### **Chapter 82: An Eventful Autumn**
A somewhat panicked Duan Ping asked subconsciously, "Then what should I do?"
Seeing this, Wang Yu reassured him, "Don't worry. You can't escape involvement, and neither can I. That's precisely why I sought you out. Can you arrange a personal meeting for me with the True Disciple?"
"Alright, alright, alright." Duan Ping agreed without hesitation. After asking for a few more details, he hurriedly left the Ice and Snow Pavilion.
Lan Ji, who had witnessed this, asked curiously, "What's wrong with him? He looked like he got quite a scare."
"A minor matter." Wang Yu didn't elaborate and quickly returned to his ordinary residence in the Evil God Market.
While waiting for the notification, he continued cultivating quietly and making plans.
He waited another half month.
Instead of the news he longed for, an uninvited guest arrived. He couldn't help but lament that everything seemed to be erupting at once, leaving no room to catch his breath.
The visitor was none other than Zhou Tao!
Remembering the Alchemist Association matter, Wang Yu could guess the other's purpose.
"Brother Wang, I trust you've been well since we last met."
"I heard you've been back for a while. Why not visit the Association? After all, you were the one who built it from the ground up."
Zhou Tao had come alone to pay a visit, deliberately carrying a gift in hand, not stored in his pouch.
Hearing this, Wang Yu's expression turned displeased.
He judged people when interacting with them. With individuals like Liu Jinxian and Zhuo Shouqing, who came from prominent backgrounds, he was humble and deferential.
Zhou Tao, despite his Qi Refining ninth-layer cultivation, seemed to Wang Yu like a fool who didn't know his place and couldn't see the bigger picture.
Therefore, his response was very blunt.
"What? Run into trouble, so now the Association is my 'brainchild'? It seems to me you've been managing it quite successfully. Why come to see me now?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Tao didn't seem embarrassed and continued with an apologetic smile, "Yes, yes, that's my fault."
"However, I do have a matter where I need Brother Wang's help. A small gift, just a token of respect."
He placed the basket he was carrying on the table. It contained high-end spirit food pastries from the market, not cheap. Underneath them lay a storage pouch.
Wang Yu took it out and glanced inside with his spiritual sense.
*Well, well.* It contained at least twenty thousand spirit stones, an amount comparable to more than half of his own net worth. Clearly, the trouble Zhou Tao faced was significant.
Putting the storage pouch back into the basket, Wang Yu said, "Speak. What is it? I might not be able to help you."
Zhou Tao nodded and quickly explained the recent events. In summary, it aligned largely with Wang Yu's earlier Guess. The pill business was a monopoly, owned by the sect's Alchemy Hall.
Originally, the four-person Association operated on a small scale. The pills produced never entered the open market but were funneled into the Ice and Snow Pavilion, consumed by a portion of inner disciples. It caused no ripples, emphasizing discretion.
During the first year after Zhou Tao took over, the Association actually continued cooperating with Zhao Shang. They even kept Wang Yu's share of the dividends.
But as time passed, Zhou Tao's ambition began to sprout. He wanted to expand the Association's membership, increase pill output, and profit more from it.
Zhao Shang disagreed, leading to the incident three years ago where Zhou Tao reported Zhao Shang for embezzlement, which created the opportunity for Lan Ji to step in.
The two reached a new agreement. Using Lan Ji's status, Zhou Tao expanded the channels to other True Disciple establishments in the Evil God Market, adopting a low-price strategy.
The Association's membership kept growing, eventually exceeding one hundred.
Production capacity increased dramatically.
This led to some individuals violating the rules set by Zhou Tao, privately selling low-priced pills to fellow disciples under the Association's name.
This move disrupted the stable pricing of the sect's pills.
It attracted a large number of low-level cultivators who actively sought to buy cheap pills from them.
At this point, another group, emboldened by Zhou Tao's connections and unable to resist the temptation of spirit stones, were swayed. This caused a small faction to grow into a majority.
The expansion of the black market, in turn, led to the downfall of everyone in the Association, including Zhou Tao himself, all unable to resist the large sums of spirit stones flowing in and out daily.
They completely ignored the rules Wang Yu had established early on.
The snowball grew larger and larger, finally reaching a critical point. At this juncture, Lan Ji became afraid. She didn't dare continue profiting and proactively severed ties with Zhou Tao.
The Association members, however, were willing to risk their lives for money.
Even after losing the True Disciple channels, the market among low-level fellow disciples grew larger. This ultimately led to some members being caught by the Enforcement Hall during private transactions.
Such behavior was explicitly prohibited by sect regulations.
Zhou Tao explained everything in detail, not hiding the parts unfavorable to Wang Yu but laying it all out. It seemed he was truly panicked.
No wonder he was willing to spend twenty thousand spirit stones to seek Wang Yu's help. He was at his wit's end.
After listening quietly, Wang Yu sighed.
"I can't help you. When Lan Ji withdrew, you should have realized that True Disciple Su couldn't protect her, or at least, in Lan Ji's perception, that was the case."
"What made you think you could continue?"
Zhou Tao slapped the table unwillingly, his face extremely gloomy. "Brother Wang, I can give you thirty percent of the profits. Help me this once."
"I know you have connections in the Enforcement Hall. The Xu Clan Pill Shop incident was your doing. I, Zhou, can see that."
"Just get those arrested members out, temporarily deceive the Enforcement Hall, and the Alchemist Association will disband overnight!"
Wang Yu gave him a speechless glance.
"It's too late. Do you really think they don't know? They're just waiting for you to fatten up. Too skinny... not enough to satisfy their appetite."
The Association members came from the bottom tiers of the Ten Reverse Blood Markets, those low-level alchemists who found it hard to get ahead. Probably many had their eyes on this.
What the hell could Wang Yu do? He wasn't the Sect Leader.
His words were very blunt. Zhou Tao wasn't stupid either; otherwise, he wouldn't have insisted on following the rules Wang Yu set back in the day. It was a pity he was still blinded by the vast amounts of spirit stones.
After all, knowing something is one thing; personally practicing it is key.
Everyone understands grand principles, but not everyone becomes a sage or an ancestor. This is the inherent flaw of human nature, difficult to avoid!
Perhaps because his last hope was shattered,
Zhou Tao turned fierce. The aura of the Qi Refining ninth layer pressed down as he threatened:
"You *have* to help me, Wang Yu! Don't forget, you are the true founder of the Alchemist Association! What if I tell the Enforcement Hall about your collusion with Zhao Shang? Do you think they wouldn't deal with you as well!!!"
Wang Yu slammed the table and stood up, his late Qi Refining aura radiating without restraint, meeting Zhou Tao head-on.
"How dare you?!"
"Hah—
"I'm about to die anyway, what wouldn't I dare!"
Not everyone had an escape route like Zhao Shang. At the very least, Zhou Tao didn't. Under the threat of death, he was capable of anything.
Wang Yu detested this kind of coercion the most. This matter had nothing to do with him. It was a mess caused by a group's greed. He hadn't gained any benefit from it; why should he clean up their mess?
Detecting Wang Yu's Qi Refining seventh-layer strength, Zhou Tao was somewhat shocked. After all, he had Three Spiritual Roots aptitude and later had ample resources supporting him, yet it still took him over fifty years to reach the ninth layer.
**(End of Chapter)**