Chapter 370: The Difficulty of Shadow Kill

After Wang Hong entered the East Zhou Trading Company, he noticed that most of the shelves inside the store were empty.

What was even more peculiar was the line of people leading out onto the main street, and they weren't conducting any business transactions. They were simply standing there, staring at each other with wide eyes.

Seeing this scene left Wang Hong feeling perplexed. He distinctly remembered leaving a significant amount of supplies with Liu Changsheng before departing, so they shouldn't have been depleted so quickly.

"East Master! It's a relief to see you return safely at last," Xu Lun said, beaming with joy. When Wang Hong had been delayed in returning, especially after hearing that the first defense line of cultivators had been wiped out, the remaining cultivators here had been on edge.

"I've always said that East Master is blessed and lives as long as the heavens. What can a mere Demonic Beast do against East Master?" Ma Zhong and Ma Yi, the two brothers, chimed in as they joined Wang Hong. They bowed respectfully, adopting a servile attitude.

"Is that so? But weren't you two the ones who used to be so scared that you went out every day to gather information about the situation?" Xu Lun taunted the two, reminding them that they had signed a Blood Contract with Wang Hong, and if anything were to happen to him, they would be affected immediately.

"We were merely concerned for East Master's safety. Our loyalty to East Master is something you can't understand," the loyal duo said firmly.

The scene of the four of them chatting in the main hall caught the attention of the cultivators waiting in line, and they were taken aback.

Xu Lun and the Ma Brothers had always been figures they admired from a distance.

Xu Lun, as the manager of a prominent trading company, had control over countless resources, and that was well-known.

The Ma Brothers, renowned as second-tier Alchemists in Azure Void City, were the subject of admiration and attempts at recruitment by numerous cultivators. However, they had always remained aloof and uninterested.

But at this moment, these two suddenly appeared in a flattering and submissive manner, abandoning their previous proud and haughty demeanor.

While they conversed, they entered a quiet room, and it was then that Wang Hong asked, "I noticed that all the shelves in the store are empty. Have we run out of goods in our trading company?"

"We do have some goods left, but given the current situation, no matter how much we put out, it's quickly swept up. So, we can only release a batch of Spiritual Objects every once in a while, which inevitably leads to frenzied buying," Xu Lun explained. "Right now, all the stores in the city are out of stock, including Myriad Treasures Tower. We are one of the few who release goods every few days. Many stores have been closed for a month now. Even if we release more, we can't save the entire city from its current crisis, and releasing too much will also lead to confiscation."

"In the past few days, one shop imported a large quantity of goods from the Immortal Way Trading Company and then sold them extensively. But the City Lord's Mansion dispatched a team to seize most of the Spiritual Objects," Xu Lun continued. "Although they provided some compensation during confiscation, the profits were naturally much less compared to selling them in the store."

After listening to Xu Lun's explanation, Wang Hong began to understand the situation better. They had been in continuous warfare with the Demon Clan for over a decade, depleting their resources significantly. Previously, at least the entire Cultivation World had joined forces against the Demon Clan, making it a bit easier to bear.

Now, it seemed that only six major sects remained in the entire Cultivation World, with all other regions lost, resulting in a shortage of resources. Moreover, the routes between these six major sects were controlled by the Demon Clan, making it impossible for resources to flow freely between regions.

"Have you not noticed that even Myriad Treasures Tower, which is so powerful, has run out of goods? That's because they have goods elsewhere, but they can't be transported here," Xu Lun added.

However, despite the scarcity of goods in the city, Wang Hong suspected that many people and factions were hoarding supplies. When something becomes scarce, people tend to stockpile it, making the shortage even worse. Many of these factions had been in operation for decades, if not centuries, and their reserves of resources shouldn't have been depleted so quickly.

"What about the people waiting outside?" Wang Hong inquired.

Seeing that Wang Hong had been engrossed in conversation with Xu Lun, the Ma Brothers felt somewhat overlooked. They seized the opportunity to answer Wang Hong's question, with Ma Zhong eagerly taking the lead.

"The cultivators waiting outside are all here to purchase Spirit Wine. We only supply a batch of Spirit Wine every five days. It's only after we've acquired the stock that we put the next batch up for sale. These people have been waiting here early, with some of them queuing for over ten days."

"If you think this is a long line, East Master, you should see the one over at Skinny Monkey's place. There, the line is even longer. Spirit Wine is often sold out as soon as it's released. Just a few days ago, I saw the head of a small clan trying to force his daughter into Skinny Monkey's place. Skinny Monkey boasts a lot, but when it comes down to it, he even got scared off at a critical moment," Ma Yi said with a smile.

"By the way, how's your Alchemy proficiency these days?" Wang Hong shifted the topic.

"Rest assured, East Master, my brother and I have never slacked in Alchemy. Currently, our Pill Success Rate is above seventy percent, and we produce high-quality pills with every furnace," Ma Zhong confidently stated. He was referring to the Pill Success Rate when refining multiple sets of materials simultaneously in one furnace. If they refined only one set at a time, the Pill Success Rate would be even higher.

While they might not be skilled in combat, they had some talent for Alchemy, and their hard work had paid off. Their Alchemy proficiency was quite good, and they were considered among the upper-tier second-tier Alchemists.

"Good! Well done!" Wang Hong praised them.

The Ma Brothers were overjoyed to receive Wang Hong's praise, and it felt sweeter than honey. They had flattered him so much before without receiving any compliments, so they realized how rare and precious this praise was. They resolved to put more effort into flattering him in the future.

After chatting with Xu Lun for a while, Wang Hong left the East Zhou Trading Company without making any comments about the current business situation, leaving it as it was.

He then visited Zhao Ning's Zhao's Pill Shop and Skinny Monkey's distillery, only to find that both were struggling due to shortages.

While at Skinny Monkey's distillery, he even witnessed a cultivator inquiring about Skinny Monkey's whereabouts, accompanied by a beautiful young girl.

Having checked these businesses, Wang Hong left Azure Void City alone, heading towards Liu Changsheng's base of operations. He traveled without any disguise, as he had been vigilant about whether Shadow Kill would send someone to assassinate him.

Therefore, he remained cautious throughout the journey, prepared to strike down any cultivator who approached him with lethal force. However, to his disappointment, no one attempted to attack him from start to finish, not even those who were willing to give him a second glance.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay