บท 23: Chapter 23: "How about a raise of 500 yuan every year?
"It's fine."
Chen Qiu suppressed the excitement in his heart, took a deep breath, and forcefully pushed down the emotions inside him. After all, there was hope at last. He immediately chose the first white entry.
'Every plant and tree.'
Almost at the same time, he saw a large amount of Spiritual Energy suddenly begin to condense in front of him, and in the blink of an eye, it formed into three low-grade Spirit Stones that fell to the ground.
The entry he selected awarded three Spirit Stones for every breakthrough in a small realm, and this breakthrough was included as well.
"Ah?"
Fat Long looked befuddled as he gazed at the three Spirit Stones that had condensed out of thin air, somewhat unable to react. Could the Spiritual Energy in the air really gather into Spirit Stones? What kind of operation was this?
Chen Qiu did not address Fat Long's confusion, but instead tilted his head and asked, "How much does that Heavenly Dao Talisman, the 'Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman,' you mentioned just now sell for at Wentian Pavilion Market?"
"It depends on the grade."
Fat Long patiently explained, "The 'Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman' is divided into four grades: low, mid, high, and top-grade. Among them, a low-grade retrospection charm can only be used on cultivators below the Foundation Establishment. In other words, you can only re-select the discarded entry from the three choices you had during the Qi Refinement Realm."
"But there are no three choices for entry levels in the Qi Refinement Realm, so the low-grade charm sells for the cheapest, just 50 Spirit Stones each."
"And the higher you go, the more expensive it gets."
"A mid-grade retrospection charm starts at 500 Spirit Stones and up, and that is only for the discarded entries from the three choices during the Foundation Establishment Stage. After all, think about it, the higher your cultivation, the higher the entry level you can randomly access."
"By that time, a high or top-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman might be equivalent to a golden or pink entry, and no matter how expensive it is, people will scramble to get it."
"Moreover..."
It must be said that Fat Long's intelligence sources are indeed very rich, and he is naturally suited for exploring new worlds, but Chen Qiu already lacked the patience to listen any further. All he heard was one thing—that a low-grade Heavenly Dao Retrospective Talisman cost only 50 Spirit Stones.
Ordinary people had no use for it, but he happened to be able to use it.
Even so, the price was already comparable to 10 low-grade Yellow Level Spiritual Treasures from the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.
Just then—
The resentful spirit of Huang Shikai in Chen Qiu's hand had completely vanished between heaven and earth, and at the same time, he gained almost thirty more resentful spirits of Human Face Spiders around the seventh or eighth layer of the Qi Refinement Realm. This was another crucial method to use at a key moment.
This green entry was really useful.
Before the two could further converse, they suddenly heard a piercing sound of something tearing through the sky. They looked up instinctively, only to see a bearded, burly man plummeting straight from the sky!
The two of them hurriedly dodged out of the way.
"Boom!!!"
This was the first time the two had seen the bearded, burly man fall from the high sky before them and smash into the ground, creating a sizable crater. He got up from the ground as if nothing had happened, patted his buttocks, grabbed their arms, and then the three of them vanished on the spot.
Leaving only a mess behind.
...
"Alright."
The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground, upon seeing that Chen Qiu and his companion had hardly any injuries, flashed a hint of surprise in his eyes but still smiled and said, "Next, I should send the two of you back to Wentian Pavilion Market. We'll meet again if fate allows it."
"Wait a moment!"
Chen Qiu looked serious as he stared at the scholar seated on the ground and said earnestly, "Didn't you say this morning that my offer was too low? Work for me, I'll give you 3000 Spirit Stones in one go."
"And 500 Spirit Stones every month from here on out."
"And to increase the monthly payment by 500 Spirit Stones every year, how does that sound?"
"..."
The scholar, who had been subconsciously preparing to refuse, found his mouth gradually gaping open upon hearing the price. A one-time payment of 3000 Spirit Stones? And then a monthly salary of 500 Spirit Stones?
That was far more than he had expected!
His expectation was a one-time payment of 3000 Spirit Stones as a fee for risking his life, after which he wouldn't need a monthly salary—as long as he had food and shelter. As long as he had enough to buy a "Heavenly Dao Jade" to remove the Bone Devouring Poison from his body and live a few more years, he would be content.
But the young man before him was offering him 3000 Spirit Stones straight up?
This was the most anyone had ever offered him!
Honestly, it was hard to refuse.
It's just that... The scholar quickly came to his senses, sizing up Chen Qiu's clothes and appearance with an indescribable twist in his expression, "That... Sir, are you sure you can come up with that many Spirit Stones?"
"Or are you promising now to then go back and apply to your family for the funds?"
Honestly, this man in front of him didn't look like he had that many Spirit Stones to his name, nor did he seem like the scion of a great family—no matter how low-profile a scion might be, they wouldn't wear these plain linen clothes.
"Positive."
Chen Qiu squatted down with a serious expression, looked the scholar in the eyes, and said quietly, "It's not just anyone offering you this—it's me. I have no family backing me, I'm alone in the Jianghu. My power might not be great, but the treatment I offer you will not be low."
"However... I need you to give me five days. I can give you the Spirit Stones in five days."
"During these five days, you will need to work for me. Even if I go back on my word after five days, you wouldn't have lost much by doing five days less work.
"How about it?"
"Phew..."
The scholar silently stood in his spot, looking up at his younger brother beside him, who was looking back at him with anticipation. After a long time, he hoarsely said, "Fine, but let me clarify in advance that my brother and I were injured years ago and have almost no combat ability. Our only skill lies in our ability to travel quickly."
"You can't expect us to defend you."
"Understood. That's enough."
"How should I address you, Sir?"
"Chen Qiu."
"All right."
The scholar sitting cross-legged on the ground struggled to sit up straight, then leaned forward slightly and said in a quiet voice, "I am known in the Jianghu as 'Scholar,' having lost my own name years ago. Scholar has met Mr. Chen."
The bearded strongman standing by signaled his presence with the same seriousness, straightening his posture and formally bowing to Chen Qiu.
"Good!"
Chen Qiu responded with equal delight, "Good." With these two joining his service, many of his plans could be significantly accelerated. It was good they had no combat ability; otherwise, with his current limited strength, he wouldn't have been able to control two such capable fighters.
This was much better.
He had encountered these two earlier this morning and thought they would command a much higher price. It turned out that 3000 Spirit Stones were enough.
At this moment, Chen Qiu clearly didn't realize that if he were to earn 3000 Spirit Stones by chopping wood, Da Xia would have fallen three or four times over before he had amassed that sum. If it were such a small amount, these two brothers wouldn't have spent several years in the Qitian Fang Market unable to find a good master.
"With both of you joining, I believe we will soon make a name for ourselves in Da Xia."
"But there's a small issue at the moment."
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