The Journey of Immortal Cultivation

Chapter 1057 - 577: Return It with Both Hands

Juan Niang was at a loss for words. She knew well that the elder before her was narrow-minded. Although this matter wasn’t her fault, it started because of her. The way he looked at her already carried a hint of displeasure that was well hidden. If she messed up one or two more things, this dependable backer might be gone.

In these years working under Elder Qi, she had made quite a few enemies. If she lost Elder Qi’s support, wouldn’t her life at the Heavenly Residence become very difficult?

Elder Qi rapped the table with a somber expression, saying, "Earlier, Treasurer Gu came to see me, saying he couldn’t hold on any longer. If he doesn’t find Spiritual Tea, he will report the matter to the Council of Elders. Hmph, when he received those few Deer Fetus Cleansing Marrow Pills, why didn’t he say he couldn’t handle the effects? I’ve already promised him that by this evening, I’ll have the remaining ninety thousand pounds of Spiritual Tea delivered to him."

Juan Niang was startled and raised her head, "You, you’re going to give the Spiritual Tea to him?"

"What else?" Elder Qi coldly replied, "During the Bai Yujing auction, everything caters to the guests’ needs as a priority; that’s the rule of the Heavenly Residence. I can produce six million Spirit Stones, but at this moment, to bring out an extra ninety thousand pounds of Spiritual Tea in the Central Capital is impossible for both Hidden Stream and myself! We can only swallow this loss ourselves."

He finally softened his tone, asking, "Are those Spiritual Teas still hidden there?"

"...Yes!" She felt unwilling. But what could she do about it? Even if Elder Qi tore up the receipt, the other party still had a copy. Everything on it was true, except for a bit of trickery in the process.

But the Heavenly Residence had always cared only about the outcome, not the process. Who could she possibly appeal to for something even Elder Qi couldn’t manage?

Elder Qi rubbed his brow, saying, "The Chamber of Commerce’s Spiritual Tea supply has fallen short. Even those old folks at the Council of Elders are asking what’s going on! I’ve already sent people out to collect Spiritual Tea. In this vast Central Capital City, nobody can provide ninety thousand pounds, but gathering a few thousand pounds from various places is still possible. We’ll manage until this evening. That’s all; you can go now." Is being a leader really that easy? Sometimes, when a subordinate makes a mess, it’s up to the leader to clean it up.

Understanding his foul mood, Juan Niang didn’t dare say much, bowed, and intended to leave quickly. But just as she reached the door, Elder Qi called her back, saying, "By the way, your maid gave Ning Xiaoxian an expired catalogue. She reported it to Steward Wu. Such a small matter doesn’t need to trouble the Council of Elders. I’ll intercept it for you, but this time you’ll be docked two months of salary."

Juan Niang felt like biting through her silver teeth but could only bow her head, speaking with gratitude, "Thank you, Elder."

This time, that little pest defused the situation once again. Juan Niang clenched her fists tightly, turning pale with rage, feeling a surge of frustration with nowhere to vent. She wanted to scream several times. Who knew when she’d get another chance to deal with her!

#####

Thus, that afternoon, the feedback Ning Xiaoxian received was that the maid responsible for giving her the wrong catalogue was directly dismissed, and First-class Steward Juan Niang was penalized two months’ salary for inadequate supervision.

"Not bad," Ning Xiaoxian smiled. It wasn’t a significant issue initially, and she didn’t expect the Heavenly Residence to severely punish Juan Niang based on this. But it didn’t matter; she didn’t mind providing a better reason, forcing the Heavenly Residence to deal with her.

As for the matter of the Spiritual Tea, no one from the Heavenly Residence came to her. Steward Wu informed her that the issue had yet to escalate to the Council of Elders, so it must be that Juan Niang and Elder Qi were handling it. "Elder Qi surely has to find a way to obtain some Spiritual Tea to resolve the crisis, lest the complaints from the guests and elders grow louder. They probably think that making it through this afternoon will suffice."

Ning Xiaoxian shared a smile with Steward Wu: how could they let these two easily get through this?

They deliberately chose this afternoon to catch their opponents off guard. Ning Xiaoxian knew well the consequences of not killing the snake once struck; back in Atalia Mountain, she let a Wenren Bo slip away, only to have someone plot against her later in Bai Yujing, and indeed, it was impossible to guard against. If not for her bit of Qi Fortune, she would be incredibly flustered this time due to the theft of the Spiritual Tea.

Therefore, this time she had to take down Juan Niang, at least strip her of her power so that the woman couldn’t pose a threat anymore. As for Juan Niang’s backer, Elder Qi, it was all a matter of taking it step by step and countering whatever came her way.

Steward Wu glanced at the exquisite water clock within the box, then at the Water Moon Mirror, suddenly said, "The timing is just right! The show is about to begin."

The eleventh floor had just finished auctioning two Dragon Blood Trees and was now taking a fifteen-minute intermission. The stage was being cleared, and a new auctioneer took over. The Bai Yujing auction lasted four hours every day for seven consecutive days without interruption, so after auctioning seven or eight items, a new batch of auctioneers would take over. Otherwise, this high-intensity job with a fast pace would be unbearable even for cultivators. The audience and guests in the boxes also took the opportunity to drink tea and have some snacks, taking a brief rest.

This was when the Spiritual Tea was consumed the fastest. Thinking of the expressions on Juan Niang and the Elder Qi’s faces, Ning Xiaoxian felt a sense of contentment, even her thoughts became much clearer.

The crisp sound of the Jade Chime rang out, signaling the continuation of the auction. The audience gradually returned to their seats, and the next item was placed on the table.

Under the bright light, everyone could see clearly that they were three gold rings encrusted with gemstones. However, the gemstones were arranged indiscriminately, lacking any beauty and appearing very vulgar. One could only imagine what kind of bad taste their previous owner had to craft them into such a gaudy appearance. Generally, cultivators regarded gold, silver, and jewels as worthless as dirt. However, these jeweled rings caught everyone’s attention for only one reason: they were large-capacity Storage Rings, with capacities of sixty thousand pounds, forty thousand pounds, and thirty thousand pounds, respectively! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian.com, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read on m.qidian.com.)