Yu Qing stood up and swept up all the remaining money, paying no heed to the others’ gazes. He had already distributed so much money to them and made arrangements for their future lives. No matter how envious or resentful they felt, he considered his own conscience clear.
The moment he returned to his room, he shut the door, sat on his couch, and began counting the money. After counting it once, he hugged the banknotes and kissed them, then counted them all over again. The more he counted, the happier he became.
The others who had not yet left the table were also gathering the money they had just received.
Having put her money away, Sun Ping glanced at Yu Qing’s room and sighed with emotion. “The income for a single day is truly staggering!”
Tie Miaoqing included, they all felt deeply moved. Recalling how they had first met Yu Qing years ago, when he had nearly died at their hands, and now seeing him become their employer, the difference was truly incomparable.
Nan Zhu also turned to look at Yu Qing’s room and scoffed. “There is nothing to sigh about. You do not know how much he owes. Do you really think all those goods came from the Little Cloud Realm for free? He owes two hundred million just for the freight charges alone.”
Sun Ping, however, was rather dismissive of this. “Being able to owe two hundred million is a capability in itself. If it were us, I doubt we could even find a way to owe two hundred million. They simply would not lend to us.”
Tie Miaoqing stood up. “Pingniang, let us first settle the employer’s arrangements.”
“Understood.” Sun Ping nodded.
The two then left the shop and headed straight to Youya to repay the debts. This was the most pressing matter for now, followed by handling some of Yu Qing’s other instructions.
Although it was night, the evenings in Youjiaobu were practically no different from the days. Many matters could still be handled without issue.
For the three martial brothers, however, there had to be a distinction between day and night, at least for the time being.
They opened the crates of celestial peaches stored in their respective rooms, secretly consumed some, and then sat with legs crossed to cultivate.
During their two months drifting at sea, the three had hardly stopped. They took turns standing watch and hid in the cabin to cultivate.
Not to mention Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie, Yu Qing felt his own cultivation was not far from the peak of the high martial realm…
The next day, as daylight returned, Yu Qing opened his door and noticed two strangers in the courtyard. They were obvious and impossible to miss at a glance.
They were cyclopes standing two zhang tall, making them hard to overlook.
The moment he stepped out, Sun Ping immediately brought the two cyclopes over, pointing at Yu Qing. “This is our employer behind the scenes.”
“Employer.” The two cyclopes immediately bowed to Yu Qing, then both voluntarily knelt and sat on the ground to avoid appearing too tall.
Even so, Yu Qing still had to look up at them.
Under normal circumstances, he could not tell male and female cyclopes apart, but judging by their hairstyles, one of them was clearly a woman.
Regardless of gender, the single eye on their faces, about the size of a fist, was indeed quite distinctive.
The male cyclops had the character Dong written on his clothes, while the female had Xi on hers. Many cyclopes on the streets of Youjiaobu wore characters on their clothes because, to those outside their species, they looked rather indistinguishable. If one had not known them long, outsiders would struggle to tell them apart. The characters on their clothes served as identifiers for outsiders, functioning as names or titles.
The male cyclops before him wore a deeply troubled expression, a clear face of misery. For some unknown reason, he simply looked rather inauspicious.
Sun Ping pointed to the characters on their clothes and explained to Yu Qing, “You may call them Dongdong and Xixi, or Xiaodong and Xiaoxi. They are husband and wife. I have known them for a long time, and they are good people. Years ago, Dongdong accidentally damaged a valuable item at a client’s home. After being dismissed, he was ostracised by his own kind. He has struggled to find work ever since, and these years have been very hard for them. I hope you can give this couple a chance.”
Yu Qing did not know much about these cyclopes and was experiencing this situation for the first time. However, he had heard rumours. In the cultivation world, cyclopes survived mainly by taking up employment, so their character and reputation were crucial. Once they made a mistake at a client’s home, it was considered a serious matter within their entire community, often leading to widespread ostracisation.
“Very well. You know the situation better than I do. If you think they are suitable, it should be fine.”
Yu Qing nodded in agreement.
Sun Ping immediately turned to the cyclopes with a smile. “Why have you not thanked the employer yet?”
“Thank you, employer.” The two cyclopes immediately bowed in gratitude.
At Sun Ping’s gesture, the two cyclopes stood up and departed.
After a brief discussion with Sun Ping, Yu Qing decided to have Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie assist with sales for one more day. This would also allow the two cyclopes to familiarise themselves with the operations, with the plan to have them take over tomorrow.
Afterwards, the shop reopened.
The moment the door opened, business was immediately booming, with customers coming in one after another to spend money.
Even though Nan Zhu was naturally talkative, he had no desire to repeat the same phrases all day or waste his breath on idle chatter. He simply wrote down the necessary information, hung it up, and let customers buy or not as they pleased. After all, there were no refunds anyway.
After a busy day, once the light beams from the skylight disappeared, Yu Qing ordered the shop to close again.
Afterwards, the group gathered once more to tally the accounts.
Two peach trees were sold, bringing in one hundred million.
Three hundred and seventy seven celestial peaches were sold, yielding one hundred and eighty eight million five hundred thousand.
For the day, the total earnings exceeded two hundred and eighty million, which was over eighty million more than the previous day.
Running his hands over a pile of money, Yu Qing smiled from ear to ear. After calming himself, he seriously informed the group, “We cannot keep selling like this. Our business is only suitable for a select few, not for mass volume. We will sell at the current price for one more day tomorrow, and then post a notice that the three day opening promotion has ended. Peach trees will be sold for one hundred million each, and celestial peaches for one million each.”
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie understood his reasoning. The money from sales was only meant to be sufficient for their needs. Most of the goods were actually intended to be kept as cultivation resources for themselves.
“This…” Sun Ping had some doubts. “Although wealthy people enjoy buying items that ordinary folks cannot afford, should we reconsider doubling the price so directly?”
She wanted to tell Yu Qing that while making more profit in business was naturally better, one should not be too ruthless. Charging exorbitant prices could invite disaster.
Yu Qing was unconcerned. He simply replied with four words. “Willing buyers, willing sellers.”
Saying this, he counted out four banknotes of ten thousand taels each, handing one to Nan Zhu, Mu Aotie, Tie Miaoqing, and Sun Ping. “You have all worked hard. It is just a small token of appreciation. Please do not mind.”
Sun Ping accepted it cheerfully and expressed her thanks, while Tie Miaoqing also smiled gracefully.
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie, however, remained expressionless. Their gazes held a different feeling as they looked at Yu Qing’s massive pile of banknotes.
Yu Qing was simply spending money to ease his conscience. The funds had come in far too quickly, and if he did not distribute some to everyone, he would feel embarrassed himself.
After gathering the money, he tossed out a sentence and hurried off. “Well, I will go to the Bihai Shipping Company first to settle the accounts.”
The others watched him leave. Sun Ping sighed and shook her head, still amazed at the absurd amount of money coming in. It was astonishing that so many people were actually throwing vast sums at such seemingly useless items.
Nan Zhu suddenly said to Mu Aotie, “After repaying the two hundred million, he still has roughly two hundred and fifty million left in hand.”
They had already secretly calculated Yu Qing’s accounts for him.
Mu Aotie said, “Truly rich.”
Leaving aside the present situation, the two would definitely demand a share of the profits from the fifteenth brother later. Trying to brush them off with a hundred thousand taels was impossible. They had no patience for lengthy explanations. The dynamics between martial brothers were too tangled to untangle. In short, they had all taken the risk together, so the rewards must be shared.
The Bihai Shipping Company also had personnel stationed in Youjiaobu, including a manager of the same rank as You Lingluo. Yu Qing’s debt settlement matters had been transferred to them.
Yu Qing found the right person, and both parties went to the money house to complete the payment. Once the remaining paperwork was sorted, the two hundred million debt was officially wiped clean.
Free from debt and with a large deposit in the money house, Yu Qing was in an excellent mood. However, upon returning to the Miaoqing Hall, he was immediately blocked by his two martial brothers.
They ushered him into the room and shut the door. Nan Zhu spoke seriously, “Fifteenth brother, we are not greedy. Just give each of us one hundred million. All future profits can be yours. That should be acceptable, right?”
One hundred million each? Yu Qing’s eyes widened, nearly bristling with anger. He sneered continuously, knowing full well that the two were after his money. “Fine, of course it is fine. Since you want to settle accounts with me, let us clear them up properly. I am about to sell the peaches for one million each from now on. Even brothers keep clear accounts. Your future consumption will be deducted from that one hundred million. As for what you ate before, consider it a free gift between martial brothers.”
Nan Zhu said in a deep voice, “That is going too far. We obtained those goods together. If you eat the meat, is it not acceptable for us to have some of the soup?”
Yu Qing retorted, “Who was full of complaints in the Little Cloud Realm, saying this would not work and that could not be done? Who forced me to pay you wages to get you to cooperate? Without me, could you have brought these items out? Who was saddled with the two hundred million debt? Who bore all the financial burden? Those peach trees will still need a place to be planted, requiring transport and substantial funds. Whose responsibility is that? Sharing blessings but leaving all hardships to me? Who do you think you are, that you deserve such treatment?”
Nan Zhu became angry. “Fine, I admit we had our flaws. That was only because we lacked understanding. Overall, we still assisted you wholeheartedly. We acknowledge that you contributed the most and deserve the largest share. But your current attitude is no different from hoarding everything for yourself!”
“The difference is none of your damn business!”
Yu Qing flew into a rage and punched him straight in the face. Bang!
He knocked him down and delivered a flurry of kicks and punches.
He had never forgotten the beating he endured at the Wen family years ago.
The sudden booming sounds of a fight startled Tie Miaoqing and Sun Ping in the courtyard. The two cyclopes also stood up from behind another wall to look over.
Crash, crash. Two figures smashed through the door and window, landing heavily on the ground. It was Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie.
Just as Mu Aotie jumped up, a figure flashed out of the room and kicked him flying again.
The figure spun and delivered another kick, sending Nan Zhu flying as well, who crashed through and collapsed a wall with a loud rumble.
Tie Miaoqing and Sun Ping quickly darted forward, blocking Yu Qing, who had rolled up his sleeves and wore a furious expression. Sun Ping anxiously tried to calm both sides. “Stop fighting, stop fighting. Violence is not allowed in Youjiaobu. If Youya finds out, there will be severe punishment.”
Mu Aotie stood up, grimacing in pain, while Nan Zhu climbed up, his face bruised and swollen. Yu Qing also glanced in the direction of Youya, and the commotion finally ceased.
However, Yu Qing’s anger had not subsided. He pointed outside. “This is my shop, and it has nothing to do with the two of you. Get out. Both of you get out immediately. Do not dare to step foot in here again.”
Nan Zhu wiped the blood from his mouth and nose and shouted back, “On what grounds?”
Yu Qing replied, “From this moment on, you two are expelled from the sect. I am formally notifying you now. Get out immediately!”
Tie Miaoqing and Sun Ping quickly grabbed him, urging him to calm down.
“Spit! We have a share in everything here. Why should we leave!” Nan Zhu spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, limping towards his own courtyard. After walking only a short distance, he pressed his ribs and said to Mu Aotie, who was following him, “That bastard broke one of my ribs. Animal!”
Mu Aotie said, “Backstabbing thief!”