Chapter 198: Nascent Soul Aura, Another Behemoth Background, The Carrot and Stick of the Heaven’s Table

The grand hall of the Heaven’s Table was filled with the deafening chants of praise which seems to have no way of stopping. Hundreds of the most powerful merchants in the Outer City were kneeling as their voices trembled with extreme gratitude and fanaticism.

Yu Liang in his chair had a gentle and relaxed smile on his face. He then slowly raised his hands and made a slight pressing gesture.

"Everyone, please rise," Yu Liang said. His voice was not loud, but it carried a strange power that instantly calmed the frenzied hall. A gentle, invisible force lifted the merchants from the ground, forcing them to stand up straight. "Like I said previously, there is no need for such heavy etiquette. You have all made the right choice today."

He turned his head to look at the beautiful woman beside him, his eyes filled with warmth. "From here on, my wife, Mei Hua, will take over the proceedings. She will explain the specific details and the rules of our future cooperation."

Mei Hua stepped forward gracefully. Her robe swayed slightly, making her look like a fairy descending to the mortal world. She looked at the crowd of merchants, on her beautiful face a radiant, welcoming smile appeared.

"First of all, I want to congratulate all of you," Mei Hua’s voice was melodious and clear, echoed in the hall. "From today onwards, you are all official managers under the Heaven’s Table banner. Your status, your wealth, and the fate of your families will change forever. You should be proud."

The merchants bowed respectfully, their faces flushed with joy. "Thank you, Madam! We will never forget your grace!"

But just as the words left their mouths, Mei Hua’s gentle smile suddenly vanished.

Her beautiful eyes turned cold and indifferent, like a goddess looking down at ants.

Boom!

Without any warning, a terrifying, heaven shaking cultivation pressure erupted from Mei Hua’s delicate body!

The air in the grand hall instantly became as heavy as lead. The spiritual energy literally froze. The teacups on the tables rattled violently before cracking and shattering into pieces.

This was the aura of the Nascent Soul Realm cultivator!

A pressure that belonged to a supreme grandmaster, a existence that could shake the heavens and overturn the earth, violently crashed down upon the hundreds of merchants.

Pfft!

Several low level shop owners who were only at the Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment stages instantly spat out mouthfuls of blood. Their faces turned deathly pale, and their legs gave out. They collapsed to their knees, gasping for air as if they were drowning in an ocean of terror.

Even the Foundation Establishment Realm heavyweights like Manager Wang and Boss Li were sweating profusely, their knees trembling violently as they struggled to remain standing under the mountain like pressure.

The entire hall was plunged into a state of absolute, suffocating panic.

How is this possible?!

Manager Wang’s mind was screaming in sheer disbelief as he looked at the seemingly gentle and beautiful young lady. ’She looks to be in her early twenties! How can she have achieved the Nascent Soul realm at such a young age?!’

In the entire Cloudwater Continent, the strongest expert was the Sect Master of the Cloudwater Sect, who was only at the late of Soul Formation Realm according to rumours! A Nascent Soul grandmaster was a legendary figure, a true behemoth that could establish a Mid Tier Sect on their own!

’Just how terrifyingly big is her background too?!’ Boss Li’s Dao heart was trembling violently. ’To cultivate a monster of this caliber at such a young age, her natal family must be too an ancient, hidden holy land or a supreme continental empire! No ordinary power could possibly produce a Nascent Soul expert at this age!’

A chilling realization washed over the terrified merchants.

’So... Young Master Yu is not just backed by one behemoth! He has TWO!’

The first was his unfathomable, mysterious ancient clan. The second was his own wife, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator whose background was clearly even more terrifying! With such a monstrous backing, who in the world would dare to scheme against him? Anyone who harbored evil thoughts would be exterminated before they even slept!

Just as the merchants felt their souls were about to be crushed by the pressure, Mei Hua casually retracted her aura.

The heavy pressure vanished instantly.

Gasp! Gasp!

The merchants collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily, their clothes soaked in the cold sweat. When they looked up at Mei Hua again, the joy in their eyes had been completely replaced by deep, ingrained fear and absolute reverence. They now understood that the 500 Million monthly salary was not just a gift, it was a golden chain binding them to a terrifying dragon.

Mei Hua looked down at them coldly, her voice echoing like ice in the hall.

"Since you are now under the Heaven’s Table, you must follow the rules of the Heaven’s Table. My husband is generous and benevolent, but I am not. If you break these rules, even if you kowtow until your heads bleed, I will personally extract your souls to light the lanterns in our stores for tens of thousands of years!"

The merchants shivered and nodded frantically. "We... we will obey! Please speak, Madam!"

Mei Hua raised a slender finger, her eyes sweeping over the crowd. "Rule number one, Absolute equality in service. From today onwards, there will be no bullying of customers in our shops. I don’t care if a customer is a mortal with only a few copper coins, or a rogue cultivator who can barely afford a low grade pill. They must be treated with the exact same respect as a Core Formation elder buying a Top Tier artifact. If I catch even one of you looking down on a poor customer, your will be face punishments far beyond what you can imagine!"

The merchants swallowed hard. In the cultivation world, mortals and low level cultivators were usually treated like trash by shop owners. But under this rule, they were now the most protected beings in the city.

"Rule number two, Honesty and Quality," Mei Hua continued, her voice turning even colder. "No selling of fake goods, no overcharging, no bad behavior, and no hidden tricks. Every pill, every artifact, every herb must be exactly as described or given to you by my husband. If I find out that even one of you has shortchanged a customer by a single spirit stone, or sold a defective item, the punishment is worse than death. There are no second chances."

"Rule number three, Attitude and Service," she said, pacing slowly in front of them. "I want to see the best service in the entire city. Smiling faces, polite words, and proactive assistance. When a customer walks into your store, they should feel like they are walking into a palace. You are no longer just merchants, you are the face of the Heaven’s Table. Your attitude will determine your continued employment."

"Rule number four, Loyalty and Secrecy," Mei Hua stopped, her eyes flashing with a dangerous light. "No forming of groups or embezzling funds, and absolutely no leaking of the customers background or our internal affairs. You are now a single, united entity. If one of you is bullied by an outside force, the Heaven’s Table will crush them. But if one of you betrays the Heaven’s Table, then the Heaven’s Table will erase them from the cycle of reincarnation!"

"Rule number five, Dealing with Trouble," Mei Hua continued, her expression turning serious. "If any customer dares to act arrogantly, bully our people, or deliberately cause trouble, don’t feel the need to tolerate them just because they’re customers. If you can handle the situation, do so. But if the other party has a powerful background or you feel threatened, report it to us immediately. Heaven’s Table will stand behind its people, and no one will be allowed to use their status to bully you."

She paused before adding, "Furthermore, we will soon be arranging guards for your respective businesses. Until then, remember that you don’t have to face any trouble alone. If someone dares to cross the line, Heaven’s Table will deal with them personally."

The hall went dead silent. The merchants listened at full attention, their faces were pale but their eyes burned with a complex mix of extreme fear and intense motivation.

The stick was terrifyingly brutal, but the carrot of 500 Million Mid Grade Spiritual Stones a month was too intoxicating to resist.

"Those are the rules," Mei Hua concluded as her gentle smile returned to her face, though it no longer reached her eyes. "Follow them, and you will enjoy endless wealth and the protection of the Heaven’s Table. Break them, and you will wish you had never been born. Do you all understand?"

"Yes, Madam! We understand! We swear to follow the rules with our lives!" the hundreds of merchants roared in unison, their voices shook the roof of the grand hall. Fully submitting to the new iron fisted ruler of the Jade City.

After everything they had witnessed, none of them doubted that Heaven’s Table had both the means and the determination to enforce its rules. They were not merely only offering them protection and business opportunities, but also it was giving them a powerful backing that few forces in the entire Jade City could afford to challenge.

One by one, the merchants straightened their backs as their eyes filled with determination. They had spent years after years struggling to survive in a place where the strong preyed on the weak, and now they finally had someone willing to stand behind them.