269: Chapter 269 A Generous Gift

Han Jingyang chatted with the monk Kongyun for over half an hour.

Monk Kongyun left.

Xu Xin and his daughter also took their leave afterwards.

Only five people remained in the shop.

The sisters, Lin Yuelan and Lin Yuegui, sat in the shop, feeling uneasy.

Before this, they had only heard of Han Jingyang's name and knew he was a young expert who had recently become famous. As for just how high his strength was, they truly had no accurate concept, but they knew it was quite high.

Now, the two of them had a clear understanding.

High, very high, extremely high.

Although they hadn't seen Han Jingyang make a move, just looking at the feng shui layout in the shop told them that Han Jingyang's strength was extremely formidable.

To display a huge pile of powerful dharma instruments in the shop like this—even a fool would know it was dangerous.

Yet Han Jingyang did it anyway, and without the slightest concealment.

What did this signify?

It meant that Han Jingyang had full confidence in his own strength, ensuring that he wouldn't be robbed or stolen from, and ensuring that even if he were, he could get them back.

Moreover, being able to obtain so many high-level dharma instruments was in itself a symbol of strength.

Following such a person to work, they didn't know about other aspects, but there would certainly be no shortage of dharma instruments.

Thinking of this, Lin Yuelan glanced at her sister, then gathered her courage and asked, "Boss, do we need to sign an employment contract?"

Han Jingyang smiled. "You want to ask if what I said earlier still counts, right?"

Lin Yuelan felt a bit embarrassed. "Yes."

"What do you sisters think? Are you willing to work for me?"

"We are."

"Really?"

"Mm."

"Alright then. The conditions will be as previously stated. The working hours are quite relaxed, right?"

"Mm-hmm, very relaxed. Two people doing the work of one, and each person gets three months of vacation every year. There's no job easier than this."

Han Jingyang waved his hand. "Working for someone else is ultimately not as good as working for yourself. You two were more relaxed and carefree before."

Lin Yuelan sighed. "Boss, please don't mention it. It looked quite carefree, but who knows the hardships involved? Especially for two young women like us, drifting through the martial arts world without support is harder than it is for men. If it weren't for the fact that we sisters have some skills, we would have been swallowed bones and all by others long ago."

Han Jingyang nodded slightly. "It's indeed not easy, but the income should have been decent, right? Working for me, the income in that regard certainly won't be as good as when you worked for yourselves."

Lin Yuelan asked cautiously. "Boss, how much can you pay us?"

"The basic salary is 4,500, with commissions and bonuses. If you go on missions, there will be extra fees. Of course, you don't have to go on missions if you don't want to."

"No, no, no, we will. We will go on missions. Boss, the missions are where the big money is, right?"

"Correct. Missions are dangerous, so the pay is certainly higher. At the very least, tens of thousands; at most, hundreds of thousands or even over a million. There will also be dharma instruments and other mysterious rewards."

"Does this even need consideration? We are willing. Boss, do we need to sign a contract?"

"No need, it's meaningless. I trust you, and you trust me—that's enough. If there is no mutual trust, the contract has no meaning."

As Han Jingyang spoke, he pointed to Liu Jing and Shi Xiaoya beside him. "They are both my girlfriends. Liu Jing, Shi Xiaoya. As for how to address them, you can discuss that amongst yourselves. By the way, do you have a place to stay?"

"We can rent a place nearby."

"That works. Now, introduce your lineage and your specialized skills."

"We both learned from our grandmother. We've practiced the Tiger-Crane Style and also know how to use weapons. I specialize in curses, and my sister is skilled in spirit walking."

"That's quite impressive."

"No, no, no, not impressive. It's just some minor techniques. We don't dare use them lightly; we are literally risking our lives to cast spells."

"Oh?"

"It's true. We are different from orthodox sects. We don't have a complete, orderly path of cultivation. We only learned the basics passed down by our elders. That's just how folk traditions are."

Han Jingyang nodded slightly. "Wait a moment."

He got up and returned to the back room, rummaged through a cabinet to find two items, checked their attributes, and returned to the living room with them.

He placed the two items on the coffee table. "This counts as a welcoming gift, and also a small test. You two try it and see if you can find the one that suits you best."

These were two jars.

One was a coarse pottery jar with a Five Poisons design from the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, and the other was a Republic of China era purple clay cricket jar.

Their condition wasn't great, but their attributes and skills were actually quite good.

It's just that he didn't need them, and the people around him didn't need them either.

Instead, they were just right for the sisters who had suddenly appeared.

Lin Yuelan swallowed nervously. "Boss, is, is this a dharma instrument?"

"Yes, I appraised it personally. The grade is quite good, don't waste the opportunity."

"I understand." Lin Yuelan took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stood in place. She didn't do anything else, just kept her eyes closed for a moment. But upon opening them, she decisively grabbed the purple clay cricket jar. "This one is more suitable for me to use."

Lin Yuegui, meanwhile, expressionlessly picked up the coarse pottery Five Poisons jar.

Han Jingyang clapped. "Not bad. Indeed, experts are found among the common people. This sensing ability is quite outstanding."

Lin Yuelan let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "Our sisters have relied entirely on this carefulness to survive until now."

"Very good." Han Jingyang pointed to the jar in Lin Yuelan's hand. "That thing can raise Gu, and it comes with a lethal move: releasing a Heart-Devouring Gu at a target. When you need it, silently recite 'Heart-Devouring Gu' in your heart."

"What about my sister's?"

"Hers can extract and store yin energy—pure yin energy. When you need it, you can release it all. The activation method is to silently recite 'Pure Yin Energy'."

"It's that simple?"

"Yes. Remember, this lethal move has a usage limit. Yours can be used at most twice, and your sister's can be used three times."

"Does it become useless after being used up?"

"How could that be? The dharma instrument will automatically absorb the energy between heaven and earth to complete recharging. Once fully charged, it can naturally be used again. It's just that the charging time is very long. Yours needs six or seven years, and your sister's needs five or six years, or perhaps even shorter."

Lin Yuelan asked very carefully, including about maintenance methods.

After asking everything clearly, she pulled her sister, Lin Yuegui, and bowed earnestly to Han Jingyang. "Thank you, Boss. We will definitely work hard and strive to improve ourselves."

Han Jingyang nodded slightly. "Work hard. If there's an opportunity, I will help you get an orthodox lineage. This isn't just empty promises; I truly have the ability to do it."

Lin Yuelan's eyes sparkled. "Don't worry, Boss. If there really is such a lineage, I would be willing to work for you for sixty years without a salary, or even pay you."

Sixty years?

Han Jingyang smiled, naturally not taking this matter seriously.

He waved his hand. "Alright, you two go get busy. Find a place to stay, buy daily necessities, and so on. Come to work officially next Monday."

Lin Yuelan tentatively patted the purple clay jar in her arms. "Boss, this, can we take it out of the shop?"

Lin Yuegui also looked at Han Jingyang nervously, clearly very concerned about Han Jingyang's answer.

Han Jingyang nodded slightly. "Of course you can. I said I was giving them to you; they are your personal belongings. Never mind taking them out of the shop—even if you sell them or smash them, I won't ask."

Lin Yuelan was even more nervous. "Boss, what if—I mean, what if we take these two dharma instruments and run away?"