Chapter Thirty-One: Rising to Wealth

This time, Chen Qi waited for almost half an hour before he saw Sun Ruohai emerge, carrying a jar of wine.

Sun Ruohai raised his eyebrows and said, “Grandfather’s leftover wine is getting harder and harder to find!”

Chen Qi had already set up the grill for roasting meat, and replied comfortingly, “Whenever I get the chance, I’ll get you some good wine too. Next time, drinks are on me!”

Under the moonlight, in their familiar spot, the two drank heartily. With a slurred tongue, Chen Qi boasted to Sun Ruohai about his feat of slaying shadow after shadow in a single stroke, while Sun Ruohai responded that his martial skills had made a breakthrough.

Suddenly, Chen Qi remembered something and invited Sun Ruohai, “I heard that in a few days, the senior sisters from the inner sect are going deep into the mountains for a sweep. Why don’t the two of us go together? At least we can look out for each other.”

Sun Ruohai’s face was flushed, and he raised a half eyebrow, answering with some difficulty, “But if my grandfather finds out, he’ll break my legs again!”

Chen Qi took a hearty gulp of medicinal wine, enjoying the explosion of flavor on his palate, and continued to urge, “Don’t worry, with the inner sect senior sisters there, safety is guaranteed. Besides, isn’t your grandfather away?”

Seeing Sun Ruohai’s interest piqued, Chen Qi pressed on, “Your swordsmanship is excellent in every way, but it lacks a true killing spirit. Only by seeing more blood can you break through further.”

Sun Ruohai drained his bowl, and, emboldened by the wine, declared, “Alright, let’s sign up together!”

The two were jubilant, and began to imagine themselves commanding wind and rain in the mountains, feeling utterly carefree.

Chen Qi had no idea how many cups he’d drunk; in a haze, his vision went dark again.

...

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but Chen Qi felt a warm sensation on his face and finally opened his eyes.

It was already past noon, and he was awakened by the direct sunlight. Sun Ruohai was nowhere to be seen—perhaps because of his injuries, or maybe because the main quest was half finished and he’d gotten carried away drinking, Chen Qi hadn’t noticed Sun Ruohai’s departure.

“For a martial artist, that’s inexcusable,” Chen Qi reflected, holding his slightly throbbing head from the hangover.

“But on the other hand, Elder Sun’s wine is truly excellent! Even after drinking so much, my head barely hurts, and my injuries feel a bit better too.”

After examining his own condition, Chen Qi was delighted with the conclusion, and promptly got up.

Today, he had proper business to attend to.

As soon as he stepped out, he ran into Sun Ruohai about to come in.

Sun Ruohai was first to speak. “I’ve already signed up for the sweep led by the inner sect senior sisters. Hurry up and do yours.”

Chen Qi rubbed his head again, grumbling inwardly, “So eager, like a husky finally let out after being locked up for ages.”

Not in a rush, Chen Qi went to collect a set of outer sect disciple robes, bathed, and dressed himself.

After washing away the grime, he felt refreshed as he headed for the task hall. The attendant there, yawning, instantly perked up on seeing Chen Qi enter.

Chen Qi greeted him first, “Attendant Li, I was lucky enough to become an outer sect disciple, so I’ve come to thank you for your help.”

The attendant didn’t reply directly, but stared wide-eyed at Chen Qi, his gaze sweeping over the brand-new outer sect disciple robes.

After a while, the attendant stroked his beard and said, “At first, I only meant to have some fun chatting with you, never expected you’d actually pass that solo test!”

He pondered for a few seconds, then added, “I recall the weakest of those ten shadows in the final round wouldn’t be considered bad even among the outer sect disciples!”

Chen Qi nodded with a laugh and casually asked, “I want to sign up for the task led by the inner sect senior sister. Could you register me?”

The attendant smiled in return, “That task requires at least outer sect disciple status. Lucky for you, you just qualify.”

Chen Qi quickly completed the registration. The task details showed it would take place in two days, and might require several nights in the mountains.

He shook his head, banishing unrealistic fantasies, and then made his way to the plaza where the servant disciples usually gathered.

He was about to fleece them for a tidy sum!

Upon arriving at the plaza, he saw that it was afternoon, and the place was sparsely populated. Most of the servant disciples were likely busy with their daily chores.

Chen Qi chose a conspicuous spot and took out a wooden sign he’d prepared in advance. On it, bold red paint proclaimed:

“Paid lessons: secret tips for becoming an outer sect disciple ahead of schedule!”

Having set it out, Chen Qi ignored the dust on the ground and settled himself comfortably.

As the saying goes, “The fisherman waits, and the willing will bite.”

Chen Qi was confident that ambitious contractors would come seeking his advice, and he could make a windfall.

Soon enough, several passing contractors gathered around him, pointing and discussing his sign.

One contractor wielding a spear approached and asked, “Brother, how much for the tip to finish the main quest ahead of schedule?”

Chen Qi looked him up and down, grinned, and replied, “Twenty Cloud Sea Sect contribution points or three hundred general points. If you agree, come back here at eight tonight.”

He then lowered his head, dozing off, appearing utterly nonchalant.

A tall, thin contractor in the crowd questioned, “Isn’t he just trying to pull a fast one and scam our general points?”

Someone immediately countered, “He’s wearing outer sect disciple robes, so he must have already made it. Besides, we can use spatial notarization for the trade, there’s no way to fake that.”

Chen Qi ignored the surrounding chatter, calculating in his mind: “Judging by how the attendants barely pay servant disciples any mind, those contractors likely have no clue about the solo test. I only learned about it thanks to my good brother Sun Ruohai.”

All the while, Chen Qi felt secure in his fishing spot.

Time quickly passed to dusk, and the plaza grew busier with contractors. Seeing the crowd around Chen Qi, more newcomers gathered.

“Hey, kid, you dare make money off us? Don’t you know we’re from the Fanged Wolf Adventure Team?”

A burly man threatened Chen Qi, flanked by several others with wolf fang insignias on their chests, clearly members of an adventure group.

Chen Qi didn’t even bother to look up at such idiotic threats. After all, violence was forbidden within the Cloud Sea Sect—and outside? The thought made a faint, cold smile appear on his lips. In this world, his hands were stained with plenty of blood.

Thinking back to his first kill, Chen Qi’s mind began to wander. To him, killing a person was no different from killing a beast; there was no extra psychological burden.

Perhaps it was a matter of experience, or perhaps he considered himself quick with a blade and never killed without cause, so he felt no guilt.

Seeing the new faces around him, Chen Qi repeated what he’d told the previous group of contractors, waiting for eight o’clock that night.

He wondered just how much he would make this time.