At that critical moment, Yan Zhen and Long Ying arrived.
Having comprehended the Flame Yama Ninefold Transformation, Yan Zhen wielded the Extreme Tyrant Sword and decisively crushed the Divine Dream Palace sect master. Long Ying transformed into a humanoid beast, punching out Mystic Kings one by one and venting all her pent-up rage from Cloud Heaven Palace on these hapless foes.
The duo smoothly resolved Ji Ya’s crisis and settled the power struggle at the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce once and for all.
Yan Zhen originally just needed to quietly provide suggestions to Sister Ji Ya, but as a reincarnator, she already knew everything.
The only scene he could plausibly insert himself into was probably that trap banquet.
However, since Sister Ji Ya knew a mutiny was coming, she must have made arrangements. With her capabilities, resolving the crisis wouldn’t be difficult.
“…”
Yan Zhen suddenly realized he might not have much of a role to play.
Lying back and letting things unfold sounded nice, but he wasn’t sure if it would count.
Based on past experience, altering the plot required steering things toward “protagonist” territory—turning defeats into triumphs, flights into counter-kills, even rewriting tragedies like a grandfather’s death. Purely coasting probably wouldn’t cut it.
What a headache…
—Better to hear what Sister Ji Ya had to say.
Yan Zhen took the initiative to ask,
“Sister Ji Ya, are those two annoying shopkeepers still giving you trouble lately?”
He had roughed up the old codgers before, but Sister Ji Ya surely wouldn’t dare kill them. After all, the Second and Third Shopkeepers had backing of their own.
Killing them would spark all-out war, which neither side could afford.
A sound beating followed by a few hundred million in ransom probably settled it.
As expected, Ji Ya sighed.
“After I had them seized and thrashed, they behaved for a while. But soon enough, they started opposing me at every turn—just like in my previous life. They even dragged in the elder worshippers to force a showdown.”
“A showdown?”
Ji Ya gave a brief rundown of the Merchant Alliance and its evaluation before continuing,
“Put simply, during the evaluation period, we’ll compare the benefits each side brings to the chamber. The winner gets to be Chief Manager.”
“Chief Manager?”
“Exactly. Strictly speaking, all ten shopkeepers are equals right now. But the new Chief Manager position outranks them all. Decisions made by the Chief Manager only need to be overridden by a unanimous vote from the other nine. What guarantees this power? The backing of the three elder worshippers.”
“The Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce’s three elders are just Mystic Lord realm, right?”
“All three are Nine-Star Mystic Lords, stuck at their bottleneck for nearly a decade without touching the Mystic Sovereign threshold. That’s why the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce can’t compare to Divine Dream Palace or the Sunward Royal Family.” Ji Ya smiled. “Good little brother, I know you’re amazing now, but we still have to play by the rules. After all, we’re in the business world.”
As the saying went, harmony breeds wealth. A merchant’s fists ensured smooth dealings, not outright plunder.
Yan Zhen naturally understood this.
“Then do you have confidence in winning, Sister Ji Ya?”
Ji Ya brimmed with assurance.
“Of course. In my previous life, Little Brother Yan Zhen gave me tons of advice—especially on stocks and finance. It let me rake in a fortune with ease. Right now, I’m leading by a wide margin. Even the fence-sitters are swinging my way. Those guys are getting desperate, so they’ll probably pull dirty tricks soon—just like before.”
“If the stock market’s played right, it could shake the entire kingdom’s economy. Especially with a behemoth like the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce pulling the strings from behind. The Sunward Royal Family and Divine Dream Palace won’t let such massive profits slip away.”
“That’s right. Both the Sunward Royal Family and the Divine Dream Palace have sent people to make contact with you, Sister, but they’re not qualified to get a piece of this pie.”
Whether it was the Sunward Royal Family or the Divine Dream Palace, they only had one or two Low-Star Mystic Ancestors in charge. As a reincarnator, Sister Ji Ya naturally looked down on them.
Yan Zhen pretended to mull it over for a moment before reminding her gravely, “We have to be on guard against them teaming up with the Second Shopkeeper and Third Shopkeeper. They might resort to any means necessary to achieve their goals.”
“Sister knows. Thank you for your concern, Little Brother Yan Zhen.” Ji Ya gazed at him with eyes full of affection. “If Sister runs into trouble, will Little Brother Yan Zhen come to save her just like he did in our previous life?”
“Of course I will.” Yan Zhen patted the Loli Dragon Girl beside him. “It won’t just be me, either. Cai Lian, Xian’er, and Little Long Ying will help too.”
Little Long Ying chimed in right away. “Ji Ya Sister, whoever you want to beat up, I can help with that!”
Yi Xian’er shot a sideways glance at the “scheming merchant sister” and said coolly, “With me around, Ji Ya Sister, don’t even think about letting Yan Zhen play the hero to save the beauty.”
Cai Lian added her own thoughts. “As long as it’s not against a Mystic Venerable or higher, we can put up a fight. But since you’ve reincarnated, you should try to get stronger on your own too. Mystic Kings and Mystic Lords only live two or three hundred years. Mystic Ancestors get baptized by the Power of Heaven and Earth, so they last five hundred years. Mystic Venerables reach eight hundred, Mystic Saints a full millennium without dying, and Emperor Realm powerhouses go even beyond that.”
Ji Ya could only give a wry smile.
She knew that all too well.
In her previous life up until reincarnation, she had only been a woman in her thirties—far too young to imagine herself growing old.
But without reincarnation, after a hundred or two hundred years, she would probably have lost her youthful splendor, withered and gray, while Yan Zhen, Cai Lian, Zi Ji, her master, and the others remained eternally young and vibrant.
Now that she had reincarnated, she had no intention of losing out in that regard.
“Don’t worry, She Ji Sister. Sister has already thought it through.” Ji Ya put on a shy expression. “Sister has the Cauldron Constitution, you see. Once Little Brother Yan Zhen gets stronger, as long as we dual cultivate often, Sister’s cultivation will rise right along with his—much faster than cultivating alone.”
Cai Lian’s expression froze.
Little Long Ying went on high alert as well.
Yi Xian’er’s eyes narrowed. “You mean to drain his energy?”
“Of course not.” Ji Ya waved her little hand dismissively. “It’s one of the abilities of the Cauldron Constitution. Dual cultivation alone rapidly boosts both partners’ cultivation. It’s just that if you refine all that essence, you won’t get pregnant. You win some, you lose some.”
With her cultivation talent that was inferior to ordinary people, her breakthrough from Mystic Master to Mystic General Realm in just a year was thanks not only to the massive medicinal power already in her body, but also crucially to that month of dual cultivation with Yan Zhen.
Back then, Yan Zhen had only been a little Mystic Scholar. Now he was already a Mystic General. Just those two times in the Martial Tang City Lord’s mansion had boosted her cultivation quite a bit—she felt like two more rounds would be enough to advance a star.
So—
“Little Brother Yan Zhen, shall we head back to the room?” Ji Ya issued a bold invitation. “Sister ate too much and feels a bit sleepy~”
Yi Xian’er curled her lip. “More like a full belly leads to lustful thoughts, right?”
Yan Zhen scratched his cheek and glanced at the unhappy expressions on Cai Lian’s and Xian’er’s faces. “Ji Ya Sister, you go ahead to your room. I’ll come by in a bit.”
Ji Ya could tell that Yan Zhen needed to soothe his two little sisters. Having already taken some advantage, she didn’t mind waiting. In a soft voice, she said, “Then hurry up, okay? Don’t keep Sister and Aunt Mu waiting too long~~~ Good night, you two sisters—and Little Long Ying. Jin Tong, Yu Nu, let’s go.”
Good Big Sister led the expressionless twins out of the dining hall.
Cai Lian rose from her chair as well, saying coldly, “This Queen is heading back to her room too.”
Yan Zhen stood up after her. “I’ll walk with you, Cai Lian.”
