The first thing after coming out of seclusion.
Ye Qingxuan contacted Zhu Dafu:
“Zhu Dafu, starting today, announce that the Tianfu Shop is acquiring special items from the extra-dimensional battlefields.”
Apart from heavenly materials, earthly treasures, spiritual herbs, and divine materials, the extra-dimensional battlefields also contain all sorts of bizarre and peculiar special items born from unforeseen circumstances. Most of these items don’t have much use, so their value is very low.
Ye Qingxuan’s acquisition target was precisely these low-value special items.
Otherwise, if he truly set his sights on acquiring everything from the extra-dimensional battlefields, even selling the Tianfu Shop wouldn’t be enough.
Before long, Zhu Dafu’s reply came through:
“This… Boss, then how should we set the price?”
Initially, Zhu Dafu wanted to offer some advice, after all, collecting those things wasn’t particularly useful, but in the end, he held back.
Some matters were best left unquestioned.
Seeing Zhu Dafu ask about pricing, Ye Qingxuan thought for a moment before replying directly:
“Set the price according to the market rate for first and second-tier spiritual materials. Handle the specifics as you see fit.”
“However, it doesn’t matter if we can acquire other materials. But if a black, leathery material appears, be sure to acquire it. If the other party asks for too high a price, contact me again.”
The other materials were just a cover; Ye Qingxuan’s real target was the World Membrane.
As for Zhu Dafu, bound by his Dao oath, Ye Qingxuan wasn’t worried about him revealing information or doing anything detrimental.
Hearing Ye Qingxuan’s instructions like this, Zhu Dafu immediately understood. The black, leathery material was Ye Qingxuan’s true goal.
He didn’t ask further about the function of the black leathery material and agreed directly:
“Alright, Boss. Once the materials are acquired, I’ll deliver them to you.”
Back at the Tianfu Shop, after sending his reply, Zhu Dafu began arranging the acquisition of special items from the extra-dimensional battlefields.
He had never been lax in carrying out Ye Qingxuan’s instructions.
Zhu Dafu knew that everything he currently had and enjoyed came from Ye Qingxuan. He wouldn’t be foolish enough to incur Ye Qingxuan’s displeasure.
Through years of development, Zhu Dafu had gradually established the framework for the Tianfu Shop.
Currently, the profits from the distribution channels weren’t huge, but they were steadily increasing.
Looking at the thriving Tianfu Shop, Zhu Dafu felt an indescribable sense of achievement.
Fellow disciples who had previously interacted with him now greeted him with “Boss Zhu,” filling him with delight. He thoroughly enjoyed this feeling.
Although the Tianfu Shop wasn’t his, he was now its nominal head and held a share of its distribution channels.
Moreover, Ye Qingxuan rarely interfered with the shop’s other affairs, leaving Zhu Dafu fully in charge most of the time.
Therefore, Zhu Dafu truly regarded the Tianfu Shop as his own undertaking and devoted himself wholeheartedly.
If the Tianfu Shop could develop to a point where even the Zhu Family Merchant Company, from which he originated, would look upon it with newfound respect, or even seek its favor, he would be truly satisfied in this life.
Aware of his own fanciful thoughts, Zhu Dafu couldn’t help but shake his head:
“Daydreaming again. Seems I can’t afford to be idle!”
Muttering to himself, he then busied himself with the affairs of the Tianfu Shop.
While the Tianfu Shop was indeed developing well, reaching a level that would make the Zhu Family Merchant Company sit up and take notice, or even curry favor, was, in Zhu Dafu’s view, nothing but a pipe dream.
It was just an occasional, unwilling fantasy he indulged in, imagining such a scenario.
On the other side.
At the stone pavilion by the entrance of the Qingxuan Cave Heaven.
After delegating the task, Ye Qingxuan took out his teapot and began brewing tea.
It had been three years since he last properly enjoyed tea and the scenery beyond the peak.
Once the tea was brewed, Ye Qingxuan called out loudly:
“Zhaoheng, Zhaoyu, you two, come up here.”
He didn’t use voice transmission but simply shouted.
No particular reason; he just felt like it. Following his whim, he called out loudly.
Although Ye Qingxuan only shouted, with the aid of spiritual power, his voice quickly reached the bottom of the mountain, into the caves of Ye Zhaoheng and Ye Zhaoyu.
Soon, Ye Zhaoheng and Ye Zhaoyu arrived outside Ye Qingxuan’s stone pavilion, standing respectfully to one side. Ye Zhaoheng spoke:
“Master, do you have any instructions?”
Seeing this, Ye Qingxuan chuckled lightly:
“Nothing important. Just called you two up for some tea. Sit down!”
Hearing this, Ye Zhaoheng and Ye Zhaoyu exchanged a glance, appearing a bit restrained, but ultimately, at Ye Qingxuan’s gesture, they sat down in the stone pavilion.
After they sat, Ye Qingxuan poured each of them a cup of tea and asked with interest:
“Try it. See how it tastes.”
Ye Zhaoheng and Ye Zhaoyu picked up their cups and took a light sip. Ye Zhaoheng complimented:
“Excellent tea. After drinking it, both body and mind feel much more relaxed.”
Hearing his elder brother, Ye Zhaoyu quickly added:
“Truly excellent tea, just as my brother said.”
Seeing their reactions, Ye Qingxuan burst into laughter:
“Haha, you two!”
He then took out some tea leaves and handed them over:
“Take these. Drinking this tea does have some benefits.”
Ye Zhaoheng and Ye Zhaoyu didn’t refuse; they accepted the tea leaves. Ye Zhaoheng smiled and thanked him:
“Thank you, Master, for the tea!”
Ye Qingxuan shook his head and said calmly:
“You two don’t need to be so formal with me. I’m not such a stern person.”
Looking at the two young men, now with defined features and appearing mature and steady, Ye Qingxuan felt a twinge of emotion:
“In the blink of an eye, it’s been almost sixteen years since you two followed me to the Xuantian Sect. Have you ever regretted being my attendants?”
It had taken him seven months to open up the cave heaven, and now it had been fifteen years since then.
Hearing Ye Qingxuan’s words, Ye Zhaoheng shook his head firmly:
“Master, we have no regrets. If we were outside, Zhaoyu and I would still be stuck at the Qi Refining stage.”
Ye Zhaoyu chimed in beside him:
“That’s right, Master. You’ve provided my brother and me with so many cultivation resources, and your demands on us are not high. We are already content.”
Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan looked at their cultivation levels.
They were still at the early Foundation Establishment stage, though not far from mid-stage. However, to break through to the Zifu stage, they would need at least another forty-plus years.
Given the natural talent of Ye Zhaoheng and Ye Zhaoyu, even within the Xuantian Sect with sufficient cultivation resources provided by him, they would at most reach the Nascent Soul stage before hitting their limit.
Thinking of this, something seemed to occur to him. His gaze flickered slightly as he looked at Ye Zhaoheng and Ye Zhaoyu and inquired:
“I have a way to let you two rapidly increase your cultivation. But after using this method, your control over spiritual power will decrease, your combat prowess will drop somewhat, and breaking through subsequent stages will become extremely difficult.”
“Most critically, after taking this kind of pill, reaching the Nascent Soul stage essentially becomes the end of the road. Trying to break through to the Void Refinement stage afterwards would be a hundred times harder.”
Having said this, he looked deeply at the two:
“Are you willing to accept these consequences?”
Upon hearing Ye Qingxuan’s words, Ye Zhaoheng and Ye Zhaoyu pondered for a moment. Finally, they exchanged a glance and said in unison with determination:
“Master, we are willing!”
Given their innate talent, even reaching the Nascent Soul stage was originally a luxury. So for them, this choice wasn’t difficult.
Seeing their agreement, Ye Qingxuan nodded:
“Good. Then you two head down for now. Come back in ten days.”
“Yes, Master.”
As they were about to leave, Ye Zhaoyu seemed to remember something and suddenly said:
“Oh, right, Master. Young Master Qingxiao came looking for you. He said to contact him after you came out of seclusion.”
“Alright, I understand!”
Ye Qingxuan wasn’t surprised by Ye Zhaoyu’s news.
Because that fellow, Ye Qingxiao, had already left him a message long ago.
