A Promise Of Prosperity

Lotus Plaza.

In a room on the second floor, Lu Feng and Elder Fu sat opposite each other, savoring a cup of fragrant tea.

"How are you doing, Nephew Lu? I heard you have some company from back home."

Putting down the empty cup, Lu Feng nodded with a smile on his face, "Yes, apparently my grandfather misses me too much... So they've come to fetch me."

"Haha, Lad, I already know the story. Old Wei is a friend of mine, even though he looks young, he's a few years older than me. When I found out about his arrival in the city, I sent a message. He told me the story of you lad over a cup of tea."

Lu Feng was shocked. He thanked his past self for being considerate enough to weave the same story to both of these old geezers.

With the familiar sheepish smile on his face, Lu Feng scratched his cheek as he spoke, "That... It seems the Senior already knows... I didn't mean to deceive you, Senior, I just had incomplete memories and wasn't too sure of myself."

Elder Fu refilled Lu Feng's teacup.

"It's ok, now that I know the whole story, I can fully trust Nephew Lu... I do have a question though...

"You seem to have this pleasant aura around you, although you don't look any different, you have this glow..."

'This is my chance!' Lu Feng thought as he rapidly cooked up another story.

"Senior, you have very sharp eyes! Indeed, this aura was the result of consuming a few perfect-grade pills. I feel refreshed all over."

Elder Fu's curiosity began to stir. "Nephew Lu, are they the same pills you gifted me?"

Shaking his head, Lu Feng replied with a subdued grin, "Of course not, Senior." Taking out a total of 12 porcelain bottles, Lu Feng carefully placed them on the table, "It's these pills."

Elder Fu, of course, stopped listening the moment Lu Feng retrieved the first porcelain bottle.

The otherworldly fragrance and aura emanating from these bottles only meant one thing, they're perfect-grade pills of Master class and above.

Not waiting for Lu Feng's words, Elder Fu opened the porcelain bottles one by one as he deeply inhaled the fragrance containing medicinal power.

After quickly giving all the bottles a sniff, Elder Fu relaxed back in his chair as he exhaled a breath of cool air.

"Refreshing... Too refreshing... Lad, you're so full of surprises, you got your hands on so many perfect-grade pills—"

Lu Feng interjected briefly. His words shocked Elder Fu even more.

"Perfect grade Sovereign class pills... All of them?" Elder Fu managed to string a sentence together, despite his shock.

"Yes," Lu Feng grouped the porcelain bottles into four sets, each having three bottles. He pointed toward each group as he spoke, "Ninefold Nirvana Pill, Core Perfection Pill, Essence Nourishing Pill, and High-grade Berserker Pill. All of them are Perfect-grade Sovereign class. Three sets of each."

Elder Fu got up from his chair and started to pace around the room.

After a good ten minutes of walking back and forth in the room, Elder Fu sat back down.

"Senior, I want them to be auctioned."

Hearing Lu Feng's words, Elder Fu guffawed out loud, "Hahaha, lad, we will make so much money together... You're a good seedling deserving of your background. Good! Leave it to me. The house will only take ten percent, what do you say?"

With a solemn smile, Lu Feng shook his head as he replied, "No... Senior, I'm offering everything you see here as a gesture of goodwill. I won't take a single spirit stone, but I hope Senior will help me with something."

Elder Fu had a puzzled expression on his face, 'Does this Nephew Lu have brain damage?'

"Nephew Lu, are you sure about this? Whatever it is that you want, I'll be sure to procure it for you."

Lu Feng nodded with satisfaction, "I'm sure. Senior, as you might've heard from me a few times, I'm setting up a business in the city called Crimson Hall, it'll be managed by Song Jin, I believe Senior is aware of him.

"What I request from Senior is that you help me promote my new business during the auction."

Elder Fu furrowed his brow as he pondered on it. "Hmm, I know that young lad, Song Jin. We consulted with him on a few occasions... Regarding promoting your business—"

Lu Feng understood why Elder Fu was hesitating despite the immediate benefits visible right on the table.

"I understand your misgivings, Senior. But rest assured the development of my Crimson Hall won't in any way impede the business of the Lotus Plaza. Understandably, no one wants to breed snakes in their backyard, but I promise something to senior.

"The Lotus Plaza and as a result, the Senior, will only benefit but not lose with the development of my Crimson Hall. I plan to sell pills, weapons, and other items, but it won't be through an auction. Further, we'll cooperate from time to time, with exclusive products listed through the Lotus Plaza.

"I have other big plans, but I'm ashamed the Senior will laugh at me. But rest assured, I can guarantee that Lotus Plaza will prosper along with my Crimson Hall."

With such a confident and reassuring answer, Elder Fu had no choice but to be convinced. Being one of the few Empyrean cultivators of the Lotus Alliance, the group that owned the Lotus Plaza, his words had considerable weight.

Lu Feng's sweet deal and his ongoing business, which is projected to be worth several million, sweetened the deal. Convinced that the board would have no objections with such reassurance, Elder Fu nodded in agreement.

Of course, Lu Feng's new-found background helped a great deal. Being the young master of the Baihu Clan, his words carried a lot of weight and ultimately convinced Elder Fu.

If it wasn't the case, Elder Fu wouldn't have agreed no matter what. No amount of money or short-term benefits is worth breeding a competitor in one's own backyard.

After a celebratory cup of tea, Lu Feng and Elder Fu signed a pair of parchments that recorded their discussion. Lu Feng was handed a copy, with the other one left in Elder Fu's possession.

"Elder Fu, I have an additional request. Even though it'll inevitably come up during your discussion with the other members, I'd like to keep my ownership and involvement in the business a secret. I have some plans for the future that might be disrupted if this news spreads."

Elder Fu nodded understandingly, "I'll let the director know, and no one else. You don't have to worry about this."

Lu Feng relaxed after hearing Leader Fu's reassuring words.

He bid farewell and left for his room.

***

Back in his room, Lu Feng postponed his visit to his store that's supposed to still be under construction and decided to cultivate.

Circulating the Qi, Essence, and Spirit Energies, Lu Feng began to chant the mantra of the first stage of the Vajra body, the Awakening Vajra.

Meditating on the profound meaning of the chant, Lu Feng sank deeper into the cultivation state.

***

Song Jin and Hai Jingzi inspected the newly constructed building. From the walls to the floors, it was decorated impeccably.

The floor was made of pearl stone that was polished to a mirror shine. Large, graceful paintings and calligraphy hung from the walls. The corners were adorned with the finest jade vases. The ceilings were tall and large intricate spirit lamps hung from it, brightly illuminating the room.

The outside of the building was covered in cloth, to be unveiled on the day of the opening, with no light coming through the giant colored-glass windows, the intricate spirit lamps that resembled a chandelier from Earth filled the room with light.

As the light dazzled on the shiny floor and the jade vases in the corners, Hai Jingzi shed a single solitary tear.

"Brother Song, I never imagined in my life that we would get to run such a luxurious shop. We're really lucky... Brother Song, let's quickly head to the top floor, I want to see our rooms."

Song Jin nodded and followed behind Hai Jingzi as they climbed the stairs. He too was excited beyond words.

After a long climb, setting foot into the fifth and final floor, both Song Jin and Hai Jingzi were dumbstruck.

The responsibility of building planning, along with the interiors, was taken up by a friend of Song Jin, who was a famous architect.

This architect friend of Song Jin was no stranger to luxurious constructions. He was consulted in the construction of the Brightmoon City Holy Palace, and the City Lord's Mansion.

A wave of fragrance graced their senses, mesmerizing them. The creamy, woody, and rich smell of sandalwood permeated throughout the floor. There was a reason for this; All of the furnishings, from chairs, tables, beds to everything else—It was all made of sandalwood.

There was a small bookshelf on the wall containing an assortment of books. The large hall had a sofa and a large table with comfy-looking chairs. This was the common area that led to a row of 5 rooms. Each room was spacious enough for a host of furniture and a full-sized bathroom, which even had running water.

Normally, without a water wheel or an enclosed canal from the lake, a continuous water supply was rare. Only large establishments like the Golden Inn spent the money to craft the plumbing with special pipes and formations to automatically pump water and carry the waste.

"Brother Song... This is a dream come true... Let's go back to our house and bring our stuff over. We can finally scold that crooked Lady Ba to our heart's content."

Song Jin nodded as a smile was plastered on his face, "Let's hope We'll be able to retain Lu Feng's trust... We need to work hard."

"Hmmm," Hai Jingzi nodded his head back and forth.

"Let's go, we'll bring our belongings and then we need to put some finishing touches. We'll meet Lu Feng tomorrow, I'm sure he'll be impressed," Song Jin said and turned to descend the stairs, with Hai Jingzi following behind.

***