In the world of cultivation, one grinds for proficiency and longevity.

It was late at night, and Zhou Ruoyun had already gone to sleep. Because of the protective array outside and because she didn't consider Chen Changqing an outsider, she was almost sleeping naked.

"Ruoyun..."

Chen Changqing called out as he entered Zhou Ruoyun's room.

Ok?

How did you fall asleep without turning off the lights?

Chen Changqing was about to leave, thinking that he could talk about it tomorrow.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Ruoyun, who wasn't sleeping deeply, woke up immediately.

"Changqing...this is the first time you've taken the initiative to come to me, I'm so happy!"

Zhou Ruoyun threw off the covers and jumped up.

Without saying a word, she pounced on Chen Changqing and took what she wanted.

"I...that's not what I meant..."

After thinking it over, Chen Changqing decided not to say those hurtful words.

Faced with such a proactive and alluring beauty, all he could do was respond, respond, and respond again.

Another night of spring colors...

……

"Ruoyun, you'd better make a breakthrough in the next couple of days!" Chen Changqing said seriously after getting dressed.

"Why do you say that? Did you discover something?" Zhou Ruoyun gently hugged someone from behind.

"That Manager Wu was sent by the masked man who tried to assassinate you!"

"What!" Zhou Ruoyun exclaimed in disbelief. "Changqing, how did you find out?"

"Little one, come down here." Chen Changqing beckoned to Black Widow.

hiss~

Black Widow was very obedient; she leaped from the sky and landed steadily in Chen Changqing's palm.

The Black Widow, who had landed, tilted her head at Zhou Ruoyun, which could be considered a cute greeting.

"A spider? No! This is a Demon Kiss Spider, the eleventh on the 'List of Deadly Poisons'?" Zhou Ruoyun recognized the creature and instinctively stepped back.

[Fairy sister, don't be afraid, I've even helped you absorb it...]

Chen Changqing flicked its little head, signaling it not to continue.

Don't worry, little master, I can only communicate with you.

Then I'm relieved.

"Don't be afraid, it's very obedient."

Chen Changqing stretched out his hands and opened his palms. "Come on, give me a demonstration."

Black Widow understood immediately, raising her feet and curling into a ball, eventually performing a spider dance.

"So cute." Soon enough, Zhou Ruoyun relaxed her guard, even letting it climb onto her palm. "Did it discover something?"

"That's right. When it went out to forage, it smelled the same poison you were given last time, and when it followed it, it found that the masked man had been talking to Manager Wu."

"It seems I need to break through in the next couple of days. You hurt him to save me, and I believe he will never let you off the hook!" Zhou Ruoyun said with a solemn yet determined expression.

Chen Changqing felt a warmth in his heart: "Do you have a Limit Breaking Pill? If not, there's no need to rush."

That person has temporarily left the market.

Although Zhou Ruoyun has already stepped into the seventh level of Qi Refining, as a person with four spiritual roots, she still needs at least two or three years of arduous cultivation to break through.

The Breakthrough Pill can increase the success rate of mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators in advancing to the late stage. One pill is worth about five hundred spirit stones, but such pills are generally monopolized by sects and few enter the market. Ordinary people cannot buy them even if they have money.

Zhou Ruoyun rummaged through her storage bag and poured out two dark red pills. "I don't have any. But I do have two Breakthrough Pills."

"That won't do. The success rate is too low, and it's easy to damage your foundation." Fearing she would take it impulsively, Chen Changqing snatched it away. "I'll keep it for you for now."

"What should we do?" Zhou Ruoyun asked anxiously. "Should we notify the family's higher-ups?"

Her cultivation was not weak, and she believed that with the Giant Strength Talisman on her body, she could fight against the late stage of Qi Refining. In fact, she was worried about Chen Changqing, whose cultivation was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

"This is not good! If the clan's higher-ups come, we'll be safe, but that also means we're exposed and won't be able to find out their plans and objectives!"

After Chen Changqing and Zhou Ruoyun had a relationship, he unknowingly began to think about Zhou Ruoyun's family.

Immediately, Chen Changqing added, "How about this? Let's change our previous plan and go all out against him!"

"How do you play?" Zhou Ruoyun's curiosity was piqued.

"Accept all of Manager Wu's orders and find out exactly what they're up to."

"Changqing, are you crazy? If we can't finish on time, the penalty for breach of contract is five times the amount!"

"I'm not really agreeing, listen to me..."

It turns out that Chen Changqing had come into contact with a type of ink while he was in the gang. He could use tools to adjust the ink concentration and control the writing so that it would completely disappear after a few days or a month or two, making it impossible to guard against.

"When the time comes, we'll use this ink to sign the contract with Manager Wu and screw them over!"

"That's really ruthless! But that's the kind of thing you should do when dealing with bad people!"

……

Two days later, at the appointed time, Chen Changqing did not send Zhou Ruoyun over for safety reasons. He believed that Manager Wu would come to Baiyun Talisman Shop on his own if he couldn't wait any longer.

Sure enough, he arrived before noon.

The moment Shopkeeper Wu stepped halfway into the talisman shop, a spider, its body as black as ink, vanished swiftly from the rooftop...

"Oh dear, Manager Wu, we've decided to accept half of your order and are already working on the fireball talismans. We're so sorry to have troubled you to come all this way again," Zhou Ruoyun said with a smile.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm already extremely grateful that Miss Zhou can help me with my worries. It's only right that I make a few more trips." Manager Wu chuckled, revealing his signature kind and understanding smile.

Xiaoyue, unaware of the situation, genuinely believed he was a kind person and warmly welcomed him with fine tea and delicious fruits, afraid of neglecting this generous "god of wealth".

After Zhou Ruoyun signed the contract using the ink and inkpad prepared by Chen Changqing, Manager Wu finally put away his smile and said in a rather serious tone:

"Miss Zhou, it's all clearly written in black and white: please send someone to deliver 200 mid-grade fireball talismans to me within one month. Otherwise, you'll have to pay a penalty of five times the amount, totaling 2000 spirit stones!"

"Don't worry, Manager Wu, we're sure to make a profit from these spirit stones."

"Great, great, I love energetic young people like you!"

……

……

About an hour later, in a dilapidated house deep in West Street.

"Did they agree?" the masked man asked.

"Yes, sir, it's agreed." Manager Wu bowed. "Show me the contract signed with Zhou Ruoyun."

The masked man took the contract, glanced at it, and, confirming the matter was settled, returned it to Manager Wu. "Manager Wu, you've done a great job. Also, regarding the matter the Ning family entrusted to you..."

"Don't worry, sir, we will deliver the goods on time."

"Okay. Go ahead..."

"Yes."

……

"Now we just wait for news from that traitor..."

……

……

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Cut it.

Issues unrelated to grades.

It's only now, as I've written this, that I've realized the book has major problems with its logic, settings, and character development. It simply doesn't justify my writing being long. [No wonder fellow readers are criticizing me; I really deserve it!]

I'm truly sorry to the editor who signed me to a contract, and to the readers who have been following my work.

Thanks to my beloved broadcasting, I've grown a lot.

See you in the next book.