Qiuyun Chamber of Commerce

“What! You want me to teach her martial skills?”

Yunlai Xia’s eyes widened, and then she hopped about in a fit of pique. “Shouldn’t this be something you do personally, Master? Are you the master here, or am I?!”

Xu Jinghuai spread his hands with a look of helpless resignation. “I am merely teaching according to the student’s aptitude.”

“Surely you don’t expect a man who specializes in immortal arts and Daoist techniques to teach someone physical martial arts?”

Xu Jinghuai knew his weaknesses were glaring.

In the terms of his past life, he was a student with a severe academic imbalance; he had poured all his heart into specializing in one subject, leaving his knowledge of other fields broad but shallow.

Seeing Yunlai Xia’s unhappy pout and remembering that he was the one making the request, he softened his tone: “Yunlai Xia, I know that if I don’t use my cultivation or spells, I couldn’t possibly defeat you in a pure melee. In that area, you possess absolute confidence.”

Though the flattery was clumsy, Yunlai Xia absolutely fell for it.

She tilted her small face up and let out two haughty humphs. “Naturally! Even if ten versions of you—without using lightning magic—tried to fight me up close, I could take all ten at once!”

Xu Jinghuai struck while the iron was hot: “Exactly. It’s precisely because I believe in your ability that I’m entrusting you with Xia Jin’s training.”

“A disciple raised by the first seat of the Seven Rainbow Divine Spears, a High-grade Immortal Artifact Spirit, will surely be more impressive than one raised by a little weakling like me.”

“And think about it, Yunlai Xia—Xia Jin’er may be a novice, but her cooking skills are beyond reproach! I specifically took a disciple who knows her way around a kitchen because I knew you’d be staying on Youyun Peak and feared you’d grow hungry. Such an excellent ‘Delicacy Production Maiden’… shouldn’t you build a good relationship with her and hold onto her tightly?”

The words whispered into her ear were like a charming, seductive melody, making Yunlai Xia swallow hard.

Already floating on air from the praise, her mind followed Xu Jinghuai’s words to a vision of the “big pie” waiting for her in the future…

Yunlai Xia wavered.

“Teaching martial skills is no big deal! It’s a small matter—leave it to me! Within two years, I guarantee Xia Jin will become a Martial Dao Grandmaster!”

Yunlai Xia patted her flat chest and tilted her head back, making a grand, confident boast.

The corners of Xu Jinghuai’s mouth curled up, revealing the smile of a schemer who had succeeded.

After arranging a cultivation schedule for Xia Jin, he left Yunlai Xia by the girl’s side. Xu Jinghuai himself moved to a spot beneath a tree, pulling several ancient texts from his spatial ring to browse.

Since Xia Jin possessed an Immortal Body, the earlier it was activated, the greater the benefit.

He had planned to check the Main Peak’s Sutra Pavilion for records on the Five Elements Immortal Bodies, but with the world outside in flux, he didn’t feel at ease even within the sect until he figured out what was happening.

Before long, a pile of ancient books had gathered around him.

As he set down the last volume, Xu Jinghuai’s expression remained calm. Unsurprisingly, there were no clues regarding the activation of an Immortal Body in his personal collection.

He wasn’t surprised. It was one thing that he rarely collected such texts, but more importantly, if activating an Immortal Body were easy, the method would be common knowledge rather than a hidden secret buried in texts that no one noticed.

With a flick of his sleeve, the books vanished, and Xu Jinghuai pulled out his Oracle Network token.

Though it was inconvenient to go out, he had the Oracle Network—a separate channel that saved him a trip to the Sutra Pavilion.

The Oracle Network was a joint venture between the Autumn Cloud Chamber of Commerce and the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, so it naturally had a feedback channel similar to customer service to contact both factions.

Since this world lacked robots, the “customer service” was all real people.

Xu Jinghuai soon contacted the Autumn Cloud Chamber of Commerce, asking them to help search for ancient texts regarding the Five Elements Immortal Bodies.

Central Province, Autumn Cloud Chamber of Commerce Headquarters.

Inside a magnificent room, a tall, elegant lady sat at a desk. Her beautiful eyes scanned a ledger while her hand occasionally flicked the beads of a nearby abacus; then, she turned to write something in a notebook with a brush.

Suddenly, three knocks sounded at the door.

Her thoughts interrupted, Qian Huaimeng’s graceful brows furrowed slightly. She transmitted her voice: “Enter.”

At her word, the door opened quietly. The moment it did, the person who had knocked rushed inside, kneeling on one knee before Qian Huaimeng. “Eldest Miss! This servant has a major matter to report!”

Hearing it was a “major matter,” Qian Huaimeng had no choice but to set down her brush. She rested her chin on her interlaced hands and looked at the messenger. “I recall you are from the Oracle Network Customer Service Department… Li Si, is it? Tell me, what major matter has made you so agitated?”

Li Si was flattered that the Eldest Miss remembered his name. “Yes, Eldest Miss! Actually, just moments ago, the Youyun Immortal Venerable sent a message to our department!”

Before the words had even fully landed, the previously deep and mysterious Eldest Miss suddenly slammed her hands on the desk and stood up, her voice rising a pitch.

“You said the Youyun Immortal Venerable contacted you?!”

Qian Huaimeng was well-bred; after her initial outburst of excitement, she immediately realized her loss of composure. She made a fist and cleared her throat, regaining her majesty. “Cough… I lost myself for a moment. Li Si, tell me—what did the Youyun Immortal Venerable say?”

“Is there a bug in the Oracle Network 3.0?”

Li Si shook his head. “It’s not a bug. It’s a personal matter of the Immortal Venerable.”

“The Immortal Venerable said it is inconvenient for him to leave his home lately, so he wishes to ask a favor of the Eldest Miss. He wants you to help him find some ancient texts regarding the Five Elements Immortal Bodies and deliver them to Youyun Peak. He promised a reward afterward.”

That final phrase—”promised a reward”—made Qian Huaimeng’s eyes light up. She lowered her gaze and murmured, “Ancient texts on the Five Elements Immortal Bodies… Very well, I understand.”

“Aside from that, did the Youyun Immortal Venerable order anything else?”

Li Si shook his head. “Nothing else.”

Qian Huaimeng nodded and dismissed him. The room returned to silence. Even as she sat back down, she couldn’t suppress the smile spreading across her face.

The Autumn Cloud Chamber of Commerce was originally the least of the Four Great Chambers, but over the last century, thanks to the support of Youyun Immortal Venerable and the gradual popularization of the Oracle Network, it had shown signs of becoming the largest chamber in the Cangnan Realm.

And the reason the chamber had secured his support was something no one would believe: it was simply because their headquarters was the closest to the Wuling Immortal Sect…

For a long time, the chamber had only been on the receiving end of his support. Aside from money, they had no way to truly repay him. In Qian Huaimeng’s eyes, this relationship was unstable.

She knew well that to an Immortal Venerable, wealth was a worldly possession as fleeting as clouds.

If the day came when he grew tired of the Autumn Cloud Chamber of Commerce, he could easily find another.

Therefore, to firmly grasp the future of the chamber, she had to build a cooperative relationship with him in other areas. And now, the Immortal Venerable had rarely and specifically made a request to her as the Eldest Miss.

The opportunity was right before her; she had to handle this perfectly!

Soon, the employees of the Autumn Cloud Chamber of Commerce saw their Eldest Miss leading a group of people out in a whirlwind, purchasing items all across the city.

Qian Huaimeng’s massive movements soon became the headline in the Oracle Network column.