Chapter 778: The Consequences of Going Official and Not

"Go ahead and smash whatever you want. Nanyuan will be the one paying for it anyway," Gu Shuo drawled, lifting his gaze slightly.

The crowd froze. ’Nanyuan is paying?’

’What does he mean?’

"Nanyuan paying for *you*? You’ve got to be dreaming, Boss Gu."

"You tricked Nanyuan into signing a ten-year agreement, and now you expect us to pay for you? From now on, Nanyuan would rather throw its seafood away than sell it to you!"

"We people of Nanyuan will never sign another contract with a black-hearted merchant like the Gu family! Get out of Nanyuan! Get out of Nanyuan!"

The mere mention of the contract filled the people of Nanyuan with resentment. For the past five or six years, the selling price of their seafood had been several times higher than the price they were paid for it. All those years, the seafood at the Immortal Sea Building had been sold at exorbitant prices.

’And the purchase price never went up at all. It’s utterly shameless!’

In the face of the crowd’s angry denunciations, Gu Shuo let out a sneer.

That sneer only made the furious crowd even more enraged!

Ye Qianning picked up a crabapple and casually handed one to Sang Zhi, leaning back in her chair to enjoy the show.

Sang Zhi squeezed the crabapple. For a brief moment, it was as if he were a child again at Lou Mountain Academy. His eyes softened. He leaned to the side, resting his elbow on the arm of her chair and propping up his chin.

He was so close he could smell her light, clean scent, mixed with the faint aroma of medicinal herbs.

The softness in his eyes tightened. ’There’s a stronger scent of medicine on her now... Hasn’t her injury healed yet?’

A man in gray robes stepped out from the crowd. "Boss Gu, you hold us in Nanyuan in such contempt. When this ten-year contract expires, we will petition the Emperor together and ensure that we absolutely never sign another one!"

Gu Shuo’s smile vanished. He arched an eyebrow at the man. "Whether you sign again after ten years is irrelevant. What matters is that the ten-year contract has not yet expired. Smashing up the port like this... are you all prepared to lose everything you own?"

’Lose everything we own?’

A jolt went through the crowd, and their grips tightened on their weapons.

"Stop trying to scare us, Boss Gu!" the man at the front declared self-righteously. "You make your fortune off Nanyuan’s wealth, yet you publicly humiliate our royal family. Someone like you should get out of Dayu City—and out of Nanyuan—while you still can."

"The ten-year contract has not yet expired. By smashing the port, you have violated its terms. According to the agreement, you are liable for compensation at three times the damages," Gu Shuo stated, still perfectly calm.

"But you’re the one who insulted our Prince Feng first!"

"How dare a mere merchant offend our Prince? You’re getting off easy with just a bit of smashing."

"Yeah, that’s right!"

Gu Shuo rose to his feet, his calm demeanor vanishing in an instant. "I don’t care who you were smashing the port for. Nanyuan has broken the contract, and you will face the full consequences."

With that, he raised his hand slightly.

The members of the Xianyue Sect surged forward.

The townspeople were immediately intimidated by the sight of the Xianyue Sect and subconsciously took a step back.

"Don’t be afraid, everyone!" the man in gray shouted at the top of his lungs, his posture that of a common hoodlum. "Why should we have to pay? It’s Boss Gu who’s the shameless crook! We just couldn’t stand by and watch!"

Gu Shuo’s gaze swept over to him, and the Xianyue Sect members immediately seized the man.

"Let me go! Let go! What gives you the right to seize people?" the man struggled.

Gu Shuo clasped his hands behind his back and took a few steps forward. "I, Gu Shuo, have always been a most reasonable businessman. You have deliberately vandalized this port. We can take this to the authorities. If we do, Nanyuan will have to pay a fortune in damages, and every single one of you will go to prison. Or... we can handle this ourselves. You’ve deliberately caused a disturbance and vandalized the port, and you have no money for compensation. In that case, each of you will leave your two arms behind. The choice is yours."

The faces of the townspeople paled at his words.

"Don’t believe him, everyone! He wouldn’t dare... AARGH!"

One moment the man was shouting defiantly; the next, his two arms had fallen to the ground.

They lay there, bloody and gruesome, searing themselves into the crowd’s eyes...