“My family hasn’t been in very good health lately, so I’d like to set up an appropriate feng shui array. What kind of magical artifact would be most suitable?” Elder Cui asked.
At the same time, he handed Qin Su his business card.
She glanced at it.
Cui Hang, Chairman of Yupin Corporation.
She paused for a moment.
The name sounded strangely familiar.
Never mind. She could look it up when she got home.
Putting the card away, she pointed to a Buddha’s Hand ornament displayed on one of the shelves.
It was one of the few genuine magical artifacts in the shop.
If used properly in an array, it could increase good fortune and prosperity while also promoting good health.
Elder Cui quickly purchased the ornament.
It cost two hundred thousand yuan, yet he did not even attempt to bargain, as though he were buying an ordinary bag of potato chips.
As for the ancient coin, the shop owner, Old Li, had been so frightened by the blood-red liquid in the teacup that he simply gave it to Qin Su for free.
Even after purification, the coin would not be suitable as the core of an array.
However, if she found the time, she could modify it into something useful.
So Qin Su accepted it without refusing.
Unfortunately, none of the other magical artifacts in the shop were suitable for her.
After putting away Elder Cui’s business card, she left.
In the end, she walked through the entire Feng Shui Street before barely managing to find a mid-grade magical artifact suitable for serving as the core of a Spirit Gathering Array.
Even that artifact cost her three hundred thousand yuan.
Painful as it was, she had no choice but to buy it for the sake of her cultivation.
Once the opportunity arose, she would definitely replace it with something better.
For now, this artifact would have to do.
After returning home, she eagerly arranged the array in the largest room of the house.
She placed the gemstones she had collected at each designated position.
The moment she felt the long-lost abundance of spiritual energy surrounding her once more, she nearly burst into tears.
She could finally cultivate again!
Well…
Before cultivating, she should soak in a medicinal bath first.
…
Preparing the medicinal bath required more than just the correct herbs.
Spiritual energy also had to be infused into the mixture during the brewing process.
Otherwise, all that remained would be a useless pot of herbal sludge.
Qin Su was only preparing the most basic body-tempering medicine, so the process was relatively simple.
An ordinary open flame was sufficient.
Back then, she had once brewed a medicinal soup capable of strengthening the soul.
Not only were the ingredients unimaginably precious, but the brewing process also required Tribulation Fire.
Who, aside from those supreme experts completely confident in surviving their heavenly tribulation, would spare the attention to collect Tribulation Fire during the ordeal?
After simmering the medicine for five hours, Qin Su immersed herself in the steaming bath while Zhang Yunqi stood nearby with an unusually serious expression.
Being watched so closely felt rather awkward.
Qin Su simply taught her the opening incantation from the first chapter of the ghost cultivation technique and sent her back to her own room to cultivate.
As a ghost cultivator, Zhang Yunqi required a completely different cultivation environment.
The medicinal power seeped into Qin Su’s body.
It tore through her meridians like countless blades, leaving every inch of her in agonizing pain.
Her body, modified by the transmigrator, was especially sensitive.
Even a single measure of pain would be amplified tenfold.
What she was experiencing now felt as though she were rolling back and forth across a mountain of knives.
And she would have to remain in the medicinal bath for an entire day.
Qin Su’s face turned pale.
Silently, she recited her cultivation technique, calming her mind.
This was nothing.
Back in the cultivation world, the injuries she had suffered during magical battles had been several times more painful than this.
As she circulated her cultivation technique, spiritual energy flowed through her body, continuously tempering her meridians.
After soaking for a full day, the medicinal bath had changed from a deep green to a pale green.
Every trace of its medicinal power had been completely absorbed.
This was only the first stage of body tempering.
She would still need two more medicinal baths.
Qin Su climbed out of the tub, took a shower, and changed into clean clothes.
Suddenly, she remembered something.
She gathered a flame at her fingertip.
When she had first returned to this world, the flame had been no larger than a soybean.
Now, it had grown to the size of a walnut.
Her gaze became thoughtful.
She comforted herself inwardly.
Well… this counted as progress, didn’t it?
…
Completely focused on body tempering, Qin Su had almost forgotten about Xin Ying.
That was, until the young heiress called her in a furious rage.
“So you’ve decided to back out, have you?”
“We agreed to meet at five o’clock. It’s already five-thirty!”
“I’m telling you, people should keep their promises!”
Only then did Qin Su remember that this young heiress was planning to pay her with a check to make her stay away from Ji Yuanye.
Jewelry worth two million yuan…
That would be enough to support at least a week’s worth of cultivation!
Qin Su cleared her throat.
“Sorry. I overslept.”
Judging from the force with which Xin Ying hung up the phone, the young heiress was genuinely furious.
…
Qin Su chose a light blue dress, paired it with a navy-blue hat, and headed out.
Although the meeting place was not far from her residence, traffic congestion delayed her arrival until half past six.
The pretty Xin Ying wore a dark expression, looking like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
Never in her life had she waited so long for anyone.
“I thought you didn’t dare show up.”
The moment she opened her mouth, her words were filled with hostility.
A faint smile appeared on Qin Su’s face.
“For two million yuan, of course I wouldn’t stand you up.”
She held out a fully bloomed peony.
“This is my apology.”
When she had entered earlier, she happened to notice a delicate-looking young woman selling flowers nearby, so she had bought one.
The purple peony was brilliantly vibrant, carrying an air of elegance and nobility.
When Qin Su purchased it, the petals had already begun to wilt.
She had simply infused it with a little spiritual energy, restoring it to the fresh, dewy appearance of a flower that had just been picked.
The moment Xin Ying saw the peony, her eyes lit up.
Yet she still said with deliberate disdain,
“How tacky.”
“I think lilies are much prettier.”
“Lilies are my favorite.”
Looking at her expression, Qin Su could easily tell that she actually loved the flower.
She smiled.
“Lilies have their own beauty.”
“And peonies have theirs.”
Qin Su had always treated people who brought her money very well.
Besides, Xin Ying was quite beautiful.
She was bright, lively, and pleasing to the eye.
Deep down, Qin Su was something of a beauty enthusiast.
Naturally, she had a bit more patience when dealing with beautiful women.
“This flower matches your dress today even better.”
Speaking gently, she tucked the peony into the pocket at Xin Ying’s chest.
The purple petals complemented the light lavender dress perfectly, making Xin Ying’s face appear even more radiant than the peony itself.
Xin Ying froze for a moment.
“For your sake, I’ll reluctantly wear it.”
The more she insisted that she did not like peonies, the more awkward she seemed.
The corners of Qin Su’s lips curved upward.
“Thank you, Miss, for honoring me.”
Back in Langfeng Sect, she had several tsundere junior sisters, so she was quite experienced in dealing with people like this.
Sure enough, Xin Ying’s mood visibly improved.
The smile in her eyes and at the corners of her lips became impossible to hide.
“This is the check we agreed on.”
She took out the check before adding,
“Or if you’d rather have the money transferred directly to your bank card, that’s fine too.”
Qin Su thought for a moment.
“In that case, I’d prefer the bank transfer.”
That would save her a trip to the bank to cash the check.
She had to admit that the Xin family really was wealthy.
This young heiress handed over two million yuan without the slightest hesitation.
Xin Ying nodded, put the check away, and took out a bank card instead.
“The PIN is six ones.”
It was certainly a straightforward password.
Qin Su accepted the card, already planning to buy another batch of gemstones once she had used up the ones she currently had.
Xin Ying emphasized once more,
“Since you’ve taken the money, you’re not allowed to go anywhere near Ji Yuanye anymore.”
“And don’t you dare seduce him!”
As though suddenly remembering something, she reluctantly added,
“Of course, if you happen to run into each other by accident, or you have something important to discuss, I’m not that unreasonable.”
Qin Su replied slowly,
“I definitely won’t take the initiative to meet him, nor will I date him.”
She still had that much professional integrity.
Xin Ying continued,
“Good.”
“If he confesses to you, you have to reject him.”
A triumphant smile spread across her face.
“I recorded our conversation just now.”
“If you dare break the agreement, I’ll send the recording to him!”
Then Ji Yuanye would finally see her true colors!
She really was brilliant.
Qin Su was momentarily speechless.
If Xin Ying actually sent him the recording, wouldn’t she be exposing herself as well?
“That’s your freedom.”
“Do as you like.”
Qin Su’s calm and composed attitude finally put Xin Ying completely at ease.
Looking at Qin Su now, she no longer found her nearly as irritating as before.
“What would you like to eat?”
“Order whatever you want.”
Money was the one thing this young heiress never lacked.
Hearing that, Qin Su saw no reason to be polite.
She lowered her head and proceeded to order every dessert listed on the menu.
After soaking in medicinal baths for an entire day without eating, she was genuinely hungry.
Xin Ying could not help asking,
“Can you really finish all that?”
There was enough dessert there to feed five people.
Qin Su smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
“It shouldn’t be a problem.”
Xin Ying turned her head away.
People who could eat without gaining weight were the most annoying.
Especially now that she was trying to lose weight.
That remark struck her right where it hurt.
The coffee at the café was fairly average.
The desserts, however, were unexpectedly delicious.
The tiramisu, in particular, easily ranked among the top three Qin Su had ever tasted.
The slight bitterness of the coffee and cocoa was perfectly balanced, preventing the cake from becoming overly sweet.
Its rich, velvety texture made it impossible to stop eating.
Halfway through the meal, Qin Su’s phone rang.
She glanced at the screen.
The caller was Director Zhou.
Was he calling to discuss the filming of her novel Polaris?
Come to think of it, she and Director Zhou had only reached a verbal agreement.
The contract had not yet been formally signed.
According to their earlier discussions, the adaptation rights to the roughly three-hundred-thousand-word novel would sell for fifteen million yuan.
That was considered a very high price in the online fiction industry.
Partly because her previous two novels had both received excellent adaptations, launching the careers of several newcomers.
And partly because of Xu Xiao’s support.
Out of respect for him, many people in the industry had naturally given the transmigrator favorable treatment.
She answered the call.
Director Zhou’s apologetic voice came through the phone.
The smile gradually disappeared from Qin Su’s face.
Ten minutes later, the call ended.
Director Zhou had called to inform her that their collaboration had been put on hold.
He had found another script he preferred and intended to postpone adapting Polaris for the time being.
The explanation was obviously just an excuse.
Even if he had found another project he liked better, there was nothing preventing him from purchasing the rights first and keeping them in reserve.
Although Director Zhou repeatedly expressed how much he looked forward to working with her in the future, Qin Su knew perfectly well that those were merely polite words.
There would be no future collaboration.
Just like that…
Her fifteen million yuan was gone.
Remembering that Xu Xiao had been the one who introduced her to Director Zhou, Qin Su quickly guessed what had happened.
The sudden cancellation was almost certainly Xu Xiao’s doing.
Did he really have to be so petty?
They had already broken up, yet he still insisted on making life difficult for his ex-girlfriend.
As long as Xu Xiao was interfering behind the scenes, the film adaptation rights for this novel would probably never be sold.
Looking back, she really should have demanded breakup compensation before ending the relationship.
Men really were all jerks.
Sure enough, it was always better to rely on yourself than on anyone else.
She would simply have to earn money on her own.
Qin Su’s gaze landed on Xin Ying.
With a warm smile, she asked,
“Would you like your love life to go a little more smoothly?”
“I have a bracelet that can improve romantic fortune.”
“How about it?”
“I’ll sell it to you for just one million yuan.”
Qin Su was not skilled at forging magical artifacts.
However, simply engraving a fortune-enhancing array onto a piece of jade was still well within her abilities.
The only downside was that it consumed quite a bit of spiritual energy.
Xin Ying slapped the table angrily.
“Do I look that easy to fool?”
“Spend one million on a bracelet?”
“I’d never do something that stupid.”
Little did she know…
She would soon end up eating her own words.