Chapter 330 Calculation
The guests and hosts were all in high spirits, amidst the clinking of cups and laughter.
After seeing off Wang Chen, Huang Deqi retreated alone to the study in the inner courtyard.
Inside the room, two people were already seated, one of whom was none other than Chen Anhe!
The other person was an old crone with chicken-skin and crane-hair who cackled strangely upon Huang Deqi’s entrance, "Heh, Master Huang, how did your talk go with him?"
Huang Deqi splayed himself grandly on a Taishi Chair, poured himself a cup of tea, and then replied, "Nothing much, that kid is tougher to handle than I thought."
He had tried to test Wang Chen a few times during the banquet, but each attempt had been like striking a soft nail, leaving him with a smoldering fire in his belly.
Chen Anhe said with a grave tone, "Wang Chen is already in the Purple Mansion at such a young age, he couldn’t have received West Sea Sect’s entry task without some capability, my concern is…"
"You’re worried he has connections within the West Sea Sect?"
The crane-haired old crone sneered, "If that’s the case, we might as well pack up and be done with our schemes."
"That’s not it."
Huang Deqi, in a heavy voice, said, "I’ve already inquired through connections above us, Wang Chen comes from the Outer Domain, nothing but a Loose Cultivator who’s come into good fortune and gotten hold of the West Sea Sect’s entry task without any background."
Chen Anhe frowned slightly, "I still think we should exercise caution, or perhaps we should simply give him a share…"
"Chen Anhe!"
Before he could finish, the crane-haired old crone screeched, "Has a donkey kicked your head? You’re spouting nonsense here. Do you know how much effort we put into creating our current situation? Why should we share it with him for no reason?"
She said sinisterly, "Don’t tell me you’re thinking of taking him as your granddaughter’s husband!"
"No, that’s not it!"
Chen Anhe quickly denied, "He’s just a bastard, it wouldn’t matter if he was beaten to death. I’m just worried…"
"Worried about what!"
Huang Deqi said coldly, "As long as he keeps to himself, we keep our waters separate. If he’s sensible and causes no trouble, it’s fine to say a few good words for him later. But if he doesn’t know what’s good for him and tries to stir things up, then another village chief dying is just business as usual."
Chen Anhe shut his mouth.
Among the three, his standing was the lowest; the real power of speech had always been in Master Huang’s hands.
Chen Anhe was very aware that he mattered little in the eyes of the other party.
"Exactly."
The crane-haired old crone nodded her head, "Just a Primary Tier of the Purple Mansion, the three of us together are more than capable of handling him."
"I’m enough on my own."
Huang Deqi flipped his wrist, and in his hand appeared a talisman imbued with Spiritual Light, "Let me open your eyes. This is a Spirit Talisman that Great-Great-Uncle Ancestor of the Huang Family bestowed upon me, its might comparable to a full-force strike from a high-tier Purple Mansion!"
The crane-haired old crone and Chen Anhe looked at each other, with awe evident in their eyes.
They both understood very well that Huang Deqi’s arrogance was backed by his Great-Great-Uncle Ancestor.
A Golden Core True Person!
With such a talisman in hand, Wang Chen truly was nothing to fear!
Meanwhile, Wang Chen had already returned to his own home.
No banquet lasts forever, and tonight he had witnessed the display of the local tyrant’s extravagance, that of Huang Deqi.
Not to mention anything else, just the array of exotic delicacies on the banquet table, with many flavors Wang Chen had never heard of.
Pure top-tier Spiritual Materials.
He roughly estimated that such a lavish spread couldn’t be done with less than a few thousand Spirit Stones, a level of luxuriousness that was astonishing.
It was important to remember that Datian Village was merely a remote village in the West Sea Spirit Domain.
Huang Deqi’s lavish display was clearly a show of strength!
What puzzled Wang Chen was, if such a man had such great capabilities, why had he allowed the village chief position to remain vacant for two years? Why didn’t he just take the role himself? Find adventures at empire
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Huang Deqi became the village head, leaving Wang Chen with no role to play at all.
There must be a reason for this!
Sitting at the desk, Wang Chen took out a stack of thick books from his Storage Bag.
These were volumes of the "Records of the West Sea Domain" that he had purchased from a bookstore in Wan City, totaling five volumes, which recorded the local customs and anecdotes of the West Sea Spirit Domain, including major events that had occurred over the years.
It was essentially an encyclopedia about the West Sea Spirit Domain.
It took him two hours, but Wang Chen read through the entirety of the "Records of the West Sea Domain."
With his Divine Soul attribute as high as 20 points, memorization was a trifle for him, and he had committed everything to memory after just one reading.
He now had a much deeper understanding of the West Sea Spirit Domain.
The West Sea Spirit Domain, rich in resources and vast in territory, possesses the best Spirit Vein in the entire Mountain and Sea Realm, and therefore is considered a Holy Land for cultivation.
For thousands of years, it had been under the control of the West Sea Sect.
In reality, the enormous West Sea Sect resembled an empire, with no rivals within the West Sea Spirit Domain, but given the vastness of the territory it governed, a great number of "vassals" had been entrusted to manage it.
These "vassals" were the various Immortal Cultivation sects, big and small.
The vast majority of sects within the West Sea Spirit Domain acknowledged the West Sea Sect as their sovereign, paying tribute and pledging allegiance.
The West Sea Sect established five major divisions, each overseen by Patrol Guards to maintain their systematic control of the region.
Wang Chen had been very fortunate to encounter Luo Zhen before, as strictly speaking, he was a stowaway. Had he been discovered, being killed on the spot would not have merited anyone’s outcry for him.
Luo Zhen had even given him a chance for entry-level assessment.
However, after meeting Huang Deqi, Wang Chen realized that things weren’t so simple!
This Elder Huang was clearly hiding a secret, and as such, he was extremely wary of him, the new village head, constantly probing with his words and subtly flaunting his own background and strength.
Was Luo Zhen "sending" Wang Chen to Datian Village just a coincidence?
Could it be that he had been used as a pawn?
Wang Chen felt that beneath the seemingly idyllic exterior of Datian Village, there lurked an unfathomably deep undercurrent!
After some thought, he brought his palms together and activated his mana, instantly turning the five volumes of the "Records of the West Sea Domain" into ashes.
Truth be told, Wang Chen had no desire to be dragged into trouble.
But his purpose in coming to the West Sea Spirit Domain was to join the West Sea Sect and then find the person who held the keys to the Path to the Heavens.
Some troubles cannot be avoided!
After much contemplation, Wang Chen decided to bide his time and make no immediate moves.
If peace ensued, then all the better, but if troubles came knocking on his door, he would inevitably have to face a showdown!
The next morning, Wang Chen took his granddaughter He to take over the fields that belonged to the Village Head Residence.
The Village Head Residence’s fields amounted to a total of one hundred mu, and the output from these Spirit Fields was the rightful salary of the village head.
Normally, the fields of the Village Head Residence were the best Spirit Fields in the entire village.
However, the fields Wang Chen received were close to being barren, both in position and quality, they were definitely not the best!
Chen Anhe, who was responsible for the transfer procedures, explained with a shamefaced look: "The Village Head Residence had been vacant for the past two years, and the fields were left untended. I’ll gather the villagers to start reclaiming the land immediately."
"No need."
Wang Chen shook his head: "I’ll do it myself."
Farming was his old specialty, after all!
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The second update was delivered.
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