"Little Bamboo House and Wind God Commerce had somewhat similar experiences," Liang Yi said as he strolled leisurely down the busy street with his junior sister, holding her hand. He listened to the various hawking cries and focused on explaining to the person beside him the interesting histories of these two powers he had learned about in the forums in his previous life.
"Little Bamboo House, like most intelligence organizations, used to operate underground, selling information without making it known to the public. At that time, Little Bamboo House was only considered a second-rate power."
"It was then that the Tower Master of Little Bamboo House had a brilliant idea. He decided to set up a shop."
"Huh? A shop? Hasn't Little Bamboo House always had a shop?" Su Youyi had some historical knowledge and knew that without a shop, nobody would even know where they sold intelligence.
"Their former shop only sold intelligence and was hidden away. This Tower Master, however, had them establish shops in the most conspicuous places, and they started offering dining and lodging services. Unexpectedly, it became a hit."
"People involved in intelligence naturally have an extremely good understanding of the local people in all aspects. The Tower Master analyzed information from all over the continent, adapted it to the local people's dining and lodging habits, and then spent a lot of money to employ a large group of Spirit Chefs, who were then dispersed to various locations."
"People gradually found that no matter where they went, they could see the signboard of Little Bamboo House. With comfortable lodging and distinctive food, people were willing to go there. As a result of this subconscious influence, Little Bamboo House's ability to make money became extremely formidable, and in no time at all, it became a first-rate power and absorbed all other intelligence organizations."
Liang Yi saw that his junior sister was so engrossed that she even had sugar crumbs around her mouth. He raised his hand and wiped it off for her.
Su Youyi's face blushed with embarrassment. She quickly took out a handkerchief from her Storage Ring and began to wipe his hand, while trying to shift the awkwardness by continuously asking questions:
"What about Wind God Commerce, then?"
"Wind God Commerce originally was known as Wind God Sect, which it still is in fact, but people are just used to calling it Wind God Commerce," Liang Yi said with a muted laugh, watching his junior sister earnestly wiping his hand.
"Wind God Sect had its heyday as a first-rate power before declining to third-rate. Therefore, it was every Sect Master's wish to revive the sect, until they were inspired by Little Bamboo House."
"At that time, the Sect Master of Wind God Sect uttered that shocking adage to the world: 'Martial arts alone cannot save our sect,' and he resolutely decided to forsake martial pursuits for commerce."
Catching Su Youyi's hand, which was almost at the point of rubbing his skin raw, and calming her down, Liang Yi continued:
"The Wind God Sect's Cultivation Technique focused on extreme speed, so they started by running courier services, storing goods in Storage Rings, wisely using Transmission Arrays, and leveraging their advantage to easily accumulate their initial capital. Later on, they used this capital to establish Wind God Commerce, formally starting their venture into commerce, until now becoming the world's foremost commerce house and the only commerce entity among the top powers."
After this historical segment was posted by a forum's popular science expert in a previous life, it sparked great interest among players, who thought the leaders of these two powers really had innovative ideas, creating chain hotels and going into commerce.
After hearing the whole story, Su Youyi was also full of admiration, never expecting that the now prosperous Little Bamboo House and Wind God Commerce had such histories. Worthy of being her senior brother, knowledgeable and talented, these rather ancient histories are rarely understood by anyone, right?
The two had unknowingly reached the center of Pan Yang Town.
Looking at the glittering and magnificent storefront, with signboards emitting Spirit Light and doors triple the size of adjacent shops, Liang Yi was lost for words: This was truly a well-to-do place, where even the signboards and doorframes were turned into Magical Treasures to attract attention.
With too many people at the entrance, Liang Yi did not pay much attention and directly pulled Su Youyi into the door. Many who had obtained something from the outskirts of Ten Thousand Miles Mountain would choose to come here to sell their goods or restock.
Here, the majority were common folk, with no shortage of those hoping to strike it rich overnight. There were fewer Cultivators, mostly Loose Cultivators. Cultivators with the backing of sects rarely came here, as sects have their own production resources and Secret Realms for cultivation advancement.
"Eh? Senior Brother, aren't you buying anything on the first floor?" Su Youyi watched as Liang Yi didn't pause at the opulent first floor, which resembled a palace, nor did he glance at any items there, but headed straight for the staircase leading to the second floor.
"The first floor is for the general populace, the second floor and above are catered for cultivators," Liang Yi casually explained, glancing at the guards by the second floor entrance.
"Please come in, honored guests!" The guards at the entrance saluted the two and respectfully invited Liang Yi and his companion inside.
"Don't you need to check?" Su Youyi was somewhat curious. These guards were only around the late phase of the First Realm, so it's normal that they couldn't discern her peak Third Realm cultivation. Senior Brother's cultivation was also concealed by his ring. Weren't they worried that the two of them were ordinary people who had strayed here by mistake?
"Sect Mistress Su worries too much. Perhaps guards from other commerce houses might not recognize the two of you, but as guards of the Wind God Commerce, it is fundamental for us to remember the notable figures from major forces. There will definitely not be any unpleasant incidents," one of the middle-aged guards earnestly explained.
"As expected of the number one commerce house in the world," Su Youyi sighed with some admiration, recalling the face-slapping plots that she had seen in various stories on the mountain, and had even thought she might encounter one during her trip down the mountain.
After arriving on the second floor, the number of people in the hall was significantly reduced. The decor was no longer predominantly luxurious and opulent, but more about using precious woods as the base, with Spirit Runes as decorations, and lingering spirals of burning incense in the corners, helping one's body to relax. The overall atmosphere at first glance was extremely harmonious, unconsciously bringing the words "elegance" to mind.
"Wow~" this was Su Youyi's first time in such a setting, and she couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation of admiration.
"My surname is Xue. May I know if there's anything I can assist the two distinguished guests with?" Not long after they had arrived, a woman dressed in a light cyan cheongsam approached, her steps graceful like a lilting melody, with a demeanor that was not out of the ordinary.
"Hmm, Miss Xue, do you still have Fuxiang Brew?" Liang Yi looked directly at the woman and mentioned a name.
"Oh?" The woman surnamed Xue looked at Liang Yi with some surprise, not knowing where he heard about this wine, especially since the Wind God Commerce had just discovered it in a Secret Realm and had not yet officially started selling it.
"Sir is very lucky. The wine just arrived yesterday, and we haven't even started selling it yet," adhering to the rule of not probing into the customers' privacy, she chose not to ask, but directly gave a response instead.
"I've always been rather fortunate. Please bring out two bottles," Liang Yi replied with a slight smile. He was, after all, a man observed by the Goddess of Fortune, so who could say his luck was bad?
"No problem, please wait a moment," Miss Xue extended her right hand, leading Liang Yi and company to a quaint partitioned area, inviting them to rest there for a bit.
"I'll go get the wine for Sir. Please wait here for a while~" With a flirtatious lift of her brow, Miss Xue slowly backed out of the room. Being a fan of good looks, she naturally had to tease a man whose appearance, temperament, and background were among the best she'd ever encountered.
"Hmph!" Su Youyi had, of course, witnessed this scene, her arms crossed over her chest, annoyed and irritated!
"Ha ha ha! At such a young age, you're already getting jealous," Liang Yi teased, looking at his junior sister's reaction beside him.
"It's all because Senior Brother is so handsome! Whether it was just now in the street or here, everywhere we go you attract the attention of women," Su Youyi turned her back to Liang Yi, refusing to look at him.
"Hey, can you blame me for that? Am I the one being wronged here? Come on, turn around," Liang Yi was slightly aggrieved—was it his fault for being handsome?
"I won't! I can't get angry when I see your face! If we were to argue, I might end up punishing myself instead," said the junior sister, a comment which left Liang Yi caught between laughter and tears.