After Nan Xuan and Qian Renxue fulfilled their agreement, he had her go downstairs first to look at the various curios her grandmaster had collected. He needed to discuss something with Bibi Dong.
In Nan Xuan's room on the third floor, Bibi Dong sat by the bed and asked him, "Are you really not planning to stay in Spirit City?"
Nan Xuan lay on the bed and said calmly, "My presence here will affect your career. Only when I'm gone can you truly act without restraint."
Bibi Dong disagreed with Nan Xuan. Only with him around could she feel at ease.
"Don't worry. I'll definitely come see you every so often, or you can come see me," Nan Xuan said with a smile, resting his head on Bibi Dong's lap.
"Since you insist on leaving, I won't stop you. But if I find out you've gone looking for other women, then don't expect to climb into my bed again for the rest of your life." Bibi Dong glared at Nan Xuan viciously, declaring her claim over him.
The moment Nan Xuan heard that, he thought that a woman was still a woman after all. She hadn't changed one bit.
Inside Momo Treasure Appraisal House, Bibi Dong nestled in Nan Xuan's embrace. Neither of them wore anything on top; they merely pressed close against each other.
"Oh, right, Xiao Xuan. After I devoured that beast, it seemed like I received the recognition of a god. She called herself the Rakshasa God, a First-Class God of the God Realm." Bibi Dong told Nan Xuan about receiving a god's recognition after devouring Qian Xunji.
"Oh! I never expected my Dong'er to receive a god's recognition. That's truly impressive." Nan Xuan looked surprised, then spoke to Bibi Dong with delight.
"Do you think she might have been lying to me?" Bibi Dong asked worriedly.
"Don't worry. I've read in ancient records that gods do indeed descend to the lower realm to seek inheritors, so she should be real. Still, you need to stay cautious and not trust her completely." Nan Xuan casually made up an excuse to dispel her doubts, while warning her not to completely trust the Rakshasa God. After all, when it came to schemes, those gods were each more cunning than the last.
"Mhm, then I'll listen to you." Bibi Dong almost never went against Nan Xuan's words. In her eyes, this man was omniscient and omnipotent. As long as she trusted him, that was enough.
The two made love on the bed once more before reluctantly heading downstairs.
When Qian Renxue saw that the two had finally come down, she immediately ran over and hugged Bibi Dong's leg.
"Teacher, why did you take so long to come down? And Teacher, why is there a hole in your stockings?" Qian Renxue pressed her head against Bibi Dong's leg, then unexpectedly noticed a hole and asked curiously.
The question left Bibi Dong stunned. She then glanced at Nan Xuan, silently signaling, Look what you've done. Hurry up and think of something.
"Ahem, Xue'er, your teacher accidentally snagged them while coming downstairs just now," Nan Xuan quickly came up with an excuse.
Qian Renxue found nothing wrong with that explanation and did not continue the topic.
Only after seeing Qian Renxue believe it did Bibi Dong finally let out a breath of relief. It had been far too embarrassing.
Bibi Dong then took Qian Renxue's hand and headed outside.
"Huh? Teacher, isn't Grandmaster coming back to Spirit Hall with us?" Seeing that Nan Xuan was not following them, Qian Renxue asked in confusion.
"As for him, he wants to fulfill his dream now—travel across the continent, then find somewhere to retire. So he doesn't want to come to Spirit Hall and stir things up." Bibi Dong sighed softly.
"Then will we have no chance to see him again in the future?" Qian Renxue asked.
Qian Renxue had a rather favorable impression of Nan Xuan, so she was somewhat reluctant to see him leave.
"No. We'll still see each other often. The Network World has already spread across the entire continent. Isn't meeting up easy now? Besides, he still owes you an agreement." Bibi Dong smiled as she comforted her.
Hearing that, Qian Renxue happily clapped her hands and returned to Spirit Hall with Bibi Dong.
After watching Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue return to Spirit Hall, it was time for Nan Xuan to leave as well. The main plot of this world was about to begin, and he needed to meet his new neighbor.
A few days earlier, Holy Soul Village, Heaven Dou Empire.
A grizzled middle-aged man carrying a child came before Old Jack, the village chief, and asked whether there were any houses left in the village. He wanted to settle there and said he was a blacksmith capable of making farm tools. Upon hearing that, the village chief agreed and arranged for him to stay in a somewhat dilapidated wooden house at the edge of the village.
Tang Hao looked at the brand-new wooden house across from him, then turned to Old Jack.
Having lived to such an age, Old Jack was no fool. Naturally, he understood what Tang Hao meant.
"Tang Hao, don't set your sights on that wooden house across the stream. Its owner has lived there for seven years. He seems to have gone out to deliver goods recently, so he isn't here. He's a small merchant who makes deliveries every now and then, and he renovated that wooden house himself," Old Jack said with a smile as he looked at Nan Xuan's house.
Over the past few years, Nan Xuan had occasionally helped sell the village's agricultural goods, improving life in the village a little. Old Jack greatly appreciated people like him.
Seeing this, Tang Hao could not say anything else and could only choose the somewhat dilapidated wooden house.
A few days later, Nan Xuan leisurely returned to Holy Soul Village. He then went to Iron Box Village to visit the village chief and tell him about what had happened over the years, though naturally only in broad strokes.
The village chief knew Bibi Dong. Through the Network World, he also knew that Bibi Dong had become the Pope—and that she was his god-grandson's wife.
Nan Xuan did not care what they might say. So much time had passed that perhaps only the village chief still remembered Bibi Dong's appearance. Nan Xuan used Soul Power to examine the old man's body. There were no major issues; his cells had merely aged somewhat, slowing their division.
Nan Xuan used Soul Power to clear the village chief's body, then extracted some of the life force from Blue Silver Grass and infused it into him.
Nan Xuan talked with the village chief until nightfall and drank a little with him. After helping the old man to bed, he left behind some Gold Soul Coins before departing.
By the time Nan Xuan returned home, it was already late. Seeing that the wooden house across the stream was still lit up and that a baby's cries could occasionally be heard, he smiled faintly and returned to his room without paying it any mind.
Tang Hao was still agonizing over how to care for a baby. He had no experience whatsoever.
Nan Xuan had already finished bathing and lay on his bed. He entered the Network World and had Ling send a recommendation to Tang Hao's Smart Guide.
"Ding-dong, you have a new recommendation." Tang Hao's Network Card was likewise branded onto his martial soul, so it also had notification functions. He impatiently opened the Network World.
The book How to Easily Care for a Baby gave him hope. He anxiously opened it, wanting to see how it taught people to raise children.
"If you want to raise a child well, the first step is to pay."
"..." Tang Hao really wanted to curse.
In the end, Tang Hao still paid Soul Power, allowing his child to have the books other children had from an early age.
"Oh my, as expected of a man whose Blue Silver Emperor had just sacrificed herself for him. His Soul Power is quite pure." Nan Xuan could not help smiling as he looked at the payment Tang Hao had just made.
Tang Hao had already caught a ewe. Following the book's instructions, he cleaned the ewe's udders, restrained its limbs with Soul Power, and placed Tang San's mouth against where the ewe fed its lamb.
"Little San, your father has truly done everything he could for you. I didn't let you lose at the starting line. You have to grow up well," Tang Hao said lovingly as he watched Tang San frantically absorb nutrients.
"Cough, cough." Tang San choked a little from drinking too fiercely.
Seeing this, Tang Hao hurriedly opened the book in the Network World to see what to do when a child choked on milk.
Tang San beside him: Having you as my father is truly my blessing.
The next morning, Nan Xuan got up early. He planned to establish a Network Library in the Network World. Due to his arrival, the current master, Yu Xiaogang, was still trapped in the anxiety of his lover being his sister, questioning his entire life.
Therefore, in order to gain more attention, when Nan Xuan had parted with Bibi Dong last time, he had explained everything to her. He needed to copy all of Spirit Hall's books into data form and store them in the Network World. Naturally, they could not simply take them for free. For the development of Spirit Hall, the two decided to charge Gold Soul Coins for access, since Spirit Hall's development still depended on the real world.
To make paying Gold Soul Coins more convenient, Nan Xuan also set up a Network Card payment method on the Network Cards and Network Card brands. All Gold Soul Coins would be paid in data form.
What Nan Xuan needed to do now was manufacture Network Card Readers—devices merchants could use to receive card payments and make network transfers. It would be the Network Card payment system exclusive to the Network World Bank.
After designing the manufacturing blueprints for the Network Card Readers, Nan Xuan contacted Chen Gao and the other two.
The three of them had all reached the Soul Douluo level, while Nan Xuan was still a Soul Sage.
"Brother Xuan, when are you going to seriously cultivate for once? Look at us, we're already Soul Douluos. That guy Chen Gao might even become a Title Douluo next year," Yang Tian said, waving a hand at Nan Xuan.
"I'm not in a hurry. I can become a Title Douluo whenever I want. You shouldn't keep relying on external power to cultivate either. Temper yourselves more. Later, I'll give each of you an Immortal Herb to properly stabilize your foundations." Seeing that their cultivation felt somewhat unstable, Nan Xuan offered a few reminders.
The three also knew they had recently become overly reliant on external Soul Power in their cultivation. After Nan Xuan pointed it out, they felt somewhat ashamed.
"Alright, don't worry about it. One Immortal Herb each will solve everything, but after that, you'll need to temper yourselves properly." Seeing their expressions, Nan Xuan could not help shaking his head with a smile.
Though they did not know what Immortal Herbs were, they completely trusted that Nan Xuan would not deceive them.
"I called you here this time because our Network World is about to launch a new system." Nan Xuan sent them all the materials.
"Network World Bank, Network Card payment system, Network Library, Network Card Reader manufacturing blueprints." Chen Gao read out the proposal displayed on his tablet in surprise.
"Brother Xuan, are you trying to get involved in currency circulation? This will be a little difficult to handle." Yang Fei looked at the materials, then stared at Nan Xuan in disbelief.
"Yeah, Brother Xuan, you're trying to take the jobs of all those money house owners. That's going to draw a whole lot of resentment." Yang Tian pursed his lips and smiled.
"Don't worry, none of those are problems. The money house owners will accept it. They can keep their cash circulating as usual, since cash is the best reflection of an era. My network payments are only meant to make things more convenient for everyone. Merchants without storage Soul Tools need to haul boxes upon boxes of money when buying expensive goods, and that isn't very safe."
"Even though wealthy nobles have gold cards from money houses or imperial banks, those are only a small minority. My cards can be branded onto martial souls or other objects. As long as one releases spiritual perception or touches a Network Card Reader, payment can be made. Isn't that much more convenient? At the very least, no one will forget to bring their card when going out."
"Then there are the commoners. They have nothing, and even the little money they possess must be guarded against robbery. But now, it can simply be stored in their cards. Without the password, no one can take it. In this world, only I can freely move these funds." Nan Xuan patiently explained to the three.
In truth, Nan Xuan felt that running a network in this world was truly safe. There were no hackers, and he alone had the final say in everything.
"Brother Xuan, I'm not worried about any of that. No matter what problems arise, you'll have a solution anyway. I only want to ask one question now: when can we be free? The three of us still want to join you. These past few years have been too boring." Chen Gao spread his hands and said with a troubled expression.
When Nan Xuan heard Chen Gao say that, he also recalled the past. They had not met in the real world for seven years.
"Don't worry. Just wait a few more years. You can start training your successors now. When the time comes, we'll travel across the continent together." Nan Xuan looked at the three and promised them.
Hearing Nan Xuan say that, the three began looking forward to that day. No matter how realistic the Network World was, it could never compare to the real world. The Network World relieved their mental pressure, but people still lived in reality.
After arranging everything, Nan Xuan logged off. As for the Immortal Herbs, he planned to have Bibi Dong send someone to deliver them later.
He also needed to begin cultivating. He planned to reach Title Douluo within three years. When the plot officially began, he would start laying the foundation for the path toward creating his own god position.
Over in the Star Luo Empire, after the Yang brothers logged off, they began making arrangements according to Nan Xuan's plan.
Yang Fei found a factory, recruited a group of blacksmiths, and began manufacturing Network Card Readers.
Yang Tian established a Network World Bank at his family's real-world Network World service outlet. A black spider and white web were the symbol of the Network World, and now they were also the symbol of the Network World Bank.
In the Heaven Dou Empire, Chen Gao was still running between two places by himself. Luckily, he could at least eat a hot meal when he returned home, or he would have gone on strike long ago. Of course, that was only a joke.
Over in Spirit City, all the business affairs had been handed to Bibi Dong, allowing her to keep the economy in her own hands. That had also been Nan Xuan's idea. With money, she could make the people below work obediently.
After cultivating for a while, Nan Xuan walked outside the wooden house, sat in a recliner, and basked in the sun.
By coincidence, Tang Hao also came out carrying the child, and he was walking toward Nan Xuan.
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