Chapter 132: Ingenious Use

“Oh, right—these are the IOUs you two signed!” Yun Jiao pointed one by one to the black-and-white papers on the table. “This one’s for the medium-sized jar you bought from the old man, this one’s for the small one, and this one is for…”

After introducing them all, she solemnly wrote a string of symbols they couldn’t understand across the paper, then said in a serious tone, “Adding the medical fees from the past two days, and the labor cost for rescuing you from the Netherworld, the total comes to 236,705 taels. For my uncles’ sake, I’ll waive the five taels at the end—so that’s 236,700 taels even.”

She then neatly rewrote the number in words they could read.

Wen Qing: “…”

Yuan Jiang: “…”

Wait a minute! Did they walk into the wrong sect? Their little martial niece had to be joking… right?!

(￣△￣；)

But Yun Jiao’s expression didn’t change at all—she said in a businesslike tone, “So, would you like to pay in full now, or would you prefer credit? If it’s on credit, there’s a daily interest rate of three percent.”

Wen Qing felt his entire soul leave his body. Having once been chased by debt collectors himself, he knew full well that this little niece wasn’t joking—she was dead serious about collecting. He almost wanted to cry.

What happened to “the world of cultivators is one family”? And what in the heavens was a labor fee?! Wasn’t that supposed to be considered an act of righteousness?!

Even Yuan Jiang was dumbfounded by the absurdity before him. After a long pause, he finally snapped out of it, glanced at his junior brother’s tearful face, and realized the girl meant it.

Being the calmer of the two, Yuan Jiang took a breath and said gravely, “You’ve worked hard these past few days, Little Martial Niece Yun. Of course, we wouldn’t default on the medical fee. However… we have long been detached from mortal affairs, so we do not have much gold or silver. Would it be acceptable to pay with something else instead?”

Yun Jiao’s eyes gleamed—this was exactly what she was waiting for. But her face remained perfectly composed. “Something else? Like what?”

Yuan Jiang smiled kindly. “Your Martial Uncle Wen here is an expert in artifact forging. Many immortals in the upper realm seek his works. How about letting him forge a few artifacts for you as payment?”

“Artifacts, huh…” Yun Jiao frowned slightly. The old man had already conned quite a pile of those; they wouldn’t be used up anytime soon.

“If you’re not fond of artifacts,” Yuan Jiang added, “I’m also somewhat skilled in alchemy and talisman crafting. Pills, charms, spiritual herbs, or immortal plants—I could provide those as well.”

“Spiritual herbs?” Yun Jiao’s eyes lit up instantly. She blurted, “Are there many spiritual herbs in the Immortal Realm?”

Yuan Jiang paused, then immediately understood her intent. He smiled more warmly. “Not countless, but the Immortal Realm is rich in spiritual energy, which makes it easier for herbs to thrive. Plants that are rare in the mortal world grow commonly there. True immortal-grade herbs are rarer, of course, but as you practice spiritual medicine, they should be of great use to you.”

Yun Jiao exchanged a look with the old man. Both nodded in agreement. “All right, we’ll take that deal.” Finally—materials for refining pills, problem solved! After thinking for a moment, she added, “However… these spiritual herbs don’t hold much value for you two, so it wouldn’t be fair to exchange them at the mortal market rate—I’d lose out too much. Out of respect for you both, I’ll give you a discount and take them at ten percent of their value!”

Yuan Jiang: “…”

Wen Qing: “…”

Old man: “…”

That wasn’t a discount—that was bone-crushing depreciation!

Was a martial uncle’s dignity really worth that little?!

Their little niece didn’t study spiritual medicine—she studied spiritual commerce!

“Good, it’s settled then.” Yun Jiao immediately picked up her brush and started writing a new contract. As she wrote, she said briskly, “Please specify the delivery date, the types, varieties, and attributes of the herbs.”

The two immortals, utterly bewildered, could only list out the common herbs of the Immortal Realm, discuss approximate prices, and finally press their handprints on the agreement.

Yun Jiao smiled with satisfaction, put the contract away, and stood up. “Then I wish you both a speedy recovery.”

She turned to leave with the old man, but Yuan Jiang suddenly spoke up. “Wait—Little Martial Niece.”

She paused mid-step. “Something else?”

The two immortals exchanged glances, something flickering in their eyes. Finally, Wen Qing, being the more talkative one, rubbed his hands with an awkward smile. “Well… about that, Little Martial Niece. We’ve mostly recovered, but we still need to recuperate further. You mentioned before that you might have a way to help Second Senior Brother restore his golden body. We’ve already sent disciples to gather those herbs you listed, but it’ll take some time… and since we’ll also be delivering you more herbs later, we were wondering if… we could… maybe stay here for a while longer…”

“You want to stay a few more days?” Yun Jiao cut straight to the point.

“Yes, yes, exactly!” Both nodded hurriedly. These past few days, they hadn’t dared step out of the back hall—not just because of their injuries, but because they were afraid their Master would find them annoying and kick them straight back to the Immortal Realm.

“I don’t really mind…” Yun Jiao tilted her head, as if in deep thought. “But we should still ask the Ancestor Master. After all, he’s the boss here—I can’t make the decision, can I?”

The two immortals: “…”

You can chase us for debt but can’t make a simple decision? Who are you trying to fool?!

“Wait, Little Martial Niece—” Wen Qing tried to protest, but Yuan Jiang suddenly said calmly, “We’ll double the amount of herbs.”

“Deal!” Yun Jiao agreed instantly. “Come on, let’s amend the contract!”

Wen Qing: “…”

Yuan Jiang: “…”

Old man: “…”

Truly, what a world—spiritual herbs now outranked martial uncles!

---

“Oh, right, Little Martial Niece!”

While Yun Jiao was revising the contract, Wen Qing suddenly remembered something. “My disciple Hanshu’s remnant soul—where is it now? You said it was here, didn’t you?”

“Hanshu?” Yun Jiao put away the new contract and replied casually, “He’s in the cellar.”

“The… the cellar?!” Wen Qing was stunned. Why on earth was his disciple’s soul in a cellar?!

Yun Jiao gave him a calm look. “It’s about time to hand him back to you. Old man, why don’t you take them to see Hanshu? The fee from the Celestial Master Hall’s last consultation should’ve arrived; I’ll go check the teleportation array.”

“Got it!” The old man nodded and led the two confused immortals toward the cellar, explaining as they went, “Uncle Wen, remember how you accidentally blasted holes all over the outer courtyard last time? We later found one unfilled and the girl said, ‘Why waste it?’ So we made it into a cellar. Turns out, it’s really useful! Especially since Fellow Daoists Han and Xi came along—it’s been even better!”

“Useful?” Wen Qing’s face was blank.

Just as he was about to ask, the old man pushed open a stone door in the wall. “Here we are. Would you like to go in?”

The two immortals ducked inside—and instantly felt an icy chill surge toward them, cold enough to freeze their bones, the air thick with ghostly energy. Looking around, they saw that the cellar was about the size of a guest room. Two ghostly figures sat cross-legged in meditation, shadowy auras swirling around them.

The one on the left was indeed Hanshu’s remnant soul—his form was far more stable now, nearly solid.

The one on the right was none other than Xi Teng, who had been missing for days.

That wasn’t the shocking part, though. What stunned them was the massive layered formation in the middle of the cellar, separating the two spirits’ energies—and in the center of the formation was a mountain of… carrots, cabbages, mushrooms, fresh fruits, and assorted meats.

It was piled high like a small hill—everything was lush, crisp, and fresh, as if just harvested.

Wen Qing and Yuan Jiang stood frozen in disbelief. What… what was going on here?!

The old man beamed with pride. “Well, what do you think, Uncles? Great cellar, right? The girl built it herself! Let me tell you—the yin energy from Fellow Daoists Han and Xi is perfect! Cold but frost-free. Look how fresh the fruits are—just like new! And now she doesn’t even have to buy produce at the market. Makes cooking so much easier!”

Wen Qing: “…”

Yuan Jiang: “…”

Using ghostly yin energy… as a refrigeration system?!

Does your conscience not ache even a little?!

w(Д)w

(End of Chapter)