"Wahhhh..."

"Stop crying."

"Wahhhh..."

"Everything's fine, isn't it?"

"Wahhhh..."

"..."

On a hillside on Silver Sword Peak, a middle-aged man sat hunched over. Clutching his knees to his chest, his head drooped as he cried bitterly. Chu Liang and the koi sisters circled him, their attempts to console him falling flat.

"Senior Dan Lingzi, I'm really sorry..." Chu Liang said, his tone filled with awkwardness. "The Golden-Furred Hou might have mistaken you for a thief."

He had been chatting with the koi sisters when the Golden-Furred Hou suddenly bolted over. At first glance, Chu Liang was startled. The Big Head had someone clamped in its jaws!

Chu Liang hurried over and forced it to release the person, only to be even more astonished when he saw who it was.

It was none other than Dan Lingzi from Taotie City.

At this moment, Dan Lingzi had completely lost the air of a master. As he sat on the ground, he looked pitiful and helpless.

Clearly, the Golden-Furred Hou had scared him out of his wits.

"Esteemed Senior, please wipe yourself," Chu Liang said as he handed over a large towel.

Dan Lingzi only stopped crying after being consoled for some time. As he took the towel, he suddenly froze. "Do you all use towels to wipe away tears?"

"You're covered in the Golden-Furred Hou's saliva; that's what it's for," Chu Liang explained.

"..." Dan Lingzi pursed his lips, looking like he might burst into tears again.

After much back and forth, they finally pieced together what had happened.

Previously, when Chu Liang visited Taotie City, he had discussed with Dan Lingzi the idea of opening a shop on Red Cotton Peak and offering free rent. Dan Lingzi was intrigued but wanted to maintain his dignified air, so he hesitated, planning to wait for Chu Liang to extend the invitation a few more times before accepting.

But nothing more happened.

So, he sent a letter, mentioning that a new batch of flavored Qi-Gathering Pills was ready and "incidentally" brought up about opening the shop.

Even after waiting for a few days, Dan Lingzi still hadn't heard back from Chu Liang. In fact, Chu Liang hadn't even shown up to collect the newly made flavored Qi-Gathering Pills. Dan Lingzi began to panic. Could it be that Chu Liang hadn't been able to secure the deal and that the higher-ups at Mount Shu had rejected the idea?

This was very likely.

"Young Hero Chu, surely you don't mean that the 'shop' you mentioned is just a mat for me to set up a stall here?"

Even with the top prodigy of the Mount Shu Sect leading the way and two beautiful girls by his side—what he thought was pretty impressive—he still couldn't help but look down on the sight of the Red Cotton Market before him.

Chu Liang wasn't surprised by this reaction.

Anyone who had visited Taotie City would naturally make comparisons. That was why Chu Liang had to rely on personal connections to recruit shops. But unfortunately, his attempts were blocked by the young master of Taotie City.

Hearing Dan Lingzi's skepticism, Chu Liang smiled and replied, "Of course not. Red Cotton Peak is still in its early stages and hasn't begun large-scale recruitment. My plan is for your Spirit Pill Pavilion to become the very first official shop on this peak!"

He pointed to the distance, gesturing as he spoke, "By then, the largest Spirit Beast Paradise in the land of the nine provinces will be constructed there. You will see celestial birds soaring and exotic beasts roaring."

He then shifted his gaze to another spot, his finger tracing the air. "And right there, the Legendary Weapon Hall will stand—a place where ancient divine weapons, radiating such powerful murderous auras, will be displayed that even the clouds above will tremble. Your pill shop will be nestled right between these two marvels. Cultivators from every corner of the world will travel great distances just to request a pill from you, forming long lines—so long that even the top talents of the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten will have to wait their turn..."

"Hehehe..." Dan Lingzi, captivated by Chu Liang's vivid depiction of Red Cotton Peak's future, found himself laughing out loud.

Upon realizing that he was behaving improperly, he quickly straightened his expression and asked, "It sounds promising, but can it truly reach that level?"

Chu Liang replied, "If you don't join, it definitely won't happen. But if you do, it might just be possible."

Dan Lingzi was taken aback by these words as he muttered, "I never realized I was so important..."

But as Dan Lingzi looked at the rows of stalls ahead, he hesitated again. He had almost fallen for Chu Liang's empty promises. Chu Liang was like a baker promising cookies he'd only sketched on paper. He didn't even have the flour to make bread with. At this stage, he was just about to start planting wheat, and the first seed was still in his hand.

"Young Hero Chu, your storytelling skills are truly remarkable, but I still have to make a living, and this situation..." Dan Lingzi said slowly, his voice tinged with hesitation.

"I completely understand your concerns," Chu Liang said as he nodded with respect. "This matter indeed requires careful planning, and you should take your time to think about it."

"You're absolutely right... Hmm? What's that?" Dan Lingzi suddenly exclaimed, his eyes widening as he gazed into the distance.

It wasn't just him; the crowd on Red Cotton Peak all started murmuring.

It turned out to be a massive floating ship flying through the air, clearly heading straight for Red Cotton Peak.

The ship was a striking jade green, with two enormous red sails emblazoned with black whale symbols. One sail bore the character "North," while the other displayed "Whale Gang." The vessel was nearly half the size of Red Cotton Peak in length and as tall as a small mountain, hovering in the sky and instantly casting a shadow over half the landscape.

In the immortal realm, only the Four Seas Whale Gang was known for using such colossal enchanted flying boats. When these ships weren't activated, they could be used to navigate the seas; when activated, they could take to the skies, making them ideal for both travel and transporting goods.

But there were likely only a few ships of this magnitude even within the entire Four Seas Whale Gang.

It floated above the sea of clouds with an imposing presence!

As the crowd marveled, a bright red figure appeared at the ship's bow.

"Young Hero Chu, I've come to fulfill our agreement!" a voice rang out.