"Uncle Ding, that's not how you put it."
Xu Qingyi said, "Do our Mohist ancestral temple's branches in various human territories really just aim to make money for our mountain temple? I don't think so. The Mohist ancestral temple wants to contribute its meager strength to the human world. Making money is secondary; what's important is to forge connections with the proud talents of the world. This young man in white, with his mere Lower Fifth Realm cultivation, dares to go to the Northern Border to slay demons, even killing an Upper Fifth Realm one. If our Mohist sect can forge a good relationship with him because of this, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing? If this kind of goodwill is passed down through generations, who would dare say that my business with Xu Qingyi is a loss?"
The shopkeeper rubbed his nose, somewhat dejectedly, thinking to himself, 'Is that for the Mohist ancestral temple to forge a good relationship with him? You're doing it entirely for yourself to forge a good relationship with him?'
"Young Lady!"
He still said earnestly, "Even so, you shouldn't befriend every human cultivator who can slay demons. Our Mohist sect doesn't act so subserviently..."
"I'm not, I don't..."
Xu Qingyi blinked and said, "I'm helping him solely because he's the young man in white, not because he has the ability to slay demons. I've said this long ago."
As she spoke, her pretty face flushed slightly, feeling that her explanation was hard to justify.
The shopkeeper gloomily said, "Since Young Lady has decided, I'll directly get him new ones. But Young Lady must also know when to stop, otherwise the end-of-month bills will be too unsightly. If someone from the ancestral temple comes, they'll scold me, the shopkeeper. Who would dare scold you, Young Lady..."
Xu Qingyi pouted, not wanting to argue with him.
"If possible, do some business with him."
The shopkeeper said, "Since he can kill Upper Fifth Realm demons, he must have some background."
"Mm."
Xu Qingyi returned and smiled, "The Mohist craftsmen in the back hall are currently repairing the demon-suppressing crossbows and bronze beasts. Do you want to continue looking, Young Master? Our Mohist sect's treasures are not just the demon-suppressing crossbows and bronze beasts~~~"
"Mm, good!"
Led by Xu Qingyi, Lin Zhao began to browse the Mohist treasures in the shop again.
...
After a while, Lin Zhao's gaze fell upon a peculiar crossbow. This giant crossbow had numerous dense grooves, each fitted with an arrowhead. The arrowheads were connected by golden threads. The golden threads formed a screen on the crossbow. Lin Zhao understood at a glance: this giant crossbow didn't shoot arrows, but nets.
Immediately, he was captivated. "Miss Xu, what is this?"
"Demon-binding Rope."
Xu Qingyi smiled slightly. "This is a treasure specially made by the Mohist sect for high-level enemies. It utilizes the principle of a crossbow to shoot out a large net. Once it hits the target, it will have a whipping effect. The barbed arrowheads will become entangled with each other, allowing for easy binding of the target. The threads of this Demon-binding Rope are extremely tough, and the arrowheads are inscribed with runes that suppress demonic energy. Whether it's a demon of the Nascent Soul Realm, Star River Realm, or even True Realm, Divine Transformation Realm, they are quite wary of this thing."
"Got it."
Lin Zhao nodded. "How much does this Demon-binding Rope sell for?"
"One hundred thousand gold per unit."
"..."
Lin Zhao immediately fell silent. It was indeed expensive. Although he currently had over 100 gold coins, these were all painstakingly saved by Shuzhi. Every coin Lin Zhao spent had to be accounted for. After all, Shuzhi had a difficult time over the years. Although Lin Zhao never said it, he deeply sympathized with her.
"Half price for three or more units?"
"Mm!"
"Fine."
Lin Zhao nodded. "Give me five units of the Demon-binding Rope, put them aside for now. I'll look at other things."
"Okay."
Xu Qingyi's lips curved upwards, her smile almost unable to contain itself. She knew this young man in white had a bright future. Look, a big business had just walked in.
A few minutes later, Lin Zhao's gaze landed on a wooden carved bird. These birds weren't too large, about half a meter tall, with slender wings. Their structure was a combination of wood and metal, with a pair of sharp claws. Additionally, there was a fire-breathing mechanism in their abdomen. It was likely a treasure that attacked from the air.
"This one..." Lin Zhao pointed.
Xu Qingyi smiled coyly. "Mechanical Bird. It's a common artifact in the Mohist ancestral temple. Once the activation mark is issued, these mechanical birds can fly. They will attack wherever the person holding the mark directs them. Their sharp claws can tear through shields, and their abdomen can breathe fire to ignite the enemy. They are quite troublesome."
Lin Zhao's eyes lit up. This thing was indeed powerful. He smiled and asked, "How much per bird?"
"Mechanical birds are relatively cheaper."
Xu Qingyi chuckled. "The price is the same as the bronze beasts, one thousand gold per bird."
1000g each, this was acceptable.
Lin Zhao took a deep breath and said, "Give me a hundred birds."
"Okay~~~"
Xu Qingyi's dimples appeared, her smile growing as the business expanded.
A hundred mechanical birds could launch a wave of attack similar to strategic bombing. Moreover, mechanical birds were aerial units, and their dive attacks would be quite considerable. They could even breathe fire in the air, freely attacking the demons' ground units. They were truly cost-effective. The more, the better.
The final bill came to 100,000 gold coins for the hundred mechanical birds, and 500,000 gold coins for the five Demon-binding Ropes, totaling 600,000 gold coins. With a fifty percent discount, it was 300,000 gold coins, equivalent to three gold coins. It was acceptable. These mechanical treasures could be life-saving at critical moments. In the near future, there would definitely be Upper Fifth Realm great demons attacking the mountain, especially the Demon-binding Ropes, which might prove very useful.
He frowned. Since he had brought Shuzhi to Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, he had to be responsible for her and not lead her to her death. He had already done it once; he wouldn't let it happen again.
...
Shortly after, Lin Zhao's backpack was bulging with items: 100 mechanical birds, 5 Demon-binding Ropes, 5 demon-suppressing crossbows, and 5 bronze beasts. The Snow Domain Heavenly Pool now had some foundation, all built with money.
Content, he rode his horse to the East Gate Square, then turned and entered the Great Sage Hall. In the backyard of the Great Sage Hall, he gathered firewood and lit a campfire. Then, he took out a large piece of catfish meat and began to grill it. When it was almost done, he posted in the small group chat of the Scarlet Moon Knights' studio: "Gather in the backyard of the Great Sage Hall. Don't regret it if you're late."
"Coming, coming!"
Ding Chi and Zhang Jun immediately responded.
Shen Xingchen smiled slightly. "So mysterious, what is it?"
"You'll know when you get here."
"Mm."
Chen Xue, Luo Man, and Mo Chenxue also joined. Lin Zhao didn't just cater to his own group. He also sent messages to key guild players like Lu Han, Young Master Xu Du, Mo Yin, Lu Li, and Qing Ning. Soon, the backyard of the Great Sage Hall was filled with core players of the Scarlet Moon Knights. Then, everyone watched their usually elusive Guild Leader hunched over, grilling food.
"Ah!?"
Shen Xingchen smiled and said, "Guild Leader, are you treating everyone to a barbecue?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao sat down. The food was almost ready. "Stop with the pleasantries. Sit down, help yourselves. Once you reach 50% experience points, leave quickly. Eat again tomorrow."
"???"
Everyone was bewildered.
Ding Chi, Zhang Jun, Lu Han, and others sat down, drew their swords, and cut the meat themselves. Lin Zhao used his Thunderclap Sword to slice off pieces of fish meat and distribute them to Shen Xingchen, Mo Chenxue, Lu Li, Qing Ning, and other magic-class players. Magic-class players didn't have sharp weapons, and tearing the meat with their bare hands would be too ungraceful, especially since they were all beautiful women.
"Holy crap!?"
When Ding Chi took his first bite of fish, he was shocked. "It adds experience?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded.
"It's quite delicious..." Chen Xue smiled at him.
"Then eat more. Stop once you reach 50% experience, don't waste it. You can only gain up to 50% of your current level's experience points per day."
"Not bad, not bad~~~"
Lu Han chuckled. "Boss, where did this come from? What kind of meat is this?"
"Catfish meat."
Lin Zhao said, "The meat of an eleventh-realm catfish spirit. Amazing, isn't it? It was at the True Realm, and it fought fiercely. It's also quite delicious."
"..."
Young Master Xu Du looked yearningly. "Boss has already started killing demons in the Northern Border?"
"Mm, the war has never ended."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath. "I'll establish a base camp in the Northern Region first. You guys take your time. We can all come to Snow Domain Heavenly Pool to help me after Bai Di City is opened."
"Cultivate yourselves first."
Shen Xingchen's eyes were like water, and she smiled. "Otherwise, with our current strength, we'll just be a hindrance if we go and won't be of much help."
"Indeed."
Shen Xingchen gave him a meaningful glance. "Why didn't you call Leng Yan over for a bite?"
"This..."
Lin Zhao thought for a moment. "Currently, it's exclusively for our Scarlet Moon Knights. Ah Yan is from Shengtian. If I call her over, people might overthink it and think I, the Guild Leader, am favoring outsiders."
"That's not acceptable!"
Lu Han said solemnly, "You are our Boss. We respect all your choices. Even if you married Leng Yan right now, we would wholeheartedly agree and cheer for you, Boss. A good marriage brings good fortune!"
"???"
Chen Xue and Luo Man both glared at Lu Han. Lu Han immediately lowered his head and ate meat, not daring to say anything more. Mo Chenxue furrowed her delicate brows, looked at Lin Zhao, pursed her lips, and said nothing. She felt she had no right to be jealous. In fact, just being able to stay by his side every day already made her happy. What more could she hope for? Being able to see the person she liked every day was something many people pursued their entire lives without achieving.
"..."
Shen Xingchen's beautiful eyes flickered. She felt like laughing inwardly. The atmosphere in the Scarlet Moon Knights' studio was quite peculiar. It seemed Chen Xue, Luo Man, and Mo Chenxue all had some affection for Lin Zhao. It was better for her to stay out of it.
What do love and romance have to do with Shen Xingchen? They were just passersby in life.
She glanced at Lin Zhao. Regardless of anything else, the grilled fish he made was quite delicious, even better than the one at that grilled fish restaurant on the Gate of Suzhou.