Chapter 3763 — A Master Takes the Helm: This Thing Was Nothing More Than Chongtian Pavilion's Supervisory Deacon?

Hong Zhong could not help giving Nan Tianyong another strange look. The man appeared perfectly normal, so how could he be such a complete fool? How could a mere supervisory deacon of Chongtian Pavilion actually dare to bully the Hong Clan Merchant Association?

Where did this man get his confidence? Where did he find the nerve?

Should one say that the man was genuinely bold, or that he was fearless only because he knew nothing at all, and had no idea what the words Hong Clan Merchant Association represented?

By all rights, anyone with even a little sense and experience should know what kind of existence the Hong Clan Merchant Association was. Surely he could not be so hopelessly ignorant?

The so-called supervisory deacons of Chongtian Pavilion were equivalent to members of its internal enforcement hall. They were envoys dispatched by the enforcement hall to the Three-Tiered Pavilion, but in practice they were subject to the dual leadership of both the Three-Tiered Pavilion and the enforcement hall. Put plainly, they could investigate anything, yet in everything they did they had to act according to the wishes of the higher-ups on both sides, without the slightest real authority of their own. They might be able to intimidate ordinary disciples, but when a disciple committed some minor offense, the Three-Tiered Pavilion still had to make the decision internally. Only in the event of a major offense would the enforcement hall intervene directly, in which case there would be no need for a supervisory deacon to do anything. Thus, the authority of a supervisory deacon was actually quite limited.

Before the august Hong Clan Merchant Association, that status was not worth a fart. Even Shangguan Tianxia, the master of Chongtian Pavilion, had to show the Hong Clan Merchant Association a measure of respect. How could a mere supervisory deacon dare come here and spout such nonsense?

Had this fellow taken the wrong medicine? Or had he simply forgotten to take it before leaving the house this morning?

What Nan Tianyong did not realize was that he had always been arrogant and wildly self-important. He had previously served in the Rear Mountain Hall and, apart from his disciple Yu Jiang, had had very little contact with the outside world. In recent years, he had remained in seclusion in pursuit of a breakthrough. Only after successfully emerging from seclusion had he been reassigned to Chongtian Pavilion to take up the crucial post of supervisory deacon.

Yet only a few days after taking office, his sole disciple, Yu Jiang, had been beaten half to death. As his master, he naturally had to stand up for him. After Yu Jiang added a few embellishments and fanned the flames, Nan Tianyong came straight to the door to demand justice.

Before this, he had heard people mention the Hong Clan Merchant Association, but he had never taken it seriously. It was merely an unscrupulous shop that opened its doors for business and squeezed ordinary people dry. What did such a place amount to before a dignified supervisory deacon of Chongtian Pavilion?

A powerful backer? Damn it. Who did not have a backer? Without one, how could he have been dispatched from the enforcement hall as an ordinary disciple to Chongtian Pavilion? Besides, the three Nan brothers were deeply rooted on the Northern Island of the Heavenly Rank, so they had always acted with a certain lack of restraint.

And so this absurd scene had come to pass: the august Hong Clan Merchant Association had actually been besieged at its own door by a mere supervisory deacon. In all the decades of its existence, it had never encountered anything so bizarre. Hong Zhong was practically at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

Even so, though Hong Zhong found the situation ridiculous, he forcibly suppressed his amusement and asked with a solemn expression, "Then how do you think this matter should be settled?"

Nan Tianyong twitched his brows and pretended to be magnanimous. "Let's not say that your grandfather is trying to extort you. How about this? Pay me a thousand spirit jades as compensation for the injuries, then tell me the identity and background of the fellow who fought my disciple for those stones a few days ago. After that, we'll consider the matter settled. How does that sound?"

After hearing this, Hong Zhong and the other shop assistants could no longer hold back their laughter.

A thousand spirit jades? This fellow really had the nerve to ask for that!

This ignorant fool had not truly come to stand up for Yu Jiang. He had come to take advantage of the opportunity and line his own pockets with spirit jades!

"I'm sorry, but this shop cannot cooperate with either of your demands." Seeing that Nan Tianyong seemed on the verge of losing his temper from embarrassment, Hong Zhong finally answered him.

Even as a businessman who believed that harmony brought prosperity and would never make an enemy without absolute necessity, he still had principles and limits.

He obviously would not hand over a thousand spirit jades. Once such a precedent was set, the Hong Clan Merchant Association might as well stop doing business and spend every day waiting to give its spirit jades away to anyone who asked.

As for revealing Lin Er's identity and background, leaving aside the fact that Hong Zhong did not know them, even if he truly did, he would never reveal a single word. The more important the customer, the more seriously their privacy had to be protected. That was the lifeblood of their trade. If they broke the rules, they would be smashing the signboard of the Hong Clan Merchant Association themselves, and the consequences would be far more serious than being forced to hand over a thousand spirit jades.

"You cannot cooperate with either of them?" Nan Tianyong had clearly not expected such a reply. His expression instantly became ugly, and he snarled viciously, "Do you know who you're talking to? Do you really think that because your shop is large, you can bully your customers and no one can do anything to you? Let me tell you, if you truly anger me, this shop of yours will be shut down tomorrow!"

"Very well. Then let's see you try. I'll be waiting for the day you shut down the Hong Clan Merchant Association!" With the conversation having reached this point, even Hong Zhong's considerable composure finally gave way. He no longer bothered to be polite and replied coldly.

A mere supervisory deacon of Chongtian Pavilion actually dared to speak so insolently and declare that he would shut down the Hong Clan Merchant Association. This fellow was so unbelievably stupid that even a fool's mother would have opened the door for him!

"Oh? What an impressive tone! Put nicely, you're a shopkeeper. Put less nicely, you're nothing but a servant who makes a living through trade. And yet you dare bare your teeth at your grandfather? You really don't know how to appreciate kindness!" Enraged, Nan Tianyong struck the table beside him with one palm, reducing it to powder.

Before he could react, four figures flashed out from some hidden corner at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, they had surrounded him completely.

Nan Tianyong's expression changed abruptly. The aura of every one of these four experts was actually stronger than his own!

In recent years, Nan Tianyong had cultivated bitterly in seclusion, and his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds. He considered himself anything but an ordinary cultivator. Otherwise, he could never have smoothly taken up such an important position as supervisory deacon of Chongtian Pavilion.