But this progress was simply too fast.
Only last night, she had mumbled “someone like you” while riding a wave of drunkenness, and just this morning, she had knelt on the floor to help her put on her shoes.
If she were to be dragged into the spiritual spring right now, wouldn't this little scamp end up riding all over her in the future?
【No, I have to let Junior Sister cool down.】
Chi Yuan reached out and grabbed Shen Qingci by the back of her collar.
“Senior Sister?”
Before Shen Qingci could even react, she was lifted off her feet. Her senior sister's wrist was incredibly steady; hoisting a weak Qi Refining rookie like her was no different from lifting a disobedient spirit cat.
She just carried the girl to the door, pulled it open, and set her junior sister right outside.
“Clear out whatever messy thoughts you have running through your head.” Chi Yuan stood inside the doorway, resting a hand on the frame. “Come back in once your mind is clear.”
“My mind is perfectly clean!”
Chi Yuan exposed her without mercy. “Is that so?”
Shen Qingci immediately shut her mouth.
【Uh-oh, exposed on the spot.】
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
Standing on the veranda, Shen Qingci stared at the tightly closed door, the corners of her lips curling up bit by bit.
Not bad. The revolution was not yet successful, but the enemy was clearly starting to waver.
She rubbed her cheeks, schooling her mischievous expression. In the blink of an eye, she transformed back into the dignified and composed Eldest Young Lady of a great family.
“Shadow One!”
A figure materialized from the shadows behind a pillar. Clad entirely in black, his face was hidden beneath the dark cowl of his hood, leaving only a sliver of his jaw visible.
He knelt on one knee.
“Deploy two teams to protect my senior sister. Follow her in secret; do not let anyone notice you.”
“Unless Senior Sister faces a life-or-death crisis, you are not permitted to reveal yourselves.”
“Understood, Master.”
“Go on~”
Shadow One's figure faded away.
Shen Qingci stood under the veranda for a moment, straightening her lapels. Once she was sure everything was in order, she called for the maid waiting at the outer courtyard gate and had her lead the way to Shen Nanxing's study.
The study was on the east side of the inner courtyard, occupying its own small courtyard.
When the maid pushed open the door, Shen Nanxing was sitting behind a red sandalwood desk, deep in thought over a spread-out beast-skin blueprint. Shen Tinglan sat in an armchair by the window, playing with a warm jade ring clasp in her hand. From her expression, she had been waiting for quite some time.
“The Eldest Young Lady is here.”
Shen Nanxing looked up and pushed the blueprint aside.
Shen Qingci walked inside and sat opposite the desk.
The maid softly closed the door.
Shen Tinglan placed the warm jade ring clasp back on the windowsill. Her divine sense swept over Shen Qingci's face as she teased, “A'Ci, how was last night?”
Shen Qingci's hand, which had just rested on the armrest, paused.
“What is Aunt asking about?”
“You know exactly what I'm asking.”
“The candles in the eastern wing were lit for half the night. When your clan uncle passed by the eastern wing this morning, his footsteps were lighter than a thief's.”
“Cough, cough, cough...”
Shen Nanxing let out a dry cough, nearly burying his face in the blueprint.
Shen Qingci leaned back in her chair. “Senior Sister drank too much. I was taking care of her.”
“Oh, taking care of her, is it!” Shen Tinglan nodded, choosing not to tease her further. She feared her little niece might be too thin-skinned; if she pushed any more, it would be counterproductive.
Shen Qingci tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her expression turning serious. “Aunt, there is something I must tell you in advance. I'm afraid you will have to bleed a significant amount of wealth when the time comes.”
“Senior Sister is thin-skinned, but I have already pushed our progress to eighty or ninety percent. When the day comes for us to formally seal our Dao companion covenant, a meeting gift from our elders will definitely be indispensable.”
“Aunt has accumulated wealth in the Eastern Region for hundreds of years. Don't feel too much heartache when the time comes.”
Shen Tinglan burst out laughing.
Turning to Shen Nanxing, she said, “Did you hear that? Your Eldest Young Lady hasn't even won her over yet, and she's already scheming on how to empty my private treasury.”
Shen Nanxing looked up from the blueprint, his face solemn. “Ancestor, this is a serious matter. Fairy Chi has an excellent character and exceptional talent in the Dao of the sword; she is a perfect match for our Eldest Young Lady. The meeting gift must not be shabby.”
“Aren't those Earth-grade array discs of yours still gathering dust at the bottom of your chest?”
“You certainly know how to be generous on my behalf,” Shen Tinglan glared at him.
“Fine. I will wait for you two to make it official. Whether it's Earth-grade array discs or spirit stone veins, as long as A'Ci asks, I will give it.”
Shen Qingci's eyes curved in a smile. She leaned back in her chair and changed the subject. “Clan Uncle, there is something I need to trouble you with. Help me purchase a batch of Earth-grade Low-rank green jade marrow. The quantity doesn't need to be large—just enough to polish a sword-nourishing pendant.”
“In addition, buy some spirit-gathering talisman ink from the established Fang family brand. Get their absolute best batch. If the quality isn't up to par, offer a higher price to secure it.”
“Green jade marrow to nourish sword intent, and spirit-gathering talisman ink to draw talismans... Is the Eldest Young Lady planning to gift these to Fairy Chi?”
“Yes. Senior Sister's natal sword has been stuck at the Mystic-grade for several years. Green jade marrow can nourish sword intent, and wearing it long-term will stack the benefits. She also uses talisman ink for her usual talisman crafting.”
Shen Qingci added, “Once the items are purchased, keep them with you first. I will give them to her before we set off for Blood Thorn Ridge. If I give them to her now, she will most likely refuse.”
Shen Nanxing nodded. He immediately sent a message to Shen Shun, instructing him to make a trip to Linlang Pavilion and the Fang family shop.
Shen Shun's reply came quickly.
There were two pieces of high-quality green jade marrow in the treasury that could be retrieved directly. The spirit-gathering talisman ink would take a day, as the custom ink from the Fang family needed to be freshly made.
Shen Qingci said, “That's fine. We have plenty of time.”
“Clan Uncle, how is the recent business at the artifact-refining workshop?”
Shen Nanxing pulled a beast-skin-bound ledger from a drawer. He flipped through about ten pages before laying it open in front of Shen Qingci.
The ink on the ledger was fresh, and the handwriting was neat. Dense columns of numbers clearly detailed everything from ore purchases to artifact shipments.
“For the retail side, the daily walk-in orders are around a thousand pieces, mostly Yellow-grade artifacts, with Mystic-grade making up about ten percent. As for bulk orders, three families in the Southern Region have signed long-term contracts for artifact procurement. This single item alone brings in a transaction volume of four million high-grade spirit stones annually.”
“Additionally, Linlang Pavilion takes one Earth-grade artifact from us every ten years for their auction, taking an eight percent commission.”
He flipped to the last page of the ledger and pointed to the final total at the bottom. “After deducting apprentice expenses, ore costs, and furnace wear and tear, the annual net profit of the artifact-refining workshop is around ten million high-grade spirit stones.”
“And that's not even counting the occasional high-grade custom commissions.”
After flipping through the ledger, Shen Qingci had a clear understanding.
The Nanxing Artifact-Refining Workshop had been operating in the Southern Region for hundreds of years. Upstream and downstream channels, customer relations, brand reputation...
As the Shen family's foothold in the Southern Region, this entire foundation was managed exceptionally securely.
She closed the ledger, pushed it back, and sat up straight.
“Clan Uncle, Aunt.”
“I have an idea. Qinghe County is under the jurisdiction of the Great Yan Dynasty. Located in the heart of the Southern Region, it serves as the hub connecting the northern and southern trade routes.”
“The county city spans tens of thousands of miles, crowded with markets. The annual flow of spirit stones from the Northern Region's trade routes to the Southern Region alone is nearly one hundred million mid-grade spirit stones.”
“The Great Yan Dynasty sits on such a massive piece of fat, yet they have no backing behind them. The strongest ancestor of the imperial lineage is only at the early stage of Soul Transformation.”
Shen Nanxing's brow smoothed out.
“With no backing but occupying the richest land,” Shen Qingci continued, “the ancestor of the Great Yan Dynasty has probably been unable to sleep soundly all these years.”
Rate on N.U.
