I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense

Chapter 428: Chapter 429 Black Shop
Li Xiaobai paid no mind to such petty actions.

The trade war was doomed to end in the other party’s failure, and the reason was simple: this was a monopoly industry exclusive to himself. Only the bathhouses made by his own hands were effective; it wasn’t something a bit of stolen water could compensate for.

At the same time, in the first battlefield.

Dozens of shops opened simultaneously, bustling with a surge of customers.

Mei Changqing with a smile on his lips, looked at the bustling scenes within the city, lit a Huazi, took a small puff, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

“This Xiaobai has indeed a clever mind, even thinking of using such a method to stimulate the economic development of the Holy City, and successfully diverting the flow. He’s quite talented.”

“Yes, but unfortunately, in the end, it’s nothing but making the wedding dress for us,” said another.

Wang Guan nodded in agreement.

“But speaking of which, this item named Huazi and the water in those bathhouses have such miraculous effects. What kind of ingredients are used in their creation?”

“Considering their mass production, the ingredients shouldn’t be too rare. It’s likely he has discovered some secret recipe for combining herbs. We must find out!” Mei Changqing slowly said, the effects of Huazi were astonishingly strong, even for a top-tier being like himself. Taking a single puff actually brought a sense of sudden clarity. For someone of his stature, an increase in comprehension could greatly enhance his power.

With more Huazi to smoke and some improvements to his Cultivation Technique, reaching a higher level of strength wouldn’t be difficult.

“Understood. I have already put all the experts knowledgeable in elixirs from both battlefields to work on analyzing the Huazi. I believe we’ll have results soon,” Wang Guan said respectfully.

“Mhm, good, put that on the agenda. If we can master the production method of Huazi, not only can we significantly increase the overall strength of cultivators, but I can also make further progress,” Mei Changqing nodded, a smile flickering in his eyes.

No matter how much the Holy City stirs or struggles, it will be futile; once his side figured out the Huazi and the bathhouses, they wouldn’t need the other party anymore.

However, it was at that moment, that a furious shout suddenly erupted from one of the shops below.

“Damn it, why doesn’t this Premium Soup Product increase my cultivation level?”

“This thing is just an ordinary bathhouse, and yet you’re charging ten top-grade Spirit Stones. Who allowed you to run such a scam here? Believe it or not, I’ll report you to the City Lord!”

“Dammit, we’ve been tricked. I wouldn’t come to such a shabby place even if invited, and yet you dare to charge a fee. Return the Spirit Stones immediately!”

“Exactly, refund the Spirit Stones, or else, we’ll smash your scam shop!”

Mei Changqing was stunned for a moment, exchanged a look with Wang Guan, and in a flash appeared within the shop where the disturbance was happening.

The chaos in the bathhouse on the second floor had erupted completely. These cultivators, having seen the Premium Soup Product open a shop in the first battlefield, entered with hearts full of joy, eager to experience it.

They didn’t object to the price of ten top-grade Spirit Stones for two hours, as it was the going rate in the Holy City.

But once they truly soaked in the waters, they began to sense that something was amiss.

The feeling of the Spiritual Power in their Dantian soaring instantaneously wasn’t there. The bathhouse was indeed filled with steam, and soaking in it was quite comfortable.

But what was the use of that?

They weren’t there to simply take a bath. A bathhouse that couldn’t enhance their cultivation level was daring to charge them ten top-grade Spirit Stones per hour; this was utter madness. It couldn’t merely be called a scam; this was no different from robbery.

The cultivators were in a furor; this blatant act of deception made them quite displeased. They were being treated like fools!

“You must give us an explanation today!”

“Indeed, you can’t settle this just by compensating with spirit stones. If you cannot provide a satisfactory explanation, we will ensure you and your store disappear from the borders!”

The shop staff expressed their headache, for they had no idea what was going on. The water in the pool was clearly transported from the Holy City’s Premium Soup Product, so why had such a situation occurred?

“What’s going on here?”

The scene was too chaotic; Mei Changqing coughed lightly twice and spoke slowly.

“City Lord, this establishment is a scam; it’s nothing more than an ordinary bathhouse. They dare to charge exorbitant prices—it’s simply preposterous!”

The cultivators immediately said, and in Mei Changqing’s presence, they seemed to have found their backbone.

Yet, what they did not know was that the mastermind behind these shops was none other than the City Lord they so trusted in this moment.

“An ordinary bathhouse, yet I’ve heard that this Premium Soup Product possesses the unique effect of enhancing cultivation levels,” Mei Changqing said with a puzzled look, walking to the edge of the bathhouse and reaching out to touch the surface of the water, but he felt nothing.

In an instant, his expression changed; there was indeed no effect to the water in the bathhouse. He turned his head to look at the owner of the store, who shook his head subtly, a baffled look in his eyes.

“City Lord, you may not be aware, but the Premium Soup Product in the Holy City indeed has a powerful effect on increasing cultivation levels. However, this bathhouse is a counterfeit product with no help at all for cultivation. We suspect that the owner simply wanted to ride the wave of popularity and then make a quick profit,” the cultivators said.

“Such cultivators must be punished severely and without mercy!”

The cultivators were agitated, blocking the entrance to prevent the owner from escaping.

“I see, I understand now. I, the City Lord, will thoroughly investigate this matter. Regarding today’s expenses, I will cover them—Wang Guan, pay up!”

Wang Guan turned his wrist, and regardless of whether every cultivator present had incurred expenses here or not, he gave out ten top-grade spirit stones to all of them.

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach; his hand softened by the gifts, the spirit stones were returned intact, and the cultivators quieted down, spitting at the owner a few times before leaving.

With the City Lord to seek justice for them, there was no need for them to do anything further.

“What happened, how did you manage this?”

Watching the cultivators leave, Mei Changqing’s expression suddenly turned fierce; he was nearly humiliated.

“Reporting to the City Lord, this humble one doesn’t know either. The water was indeed transported from within the Holy City, but for some reason, it has lost all its effects,” the owner responded with a strained smile uglier than a frown.

“Not only here, but I am afraid that all the bathhouses’ Premium Soup Products across the city are facing the same issue,” the owner said.

Mei Changqing’s face darkened ominously; he had already used his Primodial Spirit Power to sense everything happening within the city, and as the owner had claimed, all the Premium Soup Products indeed erupted into chaos simultaneously—it couldn’t be a coincidence.

No wonder the theft of the water source went so smoothly; the actual efficacy wasn’t in the water itself.

“Li Xiaobai, quite skillful indeed. It appears the bathhouse’s efficacy isn’t due to the water source, but rather a certain formation,” Mei Changqing thought to himself.

“He must have engraved some kind of formation within the bathhouse to achieve the effects of cultivation. Send out the order; close all establishments offering the Premium Soup Product and go retrieve new materials!”