As night fell, Yuchi had no intention of leaving immediately; he needed to meet the elder of the Cloud Mountain Sect. He had said quite a bit to Zhou Xingcai during the day. He felt greatly inspired. First, it turns out that others never intended to compete with me fairly, which has now been verified. I initially thought that by building good relationships, others would not dare move against me, allowing me to compete normally in business. I am not opposed to such competition, and I know that my capabilities are only so great, learning from others’ strategies while competing. No matter what, dictatorship always leads to terrifying outcomes; only competition can keep vitality at all times. Otherwise, the behaviors of squeezing toothpaste and reaping the leeks will become too easy to emerge. Second, the Cloud Mountain Sect’s way of thinking is very simple, completely lacking the idea of normal competition. From the start until now, they never intended to talk to me, nor did they pay any attention to my connections in Xufu Town. Thinking about it, I was somewhat naive to think that my connections in Xufu Town could extend to Jiangzhou City? It’s my naivety; I really thought my relationship with the Four Major Institutions was quite good. As a result, whether it’s the outcome of dining with them these past few days or my current situation, all of this has proven that I have no backing. Yet the Cloud Mountain Sect certainly has backing in Jiangzhou City. And their backing is a level higher than mine, as the saying goes, an official higher by one rank crushes people to death. They can act against me without scruples, utterly unafraid of facing any retaliation. Third, after this matter is over, the chamber of commerce must cautiously consider if encountering such issues again in the future. First of all, I need to see if my competitor is a man of dignity. If the opponent is man of dignity, willing to normally compete commercially, then there’s no problem, willing to gamble and accept loss. After losing, I can instead gain some experience, as there is no one eternally correct. But if the opponent is not a man of dignity, then I’ll help them be dignified by destroying their surreptitious manipulations. They won’t be given any more opportunities to compete, necessitating me to quickly associate the chamber of commerce with the Ascension Gate. At the very least, the Ascension Gate can no longer comfortably remain hidden behind; sometimes, they need to stand out and support me. "After contemplating thoroughly, most businesses are actually controlled by cultivators behind the scenes." "The government is truly incompetent." "I can’t cleanse this fact no matter how hard I try." Among the three families selling clothing in Jiangzhou City, wow, these three families all hail from different sects. Doesn’t the government have any control measures? Leading to the various kinds of profiteering of such clothing. To be honest, if the quality were high, there would be no issue here, but the quality is extremely poor, all relying on the sects’ displays of martial prowess behind the scenes. "Useless Imperial Decree Department." "The Imperial Decree Department was originally supposed to be a balancing institution, now completely marginalized, utterly useless." "Having no use whatsoever, just waiting for others to deliver money to their door." "The Imperial Decree Department in Jiangzhou City isn’t even as good as the little advisor in Xufu Town." "Although the advisor and county magistrate indulge in some debauchery, they’re essentially doing some work, unlike Jiangzhou City which is utterly clueless." "It’s not that it’s dark; they’ve covered their own eyes." "Leading to me, Yuchi, being secretly imprisoned in Jiangzhou City?" Absolutely speechless, came here initially believing Jiangzhou City to be grandiose, representing the hope of the chamber of commerce. Jiangzhou City is in turmoil, a complete chaos, no wonder the Imperial Decree Department is most despised. There’s a reason for that. "So, the Cloud Mountain Sect behind Zhou Xingcai, they certainly don’t have private relations with the Imperial Decree Department." Yuchi began to deduce. He looked down on the Imperial Decree Department, a group of unreliable people, it’s unreasonable for the Cloud Mountain Sect to degrade their status. Then it’s only the Celestial Capital Department, Defense Department, and Demon-slaying Bureau left. The Celestial Capital Department is probably impossible. Unlike the humble Imperial Decree Department, the people of the Celestial Capital Department have their eyes just above their heads. They look down on everyone, resembling natural alpha males, seeing everyone unfavorably. As for the Cloud Mountain Sect, it’s also unlikely to be associated with the Celestial Capital Department; otherwise, they couldn’t have just invited me to a trap, but would have just arrested me on the street. So, the Defense Department and Demon-slaying Bureau remain. "The Defense Department is unlikely too; Xun Yu doesn’t seem like someone who would foster good relationships, he’s the typical coward afraid of trouble." "As long as he manages his own affairs, keeping Jiangzhou City peaceful is enough." "Otherwise, if he really has a good relationship with these three sects, there’s no reason to even entertain me, just outright reject me." "After all, whether I come to Jiangzhou City or not, I’m destined to die in their eyes, the assassins have already gone to Xufu Town." Yuchi thus thinks the Defense Department’s relationship with the three families’ backing sects might just be ordinary. "Finally, only the Demon-slaying Bureau remains." "The Demon-slaying Bureau..." Isn’t that group of people from the Demon-slaying Bureau peculiar? Breathing cold air in the icy prison. Yuchi, unconcerned about the filth, clenched a grass stalk in his mouth, leaning against the prison wall, lost in his thoughts. Could the people of the Demon-slaying Bureau humble themselves to build a good relationship with the sects? Still that same saying, after eliminating numerous possibilities, even if the last one appears absurd. However, there are no specific evidence at present, which can be noted first. Meaning, these three families behind Jiangzhou City might have a good relationship with the Demon-slaying Bureau. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so audaciously reckless. As for what benefits they gave to the Demon-slaying Bureau, and what benefits the Demon-slaying Bureau gave them? "No matter what, if my chamber of commerce wants to thrive in Jiangzhou City, it must at least build a good relationship with the Demon-slaying Bureau." "Or perhaps... could I possibly uncover some leverage against the Demon-slaying Bureau?" Deep into the night, Yuchi immersed himself in his reflections over the past few days. "Firstly, the Demon-slaying Bureau devours demons." "Secondly, the Demon-slaying Bureau may be engaging in demon-rearing activities." "Thirdly, the Demon-slaying Bureau is entangled with demonic creatures, possibly involving secretive acts of destruction using demons." The first point has already been confirmed, what are the Demon-slaying Bureau people’s actions reminiscent of? Like a group of madmen. When entertaining guests, they even brought the carcasses of demonic creatures. Honestly, these are demons! Monsters originating from mortal bodies. In other words, these demonic creatures grew by feeding on humans, consuming these creatures is equivalent to cannibalism? It’s really disgusting. Moreover, with such reckless abandon on the surface, who knows how extravagant their hidden games are. There’s a saying that fits well here. If you find a cockroach in a bright place, it definitely means cockroaches can no longer find space in dark places. Or when you spot an ant in your home, it’s definitely not just that one ant, it’s already proliferated. "If the Demon-slaying Bureau people can brazenly eat demons, what they do behind the scenes with demonic creatures is probably far worse." "Thus, my suspicions regarding the second and third points are not unfounded." "They might really be using demons to cultivate warfare!" "Utilizing demons to profit for themselves, breeding criminals to capture them, to portray themselves as wise and brave!" Upon this thought, Yuchi’s complexion turned a bit grim. "It feels like I’m about to break through something, but not quite; the overall logic seems slightly raw." "Just waiting for incidents to happen to help me smooth it out." "In just a few days, I believe I can deftly understand the entire situation." "I just hope my worldview won’t be shattered by then."