Ji Ya sat upright in the seat of honor, her charming peach-blossom eyes now sweeping sharply over the nine people in the room. Only then did she speak in a flat tone.
“There are only two matters to discuss today.”
“First, let me introduce my little brother Yan Zhen to all of you so you can get acquainted with him. That way, no shortsighted fools will blunder into offending him. I trust you all understand Little Brother Yan Zhen’s importance to our Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce. This Merchant Alliance Evaluation will boost our standing within the Merchant Alliance another level, so I won’t tolerate any mishaps!”
“Second, the Sunward Royal Family and Divine Dream Palace want to partner with us to corner the stock market and split the massive profits. I don’t know if any of you have already dealt with them, but my answer is a firm no for the short term—we can talk later if need be.”
“I’ve had my say. Who agrees? Who opposes?”
Silence fell over the room. The nine shopkeepers exchanged glances with one another until Second Shopkeeper and Third Shopkeeper raised their hands one after the other.
“I oppose!”
“I oppose as well!”
Their words had barely landed when—crack!—Second Shopkeeper rocketed into the air. His body spun a full three hundred sixty degrees before slamming into the wall with a heavy thud. He passed out on the spot.
The room went utterly still. Even Ji Ya was taken aback, for she hadn’t thrown the blow.
It took a good while before anyone snapped out of it. Third Shopkeeper jabbed a finger at Yan Zhen and snarled.
“You brat! How dare you strike someone here?!”
The remaining seven shopkeepers tensed, going on high alert.
Second Shopkeeper was a Mystic General powerhouse just like them. Even if his mystic power was impure and unsteady, he was still a Mystic General. Yet he’d crumpled before Yan Zhen like paper, and no one had even caught a glimpse of the strike.
The aura radiating from Yan Zhen was unmistakably that of a Mystic General too—the lowest rank, One-Star Mystic General.
But that wasn’t the point. The point was that he’d dared to make a move?
Third Shopkeeper fumed.
“No one fights inside chamber grounds—that’s been the rule since our founding. Didn’t the Chief Manager teach you that?”
The other shopkeepers shared the sentiment. Lashing out without a word was beyond the pale.
They hadn’t brought guards precisely because the place was safe. No one dared start trouble here, or the hidden shadow guards would swarm and drag them out.
Little did they know a reckless upstart would show up today…
Yan Zhen remained utterly calm.
“You two turncoats, bootlickers for the Royal Family—you don’t deserve to lecture me on rules.”
Third Shopkeeper’s heart skipped a beat at those words, a flicker of unease crossing his face.
“You… what rubbish are you spewing? Who’s bootlicking the Royal Family? Don’t think wild lies and empty bluster will cover up your violent stunt!”
Yan Zhen replied without missing a beat.
“What’s done in the dark will come to light, unless you never did it. You and Second Shopkeeper pocketed bribes from the Sunward Royal Family and Divine Dream Palace. You even sold off your shares to them at top dollar. You’re not sitting here for the chamber—you’re their proxies. Am I wrong?”
Third Shopkeeper faltered. Their scheme had been airtight. How had this kid sniffed it out?
—No, it was Ji Ya. Ji Ya must have caught on!
“You… you’re spitting venomous lies!”
Yan Zhen pressed on.
“Chamber rules require Board of Stewards approval for any share trades above a certain threshold. You’ve flouted that spectacularly, and from the look of it, you’re scheming to undermine the chamber and everyone’s interests. You don’t belong in those seats!”
The other seven shopkeepers stared at Second Shopkeeper and Third Shopkeeper in shock. A few among them had leaned toward supporting the pair, but throwing in with the Sunward Royal Family and Divine Dream Palace? Unthinkable.
Organizations of that scale would gobble up ever-larger shares until they swallowed the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce whole, shoving everyone else aside.
The Sunward Royal Family in particular had coveted the chamber for years, locked in endless open feuds and shadow games. For Second Shopkeeper and Third Shopkeeper to defect like this was pure treason!
Ji Ya, meanwhile, felt a twinge of puzzlement.
In her previous life, those two had indeed sold out to the Royal Family in secret for bigger cuts. She couldn’t be sure about now—just a suspicion, waiting for their fox tails to show. She hadn’t expected Yan Zhen to blow it all open first.
She hadn’t breathed a word of it to Little Brother Yan Zhen. So how had he known?
Still, airing it before the others called for the right touch.
Building on Yan Zhen’s lead, Ji Ya declared.
“Since Little Brother Yan Zhen has laid it all bare, I’ll spare you no further leeway. Second Shopkeeper, Third Shopkeeper—you’ve betrayed the chamber for personal gain. By our rules, you’re stripped of shopkeeper status, expelled from the Golden Jade Chamber of Commerce, and banned from headquarters forever. Any damages will come out of your private holdings until repaid in full.”
The Sunward Kingdom offered no legal shield for them; the chamber’s own statutes had always been their safeguard. With the rules broken, Ji Ya could act freely—even the enshrined elders would find no fault.
Third Shopkeeper slumped back into his chair, speechless. He was already plotting to flee to the Royal Family the moment he got out.
But Ji Ya cut him off.
“Don’t dream of running. You’re not going anywhere until those debts are squared—Aunt Mu, bind them!”
Aunt Mu stepped forward and flipped her elegant hand. Their shadows writhed to life like black tentacles, coiling around the two men in unbreakable bonds. Even their mouths were sealed, leaving them to mumble incoherently.
In a heartbeat, the pair plummeted from prosperous dignitaries to wretched captives.
The faces of the remaining shopkeepers grew grim. They knew full well Ji Ya had staged this for their benefit.
A chicken slaughtered to scare the monkeys.
“Anyone else care to object? Speak up if it’s for the good of the chamber and all of us—I’ll hear you out.”
“I-I’ve got no objections. The Chief Manager’s judgment is always spot-on.”
One fence-sitter bent with the wind, and the rest soon followed. The shopkeepers either stayed mum or voiced their accord.
“Then it’s settled. Little Brother Yan Zhen will take the role of advisor and join our Board of Stewards. I hope you’ll all get along with him. He’s young, after all, and prone to acting on impulse now and then…”
The memory of that single slap sending Second Shopkeeper into oblivion had the others breaking into cold sweats. The kid was downright eerie.
With the meeting adjourned, other shadow guards dragged Second Shopkeeper and Third Shopkeeper away. The rest filed out, leaving only Yan Zhen along with Ji Ya and her four servants.
Ji Ya could no longer contain her curiosity.
“Little Brother Yan Zhen, how did you know Second Shopkeeper and Third Shopkeeper had gone over to the Sunward Royal Family and Divine Dream Palace?”
Yan Zhen gave a faint smile.
“Pure hunch—I just called their bluff. True or not, it cost us nothing.”
“But you struck without hesitation. What if you’d been wrong?”
“Worst case, I apologize and cover their medical bills. What can they do to me?” Yan Zhen flashed a confident grin. “Even if the enshrined elders showed up, I wouldn’t flinch. That’s the backbone strength gives you. Sister Ji Ya, you’re too by-the-book sometimes. Flipping the table outright gets results faster—no need to waste breath on feigned civility.”
Ji Ya nodded, convinced.
“You’re right, Little Brother Yan Zhen. Sister didn’t see it clearly.”
