Qian Duoduo had fully anticipated the dismal state of the Sect’s shop, but he was still constantly surprised during the half-day of inventory.
Among the Spiritual Rice in the warehouse, there were still two to three thousand catties from five or six years ago, and they had even gone moldy.
Spirit Crane Beaks are excellent materials for Artifact Refining.
Of the more than two hundred stored in the warehouse, nearly one hundred were defective, either cracked or severely damaged.
When asked why, the answer was that they arrived in that condition.
But if they arrived like that, why were they accepted and put into storage?
Fortunately, Qian Duoduo was proficient in the first four volumes of the Encyclopedia of Weapon Refining; with a glance, he could understand what an item was and its quality.
Qian Duoduo pointed out one by one the pitfalls in the Sect’s shop.
Each was recorded into the mission Jade Slip.
Elder Song’s eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets, increasingly resembling goldfish.
Disciples like Chu Tianqi darted their gazes around like Ling Rats.
Pushing open the treasury in the warehouse, the biggest pitfall was revealed.
Sixty thousand ordinary gold coins were missing, one hundred hao gold coins were missing, and two extreme gold coins were missing!
Elder Song leaped up like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, “Who the hell was in charge of this treasury? How could so much be missing? Why didn’t I know?”
The Disciples looked at a scrawny blue-robed figure.
“Zhu Junliang, was it you? You want to kill me! Don’t think that just because your uncle is the Beast Tooth Peak Palace Lord, you can embezzle the treasury’s wealth.” The veins on Elder Song’s face bulged, spreading out like a net.
The other Disciples gloated as they looked at Zhu Junliang.
Zhu Junliang’s face fell, and his eyes flashed with ferocity, “Don’t look at me.
This treasury is nominally under my management, but all of you can enter, and you’ve entered plenty of times.
Don’t make me bring out the Formation records of treasury access to see who entered privately.
If we’re going to die, we’ll all die together, hehe…”
“Bang!” Chu Tianqi slapped his forehead, “Look at my memory, a month ago, I borrowed one hundred thousand gold coins from the treasury.
That wasn’t stealing, I left an IOU.” With that, he rummaged through the bottom of a treasure chest, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to Qian Duoduo.
Qian Duoduo took it and read the words aloud, “Shang Jiajin borrowed twenty hao gold.
Dao Yuan 7975.”
This IOU was from five years ago.
“Mine, mine.” Shang Jiajin raised his right hand, “It’s been too long, I just remembered.”
“Where’s my IOU?” Chu Tianqi rummaged through the treasury, “It was clearly here, how did it disappear?”
As the Disciples’ memories slowly returned, the gold coin shortfall in the treasury was gradually accounted for.
However, after searching and searching, the two extreme gold coins were still nowhere to be found.
“All of you think carefully, think hard, when and who borrowed those two extreme gold coins.” Elder Song sneered.
Chu Tianqi quietly called out, “Elder, Elder—”
Elder Song’s brows knitted into a tangled mess, “What is it?”
Chu Tianqi stepped forward and whispered a few words into his ear.
Elder Song’s expression changed drastically, his eyes darted around a few times, and he slipped something into Chu Tianqi’s hand.
“Jin Zhendian, the extreme gold has been found.” Chu Tianqi said, handing over a spiritual walnut.
That spiritual walnut was clearly the one Elder Song had always played with.
Upon touching it, it felt extremely heavy.
But what did this thing have to do with extreme gold? Was a spiritual walnut worth an extreme gold coin?
Qian Duoduo looked at Chu Tianqi, waiting for his explanation.
Elder Song coughed lightly, “Chu Tianqi was worried about the safety of the extreme gold.
One day, he hid two extreme gold coins inside this Elder’s spiritual walnut.
Alas, young people are too mischievous.”
“There’s extreme gold in here?” Qian Duoduo shook it, but the spiritual walnut made no sound.
Elder Song took the spiritual walnut with his left hand, and with a hand seal from his right, an extreme gold coin appeared.
“And the other one?” Qian Duoduo, in his heart, was so impressed he almost kowtowed to Elder Song.
This extreme gold was clearly placed in the spiritual walnut by Elder Song himself, used daily to absorb Spiritual Qi and cultivate.
But he had long forgotten about it and just found someone to take the blame.
“It just fell on the counter.” Chu Tianqi shouted.
He was about to run out to pick it up but then remembered he couldn’t leave the vicinity of the mission Jade Slip, so he stopped.
“Let’s go.” Qian Duoduo manipulated the Jade Slip and walked towards the front shop.
Chu Tianqi crawled on the ground searching for a long time and picked up the spiritual walnut from under the counter.
With the last extreme gold coin returned to the treasury, everyone signed off, and the inventory was concluded.
Elder Song shook his green robe towards the mission Jade Slip and loudly declared, “This Elder has been loyal and devoted, leaving home and business, managing the Sect’s finances in Kongfang City for nearly ten years, exhausting his mind and energy, with clean sleeves, daring not to claim merit, but certainly having toiled hard.” After speaking, he pushed open the Sect’s shop door and strode away.
Lost over forty million, the shop in a mess, the warehouse like tangled hemp, and he still dared to use words like loyal and devoted, exhausting his mind and energy, with clean sleeves?
Qian Duoduo respectfully bowed to the back of the old fellow with skin as thick as a city wall, and loudly said in his heart—
“May you have boundless blessings and a life as long as the southern mountains, and may you be pounded into meat paste by the Ba Ling Sect and Shengling Sect as soon as you step out of the market!”
Qian Duoduo turned his head, and the nine shop assistants inside the shop were still standing rigidly.
Chu Tianqi pointed to the mission Jade Slip above his head, indicating that it could be put away now.
Qian Duoduo waved his hand and put the Jade Slip into his Storage Pouch.
As soon as the Jade Slip was gone, everyone’s bones instantly softened, and their expressions immediately became lively, like spring breezes over green water.
Chu Tianqi cupped his hands towards Qian Duoduo, “Greetings, Zhendian, everyone here is family.
We have the utmost respect for Zhendian’s Zhangzuo Dajiu; my uncle—Head Seat Chu of Wen’an Peak—said that Palace Lord Tang might become the Sect’s first Heavenly Human Realm Cultivator.”
Beyond the Nascent Soul Realm is the Heavenly Human Realm.
It is said that no Sect in the entire Lower Road has ever produced a Heavenly Human Realm Cultivator.
“My Palace Lord Dajiu also said so.” Zhu Junliang interjected.
Shang Jiajin and the other assistants also revealed their identities by praising others.
None of these nine assistants were simple; they were either direct descendants of a Palace Lord or children of an Elder’s family.
In their eyes, Qian Duoduo becoming this Zhendian was actually just like them; it was because the Palace Lord Dajiu had put in effort with the Sect Leader that he managed to secure this lucrative position.
Chu Tianqi saw that Qian Duoduo remained silent, thinking he was still putting on airs, so he leaned closer and said with a chuckle, “Zhendian has excellent methods, pressing down Old Song so hard.
That old fellow only knows how to hoard money, all take and no give, like a Pixiu.
However, the Sect’s shop belongs to the Sect, so Zhendian shouldn’t be too serious.
Today, Senior Brother, I’ll treat you to a welcome feast at Kang Le Wo by Wuyou Lake to relax.
The beauties and fine wine there are not available in the Sect.”
This Wuyou Lake was the lake in front of the City Lord’s Mansion square.
Zhu Junliang and others pulled him back, “For Zhendian’s welcome feast, how can you be the only one to treat? We’ll each contribute a share.”
When it came to eating, drinking, and having fun, all nine assistants were well-versed, clamoring to take Qian Duoduo to their favorite places.
“How about this,” the few of them refused to yield to each other, annoying Qian Duoduo, “I see there’s a small training ground in the backyard, let’s have a spar, whoever can defeat me, I’ll let them be the first to treat.”
To be honest, once Elder Song left, this Sect’s shop was handed over to Qian Duoduo.
How to manage these lords made Qian Duoduo difficult.
No matter how difficult, it’s better to have a fight.
In the Immortal Cultivation World, strength speaks.
First, subdue them, then reason with them.
Upon hearing this, Chu Tianqi immediately became spirited, “I’ll be the first to spar with Zhendian.
Anyone who disagrees can come and compete with me first.”
He was at Condensing Qi Stage Level Eight, and he was confident in handling Qian Duoduo, who was at Qi Condensation Level Five.
The others were only at Qi Condensation Level Six.