Chapter 173: Chapter 116: Water Bandits

The eyes of many young ladies from the Noble Families sparkled, their cheeks flushing a faint red as their gazes were involuntarily drawn to his figure.

The patriarchs and stewards of some of the smaller families reacted even more quickly, immediately putting on enthusiastic smiles and stepping forward to greet him.

“Young Master Liu, a pleasure! I’m from the South City Wang Family…”

“Young Master Liu, you look more dashing than ever! I wonder, is your esteemed father well?”

Liu Han handled them with grace, a perfect smile on his face that was neither overly familiar nor arrogant.

Gu Ruo Hua watched Liu Han, who was surrounded by the crowd like the moon by stars, her eyes bright and her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.

She murmured softly, her words filled with a young girl’s longing, “No matter when you see him, Young Master Liu is always so extraordinary…”

Beside her, Li Wan also gazed at Liu Han with admiration, but while her eyes held a similar fondness, her expression was much calmer and more restrained than Gu Ruo Hua’s.

She sighed softly and whispered, “Yes, but a man like that is, in the end, too far out of our reach.”

She firmly suppressed the subtle flutter in her heart with clear-headed reason.

Wu Manqing saw her two friends’ reactions and simply smiled without saying much.

Her gaze, however, drifted more toward the other key figures present, as she pondered how to secure more opportunities for the Wu Family.

Just then, a hearty laugh rang out.

Patriarch Zheng Yuankui of the Zheng Family, surrounded by several core family members, walked up to the high platform at the front of the hall.

The once-noisy hall instantly fell silent, and everyone’s eyes snapped to him in unison.

Zheng Yuankui, a veteran Astral Force expert of Yunlin Prefecture, was not only the helmsman of the Zheng Family but also one of the de facto controllers of the Yunlin Commerce Association.

“Everyone, thank you for your patience.”

Zheng Yuankui stood before the main seat and clasped his hands in a salute to the crowd.

“Patriarch Zheng, you are too kind!”

Everyone present rose to return the gesture.

“Another year comes to a close.”

Zheng Yuankui nodded and got straight to the point. “Thanks to the united efforts of everyone here, the trade routes of Yunlin Prefecture have remained open, and its industries have found some stability. Today’s small gathering is, one, to catch up, and two, to discuss our plans for the coming year. As is tradition, matters concerning the livelihood of the Prefecture City and the security of our trade routes require us to pool our wisdom and efforts, set a course of action, and assign our respective duties.”

His words were concise, cutting directly to the heart of the matter.

This was the core of the Commerce Association’s gathering—dividing the cake.

Under Zheng Yuankui’s oversight, the following proceedings were handled by his son, Zheng Hui, who would negotiate and allocate the various important resources.

First were the big-ticket items: highly profitable industries like Treasure Medicine, minerals, Weapons, and Treasure Fish.

Zheng Hui spoke clearly, laying one lucrative ’resource’ after another on the table.

The top-tier resources were firmly controlled by the Noble Families, leaving the smaller families with no choice but to listen, lacking even the right to interject.

Major commodities essential for the public, such as cloth, tea, and salt, were also allocated one by one.

While not as outrageously profitable as Treasure Medicine or minerals, they offered stability and high volume.

These sectors were also controlled by a few powerful families, who left only the scraps or the rights to operate in specific regions for a few dependent, smaller families to fight over.

As matters were decided one by one, the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly tense.

The representatives of the Noble Families remained calm and composed, while those from the smaller families began to grow restless.

Wu Manqing’s brow furrowed.

Joining the Commerce Association was only the first step in breaking into the Prefecture City. Whether they could gain a firm foothold depended on the allocation of resources and profits.

Treasure Fish was one of the Wu Family’s most important pillar industries right now. The supply chain would directly determine their success or failure next year.

She knew full well that several of the other small families of similar strength present were all eyeing this juicy piece of meat.

The Zheng Family’s attitude was crucial.

Zheng Hui’s gaze swept over the representatives of the few small families awaiting their allocation, finally landing on Wu Manqing—or rather, on Chen Qing, who stood behind her.

Zheng Hui smiled and began, “Alright, next up are the priority supply rights for the mid-range fish markets in the East City Market and the West City Market…”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Chen Qing once more. “Madam Wu, I hear that Brother Chen Qing, the Tributor of your esteemed family, is now serving as a Steward at the Wutai Sect’s Nanzhe Fishery? For Brother Chen to hold the position of Steward at such a young age… his future is boundless.”

Zheng Hui had already thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of all the participating families.

’In my view, while Chen Qing is certainly no match for the dazzling Five Heroes and Seven Talents like Liu Han, Nie Shanshan, and Xiao Bieli, reaching the Early-stage Embrace Pill Power at his age is already a rare achievement.’

’This means his potential isn’t low and his foundation is solid. As long as he doesn’t meet an untimely end, it’s almost a certainty he’ll reach the Mid-stage Embracing Pill Power with time and effort. It’s not even hopeless for him to aim for the Late Stage.’

’A young expert like him, with his background and potential for advancement, is worth the Zheng Family’s goodwill.’

As soon as he said this, the eyes of many people in the hall instantly focused on Chen Qing.

There was surprise, curiosity, and, most of all, envy.

A Wutai Sect Inner Courtyard Disciple, Early-stage Embrace Pill Power, not even twenty years old, and a Fishery Steward!

When combined, these titles carried significant weight.

After all, not everyone could be a genius like the Five Heroes and Seven Talents.

“Young Master, you flatter me.”

Chen Qing smiled and clasped his fist.

Wu Manqing immediately followed up, adopting an even more humble posture. “The Wu Family is only able to prosper thanks to Elder Chen’s unwavering protection of our trade routes. It is truly our greatest fortune.”

Zheng Hui nodded in satisfaction and announced directly, “The priority supply rights for the fish market in the West City Market go to the Wu Family for two years. I trust Madam Wu will manage it well.”

’Two years of priority supply rights!’

Hearing this, Wu Manqing could barely suppress the smile on her face.

This was even better than the best-case scenario she had imagined!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep