Chapter 425: Mu Chunsheng

Beidou Consortium, Mu Chunsheng.

Chen Ling immediately recalled information he had gleaned from scanning newspapers last night. The Beidou Consortium had originated from loan sharking. Leveraging its past underworld connections, it controlled the loan business across several streets with its subordinates. However, suppression from the former three major consortiums had prevented it from expanding further.

After the three major consortiums were purged years ago, Mu Chunsheng seized the opportunity. He rapidly encroached on the power of one of those consortiums with his underworld subordinates. Like a raven feeding on carrion, it expanded at an astonishing rate, almost monopolizing the loan industry in the Mortal Realm within just a few years.

Subsequently, Beidou Bank transformed into the Beidou Consortium, one of the five major consortiums. It then collaborated with the equally emergent Huadu Consortium to deliberately create a social atmosphere of "entertainment to death" and subtly encourage a culture of impulsive spending. Leveraging their near-monopoly in the industry, they continuously raised loan interest rates, leading to young people in the lower strata becoming complete debt slaves. This is also one of the reasons why the average savings of young people in the Mortal Realm are currently negative.

Chen Ling observed the old man in the wheelchair. Perhaps due to the torment of illness, his vitality and spirit were low. Even the sinister glare he had just given Pang Shan held little deterrence given his current state.

"A fierce raven about to die of illness..." Chen Ling calmly retracted his gaze.

"Understood."

His continued indifferent attitude made the other major consortiums secretly sigh in relief. They had been afraid that the Beidou Consortium's "self-inflicted injury" tactic, combined with the generous gift, would cause the envoy's attitude to shift.

Mu Chunsheng was not surprised by Chen Ling's attitude. He forced a smile and said:

"I apologize for disturbing your pleasure, Envoy."

He waved, signaling his bodyguards to leave, keeping only his son to push his wheelchair. He then discreetly entered the banquet hall. The performance continued with the music, and the dinner proceeded as usual.

Only Chen Ling, sitting alone in the corner drinking wine, knew that the story's development had entered its next stage:Five consortium directors gathered at the dinner, exchanging insincere toasts amidst the clamor. The booming music played, causing the banquet hall's ceiling to vibrate slightly. No one noticed that in an empty private room directly above the hall, a prop that had been hidden there was gently dislodged, shaking off the white cloth covering its surface.

Chen Ling's eyes, behind his mask, narrowed slightly. He then drained the red wine in his glass in one go.

"Envoy," Mu Chunsheng said, approaching with a smile in his wheelchair, holding a glass of red wine. "Envoy, are you accustomed to your accommodation near the auction house? Our Beidou Consortium owns a top-tier hotel on that street, and the best room has already been prepared for you."

Chen Ling glanced at him and calmly replied, "I am here for business; where I stay makes no difference."

"Understood, understood," Mu Chunsheng continued. "The Golden Association's gold treasures are considered the finest in the world. However, for someone of your abilities, Envoy, merely being a merchant is a waste of talent... To be honest, money is what our Beidou Consortium has in abundance. How about you join our consortium as an honorary director, Envoy? Let the Beidou Consortium be your base in the main city. We will not only help you distribute all your gold treasures annually but also pay you a substantial sum of money. This way, you can earn more money and avoid dealing with unsavory characters. You should be free, Envoy. Just leave the money-making to our Beidou Consortium. You can fully enjoy yourself here in the Mortal Main City... A strong alliance between us would be a win-win."

Hearing this, Chen Ling couldn't help but roll his eyes inwardly. Mu Chunsheng's intentions were practically slapping him in the face. Mu Chunsheng didn't want to do business; he just wanted to rope him into the Beidou Consortium. Calling him an "honorary director" was merely a way to use him as a tool to intimidate others. Mu Chunsheng probably felt his time was running out and wanted to sacrifice some wealth to secure Chen Ling's presence within the Beidou Consortium. If that happened, who would dare provoke the Beidou Consortium?

A Beidou Consortium with an envoy would be the strongest "underworld force" in the Mortal Main City. Even the Fusheng Alliance would have to show them some respect.

"Not interested," Chen Ling calmly replied.

Those three simple words stiffened Mu Chunsheng's expression. He let out two dry chuckles. "Please don't be so hasty, Envoy," he said. "We've also prepared a gift for you today. We can discuss it slowly after you've seen it. I'll drink first; please take your time."

With that, Mu Chunsheng drained the red wine in his glass.

He seemed to know he couldn't keep pestering Chen Ling, so he had his son push him around. Once they were far enough, his son secretly glanced in the envoy's direction and quietly asked:

"Dad, this envoy isn't easy to deal with..."

"He's a formidable individual who could purge three major consortiums; how could he be easily swayed?" Mu Chunsheng scoffed. "It certainly won't happen overnight. We'll have to wear him down slowly. Since he's here to sell gold, ultimately, it's about money. If we suppress his goods and prevent him from selling them quickly, we'll naturally find an opportunity over time."

"But if we don't buy, someone else will, won't they? How do we suppress it?"

"Others? Who else?" Mu Chunsheng's gaze lightly swept the surroundings, gliding over several consortium directors who were smiling and clinking glasses. The few people exchanged glances and quickly looked away. "In the main city, if the five major consortiums don't make a move, who can absorb such a large volume of gold?"

"You mean... the five major consortiums have already reached a consensus?" his son exclaimed in shock. "This..."

"Otherwise, how do you think this banquet came about? It's jointly hosted by the five major consortiums; it's naturally not that simple. However, it's merely an agreement that no one will buy the gold in the short term, to keep the envoy tied up in the main city as long as possible. As for the rest... it's up to each of us to use our own methods. Haven't you noticed? This banquet outwardly seems like everyone is fawning over the envoy, but in reality, no one has actively approached him to discuss transactions. The five major consortiums, working together, have silently put the envoy in a precarious position."

"But by doing this... aren't we afraid of offending the envoy? What if there's another purge..."

"The purge four years ago happened because the three major consortiums at the time were blinded by greed," Mu Chunsheng said calmly. "They wanted to swallow the gold in the envoy's possession and actively attacked him. But now, we haven't shown him any disrespect. On the contrary, everyone is going out of their way to appease him. How could we offend him? Doing business is fundamentally a matter of mutual consent. He can't resort to force just because we're not rushing to buy, can he? Setting aside whether doing so would attract the Fusheng Alliance, from our analysis of previous envoys, most of them are straightforward and not very cunning. They might not even perceive the hidden agenda. Even if they do realize it, there's no reason for them to act against us."

In the depths of Mu Chunsheng's aged eyes, cunning and shrewdness flickered. He saw Chen Ling's gaze turn towards him, and immediately raised the wine glass in his hand in a gesture, revealing a benevolent smile.