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Zhuang Yi couldn’t help but hesitate, either.

Master Zhang from the Danlong School was highly experienced, and since he had spoken so strongly, there wasn’t a better reason to refuse his proposal in front of everyone.

After some hesitation, he said:

“Then… then we’ll follow Master Zhang’s suggestion.”

Upon hearing this, the old and dignified Master Zhang reverted back to his previous silent self, sitting by the tea table, sipping his tea quietly.

Wang Tang, too, couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

He felt somewhat helpless.

Since he had taken the initiative, he should have demonstrated the pose of a leader, refusing Master Zhang of the Danlong School directly.

Now, unless one was a fool, Shen Fu could clearly see that the Xuli Sect was fanning the flames, without revealing any sort of domineering spirit of their own.

Really, he wasn’t sure why the Sect Master had assigned Elder Zhuang to deal with this situation. This was exceedingly passive.

However, thinking about the styles of the elders within the sect, he suddenly realized the Sect Master was truly wise.

He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly once again :

“The Xuli Sect has come this far, truly all thanks to the Sect Master!”

Zhuang Yi, unaware of these intricate thoughts, cleared his throat, poised himself, becoming serious, looked at Wang Ba and said:

“I must say, Shen, the three of us sects are here together because we have something to discuss with you.”

Wang Ba smiled stiffly, saying:

“Since I am favored by the three sects and am established here, Master Zhuang, you may speak freely.”

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yi seemed content with Wang Ba’s attitude, nodded slightly, but a flush of embarrassment appeared on his face:

“This, indeed, is somewhat embarrassing to mention… As for the chicken essence production at your place, our three sects have not been extracting tributes. Initially, we thought you were having a tough time, so naturally, we wanted to provide much support. However, now, with the increasing number of rogue cultivators in Yong’an City, the operational burden has also drastically increased. Regrettably, we would probably need to extract some tributes from your future transactions.”

“Extract tributes? Embarrassing! I hadn’t thought of this before, but as I am in Yong’an City, undoubtedly, I must support the three sects!”

Even though Zhuang Yi’s reason was far from convincing, Wang Ba immediately figured out their intentions. It was simply that they coveted his sales of the masses of chicken essence and wanted a cut.

But that was in line with the norm, and it was, in fact, a relief for Wang Ba.

When he saw the three major sects vigorously coming over, he thought they were going to force him to pick one of the three sects.

Turns out, it’s merely a matter of discussing profits. That was far simpler.

He laughed and asked, “I wonder, what percentage would be deducted? Do let me know, and from then on, the transactions will be deducted directly from Wen Yong’s side.”

At this moment, Zhuang Yi stopped talking and gave Yan Qing from the Huifeng Valley a look.

Yan Qing, feeling helpless, reluctantly stood up, holding up four fingers.

“Four percent?”

Wang Ba looked surprised. He never thought the three sects were so generous. A four-percent tribute was quite agreeable.

However, to his surprise, Yan Qing shook his head.

“Forty percent?”

Wang Ba couldn’t help but stare.

“But…extracting 40% all at once…Isn’t that a little…excessive?”

This was a whopping 40%! Out of 100 spirit stones, 40 would be gone immediately, that’s faster than robbery!

Even though Wang Ba’s production cost wasn’t high, nearly half of his hard-earned gains would be gone in an instance. Even he found it a bit unbearable.

Hearing Wang Ba’s words, Yan Qing also felt somewhat uneasy and looked at Zhuang Yi with embarrassment:

“Zhuang, perhaps you should explain?”

“I, uh…”

Zhuang Yi looked over at Master Zhang who was watching silently from the tea table. Zhuang Yi then braced himself and said:

“Shen, you’ve misunderstood. It’s not extracting 40%… it’s leaving you with 40%.”

“Extract 60%?!”

Wang Ba looked surprised at Zhuang Yi.

This was like the stall taxes from the Heresy Cultivators when he was in the Tianmen Cult, which also amounted to 50%!

Were these three sects more ruthless than the Tianmen Cult?!

“Well, of course, at present, this is just a discussion. It is only after consensus is reached among all four parties – our Xuli Sect, the Huifeng Valley, the Danlong School and yourself, Shen, that we will execute.”

“After all, we, the Xuli Sect, have always been fair and just.”

“We also have to consider your opinion, Shen.”

As if to demonstrate the Xuli Sect’s friendly attitude, Zhuang added another sentence.

Upon hearing Zhuang’s words, Yan Qing from Huifeng Valley couldn’t help but give a cold look.

Master Zhang from the Danlong School also raised his head, glanced at Zhuang Yi, then at Yan Qing, while a deep meaning lingered in his eyes.

However, what Wang Ba was left with was only cynical laughter.

This so-called discussion was nothing but a formality. Even if he disagreed, the result would not change.

Obviously, dividing the profit by 60% had become unavoidable.

But what truly mattered to Wang Ba was the implication behind this.

“It seems Yuan Wenzhi was right. With the Xuli Sect having swallowed the Wujing School, their strength has significantly increased and the balance among the three major sects has been broken. I may have become the target point in their struggle and distribution of interests.”

Wang Ba felt a heavy burden in his heart.

“Under this situation, maintaining neutrality seems unlikely… and it seems the situation among the three sects has changed. At least the gap has formed between the Huifeng Valley and the Danlong School and the Xuli Sect.”

“Now, it seems like I either have to lean towards Xuli Sect or the Huifeng Valley or Danlong School…”