Frostmourne

Yu Ye had not expected that Ji Qinglin, who had just stirred her blood and won her trust with impassioned words, would turn around and make her change into such a vulgar outfit.

But no matter how she pressed him, he refused to reveal anything more, only saying she would find out when the time came.

Left with no choice, Yu Ye could only ask about something else.

"Master, what realm are you in? Upper Foundation Establishment Realm?"

After all, Ji Qinglin had acted cleanly and decisively that day. He had likely installed some powerful prosthetics or drives. Once one moved beyond the Nerve Interface and began using technology to improve their original body, they should belong to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"By the standards in the Cultivation Guide, a healthy young man like your master should be at the upper Foundation Solidification Realm. But I've been getting a little overheated lately, so I may have dropped to the middle Foundation Solidification Realm."

Listening to Ji Qinglin's rather teasingly precise assessment, Yu Ye frowned.

"Foundation Solidification Realm? Master, you're joking, right? Even if I believed you, the Machine Killer you took out in seconds that day wouldn't."

"What does one have to do with the other? A realm only represents one's cultivation level; it isn't equal to the speed of kill—ptui, self-defense. As long as you make adequate preparations, self-defense is enough."

Crazy Night: He wanted to say killing people, didn't he? A habitual offender! He had to be a habitual offender!

Yu Ye: Just how many people had he killed to gain such insight?

His answer left Yu Ye unsure how to respond. She could only nod. "You're right, Master. Your disciple merely thinks that if you haven't installed a Cultivation Suit yet, then even if there are resources, you should cultivate first."

Ji Qinglin thought it was rare for the little girl to genuinely be thinking of her master.

"No need. The path your master walks differs from that of others."

It was not that Ji Qinglin did not want to cultivate. At first, he too had wanted to replace his body with a set of high-quality meridians. But the doctor had told him that the meridians and interfaces in his body were integrated with the phone in his right hand, and that even the means by which the phone had been installed could not be determined.

Therefore, if he wanted to install a new set of components, he would have to sever his connection to the phone forever.

Considering the phone's considerable power, as well as the fact that he had yet to figure it out, Ji Qinglin had ultimately not rushed to install a Cultivation Suit.

However, the doctor had also determined that the strength of this body's meridians and bones was still there. They were somewhat stronger than those of an ordinary person. Though not top-grade, they should have been custom-made.

Yu Ye: Different from the path ordinary people cultivate? What path was that?

Crazy Night: Could it be a dual cultivation art of gathering yin to replenish yang? No wonder he was helping you cultivate.

Seeing Yu Ye raise her head and stare at him with a strange look in her eyes, Ji Qinglin tapped her with one finger.

"What are you thinking about your master again? If you have time, go see what on the shelves can be used first. Think about your own path of cultivation."

Yu Ye rubbed her head. "Master, with all this secondhand stuff of yours, it's fine to sell it to ordinary people or cultivators as temporary replacements. But anyone with even slightly higher standards probably wouldn't use it, right? Why don't you stock some genuine new merchandise? You'd earn more that way too."

"You really just arrived in Bangkok. Without qualifications, how could we get genuine new goods? Product sales rights are all in the hands of big companies like Wild God Technology and Immortal Path Biology. Even to obtain a distributor certificate, you must provide proof of shares or an affiliated certificate from at least a Core Formation Realm Qi Practitioner."

In truth, it was rather like cultivation in myths. Cultivation resources and magical artifacts were all controlled by great sects, who would destroy you at the drop of a hat under the banner of "eliminating demons and defending the Dao." At least there was still some rule of law here.

"Master, is Bangkok also controlled by major corporations?"

"Controlled would be overstating it. It's not as if there's only one company. It's just that Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand have always been lenient toward big corporations, so three or four companies have especially outrageous influence and control."

"Then where does our Xin Dong Street Merchant Association stand among them?"

"Companies may wield great influence, but what concerns us are still the merchant associations of each district. Xin Dong Street is one of Bangkok's Four Associations and has quite a bit of clout. You'll learn about that later. Do you recognize pretty much everything in the shop now?"

Yu Ye pointed at the innermost shelf and asked,

"I basically don't recognize anything on the innermost shelf. Are those cultivation artifacts too?"

"Those are artifacts from the Old Era. You naturally wouldn't recognize them without having specifically studied them."

No wonder Yu Ye did not recognize them. The items there were a dazzling jumble: copper coins, porcelain vases bearing the Hundred Longevity character, tarot cards, and at the very edge, even a rust-speckled Frostmourne figurine.

Ji Qinglin collected these Old Era artifacts not out of nostalgia, but because many people nowadays were curious about the Old Era. Cultivators in particular believed that it concealed unknown secret cultivation arts.

Thus, Ji Qinglin chose antique artifacts covered in all sorts of symbols, making them convenient for spinning stories and selling them off.

In terms of profit, those Old Era artifacts might actually have been the main products. A few days ago, Ji Qinglin had even sold a set of mahjong tiles at a high price to an ignorant Qi Practitioner, telling him that it was a cultivation tool for seeking patterns amid chaos.

After explaining, Ji Qinglin began helping Yu Ye organize the materials she might need for cultivation.

That only deepened Yu Ye's curiosity.

Yu Ye: They were already preparing things for cultivation now? It seemed the Grade A Meridian Edition Cultivation Set tonight was determined to be theirs.

As the sky gradually darkened and a light rain began to fall, Yu Ye looked through the glass at Xin Dong Street, which was slowly coming alive.

"Master, the foot traffic at our General Store is truly worrying. It's been half a day, and not a single customer has come in. No wonder the income is so dismal."

Ji Qinglin, however, remained unhurried as he brewed himself a cup of Baby's Breath tea.

"If you see a shop with no apparent income that remains open all the same, then what you are seeing definitely isn't its main source of revenue."

Yu Ye: Other income?

Crazy Night: So it really is a shady shop!

"Hiss! If you look at your master like that again, I'll install a high-voltage unit on you directly!"

"Don't, don't. Your disciple is merely curious about what other business our shop has."

Before Ji Qinglin could reply, the phone on his body rang.

"Everything is ready."

The voice on the other end was still that of a woman with a smoky voice.

Ji Qinglin's response was equally brief. "Good. We'll head over now."

After hanging up, Ji Qinglin snapped his fingers at Yu Ye.

"We'll talk when we return. For now, put on your coat, throw on a raincoat, and follow your master."

The khaki trench coat concealed most of Yu Ye's seductive attire, revealing only a little fair skin and her lace choker. She looked like an urban girl, cold and aloof on the outside but wild at heart, heading out to give her boyfriend a little surprise.

"And put this on."

As he spoke, Ji Qinglin connected a small tube to the neural branch interface at the back of Yu Ye's neck.

"What is this?"

"An Earless Receiver and Lip Pre-Movement Module. It's like the ventriloquism and secret sounds entering one's ears from legends. Simply put, you don't need to make a sound with your mouth. As long as your tongue moves inside your mouth, the module can use neural signals to let the other party hear the precise words, making it easier for your master to guide you."

Yu Ye noticed that he had not only dressed her up splendidly. Her master had also taken off the old gray hoodie he wore only in the shop and changed into a colorful sweatshirt. He put on a pair of flashy iridescent glasses and swept his hair back in one motion.

Unlike his usual low-key, mysterious appearance, he now looked like some young master heading out to mingle in the nightlife scene.

After activating the shop's anti-theft Nerve Blocker, Ji Qinglin led Yu Ye out of the General Store and into Bangkok's nightscape, where evening had just fallen.

Yu Ye: He really did look pleasing to the eye dressed like a spoiled young master.

Crazy Night: Maybe he was a hooligan to begin with.