Lin Huanhuan frowned slightly and quickly lifted her leg, using the sole of her shoe to block Huyan Yazhi’s face, stopping her attempt to grab her thigh.
“Just say what you have to say. What do you mean by I’m in trouble? Also, stay away from me. You’ve ruined my good mood. Do you believe I’ll beat you up in a bit?” Lin Huanhuan said with an unpleasant expression.
“Got it, Boss. I’ll explain right away. Please don’t be angry.”
Despite being treated this way, Huyan Yazhi didn’t mind at all. She casually wiped her face, then smiled and began to explain:
“Boss Huanhuan, it’s like this. You know that talent-testing business I’ve been developing, right?”
As Huyan Yazhi spoke, Lin Huanhuan finally started to understand the whole story.
It turned out that after working for Lin Huanhuan for free for over half a month, Huyan Yazhi had returned to Formation Peak and began planning how to earn Spirit Stones.
First, she rented a small area near Formation Peak to use as a venue. Then she had it nicely renovated and even hired a few workers to help. Once everything was ready, she started the business.
At the beginning, everything went smoothly. Thanks to the guidance she had received from Lin Huanhuan, Huyan Yazhi’s services weren’t limited to talent testing. She also offered fortune telling for marriage, fortune telling for luck, and even free psychological counseling, along with some leisure and entertainment spaces.
Knowing the value of long-term gains, she didn’t set high prices. Instead, she kept them very affordable—just a few to ten Spirit Stones per test, with various perks included.
The results were naturally gratifying. In less than a month, she had directly earned over 3,000 Spirit Stones—more than some small families could earn in a whole year.
One couldn’t help but marvel that young cultivators’ Spirit Stones were indeed easy to earn, faster even than robbery!
But the good times didn’t last. Just when Huyan Yazhi thought she could smoothly earn an endless supply of Spirit Stones, trouble appeared.
First, some wretched person reported her, claiming that she was running a cult ritual there and that she might even be a spy from the Demonic Path.
‘What a joke? How could I possibly be a spy planted by the Demonic Path? The Demonic Path isn’t as great as this place!’
However, the disciples from the Punishment Hall who came to investigate didn’t want to hear her excuses. They directly took her away for questioning. The venue was temporarily sealed with an order to suspend operations and provide all sorts of certifications that she had never even heard of.
By the time she finally extricated herself from the Punishment Hall’s entanglement, half a month had passed. With such a long shutdown, she had no idea how many Spirit Stones she had lost. Her heart ached terribly!
But that wasn’t the end.
When she returned to her venue, she was shocked to discover that right across from them, another almost identical venue had sprung up out of nowhere. It did almost the same business, and the disciples who should have come to her establishment had all flocked to the other side.
This scene struck her no less than losing her Formation Flags. After searching everywhere, she found the remains of her flags in a trash pile, clearly used harshly by someone else, then thrown away like garbage after they broke.
‘This is practically the peak of NTR!’
“Despicable thief! That was the fruit of my hard work!”
But when she went across to confront them, she didn’t even see the owner. The front desk blocked her, sneered coldly, and then threw her out.
For a moment, she felt abandoned by the whole world. But she didn’t give up. Soon, she thought of Lin Huanhuan and came to find her.
“Boss Huanhuan, you have to save me. I can’t lose that venue. Besides, half of it is yours—I’ll give you half of the profits. If I lose it, you won’t get any money either.”
Huyan Yazhi pleaded, as if afraid of being rejected, her tone carrying a hint of threat but still very humble—a stark contrast to her usual self.
Lin Huanhuan waved her hand impatiently:
“Alright, alright, stop wailing. I get it. I’ll definitely help you.”
Only then did Huyan Yazhi stop making noise and said urgently:
“Boss Huanhuan, when are we going to deal with them? Those guys were way too arrogant. When they kicked me out, they insulted me and even said disrespectful things—outrageous!”
“Damn it, I’m a disciple of Formation Peak! How dare they treat me like this? Boss Huanhuan, I’m under your protection. How they treated me is a slap in your face—they don’t take you seriously at all!”
“Damn it, if we don’t make them pay, more people might follow suit, and your reputation in the sect will be ruined!”
After a mix of coaxing and threats, she first put a high hat on Lin Huanhuan and forcibly tied this matter to her reputation.
That way, to avoid losing face, Lin Huanhuan would have no choice but to grit her teeth and handle whatever came.
Although she knew she had been slightly manipulated, Lin Huanhuan wasn’t angry.
This was nothing; she knew exactly what kind of person Huyan Yazhi was. Not stabbing her in the back was already an improvement.
“Interesting. So you even dare to put me on the spot, huh?”
“Not at all, not at all. I’m just stating the facts. My admiration for you, Boss Huanhuan, is as endless as a river.”
“Hmph, fine. As the saying goes, ‘Even beating a dog requires checking its owner.’ Since they slapped you, if I don’t step in, it would be my fault.”
“Ah, were you calling me a dog?”
…
Lin Huanhuan stepped inside and felt a strange aura wash over her, calming her mind.
Huyan Yazhi quickly explained:
“There’s always Calming Incense burning here to aid cultivation. It helps clear the mind without making you fall asleep easily.”
“I see.”
Lin Huanhuan nodded and looked up. She saw several employees inside packing things up, as if they were about to disband. One of them looked somewhat familiar to her.
Huyan Yazhi was stunned and rushed forward, snatching their bundles and throwing them on the ground, scolding:
“What do you think you’re doing? Who allowed you to leave?”
Ling Dongdong frowned:
“Why would we stay here if we’re not leaving? Wasting time? Anyone with eyes can see that this place is doomed to close down.”
“Huyan Yazhi, you’ve been set up. It’s over. I suggest you give up on this place too. If you wait any longer, it’ll be too late to back out.”