Before dawn, the Cleaners’ team returned to Shanghai.
He Xiaotian and the three Spiritual Qi moochers hitched a ride, leaving behind the Divine Void Temple, which was now a thing of the past.
Of course, the old Taoist priest had more or less forgiven He Xiaotian.
No matter how you looked at it, the Netherworld Fissure had been saved.
A Taoist temple, despite its great historical value, was nothing in comparison.
The benefits generated by this fissure were immense.
And as time went on, those benefits would snowball, growing larger and larger.
Until they reached a terrifying scale.
So Shouyangzi found himself in a difficult position.
Even waiving the debt of twelve hundred Spiritual Energy Crystals wouldn’t be nearly enough compensation.
He decided to let He Xiaotian go about his business for now. He would discuss the matter with the Taoist Alliance and come up with an offer that would satisfy both sides.
The old priest hadn’t anticipated any of this at the start.
He Xiaotian had demonstrated extraordinary combat prowess time and again, but the priest had never considered him to be on the same level as the Paperman family.
’I thought this gang of wreath-sellers wouldn’t retaliate so quickly.’
’Who would’ve thought they’d be this fast!’
’He Xiaotian had been gone for less than two days, and they’d already shown up to attack.’
What was even more dumbfounding was that after Shouyangzi heard the hyped-up account from the three Spiritual Qi moochers, he was left completely stunned.
’You kill people several times faster than they can even gather their forces!’
And so, he found himself in his current dilemma.
’It’s such a headache. If I give too much, the higher-ups at the Taoist Alliance will definitely be unhappy. They’ll just screech about how I’m disgracing the dignity of the Taoist Sect.’
’But if I give He Xiaotian too little, he’ll show up with his hammer. Won’t I be in a real bind then?’
"Damn it all! If they give me a hard time again, I’ll just f*cking gift the Netherworld Fissure to X. Then, let’s see who’s got the balls to come and take it!" Shouyangzi said, his voice laced with irritable frustration.
The junior brother standing beside him, who had a red beard and hair: "..."
’You really know how to screw people over. A powerhouse who can unleash a Wolf-level disaster with a single blow... Unless half of the Taoist Sect’s Eight Great Dharma Protectors show up...’
’...they wouldn’t even be enough for him to handle with one hand!!’
Meanwhile, in the custom SUV, the three Spiritual Qi moochers were clearly reluctant to leave the Divine Void Temple, which had been turned into a giant crater.
’The Netherworld Fissure!’
’If we stayed just a few more days, our items could have undergone a transformation.’
Unfortunately, the thing wasn’t theirs.
Now that the rightful owners were back, they couldn’t just shamelessly keep mooching.
The man’s temple had been turned into a crater. If they kept hanging around, wouldn’t that just be rubbing salt in the wound?
Besides, they were now more worried about their livelihood.
Every last one of them was broke; their pockets were cleaner than their faces.
And so, their gazes fell in unison upon He Xiaotian.
"???"
He Xiaotian was completely bewildered. ’What the hell is with those lovey-dovey looks?’
"Boss, we’re counting on you from now on," the most thick-skinned of them, the Magician, declared. The other two nodded vigorously.
"..."
He was about to refuse, but then an idea struck him.
’I definitely can’t stay at that so-called martial arts academy all day. It might be necessary to grab a few lackeys to keep an eye on those little brats who are about to become my disciples.’
After some thought, He Xiaotian said slowly, "It’s not out of the question for you to work for me. But can you guarantee you’ll do as you’re told?"
He didn’t like people who were too wild; one of those was enough.
The three of them nodded in unison, afraid he would change his mind.
’A golden goose this fat... if we don’t latch on now, when will we get another chance?’
Once they entered the Shanghai urban area, He Xiaotian told the driver to stop and got out of the car.
With a wave of his hand, he left the Cleaners with nothing but the sight of his broad back as he walked away.
The former trio of Spiritual Qi moochers, now X’s loyal lackeys, followed close behind him.
Since they had decided to work for He Xiaotian, they had to commit to being good little suck-ups.
The four of them found a hotel and checked in.
If He Xiaotian had been alone, he would have gone home, of course.
But unfortunately, he now had three underlings in tow.
’Besides, you can’t be too stingy with your own people.’
’I’ll need their help in the future, after all!’
So He Xiaotian bit the bullet and splurged over a thousand yuan on two rooms.
"You guys get some rest. The day after tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to a job where you can get paid to beat people up." As he finished speaking, He Xiaotian pushed open the door to his own room and went inside.
Hearing this, the trio’s eyes lit up. They immediately bowed deeply and said in loud voices, "Thank you, Boss!"
It was a good thing it was late at night and there were no staff around.
Otherwise, they might have been mistaken for some kind of gang boss!
He Xiaotian took a comfortable shower, then lay down on the bed and took his phone out of his storage space.
’I haven’t been home in a while. My family is probably worried sick!’
He first sent a text to let them know he was safe.
After that, he opened a shopping app.
[Once Dreamed of Roaming the World with a Sword]: "Shopkeeper, you there? I need a few manuals. Reply ASAP."
DING-DONG!
The shopkeeper, who had just spent half the night ’battling’ with his wife, heard the notification and groggily opened his eyes.
"Who the hell is messaging me in the middle of the—"
But when he swiped his phone open and saw it was his number one client, his drowsiness instantly vanished.
’This guy is a huge customer. Whether or not I can buy a house in Shanghai depends entirely on him!’
[I Don’t Sell Fake Manuals, I Sell Antiques]: "Sir, I’m here, I’m here. What kind of manuals are you looking for? If they aren’t too expensive, I’ll give them to you for free."
Just polite talk, of course, but it had to be said.
[Once Dreamed of Roaming the World with a Sword]: "I need a martial art that can bolster a person’s Qi and Blood. It should also make the body incredibly tough, fearless against ordinary blades and axes. Oh, and I almost forgot, the results have to be fast, and the aptitude requirements can’t be too high. I don’t want something that takes decades to master. Not everyone is a martial arts prodigy like me."
After reading the message, the shopkeeper sucked his teeth in frustration.
’This guy’s a real piece of work.’
’Calling himself a "martial arts prodigy," of all things!’
’But these conditions he’s laid out... this is asking for the impossible.’
’It has to strengthen Qi and Blood, make you invulnerable, be fast to cultivate, and have low aptitude requirements.’
’The first two are hard enough, but the last two are just ridiculous!’
’From the sound of it, my number one client wants to teach other people!’
’Damn it, if someone gets hurt practicing this, am I going to get beaten to death?’
[I Don’t Sell Fake Manuals, I Sell Antiques]: "Da—... I mean, dear customer, your request is a little difficult."
[Once Dreamed of Roaming the World with a Sword]: "Cut the crap. Find what I need, and I’ll make it worth your while."
’You got it!’
’That’s what I was waiting to hear!’
Ignoring his muttering wife, the shopkeeper rolled out of bed and got to work.
As for He Xiaotian... he fell asleep.
What could he do? The customer is always king.
Early the next morning, the shopkeeper, holding four manuals, yawned, sporting two dark circles under his eyes.
After several hours of searching, not a single manual had met all the requirements.
In the end, he could only pick out a few that partially fit the bill and present them to his number one client for a final decision.
[I Don’t Sell Fake Manuals, I Sell Antiques]: "Dear customer, after searching all night, these are the manuals that best fit your conditions. I’m so sorry, but a four-in-one is just too difficult. This humble servant is simply not capable!"