"Mr. Wu, are you alright? You don't look so well..."
"I'm fine, really. Don't worry about me, go take care of your business."
Victor Wu sat alone in the backyard, guarding the beautiful woman and Mrs. Zhuang's ghost. Over the past month, his complexion had deteriorated, his body already suffering from the invasion of ghostly energy.
Seeing all this, I couldn't help but be surprised. The ghostly energy wasn't particularly strong, but what was strange was that it seemed immune to spiritual techniques, slowly seeping into the body and corroding the soul.
Victor Wu's body was no longer what it used to be. He grew thinner day by day. After Victor Fan left, Victor Wu wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed.
"It seems Master was right. If I can't get through this tribulation, I might die here."
Victor Wu said helplessly, and then, with a whoosh, the door to the room opened by itself.
"Let me see my Zane."
It was Mrs. Zhuang, staring at Victor Wu.
"Miss, you and the one inside—the ghostly energy is getting heavier. I only hope that the resentment in both of you can be resolved. If this continues, it might harm your son."
Victor Wu had set up numerous formations in the courtyard. Neither the beautiful woman nor Mrs. Zhuang could leave, and Zane Zhuang hadn't entered the courtyard for a month. There were a few times Zane tried to come in to see his mother, but Victor Fan's explanations managed to keep him away.
At this time, the Charles Family rarely interacted with Victor Fan anymore. Even Charlotte Charles hadn't visited Victor Fan's home for months. Still puzzled, Victor Fan decided to take his wife home to see his father-in-law.
That noon, just as Victor Fan and his wife stepped into the Charles Family's main gate, they immediately sensed something was wrong. After asking around, they learned that Charles Yuan was ill. Victor Fan hurried to visit Charles Yuan with his wife.
"Father-in-law, I had no idea you've been ill for days. Please forgive me."
After some idle conversation, Victor Fan's wife sensibly excused herself.
Charles Yuan looked deeply distressed, beating his chest and stomping his feet as he grabbed Victor Fan's hand.
"Victor, alas, our Charles Family business is on the verge of collapse."
Looking at Charles Yuan's temples, now streaked with white, and his extremely weak breath, Victor Fan recalled that after reviving the Charles Family business, he hadn't paid much attention to their affairs. Occasionally, he'd heard that Charles Yuan's two sons were investing large sums into livestock and silk.
"Father-in-law, I heard before that my brothers-in-law invested in livestock and silk. Is that what's troubling you?"
Charles Yuan explained that, under the urging of Jian Hai, his two sons took advantage of his illness to start these ventures. The news made him so angry his condition worsened. As a businessman, he knew the risks of livestock were too great, and silk trading had become even less profitable in recent years. Ordinary families could no longer afford cloth.
"May I ask, Father-in-law, how much is the loss?"
Charles Yuan shook his head.
"Several Charles Textile Shops have had sluggish business for over six months, all operating at a loss. As for livestock, autumn is approaching—if any epidemic breaks out, we'll lose everything."
Charles Yuan's worries were justified. Only places with abundant water and pasture are truly suitable for livestock, but Cao Kingdom is nestled among mountains, not ideal for raising animals. At best, they could rear some fish, chickens, ducks, or geese, but these are prone to disease and yield little.
"It's not too late, Father-in-law. You can close the textile shops and store the goods. As long as they're kept dry and free from pests, the cloth will last for years. Wait for the right opportunity, then sell them at a high price."
Victor Fan continued discussing the livestock issue. With autumn coming, it's best to move the animals to a better climate—nearby basins are most suitable. While it requires more labor, it's far safer than keeping them where the weather is cooling. This can effectively lower the risk.
Victor Fan's words wiped the worry from Charles Yuan's face. He stood up, looking as if he'd recovered from a serious illness, his spirits much improved.
"Father-in-law, your illness is probably from overwork and stress. You should rest more and avoid getting angry."
Charles Yuan ate heartily and soon ordered Ronald Charles and Leonard Charles to come in. Seeing Arthur Jian behind them, Charles Yuan glared and told him to leave.
Ronald Charles and Leonard Charles looked at Victor Fan with disdain, their faces full of contempt.
"You two listen: from now on, you are not allowed to heed anything Arthur Jian says. You must follow Victor's advice. The business is already running at a loss—every penny earned from pottery has been used to cover the deficit, and we're still losing money. If this continues, our Charles Family will be ruined."
No sooner had Charles Yuan finished, Ronald and Leonard Charles protested. They demanded to know why they should listen to an outsider, insisting they'd make money soon. They argued that every country needs food, and meat is far more profitable than rice.
Charles Yuan clenched his fists in anger, wishing he could beat his two sons.
"Brothers..."
"Who are you calling brother? Pah."
Ronald Charles replied impatiently. The two exchanged glances and prepared to leave.
"If you refuse to listen to Victor, then from this day forward, you are no longer part of the Charles Family. Get out."
With that, Charles Yuan took out paper and pen and wrote a letter of disownment. Ronald and Leonard Charles were so frightened they dropped to their knees.
With Victor Fan's help, the Charles Family's losses were temporarily curbed. The poultry were also moved en masse, but Victor Fan remained deeply worried. During the change of seasons, various diseases often appeared, and if not careful, the poultry could easily die.
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Victor Fan personally visited the basin. Thanks to his sincerity, a previously broken deal was restored. The villagers in the basin gladly accepted his advice and agreed to help with the livestock. When the animals were ready for sale, they'd be paid handsomely.
Charles Yuan's illness still couldn't be cured, and his two sons no longer listened to Victor Fan at home.
When autumn came, Victor Fan sent his people to travel back and forth between the basin and Dingtown every day, checking if there were any problems with the large number of poultry.
The entire autumn passed, and fortunately, Victor Fan's decision was the right one. Raising livestock in the smaller basins with better water and climate proved successful. Victor Fan had already heard that small outbreaks of chicken plague had occurred elsewhere.
But eventually, one day, news arrived: some dead chickens had been found in the basin. Victor Fan immediately realized the seriousness and rushed over.
After talking with the locals, Victor Fan discovered that the dead chickens, ducks, and geese hadn't come from the basin—they had been deliberately placed there by someone.
A large-scale epidemic broke out in the basin. Countless chickens, ducks, and geese died, and the strong smell of burning filled the air every day.
At this time, Victor Fan was summoned to the Charles Family. The two brothers looked smug and, in front of Charles Yuan, began to question Victor Fan. But Victor Fan didn't mention anything about being sabotaged.
Charles Yuan didn't blame Victor Fan. He knew that, regardless, the losses had been greatly reduced. Thanks to the favorable climate and water, the poultry in the basin had started generating profit, and the deficit was gradually shrinking.
But Ronald and Leonard Charles were extremely dissatisfied, claiming that listening to Victor Fan was the reason for the loss and demanding he take responsibility.
"Since that's the case, brothers, I'll compensate you for this loss," Victor Fan said.
But Ronald and Leonard Charles wouldn't let up, arguing that compensation was meaningless. If they'd ignored Victor Fan, their profits would have multiplied endlessly—chickens lay eggs, eggs hatch chickens, and the gains would snowball, making them wealthier than any landlord.
Victor Fan knew in his heart that Arthur Jian was behind this, teaching the brothers to act this way. The person who sabotaged him was likely Arthur Jian as well.
After much back and forth, Victor Fan made a shocking decision: he handed over all his businesses to Ronald and Leonard Charles as compensation. Even Arthur Jian smiled, while Charles Yuan broke down in tears.
"Victor, it's not your fault..." Charles Yuan sobbed.
"Say no more, Father-in-law. I don't want to see you worry like this. My grain shop business is stable. As long as my brothers don't cause trouble, I can guarantee the Charles Family's stability for twenty years."
The news quickly spread throughout Dingtown and even shook the entire country. Word got out about the sabotage and the resulting epidemic, and people everywhere praised Victor Fan as a great and virtuous man, someone who could bend and endure.
By doing this, Victor Fan essentially gave away the business he'd spent years building. Yet he felt no regret in his heart.
"You really lost big this time."
One night, Victor Wu and Victor Fan drank together. Victor Wu felt Victor Fan didn't need to go this far—handing over all his businesses to others.
"Mr. Wu, it's not about loss or gain. I made up my mind by the river long ago to start anew. The old Victor Fan was heartless, worse than a beast, not worthy of being called a man—and I still am."
Victor Wu shook his head. I seemed to understand—Victor Fan's actions were a way to atone as a Daoist, but deep down, he could never let go of Xi Shi. Sometimes, he would confide in the beautiful woman.
"How long will this go on, Victor Fan? Are you just going to turn a blind eye? The Charles Family won't let you off so easily."
Victor Fan understood very well. Arthur Jian was ruthless and would surely strike while Charles Yuan was powerless. As the saying goes, 'If you cut the weeds, you must pull out the roots.'