Things indeed turned out as everyone had anticipated; when they arrived in Qingfeng City, Qin Shi and Dong Yu cautiously sold two rare items from the Heavenly Realm at the auction house and immediately obtained the startup capital they needed.

Speaking of rare items, they were actually not anything special, but that was to Qin Shi and Dong Yu. For the Spirit Realm, these items were truly rare treasures hard to find in the world!

Therefore, everything that followed went smoothly.

They took over one of the busiest taverns in the most flourishing area of Qingfeng City at an irresistible price.

The business of that tavern was already good, but under the management of the truly skilled Miao Yi Niang, it flourished even more brilliantly.

It virtually became an overnight sensation!

"The tavern is just our first step, once we have established ourselves and enhanced our strength, we can start venturing into the elixir business. Overall, we need to establish a solid foundation for Piaomiao Palace in the Spirit Realm!" Even Qin Shi couldn't help but be filled with grand ambitions at the time.

However, they eventually underestimated the cruelty of this world.

Qin Shi and Dong Yu had high standards, but their standards were too high! As a result, they were completely unaware of many tricky and dirty dealings in obscure corners.

The four elder members—Hua Sanniang, He Feng, Shen Aobing, and Shen Aoshuang—all came from sects, almost like beings untouched by worldly desires, naturally lacking any relevant experience.

There's no need to mention Huang Hui, who wasn't even human.

Hua Xiaoya was just a careless and naive girl.

Shen Xingxue, formerly a royal princess, had also grown up among immortals.

The only one who could be considered experienced was Miao Yi Niang.

But even Miao Yi Niang, no matter how experienced, was also completely in the dark about the various aspects of the Spirit Realm.

So, initially, the group's thinking was very simple. If there truly were people envious of their business coming to cause trouble, they could simply offer some benefits, and the issue… would be resolved.

These individuals had all underestimated the shamelessness of the forces within the Spirit Realm and had overlooked the bloodiness of the law of the jungle!

When you're still an ant, naturally no one will pay attention to you.

So, in the beginning, even though the tavern's business was excellent, almost no one came to cause trouble.

They had paid their respects where due, and had shared out profits where necessary. Even Miao Yi Niang thought everything was on the right track and almost felt they could rest easy, just as they were about to get involved in the elixir business, trouble finally arrived.

And when it came, it was with the crushing force of a thunderbolt!

Because that ant had grown into a mountain! Only a blind person could ignore them now.

Not to mention, aside from He Feng, the other nine individuals were all top-notch beauties as beautiful as flowers. Such a combination, trying to avoid catching others' covetous eyes... was a difficult task.

When the business of the tavern improved day by day, in fact, some signs were already there. Those influential figures who Miao Yi Niang and the others had met earlier began to subtly inquire about their background.

But at that time, Miao Yi Niang and the others weren't particularly vigilant, because such things were quite normal.

A group of newcomers to a major city like Qingfeng City, it would be abnormal for the local forces not to probe their origins.

At the time, Miao Yiniang and the others were still thinking that, in the worst case, they could give up a bit more profit. After all, the business at the Gluttonous Pavilion was booming, so even if they gave up some more, they would still have substantial profit margins.

However, half a month ago, a sudden aggressive acquisition shattered all their illusions.

"This is a hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones."

Miao Yiniang and the others still clearly remembered that the person who had come was the steward of the Ouyang Family, the largest family in Qingfeng City. A man in his forties, with a scholarly appearance.

The person speaking about the storage ring containing a hundred thousand spirit stones was a young man accompanying the steward.

The young man seemed to be in his twenties, with rosy lips, white teeth, and starry eyes, making him extremely handsome, though his gaze was somewhat frivolous. The way he looked at Miao Yiniang and the others had a hint of provocation.

This made them very uncomfortable.

"Steward Ouyang, what is this?" Miao Yiniang was very angry at the time, believing that the other party intended to use the hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones to purchase the pavilion.

Though a hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones was not a small amount, it was simply impossible to buy the pavilion with it.

Because the net profit of the pavilion for one year was far more than that amount!

What Miao Yiniang and the others did not expect was just how shameless the other party could be.

"Buy the pavilion? No, no, no... Miss Miao has misunderstood," the young man said with a light smile, looking at Miao Yiniang, then glanced at Shen Xingxue, Huang Hui, and Shen Aobing who were beside Miao Yiniang at the time. "Ninety thousand of these spirit stones are the dowries for the nine women of the Gluttonous Pavilion, hehe, ten thousand each! The remaining ten thousand is for that He Feng man. Take the money and leave, stay away from Qingfeng City, and never come back."

Miao Yiniang and the others were furious on the spot, and Shen Aobing was so angered she almost took action right there.

Even though the steward seemed unfathomable, Shen Aobing was almost driven mad by anger.

This was bullying too much!

However, Miao Yiniang was calmer, stopping her aunt Shen Aobing who wanted to take action through Shen Xingxue. Then she spoke to the young man, "Young Master Ouyang, you must be joking, right? We have not agreed to a marriage with anyone, nor do we intend to marry."

"No matter, we do not mind," the young man from the Ouyang Family said with a slight smile, looking affectionately at Miao Yiniang, "Miao Manager is peerlessly beautiful, and I have liked Miss Miao for a long time..."

"Young Master Ouyang, please show some respect!" Miao Yiniang frowned, "Our Gluttonous Pavilion already offers a lot to the Ouyang Family..."

At that point, the always silent steward of the Ouyang Family smiled lightly, "Honestly, the offerings from Gluttonous Pavilion to the Ouyang Family are just a drop in the ocean, truly negligible! What the Ouyang Family values are your people! Actually, this is a chance for a leap forward for you! If you don't believe me, you can inquire around, the Ouyang Family's status in the whole Spirit Realm is extremely high. Marrying into the Ouyang Family is actually a tremendous fortune for someone with little backing like yourselves."

Miao Yiniang felt a chill in her heart, realizing that the other party had nearly figured out their backgrounds. It was hard to uncover that they came from the Mortal Realm, but it was easy to find out whether they had any backup in the Spirit Realm.

"But we are simply not worthy of such elevation!" Shen Xingxue said as she held back her aunt, her eyes cold, "Would a distinguished family like the Ouyang Family really want to engage in such tasteless acts?"

"Hehe, here are the hundred thousand spirit stones and this storage ring, left here. You have three days to think it over," the steward of the Ouyang Family said indifferently, showing no desire to further discuss the matter. After dropping that statement, he promptly got up and left.

Before leaving, the young master of the Ouyang Family still smiled at Miao Yiniang, "Miss Miao, I look forward to the day we spend our wedding night together."

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