Imperial Capital.
Li Wei looked at the [Crown Prince Feiheng] special event, which had already appeared at the location of the Merchant Li Family in the Imperial Capital.
If one were to speak of the greatest changes within the clan, it would undoubtedly be the great merchant house under Li Yuanshang.
Having moved among the descendants in recent years, Li Wei had heard rumors about the Merchant Li Family.
Everyone said that as long as you knew what the other party desired—and provided it existed in this world—the Merchant Li Family could make even Body Integration Realm cultivators risk their lives for them.
That was certainly an exaggeration, but it was enough to show just how wealthy the Merchant Li Clan had become after Li Yuanshang slowly took over parts of the Heavenly Principles Hall's business.
[You bestowed upon your descendant, Li Yuanshang, a wealth of modern commercial knowledge.
After decades of bitter study and practical application, Li Yuanshang has acquired the trait: Cultivation World Capitalist.]
[Business Ability increased by 100%.]
[Acquired Trait: Capitalist]
[Your descendant, Li Yuanshang, sits in possession of the cultivation world's premier hotel, the "Tower of Prodigies."
An Aptitude Testing Stele is set up outside the entrance; only those with qualified aptitude may enter and reside there.
Disciples of Great Clans and Sects flock to it in droves.
If one has not stayed there for a few days, they become a laughingstock among their peers.
The reservation list for the Tower of Prodigies is currently booked out for more than 50 years...]
[The Heavenly Principles Hall has established a "Slash-a-Price" Stele.
The stele contains layers of obstacles; the deeper a cultivator slashes into it, the greater the discount they receive.
Friends can also come along to assist in the slashing.
The Heavenly Principles Hall storefronts are packed like marketplaces, and business is explosive...]
[Established the "Immortal Scavenger" Black Market.
Cultivators consign treasures within, with the capital shared jointly with the Immortal Suppression Division, collecting transaction fees in the process...]
In the most prosperous district of the Imperial Capital, a massive residence could be seen—the Li Residence.
It was truly a hall filled with gold and jade, exuding an air of extravagant nobility.
On the surface, compared to this mansion of the Merchant Li family, the Merit Grotto-Heaven looked like nothing more than a destitute household.
A crane descended from the clouds and entered the Li Residence.
A rotund, fleshy man came rushing out of the main hall in a hurry.
He looked no different from a ball, yet he was draped in gold and silver, jingling and jangling as he ran.
This was none other than "Big Fatty Li," "Great Benefactor Li," and "Great Merchant Li," who was currently the hottest topic in the Imperial Capital.
As for the title of "Benefactor," it stemmed simply from Li Yuanshang distributing charity everywhere.
Only by doing so could he preserve such a massive family fortune without inviting the covetous eyes of others.
Upon seeing Li Yuanshang's appearance, the corner of Li Wei's mouth twitched.
Back then, Su Chen had wanted to help Li Yuanshang lose weight, and he actually went through with it.
Well, that diet lasted two years.
Li Yuanshang didn't change a bit, but Su Chen returned to the Azure Cloud Prefecture filled with shame, having grown a full size rounder himself.
He is currently still in seclusion within the Myriad Dao Pagoda, claiming his Dao Heart was polluted by worldly prosperity and that he needs to properly consolidate his mind.
Li Yuanshang scrambled to the front of the courtyard.
His hurried, clumsy movements made the surrounding retainers anxiously surround the great tycoon, terrified he might trip and fall.
Arriving before the crane, a member of the Heavenly Principles Hall's Dark Division delivered a Jade Slip.
Li Yuanshang took it, and a golden light sank into his glabella.
Having received the message from his elder, a look of joy plastered itself onto his face.
"Good, good, good! Grandfather indeed shares my thoughts.
He is just a Crown Prince, after all; what real benefit could he possibly bring to our family?
It is good that Grandfather and the Clan Elders understand this clearly!"
No sooner had his voice faded than a family retainer approached.
"Reporting to the Family Head: the Crown Prince is currently on his way to visit."
"Mm. Go and prepare a banquet."
Li Yuanshang waved his hand dismissively and returned to the main hall.
As he walked, he casually tossed a handful of Grade 7 and Grade 8 pills into his mouth.
If anyone were to see this, they would undoubtedly cry out in shock.
Rumors claimed that the Head of the Merchant Li Clan was only at the Golden Core Realm; typically, consuming such pills required careful digestion to avoid bursting one's meridians.
Yet this man ate them by the handful without suffering the slightest issue!
Before long, the children of the Merchant Lineage arrived.
Over forty of them gathered, every single one an expert in trade.
Li Yuanshang smiled.
"Children, remember this well.
Crown Prince Feiheng possesses monstrous power and authority.
The world knows that our Li Main Family has an extraordinary relationship with him. However, precisely because of this, we must avoid the limelight while it is at its fiercest.
If anyone dares to try and borrow the Crown Prince's momentum, I will send you to the Silver Moon Branch Family to mine for ore."
Hearing this, the faces of the children of the Merchant Lineage changed drastically.
To their ears, the Silver Moon Branch Family was synonymous with the Underworld.
The location of the Silver Moon Branch Family was truly a desolate backwater; the only thing in abundance there was Spirit Ore.
Even Li Xinjue, the Head of the Silver Moon Branch Family, had to personally go underground to mine.
Many members of the Merchant Lineage had been punished by being sent there; for three to five months, they wouldn't see the light of day, nor would they taste a single drop of grease.
Seeing the terrified look on the children's faces, Li Yuanshang felt immensely gratified.
The name of Clan Great-Uncle Xinjue was absolutely a supreme weapon in his management of the family.
Glancing around the group, Li Yuanshang furrowed his brows. "Where is Jianguo?"
"Reporting to Grandfather, Eldest Uncle Jianguo went to the Heavenly Palace," a grandson responded.
Hearing this, Li Yuanshang's face lit up with joy.
"Good lad. He finally knows to go to the Heavenly Palace to discuss business with those dignitaries."
Everyone looked at each other in dismay.
Finally, one of them smiled bitterly and said, "Eldest Uncle Jianguo... he went to the Heavenly Palace to repair the palaces."
"Bastard!" Li Yuanshang was furious.
Seeing him panting with rage, the children were about to step forward to help soothe the pent-up breath in his chest, but Li Yuanshang roared, "Scram! All of you, scram and go manage the businesses!"
In an instant, the children of the Merchant Lineage scattered like startled birds and beasts.
It took a long time for Li Yuanshang to let out a deep breath, his face filled with worry.
"He ignores this massive family legacy just to go to the Imperial Capital's Ministry of Works. That brat really doesn't understand: 'All walks of life are inferior; only Commerce is supreme.'"
Amidst his gloomy mood, Crown Prince Feiheng arrived, and Li Yuanshang went forward to welcome him.
Back when Li Yuanshang was still with the main family, he had spent much time with Feiheng.
At that time, the young farmer who worked in the fields all day was often secretly mocked by the commoners of Merit City.
They ridiculed him, saying that after more than a hundred years, this young farmer still had no wife, no children, and no grandchildren—a solitary man, truly desolate.
But who could have known that in the blink of an eye, he would become a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, transforming into Crown Prince Feiheng?
At the banquet, clad in a purple python robe, Feiheng wore a genial expression, looking every bit like a family elder.
Li Yuanshang was all too familiar with this expression; the King of Qian, who had once been imprisoned in their home, had looked just like this.
Grandfather had also remarked that people like this possessed deep shrewdness.
His own grandfather wore this look too, though he was genuinely kind in both demeanor and heart.
"Yuanshang, during these years I vied for the Crown Prince's position in the Imperial Capital, it was thanks to your mediation that I could build ties with so many dignitaries and experts.
Even my connections with the Heavenly Light Sect and the Imperial Preceptor's Min family were thanks to you acting as the bridge."
Feiheng smiled as he stroked the jade ring on his little finger.
"Don't say that I, as your elder, am blaming you—but have you started treating me as an outsider?"
At these words, Li Yuanshang instantly became flustered. "Please don't say that! I... I..."
For a moment, he actually stammered incoherently.
Feiheng grew increasingly satisfied.
"I was just teasing you. You are just like the youth you once were—getting anxious at the slightest scare.
I came this time to help you. You already possess wealth, so what else do you desire?"
Li Yuanshang froze for a moment, then burst into joy.
"That's wonderful! Let me tell you, I've found that Min Family Patriarch to be an eyesore for ages. Now that I have Spirit Stones and you have power, together we are invincible!
That Min family became in-laws with me, yet they look down on people so much.
Help me out here; let's go to the Min residence together. I want to slap him in the face!"
"...."
The muscles on Feiheng's face twitched.
"I want to beat up Min Youguo too!"
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