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Listening to the landlady’s incessant storytelling, Chen Qing finally managed to grasp the situation here.

As he had suspected, once the Giant Serpent of the Northern Territory had revived the basic scale of the Earth Python, those guilds stopped their foolish short-sighted exploitation.

Moreover, the situation in the Central Plains was too sensitive, and many were afraid to act rashly.

Combined with the fact that resources would first come from the Arctic, the mortals here in the Northern Wasteland became targets for proselytism.

Proselytism was the best way to attract followers and also the most effective way to control the common people. Chen Qing had anticipated this, but he hadn’t expected Zi Yue to achieve such a complete victory.

Logically, when Zi Yue arrived, the guilds that had been infiltrating the noble families of Northern Wolf City for the past year should have already been firmly established, especially the Dark Moon Sect.

According to the messages from Weichi Peng, nearly every household still displayed black lanterns just a month ago in Northern Wolf City.

The Dark Moon Sect was extremely adept at spreading its doctrine because it was backed by the Yin Spirit.

First it would use Evil Spirits to create panic, then provide shelter with black lanterns, which was very effective in making people dependent, it must be said that the Shenwu Guild established by the Sunnyside Kingdom chose this method, which was indeed in line with their characteristics.

Even when the Solaris Sect, which had recently conquered three cities, arrived, Chen Qing didn’t think they would gain any advantage. However, Zi Yue, who had no foundation at all, turned the situation around in just ten days. What on earth did he do?

"So did the Dark Moon Sect just disappear after that?" Shen Qi asked curiously.

According to what was said, during that time, every household displayed black lanterns, and every one of them believed in the Dark Moon Sect. That kind of influence, even the Emperor would face some trouble trying to win over Jiangnan, wouldn’t he?

How could it be that easy?

"Well..." Faced with this question, the landlady seemed to become somewhat troubled.

Seeing this, Chen Qing smiled and handed over a lustrous piece of Warm Jade, which immediately brightened her eyes.

"Is the gentleman from Jiangnan?" The landlady looked at the Warm Jade with both fear and reluctance.

Such a huge piece, just by the looks of it, it was far better than those cracked and distorted jade pieces her family had spent a lot of money on...

If she sold it, it could be worth more than a fortune!

This gentleman is very generous, but the more generous the gesture, the more vigilant people become...

"Don’t be afraid, landlady..." Chen Qing smiled and said, "We are indeed from Jiangnan. We are from the Shen Family of Jiangnan."

"The Shen Family?" The landlady was immediately startled. The Shen Family’s reputation wasn’t just prominent in Jiangnan; it was also well-known in the Northern Wasteland.

They had brazenly married the Wind King from their Northern Yan, which had annoyed many common folk since had the Wind King been around, it wouldn’t have been possible to lose the sixteen cities of Yanyun.

Chen Qing nodded. "Our monarch suddenly declared fealty, and our Shen Family was also unclear about the situation. But there’s a huge business opportunity here, and we certainly can’t fall behind.

Like this Warm Jade, our Shen Family has the best quality and the lowest costs.

If the landlady is willing to be our forward base, we can even offer the latest exotic wines from Jiangnan. "

This statement made the landlady’s heart pound.

Jiangnan exotic wine...

With the cold climate in the Northern Territory, strong drinks are favored; the soft and mellow wines from Jiangnan used to be quite unpopular here.

But ever since the King of Qin took control, a myriad of exquisite wines has emerged, each kind setting the market ablaze.

If her place could become the frontier outpost.. .

She could almost see herself counting gold on a bed of golden leaves with her eyes closed!

Swallowing her saliva, the landlady still cautiously sat down, whispering, "If the gentleman is here to do business, why the need to inquire about these matters?"

"Of course, it’s for safety..." Shen Qi also laughed, "Since we’re coming to do business, we naturally have to invest a large sum of money. If safety can’t be guaranteed, wouldn’t that be throwing money down the drain?"

"Safety, safety!" the proprietress nodded repeatedly, "Very safe indeed, with those giant serpents guarding, neither demon beasts nor bandits dare to cause trouble on the road - it’s really safe!"

"But just now, madam, you clearly said that in this city, there are attacks by evil spirits..."

"That was before, created by that group of bastards from the Dark Moon Sect," the proprietress cursed without minding her image, "I saw it from the beginning, those guys were up to no good. In Northern Wolf City, for generations, there hadn’t been any incidents of evil spirits attacking people. The chaos caused by the Northern Earth Pythons has been going on for so long without such occurrences. It just so happens that those bastards come preaching, and then the attacks start happening. Can’t people see what’s going on?

But because they had people backing them, the common folks didn’t dare speak out even though they were angry. "

"Someone was backing them?" Shen Qi’s expression turned mysterious.

"That’s right..." The proprietress pursed her lips and lowered her voice, "It was those noble families that started the practice of hanging black lanterns. After the attacks by evil spirits happened, the ordinary people started following suit and hung black lanterns."

"Then why, even though noble families were backing them, did the Dark Moon Sect disappear so quickly?"

"Doesn’t it mean that order has been restored?

" The proprietress smiled, "His Majesty, wise and valiant, saw the troublesome atmosphere in Northern Wolf City and immediately chose to submit to Jiangnan.

Just like that, within a day, those noble families turned around, took the lead in banning the hanging of black lanterns, and those creepy, ghostly Mingyue Sect followers vanished into thin air within a few days.

Moreover..." she added, "there have been no further incidents of so-called evil spirits attacking people. "

"The guests may not know this, but ever since we became one with you folks from Jiangnan, this place has gotten a lot better."

"Better in what way?" Chen Qing asked with a smile while sipping tea.

"I can’t exactly say, but it feels like that anxious feeling from last month is gone, the poultry in the backyard are much calmer and willing to eat their food obediently now, the people on the streets who had become violent, their tempers have improved a lot, and my own mood has inexplicably improved a great deal.

Isn’t that definitely reaping some good fortune? "

"Madam, you really have a way with words," Shen Qi immediately chuckled.

"It’s true..." the proprietress laughed, "I don’t know why, but when that damn Dark Moon Sect was here, I frequently had nightmares, all about my late husband’s sinister face staring at me, couldn’t sleep day or night.

But ever since His Majesty announced our submission to Jiangnan, that feeling disappeared overnight.

These last few days..." she said, "I’ve been eating well and sleeping well, and my complexion has gotten much better. "

"That’s true, madam, you do look rosy and healthy; you must’ve had a good few days," Shen Qi nodded and replied, offering polite compliments regardless of whether they were true or not.

Chen Qing didn’t think the woman was merely offering platitudes.

Once this place became part of the domain of the spirit paths and received a share of Jiangnan’s fortune, and as the city’s people felt a sense of belonging and accumulated virtue, even a slight distribution could reduce the local malevolence.

In an era where spiritual energy was recovering, the less malevolence there was, the more harmonious nature’s spiritual energy, the more comfortably people would live – it was a natural phenomenon.

"What about the other sects?" Chen Qing asked, "Did they disappear along with the Dark Moon Sect?"

"Not that..." the other party shook her head, "There are still many sects preaching on regular days, and it seems our Imperial Concubine has also started believing in a certain sect..."

"The Beiyu Queen Dowager?" Chen Qing smiled, "I’ve had several dealings with that daughter from the Beiyu Family in Jiangnan. I don’t suppose you could introduce me to the Imperial Concubine?"

"This...." The proprietress hesitated upon hearing this.

"We’re not in this business for small gains; naturally, we need a solid backing.

" Chen Qing smiled as he took out another piece of Warm Jade and handed it over, "Here we are, looking for connections. If madam has a suitable channel, we won’t bother checking with others. Upon success, we’ll certainly not forget your share of the benefits. "

"Look at you talking..." The proprietress chuckled as she took the Warm Jade, weighing it slightly - heavier than the last, a true treasure indeed. These two were really generous with their spending; they must truly be from the Shen Family.

This was a big business deal. Although the Imperial Concubine had sent word recently that the situation in the Imperial Palace was complicated and advised against entering the palace unless necessary, such a big deal would be missed if she hesitated. She had to give it a try...