Legacy of Hatred

The rooting stage made Liam grander in many ways. The breakthrough had elevated his very existence, turning his sheer killing intent into a more tangible, suffocating force.

’You finally show yourself,’ Liam thought, talking to the hiss that had refused to resound since the breakthrough.

Of course, Liam’s chilling attention remained on Ronnie. Unlike Old Joe, Ronnie reeked of something akin to hostility, which targeted Liam specifically.

The issue was that Liam had only subconsciously smelled the lie. He didn’t know how to expose Ronnie with words and didn’t want to start an argument. The way he saw it, the less he spoke, the safer he would be.

Yet, Liam had a default response to hostility, an approach far simpler and more effective than politics. Ronnie was trying to trick him for no reason, so the foundation expert’s life became more brittle than it already was.

The evident, oppressive killing intent froze the crowd. The bystanders felt the urge to scatter, but the rooting expert might take offense at that reaction, shackling them to that dangerous situation.

In the bystanders’ perspective, the scene had been more than mere entertainment. A rooting expert, especially one without affiliations but affluent enough to afford a mass purchase, was a figure worth befriending, or at least becoming acquainted with.

That was how politics worked, how social networks came to be. It was the norm in the cultivation world and beyond, but that common practice had caught the crowd in a mess.

Meanwhile, Ronnie was utterly shocked. He was indeed just a foundation expert, but the Merchants Guild stood behind him. The Guilds weren’t the Sects, but they remained forces individuals had to respect, or at least give them face before jumping to hostility with no foreplay.

The way Ronnie saw it, the hooded rooting expert either possessed a status that allowed him to disregard the Guilds or was completely crazy.

However, even Sect’s members gave the Guilds face since they managed the Kingdom and offered unique, often priceless services, meaning that the rooting expert had to be utterly mental, which didn’t bode well for Ronnie.

Luckily, the open market was the Guilds’ territory, and the home advantage soon showed its value.

"May I know the reason for this ruckus?" A stern voice resounded from beyond the crowd, which parted to show the newcomers.

Liam had sensed the newcomers’ arrival long ago, but inspecting them with his own eyes highlighted details that even his superhuman perception had been unable to provide.

Three foundation experts crossed the crowd, stopping in the clear area the bystanders had created for Liam. Two of those wore Qi-enhanced silver armor over their torso, and the middle-aged man between them did, too, except his was golden.

That different color suggested a higher status, and the man’s cultivation seemed to confirm it. Liam didn’t know if his foundation was complete, but it was far more advanced.

"Ah, Captain!" Ronnie exclaimed, not hesitating to seize the initiative. "I apologize for the disruption. This esteemed customer complained about the quality of my goods, the Guild’s goods, so I was compelled to stand my ground."

Ronnie had done a lot with a few words. In a single statement, he had addressed Liam respectfully, hinted at the bargaining strategy he used, and mentioned the Guild so that his status could contend with a stronger cultivator.

"Senior," The Captain called, pointing his rugged, experienced face at Liam, "Is this true?"

Naturally, Liam couldn’t recognize Ronnie’s mastery with words. He smelled that something was off, but that was it, so he resorted to the simple truth.

"These ingredients are almost completely worthless," Liam calmly declared.

Some suppressed gasps resounded among the crowd, accompanied by murmurs.

"Does Senior have a grudge against the Merchants Guild?"

"He stood his ground even now that the Enforcement Guild got involved,"

"Senior might know his stuff, but speaking so bluntly in this situation ..."

"Senior," The Captain held back a sigh, hearing that the situation was degenerating. "Regretfully, I must ask you to express your displeasure more respectfully. Please, if not me, give the Enforcement Guild face."

The Captain even cupped his fist and lowered his head, earning himself whispered praises from the crowd.

"As expected from a Captain from the Enforcement Guild,"

"The Captain truly knows how to de-escalate arguments,"

"His head might be lowered, but his stature couldn’t be nobler!"

’What is everyone even talking about?’ Liam cursed internally while studying the development his way.

Liam didn’t understand how the truth could be insulting, but he had seen similar reactions with the Disciplinary Elder and Cecilia. He also knew he was bad with words. He wasn’t aware how, but there probably were ways to express the same sentiment better.

Nevertheless, politics aside, Liam understood that pushing the matter would put him against the Enforcement Guild, which didn’t sound fair when the Captain had been so respectful. Risking becoming its enemy wouldn’t even be wise.

Besides, Ronnie didn’t have what Liam needed, but the market had other booths. It was annoying, but Liam had to prioritize getting cultivation resources instead of starting pointless fights.

So, Liam merely cupped his fist at the Captain and turned to leave, planning to put the matter behind him, only for Ronnie to interrupt his departure.

"Captain, I’m afraid the damage is done," Ronnie exclaimed. "Due to the Senior’s claim, my shop’s reputation suffered greatly. No one would dare to look at my wares anymore."

Liam was half a mind to continue leaving, but the Captain joined the interruption.

"Senior, if it’s not too much to ask," The Captain called, his head still lowered, "Would you mind making some purchases from this booth?"

"Why?" Liam asked, genuinely confused.

"To maintain peace," The Captain explained. "This market can only exist with the Merchants Guild’s blessing. I’m certain you didn’t mean it, but your words damaged its reputation, and the loss of customers might close this gathering for good."

Dots began to click in Liam’s mind, but not in a good way, restoring the pressure the decision to depart had begun to remove.

"Senior, the Enforcement Guild is only requesting a small sacrifice on your part," The Captain insisted, since the surging killing intent alerted him. "It’s for the greater good. Please, give the Enforcement Guild face, and we’ll remember your kindness."

Instead of the predicament, Liam recalled a past conversation with Deacon Ford, and his hood slowly turned toward the Captain before releasing a chilling voice.

"Are you saying ..." Liam snapped, "That this greater good is only worth having if I’m the one making the sacrifice?"

From Liam’s perspective, he was the wounded party. He had requested ingredients, only for them to be unsatisfactory.

Despite that, the Enforcement Guild now wanted Liam to purchase something anyway to maintain the open market’s peace.

That sounded like punishing Liam twice, which was almost emblematic of his life’s situation. And, if that were indeed the price for peace, then that peace wasn’t worth having.

Besides, since it had come to that, killing Ronnie and looting his shop sounded like a perfectly reasonable option, the fair one.

"Since when did the Enforcement Guild have the authority to lecture the Merchants Guild’s customers?" A female voice suddenly resounded through the area, cutting past Liam’s killing intent, enabling the crowd to part again.

Liam had sensed that movement long ago, too, and unlike the Enforcement Guild’s trio, he had actually paid attention to it. After all, it belonged to the only cultivator in the area who was his match.

A woman in her twenties walked through the opening the crowd had created. She wore a blue robe with a wheel sewn on the right side of her chest, and a small silver crown kept her brown hair tied into a fancy bun.

Liam turned toward that fellow rooting expert, his readiness for battle not diminishing. The development had crossed his personal line, and that cultivator’s arrival couldn’t suppress him.

Liam had killed rooting experts as a foundation expert. He obviously wouldn’t fear them now.

But the woman had no intentions of opposing Liam. Instead, she gave him the opportunity that the other parties and his social shortcomings had failed to provide.

"Esteemed customer, I was notified about the problem," The woman explained, not dwelling on greetings. "The Guild must prioritize customer satisfaction, but also can’t accept baseless accusations. Since you are certain, would you mind explaining how these products are unsatisfactory?"

’I guess I could have done that,’ Liam realized, his killing intent waning as he returned to the booth to address each ingredient.

"The grayness in these Fever Flowers is too intense," Liam explained. "A withering period is necessary for this ingredient, but two months is the limit before they start losing their properties. These have been left to dry for over four."

"The Hate Bamboo is too thin," Liam said, moving to the next ingredient, leaning forward to smell it better. "It was harvested too early, and it smells wrong. I think a parasite ruined the batch, so they salvaged what they could."

"These Aconite’s roots should be yellow, not brown," Liam added. "Brown so widespread indicates that their properties are mostly gone. I’d say it’s one tenth of what’s acceptable."

"And the Plague Fruit is too ripe," Liam concluded. "It’s impossible to extract its juice while filtering out masses completely. The product would be tainted with useless properties no matter what."

Ronnie could only stare at the hood silently, his eyes wide. His knowledge was decent. It had to be when dealing with ingredients, but most of what Liam had said was too specific for a simple merchant to know.

Worst of all, the explanation had sounded right, perfect even. Besides, Ronnie knew he was in the wrong, but an order arrived before he could attempt anything.

"Ronnie, close the shop and head to the main branch for disciplinary evaluation," The woman ordered. "Captain, the next time a customer has a complaint, you call the Merchants Guild. Otherwise, I’ll blame the Enforcement Guild for our losses."

The woman then moved, approaching Liam, but stopping a few meters away to cup her fist. "Fellow Daoist, I’d be grateful if you could follow me to my tent so I can have the opportunity to make it up to you and talk business."