I Was Forced to Marry a “Trash” Cultivator, But She Turned Out to Be a Reborn Empress!

Chapter 274: Thriving Business and Hidden Envy

Three months slipped by in the blink of an eye. In that short time, the golden signboard of “Duobao Workshop” had driven its roots deep into the competitive soil of the Heavenly Crafts District.

Inside the workshop, the air hummed with the vibration of formations and the heat of the forge.

Ai Xiao stood with a ledger in hand, his brows knit in concentration as he tallied the figures. “Master, over the past quarter, we have completed 13 top-grade spirit treasures and 43 ordinary ones. However, the backlog is growing. We currently have 22 top-grade and 135 ordinary orders in the queue.”

He looked up, his expression serious. “At our current pace, clearing the existing ledger alone will take over a year.”

The speed was hardly slow—in fact, it was miraculous. They were a team of fourth-tier artifact refiners led by a fifth-tier grandmaster, supported by a ceaseless supply of Earth Fire that allowed them to smelt multiple materials simultaneously.

Yet, even cultivators made of iron could feel fatigue.

Tie Shan mopped the grime from his brow and carefully placed a newly quenched spirit sword into a jade preservation box. “Master,” he grunted, his voice thick with exhaustion, “should we recruit a few more hands? Just for the rough work?”

He had been hammering away day and night for three months. If not for his physique as a Nascent Soul True Lord, he would have collapsed weeks ago.

Su Mu gently waved her round fan, a sharp, calculating light flickering in her eyes. “Absolutely not. The workshop’s reputation rests entirely on the three words ‘Master Wang Yu.’ If we dilute our workforce with unknown variables now, we risk smashing our own signboard.”

She produced a gilded invitation from her sleeve. “Besides, the clients are willing to wait. The Grand Elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect personally sent this missive. He offers a deposit of 3 million high-grade Spirit Stones, asking only that Master completes their batch of lifebound flying swords within the year.”

Shen Xian stood in the center of the refining chamber, the ruddy glow of the Earth Fire dancing across his calm features.

*Recruiting disciples is a strategic move, not a desperate one,* he mused.

Duobao Workshop was in its critical growth phase. Quality control was paramount. If he were to hire, they would need to be fourth-tier refiners at a minimum. But in the Holy City, any refiner of that caliber was already shackled to a major clan or sect. Poaching them was difficult.

Despite his rising fame, on the surface, he was still just a fourth-tier refiner—a peer, not a legend. To make the proud masters of the city bow their heads and seek apprenticeship, he needed more than just good business.

He needed to ascend to a level they could only dream of touching.

“There is no rush. Let us deliver this first batch and gauge the reaction,” Shen Xian instructed, his voice smooth and unhurried. “Once the quality is proven, the market will shift. We may find fourth-tier refiners coming to us.”

“Understood! This disciple will handle the logistics immediately,” Ai Xiao nodded, turning back to categorize the finished treasures.

Shen Xian gazed out the window. The setting sun bathed the towering spire of the Hundred Arts Sect in a layer of molten gold.

There were still two years until the Artifact Refining Grand Assembly. This was the perfect window to solidify his foundation. Once he obtained the Source Fire, his refining speed would undergo a qualitative leap.

For now, every hammer strike and every etched rune was a paving stone on his road to absolute dominance.

In the workshop’s rear courtyard, Qiu Ruoli was organizing a fresh shipment of ores.

With a flick of her slender fingers, heavy chunks of mineral floated through the air, sorting themselves into their respective bins. Over the last three months, her understanding of formations had skyrocketed under Shen Xian’s casual guidance. She could now independently lay down complex third-tier formations.

She paused, looking toward the refining chamber. A soft sigh escaped her lips.

The “evil cultivator” she once loathed with every fiber of her being was now flourishing in the Holy City, playing the role of a respected grandmaster to perfection.

What terrified her more than his success was the realization that she was… adapting. The hatred was still there, but the edges were dulling, replaced by a numb acceptance of this strange, high-stakes life.

***

Elsewhere in the Heavenly Crafts District.

Inside the elegant, multi-storied pavilion known as the “Chenzhou Pavilion,” the atmosphere was suffocating.

Sun Chenzhou stared at the ledger on his desk, his expression dark enough to curdle milk.

“Another cancellation…”

His finger tapped heavily against the wood, the vibration causing the porcelain tea set to rattle.

This was the third long-time patron to withdraw an order this month. The Young Sect Master of the Qingyang Sect had sent a messenger just days ago, politely but firmly stating that they would be taking their custom commission for a lifebound treasure to “Duobao Workshop” instead.

“Master, please quell your anger…” A disciple standing to the side offered a cup of spirit tea with trembling hands. “That Wang Yu… he is merely riding the coattails of the Heaven-Reaching Chamber of Commerce. Without them, he is nothing…”

“Coattails?” Sun Chenzhou sneered, slamming the teacup down so hard tea splashed onto the table. “Do you take the great clans for fools? If he didn’t have genuine skill, who would abandon an established master like me to fawn over a greenhorn who hasn’t even warmed his seat yet?”

He stood up abruptly and paced to the window.

From his vantage point, he had a clear view of the busiest intersection in the district. Duobao Workshop was bustling, carriages from noble houses lining up outside. In stark contrast, the entrance to his own Chenzhou Pavilion was desolate, visited only by the wind.

Three months ago, he was the one turning customers away.

Sun Chenzhou narrowed his eyes. He was a celebrated top-tier fourth-tier refiner, a man who had navigated the treacherous waters of the Holy City for two hundred years. He held the title of Guest Elder at the Hundred Arts Sect. He had built his empire on hard skills and harder politics.

And now?

“Bring me the records from last month,” he commanded, his voice low and dangerous.

The disciple hurriedly presented a jade slip.

Sun Chenzhou swept it with his Divine Sense. His chest tightened as if squeezed by an invisible hand. Revenue was down nearly forty percent compared to last year. The lucrative commissions from the top-tier families had been cannibalized by Duobao Workshop, leaving him to scrap for the crumbs.

“Wang Yu…” He ground his teeth, the name tasting like bile.

The most infuriating part was that he had inspected the goods from Duobao Workshop himself. The artifact patterns were exquisite, the thermal control flawless. Even with his critical eye, he couldn’t find a single technical fault.

It was a total, humiliating professional defeat.

“Master…” The disciple lowered his voice, glancing around conspiratorially to ensure they were alone. “I have heard… that Spirit-Eroding Powder is colorless and odorless. If a pinch were to be mixed into the refining materials during the smelting process, it would irreversibly damage the artifact’s spirituality. Even a fourth-tier refiner would be unable to detect the cause…”

Sun Chenzhou’s pupils contracted to pinpricks. A sharp, vicious light flashed in his eyes.

*Spirit-Eroding Powder.*

He knew of it, of course. An ancient, insidious toxin designed specifically to murder the soul of a magical artifact. It was subtle, leaving no trace to the naked eye or standard detection formations.

Crucially, only the Divine Sense of a Soul Formation cultivator was powerful enough to perceive the anomaly before it was too late.

And Duobao Workshop, for all its fame, did not have a Soul Formation expert sitting guard over every furnace.

Sun Chenzhou’s heart raced. A war raged within him.

If he succeeded… if Wang Yu’s artifacts began to fail, shattering in battle or losing their spiritual connection, the great clans would feel cheated. Their trust would evaporate, and the orders would flow back to him like water seeking the lowest point.

But if he were caught…

The image of Venerable Zi Yun flashed through his mind, bringing a cold sweat to his back.

Yet, as he looked out the window at the thriving workshop across the street, the cold fear was incinerated by the white-hot flames of jealousy.

*Why should a nobody steal two centuries of my hard work?*

Besides, he had an escape route. If the worst happened, he could flee to Black Profound City. In that lawless haven, even a Celestial Venerable’s reach was limited.

“Master?” The disciple prompted tentatively, seeing the shifting emotions on his teacher’s face.

Sun Chenzhou took a deep, shuddering breath. When he looked up, his eyes were hard and ruthless.

“Go to the secure vault. Retrieve the vial of Nether Spring Water I obtained from the Ten Thousand Poison Valley last year.”

The disciple’s eyes lit up with malicious glee. “Master is wise! Nether Spring Water appears as clear as morning dew, but it acts as a perfect solvent for the Spirit-Eroding Powder. Once mixed into the materials, it is truly undetectable!”

“Silence!” Sun Chenzhou hissed. “If a single word of this leaks, you and I will not even have graves to lie in.”

His face was a mask of grim determination. He pulled a blank jade slip from his Storage Ring.

“Tomorrow, hire a proxy. Have them disguise themselves as a traveling merchant and place an order at Duobao Workshop. Keep it simple. Order a standard ‘Green Spirit Sword,’ and insist that we—that *they*—provide the raw materials.”

The Green Spirit Sword. Simple materials, easy to tamper with.

More importantly, it was the signature standard-issue weapon for the elite disciples of the Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion.

The Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion ranked among the top five powers in the Holy Land. If Duobao Workshop delivered a defective batch of their signature weapons, it would be seen as a grave insult to the sect’s prestige. Wang Yu would not just lose customers; he would gain powerful enemies.

The disciple nodded fervently, excitement trembling in his voice. “This disciple understands! It will be done flawlessly.”

Sun Chenzhou stared out the window at the golden glow of Duobao Workshop, a cold, serpentine smile curling his lips.

*Wang Yu, oh Wang Yu… blame yourself for shining too brightly.*