Jiang Wang was conserving his energy, even spending less time in the Illusory Realm of Grand Void, often patrolling outside Qingyang Town, on high alert. However, the first wave of uninvited guests was not any of the parties he had imagined.

When Steward Qian appeared outside Qingyang Town, he was still maintaining a respectable appearance.

At least his clothes were clean, his beard and hair were neatly arranged, and he had over a dozen guards with him.

There were three carriages, two of which were loaded with valuables, and one carrying himself.

Seeing Jiang Wang blocking the way outside the town from afar, he was not worried but rather pleased.

This showed that Qingyang Town had predicted the situation in Yang Country and had taken cautious measures in response. This undoubtedly increased his safety.

He jumped out of the carriage very enthusiastically and shouted loudly, “Little Friend Jiang! On behalf of the Four Seas Commerce League, I am here to assist Qingyang Town!”

Jiang Wang… naturally did not believe him.

Although they had not had much contact, this man surnamed Qian had already left a deep impression on him. The things he said were not even worth believing as interjections.

“Thank you for your kindness!” Jiang Wang shouted, “However, during the closure of Qingyang Town, no outsiders are allowed to enter or exit. Please forgive me, Steward Qian.”

He turned his head and loudly instructed, “Xiaoxiao, call a few people to take over the supplies from the Four Seas Commerce League!”

“Okay!” Xiaoxiao responded loudly. He immediately directed two warriors to take over the carriages.

Steward Qian’s face turned green. Seeing that the warriors of Qingyang Town were already approaching very efficiently, he quickly said, “Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! This time, we are supporting manpower, manpower!”

“Manpower?” Jiang Wang looked confused.

“Yes!” Steward Qian said shamelessly, “This is indeed a time of crisis, and there is a shortage of manpower everywhere. In view of our previous good cooperation, the Four Seas Commerce League is supporting Qingyang Town this time with five Transcendent cultivators, including myself, and ten ordinary warriors!”

“Since it’s manpower, then I…” Jiang Wang said, “I appreciate the sentiment!”

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the town. Only the lone caltrops and the people of the Four Seas Commerce League were left facing each other.

A cool breeze blew.

“Sir, please wait!”

Steward Qian shouted from behind, “Of course, there are also supplies! A whole cart of valuables, all donated free of charge!”

But he was afraid that Jiang Wang would only keep the valuables, so he added, “Manpower and supplies are together!”

Jiang Wang stopped, turned around, and smiled meaningfully, “Steward Qian, you may not know this, but Qingyang Town is overcrowded now and does not lack manpower.”

“Now that things have come to this, I won’t say empty words. Brother Jiang, you should know what the situation is in Yang Country now. We Qi Country people should unite to protect ourselves!”

“I am from Zhuang Country.”

“Alas! Being in Yang Country, we are all foreigners! If we don’t unite ourselves, who here will care about us?”

“The people of Qingyang Town are very united with me.”

With his thick skin, Steward Qian would not be easily stopped, so he immediately changed his approach, “In this chaotic situation, what is most important? Transcendent force! As far as I know, Qingyang Town has only a few Transcendent cultivators besides you, Brother Jiang, right? The combination of our strength is enough to make Qingyang Town as solid as a rock. We have five Transcendent cultivators!”

Jiang Wang glanced at the Transcendent cultivators in Steward Qian’s team, intentionally or unintentionally, “To be honest, not one of them can make me use a second sword.”

These words were too arrogant, not to mention those guards with varying levels of cultivation like Tongtian, Zoutian, and Youmai, even Steward Qian himself was a Tenglong realm Transcendent cultivator.

But he really couldn’t refute Jiang Wang’s words.

Could he be stronger than Xi Munan?

“Sir Jiang.” Steward Qian’s title for Jiang Wang changed several times, and finally settled on ‘Sir’. As a businessman, he understood that there was not much room for bargaining at this time, so he could only grit his teeth and say, “Tell me directly, what will it take for you to take us in? The Four Seas Commerce League will definitely repay you!”

The border of Yang Country was sealed, and he couldn’t leave. He couldn’t return to Jia City either. Because when he learned of the plague mutation, he chose to escape directly, and thinking of the subsequent chaos in Yang Country, he took all the early payments that the Jia City government had paid.

If he returned to Jia City now, he might “accidentally contract the plague” and die one day.

He was even less familiar with other places. Wandering around with money and resources in times of chaos was a path to death.

In the entire Jia City territory, only Qingyang Town, which bore the Zhao Xuan Family’s signboard, could be considered a peaceful place. Moreover, Jiang Wang’s own strength was extremely strong, at least stronger than the average city lord of Yang Country.

If possible, he certainly didn’t want to beg Jiang Wang. He was even less willing to stretch his neck and wait to be slaughtered.

But the situation was such, what could he do?

As the saying goes, fortune changes. He could never have imagined today when he demanded compensation of four thousand gold for two eggs, and finally got two hundred Daoyuan Stones and returned full of pride.

“What repayment or no repayment, we have to talk about it in the future, right?” Jiang Wang asked.

This was “cutting the price”.

Steward Qian smiled ingratiatingly, “That’s the logic.”

“Ordinary wealth is not very useful at this time, because you can’t buy anything with money now. What Qingyang Town needs are supplies, ordinary people need clothing, food, medicine, etc., and Transcendent cultivators need Daoyuan Stones as a supplement…” Jiang Wang paused, “Well, Daoyuan Stones are very important.”

Steward Qian understood instantly, “Speaking of which, Sir Jiang, you left a box of Daoyuan Stones with me. I’ve always wanted to return it, but I’ve been tied up with mundane affairs, so I’ve delayed it for a long time. I’ll return it to you today!”

“Really? I don’t remember this.” Jiang Wang was surprised, “How many Daoyuan Stones are in that box?”

“There should be three hundred!” Steward Qian gritted his teeth.

Jiang Wang said disappointedly, “Only three hundred?”

“Maybe… five hundred!” Steward Qian’s smile was already very ugly, but he said decisively, “I remember now, it’s five hundred Daoyuan Stones!”

Jiang Wang stared at him for a while, knowing that five hundred Daoyuan Stones were probably enough to make him feel the pain, but he couldn’t tell if it was the bottom line. After all, this kind of person was cunning and not so easy to understand.

Compared to the two hundred Daoyuan Stones he was blackmailed for, it was more than double.

Jiang Wang stopped, and changed the subject, “The recovery of lost property is indeed a pleasant surprise. However, what I am most worried about is the livelihood of the townspeople…”

Five hundred Daoyuan Stones are equivalent to five ten-thousand-Daoyuan Stones, which is certainly not a small amount. But compared to the wealth that Steward Qian had plundered in a short time during this “disaster relief”, it was nothing. He had lost more than that number of Daoyuan Stones in Pingxi County.

He breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and the smile on his face became real, “There is no problem with living supplies! The Four Seas Commerce League’s stalls in Jia City have not been dispersed, and I can transfer a lot of supplies out as soon as possible.”

“Then I’ll leave this matter to Steward Qian!”

After finalizing the cooperation, Jiang Wang beckoned, “Xiaoxiao, go and make room for the benevolent and righteous people of the Four Seas Commerce League. The conditions should be as good as possible.”

“Sir Jiang, you are too kind!” Steward Qian smiled and walked forward, wanting to walk side by side with Jiang Wang, but saw that he had already walked into the town.

He didn’t feel embarrassed, but enthusiastically called out, “Everyone, follow me into the town! We are all one family from now on!”

After all, Jiang Wang’s skin was not thick enough. If it were Zhao Xuansheng, he would probably be able to put his arm around Steward Qian’s shoulders and be as close as family.

But…

Steward Qian, who had thrown himself into the “net”, brought him a considerable income, but at the same time, he cast a shadow in his eyes.

If the steward of the Four Seas Commerce League was like this, to what extent had the situation in the entire Yang Country deteriorated?

Could he really ensure the peace of Qingyang Town in such a situation?