Hidden Greatness Lies in the City

Sun Yating had been highly efficient these past two days, handling everything for Qin Fen early on. In the blink of an eye, Lord Qin had transformed into a millionaire. Fate truly worked in mysterious ways.

Yet Qin Fen was not particularly excited. Ever since discovering the uses of Heavenly Court Moments, he had understood that he was destined to become extraordinary. It was only a matter of time.

After getting his documents and sending off the chattering Sun Yating, Qin Fen had been remarkably decisive. Even when she accused him of crossing the river and tearing down the bridge, of having no humanity, he still ushered her out without hesitation. The fewer people who knew about certain things, the better.

Qin Fen stood alone facing the lake. His luggage had already been moved in, and he had taken several days off to sort out everything on his hands.

Having always lived alone away from home, Qin Fen did not have many belongings, so he settled in quickly. He put away the Monkey Wine and kept that talisman on him at all times. He had given half a wild mountain ginseng root to Sun Yating without caring in the slightest. Gains and losses depended on how one viewed them. Making use of her status might not be a bad shield against trouble.

The villa was enormous, both in terms of land and floor space. Its four stories made it resemble a little monster. The first floor contained a living room, kitchen, shared bathroom, and a large garage. Behind the living room was a glass door leading to a small swimming pool enclosed by walls. The second and third floors had every kind of room imaginable, while the fourth floor was special: it held a single bedroom.

Half indoors and half outdoors, it had a large outdoor bathtub enclosed in glass. The moment Qin Fen saw it, he understood the previous owner's taste. The guy had been shamelessly flamboyant. City folk sure knew how to have fun.

A large fence circled the villa, dividing the grounds into flowerbeds. On one side of the fence stood a glass canopy, beneath which hung a huge swing chair.

Qin Fen liked this house very much, but now was not the time to admire it. Holding a shovel in one hand, he stared fiercely at a small flowerbed.

The flowers were growing quite well, but Qin Fen had no appreciation for them. His plan was simple: shovel them out and mix in the yellow dirt from the Heavenly Court.

"Today, I'm going to be ruthless with flowers." Qin Fen gripped the shovel and charged forward. Without another thought, he first loosened the soil, then carried over his large basin and shoveled its contents in one scoop at a time, spreading the Heavenly Court dirt evenly across the small plot.

Once the soil was ready, Qin Fen immediately tossed in the potato seeds he had bought. After finishing the simple task, he clapped his hands, tossed aside the shovel, and walked to the lakeshore.

Dragon Pool Lake was not large, but its water quality was decent. Qin Fen crouched down, washed and dried his hands by the shore, then took out his phone. Looking at the massive house, he felt as though something was missing.

His idea was quite good. The environment here was nice, the location was excellent, and everyone coming and going was wealthy. Why would he need to find a plot of land in the countryside like in those novels? He could simply go all out right here.

Nor did he need to sell semi-finished products like in novels. He was a chef, so he would sell finished dishes. He would control the source, limit the daily supply, and play the high-end game. With such a fine lakeside location, he could even open a teahouse.

His business was still in its early stages. He did not have much phone credit, though he had some Merit. He could not spread himself too thin. One had to eat one bite at a time, and the road ahead was long.

With that in mind, Qin Fen opened his phone and decided to get something to boost his popularity.

As for products, a teahouse naturally needed tea. Without hesitation, Qin Fen set his sights on Flower-Fruit Mountain. There were flowers and fruit there, Monkey Wine flowed freely, and he could get some flowers to steep into tea. He could also plant some to beautify the surroundings, killing several birds with one stone.

What was that called again? Hidden greatness lay in the city!

Scrolling down through Moments, Qin Fen found that there was basically nothing major happening. Food God and the Daily Duty Star Officer did seem to have something on their minds. The former was showing off, having become popular lately and risen in status accordingly, while the latter had run into a minor problem.

Qin Fen opened Food God's chat window. "Food God, how have you been lately?"

"Patriarch, you finally remembered this little one."

Qin Fen's face darkened. He made it sound as though Qin Fen had abandoned him after sleeping with him. "Do you want to learn Bursting-Juice Piss Beef Balls?"

Bursting juice? And piss? Food God was dumbfounded. The Patriarch truly did not follow the usual path. He had even come up with such a vulgar name. If word got out, the immortals would surely beat him to death.

Wasn't piss something kept in a urine pouch? Could that even be eaten? Even if it could, they would not want to eat it.

"Well, I do want to learn it. I just don't know whether it'll be too strange."

A habitual misunderstanding. Qin Fen shook his head helplessly and explained the method. Food God's eyes immediately lit up. This was easy. The key lay in the gimmick and the texture. With his skill, this novel little thing would surely conquer everyone.

"Thank you for your guidance, Patriarch."

"I have something for you to do." Qin Fen's lips curled upward. He had given him the sweetener; now Food God could get to work obediently.

"Please instruct me, Patriarch."

"Go find the Great Sage. I want a batch of Monkey Wine, as well as all kinds of flowers. Tea leaves would be best. Get me a batch first. I'll leave it to you."

Pay out of his own pocket? Dream on. As a Four-Haves Newcomer and a real man, he had to pluck feathers from every passing goose. Food God was a star now, so the Great Sage should show him some respect. As long as he wanted to eat, then what did costs matter? Food God, just submit to this monk. Lord Qin had nothing anyway.

"I shall obey, Daoist friend!"

Ha, done. Qin Fen loved a business with no capital required. Scrolling upward, he saw the Daily Duty Star Officer's post.

"Ever since the Heavenly Court's new policies, pets and mounts have become restless. No one is keeping watch over them, so they run wild everywhere. Quite a few have even secretly descended to the lower realm. Now they've produced litter after litter, and bringing them back has become a huge problem. Every day, I do nothing but catch little strays. Even after catching them, I don't know who their owners are."

Reading that, Qin Fen's mind became a little muddled. So the Heavenly Court also had a stray cat and dog problem?

"Put dog tags on them!" Qin Fen typed into the chat window and sent the message.

Hmm. "Who is this?" The Daily Duty Star Officer was no small figure. To put it plainly, he was part of the Heavenly Court's city management force.

"You cannot see this venerable one. Today, I calculated with my fingers and learned that you were in trouble. Considering your usual hard work, I have come to enlighten you."

The Daily Duty Star Officer nearly jumped out of his skin. He calculated with his fingers and found nothing but blankness. He swept out with his divine sense and still found nothing. Then how had that Primordial Spirit Transmission arrived? Cold sweat immediately broke out on him. He understood that this was an expert.

"Please guide me, Immortal. What is a dog tag? Do you mean hanging a tag on every dog? That would be far too difficult. The Howling Celestial Hound would definitely refuse, and I can't beat him."

The Heavenly Court really was occupied by country bumpkins. Qin Fen mercilessly mocked him in his heart. "It means registering their household records. No, their immortal records."

"So that's it. But there is a problem. Families keep immortal beasts with good bloodlines, while the Heavenly Court absorbs those of slightly lesser quality and assigns them to Heavenly Soldiers to raise. The real issue is that group with bloodlines so inferior they rival the lowest demons. No one wants them. This problem has never been solved, and it's giving me a terrible headache." The Daily Duty Star Officer did not doubt the other party's intentions. Even if he did, he could not get around Qin Fen.

"Daily Duty Star Officer, do you know Matchmaker Yue's recent plans?"

"I do."

Qin Fen's eyes rolled. "Give them to Matchmaker Yue. Tell him I told you to do it. This poor Daoist will naturally... Just say that these little fellows can serve as prizes for the event, to be jointly raised by participants and witness their acquaintance and relationship."

Brilliant! Wasn't this simply making use of waste? The Daily Duty Star Officer's eyes widened. And the benefits would stay within their own circle. This was no scheme; it was genuine help. What a good man.

Qin Fen chuckled. This was called buy one, get one free. Supermarkets often did this—buy toothpaste and get a cup. Newcomers could get acquainted, and raising one together could deepen their bond.

"Thank you, Daoist friend." With the problem solved, the Daily Duty Star Officer smiled. The gloom that had hung over him for days was swept away. If he released these little creatures, they could become demons in the lower realm. Since they had connections to those above, they were truly difficult to handle. Killing them would offend that group of strange beasts.

"Not so fast. Since we're on the subject, why not give me one? I'll help you with another small matter as well." Qin Fen smiled. He had wanted a pet for a long time, but it would not have been proper to trick him right from the start. He was not asking for one; he was helping him out. He had principles.

"No problem. Aren't you helping me in my time of need? I'm not even done thanking you." The Daily Duty Star Officer sighed inwardly. This person was worth befriending. In modern terms, he was practically a living **.

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