Chapter 290: Chapter 212 Cooperation_2

Upon hearing Lu Chen’s words, Wu Junwan smiled and said, “I was thinking from the start that the Tower Master of Rain-listening Pavilion, whose business spans across several dynasties, could not possibly be just a Half-step Grandmaster. It seems I have guessed right.”

“Only a Grandmaster like Master Chen could have the capability to expand

Rain-listening Pavilion to its current scale.”

Seeing that Wu Junwan directly pointed out his strength, Lu Chen was not surprised at all. Although he was trying hard to conceal his aura, the imposing presence of a Grandmaster still lingered, making it easy for others to discern his true strength.

Unless he could cultivate a technique that completely concealed his realm, no matter how much he tried to hide his aura, it would always be detectable by others.

Especially in front of Grandmasters and Grandmasters, a Grandmaster needs not to be mentioned, for as a Grandmaster, one can easily sense the realm of another Grandmaster.

And in front of some particularly sensitive Grandmasters, as long as they felt a sense of crisis, or discomfort throughout their body, they could easily determine that the person in front of them was a Grandmaster.

No sooner had Wu Junwan finished speaking than Pei Hong, who stood to the side, said, “Master Chen really is young and promising. I have never before heard of such a young Grandmaster. Master Chen must certainly possess exceptional martial arts talent and a vast wealth of resources for cultivation. It seems Rain-listening Pavilion is even richer than we imagined.”

Pei Hong’s words were clearly probing Lu Chen. A Grandmaster so young was truly astonishing, and without a vast wealth of resources for cultivating martial arts, even with high talent, Pei Hong did not believe that one could break through to the Grandmaster Realm in their youth.

In his view, there might very well be a superpower behind the Tower Master of Rain-listening Pavilion, like what Wu Junwan had guessed. Whether this superpower was the one supporting the North Prince Mansion, they could not yet ascertain.

However, they had come with the intention of gathering information and naturally wanted to probe the other party further.

Lu Chen smiled lightly, then said, “You flatter me, elder. Rain-listening Pavilion is but a small trade association, and it has been established only recently. How could it be wealthy?”

“If we’re talking about wealth, Qianhai Commercial Association is far richer. Not only is the daughter of the chairman an Extreme Realm Master, but they also have two Grandmasters. As far as I know, the Great Xia Dynasty has but one Grandmaster, yet the Qianhai Commercial Association alone has two sitting Grandmasters. I’m afraid when it comes to wealth, no force is qualified to compare with Qianhai Commercial Association.”

At this moment, Wu Junwan smiled and said, “Master Chen, let’s leave the compliments here and discuss the cooperation instead.”

Lu Chen said, “No problem. How does Miss Qian propose we collaborate?”

Wu Junwan replied, “As I understand it, Master Chen has always been keen to do business in the Great Wu Dynasty. Only due to some obstacles, Rain­listening Pavilion has been unable to enter the Great Wu Dynasty.”

Lu Chen smiled faintly and then said, “Yes, my people came back and told me that the princess of the Great Wu Dynasty is very domineering. The tavern we opened in the Great Wu Dynasty was shut down within days by the princess, citing threats to the dynasty’s security.”

“Our Rain-listening Pavilion caravans also can’t enter the Great Wu Dynasty, often being excessively scrutinized by the soldiers of the Great Wu Dynasty.”

At this point, Lu Chen’s eyes sparkled with a smiling gaze fixed on Wu Junwan.

For a moment, the atmosphere inside the room grew tense.

Pei Hong and Hu Shu both prepared themselves for action.

They couldn’t help but suspect that, by mentioning the princess of Great Wu at this time, Lu Chen might have already discovered Wu Junwan’s identity.

This was not good.

After all, they were in a foreign land, and they had come to North Country discreetly. If their identities were exposed, it could not only potentially reignite conflict between the two great dynasties, but Wu Junwan might also be in danger.

Before coming to North Country, they had never thought that North Country would have any presence capable of threatening Wu Junwan’s safety—until they met the Tower Master of Rain-listening Pavilion.

To cultivate such a young martial artist into a Grandmaster proved the power of Rain-listening Pavilion. Perhaps there were even more Grandmasters behind Rain-listening Pavilion, which made them wary of Lu Chen.

Wu Junwan didn’t pay much attention to Lu Chen’s words, speaking indifferently, “What if I said that I could help Rain-listening Pavilion establish a presence in the Great Wu Dynasty, and even without being scrutinized?”

Lu Chen feigned a puzzled expression, “Oh? Miss Qian, you have a way?”

“I’ve heard that the Princess of Great Wu is a very unreasonable woman. Once she sets her mind on something, no one can persuade her otherwise. Moreover, she holds real power. There are hardly a few on the entire court of Great Wu who dare to challenge her.”

Wu Junwan’s eyebrows raised slightly, and a faint line of annoyance appeared on her forehead, as if angered, but she still sat gracefully, smiling as she said, “Master Chen may not be aware, but our Qian Family has a very special relationship with the Princess.”

“The reason Qianhai Commercial Association has been able to grow to its current size is inseparable from the Princess’s support. If Rain-listening Pavilion can reach a cooperation with Qianhai Commercial Association, then naturally the Princess won’t trouble Rain-listening Pavilion again.”

Lu Chen looked skeptically at Wu Junwan’s mature and beautiful face, “Really? But I’ve heard that the Princess of Great Wu is a key figure in controlling national intelligence, holding a status second only to the Martial Emperor in the Great Wu Dynasty. If she has decided that Rain-listening Pavilion is a threat to the Great Wu Dynasty, would she really allow us to cooperate with Qianhai Commercial Association?”

Wu Junwan said, “It’s precisely because our Princess holds such a high position in Great Wu that whether Rain-listening Pavilion is a threat to the Great Wu Dynasty is merely a matter of her say-so.”

“If Rain-listening Pavilion can offer enough benefits, I believe our Princess would allow Rain-listening Pavilion to do business in Great Wu.”

Continuing, Wu Junwan said, “And with the guarantee from Qianhai Commercial Association, Master Chen can be completely at ease.”

Hearing Wu Junwan’s words, Lu Chen appeared pensive. After a moment, he said, “If it’s possible to allow Rain-listening Pavilion to establish a presence in the Great Wu Dynasty, certainly, we’ll grant the benefits we should. It’s just that I’m unsure how Miss Qian plans to cooperate with Rain-listening Pavilion.”

Seeing Lu Chen agree, Wu Junwan smiled and said, “Our cooperation is simple. In the future, Rain-listening Pavilion and Qianhai Commercial Association will establish a new commercial association. All of Rain-listening Pavilion’s business in the Great Wu Dynasty will be managed by the new association, and both parties will hold a fifty percent share.”

“Master Chen shouldn’t misunderstand. Of the fifty percent stake that Qianhai Commercial Association holds, forty percent will go to the Princess. That’s the only way she might agree to let Rain-listening Pavilion enter the Great Wu Dynasty.”

Hearing Wu Junwan’s words, Lu Chen let out a chuckle.

Well, Wu Junwan is looking to deploy a reverse infiltration strategy, huh?

By forming a new commercial association through cooperation between the two, Rain-listening Pavilion would be in a position of constant surveillance while doing business in the Great Wu Dynasty. Besides, it’s possible for people from the Great Wu Dynasty to glean some internal information about Rain­listening Pavilion in return.

The Princess of Great Wu certainly plays a shrewd game.

However, that said, although it seems greatly advantageous for Wu Junwan, Lu Chen still decided to agree.

He was very interested in forging ties with the royalty of Great Wu, a connection they would inevitably need sooner or later.

Thereupon, Lu Chen said, “Alright, no problem. I’ll leave the matter with the Great Wu Princess up to the Qian Family.”

Seeing how straightforwardly Lu Chen agreed, Wu Junwan was momentarily taken aback. She had thought that Lu Chen would ask them some questions, like why they wanted to cooperate, or perhaps demand more conditions. Instead, this man didn’t ask anything.

At this point, Wu Junwan asked, “Isn’t Master Chen curious why Qianhai Commercial Association wants to cooperate with Rain-listening Pavilion?”

Lu Chen said with a smile, “Your reason is quite apparent, isn’t it? Qianhai Commercial Association is a commercial group from the Great Wu Dynasty and has a very good relationship with the Princess of Great Wu. Qianhai Commercial Association wants to enter Great Xia and North Country to do business, and it’s best to find a partner for cooperation. Otherwise, Qianhai Commercial Association might face the same obstacles Rain-listening Pavilion has encountered in Great Wu.”

“Moreover, Qianhai Commercial Association must have already realized that North Country holds great business potential, and the products manufactured by the North Prince Mansion have high commercial value as well, so you too want a share of the profits.”

“I’m right, aren’t I, Miss Qian?”

With that, Lu Chen’s gaze fixed on Wu Junwan’s beautiful eyes.