plumnovel Chapter 94 Li Qingyi's Plans
Chapter 94 Li Qingyi's Plans
Li Qingyi returned to Huanzhu Tower and quietly scanned the interior with her divine sense. Seeing that everything was as usual, she breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Leng Qiuyi and Yue Chi continued to perform their respective duties, handling the complex affairs within the building.
Li Qingyi felt it was time to fulfill her promise and give him a push.
He strolled to the private room where Yuechi handled his affairs and pushed the door open to enter.
Yue Chi, who was bent over his desk checking accounts, looked up when he heard the voice. Seeing that it was the Lord himself, he was overjoyed and quickly stood up to bow respectfully.
"My lord! You're finally back! A day apart feels like three autumns, and these past two weeks have been incredibly fruitless for me!"
Looking at the man in front of her, who was more than two decades older than her, and listening to his overly enthusiastic flattery, Li Qingyi felt rather helpless.
"Come with me."
Upon hearing this, Yue Chi was overjoyed; he had been waiting for this day for far too long.
The two arrived at the top floor of Huanzhu Tower, where Li Qingyi led Yue Chi to her meditation room.
Although the spiritual energy in the room was slightly thinner due to his absence for half a month, the runes of the spirit-gathering array were still clear.
With a flick of his sleeve, Li Qingyi precisely embedded three crystal-clear spirit stones into the stone.
The spirit-gathering array was activated instantly, and the spiritual energy in the room became denser at a visible speed.
"I've given you the opportunity. How far you go depends on your own destiny," Li Qingyi said calmly.
Yue Chi bowed deeply, "This subordinate will certainly do everything in my power and will never let the Lord down!"
Li Qingyi waved her hand and said no more.
He didn't actually have high expectations for Yue Chi's path to immortality; it was more of a reward and appeasement for a loyal subordinate. After all, Yue Chi had made a significant contribution to the smooth operation of Huanzhu Tower.
Thinking of this, he used his voice to summon Leng Qiuyi to the top floor.
Leng Qiuyi remained aloof and cold, bowing respectfully and awaiting instructions.
Without saying much, Li Qingyi took out the lightning throwing knife that she had previously seized.
Now that he's in the late stage of Qi Refining, this low-grade spiritual treasure is useless to him. Keeping it would only be a burden; it would be better to bestow it upon his subordinates.
Leng Qiuyi declined, saying, "Master, this item is far too precious; I cannot accept such a reward without having done the right to receive it."
Li Qingyi raised her hand, "Take it. More spiritual treasures mean more protection."
The future of Huanzhulou still depends on you. It's just a low-grade spiritual treasure; it's useless to me now.
Leng Qiuyi stared at Li Qingyi, speechless for a long time. After a moment of silence, she parted her thin lips slightly:
"Thank you, OP."
"How is the situation inside the building?" Li Qingyi asked in turn.
Leng Qiuyi quickly regained her composure and gave a clear and organized report:
"Replying to the host, Huanzhulou's profits have steadily increased over the past half month, and the warehouse currently holds 3,700 taels of gold and 21,000 taels of silver."
The human trafficking and other illicit businesses you previously instructed us to dismantle have been completely eradicated, leaving no trace. Now, the main businesses are gambling dens and several brothels, generating substantial profits.
Li Qingyi had little interest in worldly gold and silver, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly:
"If only I had such wealth in my past life. If only this gold and silver could replace spirit stones and be used to simulate it."
Thinking of the spirit stone, Li Qingyi asked:
"Is there a way to earn spirit stones? Running a mundane business is ultimately just scratching the surface of our cultivation."
Leng Qiuyi pondered for a moment, then slowly shook her head, her tone tinged with helplessness:
"OP, it's not that we don't have connections, but rather that we're not qualified to get involved."
Any industry related to cultivators, without a Foundation Establishment expert to oversee it, is like a child carrying gold through a market—it will be devoured by surrounding forces in an instant.
"Not even a little bit?"
Leng Qiuyi answered decisively, "No, only Foundation Establishment cultivators are qualified to sit at the table and eat."
Li Qingyi suddenly felt a headache coming on. 'This cultivation world really is a dog-eat-dog world...'
Leng Qiuyi seemed to remember something and added:
"The best example is Lingbao Pavilion, which is backed by the Liu family, a Foundation Establishment family. For many years, it has monopolized the business of low-level magic weapons, pills, talismans and other items, making a fortune."
There's also the rapidly rising Zhenyang Tower, whose master is said to be an unfathomable Foundation Establishment cultivator, which is why it can rival the Lingbao Pavilion.
"So, if we want to transform, I must first break through the foundation stage?"
Leng Qiuyi nodded silently.
Li Qingyi fell into deep thought.
"It seems I'll have to rely on selling talismans to accumulate capital in the short term."
With this thought in mind, he divided his attention and manipulated the green puppet back to the small courtyard in the south of the city to prepare to draw talismans.
At the same time, he waved to Leng Qiuyi: "I understand, you can go ahead and get busy."
Li Qingyi analyzed the path before her:
His first suggestion was to create a second corpse puppet, but he quickly rejected that idea.
"Materials are limited now. If we could refine them using the corpses of Foundation Establishment cultivators after they reach Foundation Establishment, wouldn't that be even better? Refining them now would be a waste."
Secondly, she considered making and selling talismans full-time, but after thinking about it, Li Qingyi rejected the idea.
Drawing talismans is time-consuming and laborious, and he was pressed for time.
Ling'er will be taken back to the Zhao family in half a month, and the identity of the mysterious cultivator she encountered today remains unclear...
With so many things weighing on his mind, he realized he really didn't have much time...
Then he thought of option three.
That is relying on Tingyu Pavilion.
Thinking of Tingyu Pavilion, Li Qingyi suddenly remembered that she hadn't yet received her monthly salary as a "working person".
Hopefully, that unscrupulous boss won't withhold wages.
With a try-it-and-see attitude, he took out the assassin's token and immersed his consciousness into it.
Inside the token space, three spirit stones lay quietly.
"Payment on the 15th? So I really am working for Tingyu Pavilion..."
Li Qingyi pursed her lips and casually put the spirit stone into her pocket.
Even the smallest mosquito leg is still meat.
He then picked up the assassin's warrant and began to carefully examine the assassin's promotion mechanism.
The assassins of Tingyu Pavilion are strictly ranked, divided into Heaven, Earth, Black, Yellow, and the lowest ranks.
It's obvious that Li Qingyi is a third-rate assassin.
Accumulating 1,000 contribution points will allow you to advance to the Yellow rank. After that, each promotion requires completing a specific "promotion task".
The higher the rank, the more generous the monthly salary.
Seeing the monthly salary of 128 spirit stones for a Heavenly-level assassin, Li Qingyi couldn't help but feel envious.
Li Qingyi glanced at her accumulated contribution points: 300.
Actual contribution value: 250.
The fifty dollars I spent was for exchanging a blood pact spell earlier.
Next, he browsed the task list. The task of assassinating Zhao Mengxi was still pending, and the bounty had been increased to 1,500 contribution points.
"If all else fails, should I go and kill that crazy woman?" The thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly suppressed it.
"Wait a minute, assassinating the eldest daughter of the Zhao family and the future crown princess only gets you 1,500? Are you trying to fob us off like beggars?"
Li Qingyi thought the person who issued the task must be mentally ill.
Suddenly, a mischievous thought flashed through his mind:
"That prince targeted me for no reason, so it's perfectly reasonable for me to cuckold him, isn't it?"
The vengeful Lord Li instantly flashed through more than a dozen revenge plans, but in the end, they all turned into a long sigh.
"Alas, to confront a crown prince and the forces behind him head-on is extremely unwise and a losing proposition."
With a jumble of thoughts swirling in her mind, Li Qingyi sat there for an entire day.
The sun's shadow dips westward outside the window, dusk settles, and the city lights begin to twinkle.
Just then, the stone door to the quiet room was pushed open with a "bang," and Yue Chi rushed out, his face beaming with joy, so excited that he was incoherent:
"OP! OP! I've broken through! I've broken through!"
Li Qingyi was preoccupied with various matters and lacked enthusiasm, so she casually waved her hand:
"Okay, I understand. Go and stabilize your cultivation level..."
"No, Master!" Yue Chi rushed excitedly to Li Qingyi. "It's the Qi Refining stage! I've broken through to the first level of Qi Refining!"
"Only the first level of Qi Refining, huh? Wait a minute..."
Li Qingyi suddenly snapped out of her daze, her gaze instantly falling on Yue Chi.
Although the other party's aura appeared somewhat weak and unstable, he was surrounded by a faint spiritual pressure that only Qi Refining cultivators possess.
Without saying a word, he flashed and appeared behind Yue Chi.
With a palm pressed against his back, pure magical power flowed gently into Yue Chi's body like a trickle, helping him to stabilize his cultivation.
Yue Chi felt incredibly comfortable, and his gratitude and respect for Li Qingyi reached their peak.
He secretly vowed in his heart that he would serve the Lord of the Tower to the death in this lifetime!
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yue Chi's internal energy finally calmed down and stabilized at the first level of Qi Refining.
Li Qingyi withdrew her hand, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.
Yue Chi was able to directly leap from the Spiritual Beginning Second Realm to the Qi Refining Stage.
"Indeed, after years of accumulation, you have finally stepped into the gate of cultivation."
Upon hearing this, Yue Chi was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes. "To have met such a wise ruler, what more could I ask for in this life!"
However, Li Qingyi felt extremely uncomfortable under his intense gaze.
He even felt that if Yue Chi were to go to Wangchun Tower to sell hooks right now, the other party would probably undress without hesitation...
This bizarre association sent a chill down his spine. He quickly composed himself and spoke to shoo it away:
"Now that things are stable, quickly find some basic spells to practice; don't linger here!"
Yue Chi was somewhat bewildered by the host's sudden "coldness," assuming it was just the fickle nature of a young man, and dared not ask further, quickly bowing:
"Yes, sir!"
After a day of analysis, feasible solutions are still few and far between.
"When in doubt, always do a simulation!" Li Qingyi decided to resort to this last resort.
Just as he had the thought and was about to start the simulator, a very faint sound of something cutting through the air came from the direction of the Moon-Viewing Platform behind him.
Li Qingyi suddenly turned her head.
Under the clear, cold moonlight, a slender black figure had quietly appeared on the railing, her skirt fluttering in the night breeze.
The moonlight, like water, flowed over her graceful curves, outlining a breathtaking silhouette and reflecting a stunningly beautiful face that was both charming and dangerous.
She lightly touched the railing with her jade-like feet, and like a feather, she floated down, landing not far behind Li Qingyi.
Those captivating eyes swept over him, her lips parted slightly, and her tone was languid and alluring:
"Tsk tsk tsk... Good little brother, where have you been hiding these past few days? I've been looking everywhere for you..."