The Programmer Cultivator

If Zhang Deming had been more enthusiastic, it would have been one thing. But given his attitude, there was no longer any need to get familiar. After all, Chengg Xingchun was a Duality Cultivator himself.

”Is there anything else?” Zhang Deming asked, looking at Chengg Xingchun.

Chengg Xingchun paused for a moment. ”Er, no. Nothing else.”

”Then I’ll be on my way. I have some things to take care of today,” Zhang Deming said.

Chengg Xingchun nodded. ”Then I’ll be off. If you are unsatisfied with anything, please don’t hesitate to let us know.”

The two exchanged salutes and went their separate ways.

Zhang Deming washed up, finished his breakfast, and headed out.

...

Huayue City was built on the joint power of three great Noble Families. These families were both allies and ’competitors.’

As long as the Three Talents Ancestors from each of the three families were present, their younger generations would compete for the majority of Huayue City’s resources, yet they were always extremely careful not to cross any lines.

The middle and upper echelons of the families constantly maintained this general balance. If one family grew too powerful, they would even proactively cede some of their interests.

Such a thing would have been rare, if not impossible, in the world of his past life.

But here in the Hongmeng Realm, in Huayue City, this balance would persist as long as the Three Talents Ancestors of the three families were still alive and on good terms.

Families like these owed their growth to their Ancestors, so their actions naturally had to be taken with the Ancestors in mind.

They couldn’t risk causing another family’s Ancestor to lose face over some relatively unimportant interests. If they did, Huayue City’s long-term stability would be in jeopardy.

After all, for a Cultivator, the only thing more important than long life was face.

Huayue City had operated under this principle for several hundred years, and it would likely continue for several hundred more before any change was possible.

This was because a Three Talents Ancestor, barring any major accidents, had a lifespan of at least one thousand to fifteen hundred years.

For those skilled in self-preservation or tenacious survival—for instance, those on certain paths of the Wood Dao or Water Dao—it was even possible to live for two thousand years.

Of course, this assumed a safe life free of disaster and calamity, one that ended by dying of old age.

But the Immortal Dao was illusory and difficult to grasp, the path fraught with countless tribulations. Very few actually managed to live out their natural lifespans.

However, Huayue City was still young, and its three Ancestors were all in their prime, so this wasn’t an immediate concern.

This was precisely why they had to be so careful about maintaining the balance.

Among the three families, the Chengg Family held the middle ground, but the Wu Family was the most skilled in the ways of business. In fact, if allowed a free hand, their business acumen alone would be enough to overwhelm both the Chengg and Guu Families.

However, for all the reasons mentioned, this had not happened.

The Wu Family had ceded considerable interests for this reason, yet by relying solely on the auction house and its related industries, they still did better than the other two families.

For the sake of this so-called balance and to preserve the face of the three Ancestors, the current Wu Family Patriarch had gone to great lengths.

In fact, on more than one occasion, he had suggested the three families simply merge their operations: his Wu Family would handle business;

the Guu Family could focus on teaching at their Academy;

and the Chengg Family would manage city defenses and deal with the Loose Cultivators.

What a perfect division of labor that would be. No one would have to hold back, and they could all act as they pleased.

Unfortunately, his affections were unrequited.

He had proposed it many times, but the other two families’ reactions were always ambiguous. He figured the leaders of all three families were simply too proud to concede.

As for the three Ancestors, their descendants would never dare bother them with such petty squabbles.

And this joint auction was something the Wu Family Patriarch, Wugong Sect, had created precisely to cede some of those profits.

And yet...

Perhaps he was just too good at this sort of thing. He had only allowed himself a free hand because the entire point was to cede profits.

But as a result, he had accidentally turned it into what it was today: the premier event and signature industry of Huayue City.

After that, he became keenly aware of his own ’flaw.’ He began delegating most tasks to his subordinates, deciding it was best if he didn’t personally handle them. He would just lie low and take it easy.

Of course, as the Patriarch in public, he still had to make the final decision on many matters.

The joint auction had grown to be especially important. After all, the other two families now depended on it for more than half of their entire surplus each decade!

Therefore, whenever it was held, he had to personally oversee all matters, big and small, to ensure there were no major screw-ups.

Today, as usual, he was swamped with various tasks. The auction was just a few days away, so he was exceptionally busy.

Around noon, while he was in the middle of his work, a Disciple hurried in and whispered something to him. Wugong Sect’s expression changed to one of shock. ”Truly?” he asked.

The Disciple nodded. ”It’s absolutely true. The Third Grand-Uncle has already verified its authenticity.”

Wugong Sect immediately put down what he was holding. ”Let’s go. Take me to see it.”

With that, the Disciple hurriedly led Wugong Sect away.

They left behind a crowd of junior assistants, who could only stare at each other in bewilderment. Without their leader, the assistants were completely lost!

...

From his inquiries the previous morning, Zhang Deming had already formed a preliminary impression of Huayue City.

So today, he didn’t wander aimlessly. Instead, he went straight to Huayue City’s most iconic building—the Huayue Auction House.

With the joint auction imminent, many Loose Cultivators who had a few treasures on hand hoped to take this opportunity to sell them for a good price.

As a result, many people were peddling their wares at stalls set up in the plaza outside the auction house.