204: Chapter 204 Black Abyss Mansion

After the people from the three major families had all left, Li Qing had thought he could have a moment of peace to rest properly.

Unexpectedly, the sound of someone visiting came from outside the Immortal Cave again, and this time, the person who came was not the Heiyuan Manor he had anticipated, but the person in charge of Tianyun Tower, one of the eight major chambers of commerce in Heiyuan City.

Although Tianyun Tower did not have a large influence in Heiyuan City, as one of the eight major chambers of commerce in the Yunling Mountain Range, its financial resources were extremely abundant, and its influence in the business world was not even inferior to Ten Great Sects.

The person in charge visited in person with an equally respectful attitude, and the olive branch they offered was different from that of the three major families.

Tianyun Tower did not require Li Qing to attach himself to them; they only needed to reach an exclusive cooperation agreement with Tianyun Tower, where all the Medicinal Pill he refined would be handed over to Tianyun Tower to sell on his behalf.

In exchange, Tianyun Tower would provide Li Qing with all the top-tier Spirit Medicine needed for Alchemy, at a price 30% lower than the market, and would also use the chamber of commerce's intelligence network spread throughout the city to inquire about news for Li Qing, help him avoid pursuit by enemies, and simultaneously ensure his personal safety.

The conditions were very tempting, with a high degree of freedom, and he would not need to be bound by any force.

However, Li Qing had no good feelings toward Tianyun Tower; Manager Chai Jie had played a significant role in why he was wanted by the Houtu Sect in the first place.

Li Qing had never forgotten this grudge, but the world of Cultivate was so vast that he had never had the opportunity to meet Manager Chai Jie!

Li Qing declined Tianyun Tower on the spot.

Just as the people from Tianyun Tower left, the representative from Jubao Pavilion also arrived right after.

Jubao Pavilion mainly dealt in high-end Magical Artifact and treasure auctions, possessing deep financial resources and even wider connections. The cooperation conditions they offered were even more generous than those of Tianyun Tower.

They promised to provide Li Qing with an exclusive Alchemy chamber, an unlimited supply of Spirit Medicine Materials, a 50/50 split of the profits from the sale of Medicinal Pill, and Jubao Pavilion could use its own connections to resolve the warrants from the Houtu Sect and the Du Family for Li Qing.

With two top-tier chambers of commerce visiting to show goodwill in succession, Li Qing was also a bit surprised.

He had originally thought that only Family forces relying on Cultivate to establish themselves would be eager to recruit an Alchemist; he had not expected these commercial giants to also have their eyes on him as a piece of fat meat.

After receiving wave after wave of visitors, the Immortal Cave finally returned to quiet.

Li Qing sat on the stone stool, tapping his fingers on the tabletop, thinking to himself.

The Wang Family, Huang Family, Su Family, as well as Tianyun Tower and Jubao Pavilion—the five major forces had all come to his door one after another, each with their own advantages, and the conditions they offered each had different focuses.

Yet, only the Heiyuan Manor, which should have been the decision-maker in Heiyuan City, had remained completely silent so far.

Logically speaking, Heiyuan Manor was the highest authority in the entire city. As a descendant of Patriarch Black Abyss, City Lord Zhu Changsheng possessed profound cultivation and the most solid Foundation. It stood to reason that they should have been the first to come knocking and the force most eager to recruit him.

After all, as long as they controlled him, a Tier 2 Alchemist, they could steadily suppress all Family forces in the city and further consolidate the ruling status of Heiyuan Manor.

Yet, until now, Heiyuan Manor had neither sent anyone to deliver a message nor shown any signs of visiting, as if they were completely unaware of what had happened in the market.

This aroused a trace of doubt in Li Qing's heart.

Was it that Heiyuan Manor simply did not take him seriously, feeling that a Tier 2 Alchemist was not worth them coming forward personally?

Or was it that City Lord Zhu Changsheng was planning something else, wanting to wait and see, waiting for the right moment to strike all at once and use tougher conditions to control him directly?

Or perhaps, was Heiyuan Manor wary of something, making it inconvenient to come forward for the time being?

Various thoughts flashed through Li Qing's mind.

He knew in his heart that with Heiyuan Manor delaying their move, this matter was definitely not simple.

Compared to the three major families and chambers of commerce that were eager for quick success, the forbearance of Heiyuan Manor was actually something that required more vigilance.

After all, in this lawless land of Heiyuan City, Heiyuan Manor held the power of life and death. If the other party truly wanted to deal with him, or forcibly recruit him, even with the protection of other forces, he would fall into great trouble.

Thinking of this, Li Qing composed himself and stopped letting his imagination run wild.

Regardless of what calculations the other party was making, he would meet force with force and water with earth.

...

After sending off the people from Jubao Pavilion, the area outside the Immortal Cave was finally completely quiet.

Waves of forces had taken turns visiting, from the three old-established families to the two top-tier chambers of commerce. For an entire afternoon, Li Qing was almost never idle, spending the whole time dealing with the recruitment and goodwill of various parties.

He sat alone on the stone stool in the Immortal Cave, letting out a slight sigh of relief. Tapping his fingertips on the stone table, he calmly reviewed the conditions offered by all the forces just now, and began to carefully weigh the trade-offs in his mind.

The Wang Family's strength lay in stable resources and secure protection; backed by an old-established Family, they had a solid Foundation in the city and could provide him with a stable environment to Cultivate.

The Huang Family was the most generous, pulling out all the stops with Magic Treasure, Spirit Stone, and Immortal Cave, offering the most favorable treatment.

The Su Family focused on freedom, with the least amount of restriction, not interfering much with his rhythm of Cultivate and Alchemy.

The two chambers of commerce that arrived later took a completely different path.

Tianyun Tower and Jubao Pavilion did not rely on force protection to keep people; they focused on business cooperation, with sufficient resource supply and a high degree of freedom. He would not need to live under someone else's roof and look at their faces; they only talked about mutually beneficial interests, without the constraints of Sect or Family rules.

Yet, Li Qing hesitated about who to choose.

Just as he was deep in thought and unable to make up his mind, a movement different from before finally came from outside the Immortal Cave.

There was no hurried announcement, no noisy crowd of attendants; instead, an invisible, heavy pressure slowly enveloped the entire Immortal Cave area.

The Spiritual Qi of the entire world seemed to stagnate slightly, so quiet that it made one's heart panic.

Li Qing's eyes moved, and he instantly reacted—the people from Heiyuan Manor had arrived!

And this steady, vast aura was definitely not something that ordinary Elders or deacons in the mansion could possess.

He immediately stood up, pushed open the stone door of the Immortal Cave, and walked out.

Looking up, only one middle-aged figure stood at the entrance of the Immortal Cave, wearing a dark brocade robe. His face was dignified and steady, his aura restrained and not flashy, yet he carried an aura of a superior who held the power of life and death over a region.

Even just standing there quietly, he made the surrounding air become incomparably heavy.

It was none other than the number two figure in Heiyuan City, the Black Abyss Mansion Master!

Li Qing was slightly taken aback in his heart.

He had anticipated that Heiyuan Manor would send someone—perhaps an Elder or a deacon—but he never expected that the other party would give him the greatest courtesy—the Black Abyss Mansion Master visiting in person!

This treatment directly crushed all the previous forces.

The three major families had at most sent their Family Heads or Grand Elder, and the two major chambers of commerce had only sent their branch managers. Only Heiyuan Manor had sent the Black Abyss Mansion Master to visit in person, which was enough to show that Heiyuan Manor ultimately valued his worth extremely highly.

Seeing Li Qing walk out of the Immortal Cave, the Black Abyss Mansion Master did not have a shred of arrogance of a superior on his face; instead, he nodded slightly, his tone peaceful and polite, completely setting aside the airs of the highest government office in Black Abyss.

"Alchemist Li, I am the Black Abyss Mansion Master. I have been tied up with trivial matters in the city, so I only found time to visit today, disturbing your peace."

His attitude was humble and his etiquette was perfect, leaving no room for criticism.

Li Qing also returned the salute with a respectful expression:

"Mansion Master is too polite, please come in and take a seat."

After all, he was a Core Formation Master, so Li Qing did not dare to be careless.

The two entered the Immortal Cave and sat down. Without any superfluous pleasantries, the Black Abyss Mansion Master went straight to the point and stated the true purpose of his visit.

"The matter in the market today is known to the whole city. Fellow Daoist is young yet has mastered Rank 2 Alchemy, with peerless talent. After enduring and biding your time for half a year, you have made a stunning impression in one go, which is truly rare."

"I have come today not for anything else, but to represent Heiyuan Manor and formally recruit you, Fellow Daoist."