Ma Baoying sensed something was amiss and asked, "What's the matter?"
"It's about Dogged Luck becoming the County Constable. I wanted to confirm with Shen Ma yesterday, to tell him not to get involved in the County Constable affairs, but I couldn't find him. Isn't that strange, Master Ma?"
Ma Baoying fell silent after hearing this.
This matter was done in secrecy, and if someone caught wind of it, there was no way to refute it.
"Shen Ma has been visiting his mother, my fourth sister, at the Ma family these past two days. I didn't expect this to delay Master Zhu's affairs. I apologize for that."
"No need to apologize. Since Shen Ma isn't here, I must trouble Master Ma to make a Heart Oath not to meddle in this County Constable selection."
Ma Weixin couldn't hold back any longer, "Master Zhu, Mountain Chicken County belongs to the four families, not just the Zhu family. Isn't this too domineering?"
Zhu Xiaosuo patted his forehead, "Ah, my mistake, my mistake, I almost forgot about you. Your Ma family always does things behind people's backs, how could I forget you? You both should make the Heart Oath together."
"You!"
"Don't say anything!"
Ma Baoying was so angry her teeth hurt.
If Ma Weixin hadn't spoken, she could have found a loophole. After making the Heart Oath, she could have pushed the matter of Shen Ma becoming County Constable onto her.
But now, she had walked right into the trap, being dragged by Zhu Xiaosuo to make the Heart Oath together.
Even though she hadn't groomed her as the head of the family, she couldn't be this foolish, could she?
Suppressing her anger towards her incompetent ally, Ma Baoying said, "What benefit does making a Heart Oath and withdrawing from the County Constable competition bring to our Ma family?"
"The benefit is that we can continue discussing the cloth business in Yellow Dog County."
"Master Zhu, are you toying with us? We were supposed to discuss this tonight!"
"I only said we'd meet tonight, I never promised to discuss anything."
"You... Master Zhu, how can you, a dignified cultivator, act so shamelessly!"
"So, you don't want to talk?"
Zhu Xiaosuo wasn't going to indulge the Ma family women and stood up to leave.
Talking to you is already giving you face.
When the Black Snow Ridge incident happens, if you don't come begging on your knees, you'll be considered heroes among chickens.
"Wait, we'll make the Heart Oath."
Ma Baoying squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.
Then she and Ma Weixin made the Heart Oath together.
"That's more like it. Even if your Ma family can't get the County Constable, you can still use your advantages to handle the constables. If we can't handle the County Constable, we can't expand our business on the ground."
"Hmph, Master Zhu, you've got the advantage, so stop pretending. Let's continue discussing the cloth shop in Yellow Dog County."
"Alright, as I said before, since you're the ones who want to talk, you should make the first offer."
Ma Baoying gave Zhu Xiaosuo a fierce yet charming look.
But you have to admit, that expression did make Zhu Xiaosuo's heart skip a beat.
He hadn't really observed Ma Baoying closely before.
Zhu Xiaosuo now realized that Ma Baoying's allure seemed innate, infused in her every move.
Although Ma Weixin was brainless, her captivating eyes never seemed annoying.
Everyone looked down on the Ma family's flirtatious ways, not realizing they were skilled in their craft.
The Ma family truly loved their trade.
"Then we'll start. We want to offer ten Spirit Stones for the Zhu family to transfer the cloth business in Yellow Dog County to the Ma family."
"Ten Spirit Stones? Master Ma, your cloth shop in Yellow Dog County earns hundreds of thousands of taels of silver annually. This price lacks sincerity."
"Hundreds of thousands of taels of silver is gross profit. After deducting labor, materials, and greasing palms, only ten or twenty thousand remain."
"Master Ma, the more you speak, the more ridiculous it becomes. For an annual income of one or two Spirit Stones, you two are willing to sell yourselves? I didn't expect you two to be so impoverished. How about this, I'll give you two Spirit Stones annually, and you won't have to sell yourselves. Just work as maids serving tea and water in my Zhu family."
"Then what does Master Zhu propose?"
"Fifty Spirit Stones."
Ma Baoying laughed in anger, "Master Zhu, you criticize us with grand words, but I expected a reasonable proposal, not an outrageous demand. Fifty Spirit Stones are enough for us to break through the First Layer. If that's the price, we might as well abandon the cloth shop."
Ma Baoying stood to leave, but Zhu Xiaosuo grabbed her hand.
"Master Zhu, why are you being handsy!"
Zhu Xiaosuo said helplessly, "Your clothes are as thin as gauze. I'm afraid they'll tear with a pull, and that wouldn't be a good scene. Sit down."
Ma Baoying did come with the intention of seducing Zhu Xiaosuo, so her attire wasn't conservative.
"A negotiation is just that, a negotiation. You make an offer, I make an offer. Then we meet in the middle, and eventually, we can reach an agreement. There's no such thing as leaving after the first offer."
"Twenty Spirit Stones, no more."
"You've offered more, so I'll concede a bit. Forty Spirit Stones."
After several rounds of back-and-forth, they settled on a price of thirty-two Spirit Stones.
After making the Heart Oath and transferring the Yellow Dog County cloth shop, the two Ma women left in low spirits.
Zhu Xiaosuo pocketed the Spirit Stones.
To him, it was money for nothing.
Although he held onto the cloth shop, the Zhu family had no supply chain for cloth.
From raw materials to labor to technology, the Zhu family had nothing.
Rather than holding onto it, it was better to sell it to the Ma family for a quick profit.
"Ah, robbery is still the quickest way to make money."
Mountain Chicken County finally calmed down.
Ultimately, it was because Zhu Xiaosuo was busy cultivating and stopped causing trouble.
The only novelty was that the Zhu family somehow acquired an opera troupe.
It's said they weren't paid but shared the profits from the restaurants, teahouses, and brothels.
The more the Zhu family earned, the more the opera troupe received, which made them perform with great enthusiasm.
Although Mountain Chicken County wasn't as prosperous as the City of Seeking Immortality, there was no competition, and the Zhu family offered excellent treatment, giving the opera troupe members a strong sense of belonging.
Many troupe members planned to marry and settle down in Mountain Chicken County.
The troupe performed in various Zhu family establishments, telling short stories during the day and full plays at night, with major performances at the beginning and end of the month.
After watching the plays and listening to the stories, the townsfolk would often feel unsatisfied and would then drink tea, eat, or relax.
All the teahouses and restaurants were bustling, indeed earning the Zhu family some silver in this area.
The Niu, Ma, and Yang Clans were envious of the Zhu family's booming entertainment business.
Zhu Xiaosuo was happy for others to know about the Zhu family's successful business.
Because of this, he didn't worry about cultivating resources and could focus on cultivation.
Although Zhu Xiaosuo had many plans to develop the entertainment industry, he didn't have the energy to implement them now.
Because he had to prepare for the Immortal Sect examination in advance.
Sun Qingde's threat hung over him like the Sword of Damocles.
It gave him no peace.
Zhu Xiaosuo dedicated two full months to cultivation.