124: Chapter 124 Past Events of Cultivation

["First, the customer is always right. If they curse at you, listen with a smile. If they smash things, compensate with a smile."]

["Second, don't listen to what you shouldn't hear, don't look at what you shouldn't see, and don't ask what you shouldn't ask. Those who can drink at Wangjiang Tower are, at the very least, Cultivators of the Qi Refining Realm. You are just Mortal Martial Artists; if you look at them one extra time and they're in a bad mood, they can pinch you to death like an ant."]

["Third, if you steal, cause trouble, or offend the guests, you won't need them to lift a finger—I will personally send you to meet the King of Hell."]

She finished speaking with a smile, snapping her fan shut. "Understand?"

The five of them responded in unison.

["Dismissed. Come to work tomorrow morning at the hour of Chen."]

[The other four turned and left. Just as you took a step, Manager Liu's voice came from behind you.]

["Lin Shuangwan, you stay behind for a moment."]

[Your footsteps paused, and your heart tightened slightly.]

[You turned around, showing nothing on your face.]

[The other four cast curious glances but didn't dare to linger, quickly dispersing.]

[Only you and Manager Liu were left in the lobby.]

[She sat behind the counter, resting her chin on one hand as she looked at you, her expression like she was sizing up an interesting object.]

["I'm a bit curious," she spoke up. "A Martial Artist of the Origin Qi Realm like you, running over here to be a waiter for me?"]

[You had prepared your excuse long ago.]

["Manager Liu, you must be joking," you lowered your gaze, your tone carrying a hint of bitterness. "I have no Spiritual Root, and my martial path has reached its end. But in this lifetime... I always wanted to be closer to the Immortal Dao. Even if it's just to watch, to listen, or to pour tea by the side of an Immortal, I would be satisfied."]

[Manager Liu looked into your eyes, her fingertips tapping twice on the counter.]

[After a moment, she sighed softly.]

["Another seeker of the Dao." Her voice softened slightly. "A pity, you have no Spiritual Root."]

[She stood up and walked over to you. "But then again, letting a Martial Artist of the Origin Qi Realm carry plates and run errands is indeed a terrible waste of talent."]

["How about this," she patted your shoulder, "you don't have to run errands anymore. I'll give you a manager position. You'll manage those newcomers and help me keep an eye on order in the building. Your monthly salary... let's make it one Low-Grade Spirit Stone."]

[Your heart skipped a beat.]

[One Spirit Stone.]

[According to the market rates you had inquired about these past few days, a bottom-tier Loose Cultivator in the Cultivation World only earned one or two Spirit Stones a month for their hard work.]

[For a Mortal Martial Artist to receive this amount was already extremely decent.]

["Thank you, Manager Liu." Without hesitation, you cupped your hands decisively.]

[Manager Liu nodded with satisfaction. "Alright, just call me Sister Liu. Go rest, you officially start tomorrow."]

[The next day, you officially became a manager of Wangjiang Tower.]

[When the four newcomers learned that you had skipped running errands entirely to become a manager, their expressions varied. The bearded Great Grandmaster shrugged indifferently, while the other two looked normal. After all, you were in the Origin Qi Realm, so they were convinced.]

[Only the young man who had called you "auntie" had a highly colorful expression.]

[At noon, carrying a pot of tea, he cautiously shuffled over to you.]

["Um... Manager Lin," he rubbed his hands, a flattering smile plastered on his face. "About yesterday... it was my foul mouth. Please, with your great magnanimity..."]

[You glanced at him.]

[His name was Zhou Xiaoyu, an Innate Middle Stage Martial Artist, a local of Yunping City, and his father was a tofu seller.]

["Alright." You waved your hand, having no intention of holding a grudge.]

["However..." You raised a finger. "Remember this for the future: no matter how old a woman is, call her 'Sister', understand?"]

[Zhou Xiaoyu nodded frantically. "Understood, understood, beautiful sister!"]

[The corner of your mouth curled up slightly.]

[From that day on, he listened to your every word, never daring to argue, running around right behind you.]

[Just like that, you settled down at Wangjiang Tower.]

[During the day, you managed the various affairs of the tower, and at night, you returned to the small courtyard behind the restaurant to rest.]

[The guests at Wangjiang Tower came from all walks of life. Occasionally, well-informed Loose Cultivators would come to feast. Once these people drank, their tongues loosened, and they chatted about everything under the sun—Family feuds, market secrets, disputes over Spiritual Veins... You only needed to keep your ears open to piece together the layout of this territory.]

[Three months later, the information in your hands was already quite substantial.]

[Scattered across the territory under the jurisdiction of the Luoyun Sect were dozens of Foundation Establishment Families of various sizes. Almost every Family had disciples cultivating within the Luoyun Sect, deeply intertwined with the Sect, forming what could be considered a community of shared interests.]

[With the Qingyue Market as the core, within a thousand-mile radius, four Foundation Establishment Families held sway. Aside from the Qingyang Zhao Clan, which guarded the market, there was actually another name she was incredibly familiar with.]

[The Ziyu Li Family.]

[When you saw this name, your hand holding the teacup paused slightly.]

[The Ziyu Li Family was the very same Ziyu Li Family that, in the previous simulation, had sent people to Daliang Mountain to snatch the xiaoyang source fruit and slaughtered the entire Linyuan City.]

[You committed this name to memory and continued listening.]

[The Ziyu Li Family was located to the north, also possessing two Foundation Establishment Old Ancestors. They acted overbearingly and frequently had friction with the Zhao Clan.]

[The other two families were the Canglan Zhou Clan to the south and the Xuantie Qian Family to the west, each having one Foundation Establishment Old Ancestor. Their strength was slightly inferior, but they were still not to be trifled with.]

[Although the four families had their disagreements, they maintained a delicate balance on the surface, because a colossus still weighed down on them from above—the Luoyun Sect.]

[Among the information, you also caught wind of news related to the Qingyang Zhao Clan. Every few years, the Qingyang Zhao Clan would recruit a batch of people who had Spiritual Roots but no cultivation to serve as Guest Elders, providing them with access to Spiritual Veins and a small amount of resources. If they wished to leave, they only needed to repay double the resources the Zhao Clan had previously invested. If they wanted more, the method was simple—either marry into the Zhao Clan or marry in as a matrilocal husband.]

Outside the simulation, Lin Shuangwan stared at this piece of information, her beautiful eyes turning slightly as if a bad idea had occurred to her. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly: "If I have a Spiritual Root... joining the Qingyang Zhao Clan wouldn't be a bad alternative path."

She looked back at the simulation.

[And in recent years, the Zhao Clan had been recruiting Guest Elders almost every year.]

[There was only one reason: they were short of people.]

[The shortage of people was, in turn, linked to a major event.]

[Nine years ago, the Jinhua Sect, allied with a Purple Mansion Great Demon from the depths of the Ten Thousand Mountains, launched a long and drawn-out invasion against the Luoyun Sect.]

[The major cultivation families responded to the call, sending their disciples to the front lines one after another. This war lasted for a full three years. Although the Luoyun Sect held its ground, they also suffered heavy casualties.]

[The Qingyang Zhao Clan lost a Foundation Establishment Old Ancestor and a large number of Qi Condensation disciples because of this, and they still haven't recovered to this day.]

[Therefore, in recent years, the Zhao Clan had been almost frantically recruiting Loose Cultivators with Spiritual Roots as Guest Elders, providing Spiritual Veins and a small amount of resources. The terms were generous to a degree unimaginable in previous years.]

Outside the simulation.

Lin Shuangwan stared at the "nine years ago" time node, her fingertips lightly tapping her knee.

The Great War of the Luoyun Sect lasted for three years, leaving the various families with heavy casualties and a severe shortage of Cultivators.

If she traced the timeline backward...

She was currently in the twenty-first year of the simulation.

That meant the great war broke out around the twelfth year after the simulation started, and ended around the fifteenth year.

A great war in the Cultivation World! Her eyes lit up. When the time came, even if she did nothing else but hoard some Talismans and Medicinal Pills, once the flames of war ignited, she could make a massive fortune just by reselling them and profiting from the Sect's misfortune.

She rested her chin in her hands, feeling delighted: I really am a little Genius.

[In the simulation, another five years passed.]