A meal had to be eaten bite by bite, and a road walked step by step.
No matter how extraordinary one's abilities might be, without sufficient strength as backing, everything was nothing more than floating clouds — utterly impossible to put into practice.
This lesson had been proven time and again through past experiences.
Even the seemingly trivial matter of a single Ten Thousand Year Pill had led to shocking consequences in Jiang Chen's estimation.
Though the invasion of the Myriad Aspects Territory by the Immortal Ascension Pavilion and the Scarlet Cauldron Central Domain had not been caused solely by the Ten Thousand Year Pill, the fact that Danhang Palace had been singled out and given special attention because of it was undeniable.
And yet, it was precisely because the Ten Thousand Year Pill existed that Elder Yun Nie and the rest of his fellow disciples had managed to survive by a stroke of luck. They had not been wiped out to the last man, as had been the fate of so many other sects.
Fortune and misfortune were intertwined — such was the way of the world.
Jiang Chen had learned from his mistakes. This time, he had resolved not to be so reckless.
"Young Master Wei, let's go take a look at your family's shop." Jiang Chen's eyes lit up with interest, his enthusiasm undiminished.
Wei Jie naturally had no objections. He was brimming with fervor, eager to join forces with Jiang Chen for a grand undertaking. After surviving the ordeal of the Nine Laughs Golden Buddha Powder, Wei Jie had come to recognize the precariousness of his position. Trapped by pressures both internal and external, he was desperate to find a breakthrough.
And Jiang Chen's appearance had handed him the perfect opportunity.
If he could truly build a pill business alongside Jiang Chen, both he and his father Wei Tianxiao would secure a far more stable and substantial voice within the clan.
The reason there were so many competing voices, so much internal noise within the family — it had even escalated to someone making a move against him, Wei Jie — all of this stemmed from the fact that every line of business in the Wei family had hit a bottleneck, some even on a slow downward slide.
As a ninth-rank noble house, every member of the Wei family carried an acute sense of crisis. Once there were signs of decline, it was only natural for restless hearts to stir.
Everyone feared that if the Wei family's influence waned and their ninth-rank status was downgraded — to eighth-rank, or even seventh-rank — then the family's standing in Liuli Royal City would suffer enormously, perhaps even be relegated to the margins.
Given all these considerations, Wei Jie was naturally full of motivation.
Jiang Chen needed the Wei family as cover, and the Wei family equally needed an unconventional force like Jiang Chen to break the stalemate. This was one of the key reasons the relationship between Jiang Chen and the Wei family had warmed so quickly.
"Brother Jiang, it's just up ahead." Wei Jie pointed forward.
Jiang Chen surveyed the surrounding area. It was clearly one of the most prosperous sections of Shennong Market. A flicker of surprise passed through his mind.
He hadn't expected the Wei family to have a shop in such prime real estate at Shennong Market — and yet they had failed to build a proper pill business here. It was a tremendous waste of an excellent storefront.
As the two drew closer, Wei Jie's expression suddenly shifted. He gave Jiang Chen's arm a gentle tug, and the two slipped behind a large stone lion beside a neighboring shop.
At that moment, a group of people emerged from the Wei family's store.
Among them was none other than Wei Jie's Fifth Uncle, Wei Tiantong, along with his son Wei Xiu. Several Wei family elders were also present.
Though Jiang Chen didn't recognize these elders, their attire was distinctive — the unmistakable dress of the Wei household.
More importantly, all of them were clustered around a single individual. The man appeared to be in his twenties, clad in splendid brocade robes of evident luxury. Between his brows there was a hint of authority befitting a man of high standing, and the Wei family members all looked at him with conspicuous deference. At the sight of this, Wei Jie's brow furrowed slightly.
The group had not noticed Wei Jie or Jiang Chen. They strolled out of the Wei family shop, chatting amiably. Wei Xiu, in particular, sounded almost obsequious.
"Young Master Wang, since you have spoken, we will certainly lease the shop to the Tong family," Wei Xiu said in an ingratiating tone to the young man.
The young man gave a perfunctory grunt but ignored Wei Xiu, turning instead to Wei Tiantong. "I hear that in your Wei family, it's still Wei Tianxiao who calls the shots?"
Wei Tiantong smiled apologetically. "He is the clan head, so naturally he has the final say on many matters. For trivial things, we in the family can't be bothered to argue with him. But this shop at Shennong Market — that is a major matter. Tiantong certainly won't let him run it into the ground. The clan elders here wouldn't allow him to do as he pleases either, I'm sure."
As he spoke, Wei Tiantong shot several meaningful glances at the assembled elders.
The elders nodded in succession, echoing Wei Tiantong's words.
The young man named Wang smiled languidly. "In that case, I'll trouble you all to lend your efforts to this matter. When I return, I will report everything to my father and relay each of your cooperative attitudes. If this succeeds, my father will personally host a banquet in your honor to express his gratitude."
Wei Tiantong hurriedly replied, "For the Wang clan patriarch to receive us would be a tremendous honor — one we could scarcely hope for."
The young man nodded coolly and said nothing more.
The group then departed.
Behind the stone lion, Wei Jie's face had gone pale. He had stumbled, entirely by chance, upon a secret of enormous magnitude — and his heart was pounding.
"Brother Jiang, something new may have come up." Wei Jie's tone was grave.
"That young man — is he from the Wang family's great clan?" Earlier, when the Tong family patriarch had visited the Wei household, Jiang Chen had heard Wei Jie mention the Wang family great clan.