Immortality Cultivation: Fellow Daoists, please live for two more episodes!

To choose a business, you must first choose a person.

To ensure the fire doesn't reach him, he first needs to hide himself and not act rashly.

Lin Qiusheng was merely a puppet; he could stand and open his mouth but couldn't fight.

If this business is to really succeed, there needs to be a quick-witted, well-connected person who can stand up for him and protect him.

Zhou Youyuan pulled a black leather booklet from his pocket. The cover was worn and frayed, and there wasn't a single word on it.

It was the book that was found at the very bottom of Sun Youde's storage bag.

He flipped through the book three times in the stone chamber, memorizing each name one by one, and finally picked out only one.

Page 6, line 3 of the booklet: "Purchasing materials for battle and transporting them to the market, reward: four taels of spiritual essence."

Sun Youde added another note: "Qiu Wu is clean-handed and can keep accurate accounts; he can be used for a long time."

Zhou Youyuan wasn't interested in Sun Youde and Qiu Wu's bad debts, but rather in Qiu Wu himself.

He's good at accounting and also has some insider knowledge.

The ledger provided him with a convenient excuse to make Qiu Wu obey.

It was an afternoon about two months ago when Zhou Youyuan asked Lin Qiusheng to take the copy to the market to ambush people. They found them at a tea stall behind Wanbaoge.

This short man had a pointed mouth and monkey-like face, and his small eyes looked like he was always calculating accounts.

Most importantly, he exudes a vulgar air that even new disciples can detect.

Judging from his speech and manner, he was quick-witted and eloquent; he would definitely be a highly sought-after accountant in any shop in the outer market.

Lin Qiusheng slammed the copy on the table. Qiu Wu glanced down at it, and his lips immediately froze.

The color drained from her face as if someone had ripped it out; her lips trembled slightly, and her hands unconsciously gripped the hem of her dress on her knees.

Zhou Youyuan, immersed in his sea of ​​consciousness, poured words into Lin Qiusheng's mouth one by one through the light screen:

"Sun Youde is dead, and the account book is in my hands. Do you want that big shot above to know how much spiritual essence you poured out for Sun Youde, or do you want to sit down and talk?"

Qiu Wu sat down and never got up again.

Zhou Youyuan's offer was simple: open a shop, lend out points, and split the profits 40/60, with you getting 40% and me getting 60%.

Lin Qiusheng was nominally in charge, while Qiu Wu ran errands. All the tasks that required speaking up, showing his face, or taking the blame for others fell to Qiu Wu.

For a person living in the moonlight, money is more important than life.

Upon hearing the 40/60 split, Qiu Wu's eyes immediately lit up.

After listening to Zhou Youyuan's detailed explanation of the function of points-based loans and how to make money from them, the pale look on her face faded somewhat.

He subconsciously pursed his lips, as if mentally calculating on an abacus, and then nodded.

Three days later, Jucai Pavilion opened, and the shop was rented from an old warehouse in the back alley of Wanbao Pavilion.

Outer disciples who were short of points at the end of the month came to borrow money, and the interest rate was one cent, which was half the rate of those who lent money at exorbitant interest rates in private. The news spread quickly, and within seven days, a line formed in front of the shop.

However, what truly allowed Jucai Pavilion to gain a foothold in the outer sect was not Li Di, but Qiu Wu.

On the ninth day after opening, a local thug named Zhao Si arrived; he was at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

He had three or four cronies working for him, their business being extortion and protection money, and they would demand 30% of the profits without batting an eye.

Qiu Wu, with a forced smile, spent the entire time in the shop trying to reason with Zhao Si, until Zhao Si finally cursed and said "You wait" before leaving.

Qiu Wu turned around and went out the door.

Zhou Youyuan didn't know much else, only that he heard Zhao Si pushed open the cave door the next morning.

An unsigned flying sword was stuck in the ground by the entrance, with the restriction talisman of Luoxia Peak still affixed to its blade. The peak emblem on the talisman glowed with a faint blue light in the morning light.

This is a warning from the inner sect, Luoxia Peak. Everyone in the outer sect knows that Luoxia Peak is very disciplined. The first time is a warning, the second time will cost you your life.

Zhao Si was terrified at the time, and he turned around and closed the door. He never came to Jucai Pavilion again.

Later, Zhou Youyuan, through Lin Qiusheng, contacted Qiu Wu and asked him to do something for him...

I don't know how Qiu Wu operated it. He didn't spend much money from start to finish, but the rumors spread and the story got out of control.

By the second month, a rumor began circulating among the outer disciples: Lin Qiusheng has someone from the inner sect behind him.

In the third month, the statement changed again: Lin Qiusheng was backed by people from Luoxia Peak.

Zhou Youyuan never corrected a single version.

The rumors suggest two signals.

The first warning was for little bastards like Zhao Si: don't mess with Jucai Pavilion, or you'll suffer the consequences. Zhao Si is a prime example.

The second thing Zhou Youyuan really wanted to do was to open the shop. This shop was very profitable, but there was a lot more to it than met the eye.

Little Karami shrank back upon seeing the first challenge, but the truly influential person saw the second.

An outer disciple of unknown origin started a loan business within three months of joining the sect. He offered low interest rates on large loans, kept his accounts clean, and even had a sign from Luoxia Peak hanging behind him.

These kinds of people either have connections of their own or run errands for others; either way, they're worth getting to know.

As long as someone takes the initiative to contact Lin Qiusheng, Zhou Youyuan's net will be cast.

In my previous life, I worked as a financial analyst for over a decade. I didn't accumulate many skills, but I was quite adept at stirring up trouble.

…………

At the eastern end of the outer gate market is Jucai Pavilion.

This is the largest money exchange in the outer gate of Shuiyue. Half a year ago, it was just a small shop selling general merchandise in a corner of the market. Three months ago, it suddenly changed its signboard.

A banner with the words "Turnover" hung at the entrance, indicating that the business mainly involved two types of transactions: points lending and points deposit and exchange.

The business was quiet for the first month after opening, but by the second month, word of mouth spread and the doorstep was almost worn out by customers.

The shop wasn't big. Behind the counter sat a short disciple with a weasel-like face. He was quick-witted and his abacus clicked loudly as he collected spiritual essence and recorded it in the ledger.

There were seven or eight outer disciples lined up at the entrance. Some were carrying magical artifacts to pawn for points, while others were carrying spiritual essences to deposit points and wait for rebates.

The short disciple couldn't handle it alone; sweat beaded on his forehead, and his voice was hoarse as he continued counting.

When Lin Qiusheng entered, the short disciple was explaining the rules to an outer disciple who had come to borrow points:

"...2% monthly interest, interest-free for the first month. Spiritual marrow, magical artifacts, and pills can all be used as collateral. You can choose to use them as collateral or not. If you choose to use them as collateral, you can redeem them after paying off the principal and interest within three months."

"If it's a dead stock, the stuff is ours, you can keep the points, and we're even."

Halfway through his sentence, the short disciple caught a glimpse of Lin Qiusheng standing at the door.

He immediately dropped his abacus, jogged around the counter to greet her, and forced a smile that stretched into three deep wrinkles on his weasel-faced mangled features.

"Brother Qiu Sheng is here! Please come in, have a seat. Your tea is ready. Same as usual today?"

The disciples in line were left standing to the side; someone glared at them, but no one said a word.

After all, everyone knows that the real owner of this shop is not the short guy behind the counter, but the outer disciple in front of him who is said to have connections within the inner sect.

Lin Qiusheng was led to a small cubicle at the back and sat down. Qiu Wu personally brewed a pot of tea and handed it to him, then sat opposite him and reported in a low voice:

"Brother Qiusheng, I've sorted out the accounts for this month: there were 37 new deposit and withdrawal transactions, and a total of 1,600 points were issued in the lending section, with 1,900 points recovered including principal and interest."

"There are two bad debts. One is that Zhao Si, that gambling addict, ran away. I kept the magic artifact that was pledged and resold it for forty points, so it wasn't a loss."

"The other debt is from Liu San Niang. She said she lost an arm during an overseas mission and can't pay it back. Her pill is still pawned with me. Brother Qiu Sheng, what do you think, should we give her a few more days or just pawn it all?"

"You can decide."

After Qiu Wu finished reporting the accounts, he didn't lower his head to fiddle with the abacus as usual. Instead, he rubbed his hands together, looked up, and glanced at Lin Qiusheng.

"Brother Qiusheng, there's something else."

Lin Qiusheng did not answer, a smile on his lips, his eyes were directed in Qiu Wu's direction, but his focus seemed to be on the wall three feet behind him.

Qiu Wu was already used to this behavior and continued speaking to himself:

"Someone from Wanbaoge asked me to pass on a message, saying they want to discuss a business deal with you. It's not a small transaction, but the kind that requires us to sit down and have a proper chat."

Inside the stone chamber, Zhou Youyuan opened his eyes.

After casting the net for so long, fish have finally come.