Three spirit stones a month.
"Ah!"
It was truly an incredible income. He felt as if his insides had been cleared out like he'd drunk soda.
In fact, 3 was the case if he had bad luck; his average income would clearly exceed 4 spirit stones!
Qin Zhaoming, who was rejoicing like a child, contemplated how to spend these spirit stones.
'I heard that dwellings in the inner city, not the outer city, are rich in spirit qi and increase cultivation speed. Is that true?'
For cultivators, a good house wasn't a simple luxury.
The higher the concentration of spirit qi, the faster one could accumulate spirit qi. High-grade dwellings were one of the essential elements for cultivation.
Qin Zhaoming, who was happy thinking about spending money, paused.
'Where should I sell the dew?'
Normally, he would have gone to Fang Yi at the Spirit Elixir Pavilion without hesitation.
This was because he considered him a relatively conscientious merchant in Zeyang City with its terrible security.
But.
Now his thoughts were different. The state of the Zeyang Sect that Fang Yi had introduced was the worst.
With his trust diminished, it was difficult to believe in him as before.
'Should I go to another shop?'
Qin Zhaoming, who had been pondering, shook his head.
While it was true that the "slave contract" arranged by Fang Yi was disappointing, he still didn't know what the truth was.
Moreover.
If someone was an enemy, one should keep them closer.
If Fang Yi had truly introduced the Zeyang Sect with malicious intent, corresponding actions would follow.
So he needed to talk with Fang Yi and figure out his thoughts and the truth.
Just staying away wouldn't necessarily make him safer.
'Let's go.'
Overcoming his instinctive reluctance, he headed to the Spirit Elixir Pavilion. If Fang Yi had malicious intent, he needed to detect it early.
The moment he entered the Spirit Elixir Pavilion along the familiar path...
His eyes met with those of the man in his thirties, and he greeted him respectfully.
"Senior Fang, I was fortunate enough to obtain dew and have come to sell it."
"Huh? Dew?"
For a moment, Fang Yi, who had been staring blankly as if not understanding something, gaped.
"K-kid, don't tell me you went to Mount Zeyang? How on earth?"
"Of course, I used a Concealment Talisman. I have a close senior who lent me one."
"...A senior lent you a Concealment Talisman? I'm curious about which senior is so generous."
"Haha. Indeed. I was lucky. I must be quite fortunate."
Though Fang Yi asked with a subtle tone, Qin Zhaoming just laughed it off.
Just as the atmosphere was about to become awkward...
"Ahem! Using a Concealment Talisman just to collect dew—isn't that too wasteful? Let me see how much you've brought."
Without further ado, he handed over the heavy gourd bottle.
Fang Yi's expression changed strangely. The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"...That's quite a lot of dew? I didn't know you were this capable, kid."
"I was just lucky. I ran around diligently before the effect of the Concealment Talisman wore off and barely managed to collect this much."
A moment of silence followed.
After looking back and forth between the gourd bottle and Qin Zhaoming several times, Fang Yi finally spoke.
"...Whether it's luck or whatever, it doesn't matter. Those with ability should be respected. Now I truly should call you Daoist. Anyway, I'll buy all this dew for 2 spirit stones. You won't find any merchant in Zeyang City who'll pay more than me. What do you think?"
"That's fine."
It was a price satisfactory to both. The transaction was completed cleanly without any haggling.
Just as Qin Zhaoming, with a childlike innocent smile, was about to leave the Spirit Elixir Pavilion...
"Daoist. But didn't you visit the Zeyang Sect I introduced? If you had joined, you wouldn't have needed to climb the dangerous Mount Zeyang."
"..."
Qin Zhaoming, who turned around slowly, carefully examined Fang Yi's expression.
Perhaps because he was a merchant, his face was unreadable. It was filled with pure curiosity, so he couldn't sense anything unusual.
"The Zeyang Sect... I did visit, but it was a bit different from what I expected. They said I would have to work for at least 30 years, so I had no choice but to give up."
"30 years? What does that mean?"
Looking at Fang Yi, who frowned as if hearing this for the first time, Qin Zhaoming told him about what had happened.
"They said I needed to sign a contract when joining. It stated that the minimum service period was 30 years."
"Hmm. Could something be wrong? As far as I know, one should be able to leave freely after about 5 years?"
"What?"
At that moment, a subtle silence filled the room. Then Fang Yi sighed and said:
"Anyway, I apologize. You must have had a hard time because of me. I can roughly guess what happened."
"It's alright. It's already over. Besides, thanks to meeting a kind senior, I've been able to go to Mount Zeyang, so I don't need to worry about income."
"I see. Congratulations. If you ever gather dew again, feel free to come to me anytime. I'll give you a good price."