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Chapter 408: Empty Promises

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

"..."

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.

After all, Chu Liang was just a young disciple, and decisions like this wouldn\'t be up to him.

And so, Dan Lingzi decided to pay Chu Liang a visit and ask him about it personally. However, when he arrived at Heaven-Reaching Peak, he discovered that Chu Liang wasn\'t there. After making some inquiries, he ran into Wen Yulong.

Wen Yulong, being Chu Liang\'s right-hand man, was well-informed about these matters. He told Dan Lingzi that Chu Liang had recently left Mount Shu and might not return for a few days. If he was in a hurry, he could try checking Silver Sword Peak.

Dan Lingzi then hurried over to Silver Sword Peak, eventually finding himself at Berry Wonderland. Although he had helped Chu Liang make numerous batches of berry-flavored Qi-Gathering Pills and had seen plenty of berries, this was the first time he had seen a field of Golden Vein Flowers.

He wanted to fly over the wall for a closer look, but not only was he stopped by a restrictive barrier, he also triggered a thunderous roar.

The ever-dutiful Golden-Furred Hou mistook him for a fruit thief. How could it allow such a thing to happen? It immediately darted out and caught him in its jaws. The Hunting Hou\'s instincts took over—having captured the "thief," it intended to bring him straight to Di Nufeng and Chu Liang.

As Dan Lingzi faced the sixth-realm Golden-Furred Hou, he found himself utterly powerless. At that moment, he was gripped by fear, knowing that just a bit more pressure from the Golden-Furred Hou\'s jaws would be enough to snap him in two.

Fortunately, Chu Liang had repeatedly instructed the Golden-Furred Hou not to kill humans without proper cause. Big Head could also sense that this person was too weak to pose any real threat, so it didn\'t bite down hard.

After hearing the story, Chu Liang couldn\'t help but feel relieved for Dan Lingzi.

Luckily, the guardian phoenix of the fruit garden isn\'t around today—only the guardian Hou.

If it had been the phoenix, we wouldn\'t be comforting you right now...we\'d be mourning over you.

So, he offered a sincere apology and explained, "I ran into some danger while I was out these past few days and only just managed to make it back today. I had no choice but to keep you waiting. Otherwise, I would have gone to Taotie City long ago to invite you again."

Dan Lingzi\'s expression turned serious once more. He nodded and said, "I\'m not in a hurry. I was just concerned that any delay might hinder the development of your Red Cotton Peak, which is why I\'ve been keeping a close eye on it."

"Esteemed Senior, you value promises over profit, I understand," Chu Liang said with a respectful bow.

The corner of Dan Lingzi\'s mouth involuntarily curled into a smile, but he quickly composed himself and nodded slightly. "This is exactly how cultivators should behave. It\'s nothing worth praising."

Chu Liang then stood up and said, "It\'s getting late today. Esteemed Senior, please rest at Mount Shu tonight. I\'ll take you to choose a location for your shop tomorrow. Miss Xiaoyu, why don\'t you and your sister join us tomorrow? You can also enjoy the scenery of Mount Shu."

"Sure!" Xiaoyu\'er immediately agreed on behalf of her sister.

...

On Red Cotton Peak, stalls lined both sides of the long street.

Thanks to Chu Liang\'s recent plan of offering Qi-Gathering Pills to visitors, the Red Cotton Market had grown more bustling than ever, with at least twice as many Mount Shu disciples setting up shop. The place thrummed with life.

Yet, Dan Lingzi frowned deeply.

The Red Cotton Market was livelier than usual. However, in comparison to Taotie City, it was like a small night market to a grand festival.

The koi sisters, on the other hand, were thrilled. Liu Xiaoyu, who seldom smiled, couldn\'t help but let her delight show in this rare bustling scene.

"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.