Chapter 104: Suppression

Two days later, Copper Fortress, Dome Office.

The silver-haired old man was reporting to Lin Zhongqing, who kept his eyes closed.

“President, just now Huo Yan sent word that Fengming Valley has agreed to merge into our Star Chamber of Commerce by taking shares through a settlement point,” he said with a hint of excitement.

“Expected,” Lin Zhongqing replied without opening his eyes.

The silver-haired man shook his head with a sigh. “I heard that Master Fan of the valley also had some background. He once eliminated a Silver-tier expert. At the time, I thought he could develop independently, but it turns out that one tree cannot support the forest.”

“That’s understandable. Shi was right,” Lin Zhongqing finally opened his eyes, a trace of pride in his voice. “Those so-called backers could never truly regard us humans as equals. They might intervene against petty thugs, but when faced with an equal opponent, like that big boss, they don’t dare to act. Only…”

She left the rest unsaid.

Only a system born by divine mandate could be humanity’s hope for salvation, and she herself was the last savior…

“In that case, we now have three strongholds and two territories. The evil tide seems to have completely receded. Development in the wild must be put on the agenda,” the silver-haired man said earnestly.

Lin Zhongqing nodded, then asked, “Hmm, you can discuss that among yourselves. By the way, Steward Liu, how is the cultivation of the Divine Herbal Classic I gave you going?”

“Thank you for your concern, Miss. I have been diligently studying recently and made great progress. I am currently selecting some corrupted plants for cultivation—three fruit trees and one wheat plant… some are beginning to develop intelligence,” Steward Liu reported on his progress.

“Excellent. With the Divine Herbal Classic, we can diversify our food sources instead of relying on a single type. This will greatly benefit our future development,” Lin Zhongqing nodded approvingly.

“President speaks wisely,” Steward Liu said admiringly.

He had expected that leaving the Silver Chamber of Commerce would be fraught with hardship and suffering, but he never imagined the president, with overwhelming force, would sweep aside all obstacles and create such a grand new situation in less than two months.

Ignoring the old man’s excitement, Lin Zhongqing continued, “By the way, with the evil tide retreating, there must be problems in acquiring spiritual cores now, right?”

“Yes, President,” Steward Liu replied solemnly. “Recently, the market price for spiritual cores has soared. It now takes six silver coins to exchange for one point, and many merchants are hoarding them, no longer using them as currency, let alone selling them externally.”

Lin Zhongqing immediately felt a headache. “Sure enough, everyone’s not foolish. It seems this problem must be resolved.”

The steward had no idea that her formidable façade was entirely supported by a large stockpile of spiritual cores.

When a wild wolf howled after losing its claw, it had already discerned her weakness. To her, that was obvious.

If she hadn’t used secret exchange methods to enter the spiritual realm and hunt them down, anyone who engaged her in a prolonged war of attrition would certainly outlast her.

Steward Liu fell silent; this was a problem beyond his ability to fix.

“Very well, you may leave for now. I’ll find someone to inquire further,” Lin Zhongqing said.

Steward Liu nodded and withdrew.

“Tong-ge, is there a solution to this?” she asked.

“Yes. I have a book titled ‘The Origin and Extraction of Spiritual Power.’ It costs 100,000 points to exchange, but it should solve your problem.”

“I bought it…” she said gloomily.

Tong-ge was excellent in every way, except that he insisted on keeping accounts even between spouses. That was not good. It seemed he still hadn’t truly fallen in love with her… which was understandable, since their bond was only spiritual.

……

Meanwhile, Silver City, Dome Spire Office.

Li Xing was holding a regular meeting again, but this time, including himself, there were only three people around the table.

Lin Zhongqing had left, Xie Bo was dead—how quickly things had changed.

Although Li Xing was inherently cold-hearted, he couldn’t help but sigh at such a drastic transformation in less than two months.

The remaining two people, a man and a woman both around thirty, looked very capable.

“General Manager Li, I heard there was a major incident a few days ago,” the man, plain-faced and honest-looking, said.

“Oh? Hu Chengshan, tell me about it,” Li Xing asked promptly.

Hu Chengshan then narrated clearly how Lin Zhongqing had slain a major northern overlord.

“Is the intelligence reliable?”

“Absolutely. After Lin Zhongqing killed him, she obtained a core. It was pale gold, fist-sized, and displayed in the center square of Copper Fortress. The Star Chamber of Commerce has been heavily publicizing it. Our agents sent into Copper Fortress examined it thoroughly—definitely of epic level or higher,” Hu Chengshan assured confidently.

Then he handed over a stack of photos.

Li Xing glanced at them briefly and knew they were genuine.

In fact, when he heard that Lin Zhongqing’s people were publicizing it, he was already 80% convinced.

He knew her character well enough to believe she wouldn’t fake such a war achievement.

Thinking this through, his expression turned serious. “Indeed, the big boss’s decision was wise. He has reminded us several times that there is always someone stronger; we must not rashly use force, and must act by principle and follow commercial rules. Such foresight is remarkable.”

Hu Chengshan nodded repeatedly, but the woman beside him, handsome but with a peculiar expression, seemed troubled by Li’s words.

Because Li’s words could easily be misinterpreted to mean the big boss was cowardly and timid…

The woman quickly masked her expression and frowned. “I have news as well. I heard they have already annexed Refuge 364. That means the thousand-mile foundation we built with great effort for the Silver Chamber of Commerce will soon be lost.”

“Yes,” Hu Chengshan nodded earnestly and smiled obsequiously at the woman. “Manager Xu is right. The Star Chamber of Commerce was established less than two months ago and has already absorbed two settlement points within our sphere of influence. We cannot let this continue.”

“So, what plans do you have? Don’t mention military solutions—the big boss dislikes violence,” Li Xing inquired.

The man and woman exchanged glances, brows furrowed, and remained silent for a moment.

Outmatched militarily and lacking confidence in covert tactics, they felt helpless. After all, Lin Zhongqing was not alone; she had powerful family backing.

“Pity that Manager Xie died in battle. If he were here, he would surely have a way to deal with that woman, leaving her with no retort,” Li Xing sighed.

Hearing this, Manager Xu clenched her teeth and said, “General Manager Li, I do have someone I want to recommend.”

She did not truly wish to recommend this person, knowing that more people rising meant more competition.

“That kind who only resorts to covert tactics, don’t bring him to me. I want someone who can make Lin Zhongqing utterly defeated and speechless,” Li Xing said coldly.

The two were stunned—surprised and jealous at how great Lin Zhongqing’s deterrent power had become unnoticed.

Clearly, Li Xing dared not risk the danger of her sudden sword strikes by scheming against her in secret.

The previous two attempts, including Lin Zhongshi’s duel and entrusting the valley to search for golden rice, were all open schemes. If Lin Zhongqing had lost or been crippled in the process, she could only blame her own insufficient strength, not the Silver Chamber of Commerce.

Suppressing her jealousy, Manager Xu said, “Rest assured, General Manager Li, this person was once a business prodigy recently unearthed by us. Although he is physically weak, his mind is outstanding. I guarantee he will reduce that wild woman Lin Zhongqing to becoming our lackey.”

“Very well. Tomorrow—no, after the meeting—have him come to me. I will personally interview him,” Li Xing nodded slightly.

Anyone can boast; ability is proven at first sight.

The End.