Chapter 593
“Didn’t you say everyone could take a cut?”
At that moment, the clueless Lan Tian spoke up, completely unaware of the troubled expression on Xiao Li’s face.
“What are you talking about? When did I ever say that?”
Li Mo’s body jolted, and he quickly waved his hands in denial.
“A cut?”
The purple-clad youth, who had just arrived outside Dongzhu Tower, paused in his tracks.
“What’s Li Mo up to? Is he really pulling in customers for Dongzhu Tower? Is he pocketing some benefits, or is he genuinely giving out perks?”
The old man beside him also looked up.
The two exchanged glances and decided to observe the situation for now.
“Brother Li, you clearly said that all guests could bring their friends and family to bargain, one cut per person. If there are enough people, we might even get rare treasures for free!”
Lan Tian looked as clueless as ever.
“Stop talking! Just stop!”
Li Mo gritted his teeth:
“I didn’t expect so many people to come to Haishi this time. What I said before doesn’t count anymore. Do you want me to end up broke?”
Xiao Li’s face twitched. If it weren’t for all the eyes on him, he would have loved to gag Lan Tian. Even Gazi wouldn’t be able to tell if he was serious or joking.
“A cut means bargaining?”
“Getting rare treasures for free? Is that even possible?”
“No wonder they call him the Sword Hero of the Li Clan. Our clan is known for having many descendants. If we bring them all to bargain, it’ll be chaos!”
“Li Shaoxia, a person like you can’t go back on your word!”
In an instant, many from both the human and sea tribes had their eyes lit up with excitement.
With the renowned Dongzhu Tower here, and Li Mo’s endorsement, who would doubt its authenticity? Before long, countless people were calling their friends to join in.
They were practically begging passersby, “Can you help me take a cut?”
Unbeknownst to them, the other owners of Dongzhu Tower were watching Xiao Li, who was gritting his teeth, with very complicated expressions.
Is this the power of the best male lead from Qingyuan Sect?
No wonder he could become a royal merchant.
As the news spread, Dongzhu Tower quickly filled with a massive crowd, forming a long line.
.....
“Have you heard? Li Shaoxia is getting engaged and giving out perks in Haishi!”
“Is it really about bringing people to take a cut? If we get enough, we can snag rare treasures for free?”
“It’s not just free! A friend of mine got lucky and only took three cuts. Not only did he get treasures, but Dongzhu Tower even gave him five hundred taels of silver!”
“But why is Li Shaoxia doing this? Isn’t this just too good to be true?”
“He didn’t want to either. It’s the daughter of the Lan family who’s young and naive and let it slip. He’s just saving face.”
......
On the other side, several members of Lingxi Sect had been watching from a teahouse across from Dongzhu Tower for quite a while.
The purple-clad youth observed the continuous stream of people coming out of Dongzhu Tower, gently rubbing his ring.
He was cautious by nature, and even though the scene across the street was bustling, he still didn’t make a move right away.
“Shall we, Young Master? It looks like it’s the real deal. This is a golden opportunity!”
The old man could hardly contain his excitement.
Although Lingxi Sect had a rich heritage and the potential to become the leading sect in the region, who wouldn’t want more wealth?
With the golden mountain subsidies and the cuts, even if there was a real golden mountain, it wouldn’t withstand such consumption. If they waited any longer, they might miss out on this windfall.
Given the circumstances, the Young Master no longer hesitated.
“Write a letter. Have all three thousand disciples of Lingxi Sect come to take a cut!”
---
“Since Dongzhu Tower opened, I’ve never seen so many people. Li Shaoxia really knows how to draw a crowd.”
Under the massive Sea King Pearl atop Dongzhu Tower, the former main owner of Dongzhu Tower sighed with emotion.
Ever since the concepts of “group buying” and “taking a cut” emerged, Dongzhu Tower had become a must-visit spot for everyone attending the rare treasure market.
Previously, Dongzhu Tower was only famous in Haishi, but now its reputation had spread far and wide.
“However, I’m curious about one thing.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the second owner asked, “The subsidies don’t need to be so generous to achieve the same effect. Why is Li Shaoxia being so extravagant?”
He had thought that Li Mo’s promotions were mostly gimmicks, but he didn’t expect him to actually spend so much real money. Just watching it made him feel pained.
While there was a performance aspect to the advertisements, the words spoken were not false.
All the subsidies were indeed coming from Li Mo’s own pocket.
“Consider it an investment,” Li Mo said, enjoying an ice pop while watching the crowd with a smile.
“But there’s no return on this. How can it be considered...”
“Just think of it as me accumulating merit.”
Li Mo’s tone was sincere.
He had used the Heavenly Fate Divine Eye to assess all the guests.
For those worth investing in, he would have the Shenshen Lingzhu provide them with extra subsidies, even giving them money back.
Conversely, those not worth investing in would only get a small discount.
As for those with ulterior motives...
Even if he brought the entire East Sea over, they wouldn’t be able to take that last cut!
Considering the investment returns, it seemed he hadn’t just broken even; he had actually made quite a profit...
“If I were to write a story, I’d title it ‘I Really Didn’t Mean to Become a Billionaire’...”
Feeling the monotony of wealth, Xiao Li sighed and handed an ice pop to the eagerly waiting Lan Tian.
“Merit... No wonder they say Li Shaoxia has the demeanor of a gentleman, generous and righteous.”
“Today has been quite an eye-opener. From now on, Dongzhu Tower will follow Li Shaoxia’s lead!”
“By the way, there are many rare treasures up for auction this time, items that are hard to price. Shouldn’t Li Shaoxia take a look first?”
The major owners of Dongzhu Tower quickly calculated their gains and losses in their minds.
They were not just merchants; many had sect backgrounds, once major shareholders, now second shareholders, with ties to the Penglai Star Sect.
It wasn’t easy for others to get involved in the Haishi business.
But Li Mo was young, extraordinarily talented, and wealthy enough to rival nations. He was bound to have a place among the top powerhouses in the future.
Even more terrifying was that a dazzling woman, soon to be his bride, was by his side.
Even if their investment meant giving Dongzhu Tower as a favor, they and their backing forces felt it was quite worthwhile.
Moreover, it seemed Li Mo didn’t intend to interfere too much in the affairs of Dongzhu Tower, only having one request.
The golden mountain subsidies and the cuts had to continue.
“For the auction items, just send me a list.”
Li Mo didn’t refuse, but after a moment’s thought, he added, “However, don’t keep them for me privately. When the time comes for the normal auction, I’ll buy what I need. We can’t break the rules of Dongzhu Tower right from the start.”
The several shareholders exchanged glances, realizing that this young prodigy had more composure than they had imagined.
“Hmm?”
Looking at the crowd, Li Mo suddenly let out a soft exclamation.
Among those participating in the event, someone’s information caught his attention.
[Name: He Chi]
[.....]
[Evaluation: A disciple of Lingxi Sect from the East Wilderness Region.]
[Recent Encounter: Under the orders of the Young Master Qiao Ziyu, he was sent from the sect to Dongzhu Tower to take a cut.]
This He Chi was not an isolated case; among the throngs of people, there were quite a few disciples of Lingxi Sect mingling in the crowd.
In just this short while, he had seen no less than a hundred.
“Is Lingxi Sect really that poor?”
Li Mo was taken aback. It was quite a sight to see an entire sect’s disciples brought over to take a cut.
“Lingxi Sect? They’re not poor.”
Elder Qian raised an eyebrow: “They’re actually the largest sect in the East Wilderness Region. If it weren’t for us, they might have become the leading sect in the region.”
“Their disciples are not only skilled in martial arts but also practice unique techniques, including the art of hexing... Huh?”
At this point, Elder Qian’s voice trailed off. With his innate ability to sense trouble, he realized something was off.
The art of hexing is not widely known, yet they happened to encounter a con artist skilled in it on the very first day they arrived at the treasure market.
Isn’t that a bit too coincidental?
Li Mo was no longer a naive fool. He squinted his eyes and continued to observe.
He spotted a square-faced youth in purple.
[Name: Qiao Ziyu]
[Age: 31]
[Root Bone: Birth of the Micro Law Bone.]
[Realm: Inner Scene, Fifth Layer.]
[Fate: Blue Purple (he’s just a normal blue purple).]
[Evaluation: Dual cultivation of techniques and martial arts, his combat power ranks among the best in his realm, with countless tricks up his sleeve, ranked forty-eighth on the Human Ranking.]
[Recent Encounter: To elevate Lingxi Sect to a major sect, he devised a series of plans, including tricking Li Mo into going out to sea, trapping him at sea to delay the engagement, and for this purpose, he called over three thousand disciples to take a cut....]
“Gasp...”
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