Zhang Wen slowly reduced the concentration of the poison, just enough for them to speak. His voice carried a calm sincerity as he said,
"You all… why are you still staying in a trade hall that is about to collapse. Why didn't you escape."
Zhen Yi forced herself to open her mouth. A faint and trembling voice slipped out.
"You… what did you do to us!"
Silence filled the room for a moment. Zhang Wen did not rush. He calmly observed each of their expressions before taking out a golden flower-shaped seal that he had forged himself using water techniques. He spoke evenly.
"I come from the Golden Trade Hall, a half-Emperor level force in the central region of the Black Wind Continent. We are merely expanding our branches across the continent according to the new leader's direction. This place happens to be quite suitable. Are you interested in selling."
Zhen Yi, seated at the center, had sweat sliding down her cheek. She struggled to gather her thoughts. She could not sense the cultivation aura of the two men before her at all, yet she had heard of the Golden Trade Hall before. That golden flower seal was a symbol reserved for high-level executives.
However, she did not know much beyond that. They were a half-Emperor level force based in the central region only.
Even so, her instincts screamed danger.
At present, her body could not condense even the slightest trace of power. She was so weak that even speaking was difficult. More importantly, when she had entered the reception room earlier, she had been completely unable to sense any cultivation aura from them at all.
In the end, she chose to speak.
"My apologies. You may have come for nothing. Before my master departed, I made a promise to her. She asked me to protect this trade hall until the day she returns."
Zhang Wen's eyes shifted slightly.
"Is that so," he said softly.
"Then what if the Golden Trade Hall is willing to pay all five of you a monthly salary of one hundred and fifty to two hundred top-grade spirit stones each."
The moment those words entered their ears, several of them felt their thoughts waver.
At that instant, five pure translucent water orbs formed in midair.
Zhang Wen spoke clearly.
"These water orbs contain the contracts, rules of the trade hall, working conditions, and salary terms. If you wish to accept, simply open your souls. If any of you have already signed a soul contract with another force, these orbs will not be able to enter your bodies."
"If you do not wish to accept, then simply remain seated. I will not force anyone."
"In a short while, those who accept my offer will stay in this room. Those who do not may leave afterward."
"I only need people who can work for me."
The four others, excluding Zhen Yi, glanced at one another.
Hesitation was written plainly in their eyes.
Life, risk, and hope.
Everything was laid bare before them.
At that moment, one of the four elders spoke up.
"If the four of us have already signed contracts with the Cloud Trade Hall earlier, would you be willing to wait a short while. We will immediately go and terminate the contracts."
When the other three heard his words, their expressions changed in shock. They too were hesitating, because only a few hours earlier, they had already accepted the Cloud Trade Hall's offer.
Zhen Yi was even more stunned. She had not known that all four of them had secretly accepted the Cloud Trade Hall's proposal at all.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly. After thinking for a moment, he turned to Zhen Yi.
"These four people. What positions do they hold in this trade hall."
The elderly man was about to interrupt, but Zhen Yi answered first, her tone direct and honest.
"They are guest elders. Their role is to act as guards and receive spirit stone wages. They have no authority in the management or decision making of the trade hall."
The elderly man opened his mouth again as if to speak, but Zhang Wen raised a hand, stopping them.
All four fell silent at once.
At this moment, none of them dared say another word. Between the reputation of the Golden Trade Hall and the fact that their cultivation was completely sealed, silence was the only option left.
Zhang Wen nodded slightly, then asked Zhen Yi another question.
"And you. Are you not interested in working for the Golden Trade Hall."
Zhen Yi replied without the slightest hesitation.
"My apologies. I am not interested."
Zhang Wen smiled faintly.
His gaze shifted toward the remaining four, whose Affinity values were still slightly negative. After a brief silence, he made his decision.
He had already achieved his purpose.
By impersonating the Golden Trade Hall, he had tested whether traitors still existed within the White Dragon Trade Hall. Now he had his answer.
There was no chance he would allow these four to leave and cancel their contracts with the Cloud Trade Hall.
In the next instant, without any warning, four needle-like streams of water shot out from Zhang Wen's hand.
They were impossibly sharp.
In the blink of an eye, they pierced straight through the souls of all four men with perfect precision.
Their bodies collapsed lifelessly to the floor.
They did not even realize they had been attacked.
There were no screams. No struggle. Not even a fluctuation of energy.
Their souls were extinguished in a single instant.
Yet they were not dead.
All four had fallen into a state of deep slumber.
Zhen Yi froze in shock. Her heart trembled violently, her eyes widening in disbelief. She had not seen the attack at all.
At that moment, Zhang Wen spoke calmly.
"I have decided."
"You should work for me."
"Even if you do not wish to work for me… you might be willing to work under him instead."
As he spoke, Zhang Wen raised his hand and pointed toward the man sitting silently beside him.
Zhen Yi turned to look at Ming Yuan in confusion. Her gaze fixed on the young man sitting quietly beside Zhang Wen. His face was unfamiliar, calm, and expressionless.
Before she could speak, Zhang Wen continued.
"Think of it as a gamble. Trust your own instincts."
Zhen Yi stared at Ming Yuan for a long time. A strange feeling surfaced in her heart, something difficult to describe. It felt like familiarity, like a bond that should not exist yet lingered deep within her soul.
She closed her eyes briefly.
At this moment, her situation no longer allowed room for negotiation. After thinking for a long while, she finally made her choice.
She chose to gamble.
Zhen Yi opened her soul.
The water sphere created by Zhang Wen reacted instantly. It floated forward and merged into Zhen Yi's body at high speed. Gentle water energy seeped into her soul, calm and soft.
But what Zhen Yi received was not a contract of the Golden Trade Hall.
Instead, it was a life and death contract.
She was about to ask something, but Ming Yuan gave her a slight nod, signaling her to stop.
For reasons she could not explain, Zhen Yi halted immediately.
Zhang Wen glanced at the Affinity value that had dropped to zero, but he did not care in the slightest what Zhen Yi thought. He spoke in a serious tone.
"What is the current situation of the White Dragon Trade Hall."
Zhen Yi took a deep breath, forcing down the turmoil in her heart. She knew very well that the man before her now held the fate of both herself and the entire trade hall in his hands.
She did not dare hide anything.
"The situation right now… is extremely bad."
She began explaining slowly.
"After the former leader and his wife died, the trade hall was completely cut off from all its networks. Our allies withdrew. Major trade halls blocked every trade route. Nearly all of our long-term clients were taken away."
"Originally, we had around one thousand two hundred and twenty-one employees."
She smiled bitterly.
"But now…"
"Zero."
"Previously, the Cloud Trade Hall sent people to attack us, claiming that we had violated a trade agreement. We lost the battle. The City Lord's manor intervened, forcing them to retreat, but during that incident, nearly all our resources were stolen."
"That directly caused mass resignations. Some fled. Some were bought off. Some no longer dared to even step through the gates of the trade hall, afraid of being targeted by the Cloud Trade Hall."
"As for the warehouses…"
Zhen Yi paused before continuing.
"There is almost nothing valuable left."
"No weapons."
"No cultivation techniques."
"No combat manuals."
"No medicinal pills."
"All rare treasures were seized, looted, or sold off to barely keep the trade hall alive during this period."
Her voice remained steady, but every word carried the weight of collapse.
Zhang Wen nodded. His expression did not change in the slightest, while Ming Yuan clenched his fists tightly. Zhen Yi continued speaking.
"The only things left… are the medicinal herbs that the Cloud Trade Hall did not take."
She raised a ledger that recorded the remaining inventory.
"The herbs are categorized as follows."
"Yellow grade, approximately twelve thousand stalks. Basic herbs."
"Spirit grade, approximately two thousand eight hundred stalks."
"Earth grade, just over three hundred remain."
"Heaven grade, only seventeen stalks."
"As for Saint grade… not a single one remains."
"Emperor grade… there is no need to even mention it."
She lowered her head slightly. Shame flooded her chest.
Once, the Maple Leaf Trade Hall had stood just beneath Saint level forces. Now, it had fallen lower than even secondary trade halls in small cities.
Zhen Yi bit her lip before speaking of the final matter.
"The spirit stones left in the treasury…"
"Low-grade spirit stones: zero."
"Mid-grade spirit stones: zero."
"High-grade spirit stones: zero."
"Top-grade spirit stones… zero."
The White Dragon Trade Hall was no different from a corpse that had not yet stopped breathing.
Zhen Yi lifted her head to look at Zhang Wen. Despair was clearly reflected in her eyes.
"This… is everything that remains."
Silence filled the reception hall.
Zhang Wen closed his eyes for a brief moment. All the information rapidly connected in his mind.
Then he muttered inwardly.
"I really want to cry…"