The Journey of Immortal Cultivation

Chapter 1054 - 576: Settling Old Scores

She thought it suspicious that Juan Niang left so quickly after being humiliated, contrary to her usual nature. It turned out she had quietly laid a trap here, planning to force her into it without her realizing. The auction information was undoubtedly critical to buyers, and Juan Niang’s maneuver could have cost Ning Xiaoxian many Treasures.

Fortunately, she discovered it in time.

The servant bowed his head and said softly, "It was our oversight."

"Go find Steward Wu and bring me the latest auction catalog." Ning Xiaoxian wouldn’t bother arguing with a mere servant, "Leave this Maid here; I want Heavenly Residence to give me an explanation."

Fifteen minutes later.

Steward Wu hurried in, about to speak, when he saw the Maid standing silently in the room. He pointed at her and the servant, saying, "You two, go out first."

After dismissing them, Steward Wu spoke softly, "Juan Niang already knows you slapped the Maid."

Ning Xiaoxian replied playfully, "That’s exactly what I wanted her to know. So, what does she plan to do with me?" It was merely a little maid; Jiu Mo wouldn’t even bother slapping her. What Ning Xiaoxian really wanted was to hit Juan Niang’s pride.

Steward Wu smiled quietly and said, "She can’t win against you on her own, so she will surely call upon her backer. The auction has been ongoing for three days now. If I’m not wrong, someone will likely come to challenge this matter soon."

Heavenly Residence is an enormous institution. Such behemoths have a characteristic: when encountering an unexpected incident, their rigid mechanisms require a long response time.

As she patiently waited, after a full two quarters, another middle-aged man knocked and entered, introducing himself as Surname Gu, holding the position of "treasurer" at Heavenly Residence, responsible for the procurement and distribution of large goods in the Central Capital area.

"Treasurer Gu, what brings you here?" She smiled, thinking to herself that, indeed, he had come.

Treasurer Gu merely nodded at her as a greeting, his brow furrowed as he said, "Elder Ning, the ten thousand catties of Spiritual Tea that Ningyuan Hall delivered three days ago have already been consumed, and Heavenly Residence’s Spiritual Tea stock is exhausted. I asked Manager Yang of Ningyuan Hall, and he said you are in full charge of this matter. I am here to request, as per the agreement, that you deliver the remaining ninety thousand catties of Spiritual Tea to Heavenly Residence."

Ning Xiaoxian’s face showed surprise, and she exclaimed, "What ninety thousand catties of Spiritual Tea? How am I unaware of this?"

Treasurer Gu’s face darkened as he said, "Elder Ning, it’s not wise to joke with Heavenly Residence. Numerous guests have already complained about the shortage of Spiritual Tea in the private rooms."

Ning Xiaoxian curiously asked, "What ten thousand catties of Spiritual Tea, ninety thousand catties of Spiritual Tea? Treasurer Gu, three days ago, Ningyuan Hall delivered all the Spiritual Tea to Heavenly Residence’s warehouse according to the agreement. If there are complaints now about insufficient tea, perhaps Heavenly Residence bought too little. What has that got to do with me?"

Treasurer Gu was dumbfounded, saying, "What, all of it was delivered three days ago? But three days ago, only ten thousand catties were clearly logged."

Ning Xiaoxian’s face fell as well: "Treasurer Gu! It’s better to be cautious with your words. My hundred thousand catties of Spiritual Tea were clearly deposited into Heavenly Residence’s warehouse. That’s truly a case of goods delivered without payment received; I haven’t even asked you for the money yet, and you dare say my goods are missing? Even if Heavenly Residence conducts grand business, it can’t bully others like this!"

With that, she produced a document in her hand.

Everyone present had good eyesight and immediately recognized it as a warehouse receipt, clearly stating, "Ningyuan Hall, one hundred thousand catties of Spiritual Tea, received." Below were two bright red seals, one belonging to the warehouse manager, the other with the neat inscription "He Zijuan," and the date was indeed three days prior!

He Zijuan was Juan Niang’s real name.

Treasurer Gu originally came under someone’s instructions to challenge Ning Xiaoxian, calculating that she couldn’t produce the ninety thousand catties of tea, thinking it would be an easy task to force her to sign an IOU. But now the plot had taken an unexpected turn, and he was left speechless.

After a long pause, he said, "I need to take this receipt back for verification."

"Verification?" Ning Xiaoxian pointed to the Maid who had followed him in and said, "With this precedent, I’m very concerned that if I hand over the evidence, it might be silently destroyed."

Treasurer Gu suppressed his anger, saying, "But the receipt still needs to be verified for authenticity..."