Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Hand Over Ye Zhao Zhao

Sweat broke out on Steward Qiu’s forehead under Lin Qing Ling’s stare. He wiped it and waved fast: “No, no, that’s not it, I…”

Immortal Ling Xu spoke up at once, firm and pleased with himself: “Steward Qiu, why are you afraid of her? The Artifact Pavilion has been in our market for a hundred years with a solid reputation. Which Sword Sect Disciple hasn’t bought from you? I trust Steward Qiu’s character.”

He lifted his chin and said, as if passing judgment: “Since Steward Qiu came here, it proves Li Shuang’s character has problems.”

He looked at Lin Qing Ling with a hint of delight and said: “Peak Master Lin, I told you, you judged her wrong.”

He had been the one to give up on Li Shuang. Now only by proving that Li Shuang was truly a petty person could he show everyone that Immortal Ling Xu’s eye had never been wrong.

Lin Qing Ling’s voice turned colder as her fingers brushed her hilt: “Peak Master Lin,” Immortal Ling Xu said with a mocking smile, “are you planning to cover for her?”

Lin Qing Ling answered, each word crisp: “I don’t think Li Shuang did anything wrong.”

Immortal Ling Xu raised a brow and said, as if it were obvious: “If she did nothing wrong, why would Steward Qiu come?”

Steward Qiu finally found room to speak. He dabbed at his sweat and said quickly: “No, no, I’m not here for Immortal Maiden Li.” He even shot Li Shuang a flattering look and said: “This was my greed. That Clearheart Jade Pendant belongs to Immortal Maiden Li. She did nothing wrong. She gave me a hard wake-up call that made me come to my senses.”

Lin Qing Ling, who had been half a breath from drawing her sword, blinked. The blade settled back to rest.

Li Shuang looked at him in surprise. [He isn’t here for me?] It was strange. Last time in the market, Steward Qiu had clear malice toward her. After she took a Clearheart Jade Pendant and cost the Treasure Pavilion heavily, why did he seem less hostile now?

Immortal Ling Xu frowned at Steward Qiu and said: “Did Peak Master Lin scare you? Don’t be afraid. As long as reason is on your side, everyone in the Sword Sect will stand up for you.”

Steward Qiu glanced at him and asked, testing him: “So Immortal Ling Xu, you’ll be the first to stand up for me, right?”

Immortal Ling Xu nodded: “Of course.”

Steward Qiu nodded back and said without hesitation: “In that case, please have Immortal Ling Xu’s little Disciple give us an explanation.”

His cold gaze locked onto Ye Zhao Zhao.

Ye Zhao Zhao’s body trembled. Her eyes darted in panic.

Li Shuang paused. [Ye Zhao Zhao? So he came for her.] She thought of the figure on the second floor and felt even more sure.

Ye Zhao Zhao forced out a weak protest, her voice guilty and thin: “I don’t even know you, so what explanation could I give?”

Immortal Ling Xu’s brows drew tight as he said: “Steward Qiu, Zhao Zhao hasn’t gone to the market these days. Why bring her up? Li Shuang used to be my First Disciple. Are you mixing them up?”

He still tried to push the matter toward Li Shuang.

Steward Qiu’s lips curled in a cold smile as he said: “No chance. A few years ago, a rogue cultivator with the surname Ye came to the Treasure Pavilion. She said she wanted to work with us. She would come up with ideas, we would execute, and after earning spirit stones, we would give her a cut.”

He went on: “She really did give many ideas. Five years ago, the Double Eleven sale. Four years ago, the red envelope spirit stones promotion. Those were all hers. I admit the Treasure Pavilion’s revenue went up these years, and I paid her the agreed share.”

Faces around the courtyard changed. Even Meng Yi Fei looked Ye Zhao Zhao over a few more times. The Artifact Pavilion and the Treasure Pavilion had rolled out fresh promotions year after year; he had sighed before that modern business was getting creative. He hadn’t expected the ideas to be Ye Zhao Zhao’s work.

Immortal Ling Xu snapped: “If that’s so, my Disciple helped your numbers. Didn’t she do you a big favor? Why come to accuse her now?”

Steward Qiu clenched his teeth and said: “Ye Zhao Zhao’s plans did push people to spend more. She also taught me tricks behind the scenes. For buy-one-get-one, the free bottle had pills with half the potency. For Double Eleven, we slowly raised prices for a month, then dropped them on the day. Doing that boosted revenue, but over the last five years, our century-old reputation kept falling.”

Immortal Ling Xu’s face tightened as he said: “Don’t try to drag Zhao Zhao into your mess. She would never suggest such things. You got greedy and made foolish choices, and now you want to dump them on her.”

Steward Qiu let out a short, harsh laugh and said: “I do have major faults. I’ve already admitted them to Guest Elder Hong. The Treasure Pavilion will punish me. But can Ye Zhao Zhao just walk away?”

He stared at Ye Zhao Zhao, his eyes sticky and cold like a snake’s, and said: “Leave the past aside. Four hours ago, Ye Zhao Zhao came to me again. She gave me the blind box plan and asked for no share at all.”

Chang Le An stepped in front of Ye Zhao Zhao and shouted: “My Junior Sister gave you a free idea. What, that still isn’t good enough for you?”

Steward Qiu answered, voice like ice: “She had one condition, that I set a trap to empty Immortal Maiden Li’s entire purse.”

People turned to look at Li Shuang. She wasn’t surprised. When she saw the shadow on the second floor, she had already guessed. Now Steward Qiu only confirmed it.

“Nonsense,” Chang Le An trembled with anger as he said: “Zhao Zhao was at Ling Xu Peak taking care of Second Senior Brother. Four hours ago, how could she be in the market? Say it, did Li Shuang bribe you to spout lies here?”

Sheng Yuan glanced at the slightly trembling Ye Zhao Zhao and pressed his lips together. He didn’t want to believe she would do such a thing, but if Ye Zhao Zhao had never left, Second Senior Brother’s heart fire wouldn’t have burned that badly. Four hours ago, they had just left Ling Xu Peak. Junior Sister promised to take good care of Shen Yue, but did she go to the market the moment they turned their backs? His chest ached again and again. [No, it can’t be like this. Absolutely not.]