As Feng Yingcai stood frozen, not even daring to swallow his saliva, Jiang Beiran fell deep into thought. As someone long targeted by the will of the world, this pitiful soul truly wasn't accustomed to having such foolish people delivered right to his doorstep.
After much deliberation, he could only come up with one explanation—finding this residence had been triggered by Gu Qinghuan, while he was merely following up afterward. Thus, the world's targeting mechanism had only half-activated?
Thinking this, Jiang Beiran asked Feng Yingcai, "Did you think we were too weak and yet carried treasures like the Golden-Armed Qilin Horn Blade, so you decided to act on impulse?" Faced with this question, Feng Yingcai's eyes widened, unsure how to respond.
"Speak plainly."
"Ahhh!!!"
Under immense pressure, Feng Yingcai suddenly let out a roar, stumbling backward while fishing out a pill from his robes and raising it toward his mouth. Yet just as the pill reached his lips, his right hand abruptly froze, and his entire body slowly collapsed to the ground.
‘Couldn’t take the pill, so he incinerated his own organs instead… Truly decisive. A ruthless man indeed.’
Jiang Beiran had only intended to snatch the pill away, but Feng Yingcai, knowing death was inevitable, chose to burn his own organs rather than suffer humiliation and torture. Picking up the white pill that had fallen to the ground with some regret, Jiang Beiran tossed it to Gu Qinghuan.
"White Jade Crimson Sun Pill—dramatically boosts profound energy potency for a short time. Keep it for yourself or sell it."
Catching the pill deftly, Gu Qinghuan glanced at Feng Yingcai’s lifeless body before cupping his hands toward Jiang Beiran.
"Senior Brother, should I go deal with that broker—" "No need."
Jiang Beiran waved his hand.
"Dispose of the body and tell the broker the transaction went smoothly. Pay him his fee."
Jiang Beiran was certain Feng Yingcai had acted purely on impulse. Had he left any contingency with the broker, the system’s warnings would have appeared long ago.
"Understood."
Bowing respectfully, Gu Qinghuan moved to inspect Feng Yingcai’s corpse for valuables. Retrieving a new straw hat from his Universe Ring, Jiang Beiran crouched by the spirit-rich flower bed, carefully uprooting a few orchids before planting the Thunder Spirit Flowers he had brought. To his surprise, even after patting the soil firmly around the new plants, no system notifications appeared.
‘Does this mean planting Thunder Spirit Flowers here won’t attract troublesome phenomena like it would in the Heart Returning Sect?’
Nodding silently, Jiang Beiran sprinkled Black Scale Powder into the soil as usual. Some time later, Gu Qinghuan approached and handed over a Universe Ring.
"Senior Brother, all the valuables from this thief are inside. Please inspect them."
After a cursory glance into the ring, Jiang Beiran replied disinterestedly, "Keep them for future trades. Also, go recruit some stewards and servants."
"Understood. I’ll handle it immediately."
"Go ahead. I’ll wait here."
Once Gu Qinghuan left, Jiang Beiran continued planning how to utilize this spirit-rich land. --- Arriving at Golden Jade Town’s market, Gu Qinghuan quickly located the broker listening to storytelling in a teahouse and led him to a quiet alley.
"Here. My elder brother was very satisfied with your information."
Accepting the cloth bag Gu Qinghuan tossed over, Xiong Ba nearly went blind from the gleam of silver inside.
"Many thanks, Master Gu! I knew trusting you was the right choice!"
Stowing the bag in his robes, Xiong Ba bowed repeatedly.
"One more thing—I need reliable stewards and servants. Got any leads?"
"Of course! You’ve come to the right person! Give me an hour, and I’ll have a whole houseful for you to pick from!"
"Good. Get to it. I’ll wait at the teahouse."
"Absolutely! Just you wait!"
Xiong Ba scampered off eagerly. True to his word, Xiong Ba returned in under an hour.
"Master Gu, I’ve gathered all the stewards and servants you asked for. Shall we take a look now?"
Setting down his teacup, Gu Qinghuan nodded and followed Xiong Ba to a dilapidated warehouse. Before opening the door, Xiong Ba whispered, "Master Gu, inside you’ll find hardworking laborers, experienced stewards, and some real lookers… heh. Take your pick!"
With that, he flung the door open and barked, "Look alive! Your future master is here—show some respect!"
"Greetings, Young Master!"
Over twenty voices chorused from inside. After scanning the crowd briefly, Gu Qinghuan stopped before a delicate young woman who looked like she could melt hearts. This drew quiet sighs from some of the other maidservants.
Tch.
Of course this little temptress would get picked. Disgusting—what an act! Just because she’s pretty—shouldn’t she be some official’s concubine instead of stealing our jobs?
Hah. Men.
The young woman, seeing Gu Qinghuan pause before her, immediately curtsied.
"This humble girl—" But before she could finish, Gu Qinghuan said, "Stand over there."
Blinking in confusion, the girl followed his finger.
"Young Master means…?"
"That corner."
After another pause, realization dawned—this must mean she’d been chosen! Delighted, she bowed repeatedly.
"Yes, Young Master!" before scurrying to the designated spot.
Gu Qinghuan then selected several more pretty young women, directing them all to the same corner. This only reinforced the chosen girls’ belief that they’d been picked, each beaming and bowing profusely. Meanwhile, the rejected laborers and maids couldn’t help thinking: This wasn’t about hiring servants at all—he’s just here for fun!
After selecting the last girl, Gu Qinghuan told Xiong Ba, "I’ll fetch my elder brother. Keep watch here." Though puzzled why such a trivial matter required the young master’s personal attention, Xiong Ba naturally kept his thoughts to himself, nodding obsequiously.
"Of course! Leave it to me!"
With a nod, Gu Qinghuan left the warehouse and returned to the estate. Jiang Beiran was just refining the Spirit Perception Formation in the courtyard when Gu Qinghuan called from the main hall: "Senior Brother." Stowing his talismans, Jiang Beiran entered.
"Done already?"
"Yes. The candidates are ready."
"Good. Lead the way."
(End of Chapter)