After settling matters with the Gao Family, Wang Hong had another important task to personally attend to.
Wang Hong needed to personally return the body of a fallen subordinate to his family.
At the large residence where the families of the fallen were housed, in front of a two-story house, a little boy about five or six years old was swinging a wooden sword with both hands, haphazardly.
As Wang Hong approached gently, the little boy stopped his random sword movements, looking curiously at Wang Hong.
After a moment, he mustered up the courage and, imitating the adults, gave Wang Hong a formal greeting and asked, "May I ask who you're looking for?"
"Are you Dong Xinchang's son?" Wang Hong asked instead of answering.
"Yes, I am. How do you know? Do you know my daddy?" the little boy asked with wide, curious eyes.
"Of course, I know your daddy. I often heard him talk about you."
The little boy's interest was piqued, and he courageously approached Wang Hong, asking, "What did my dad say about me? When will he be able to come home?"
"Your dad often praised you for being smart and sensible. He also asked me to bring some treats for you."
Wang Hong took several small packages from his Storage Bag, strung them together with a piece of grass, and handed them to the little boy.
The little boy, holding the string of packages, turned and ran towards the house, shouting, "Mom! Mom! There's news from daddy! And he sent lots of tasty treats!"
As the child ran, he kept shouting.
Soon, a beautiful young woman came out of the house.
The woman was a mere Mortal, appearing to be in her mid-twenties.
"This Immortal Master, do you bring news of Dong Lang?" she asked, her face slightly flushed with a shy and hopeful look in her eyes.
Wang Hong was momentarily at a loss for words. He looked at the young woman, then at the little boy's clear, hopeful eyes.
"He has gone on a mission that will take a long time to complete. He asked me to bring these things back. He also said not to worry about him, and if you have any difficulties, you can seek help from East Master or Xu Lun."
At that moment, Wang Hong wasn't sure if what he was doing was right, as there were some things he just couldn't bring himself to say.
He couldn't bear to let this mother and son lose hope. Perhaps, with time, they might gradually forget a bit.
After finishing his speech, Wang Hong took out a large package containing Dong Xinchang's deserved share of the spoils of war and some consolation money.
"Take good care of these belongings. If you encounter any difficulties, you can also come to me.
Here's a Talisman for you. In case of an emergency, just tear this Talisman, and I will sense it."
Wang Hong left a blood-red Talisman with the mother and son and then left the family compound.
"Xu Lun, Dong Xinchang has died in battle, leaving behind a widow and orphan. We've been brothers in life and death for many years, so please look after them.
Also, if you have time, bring a Spiritual Testing Disk and see if his son has Spiritual Roots. If he does and is willing to cultivate, then teach him the way of cultivation."
Wang Hong sighed as he said this. Of the forty-five followers he once had, one was now gone.
"Alright, I'll make sure it's done."
Xu Lun also felt regret for Dong Xinchang. These forty-plus people had relationships akin to life-and-death comrades.
"What about the shop's matters? How are they coming along?" Wang Hong, rubbing his forehead, asked again.
Xu Lun reported, "Everything is sorted out on that end. The shelves and counters have been set up, and now we're recruiting staff."
"Good, I'll entrust you with full responsibility for the shop from now on. You have the freedom to decide on all matters. However, managing such a large shop, your cultivation level is still a bit lacking," Wang Hong noted.
Xu Lun felt somewhat embarrassed by this last remark. They, the subordinates without Spiritual Roots, had consumed a lot of Wang Hong's resources. Over the years, the strongest among them hadn't even reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation.
"You are currently at the Seventh Layer of Qi Cultivation. I have three spirit peaches here, each of which can increase your cultivation level by one layer when consumed. Take them and focus on cultivating these next few days. Stabilize your rapidly improved realm, then come find me."
Wang Hong then tossed three green spirit peaches to Xu Lun, who carefully caught them, thinking, "Such precious Spiritual Objects, I wonder where he bought them from, and he didn’t even use a packaging box."
"Alright, go and focus on your cultivation," said Wang Hong, sending Xu Lun away. He then pondered visiting Liu Changsheng.
Since returning from Boundary City, he hadn't visited Liu Changsheng. Now that things were mostly settled here, it was time to visit.
Wang Hong, disguising himself as Wang Kun through previously established channels, appeared at the residence of Liu Changsheng. The residence was the same as before, but the people were quite different.
When Wang Hong last visited, they were all young lads with youthful faces. Now, each of them had grown into adults.
"Greetings, Director!" Fifteen young men in black robes saluted Wang Hong in unison.
Within the immortal way trading company, Wang Hong still held the nominal position of director, with Liu Changsheng as the deputy director responsible for the daily management and operation of the firm.
These fifteen young men, most with three Spiritual Roots, had now mostly reached the later stages of Qi Cultivation thanks to a plethora of resources.
"Today, I bring you good news. I have some resources that can quickly cultivate two Foundation Building cultivators. So, I will select the two most outstanding among you to become Foundation Building cultivators."
Though Wang Hong had many Green Spirit Peaches and hundreds of Foundation Establishment Pills, releasing too many at once would devalue them. Limited quantity encouraged competition.
Then, Wang Hong announced various assessment criteria, including cultivation level, combat strength, and other aspects.
The puzzling part of the assessment was a category labeled 'other', which actually referred to personal character and loyalty, though not explicitly stated. This was because overtly stating it might lead to people feigning loyalty and pretending to be something they're not. Loyalty and kindness shown for a purpose are not genuine. This is the principle behind 'intentional kindness is not rewarded.'
Three days later, two individuals were selected. Wang Hong gave them a few Green Spirit Peaches each to elevate their cultivation level to the peak of Qi Cultivation.
After reaching the peak realm, they needed a few days to consolidate before using the Foundation Establishment Pill for the Foundation Building phase.
During this waiting period, Liu Changsheng presented the accounts of the past few years for Wang Hong's review.
In these five years, the immortal way trading company's total sales reached over seven million Spirit Stones. Since the items sold by the company were produced in Wang Hong's Space, with almost no other costs besides absorbing Spirit Qi, these seven million were mostly his gross profit.
After deducting the expenses of cultivating these fifteen young cultivators and some minor expenditures, Wang Hong still netted six million Spirit Stones.
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]