Xia Jingwu stroked his beard and said, "Yao Qing, don't be rash. As for that young man's true strength, I can't quite see through it myself. But if he was able to send Steward Min flying with a single palm strike, then he's definitely not someone you can apprehend. Our entire trading company combined probably isn't his match. If you go provoke him, you'll only be asking for humiliation!"
Yao Qing's expression turned awkward as he thought it over for a moment. Realizing that was indeed the case, he broke out in a cold sweat.
Hua Youmeng looked at Xia Jingwu with a bitter smile. "That first option won't work, Uncle Xia. Why don't you tell us about the second one?"
Xia Jingwu sighed. "I knew the President wouldn't agree to this one."
How could Xia Jingwu not know what kind of person Hua Youmeng was? She was born with a warm and righteous heart. She had already stood up for Yang Kai outside the city gates — how could she possibly hand him over now and let Purple Star City deal with him as they saw fit? If she did that, she wouldn't be Hua Youmeng.
"Since handing the person over isn't an option, then we can only choose the second plan — fleeing the disaster," Xia Jingwu said in a deep voice. "I ask the President to take some people and leave the trading company immediately. Leave this place to me."
Hua Youmeng was alarmed. "Uncle Xia, you mean—"
"Since trouble has been stirred up, someone has to bear the responsibility. Purple Star City won't let this go easily. In truth, we shouldn't have entered the city just now — leaving directly would have been the safest option. But everyone was in a daze, and now that we're inside, getting out will be as hard as climbing to heaven. The only way forward is to cut our losses. I've been honored by the President's care for many years, and I'm willing to do whatever humble service I can." Xia Jingwu rose to his feet, his short frame ramrod straight, every inch the picture of a man willing to sacrifice everything to the death.
"I'll stay with Uncle Xia!" Yao Qing shot to his feet.
"I'm staying too!" From outside the door, the beautiful woman called Sister Red walked in gracefully, her voice firm.
"Absolutely not!" Hua Youmeng's face shifted several times before she vetoed the idea outright.
"Heh, indeed not. If you all stay, who will support the President in the future? Our Five Directions Trading Company would truly be finished then. So all of you leave — take some of the company's valuable supplies with you. I alone will stay and bear the responsibility." Xia Jingwu smiled faintly, as though death were nothing to him. "Besides, I have some acquaintance with a certain lord in Purple Star City. If I beg him, perhaps I can avoid the worst."
"No!" Hua Youmeng shook her head. "If Purple Star City truly wants to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, then it's absolutely essential that I, the President, be present. If anyone stays, it should be me. The rest of you leave."
The group immediately broke into a heated argument inside the private room. No one could convince anyone else.
Xia Jingwu slapped his thigh in frustration. "President, there's no time! If you keep going back and forth with me, none of us will make it out. Do you want me to get down on my knees and beg you? Fine — I'll kneel!"
As he spoke, he actually dropped to his knees before Hua Youmeng.
"Uncle Xia!" Hua Youmeng's face changed drastically. Her figure flickered and she vanished from her chair, reappearing in front of Xia Jingwu in the next instant.
Just as she reached out to help him up, Xia Jingwu suddenly flung his hand upward. A cloud of powdery substance shot straight toward Hua Youmeng.
Hua Youmeng never expected Xia Jingwu to make a move against her at a time like this. Caught off guard, she inhaled a small amount of the powder, and in the next moment her entire body went limp. She stared blankly at Xia Jingwu. "Flower Rain Enchanted Mist!"
"Uncle Xia, what are you doing?!" Yao Qing saw that something was wrong and roared in fury, lunging toward Xia Jingwu with menacing intent.
"Stop!" Sister Red, the beautiful woman, had already caught on. In a single stride, she knocked Yao Qing aside and swept Hua Youmeng into her arms.
"Uncle Xia, you..." Hua Youmeng was weak all over but had not fallen unconscious.
Xia Jingwu chuckled. "Now that the President recognizes the Flower Rain Enchanted Mist, you must know what it does. Even at Return Void Stage Three, you won't be able to channel Sacred Energy for a full hour!"
With that, he barked an order: "Gao Hong! Take the President and leave the trading company at once. Find a safe, hidden place somewhere in the city. Once the storm has passed, find a way out of Purple Star City!"
The beautiful woman's body trembled. Tears welled in her beautiful eyes as she looked at Xia Jingwu and nodded firmly. "Rest assured, Uncle Xia. Even if it costs me my life, I will protect the President!"
"Yao Qing, Haitang — you go too!" Xia Jingwu turned his head toward the others.
Yao Qing and the young woman in her twenties both nodded.
Yao Qing, an iron-willed man through and through, couldn't hold back the tears now streaming down his face. "Uncle Xia, please take care of yourself."
"Heh, don't worry. I won't die." Xia Jingwu smiled calmly, waving them all away.
Under his urging, Gao Hong finally lifted Hua Youmeng into her arms and slipped out with Yao Qing, Haitang, and the others, ready to leave the Five Directions Trading Company and its troubles behind.
"Sentimental and loyal — the people in this little trading company are quite interesting," Yang Kai murmured, seated cross-legged in his room. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, a look of approval on his face.
Though he had remained in his private quarters, he had clearly sensed the entire argument among the people of the Five Directions Trading Company. Among them, Hua Youmeng was the strongest, at Return Void Stage Three. The rest varied in cultivation level — with his Void King Stage Two strength, they had no way of detecting his probing.
"Hmm, things aren't going quite as I expected." Yang Kai rubbed his forehead. His original plan had been to sneak quietly into Purple Star City, and under Zi Donglai's guidance, simply steal what he needed from the Purple Star Treasury and be done with it.
With his current trump cards and powerful cultivation, he was quite confident he could pull it off without anyone noticing. Even if he were discovered, he could fight his way out.