Negotiating Business

"Fame?" Yun Zishan frowned, the air around her chilling several degrees. She said no more and walked past Yang Ning straight into the Myriad Things Come thatched cottage.

Qiao Bin, who had witnessed everything from the side, was already drenched in cold sweat. "Brother Ning, you... you..."

Yang Ning shrugged, handed the plastic broom and dustpan to Qiao Bin, and turned to enter the shop.

Qiao Bin instinctively reached for his waist to find his Lanzhou cigarettes, only to realize they had already been smoked dry. He sniffled, put down the broom and dustpan, pulled a cloth pouch filled with Spirit Stones from his sleeve, and began distributing them to the gathered cultivators. "Senior Brothers and Sisters, Junior Brothers and Sisters, my apologies. Our Hall Master needs to discuss a Big Business deal with Boss Yang. Please wait a moment—here's some tea money for your trouble."

"Fair enough, fair enough." These people were mostly here to shop and had no urgent matters. Waiting a while was no problem, and they all gladly accepted Qiao Bin's "compensation."

Inside the shop, Yang Ning entered to see Yun Zishan circling the shelves, examining the dazzling array of goods. She couldn't even guess the purpose of more than half of them. "Fairy, what would you like to drink? We have all kinds of sweet drinks, alcohol, iced or room temperature."

Yun Zishan glanced at the alcohol section, then shook her head and walked up to Yang Ning. "No need." She cut straight to the point: "I've heard of this shop of yours. The goods are unusual, but Qiao Bin told me you could make that Undercover Agent talk. Is that true?"

Yun Zishan looked around, then slowly stepped closer to Yang Ning, tilting her head up slightly. Their eyes met in the air. "Are you confident you can make the Undercover Agent speak?"

Yang Ning raised his hand and made a "seven" gesture. Seeing Yun Zishan's slight frown, he explained, "Seventy percent. I have seventy percent confidence I can make him talk."

Yun Zishan's expression remained unchanged. "Speak. What are your conditions?"

Yang Ning's lips curled into a smile. "As the Fairy knows, I run a shop. At the end of the day, I'm a Merchant. Merchants value profit. After the deed is done, I want fifty Spirit Stones as payment." He spoke with a calm demeanor, lacking the usual slickness of a common peddler. Yun Zishan's gaze fell on his face—sharp brows and bright eyes, a smile carrying a hint of unruly charm, an ethereal bearing that made her momentarily lose focus. In her three hundred years of cultivation, she had seen no shortage of outstanding talents, yet rarely had she encountered someone like him—utterly devoid of cultivation, yet exuding a natural elegance.

Recalling his earlier words outside about "all things have their use," a flicker of doubt arose in Yun Zishan's heart. With a subtle thought, a wisp of purple True Qi drifted from her body, enveloping Yang Ning.

Yang Ning's brow furrowed. Under Yun Zishan's pressure, fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his breathing grew rapid. "Fairy, what is the meaning of this? Why are you applying pressure on me?"

Yun Zishan didn't answer, instead secretly probing his body with True Qi. As Qiao Bin had said, this man had no Cultivation Aptitude whatsoever, yet something inside him seemed off—as if something were missing. Still, she could confirm that Yang Ning indeed had no cultivation ability. A fleeting, indescribable regret passed through her heart, quickly suppressed by reason. "After the deed is done, I'll give you sixty Spirit Stones as compensation," Yun Zishan said, withdrawing her pressure, her tone still cold.

Yang Ning "gasped for breath" and nodded. "Done... deal..."

Yun Zishan gave a slight nod. "If you need anyone from the Law Enforcement Hall, feel free to instruct them."

Yang Ning swallowed hard and said, "I have two conditions."

"Speak."

"First, I want to renovate and decorate your Interrogation Room. I'll use goods from my shop, and have Qiao Bin help. If you're uneasy, you can have him keep an eye on me."

Yun Zishan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Second, during the interrogation, my methods are original. You cannot question or disturb me."

Hearing this condition, Yun Zishan immediately frowned.

Yang Ning wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, his tone calm. "If you won't allow it, then forget it. I don't have to earn this money."

Yun Zishan wanted to refuse Yang Ning's request, but thinking of the New Sect Leader Election at year's end, her heart grew heavy. Three hundred years ago, she had joined the Cloudsoar Sword Sect. With unparalleled talent, she had reached the late Mahayana stage in just two hundred and eighty years, only one step away from the Tribulation Crossing Stage. Her master and the sect's elders all held high hopes for her, and many in the sect saw her as the only candidate for the next sect leader. She had worked toward this goal for three hundred years.

Sun Kai, having cultivated for nearly a thousand years, was highly respected, especially among older cultivators. Many, seeing Yun Zishan and Shi Xuanfei as too young, refused to accept them and instead supported Sun Kai.

As for Shi Xuanfei, she was Yun Zishan's close friend, joining the sect a year later as her Junior Sister. Though they addressed each other as Senior and Junior Sister, they were truly bosom friends. Shi Xuanfei was gentle in temperament, always smiling in her dealings with others. The sect's disciples—especially the Male Cultivators—had a "strong fondness" for Jade Maiden Peak, which also earned her considerable support.