Ji Shiyu tiptoed closer, marveling at the lush growth of the vast spirit garden.
She was truly awestruck.
Right now, Huangmao wasn’t a fool anymore, the math was simple: on average, each first-rank spirit herb handed over to an Elixir Cultivator could be exchanged for dozens of Spirit Stones in profit.
So just how much money could this enormous herb garden make?
Wait a minute, didn’t that mean all these Spirit Stones were basically being taken right out of her own pocket?
She remembered how, back in the day, the boy in the Pharmacy couldn’t even scrape together two hundred.
This is all my Jiangshan…!
At this thought, Ji Shiyu’s mood grew even more complicated.
She felt like she’d been robbed again. She really wanted to ask if she had a share in this land Yun Liu had contracted.
“If you step on anything and break it, you’ll have to pay up.”
A white-clad youth, a blade of grass between his lips, lay sunning himself by the lakeside.
He didn’t even turn his head, but his divine sense had already picked up on the unexpected visitor.
The “spiritual shareholder” awkwardly withdrew her foot and began to look curiously around.
Someone had even made four Wood Puppets holding wooden swords and set them to patrol the area.
They were pretty useful for scaring off any Demonic Spirits who accidentally wandered in through the Mountain Gate.
Ao Tian grew more and more alarmed as she watched.
This spirit garden was arranged according to the cycle of the Five Elements, containing the subtle mysteries of the Array Dao—hidden traps everywhere.
He even knows Formation Techniques!?
“What are you doing here? Did business come to the Store?”
Yun Liu glanced over.
Ji Shiyu was wearing her Chick Daisy Work Uniform.
When she wasn’t talking, she was actually quite easy on the eyes, but she didn’t really fit in with this Immortal Sect Herb Garden.
“Qin Sister called me to help.”
“You?”
The youth’s expression turned mocking, a smile playing at his lips.
“Yeah, me! What about it!”
Ji Shiyu puffed out her chest in defiance, but she was lacking in confidence inside.
Yun Liu stroked his chin and, whether intentionally or not, glanced at Ao Tian in the Huangmao Chicken Nest, a subtle, meaningful smile on his face, as if plotting something.
“Alright, go over there and loosen up the soil, weed the Mushitou Fruit patch. If you mess anything up, you pay a hundred times its value.”
“What? Why don’t you just rob me instead!”
“Wrong. This is better than robbery. How dare you come to me without bringing money? You must be full and bored.”
Some mistakes couldn’t be repeated.
“What are you afraid of? Show your hard-earned results to your Sworn Father!”
Ao Tian kept chattering, fanning the flames.
“Who—who says I’m scared!”
Ji Shiyu muttered curses under her breath.
The same chicken tactics always worked on her. She kicked off her shoes and stepped barefoot into the greenhouse, moving with extreme caution.
Now, Spirit Stones were her lifeline!
Yun Liu shook his head and dozed off for a while.
When he woke up, he found that Huangmao, whom he’d expected to give up quickly, was still busy inside, her golden hair shining under the sun, sweat pouring down her face.
“Heave-ho… heave-ho…”
Ji Shiyu followed instructions, imitating a certain someone’s movements, imagining that what she held in her hands wasn’t vines and weeds but a maiden’s soft hands.
She treated the spirit herbs with extreme gentleness, careful and light.
Yun Liu watched thoughtfully.
These days, someone had been especially diligent, learning from the Senior Sisters how to blend spirit herbs and understand their properties.
She still made plenty of mistakes and ruined lots of herbs, but she’d improved a lot.
After finishing the weeding, Ji Shiyu returned to the lakeside, nervous and fidgeting, rubbing her muddy hands together.
She was covered in dirt, her long legs muddy, which reminded someone of that night they’d bathed together, making him laugh out loud.
“What are you laughing at? Do I owe you more money now!”
“Nothing, not bad at all.”
Finally receiving a proper compliment, Ji Shiyu breathed a sigh of relief, secretly delighted, thinking her work for the day was done.
But Yun Liu spoke again, giving new instructions: “Go, over there—those are Redheart Grass. Their roots spread and easily tangle together. You need to cut apart the entangled parts, but don’t damage the main veins.”
“Huh? More work? Please, spare me, Senior Brother!”
“I’m a fair person. You get what you pay for. From now on, you can come here to tend the herbs when you have time—no more chores. I’ll pay you a hundred a day, paid on the spot.”
The honest farm owner showed a “kind” smile, playing at being a cheerful farmer boss.
It was as if he’d hired a down-on-her-luck Mystic Maiden as an employee—quite the status symbol.
“One…hundred!?”
Wow, a hundred a day, and paid immediately!
Did she hear that right?
The girl’s starry eyes sparkled, her ahoge twirling with excitement.
That meant she could earn next semester’s tuition and more in just a month.
Wuwuwu, Oily Boy really does love me after all!
Not only did he keep my mouth, he even wants to keep me here at any cost.
Wait, isn’t this my money?
Using my own money to hire me to work—so that means…
I’m hiring myself?
The “idiot Mystic Maiden” thought she’d found a loophole and quickly arrived at this unbeatable conclusion.
Thinking about it this way, it didn’t seem like she was losing out at all.
Far from losing out—she’d gotten a Heaven-grade Foundation Establishment Pill from Oily Boy for free! That was a huge profit!
So here’s the real question: if the Contractor isn’t losing, and Hei Nu isn’t losing, then who is?
Ji Shiyu fell into a brainstorm.
“Here.”
Yun Liu rummaged through his storage pouch and placed it directly on the ground, indicating that she could take it after finishing her work.
Compared to the returns, hiring an underage (female) worker was just a drop in the bucket, and saved a lot of trouble. In the end, it was Qin Sister who’d thought it through.
“Night Fragrance Girl, are you taking the job or not?”
He shouldn’t have brought it up—mentioning it just made Huangmao angry.
The genius beauty sword immortal was definitely not “Night Fragrance Girl”!
“Damn! Fine, I’ll do it! Damn you!”
Ji Shiyu gritted her teeth.
She didn’t care anymore—she had to earn back the money she’d been cheated out of, no matter what.
She charged in with her muddy legs.
In just a few days, Huangmao’s unusual mindset had been twisted into that of a normal person, suffering all the hardships of life.
No snacks to eat, no spirit herbs to buy, her cultivation lagging behind, and her Sword way was getting trounced.
The down-on-her-luck Mystic Maiden was transforming into her Sworn Father’s full-time, obedient daughter.
Her top priority was now making money, and she’d completely forgotten about Fortune.
This time, the descended Mystic Maiden really had fallen into the mortal world.
Watching the once-glorious and beautiful Gao Tian Young Lady crawling and rolling in the mud like a village girl, having fun and working hard, every inch of her from hair to toes was turning into Yun Liu’s shape.
Some background NPC actually felt a perverse sense of accomplishment?
Lord Ao Tian stood atop a patrolling Wood Puppet, wanting to laugh but unable to, holding it in and egging her on.
“Amazing, you found them even though they were so well hidden. That’s just like you.”
She’s just a silly three-year-old—praise her a bit, smack her, then give her a candy.
Yun Liu seemed to have taught Ao Tian’s mama the “right” way to handle a rebellious daughter.
“Hmph, of course! These shameless Redheart Grass even dared to flirt right in front of me. Did they think I wouldn’t see them just because they buried themselves in the soil? No way! How could they escape my genius divine sense! I will absolutely earn this hundred, and there’s no way Oily Boy will have any excuse to dock my pay!”
So this is your reason for working hard for your boss to buy a new car (sword) and house (mountain)?
“Very good. Work hard until you can’t, struggle until you move yourself to tears!”
“Thank you, Ao Tian, I will!”
For the farm-boss Sworn Father’s “lie flat” plan, Huangmao worked herself to the bone, full of positive energy.
Master and servant shouted slogans, spreading traditional virtues and fine spirit, personally experiencing the glorious nature of labor over and over.
Their voices could be heard all the way from the village entrance, and even Yun Liu was a little moved.
As the sun set in the west, when Ji Shiyu finished dealing with the last Redheart Grass, her back was so sore she could barely straighten up.
She looked like a radish pulled from the ground, with only a pair of dazzling starry eyes left.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Yun Liu checked her work—the results were unexpectedly good—so he added ten extra Spirit Stones as a tip, giving a thumbs up to the artisan.
He had to admit, this was the most comfortably he’d ever spent a day lying down.
His afternoon nap lasted until dusk—complete satisfaction.
Yun Liu stretched, just about to head to the Store for a stroll, when Ji Shiyu reached out and poked his shoulder.
The little mud girl shyly wiped the dust from her face, blushing as she looked over.
“Senior Brother Yun—no, Big Brother Yun, I, um, so…”
“What now?”
Guu…!
Huangmao’s flat little stomach growled.
She stuck out her tongue, her true colors revealed.
“I remember the job posting said meals and lodging were included, right?”
“That’s…right.”
Yun Liu crossed his arms, frowning.
Although that was true, there was something off about the sly smile on the yellow-haired girl’s face.
No choice, the boy cooked a bowl of noodles, sliced some ham, sprinkled in green onions and seasonings, and made a quick dinner.
Same noodles, but Ji Shiyu’s bowl was served in a basin, while Yun Liu only ate a few bites before putting down his bowl—his weak body had little appetite.
Dirty Huangmao squatted on the ground, eating plain noodles with gusto as if she were a little wild yellow animal just out of the woods.
“Are you full?”
Ji Shiyu’s eyes darted around, eating from her bowl while eyeing someone else’s.
The youth shook his head, and brought out a few servings of experimental feed from the hut.
The wild yellow pig was tamed in an instant, so tasty it nearly made her cry.
Yun Liu recorded all the test subject’s performances and feedback.
The finished products that Huangmao ate without any reaction were mostly sent to the Shanhai Pavilion Kanban Girl for tasting.
The enthusiastic replies said the results were excellent, with outstanding combat boost effects and high demand.
“Then I won’t be polite!”
Ji Shiyu patted her belly, licked her lips, sat up straight, and finished everything in the blink of an eye, even slurping down Yun Liu’s bowl, looking expectant.
“Go on, there’s no more!”
Yun Liu waved his hand irritably.
This Hei Nu was good at everything except that she ate too much.
Clearly, Ao Tian’s path as a protagonist was a tough one.
As night fell, a Spirit Earth Mouse by the lake caught the scent of fruit and tried to sneak into the herb garden under cover of darkness.
Yun Liu casually picked up a stick and threw it.
Whoosh!
It shot out like a spear, embedding deeply in the ground.
The mouse was so scared it tunneled away.
Ji Shiyu, thoughtful, brought up the question from the morning lesson, recalling Qin Sister’s words.
For once, she adopted a humble attitude and sincerely asked for advice.
“Why is it that when you use the same sword technique, you can break Senior Sister Jing Tan’er’s moves, but when I use it, I get blown away by her Sword Sweeping Form? What did you tell her?”
Ao Tian perked up her ears.
“Is it possible that the problem lies with you, not her?”
“Me?”
Yun Liu sneered, “Your reverse grip is weak, your forward grip is unskilled, your footwork is sloppy, your reactions are slow—none of your moves are up to standard. Without Starburst Dash’s overclocked boost, you’d be full of holes.”
This was the most honest opinion from a background NPC, with no personal bias.
Ji Shiyu was far stronger than her peers, but to the inner sect disciples, she was still just a Sword way novice.