19: Chapter 19 Getting something for nothing! Taking your money to support your mortal enemy!

[Ling Feng slowly closed the ledger and pressed it under the letter.]

[He stared at you fixedly.]

[You pulled out the stone stool opposite him and sat down in a bold, unconstrained manner.]

["Second Young Master Ling cut off your supply, right?"]

[Ling Feng did not speak.]

[You placed your calloused hand on the stone table and tapped your index finger on the red-inked ledger.]

["The shop is dying."]

Shen Ji in the simulation threw the words out without even blinking an eye.

[Ling Feng remained silent. The smile on his face was long gone; he hunched into the stone stool, his spine collapsed.]

In his previous life, when they first met, Ling Feng was high-spirited, dragging him out to drink and talking at length about the grand plan for the Ling Family branch to make a comeback.

Now, he looked just like a dog whose tendons had been pulled out.

[You took Ling Xiao's jade token from your bosom and placed it on the stone table.]

[Ling Feng's gaze faltered.]

[He recognized this jade token.]

["This is..."]

["Ling Xiao's personal token." You pushed the jade token forward. "He has been using this token to do business outside recently—medicinal herbs for the barrier-breaking pill, black market spirit ores, reselling goods from the market—it all goes through secret channels."]

[Ling Feng looked up at you.]

["Are you his man?"]

["I am his white glove." You leaned back against the chair, arms crossed. "I help him launder goods, process accounts, and connect with the black market. We split the profits fifty-fifty."]

[Ling Feng was silent for a long time.]

[The cicadas outside the courtyard were maddeningly loud.]

["Then why did you come to find me?" He picked up the cold teapot on the table and poured himself half a bowl. His hand was very steady.]

["Two things." You raised a finger. "First, I'm telling you this not to help Ling Xiao. He is a ruthless person who will sooner or later discard me, this blade. I am leaving myself a way out in advance."]

[Ling Feng held the tea bowl without drinking.]

["Second, your supply has been cut off, and the shop cannot last two months. But you have the channels and connections of the Ling Family branch in your hands. No matter how much Ling Xiao suppresses you, he cannot take those away."]

[You leaned forward, crossing your fingers on the stone table.]

["I provide the supply and capital; you provide the channels and connections. Once I earn the first pot of gold from Ling Xiao, we will officially partner up."]

[Ling Feng finally put down the tea bowl in his hand. The bottom of the bowl clattered against the stone table with a dull thud.]

["You came from a background of manual labor, using Ling Xiao's token to launder money outside, and now you want to partner with me?" He stared straight at you. "Aren't you afraid I'll report what you said tonight to Ling Xiao verbatim?"]

["You won't."]

["Why?"]

["Because of that suspension order on your table." You lifted your chin, pointing at the wax-sealed letter. "Ling Xiao no longer considers you one of his own. If you go to snitch, you'll at most get a 'well done' from him, and then what? Your shop will still go under, and you will still be a dog kicked around in the Ling Family."]

Shen Ji watched the light screen.

With the buff of the "Glib Tongue" trait, the rhythm of every word was jammed precisely into the most vulnerable cracks of Ling Feng's emotions.

[Ling Feng's entire face flushed red.]

[He shoved the tea bowl on the table away. Cold tea splashed across half the table.]

[You remained motionless.]

[Ling Feng's chest heaved violently. After a while, he pulled up his sleeve and wiped the tea stains off the ledger, one swipe at a time.]

["...As for the partnership, we'll talk about that when you can actually produce something."]

[You took five Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from your bosom and lined them up on the stone table.]

[One, two, three, four, five, arranged neatly.]

["These aren't empty words. Take them to keep things running and keep the shop afloat first. We can discuss the specific terms after I return from Yunzhou City."]

[Ling Feng stared at the five spirit stones. After a long while, he reached out and swept them into his sleeve.]

[He stood up, walked around the stone table, and rummaged through a cabinet in the inner room to find a wooden box the size of a palm.]

[Opening the lid, inside was a dark cyan pill with fine spirit patterns flowing on its surface.]

["A meridian clearing pill. My father left it behind. It can clear blockages in the meridians and is somewhat useful for breakthroughs."]

[He pushed the wooden box over without wasting another word.]

Shen Ji's gaze narrowed slightly.

A meridian clearing pill.

In his previous life, he had spent forty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and ran his legs off without being able to buy one, yet Ling Feng handed it over, box and all.

[You took the wooden box and tucked it into your bosom.]

["I owe you one."]

[Ling Feng sat back down and picked up the brush.]

["Don't make me wait too long."]

The simulation text flipped the page.

[29 years old, August 3rd.]

[You took the meridian clearing pill in the most remote abandoned mine cave in the mining area.]

[The Spirit Affinity trait operated at full power, and the patency of your meridians surged by 40% under the impact of the pill's power.]

[The spirit power in your dantian surged, impacting the barrier of Qi Refining Stage 4.]

[First time—bounced back.]

[Second time—cracks appeared.]

[Third time.]

[The barrier shattered. A torrent of spirit power poured into every meridian, and a brand-new vortex of spirit power appeared deep in your dantian.]

[You broke through.]

[Cultivation level increased: Qi Refining Stage 3 peak → Qi Refining Stage 4.]

Shen Ji let out a long breath.

He had been stuck at the peak of Qi Refining Stage 3 in the last simulation, but with the meridian clearing pill paving the way this time, it was as smooth as water flowing into a canal.

The simulation continued to scroll.

[29 years old, September. Your working capital accumulated to one hundred and thirty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Business Sniffing continued to hum.]

[29 years old, October 7th.]

[On the South Street of Yunzhou City, a shop with a plaque reading "Shens Spirit Material Shop" quietly opened for business.]

Shen Ji's first shop.

No firecrackers, no colorful banners; the sign was carved by a street-side engraver for three copper coins.

On the shelves were thirty-seven types of raw materials for spirit field fertilizer and twelve types of basic medicinal herbs, all hard currency bought at low prices through Business Sniffing.

[On the first day of business, you brought in nine Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.]

[On the third day, Ling Xiao sent over a batch of black market spirit ores that needed to be offloaded urgently through a secret channel. You laundered them through regular channels and sold them at a 30% markup.]

[On the seventh day, Ji Mengxue sent over a procurement request from a major spirit field owner in the east of the city. You intercepted the order, adjusted the goods directly from the South Gate distribution market, and pocketed the price difference clean.]

With both lines providing blood, the shop's profits stabilized at over twenty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones in the first month.

Shen Ji leaned against the earthen wall, mentally calculating the accounts.

In this life, Ji Mengxue collected payment for services rendered, not a single cent of the six-percent commission was missed. Without the ambiguous debt of human favors, their business relationship was instead rock-solid.

The simulation accelerated.

[29 years old, November to December. Continuous import and export of goods, cultivation never ceased. The Spirit Affinity trait made your cultivation efficiency far exceed those of the same rank.]

[30 years old, early December (Lunar calendar).]

[Ling Xiao invited you to meet in the rockery cave.]

[The glass lamp had been replaced with a new one. Ling Xiao sat on the stone stool, his folding fan against his chin; for once, he wasn't waving it.]

["There is something I need you to get for me."]

[He took a piece of silk from his sleeve, on which was drawn a pitch-black jade slip, with array patterns carved all over the edges.]

["Soul-Eater Jade Slip. It can block divine sense detection from cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage."]

[You took the silk.]

["Where is the channel?"]

["Stolen goods from a wild cultivator's den outside the city, currently deposited at Wanbao Pavilion. The deadline is the end of next month; if no one claims it, it will be destroyed."]

[Ling Xiao tapped his folding fan on his knee.]

["You should know Manager Du from Wanbao Pavilion."]

Manager Du.

Shen Ji certainly remembered. This fat man was greedy for money and gluttonous; as long as the price was right, there was no rule he wouldn't break.

["I know him." You returned the silk. "How much will it cost to get this thing?"]

["Wanbao Pavilion's base price is forty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. But with Manager Du's temper, don't expect him to let go for less than sixty."]

[Ling Xiao crossed his legs, his folding fan covering half his face.]

["I'll put up forty; you figure out the rest. If you get it done, the commission will be calculated separately."]

Sixty was too expensive. To get it under fifty, this deal would be profitable.

["How is the commission calculated?"]

["Ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stones."]

["Fifteen."]

[Ling Xiao snapped his fan shut.]

["Twelve. Take it or leave it."]

["Deal."]

[Seven days later.]

[You walked into the backyard of Wanbao Pavilion with a jar of spirit honey wine and forty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.]

[Manager Du was already fat, and upon smelling the wine, his two eyes squeezed shut and disappeared.]

You spent the entire afternoon drinking with him.

The "Glib Tongue" trait was in full effect throughout. After three pots of wine, the price was hacked down from sixty to forty-eight.

[Final transaction price: forty-eight Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.]

[You used Ling Xiao's forty, paid the remaining eight yourself to take the Soul-Eater Jade Slip, and delivered the goods that night.]

[After Ling Xiao verified the goods, he flicked twelve Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from his sleeve.]

["Efficient work." He stuffed the jade slip into his storage bag and began waving his folding fan again. "I'll come to you for big jobs in the future."]

A net profit of four.

Counting the shop's cash flow, his total assets were approaching two hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

In his previous life at thirty, Shen Ji was still risking his life running the black market for Ling Xiao. In this life, he was already able to share the chips at the table with the direct descendants of the Ling Family.

The simulation continued.

[30 years old, mid-December (Lunar calendar). You took the time to visit Ling Feng's courtyard.]

[There were two more clerks at the shop entrance. The shop had reopened, and the red ink on the books had all been cleared.]

[Ling Feng stood at the door, holding a bowl of hot soup.]

["I'll return your five spirit stones, with interest, after the spring."]

["No rush." You waved your hand. "Let the channels mature first; we can discuss the partnership in detail after the New Year."]

[Ling Feng nodded. When he handed over the soup, his hand was steady, and his back was straight.]

[30 years old, December 28th (Lunar calendar).]

[You went to Yunlai Inn to settle the account.]

[Ji Mengxue was organizing the year-end accounts behind the counter, the abacus clicking away.]

[You placed six Low-Grade Spirit Stones on the counter.]

["For this month."]

[Ji Mengxue swept the spirit stones away without even lifting her head.]

[You turned to leave.]

["Wait a moment."]

[You stopped.]

[She pushed the abacus aside and pulled a folded slip of paper from a hidden compartment.]

["News from the Moyun Sect."]

["Elder Mo Song of the Outer Sect is coming to Yunzhou City after the New Year to handle some business." Ji Mengxue pushed the note to the edge of the counter and pressed her fingertip on it.]

["His trip here might help you secure a quota for the sect."]

[You reached out to take the note.]

[Her finger pressed down hard on the note, not letting go.]

["This piece of news is worth five Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. But I can choose not to charge you."]

[You withdrew your hand.]

[Ji Mengxue looked up, observing you properly for the first time. Her gaze swept over your coarse miner's clothes, your calloused hands, and finally stopped on your scarred face.]

["The condition is—you must come to the inn in person when the time comes; I have some things I want to discuss with you face to face."]

[The note curled up slightly under her fair fingertips.]