262: Chapter 261 Ten million spirit stones, just to see the ledger?

"Revered Master, is the pressure alright?"

A pair of soft, boneless hands gently rested on Su Lin's shoulders and began to knead.

Her finger technique was extremely exquisite, landing precisely on the Acupoints that were sore because Su Lin had forcibly circulated his Qi.

Even more rare was that a wisp of gentle Mahayana Stage Qi lingered at her fingertips, nourishing Su Lin's Meridians like a spring breeze turning into rain.

"Mhm... not bad." Su Lin closed his eyes, his voice carrying a hint of laziness.

"As long as Revered Master likes it, this Disciple's money is well spent."

Hearing this, the corners of Su Lin's mouth curled up slightly: "You girl, every other word out of your mouth is about Spirit Stones.

A dignified Mahayana Stage Cultivator, yet you still can't change this money-grubbing nature of yours."

Gu Qiuyue's movements paused slightly. She gently rested her chin on Su Lin's shoulder, her ink-black long hair hanging wetly over Su Lin's chest, intertwining with his own black hair.

"Does Revered Master... also think that this Disciple is very vulgar?"

Her voice suddenly dropped, losing the arrogance she had shown on the deck when throwing money around, instead revealing a deep lack of confidence.

Su Lin opened his eyes and turned his head slightly, looking at the peerless face so close to his own.

But in her eyes, there was none of her usual shrewd calculation, only a cautious, testing gaze.

"Qiuyue's Aptitude is mediocre; I only know how to use an abacus and how to do business."

"Every time there is danger, Qiuyue can only hide in the back, watching my Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters stand in front of Revered Master. Even this time, breaking through to the Mahayana Stage, I only barely passed by using money to bribe the Heavenly Dao."

"In Revered Master's heart, is Qiuyue... the most useless one?"

"In the Daochu Sect, if you hadn't used your endless wealth to stabilize the rear and rebuild the mountain gate, where would we have a home to return to?"

"The cultivation world isn't just about fighting and killing. Your merchant's path, your planning, and your vision for the big picture are things that all of them combined cannot match."

Su Lin looked into her eyes and said word by word: "In this Revered Master's heart, every one of you is irreplaceable."

"And..." Su Lin suddenly smiled and teased, "To be able to use money to knock out a Heavenly Tribulation, you are the first since the dawn of time. Even this Revered Master sighs in inferiority at such a skill."

"Wuwuwu... Revered Master, you are so kind..."

"In the future... Qiuyue will definitely earn more money... I'll earn all the Spirit Stones in the world for Revered Master to spend..."

"Whoever dares to oppose Revered Master, I'll crush him to death with Spirit Stones! I'll bury him under a pile of Immortal Artifacts!"

Listening to the grand vow the girl in his arms made while crying, Su Lin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He could only gently pat her smooth back, letting her vent her emotions.

In the warm pool water, their bodies were pressed tightly together.

"Revered Master, your Disciple just cried; shouldn't you compensate me a little?"

"Back on the deck, this Disciple spent ten million Top-Grade Spirit Stones to buy your time tonight. We merchants value the spirit of contract most; since you've taken the money, you have to do the work."

Su Lin looked at her money-grubbing appearance as she blatantly demanded a reward and couldn't help but laugh in frustration.

"You girl, you were just weeping like a pear blossom in the rain, and now you're starting to settle accounts with Revered Master?"

"Even biological brothers settle accounts clearly, let alone a Revered Master and his Disciple~"

Gu Qiuyue winked playfully, her hands slowly stroking down Su Lin's chest.

"Revered Master, this medicinal bath is about finished."

Gu Qiuyue spoke softly as she slowly stood up from the pool.

With her movements, the faintly golden pool water slid off her smooth skin like pearls.

She didn't intentionally use any seductive methods; she simply raised her hand, and Mahayana Stage Qi flowed through her fingertips, turning into a gentle, warm breeze.

This breeze not only instantly dried the moisture on both of them but also carried a refined orchid fragrance, blowing away the residual medicinal scent from the pool water entirely.

She took a wide robe from her storage ring. This robe was not the Starlight Dharma Robe from before, but a moon-white garment that felt softer than flowing water.

"Come, Revered Master, put this on."

Gu Qiuyue walked over to Su Lin, stood on her tiptoes slightly, and personally draped the robe over Su Lin's shoulders.

"This is a set of loungewear that I invited the ten most elite Spirit Embroidery Grandmasters from the Central Continent to spend three whole years making.

It goes without saying that it's impervious to dust, but most importantly, it can automatically regulate temperature. Wearing it feels as comfortable as a second skin."

As she spoke, she very meticulously adjusted Su Lin's collar, tied the belt, and even used her Qi to smooth out a tiny wrinkle on the cuff bit by bit.

Su Lin looked down at his Sixth Disciple busy at his chest, feeling the weightless yet warm and comfortable robe, and couldn't help but shake his head.

"Just this one piece of clothing probably cost enough Spirit Stones to buy several cities, didn't it?"

"Revered Master's eyes are as sharp as ever."

Gu Qiuyue smiled until her eyes curved like crescent moons, not feeling the slightest bit of heartache. "The Materials for this clothing are one thing, but the appearance fees for those ten Spirit Embroidery Grandmasters were sky-high.

However, as long as Revered Master is comfortable wearing it, let alone a few cities, even if I had to buy a small country, this Disciple wouldn't even blink."

After tidying his clothes, Gu Qiuyue pulled Su Lin to the dressing table and pressed him down onto a round stool carved from a single piece of warm jade.

She produced a wooden comb that emitted a faint blue light from somewhere.

"This is a comb made of Deep Sea Soul-Soothing Wood. Combing every day can nourish the Divine Sense and prevent the growth of Heart Demons."

Gu Qiuyue stood behind Su Lin, her movements gentle to the extreme, as she combed through Su Lin's slightly damp long hair bit by bit.

In this private space where no one would disturb them and there was no "Shura Field" that could erupt at any moment, time seemed to slow down.

There were no flashes of swords or shadows of blades, no Heavenly Dao Lightning Tribulations, only the tiny rustling sound of the comb passing through the hair and the reassuring, faint scent of powder coming from Gu Qiuyue.

Su Lin closed his eyes, enjoying this rare tranquility.

"Qiuyue," Su Lin spoke softly with his eyes closed.

"Your Disciple is here. Is the pressure too heavy, Revered Master?" Gu Qiuyue's movements immediately lightened a bit.

"No, it's very comfortable." Su Lin's lips curled up slightly. "I was just thinking about that little girl who used to hold a single Low-Grade Spirit Stone until her hands sweated, and who would haggle with a vendor for half an hour just to buy a sesame cake. Now, she's actually become the Southern Yu Goddess of Wealth who throws money around like water. The fortunes of this world are indeed miraculous."

"Revered Master is teasing me again." She gave a coquettish huff, but the comb in her hand didn't stop. "If Revered Master hadn't picked me up from that snowdrift on that snowy day back then, how could there be the Gu Qiuyue of today?"

"That's why this Disciple works so hard to earn money and expand the merchant guild. I want all the good things in the world to be placed before Revered Master for you to choose from."

"Alright, no need for flattery." Su Lin patted her hand on his shoulder. "Since I've taken your ten million buyout fee, my time tonight is yours.

Tell me, what do you want to do?"

Hearing this, Gu Qiuyue straightened up, and a shrewd and fanatical light of a merchant instantly flashed in her beautiful eyes.

"Since Revered Master has asked, then this Disciple won't be polite!"

She pulled Su Lin up and excitedly dragged him to a huge rosewood desk on the other side of the bedchamber.

On the desk, piles of Jade Slips and account books were neatly stacked, and next to them was a glittering golden abacus.

Seeing this setup, Su Lin suddenly had an ominous feeling.

"You... you spent ten million Top-Grade Spirit Stones to snatch this Revered Master away just to have me accompany you to look at account books?!"

This girl's train of thought was indeed different from ordinary people!

Others spend money for a night of romance, but she spends money to make an old accountant work overtime?!

"Oh, Revered Master, sit down first."

Gu Qiuyue pressed Su Lin into a large armchair, then pulled over a chair to sit side by side with him, and even considerately poured Su Lin a cup of refreshing spirit tea.

"Revered Master might not know. The Daochu Sect's current operations are spread too thin. Although I have Advanced to the Mahayana Stage, I'm still a bit unsure about some decisions involving the big picture.

Usually, those Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters only have fighting, poisoning, or keeping a cold face in their heads. Talking business with them is like playing a lute to a cow."

Gu Qiuyue pouted a bit aggrievedly, then looked at Su Lin with glowing eyes.

"But Revered Master is different! When you founded the Daochu Sect, you developed it into a top-tier great Sect in just a hundred years. This Disciple admires your strategic methods immensely."

"Tonight, since I finally have Revered Master all to myself, I naturally have to properly ask Revered Master for guidance on the merchant's path!"

Su Lin looked at the female tycoon in front of him, whose eyes were full of a thirst for knowledge, and sighed helplessly.

Oh well, looking at account books is better than being pinned to the bed.

"Bring them here. Let me see what kind of name you've made for yourself."

"Alright!"

Gu Qiuyue excitedly picked up the top-most Jade Slip and injected it with Qi.

A screen of light unfolded before them, densely displaying various data, charts, and distribution maps of Sect forces.

"Revered Master, please look. These are the four core sectors of the Daochu Sect: Tianlou Pavilion, Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, the Spirit Mine Association, and Nine Provinces Bank."

"I won't go into detail about intelligence and trading; that's our old trade.

The focus is on this Spirit Mine Association and Nine Provinces Bank."

She swiped her finger lightly on the light screen, bringing up a detailed report.

"I have secretly acquired or taken controlling stakes in nearly seventy percent of the small and medium-sized spirit mines.

For those large Sects that refuse to sell, I use Nine Provinces Bank to give them loans."

The hand Su Lin used to lift his teacup paused slightly, and his eyebrows twitched.

"Loans? Immortal cultivation Sects can also be short on money?"

"Of course they can!" Gu Qiuyue laughed like a cunning fox. "Disciples need to Cultivate and receive monthly stipends; Elders need to break through and buy Heaven And Earth Treasures; Sect arrays need maintenance. Which of these doesn't require a massive amount of Spirit Stones?"

"I intentionally raised the prices of certain scarce resources in the market while lowering the purchase price of common Materials. Those Sects with insufficient foundations will soon find their expenditures exceeding their income."

"At this time, Nine Provinces Bank will lend them Spirit Stones at extremely low interest rates.

Once they get used to this lavish way of spending money, I suddenly tighten the credit and demand repayment of both principal and interest."

Gu Qiuyue's fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop, making a crisp sound.

"If they can't pay back, they can only use their Sect's Cultivation Techniques, the mining rights of their Secret Realms, or even the Sect's territory as collateral."

"Revered Master, do you remember 'Flying Star Valley' from a hundred years ago, the one that used to speak ill of you behind your back?"

Su Lin thought for a moment and nodded: "I have some impression of it. It was a medium-sized Sect focused on Artifact Refining. The Valley Revered Master had a very foul temper."

"There is no more Flying Star Valley now."

Gu Qiuyue said nonchalantly.

"I didn't send a single soldier to attack them. I simply bought out the supply of Crimson Crystals necessary for their Artifact Refining and then sold it to them at a high price.

At the same time, I dumped a large number of Magic Treasures similar to theirs on the market at low prices, crushing their profit margins."

"Within three years, Flying Star Valley's capital chain snapped. To maintain the Sect's operations, the Valley Revered Master borrowed thirty million Top-Grade Spirit Stones from Nine Provinces Bank.

In the end, with compound interest, it became eighty million."

"They couldn't pay it back. The entire mountain of Flying Star Valley, along with their underground fire veins, are now assets under the Daochu Sect's name.

That foul-tempered Valley Revered Master is now working as an Advanced blacksmith in our refining workshop, having signed a five-hundred-year indenture contract to pay off the debt."

Su Lin's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. On the surface, he was as steady as an old dog, but in his heart, a massive wave had already surged, and he was frantically complaining:

"Isn't this freaking malicious short-selling plus market monopoly, topped off with a pig-butchering scam and predatory lending?!

A series of moves that squeezes the very marrow out of people! Where on earth did this little girl learn these evil capitalist methods?!"

He looked at his Sixth Disciple in front of him, who was smiling like a flower and exuding an aura of immense wealth. He suddenly felt that compared to Su Hongling's physical transcendence and Luo Ximei's soul-extracting refinement, Gu Qiuyue's method of killing without shedding blood—and even making the other party sign an indenture contract and be grateful—was the true devil.

Su Lin swallowed, forced himself to remain calm, put down his teacup, and asked tentatively:

"Qiuyue... just what is the current scale of the Daochu Sect?"

"Scale?"

Hearing this question, Gu Qiuyue's eyes instantly lit up like the stars in the sky. She had obviously been waiting for Su Lin to ask this.

She suddenly stood up and gave a heavy wave of her hand in mid-air.

Dozens of Top-Grade Jade Slips on the desk rose into the air simultaneously, projecting a massive, precise, and three-dimensional complete map of the cultivation world in the center of the wide bedchamber.

The Eastern Continent, Southern Border, Western Desert, Northern Sea, and Central Continent—the five major regions were clearly visible.

But strangely, this map was densely covered with small golden flags in the shape of copper coins.

"Revered Master, please look."

Gu Qiuyue held a pointer made of ten-thousand-year jade marrow at some point, pointing at the map with an aura that was even more commanding than the Cold Moon Empress at a grand court assembly.

"If we only talk about the mountain gate area, the Daochu Sect is indeed not large; at most, it only occupies one main Spiritual Vein."

"However, if we talk about the asset map..."

Gu Qiuyue swiped her pointer, circling half of the Eastern Continent.

"Of the seventy-two Grotto-Heavens and thirty-six Blessed Lands in the Eastern Continent, the core Spiritual Vein mining rights for forty-nine of them are in our hands."

She then pointed toward the Central Continent.

"In the three most prosperous main cities, we are the major shareholders behind eighty percent of the auction houses, Medicinal Pill shops, and Magic Treasure pavilions."