Shelly Takes Charge

Two days later, in Scarobo Market, a hundred miles outside of the Star Dou Great Forest.

After bidding farewell to Zhang Ji and his nephew Woma, Ling Yi stayed at the market with Yang Shelly to conduct market research.

As a market spontaneously formed by Soul Master, everything here is geared towards Soul Master.

Accommodation and catering are basic necessities, occupying half of the street-front shops.

What remains are all sorts of shops, selling various weapons and equipment, various wilderness survival tools, and essential supplies such as healing medicines and antidotes that have occupied 90% of the low-end market in recent years.

Of course, where there are sellers, there are buyers. Items such as the corpses, pelts, and bones of various Soul Beast brought out by different Soul Master teams from the Star Dou Great Forest, as well as some rare plants and ores, are all being acquired.

A Hundred Refinement sword sells for twenty Gold Soul Coin; a Five Hundred Refinement plate armor sells for one Gold Soul Coin; a dose of "Detoxification Powder" sells for one Gold Soul Coin, and "Wound Medicine" and "Bruise-Dispelling Powder" are also one Gold Soul Coin each; the corpse of a Hundred-Year Soul Beast is sold by weight, one Gold Soul Coin per pound, and the fur is bought for between thirty and one hundred Gold Soul Coin; the corpse of a Thousand-Year Soul Beast...

Looking at this almost barbaric trading market and the chaotic, unreasonable trading prices, Ling Yi's smile became even brighter.

In this situation, the Green Wood Merchant Association has a great opportunity!

After finding a shop that was doing poorly, and having a brief chat with the owner, Ling Yi easily bought the shop and the small courtyard behind it.

This is a shop that mainly deals in acquisitions. The shop owner previously used most of his funds to hire a team of Soul Master to help his son hunt for Soul Ring in the Star Dou Great Forest. As a result, his son and that team of Soul Master never returned.

The money was gone, and so was the son on whom they had pinned their hopes. After a period of seclusion and grief, they reopened their business. However, due to a shortage of funds, they struggled to secure high-quality resources, and in this vicious cycle, business declined day by day. They persevered for over a year, but no miracle occurred; their son was still missing. At Ling Yi's urging, the shop owner sadly decided to take a considerable sum of money and move to a peaceful and tranquil small town to settle down.

Perhaps the shop owner could marry several wives and concubines in that small town, and have a dozen or so children. Perhaps the Soul Master with children are exceptionally talented, and their future remains full of hope.

After tidying up the empty shop and the equally empty courtyard behind it, Ling Yi took Yang Shelly out to purchase various types of wood and stone.

As a versatile craftsman with skills in carving, architecture, carpentry, and more, Ling Yi took out a complete set of tools from his Storage Soul Tool and spent only one day renovating all three rooms in the shop and courtyard.

At night, the moon and stars are sparse.

In the newly renovated courtyard, Ling Yi lay on a deck chair he had casually made, gazing up at the starry sky.

In a corner of the courtyard next door, Ling Yi planted a "Golden Laurel Tree". Nourished by the power of Life, it is now lush and green. Although the small flower buds have not yet bloomed, they have quietly given off a faint fragrance.

Not far from the tree is a newly built bluestone well.

On the ground, there is a lawn as smooth as silk, and each "Blue Silver Grass" Abundant Vitality, with pale blue grass leaves as clear as jade and crystal.

"The letter has been sent. Once the nearest chamber of commerce receives it, they will arrange for someone to come. It should take about seven days, and at the latest, no more than ten days..."

Gazing at the bright moon, as round as a jade plate, Ling Yi silently planned his next move:

Aside from a branch of the Spirit Hall and a garrison of its guardian knights, there are virtually no other major powers in this market. The strongest force is merely a Soul Master family founded by a Soul Saint, backed by someone else.

"As expected, this is the normal style. There aren't that many strong and powerful people in this world. The reason I've been frequently encountering Soul Emperor, Soul Saint, and even Soul Douluo lately is because I've reached a certain level myself, just like the main characters in the original story. The reason they encounter so many powerful and exceptionally talented geniuses is partly due to the needs of the plot, and partly because the circles they're in make it easier for them to meet these people..."

"The real Douluo Continent is like my experiences from a few years ago, and like this Scarobo Market. Soul King are the experts, Soul Emperor occasionally appear, and Soul Saint are the behind-the-scenes bigwigs."

Those Soul Douluo were either prominent figures from various major powers, or reclusive secrets and background characters.

"As for Titled Douluo, they're legends. People talk about them, but in reality, maybe one in ten thousand people has actually seen one."

As thoughts surfaced in his mind, Ling Yi's five senses were heightened once again in the quiet night.

He could hear from his neighbors on the left and right, as well as from several shops and hotels across the street, that some people were sleeping soundly and snoring, some were drinking and chatting, and some were diligently practicing their cultivation.

Similarly, Ling Yi could also hear a graceful figure soaking in a huge bathtub in the room to his left.

Even his extremely sensitive sense of smell allowed Ling Yi easily detect the floral, damp vapor.

Time passed second by second, the night deepened, and the jade disc in the inky sky sprinkled down a pure white veil to cover the earth.

"Brother Yi, it's your turn to wash up—"

A clear, melodious call snapped Ling Yi out of his thoughts.

"Um?"

Ling Yi turned his gaze away from the night sky and looked back, where he saw Yang Shelly, wearing a dark-colored coat, standing in the moonlight.

The moonlight made her already snow-white skin even more radiant, giving it a glowing quality.

Slightly damp hair was simply tied up at the back of her head in a high ponytail, Yang Shelly's favorite style.

Her deep black eyes were fixed on Ling Yi. Her face was small and delicate, with long, arched eyebrows, a slightly upturned nose, and bright red lips. She exuded a refreshing fragrance. Her figure was barely concealed by her dark-colored dress, making her look like a fairy who had just finished bathing in the Heavenly Maiden Lake.

At that moment, Ling Yi suddenly had the illusion that he was the Cowherd, with the Weaver Girl standing in front of him.

However, an illusion is just an illusion. Ling Yi is not the Cowherd, and Shelly in front of him is not the Weaver Girl.

"Brother Yi," Yang Shelly said again, "It's your turn to wash up."

"No rush~" Ling Yi shook his head and said with a smile, "Shelly, Brother Yi 'm thinking about the next steps for this shop. I'll go wash up later, you go and rest first—"

Logically speaking, given Yang Shelly's consistent obedience to Ling Yi, since Ling Yi said so, Yang Shelly should definitely nod and either obediently go to rest or stay by Ling Yi's side.

But Yang Shelly seemed a little different tonight.

"No!"

Yang Shelly straightened her pretty face and said in a slightly forceful tone, "Right now!"

Ling Yi was taken aback upon hearing this and looked at Yang Shelly with some surprise.

Yang Shelly, who was being looked at by Ling Yi, met his gaze with a firm look in Ling Yi eyes.

"..."

Seeing him being stared at like that, Ling Yi smiled and shook his head, "Okay, now."

As he spoke, he got up from the recliner and walked toward his room.

The bathtub was made by Ling Yi himself today, and the water was drawn from the well in the yard. When he reached out to touch it, the temperature was just right, obviously heated by Yang Shelly specially for him.

After taking off his clothes, Ling Yi entered the bathtub, feeling the water temperature, which was slightly hot for most people but just right for him. A slight smile appeared on his face as he closed his eyes and took a short nap.

"Squeak--"

A slight sound of the door being pushed open rang out, Ling Yi, whose head was the only part of his body above the water, suddenly opened his eyes.

Turning her head to look at the opened doorway, she exclaimed in surprise, "Shelly?!"

That night, Ling Yi reviewed some classical Chinese texts from his school days in his previous life.

For example, in Mister Five Willows's "The Peach Blossom Spring," it says, "At first it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through. After walking several dozen steps, it suddenly opened up into a bright and spacious place..."

For example, in Layman Fanchuan's poem "Mountain Journey," he writes, "A winding stone path leads far up the cold mountain, where houses stand amidst the deep white clouds. I stop my carriage, captivated by the maple forest at dusk, its frosted leaves redder than February flowers."

For example, in Mister Hui'an's poem "Reflections on Reading," he writes, "A half-acre pond, like a mirror, reflects the sky and clouds. How can it be so clear? Because it has a source of living water."

These are all cultural treasures of humankind, knowledge that Ling Yi has memorized deep in his soul and has never forgotten!

Hmm... the author knows nothing and understands nothing...

To be continued tomorrow, goodnight everyone~