On the lowest floor of the Golden Wind, surrounded by iron walls on all sides, the safest and most secluded place on the entire ship, two people were sitting opposite each other at this moment.
One was an old man with a square face and a sullen complexion, with a bronze abacus in front of him.
The other one wore a white mask, had a thin body, and had a long sword hanging from his waist.
"You and I are both here on orders. This master of mine is highly skilled in martial arts but has a bad temper. He is one of the most difficult masters to serve in Weilong Mountain. This master's words are also rather harsh. I might as well tell Shopkeeper Yan about it." The masked man knocked on the table, his tone was somewhat mocking, "In my eyes, the Qingzhou Mu family is nothing."
Shopkeeper Yan moved the abacus and placed it in front of the masked man: "This is all the gold and wealth you have on Mount Weilong now."
"The shopkeeper is well-informed. Even our Qianji Academy doesn't know the exact amount of the gold." The masked man said dimly.
Shopkeeper Yan started to use the abacus again, and after finishing, he pushed forward: "Within three months, the Mu family can reduce the price of gold by 30%. By then, the gold wealth of Weilong Mountain will be this amount. Your master is not easy to serve, and I don’t know if Master Bai is easy to serve?"
The masked man was silent for a moment and then cleared the abacus: "I believe the Mu family has the ability, but I don't believe the Mu family has the courage."
"There was an ancestor of the Mu family who was very courageous. He bought the Golden Wind and was not even afraid of the threats from the royal family. And now the most courageous person in the Mu family is the Seventh Young Master on this ship." Shopkeeper Yan replied.
"Seventh Young Master is very brave, but what about the head of the Mu family?" the masked man asked coldly.
"If the head of the family was here, then the Seventh Young Master would not be the one making the decision. But the head of the family is not here, so the Seventh Young Master Mu is the one making the decision. If the Seventh Young Master says this is not okay, then it is not okay!" Shopkeeper Yan stretched out a finger and waved it gently, "No room for negotiation."
"What if we kill the Seventh Young Master?" The masked man deliberately raised his voice.
Shopkeeper Yan coughed lightly and said, "Once you enter this room, you will be isolated from all sounds. No one outside can hear what you say. And you said you want to kill the Seventh Young Master. Then the matter of gold I just mentioned is just the beginning. The Mu family will do everything in their power to oppose Shanglin Palace, even if it means losing all their wealth or being exterminated!"
"Is Young Master Mu Qi so important?" The masked man asked with a hint of surprise in his tone.
"Mr. Mu Qi is of course very important. He is the most valued son of the patriarch and the most beloved grandson of Old Master Mu. But this has nothing to do with his importance. If any of the Mu family's sons are here and you dare to hurt his life in Lin Tian Palace, then the Mu family will fight you to the death. This is the foundation of our Mu family's existence in the world, and we will not suffer any loss." Shopkeeper Yan paused and continued to say the second half of the sentence word by word, "Even if we die, we will not suffer any loss."
"No wonder the Mu family's business is so good, there is indeed a reason." The masked man smiled, "But my master said that there is a difference between being the richest in the world and being the best in the world. For example, if we kill a member of the Mu family, we may suffer some losses temporarily, but it is also possible that we can annex the Mu family and become stronger than before."
"Yan is sixty years old this year." Shopkeeper Yan suddenly said something somewhat puzzling.
The masked man didn't understand either. He thought for a moment and replied, "What do you mean, shopkeeper?"
"When I first became the shopkeeper of Iron Hand, I had the honor of meeting Grand Palace Master Su Han. I have met many people in my life, including kings, generals, people from all walks of life, and gangsters, but he is the person I admire the most. I once believed for a short time that this world would become what we imagined in his hands." Shopkeeper Yan's voice was full of emotion, "I just didn't expect it to become what it is today."
"Manager Yan, there are some things I advise you not to say." There was a hint of murderous intent in the masked man's tone.
"Shanglin Tiangong has just become a sect. No matter how powerful it is, no matter how strong it is, even if it is the best in the world, it has just become a sect." Shopkeeper Yan said in a deep voice.
The masked man pondered for a moment and placed the sword on the table: "Shopkeeper Yan, we have been talking about our own reasons all night. Everyone has their own difficulties, but I want you to tell Mr. Mu Qi something. Those two people are not worth it."
"If they are really not worth it, why don't you let them go?" Shopkeeper Yan asked.
"For us, it's worth it. For you, you're just two passengers." The masked man stood up and tapped the long sword on the table with his fingers. "I'll leave this sword here with the shopkeeper. If the shopkeeper changes his mind, hang this sword on the flagpole. When we see it, we'll take action. But I'll remember what the shopkeeper said. I'll tell our master to wait a little longer. The Mu family still has a chance until we reach the shore."
"I'll give you this abacus, too." Shopkeeper Yan said slowly, but the masked man didn't give him a chance to speak. He instantly pulled out the long sword on the table and chopped the bronze abacus into pieces. The pieces of the abacus fell to the ground with a crisp sound. The masked man said coldly, "No need. I am willing to come here to talk to Shopkeeper Yan. It is my sincerity, not that the Mu family is really qualified to negotiate with us. I think Shopkeeper Yan should know our attitude after this sword. There is no need to say anything next. You just need to hang the sword on the flagpole and we will know."
Shopkeeper Yan pondered for a long time and then sighed: "I understand. I have a business of my own. I wonder if I can discuss it with you?"
"Oh?" The masked man put the sword back into the sheath. "Doesn't the Mu family have a rule that the shopkeeper can only have the Mu family's own business?"
"Business, business, this is obviously a losing business." On the Golden Wind, in Mu Nianhua's own bedroom, he drank one glass of wine after another, "But I still have to do it. Is it for the honor of the Mu family, or for my own face?"
The beautiful lady in white beside him didn't figure out whether the question was directed at her or the young man was mumbling to himself, so she didn't dare to answer.
"The book says that once a promise is made, nothing can stop it. But the book also says that you should not make promises that exceed your ability. I suddenly feel a little regretful." Mu Nianhua sighed softly, "Maybe I'm really not as good as my father and others think."
The door was pushed open at this time, and Shopkeeper Yan walked in from outside. Instead of the iconic abacus in his hand, he held a long sword.
Mu Nianhua's eyes slowly narrowed into slits, and finally he put down the wine glass: "Mr. Yan, this is the first time I've seen you fail in a deal."
"The other party no longer considers this as a business transaction, so the deal cannot be made." Shopkeeper Yan shook his head.
"Renyi is not here either." Mu Nianhua laughed loudly.