The Martial God who started at Mantuo Manor

Page 46

Wang Meng said without turning his head.

Li Qingluo, being exceptionally clever, immediately gave instructions to the accountants. Soon, the first round of bids was delivered.

"Guest No. 3 of the East Courtyard, offering 1,500 taels of Song Dynasty silver!"

An accountant read it aloud.

Just as the accountant was about to pick up the abacus to calculate, he saw that Wang Meng's pen had already fallen. He glanced at the exchange rate table, did some mental calculations, and then neatly wrote down an extremely simple "220" under the "East Courtyard" column.

"Guest Number One from the South Courtyard has produced thirty Western Xia gold coins!"

With a stroke of his pen, Wang Meng wrote "235" under the "South Campus" column.

"The distinguished guests of the West Courtyard will not participate in this round."

Wang Meng drew an X in that column.

He even listed all the currency exchange formulas in a corner of the table using his concise set of symbols, so that all the accountants could easily check them at a glance.

The entire process was smooth and crystal clear!

On that white cloth, there was no possibility of any error or confusion in the information.

The accountants and maids in the inner hall were all dumbfounded.

They never imagined that such a tedious task as bookkeeping could become so simple and clear.

Li Qingluo stood quietly behind Wang Meng, grinding ink for him and handing him water.

She watched the man's broad, focused back as he wielded his brush against the huge white cloth, transforming a chaotic situation into a well-organized and efficient one.

In her eyes, what replaced it was an unprecedented, burning light mixed with worship and admiration.

She suddenly realized that what this man brought her was far more than physical conquest and brutality; he also possessed a power and wisdom she had never experienced before, a power that allowed him to firmly control everything.

The melodious chimes began to ring out at an unprecedented frequency above Mantuo Villa, one after another, "clang, clang, clang!"

Wang Meng was not just taking notes; he was also teaching.

Whenever a new currency appears, or when encountering a particularly complex conversion, he would stop writing and, in a corner of that huge white cloth, use his simple yet efficient set of symbols to write down the conversion formula and principles.

For example, he would write "1 Song Dynasty silver tael = 0.125 standard units", or "1 Western Xia gold = 7.5 standard units".

These formulas are so intuitive, they are worlds apart from the tedious formulas used by accountants to describe "a few cents and a few units of silver, and their purity."

At first, the old accountants were completely baffled, thinking it was some kind of cryptic text.

But they were all veterans who had been in this business for decades. Although their mathematical foundation was still at the most basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, they were calm and experienced.

With just a few pointers from Wang Meng, they were enlightened, as if struck by lightning.

"I see!

This method can make the conversion between gold, silver, copper, and iron as simple as one, two, three, four!

An elderly accountant with white hair and beard looked at the formulas on the wall, trembling with excitement, his eyes filled with fervor.

Soon, the elderly gentlemen caught up with Wang Mang's pace. They no longer needed Wang Meng to do anything personally; instead, they proactively divided into groups: one group was responsible for receiving quotes, another for conversion, and yet another for verification. The assembly line operation was seamless.

This efficiency improvement is exponential.

Originally, the dozen or so people in the inner hall were in a frantic rush and could only process the price quote for one item at a time, and even then, they made many mistakes.

Now, they can handle the bidding for three to four items at the same time, and with perfect accuracy!

This caused great trouble for the maids responsible for delivering the message.

The bells rang faster and faster, almost as if the echo of one bell had barely faded before the next one rang out.

The maids, like green whirlwinds, lifted their skirts and darted swiftly between the cobblestone paths and pavilions of the manor.

Fine beads of fragrant sweat appeared on their foreheads, their breathing became rapid, and their chests heaved, creating a unique scene.

From the east courtyard to the west courtyard, from the south pavilion to the north building, their figures were everywhere.

One moment they're announcing the final winner of the "Dragon Spring Sword," and the next they're rushing off to announce the new round of bidding for the "Crimson Blood Ganoderma."

Sheets of paper with price quotes flew into the inner hall like snowflakes, only to be replaced by notices with the latest prices, which were then sent to various courtyards.

Fortunately, the Mantuo Mountain Manor was a large and powerful family with enough maids to support such a high-intensity information transmission.

Even so, several maids who were less physically fit and less skilled in martial arts were exhausted from running too fast and were covered in sweat. They had to temporarily step down and let their more energetic sisters take over.

The entire Mantuo Manor seemed to have transformed into a high-speed, precision machine activated by Wang Meng.

And he is the absolute core of this machine.

He simply stood quietly in front of the white cloth covered with strange symbols, occasionally adding a stroke that would elevate the machine's efficiency to another level.

Li Qingluo quietly stepped aside and saw an old accountant looking at Wang Meng with great respect. She handed over the ink stick and inkstone in her hand, which the old accountant accepted as if they were treasures, and continued to grind ink for Wang Meng.

Li Qingluo herself took a clean silk handkerchief and stood quietly beside Wang Meng.

Inside the main hall, voices, the sound of abacuses, and the rustling of papers mingled together, yet there was order within the chaos.

Wang Meng remains at the center of it all.

Sweat dripped down his temples, but he was oblivious, focused only on the huge white cloth on the wall.

Taking advantage of a brief moment when he paused to ponder, Li Qingluo stepped forward gracefully, extended her slender hand, and gently wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with a soft silk handkerchief.

Her movements were extremely gentle, carrying the tenderness and intimacy that only a wife shows to her husband.

Wang Meng stiffened slightly and turned his head to look at her.

"A formidable official!"

Her voice was low and gentle, with a hint of curiosity and teasing, like lovers whispering in each other's pillows, "I never imagined that you would have such profound and all-encompassing abilities in the art of arithmetic."

"Could it be... that your Ming Cult even specializes in this?"

A slight smile played on Wang Meng's lips, but he didn't answer. Instead, he turned his head and continued writing a new line of numbers on the white cloth. He tacitly agreed.

Since that night in the hot spring, when he was completely lost in the heat, he no longer made any effort to hide his identity.

Besides, he couldn't hide it from him anyway.

When he activated his "Mingzun Sacred Fire Technique," his true energy emitted a crimson glow, which was domineering and fierce, making its characteristics too obvious.

Who is Li Qingluo?

She grew up surrounded by the vast collection of martial arts manuals in the Langhuan Jade Cave, and her knowledge was unparalleled among women in the world.

At first, she might have been intimidated by Wang Meng's unreasonable and fierce demeanor, but after calming down, she only needed to think for a moment to recognize the origin of this technique.

After all, although the "Mingzun Sacred Fire Technique" has some reputation in the martial arts world, the records in the Langhuan Jade Cave clearly state that it is merely an introductory mental cultivation method bestowed upon ordinary disciples of the Ming Cult.

Its fundamental purpose is to identify identities and unify skill attributes, laying the foundation for learning more advanced skills in the future.

In other words, this skill, which would be enough to make a second-rate martial artist walk around freely in the martial arts world, might not even be considered top-notch within the Ming Cult.

Speaking of this, Wang Meng has also figured out something recently.

That is!

Become the master of "Mantuo Manor" (50% completion)

This 50% does not refer to Wang Meng's influence within Mantuo Manor, but rather to the hidden dangers within Mantuo Manor.

Yes, to some extent, it can be understood that Li Qingluo only had half control over Mantuo Manor. Therefore, after conquering Li Qingluo, he only gained half control over the manor.

To gain complete control of Mantuo Manor, the other half of the control must be achieved by eliminating all potential threats.

But... what could this hidden danger be?

Wang Meng was unaware of this and, after thinking about it for several days, found nothing unusual.

Li Qingluo wields considerable influence within Mantuo Manor, holding the power of life and death, and there seems to be no hidden danger lurking within her.

But, that's right.

Even Li Qingluo didn't notice anything, so how could he possibly have noticed the hidden danger beneath the surface?

The auction was in full swing. Inside the hall, the sounds of bells, voices, and abacuses blended into a highly efficient and tense symphony.

However, a faint unease lingered in Wang Meng's heart.

He always felt that this seemingly impregnable Mantuo Villa might harbor some hidden dangers.

What could this hidden danger be?

I've been thinking about and observing this problem for several days now, but I haven't found anything unusual.

Li Qingluo held immense prestige within Mantuo Manor, wielding absolute power and controlling the life and death of almost everyone. On the surface, it was impossible to imagine any potential hidden dangers.

But, that's right.

Wang Meng thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile, "Even Li Qingluo, the owner of the manor, didn't notice anything. How could I possibly have noticed the undercurrents hidden beneath the calm surface of the lake in just a few days?"

Just as he was pondering, a series of hurried and flustered footsteps interrupted his thoughts.

A maid responsible for delivering messages in the west courtyard rushed in, her face pale, and she didn't even care about etiquette. She rushed to Li Qingluo's side and whispered a few words anxiously in her ear.

Wang Meng was extremely close, and the maid's hushed voice was crystal clear to him.

It turned out that the guests in the west courtyard had caused trouble.

Li Qingluo's eyebrows furrowed instantly, and a layer of frost covered her beautiful face.

At this crucial moment of the auction, someone dared to act recklessly on her turf, which was tantamount to slapping her in the face in public.

"I'll go and see for myself."

She said coldly, and the majesty of the manor's owner reappeared on her body. She then prepared to get up and deal with the situation.

Wu Ma, who had been standing still, immediately followed.

However, a strong and powerful arm gently blocked her way.

Wang Meng had turned around at some point and blocked her way.

He glanced at the accountants in the inner hall who were already proficient in using the methods he had taught them, and said calmly, "I'll do it!"

His gaze shifted to Li Qingluo, his eyes filled with a reassuring certainty: "Over here, they've almost finished learning."

Whether I'm there or not, the speed won't be much different.

It is you, Madam, who should stay here to oversee the situation and stabilize the overall situation.