As soon as Suisui’s doll was taken out, it immediately attracted the attention of the new disciples practicing meditation on the deck. Most of these new disciples were five or six years old—the perfect age for playing. Seeing such a lifelike doll, they couldn’t help but steal several glances.
However, after looking at the doll, they spent more time looking at the child holding it.
They had never seen such a beautiful little sister before. She was fair, tender, and chubby—so exquisitely cute that it made people want to pinch her. Did all children in the cultivation world look like this?
Holding Little Suisui, Suisui saw the older brothers and sisters sitting on the floor looking over. When she spotted a little sister crying, she blinked her eyes and asked Qin Zixun to put her down, then went pitter-pattering over.
“Do you want to hold Little Suisui?”
This was her little partner. Considering the little sister was crying so miserably, she would let her hold it just once—only for a tiny bit.
The little girl looked at the small sister who had suddenly run up to her, blinked her tearful eyes, and shook her head.
Suisui thought that Little Suisui wasn’t liked by other children. She hugged the doll tightly, feeling a bit let down. Then she heard the little sister say, “Can I hug you?”
Suisui’s eyes instantly lit up. She nodded vigorously and happily lunged forward. Then, she directly knocked over the little sister who had been sitting cross-legged.
Witnessing everything, Qin Zixun looked up at the sky.
He couldn’t laugh. No matter how small a girl was, she still needed to save face.
“Sister, Suisui didn’t do it on purpose.” Suisui stood up and hugged Little Suisui tightly, feeling a bit guilty.
It was because the sister was too thin, not because Suisui was fat.
“I don’t blame you. Is your name Suisui? My formal name is Shen Nian, and my nickname is Niannian. You can call me Sister Niannian.”
So children had two names!
Suisui’s eyes darted around. “My formal name… my formal name is Ye Dasui!”
Pfft!
The sound of suppressed laughter broke out continuously from the surrounding area.
Qin Zixun was thoroughly amused. It wasn’t for nothing that he was willing to play with Suisui; this child was simply too entertaining.
“Suisui, is it possible that your formal name is Ye Zhen?” Ye Wan had come over just as she saw Suisui knock down a girl older than her.
She looked at her somewhat chubby daughter and then at the thin, small girl. It wasn’t just “mother-filter”—it really wasn’t that her child was too fat, but that the other children were too thin.
Three or four-year-old children were supposed to have some baby fat; being chubby was what made them cute.
Suisui shook her head in horror, the baby fat on her face trembling. “No Zhen! I want Ye Dasui! Ye Dasui is bigger!”
Ye Wan: “…”
Ye Wan pinched Suisui’s little face. “It’s not the Zhen for needles; it’s the Zhen meaning lush vegetation. Mother hopes Suisui can be like the plants—full of vitality and vigor.”
Suisui furrowed her little brows and raised her short hand high. “Mother, I think Ye Dasui sounds better!”
Ye Wan pressed her short hand down. “You won’t say that once you learn to read.”
Suisui puffed out her cheeks and clenched her fists in persistence. “When I learn to read, I’ll still be called Ye… Da… Sui!”
Ye Wan: “…” This will make it look like your old mother is very uncultured.
“We’ll talk about it after you learn to read. Look, the older brothers and sisters are all meditating. You should join them.” Ye Wan decided it was best to make the little one forget about this for now.
After speaking, Ye Wan looked at Shen Nian, squatting down with a gentle voice. “Your name is Niannian, right? Did your sister hurt you when she bumped into you just now?”
The little girl was wearing coarse cloth clothes that had been washed until they were faded. She likely came from an ordinary family. However, judging by her formal name, Shen Nian, her nickname, Niannian, and her reluctance to leave her family, it seemed the family did not favor boys over girls.
Niannian shook her head quickly.
This older sister was so beautiful—even more beautiful than the wealthy madams she had seen in town. She even squatted down to talk to a child like her, and her voice was so gentle. It dissipated the small amount of fear she felt from leaving home.
“Then how about letting your little sister sit beside you and study cultivation together?”
Shen Nian nodded rapidly and moved to the side, making a larger space for Suisui.
The other children looked at Shen Nian with some envy. The children here were all five years and older, coming from both rich and poor backgrounds. Some simply envied Shen Nian for being able to be with such a cute little sister, while others envied her for having a backer before even entering the sect.
Suisui saw the older brothers and sisters sitting cross-legged on the floor. She knew how to do this; her mother always sat like this, so she had learned it long ago.
Suisui sat down in the spot Niannian had cleared for her. She used her hands to help tuck her left foot, then helped her right foot. She looked quite busy, but unfortunately, her two short legs weren’t very obedient. Just as one was tucked in, the other would spring loose. No matter what, she couldn’t get them to stay together.
A tiny little dumpling in the middle of a group of older children, she tried very hard to cross her two feet. As a result, she wobbled back and forth like a human version of a tumbler toy, looking very conspicuous among the crowd.
The disciple in charge of recruitment watched the little dumpling’s antics, his expression involuntarily softening.
Ye Wan walked over to Qin Zixun’s side. “I have an idea to earn spirit stones. Does Senior Brother Qin want to hear it?”
Qin Zixun glanced around and set up a soundproofing barrier. “Do you want me to sell the Stop-Life Grass for you?”
Ye Wan: “…”
Ye Wan gave him a deep look. “No.”
Qin Zixun arched an eyebrow. She hadn’t directly denied that the Stop-Life Grass was in her hands. It seemed his guess was correct.
“You certainly trust me,” Qin Zixun said with a double meaning.
“Naturally. I lack spirit stones, and Senior Brother Qin is noble, upright, and kind. Seeking a partnership with Senior Brother Qin must be the most correct decision I’ve ever made.” Ye Wan acted as if she didn’t understand what he was implying.
Qin Zixun was almost floating from the praise. “Let’s hear it then.”
He hadn’t initially thought Ye Wan would have any good ideas. However, as Ye Wan laid out her plan, Qin Zixun’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, to the point where he wanted to implement it immediately.
“A great idea! If we really can earn spirit stones, we’ll split it 30/70—30% for you and 70% for me.”
“10/90 is fine—10% for me and 90% for you. Furthermore, I only want a share of the profits from the first phase. If I provide treasures for any subsequent phase, the ratio will reverse: 90% for me and 10% for you.”
Qin Zixun couldn’t help but doubt Ye Wan’s sanity again. Didn’t she say she lacked spirit stones? Why was she pushing them away?
“I’ll take 80% and you take 20%. As long as this business continues, the profit split will remain this way for every phase,” Qin Zixun stated.
As for Ye Wan’s mention of providing treasures, Qin Zixun didn’t think she was overestimating herself. Instead, he felt she was clear-headed and far-sighted.
Luck and opportunity don’t care about your family background; it’s possible for them to fall into anyone’s hands.
“Fine, just for the first phase.” Ye Wan yielded, but not completely.
Qin Zixun had no choice but to agree and immediately swore a Heart Demon Oath with her.
What Ye Wan liked most about the cultivation world was the method of signing agreements—directly swearing a Heart Demon Oath, supervised by the Heavenly Dao, with incredible legal force.
……
When the spirit boat passed Wan Yan City, Ye Wan took Suisui and got off the boat midway under the pretext of shopping.
Qin Zixun seemed to see through what she was planning to do and took out a trump card. “This can deliver a blow to anyone below the Void Refinement stage. If you don’t end up using it, remember to return it to me when you get back.”
Ye Wan hadn’t expected Qin Zixun to be so generous. They were just passing acquaintances, not even close friends, yet he was willing to offer a life-saving item to help.
“Thank you.”
Ye Wan gave Qin Zixun a grateful look, solemnly accepted it, nodded her farewell, and flew away from the spirit boat while holding Suisui.
She would remember this kindness of offering help in a time of need.
Suisui leaned on her mother’s shoulder and waved goodbye to her big buddy until he was out of sight.
……
The Wan Yan Sect had a very grand name, but as it lost one sect competition after another, its ranking had dropped from first to last.
It was said that this was because of an invasion by extraterrestrial entities five thousand years ago. In that great war, other sects had held back, while every single disciple of the Wan Yan Sect had charged out to resist the foreign enemy. In the end, their overall vitality was severely damaged. Other sects relied on their preserved elite seeds to catch up and surpass them. Gradually, the Wan Yan Sect fell to the bottom.
Although the Wan Yan Sect’s strength was currently ranked last, in terms of city GDP, Wan Yan City was ranked first.
This was because Wan Yan City possessed the Guangjiao Pavilion, something no other city had—a place where all cultivators in the Qianyuan Realm could fairly conduct missions, post rewards, and hire others in an integrated trading hub.
This place was co-managed by the major sects. As long as the items you brought out were enticing enough, it was possible to hire even those at the Mahayana stage.
That place was established after the catastrophe five thousand years ago. An Immortal Venerable sent down from the Immortal Realm to repair the interface’s loopholes, considering that there might be leftover extraterrestrial entities, left behind a Mirror of Heart Appraisal to prevent them from making a comeback by using special means that made it impossible to distinguish between gods and ghosts.
The Mirror of Heart Appraisal was comparable to the Heavenly Dao’s interrogation of the heart. Once you stood before it, no falsehood was tolerated. If there was even a hint of insincerity, you would be struck by lightning without negotiation.
At that time, the great war had just ended, and the Qianyuan Realm was still led by the Wan Yan Sect. Since the Wan Yan Sect was the sect that had held back the least during that war, the Immortal Venerable directly fixed the Mirror of Heart Appraisal in Wan Yan City, much to the envy and regret of the other sects.
One could say that the fact that Wan Yan City could still be so lively today, even though the Wan Yan Sect had dropped to the bottom of the rankings, was entirely thanks to the Mirror of Heart Appraisal.
Back then, the various sects felt they couldn’t let this Mirror of Heart Appraisal go to waste—or more bluntly, they couldn’t let the Wan Yan Sect monopolize this benefit. After deliberation, they decided to establish the Guangjiao Pavilion at the site of the Mirror of Heart Appraisal, to be managed by the six major sects. The commissions earned, after deducting operational costs, would be split equally among the sects.
The Sect Master of the Wan Yan Sect was also thick-skinned enough to ask that Immortal Venerable to set up an illusion. Once someone stepped into the Guangjiao Pavilion, their figure would become abstract and blurred, making it impossible to distinguish between male and female. Even a Mahayana cultivator—the highest cultivation level in this world—could not see through it. This largely avoided the risk of customers being exposed.
The Tai Yi Sect had been filled with regret at the time. If they had known that Immortal Venerable was so easy to talk to, they would have suggested moving the Mirror of Heart Appraisal to Tai Yi City.
Now, thousands of years later, the Guangjiao Pavilion had developed into a mature and reliable trading institution.
Initially, the Guangjiao Pavilion only accepted on-site transactions. Later, Wide-Signal Jade Plaques were invented, creating a virtual trading platform. One could post trading information on it. If a transaction was desired, a time could be scheduled to meet on-site for the trade, eliminating the time spent waiting after posting information in person.
In Ye Wan’s view, it was similar to offline trading on a modern second-hand platform, with the difference being that there was a Mirror of Heart Appraisal to ensure authenticity and no fear of being targeted for robbery after the trade.
As for why they didn’t fear the Guangjiao Pavilion misappropriating items, every staff member, including the powerful guarding cultivators, had to swear a Heart Demon Oath. It was so strict that it wasn’t just a matter of their cultivation stagnating; they would be struck by lightning on the spot and their souls would be dissipated.
It was said that a cultivation couple once spent spirit stones to test their sincerity toward each other before the Mirror of Heart Appraisal in the Guangjiao Pavilion. As soon as the oath was finished, the man was struck by lightning on the spot, leaving only ashes.
Holding Suisui, Ye Wan entered the range of the Guangjiao Pavilion. Her entire person automatically became blurred. To others, she appeared abstract, with her face and figure unidentifiable.
At the very least, when she looked at Suisui, she couldn’t see a human shape. If one didn’t know better, they would think she was carrying a bundle of something.
Looking at the abstract shadows coming and going in the trading hall, Ye Wan was a bit worried that Suisui’s young heart wouldn’t be able to handle it. However, the little girl was more excited than anyone, even trying to guess which one was an older sister and which was an older brother.
Ye Wan felt relieved. She glanced around and, holding Suisui, walked into one of the trading doors.