Guest from the Imperial Capital

Afternoon.

Ma Feifei, utterly devoid of will to live, carried his small stool and returned to sit by the door.

Two hundred Spirit Crystals. Ma Feifei had written about sixteen thousand characters, averaging only 'eighty-three' characters per Spirit Crystal.

Yes, the Spirit Crystals were 'used up'.

At this rate, if Ma Feifei wanted to finish writing this Thousand Gold Formulas, the total Spirit Crystals consumed would be close to one hundred thousand!

What a coincidence, it was exactly equal to the total sales of My Fair Princess.

The bookstore had been open for several months, and the total Spirit Crystals earned was no more than two thousand. One hundred thousand? Heh, impossible.

He couldn't copy books anymore, and business was sluggish. In the past, at least there was the "Gift-Giving Trio," who could provide dozens of Spirit Crystals in revenue for the bookstore every day.

Now, Yang Chengzhi had made a name for himself at the Dragon Ranking Grand Competition, winning first place. He was immensely popular and had become a key figure being nurtured by Zhenguan Academy, receiving whatever he wanted in terms of Spirit Crystals, cultivation techniques, martial skills, and spiritual artifacts. He probably wouldn't be coming back.

Zhou Zhuling had also gone with her mother to Yuanfang City to seek out the Living Buddha from the West. Only Zhou Guanyu remained as a customer in the bookstore, contributing only 'seven' or 'eight' Spirit Crystals daily. If he relied on Zhou Guanyu to earn ten thousand Spirit Crystals, who knew how many years it would take. Not to mention the female dragon in the store who specialized in eating Spirit Crystals. Ma Feifei probably couldn't gather those ten thousand Spirit Crystals even if he worked himself to death.

Once a person loses hope, nothing feels right.

That's how Ma Feifei felt now, lazily sitting on his small stool, leaning against the door, watching the passersby.

The world had entered winter, and the weather had begun to turn cold. The pedestrians on the street were wearing thicker clothing. However, most of them were ordinary people who, not having become cultivators, couldn't withstand the harsh cold and heat due to their physique.

"Actually, being an ordinary person isn't bad; at least you can feel the changes of the seasons," Ma Feifei sighed, looking at his own thin robe.

With his cultivation at the Peak Spirit Master Stage Nine, he could no longer feel the weather changes through his body and missed out on the magical transformations of nature, which was a regret.

"Shopkeeper, I've broken through!" Zhou Guanyu exclaimed excitedly from inside the bookstore.

After studying The Legend of the Condor Heroes for just a few hours, he had advanced from the late Spirit Master Stage Four to Spirit Master Stage Five! Although it was a very small breakthrough, the speed was truly astonishing.

Ma Feifei, by the door, didn't react much and asked lazily, "Did you comprehend any cultivation techniques or martial skills?"

The greatest benefit hidden within The Legend of the Condor Heroes wasn't increased cultivation, but rather cultivation techniques and martial skills. Zhou Guanyu's cultivation had already reached the late Spirit Master Stage Four, and after the breakthrough, he was only at the early Spirit Master Stage Five. The cultivation benefit from this book was essentially a bonus from the system. If he had chosen another book, as long as it wasn't written by Ma Feifei, the effect would likely be the same.

Zhou Guanyu shook his head and replied, "Not yet."

"Where did you get to?" Ma Feifei asked.

"I haven't even finished the first chapter..."

"Then keep reading."

If he hadn't even finished the first chapter, it would be a miracle to comprehend any cultivation techniques or martial skills. In The Legend of the Condor Heroes, the first chapter didn't feature any profound martial arts.

It seemed he couldn't copy books for now and could only focus on the missions.

He had figured it out. The system's missions were all interconnected. The Thousand Gold Formulas required Spirit Crystals for copying, so the system had given him this task of selling books. As long as he could sell the books, Ma Feifei would have the Spirit Crystals to copy the Thousand Gold Formulas.

Relying on turnover was no longer realistic. The only way now was to sell books!

So the question was, how could he sell My Fair Princess, which was worth ten Spirit Crystals?

"Maybe I should do some market research tomorrow?" Ma Feifei murmured, looking at the bustling pedestrians outside.

"Remember! When a customer comes, be enthusiastic. Don't always have a stern face. You must remember that every customer who walks in has plenty of Spirit Crystals on them. Our goal is to take those Spirit Crystals out of their pockets. So, treat these wealthy patrons like your own family, understand?"

The next day, before leaving, Ma Feifei called Yun Qingyang to his side and said earnestly.

He planned to go out and promote My Fair Princess today, so the task of minding the store had to be handed over to Yun Qingyang.

However, Yun Qingyang's face was too cold. Almost no one was willing to get close to her. Even Zhou Zhuling and the others, who read in the bookstore every day, had never exchanged a word with Yun Qingyang. She was determined to maintain her icy demeanor to the end. With an employee like this, even if customers came, they would likely be driven away by her attitude.

If it weren't for her extraordinary strength, Ma Feifei would never have hired such an employee. What was the point of having her? Wouldn't she negatively impact his store's performance?

"No one will come," Yun Qingyang said after staring at Ma Feifei for a long while.

"?" Ma Feifei was initially annoyed. This employee wasn't just cold; she was also argumentative.

But before his anger could rise, Ma Feifei suddenly realized that Yun Qingyang was right!

Ever since Yun Qingyang came to the bookstore, not a single customer had been added.

Let alone Yun Qingyang, a new employee, Ma Feifei himself had only encountered a handful of customers in the several months since the bookstore opened!

"Fine! Do as you please," Ma Feifei said dejectedly, waving his hand and turning to leave.

However, before he could exit, Ma Feifei suddenly felt a figure rushing towards him. Because the doorway blocked his view, Ma Feifei couldn't see who it was in the blind spot. Still, he instinctively stopped and shifted his position.

Immediately after, Ma Feifei saw a figure rush in with great urgency.

A middle-aged man. His age was impossible to determine; he could be forty, or he could be four hundred!

His clothing was indeed luxurious, made from the furs of some unknown spirit beasts, and it smelled faintly fragrant.

As soon as the man stepped into the bookstore, he saw Ma Feifei standing beside him. He instinctively composed himself, put on an air of importance, and asked, "Is this the Mysterious Bookstore?"

Ma Feifei nodded instinctively and replied, "Yes."

The middle-aged man showed a satisfied expression. He glanced around the surroundings and noticed that the bookstore was sparsely populated. Standing at the counter was a cold and aloof woman; she must be the owner of this small shop. In the corner sat a young man engrossed in a book; he must be a customer. And the person standing in front of him was an ordinary man; he must be a servant doing odd jobs.

"It's a bit quiet!" the middle-aged man said softly. By his calculation, there was only one customer in the store.

"The shop just opened, so it's understandable that it's a bit quiet. Are you here to browse, sir!" Seeing a new customer, Ma Feifei no longer rushed to leave and greeted him with a smile.

With such a commotion, Yun Qingyang and Zhou Guanyu naturally noticed. Hearing Ma Feifei claim the Mysterious Bookstore had just opened, Zhou Guanyu couldn't help but roll his eyes. Even the consistently cool Yun Qingyang looked somewhat surprised, looking at Ma Feifei and extending a few fingers from her lowered hand, as if calculating how long she had been at the bookstore.

The middle-aged man nodded, agreeing with Ma Feifei's statement.

"Huh? One Spirit Crystal per hour for reading?" The middle-aged man finally noticed the sign standing on the ground.

However, before Ma Feifei could explain, the middle-aged man suddenly realized, "That's right, such a magical book is indeed worth the price."

Hearing this, Ma Feifei's heart immediately rejoiced. Could this be a customer from the capital? Is the publicity effect starting to work? It's only been three days since the match between Yang Chengzhi and Xiaoyaozi, and Ma Feifei really didn't expect someone to show up this soon.

While Ma Feifei was lost in his thoughts, the middle-aged man had already stepped forward, walking towards Yun Qingyang.

"You must be the shop owner! I am Zhang Yunji, from the capital."

"..."