Chapter 908 – Forgive And Forget
Those at the Heaven Wasteland Building heard similar words being said throughout the day.
The members of the representative station felt as though they could finally lift their heads up high after having to suffer through all the injustice over the past few days. They could finally let go of their resentment.
The officials at the representative station sat behind a large table, their expressions relaxed.
"Hahaha, Chairman Zhen Ming, we are honored by your presentation of such extravagant gifts. However, if my memory serves me correctly, didn't you personally call on the Heaven Wasteland Building two weeks ago to tear up the agreement we had with the Jing Yu Pavilion? You tore them all up. I still have with me the contract termination agreement that you handed me," Registrar Liu said calmly but he laughed to himself. He felt as great as if he had eaten an iced watermelon on the hottest summer day.
He held a silk book that recorded a list of the Chambers of Commerce and forces that had unilaterally terminated their agreements with the Heaven Wasteland Domain over the past couple of days.
The first name on the list was none other than the Jing Yu Pavilion.
"Hehe, Registrar Liu… this… this… this was a mistake on our part. Now is the time for the Heaven Wasteland Domain to rise rapidly and if… if we would be able to export our herbs to the Heaven Wasteland Domain, I'm sure it would greatly benefit the cultivations of the experts in the domain… As for why we broke the agreement a few days ago, we were forced into doing so…" Chairman Zhen Ming, who had been smiling warmly, suddenly looked a little embarrassed.
He hesitated for a moment, then he put on a forlorn expression as he continued, "Registrar Liu, Lord Liu… please listen to my explanation. The Dragon Human Race had cut the nineteen logistical supply chains of our herbs in half and we faced great losses almost overnight. We still had many families to feed, I… I was completely powerless against them and was forced to bend to their will… But, but I have always supported everyone here and at the Heaven Wasteland Domain. Otherwise, I would not have come the first instant I heard about Lord Ye Qingyu's promotion…"
Chairman Zhen Ming used his wide sleeves to dab the sweat off his forehead as he snuck a glance at Great Dragon Turtle Demon and the others in an attempt to gauge their reactions. He was still slightly worried.
The herbs that the Jing Yu Pavilion exported were not ordinary medicinal herbs but were very rare and precious high-quality divine herbs that were highly effective to one's martial cultivation. Since they were a new domain, the martial artists in the Heaven Wasteland Domain were just like children learning how to walk, and this was the time where they needed to cultivate continuously, which meant that this was an extremely rare opportunity for the Jing Yu Pavilion. Most importantly, based on the information they heard earlier, many rare and extinct herbs in other domains could be found in large quantities in the Heaven Wasteland Domain.
He had put in a lot of effort to sign an exclusive agency agreement with the Heaven Wasteland Domain.
However, a few days ago, the Dragon Human Race was making things difficult for them and the public sentiment was extremely negative toward Heaven Wasteland Domain. Furthermore, the Dragon Human Race had even secretly destroyed their logistics chain, which caused them huge losses. In a fit of rage, Chairman Zhen Ming brought two servants with him to tear up the agreement contract in front of Registrar Liu.
Who would have expected that…
Chairman Zhen Ming sighed, consumed with regret.
"Oh? Is that so? I'm thankful for your kind intentions, but if I recall correctly, the Jing Yu Pavilion is not the only company that deals in high-quality divine herbs along the Road of Chaos, right? Thunder Pool Mountain seems like a pretty good option, too. My lord is more than happy to work with them."
Chairman Zhen Ming's face immediately changed at those words and his back broke out in cold sweat.
Thunder Pool Mountain was their direct rival in the marketplace, and as their nature of business was exactly the same, they had fought many times in the marketplace and were known to be fierce rivals. If the Heaven Wasteland Domain decided to work with Thunder Pool Mountain, the Jing Yu Pavilion would be weakened significantly. Then, their Chamber of Commerce would be doomed.
This was a hole, and it was a massive hole…
Yet, he was well aware that he no longer had any room to negotiate at this point in time. This was all his fault for following the crowd. Now, he would suffer greater losses.
He thought for a moment and steeled himself. Then, he said loudly, "I admit that I was wrong previously and I hope that Registrar Liu will let it go this time and give me a second chance. If the Heaven Wasteland Domain gives me a second chance and is willing to resume our three-year exclusive agency contract, I… we are willing to give the Heaven Wasteland Dynasty seventy… no, no… even eighty percent of our realized profits in the first two years."
"Wow!"
The moment he said those words, the dozen or so representatives of the various Chambers of Commerce, who were waiting along the corridor outside, burst into an uproar.
"Is that the price that he is willing to pay? He would be trading at loss…"
"This old man, Zhen Ming, is well-known for being stingy and has always been a canny and highly intelligent person. I can't believe he is willing to pay such a high price in order to beg for a chance to work with the Heaven Wasteland Domain."
"He is just suffering the consequences of his actions. If the Heaven Wasteland Domain signs an agreement with Thunder Pool Mountain, then he will be doomed. Therefore, even if he wouldn't be making a profit, he would still not give this chance to Thunder Pool Mountain…"
Registrar Liu was slightly taken aback by Chairman Zhen Ming's words.
He turned to look at Great Dragon Turtle Demon beside him.
Great Dragon Turtle Demon's expression was inscrutable and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking from his expression. A few moments later, as Chairman Zhen Ming looked almost imploringly at him, he finally spoke, "Chairman Zhen Ming, we understand what you mean. Please return and wait for news from us."
This was a clear request for him to leave.
As for whether they would continue their agreement or…
No one knew.
Chairman Zhen Ming smiled bitterly and his face was a picture of despair.
The dozen or so representatives of the various Chambers of Commerce and forces all looked at each other in dismay but did not dare to say anything else.
Chairman Zhen Ming did not dare to probe further. He gestured with his eyes and his disciples left the gifts with the Heaven Wasteland Building. Then he walked out with a smile.
Registrar Liu and Adviser Xu exchanged a glance and almost burst out laughing. Chairman Zhen Ming had been extremely arrogant when he walked in to destroy their agreement and treated them with such contempt. Now, he would have to live with the consequences of his actions.
At the moment, when the representatives of the various major Chambers of Commerce looked at Great Dragon Turtle Demon and the others, it was as though the "lower domain peasants" who they had scoffed at these past few days had suddenly become the divine gods that held their fates in their hands. They could not help but worry when they noticed their relaxed and easy expressions.
A loud and friendly voice rang out from the corridor.
"Lord Dragon Turtle and the other lords of the Heaven Wasteland Domain, Ling Xiangqu requests an audience!"
Ling Xiangqu was the deputy manager of the Yuan Ming Chamber of Commerce as well as the officer-in-charge of handling external cooperative affairs.
Registrar Liu glanced at Great Dragon Turtle Demon and when he saw that Great Dragon Turtle Demon did not decline, he gestured for the guard to show Ling Xiangqu in.
The crowd parted.
Ling Xiangqu entered, his expression one of utmost remorse and regret.
The young disciple who had delivered the termination agreement also entered the main hall.
This young disciple was still wearing the grey long shirt that he had been wearing the last time he visited. Before anyone uttered a word, that disciple knelt on the floor with a loud thud and trembled in fright.
Ling Xiangqu took a few steps forward, and as everyone watched, he saluted with his hands clasped in front of his chest and said remorsefully, "My lords, I have come today to beg for forgiveness for our grievous mistake. I'm truly ashamed of what we have done. My stupid disciple is to blame for the destruction of our agreement, for he had visited the Heaven Wasteland Building on his own accord to terminate it. Neither myself nor the chairman was aware of what he had done… When we found out, we were enraged but we were too ashamed to pay the Heaven Wasteland Building another visit. Today… today, when we heard the news of Lord Ye Qingyu's promotion, this was great news for the Heaven Wasteland Domain, so we decided to bring this reckless disciple to beg for forgiveness in spite of our shame. We hope that because of his deep regret and remorse for his actions… that you will give us another chance."
Ling Xiangqu sounded extremely aggrieved and pained as he delivered his speech.
"Oh. So in other words, Manager Ling Xiangqu, do you think that we'll let this matter slide so easily?" Great Dragon Turtle Demon said evenly, with a faint smile.
"Uh… Uh… Lord Dragon Turtle, obviously, this isn't all. In order to show that we have sincerely reflected on our actions… I… I will maim this stupid disciple of mine to show our sincerity and our resolution!" A hidden force burst forth from Ling Xiangqu's palm even before he had finished speaking and hit the young disciple's thigh.
"Ah!"
A pitiful cry rang out.
The young disciple's legs broke with a loud crack and blood spurted from his wound, which seeped through his white-grey robes and flowed down along his clothes to stain the jadeite flooring.
After he screamed, the disciple noticed Ling Xiangqu's fierce glare and no longer dared to utter another sound.
He curled himself into a tight ball. His face was deathly pale and dripping with cold sweat, while his brows were knitted tightly together. He looked like he was trying to bear the intense pain and he whimpered, "Boo-hoo… Please spare me, my lords… I was provoked by someone that day… to destroy the agreement on my own accord. Lord Ling Xiangqu had already punished me severely… I won't dare to do such things again."
The representatives of the various Chambers of Commerce spoke in hushed whispers, their expressions complicated.
Great Dragon Turtle Demon, Registrar Liu, and Adviser Xu took in everything coldly and calmly. Even an idiot could tell that Ling Xiangqu had brought this disciple over to act out a bloody scene devised to induce sympathy.
They were hardly impressed by such bad acting.
By pushing the blame onto someone else and harming his own disciple, it showed that Ling Xiangqu did not feel a shred of remorse. Not only did he fail to gain their sympathy, but his actions had also filled Great Dragon Turtle Demon and the others with an overwhelming sense of disgust.
Only an idiot would be willing to cooperate with such a person and such a Chamber of Commerce.
Great Dragon Turtle Demon looked at the blood that flowed from the young disciple and said flatly, "Sigh. The floor that we had wiped clean this morning is now dirty once again. It looks a little disgusting… Manager Ling Xiangqu, there is no way we would be able to work together again. May I trouble you to wipe this floor clean before you go?"
The mood immediately turned chilly with those words.
Ling Xiangqu's expression changed and he looked embarrassed.
His face alternated between turning pale and flushing red, and the corners of his lips twitched. He wanted to say a few words of flattery but when he saw their cold expressions, he was unable to rein in his anger and suddenly scoffed.
"Hehe… Lord Dragon Turtle, this is where you are wrong. As the saying goes, forgive and forget, you mustn't be too resolute in your business dealings. We are after long-term cooperation in the world of commerce, and minor conflicts like these are very common… The Heaven Wasteland Domain has only gotten a slight promotion and you're already so haughty and unreasonable. Isn't it a little too early to celebrate? I'd suggest that you stop putting on such a laughable act. Tell me, aren't you trying to gain something from this? Why don't you tell me upfront what it is that you are after?"
Ling Xiangqu's expression turned sinister.
