Communal property? Money that comes in is naturally for oneself to spend.
However, having spoken to this point, both Nan and Mu found it hard to speak further. If they told the truth, would that not mean they were even less capable than Old Fifteen?
Of the two, one was habitually silent, while the other stammered and stuttered.
The Little Martial Uncle did not press them either. His tone suddenly shifted. “How much money does Old Fifteen have on him?”
Nan Zhu let out a breath of relief. He had truly feared the other would persist in questioning. If he had to insist the money was meant for communal property, he himself would not believe he could fool the Little Martial Uncle. He immediately replied, “A rough calculation shows he has about two hundred and fifty million.”
The Little Martial Uncle said, “I do not want to hear guesses. How was the two hundred and fifty million calculated?”
This was easy to handle. Nan Zhu immediately cracked his fingers and calculated at his side for him to hear. Mu Aotie also interjected a sentence or two from time to time.
After roughly understanding the recent income, the Little Martial Uncle’s brows nearly flew up. “This brat has truly struck it rich. When he spends money, he casually throws out millions or tens of millions.” After his brows relaxed, he added, “Was all this money spent on things that should have been spent?”
“Well…” Nan Zhu somewhat did not know what to say. He looked at Mu Aotie, who also did not know how to answer.
The two once again hesitated there.
The Little Martial Uncle looked puzzled. “What is wrong with you two? Why are you always stammering? Is this question so hard to answer?”
Nan Zhu said awkwardly, “The money was spent somewhat extravagantly, yet to say it was money that should not have been spent would also be unreasonable.”
“Good, then I am relieved.” The Little Martial Uncle nodded. He reached out and patted this one’s shoulder, then patted that one’s shoulder. “With you two steady and reliable fellows watching him, I have nothing to worry about.”
The two, Nan and Mu, responded with compliant sounds. For a moment they did not know what else to say.
“Find me a room. I shall also test the effects of the immortal peaches.”
“Alright.”
The light beam descending from the skylight vanished. Outside was pitch dark. Underground was brilliant with lights everywhere. Flowing light danced in the underground space, gorgeous and colourful.
Sun Ping again hung a closed sign at the door and shut it. She joined Tie Miaoqing behind the counter to finish work, then carried the ledger back to the rear courtyard.
The man with one eye kneeling and waiting for customers also stopped work at Sun Ping’s call. He stood up and left, going to another small courtyard belonging to him.
Sun Ping and Tie Miaoqing were surprised to discover Yu Qing actually looked bored in the pavilion. The two immediately went over, taking the chance to report the accounts.
Today they had only sold two immortal peaches again, taking in another one million.
At this pace, Yu Qing sighed. In a year they could not sell many. As time passed, those wrinkled immortal peaches would probably be even harder to sell. He truly hated that bastard Long Xingyun for blocking his money path. He truly wanted to kill him, but the other had great power, so he did not dare provoke him lightly.
He could only settle for second best and think, if they could sell one or two every day, and have daily income to support some expenses, that would not be bad either.
As the three were talking, some movement came from the small courtyard where Yu Qing lived.
Yu Qing looked back. He told Sun and Tie to rest, then quickly left himself.
He ran to his courtyard gate, hid behind the wall, and stretched his head to peek inside. He saw Nan and Mu, who were guarding the study door, open it and enter. He immediately went over too. Entering and looking, the Little Martial Uncle was inside the study holding an immortal peach pit and examining it.
Nan Zhu introduced at the side that the kernel inside the peach pit could also be eaten, and its spiritual energy was even more concentrated, and so on.
Yu Qing approached with a shameless face. “Little Martial Uncle, how do these immortal peaches feel?”
The Little Martial Uncle silently calculated and estimated, then said, “They are indeed not bad. About one hundred or so can roughly equal the spiritual energy contained in one ‘Wide Spirit Pill’.”
Nan Zhu was surprised. “It takes one hundred immortal peaches? The Wide Spirit Pill actually contains that much spiritual energy?”
The Little Martial Uncle explained to them, “The Wide Spirit Pill is a physical object formed from pure condensed spiritual energy. To condense and harden spiritual energy into a pill, how much spiritual energy do you think that takes? However, the refining speed is about the same as one hundred immortal peaches. What makes it stronger than the peaches is that instead of stuffing one hundred peaches into your stomach, the Wide Spirit Pill only needs a tiny one to enter the belly. It has various conveniences.”
The three martial brothers suddenly understood. But Yu Qing could not help asking, “Little Martial Uncle, have you actually eaten a Wide Spirit Pill before?”
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie were startled. They immediately also stared closely at the Little Martial Uncle. Although that thing was an immortal pill on the same level as the Evil Spirit Pill, its price was much higher. The market price reached thirty million per pill. It was something the vast majority of people could not afford.
The Little Martial Uncle said indifferently, “What is strange about that? I took it by chance through a fortunate coincidence. What, do I need to report to you at all times?”
“No, no.”
“No, no, just asking out of curiosity.”
The three martial brothers either shook their heads or verbally denied it.
The Little Martial Uncle raised his hand to stop them. “Regarding that Golden Ruins matter, what are your plans?”
The three martial brothers looked at each other. Yu Qing said, “We do not even know if it is real or fake. It may be another trap by Yun Xi. We do not understand those clues either. For now we have no plans.”
The Little Martial Uncle said, “Knowing it may be a trap is good. Even pigs know to learn from one stumble. Do not be worse than pigs. Listen well, you three. That you could return alive from Little Cloud Space this time involved too much luck and coincidence. If those three forces had not discovered you and followed you in, you would already be dead without even scraps remaining.
I am telling you three nephews, not every time will you have such good luck.
Regardless of whether the Golden Ruins truly exist, can you guarantee that inside the Golden Ruins is a peaceful and tranquil place?
Taking a step back, if you truly cannot stop your greed and insist on searching, I cannot tie you up either. But you should at least raise your cultivation and strength. With strength, would it not be safer when going out?
Right now you have money when you need money, and cultivation resources when you need cultivation resources. If you do not enjoy and convert these gains and results in time, and instead start coveting other benefits, be careful you choke yourself to death. The principle that greed brings indigestion, surely you know it?”
The three martial brothers responded compliantly, indicating they would not.
The Little Martial Uncle reached out again. “Show me that strange bead you mentioned.”
Yu Qing immediately raised his hand, took off a necklace from his neck, and handed it to him.
The Little Martial Uncle lifted the necklace, looked at the dark red bead covered with strange black patterns inside the silver mesh pouch, and immediately asked, “Where is the jade core inside?”
Yu Qing said naturally, “Thrown away.”
The Little Martial Uncle’s eyes widened. “Thrown away? That jade core cost me one hundred thousand taels. Wearing it on the body can warm and moisten the body and mind, help concentrate the spirit and calm the qi. It benefits cultivation. You just treated it as a stone and threw it away directly?”
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie naturally stared in unison at Yu Qing. The wages they earned risking their lives were only one hundred thousand.
“Uh…” Yu Qing was slightly awkward. “Was it that valuable? At the time there was nowhere to store this thing. I feared being discovered and searched. I felt this thing might be rather precious, so I pried out the stone inside and threw it away, then put this bead in.”
The Little Martial Uncle was speechless. Afterwards he could only let it go. It was already like this, what else could he say? He could only shake the pendant. The bead inside was smaller than the original jade core, rolling around inside. With the mesh blocking it, his hand could not directly touch it.
He then pried open the silver mesh pouch, carefully poured the bead into his own palm, and rolled it back and forth for a while. He asked, “Why do I not feel the strangeness you spoke of?”
Nan Zhu explained, “Having heard what we said, you are already on guard, so naturally you cannot sense it.”
The Little Martial Uncle played with it back and forth for a while. For the moment he also did not discover anything too special. He had no choice but to stuff the bead back into the pendant and toss it back to Yu Qing.
And he instructed, “Alright, Chong’er is entrusted to you. Do not foolishly use him to test poison again. He does not have your thick skin and rough flesh. He cannot endure your torment like this. Once he recovers, arrange for him to eat immortal peaches and let him raise his cultivation quickly. This time, he has benefited from your light. It can also be considered the destiny of his fate.”
Hearing these words, the three martial brothers were all stunned. Nan Zhu asked, “Little Martial Uncle, are you leaving?”
The Little Martial Uncle nodded. “There cannot be no one at home. Someone must stay to watch the house. I will go back and swap Second over. I cannot let only your cultivation rise rapidly, and then let that senior brother of yours feel embarrassed.”
Nan Zhu said, “Martial Uncle, these immortal peaches cannot be kept too long. You cannot miss this opportunity either. It does not matter if the home is short of people temporarily. That poor mountain and broken temple, nobody covets it. You should stay here too.”
Yu Qing also nodded. “Yes, let Second come over himself.”
The Little Martial Uncle waved his hand. “Your good intentions, I appreciate them. My cultivation has already reached Initial Mystic peak. These immortal peaches temporarily have no use to me. They cannot let me advance another inch. To step into the Upper Mystic wondrous realm, external things no longer have effect on me. It depends on my own state of mind. I must rely on my own comprehension to find the key to open that door.”
The three martial brothers were all shocked. They knew his cultivation had broken through Mystic, but had not expected it to already reach Initial Mystic peak.
After stepping into the high martial realm, they personally felt that the higher one went, the greater the gap between realms. The vastness of spiritual energy required for the Mystic level realms became increasingly imaginable.
Judging by the Little Martial Uncle’s age and the time he had spent out in the world gaining experience, the three estimated that this Little Martial Uncle had probably used more than one Wide Spirit Pill. Where did he get that much money?
Furthermore, reaching Initial Mystic peak at such a young age greatly increased the chances of stepping into the Upper Mystic wondrous realm in this lifetime.
Additionally, Yu Qing understood in his heart that returning to watch over the temple was secondary. The Little Martial Uncle was still considering the sect’s teachings. Having two true disciples outside together was not appropriate.
“So, my staying here is useless. Second needs it more. Each day he comes earlier is one more day of benefit. Additionally, I will say again, regardless of whether the Golden Ruins’ existence is true or false, do not entertain that idea anymore. That is not a blessing our strength can bear. Do not go testing your luck again. If you do not touch it, fine. Once you touch it, danger will certainly befall you.
Our Linglong Temple takes peace as the foremost priority. If those peach trees truly cannot be sold, just throw them away. Too much money we cannot carry. Too many benefits we cannot swallow. It will invite disaster. So, there is nothing to be reluctant about. A thousand gold scattered may return again. As long as the people are well, there will still be chances in the future.
This shop should be yielded if it must be yielded. Stubborn resistance is meaningless. In short, act decisively when you must. Everything takes avoiding entanglements with Long Xingyun’s side as the priority. Do not let such a huge trouble cling to you. After refining these immortal peaches, you immediately escape and run away, returning to the mountains to live in seclusion. I think you should at least be capable of quietly slipping away from Youjiao Port.”
The Little Martial Uncle walked to the desk. While speaking he ground ink. After finishing he dipped his brush in ink and wrote down an address, handing it to the three. “If something happens and you need to contact me, when directly contacting the temple is inconvenient, you can send a letter here. Someone will naturally find a way to contact me.”
The three immediately took the address to examine it.
The Little Martial Uncle sat again in the chair behind the desk. “That, Old Fifteen, my running back and forth also costs a lot. First give me several tens of millions for travel expenses.”