Early the next morning,Su Xin was pulled into the living room by the maid,LüLing,as something had happened.
Su Xin entered the living room where everyone was present.Yan Qingsnow spoke softly,"Young Master Meng,just now,Big Brother sent someone to inform us to arrive at Fengyun Arena at noon,prepared to compete for the trade routes in the style of Fengyun Arena."
"Oh?What does that mean?"Su Xin raised an eyebrow and asked.
Yan Qingsnow explained in detail to Su Xin,as it was also part of the test.
Yan Huangji gave each of his thirteen children a token,representing thirteen trade routes.However,it was not specified which route each person should take;it was entirely up to them to decide.
But among these thirteen routes,they were not all the same.Some led to the south of Xiangnan,some to the west of Xiangxi,some to the Central Plains,and the farthest even went to the Western Regions.
Among these routes,the ones leading to the Central Plains were naturally the best.Not only did the Central Plains need some specialties from Xiangnan,but Xiangnan also needed some resources produced in the Central Plains.
If one managed to secure a trade route to the Western Regions during normal times,it would be a lucrative opportunity.The thirty-six countries in the Western Regions were rich in resources,and a single trip could bring back significant gains.
However,during this test,those routes to the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions were the worst.
Because the Western Regions were too far from Xiangnan,it would take almost a year to complete a round trip with a trade caravan.Since this test lasted exactly one year,any delay on the journey could lead to failure.
It turned out that when Yan Zhongheng and the others started competing for tokens,they wanted to collect more tokens to set out with multiple trade caravans,achieving profits in the shortest time possible.If they managed to secure routes to Xiangnan and Xiangxi,which were relatively closer,they might even make two trips.
However,now that Yan Qingsnow had the strength to contend with them,and the strengths of the others were evenly matched,further delay was meaningless.It was better to quickly decide which trade route to choose and set out promptly.
A slight smile appeared on Su Xin's lips."I guess Yan Zhongheng and the others probably don't know that I invited Master Tao and the others yesterday.Otherwise,they wouldn't dare to invite us to Fengyun Arena at this critical time to decide on the competition for trade routes."
Before this,Yan Zhongheng and the others had already decided that,on Fengyun Arena,the first to win three out of five rounds would have the right to choose the trade route.
They thought Su Xin was alone,plus the elderly Liang Bo,and assumed they were destined to lose.But now,with Tao Qian and the others on Su Xin's side,not to mention winning three out of five rounds,he could even dare to play five out of three.
"So,which trade route should we choose?"Yan Qingsnow frowned and asked,"Currently,there are six routes leading to various parts of the Central Plains,four to the west of Xiangxi,one to the south of Xiangnan,and the last two leading to the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions."
In terms of trade routes,Yan Qingsnow was naturally at a disadvantage,as she only had one route.Apart from Yan Zhongheng,everyone else had the support of their brothers and sisters,with several trade routes in their possession.
Su Xin said in a deep voice,"We are definitely at a disadvantage in terms of the number of trade routes.Even if we choose the best route,it would be extremely difficult to surpass their profits by several times.So now,not only do we have to choose a trade route,but we also need to choose goods.The things we bring back must be able to sell for the total sum of their several trade routes."
Tao Qian and the others looked at Su Xin with confusion.Although they didn't understand business,they also knew that there seemed to be nothing in this world that could have such high profits when combined with the profits of several trade routes.
Liang Bo,an old man from Shangshan City,had followed the city's trade caravan to many places in his early years.But even he couldn't think of anything that could have higher profits than the combined profits of several trade routes.
Su Xin calmly said,"What is the most expensive thing in this world?The things that cannot be bought are the most expensive.What kind of business is the most profitable?The business that is monopolized is the most profitable!"
"Hoarding goods to raise prices?"Yan Qingsnow instantly understood.
Su Xin nodded.Unexpectedly,Yan Qingsnow was sensitive to business matters.
"But what kind of business can we monopolize completely?Even if we want to monopolize,the local forces will not agree,"Yan Qingsnow frowned.
Su Xin said in a deep voice,"Miss Yan,do you believe me?"
"Of course,I do."Yan Qingsnow answered without hesitation.Without Su Xin,she might have been forced by Yan Zhongheng and the others to hand over the token,completely losing her status as the heir.If she couldn't trust Su Xin,who else could she trust?
"Since Miss Yan believes me,then choose the trade route leading to Changning Prefecture in Xiangnan.I guarantee you won't regret it."
Yan Qingsnow didn't ask why;she just believed in Meng Qingze.This man had never disappointed her.
At noon,Yan Zhongheng and the others had already gathered at Fengyun Arena,only waiting for Yan Qingsnow to bring people.
Yan Jiheng sneered,"That woman's attitude is really arrogant,even making us wait for her here."
Yan Shengheng beside him said indifferently,"Thirteenth Brother,no matter what,she is still your sister.Is it appropriate to address her like that?"
Yan Jiheng sneered,"Ninth Brother,don't pretend to be compassionate here.The rumors back then about her not being Father's biological child,were they spread by you?"
Yan Shengheng coldly said,"Thirteenth Brother,you can messily eat things,but you shouldn't speak recklessly."
Yan Zhongheng,on the side,watched the argument with a look of amusement.One was always pretending to be a righteous and charismatic pseudo-gentleman,while the other,relying on his young age and Father's favoritism,didn't care much about his elder brothers.In Yan Zhongheng's eyes,neither of them was a good person.
"Don't argue,little sister and her group are here,"scolded Yan Shuheng,his expression suddenly changing.
Everyone looked towards the street corner,only to see that on Yan Qingsnow's side,besides the old man Liang and Meng Qingze,there were three familiar faces:Hong Lietao,ranked thirteenth on the Wind and Cloud List with a record of'Repeated Defeats and Repeated Battles,'Nie Fang,ranked sixteenth known as the'Blade Breaker,'and Tao Qian,the owner of the East Forest Martial Arts Hall,ranked twenty-first!
How did these three end up with Yan Qingsnow?Remember,they had all been recruited,but none had been successfully won over,despite considerable efforts.
Regardless of how you looked at it,they were much stronger than Yan Qingsnow.Had these three guys gone blind?Choosing Yan Qingsnow instead of them?
And all four of them regretted withdrawing the people they were monitoring yesterday;they had no idea about such a significant piece of information.Since Su Xin's display of power last time,Yan Zhongheng and the others had indeed become wary,recalling those who were monitoring Yan Qingsnow.However,they didn't expect Yan Qingsnow to pull off this move the next day.If they had known that Yan Qingsnow had recruited these three,they would have definitely postponed the selection of trade routes and revealed their trump cards.
But now,it was too late.
Yan Zhongheng's expression turned cold."Little sister,you've played this hand quite well.I'm really curious,what did you use to win them over?"
Hong Lietao scoffed,"Just looking at your weird expression,I made the right choice not to choose you initially.I'll follow whoever I want;do you have a say in it?"
"Bold!"A warrior behind Yan Zhongheng,dressed in red,shouted angrily.His aura burst forth,revealing that he,too,was a warrior in the early stage of the Innate realm.
Hong Lietao sneered,"Wang Tongren from the Leave Fire Sect,just a defeated underling.If you have the guts,come to Fengyun Arena later,and I'll show you a lesson!"
Wang Tongren,from the Leave Fire Sect,turned red in anger,but he couldn't say a word because he was indeed not a match for Hong Lietao.Even among the major sect disciples,there were differences in strength,and Wang Tongren undoubtedly belonged to the weaker category.
The real powerful disciples of the sects would only lend a hand when necessary,and during normal times,everyone would be busy practicing within the sect.Who had the time to wander around with Yan Zhongheng all day?
So,only underlings like Wang Tongren,who were relatively weaker,were sent to follow Yan Zhongheng and pass on messages.
Last time,when Yan Zhongheng wanted to recruit Hong Lietao,Wang Tongren was the first to act.The result was Hong Lietao harshly teaching and humiliating him.Although Yan Zhongheng later brought the real core disciples of the Leave Fire Sect,and won against Hong Lietao,he was unwilling to admit defeat.Helpless,Yan Zhongheng had to give up on recruiting him.
"Good,very good!Yan Qingsnow,I really underestimated you!"Yan Zhongheng coldly left these words and grabbed the furious Wang Tongren.
Now,it wasn't just their business;the other brothers also felt a strong sense of threat.
Including Liang Bo,Yan Qingsnow had five Innate realm warriors on her side,and among them was Meng Qingze,a formidable figure on the Wind and Cloud List.Without seeking help from their own sects,the people they recruited in Shangshan City were simply not her opponents!
Nie Fang lazily said,"Are you guys going to fight or not?I still have a weapon to forge.I don't want to waste time with you.Isn't it three out of five rounds?Let me take the first one."
As Nie Fang spoke,he directly ascended the Fengyun Arena without giving them time to react.
Yan Jiheng stared fiercely at Yan Qingsnow and said in a cold voice,"Lao Gu,you're up!"
"Yes,Young Master."A middle-aged warrior holding a short knife reluctantly stepped onto the Fengyun Arena.
He wasn't recruited by Yan Jiheng but had been assigned to Yan Jiheng by Yan Huangji.He could be considered a retainer of the Yan family,and even if he wanted to refuse,he couldn't find an excuse.
As for facing Nie Fang in battle,he had no confidence.He had participated in the Fengyun Arena before,but only made it to the twenty-eighth position before voluntarily withdrawing.Compared to Wind and Cloud List warriors like Nie Fang,there was a considerable gap.
