Ikasa reached his Villa when it was dinner time. All the key members of Gold Heart Business Group minus Gu Dan were waiting for him at the dining table.

Taking a seat at the center of the table, Ikasa listened to the reports from Yin Ying about changes in Birch City in his absence.

The City Lord had found the secret hide out of the Dark Fang, the bandit gang Ikasa had helped eliminate on his way to Beech City. He had sent a portion of loot over as a goodwill gesture.

“How much did he send?” Xin Ruo asked since she was also managing the finances of GHBG along with Chu Kuang.

“They found loot worth around 80,000 gold coins. Commander Lu Shao sent twenty thousand gold to us.”

Chu Kuang answered as he was the one who received the gift on behalf of GHBG.

Ikasa was not bothered by the smaller percentage. He already received the most precious item in Dark Fang’s possession, the Spatial Storage Bracelet.

If City Lord came to know about the 100 energy stones Ikasa found inside the Bracelet, his intestines would turn green with regret.

Yin Ying continued her briefing after the small interruption.

A few merchants had formed a caravan together to initiate trades with Beech City. The Security of the Port had been beefed up and some other administrative decisions that did not concern Ikasa directly.

Caretaker Han brought out the hot food as her briefing came to an end. Just as everyone was about to dig in, Yin Ying gave him another piece of news.

“Path Finder Zhen Ya briefly stopped by the City Lord’s mansion a week ago.”

Ikasa slowly nodded as he took a sip of water.

‘No wonder, I did not see her in Beech City.’

A week ago, Ikasa was still in Beech City, fulfilling the order for the He Family. He had expected Path Finder Zhen Ya would find him at least once to talk about Mu Shi’s demise, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Commander Qian had also avoided him after he had come out from the Rift. So, Ikasa had not stayed for too long in Beech City and departed as soon as he had handed over the manuals to the young master He Qing.

“Do you know what the meeting was about?”

Ikasa asked, picking up a slice of cold cucumber from the salad tray.

“I don’t know what they talked about, but her visit was very short and she left the City after an hour.”

Yin Ying answered, after she finished chewing the food in her mouth. The answer was disappointing but if the meeting directly concerned Ikasa, City Lord Zhen would’ve found him by now.

The dinner continued as the people around the table engaged in mundane chatter.

Feng Yan bragged about the recent adventures and escapades in the Rift. He did not miss the chance to tease Chu Kuang who had been left behind in Birch City.

“Brother Chu, you were once my Vice-Captain! Now all you are doing is uprooting weeds in the fields. We should go on an adventure together to exercise your bones and muscles.”

“Keep your hot-blooded thoughts to yourself, Captain. I am happy managing my Herb Garden.”

“What kind of life is that?” Feng Yan snorted in derision.

To shut Feng Yan up, Chu Kuang began to talk about his successes in cultivating new herbs and medicines.

“Do you even know how well my Herb Shop is doing? Just today, I sold 30 gold worth of medicine. Do you even earn that much in a month?”

Feng Yan looked at Ikasa recentfully. His salary was his real sore spot as Ikasa forbade him from talking about it. The old man angrily stabbed the meat in his plate and occupied his mouth with something other than talking.

Chu Kuang gloated while others watched the exchange between the two old men with amusement. The smiles on the others’ faces made Feng Yan fume even more.

‘What is the point of having a high salary if I cannot brag about it?’

Feng Yan thought as he looked at Ikasa with annoyance. Sensing his irked gaze, Ikasa decided to change the subject.

“Uncle Chu, do you have any trustworthy candidates who can manage a shop in a Tier-2 Elm City?”

Ikasa asked Chu Kuang as he cut into a piece of meat on his plate. As the person who managed all the families dependent on him, Ikasa knew there was no better person to ask this question than him.

Chu Kuang fell into thought. For a shopkeeper, the ability to complete basic arithmetic calculations rapidly was a must. There were only a few people that came to his mind who possessed this ability.

Another point was they should not be intimidated easily.

Since this was a Tier-2 City, Chu Kuang thought that the Shopkeeper would have to be a Sense Trainer at the least to protect the shop. This point alone eliminated all the prospective candidates in his mind.

That left only him. He looked at Ikasa with conflict in his eyes.

“If Boss Ikasa wants me to go to Elm City, I am willing to obey your orders.”

Ikasa paused in his actions upon seeing the resolve on Chu Kuang’s face. He looked like he was about to sacrifice his first baby.

It did not take him time to understand that Chu Kuang had misunderstood him.

Ikasa closed his open mouth and slowly put the piece of meat in his chopsticks back on the plate. He looked at Chu Kuang with his lips twitching slightly.

“If you go, who will look after the Herb Garden?”

Chu Kuang struggled to answer the question. He was reluctant to handover his passion project to anyone else.

Ikasa waved his hand at him dismissively and said.

“Uncle Chu, it is okay if you do not have any candidates for the post of Shopkeeper. I will recruit one either here in Birch City or from Elm City.”

Chu Kuang became confused. ‘Is recruiting Sense Trainers so easy?’ He thought to himself and asked Ikasa.

“How will you find a Sense Realm Expert who can perform arithmetics rapidly and is still willing to work under you?”

Ikasa was stunned by the question. He was interrupted once again just as he was about to put the meat in his mouth. Irked, he first ate the meat and savored it.

The crispy outer skin crunched under his teeth. Then came the hot and soft tenderness of the meat. The juices from the piece were released in his mouth, sending him to Foodie Nirvana.

A second later, Ikasa opened his eyes and looked at Chu Kuang who was still waiting for the answer.

“Who said I wanted a Sense Trainer to manage the Shop?”

“Eh?” Chu Kuang was taken aback. He quickly asked, “Then what about security….?”

After listening to this question, Ikasa understood what was the problem. Chu Kuang had made the assumption from the security point of view. So, he was not to be blamed.

“You do not have to worry about it, Uncle Chu. I have already taken care of the problem. Whoever we send will be protected by the Nian Clan.”

Chu Kuang looked at Ikasa dubiously. He did not know much about the powers outside Birch City and Sal City. Hence, he had never heard of this Nian Clan.

“Uncle Chu, their Clan Leader is a peak Chakra Sensing Realm Expert. They also have few other Path Finders as Elders.”

Xin Ruo supplemented the gaps in Chu Kuang’s information. Listening to the lineup, the eyes of Chu Kuang and Yin Ying widened. They looked at Ikasa to confirm what they had just heard.

These people had very few interactions with Path Finders. So, they still held them in high regard. For them, what Ikasa did was unthinkable.

They could not fathom how Gold Heart Business Group, a power without a single Path Finder, could ally themselves with the Nian Clan, who had multiple of them.

“Why are you not telling them the most shocking piece of information?”

Feng Yan asked Xin Ruo as he found a chance to retaliate. His words made Chu Kuang and Yin Ying brace themselves for another shock.

The old man looked both of them in the eye and slowly said, “The guardian elder of the Nian Clan is a Chakra Opening Realm Expert. A genuine Chakra Sage!”

Feng Yan announced the news as if he was the one who orchestrated the alliance. A gloating smile emerged on his face as he saw their jaws drop.

No matter how Chu Kuang or Yin Ying prepared themselves, they were not ready to hear this big of a news.

Chakra Opening Realm Experts were considered gods in tier-3 Cities. The number of people who have seen a Chakra Sage in these Cities could be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Now, Feng Yan was saying that their shop will be protected by such a god-like existence?

How could Chu Kuang believe it?

He looked at Ikasa with askance. When he received his nod, the gaze in Chu Kuang’s eyes became even more fervent. His gaze was so respectful that Ikasa thought he might get down on his knees and worship him.

Ikasa smiled and slightly shook his head.

‘If these guys learned about the number of Chakra Sages in the He Family and the Zhen Family, they may be the first casualties of heart attack in the Cultivation World!’

The information about these families was only known to Xin Ruo and himself. Chu Kuang only knew about the details of transactions.

By revealing the power of the forces they were dealing with, Ikasa did not want to scare them witless.

Chu Kuang took a few moments to calm his rapidly beating heart. Yin Ying had a more subdued reaction but her breathing was also heavy, belying her excitement.

Ikasa quietly enjoyed his meat while Chu Kuang  thought of a suitable candidate. After the meat in his plate was all transferred to his stomach, Chu Kuang suggested a name.

“I have one candidate. His name is Zhong Xi.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep