Chapter 1383 - 1381: Extortion
The Ninth Elder’s words fell into the ears of the two Supreme Elders like a bolt from the blue, exploding with a thunderous crash.
It was as if a streak of divine light flashed through their minds, and in an instant they felt as though a bucket of cold clarity had been poured over their heads.
This was a knowledge-obstruction!
They had always believed that with their century of cultivation, their research into Martial Arts had already reached the pinnacle, and their cultivation experience was extremely rich, so they cultivated according to their own methods, yet their progress was painfully slow.
This was a severe knowledge-obstruction!
The more experienced and the more erudite one was, the stronger this knowledge-obstruction became.
They thought their experience could handle everything, that they could find shortcuts in the Cultivation Technique. But instead, they fell into an inferior path and never grasped the true essence.
"Then we..." The two Supreme Elders, setting aside their pride, respectfully asked for guidance.
The Ninth Elder thought for a moment, sighed, and said to the two of them, "If this were under normal circumstances, I definitely wouldn’t teach you. After all, you are not disciples of my Sect, and I would not instruct those outside the Sect in cultivation; that would violate the Sect’s laws! However, you have now submitted to Young Master Yang, and Young Master Yang is also an Elder of my Sect, so you can’t really be considered outsiders. In that case, I can reluctantly give you some guidance, but how much you can actually learn will depend on your own comprehension!"
The two were overjoyed and hurriedly expressed their gratitude, fully aware that he was only teaching them for Yang Chen’s sake.
...
Yang Chen naturally knew nothing of this, because he had just received a call from Wei Xueqing.
The Ancheng Merchants’ Association had taken Longyu Group to court on the grounds of corporate monopoly!
He didn’t even have to think about it to know that the Yuan clan had made their move!
The next morning.
The sky was still a smoky blue, and a thin mist coiled over the island.
Yang Chen and his party arrived at the dock.
The Yun family had also come to see them off.
Yang Chen turned back and glanced at them. "Maybe you think the Yun family has always been extraordinary. Whether compared to ordinary people or to the nine great families of Ancheng, you’re still among the elite. Now you’ve received an even more advanced Cultivation Technique from me, and your Supreme Elders have even stepped into the Extraordinary realm, so you feel you should now stand among the top powers of the world. I can tell you very clearly: don’t have such frog-in-a-well delusions! The outside world is wonderful, but it’s also brutal! Train properly. Otherwise, the moment you leave Penglai Island and go to the battlefield with my people, whether you live or die will depend on whether you’re working hard now!"
Without waiting for the Yun family to respond, Yang Chen turned around and went to board the ship.
The Yun family’s arrogance was too strong; it had to be suppressed constantly, otherwise they would always think their status was extraordinary and aloof, and sooner or later they would suffer a huge loss.
If they suffered a huge loss, Yang Chen could ignore it; but once they became his subordinates, any loss of any one of them would be his loss, and that was something he did not want to see.
Meng Po and the Purple Cultivator left together with Yang Chen.
Once everything was ready, the ship set off immediately.
Yang Chen stood at the bow, looking in the direction of Ancheng, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Since ancient times, where there is profit, there is war.
Longyu Group was indeed too large now and had infringed on certain people’s interests. But even if there was infringement, Longyu Group had not cut off their means of survival. In the past, under the oppression of the nine great families, they were already scraping by. Now that Longyu Group had taken over, it had instead given them more room to survive.
However, human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.
Under the deliberate manipulation of certain people, these folk had become biting dogs, wanting to tear off a chunk of flesh from the fat prize that was Longyu Group!
But some meat is not so easy to eat. Bite down on it and try to swallow, and you might just shatter your own teeth!
...
Ancheng.
Inside Longyu Group.
In the top-floor conference room.
Wei Xueqing sat at the table with a dark expression, staring at the few balding middle-aged men opposite her.
"According to our investigation, you are engaging in monopolistic practices in the real estate sector! The entire commercial district along the North Third Ring is fully monopolized by you! We don’t know what methods you used, but this is clearly in violation of the regulations!"
"And in retail! As far as I know, all retailers have to purchase their goods from you! You’re practically monopolizing over ninety percent of Ancheng’s industries! This is a serious violation of the Anti-Monopoly Law!"
"Same with hypermarkets! No one opposes you promoting chain hypermarkets! But your nine branded chains encircle the entire city and compete with each other, causing all hypermarkets not under your umbrella to be unable to survive! That is monopoly!"
...
The group’s words were sharp and aggressive, determined to pin Longyu Group down as a monopoly!
Wei Xueqing fixed them with a cold gaze. "We are not monopolizing! We are competing fairly, and we have not dominated the market. Even in the real estate sector, everything was obtained through fair bidding..."
"But the result is the same!" One balding man pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose. "At the end of the day, you’re still hogging the market and shutting everyone else out! Even if they get in, they can’t grow; they’re driven to bankruptcy by your predatory competition! That is monopoly!"
They didn’t give Wei Xueqing any chance to refute.
A cold light flashed in Wei Xueqing’s eyes. "So what you’re saying is, you’re determined to rule that we’ve monopolized the market?"
"Sorry! It’s not what we’re saying; it’s what the facts show!" The man with gold-rimmed glasses said, "This is what the data and market research indicate; it’s not something any one of us can decide on our own. If that makes you feel this is our personal judgment, we’re very sorry, but the outcome won’t change!"
"There’s no other way?" Wei Xueqing frowned.
"There is!" The man with gold-rimmed glasses smiled. "Consolidate the market, open it up, and let more players in! For example, transfer forty percent of the real estate projects you’re currently building, or release fifty percent and co-develop them with other developers. Or shut down some of your chain hypermarkets and leave only one in each area, allowing other hypermarkets to open and compete fairly."
"Hmph!" Wei Xueqing stood up abruptly and said coldly, "Then we’ll see each other in court! We’ll wait for the verdict!"
She felt there was no point in continuing; these people were clearly not here to investigate but to extort—and with outrageous demands at that!
A trace of sinister coldness flashed in the eyes of the man with glasses. "President Wei! I advise you to think carefully, really think this through! With so many assets, once the review results come out, the fines won’t be settled with just a few hundred million!"
"Heh!" Wei Xueqing let out a cold laugh and stared them down. "Whoever you are, whatever your purpose, Longyu Group will accompany you to the very end! From the day I came back from the Northern Federation and took over Shangdong Group, I’ve never been afraid of anyone! If you want to go after Longyu Group, bring it on! We’ll see who outstares who!"
With that, Wei Xueqing pushed the door open and walked out, leaving the group behind.
Bang!
The man with glasses slammed the table hard and said angrily, "So you refuse a toast only to drink the penalty wine!"
He looked over at his team and said coldly, "You all heard her! Make sure the materials are complete this time! I want them left with nothing to say and nowhere to argue!"