After breakfast, Wen Shuangbai sat in her room, working on a list of artifacts to refine while pondering her next steps.
The recent competition in Zhuoguang City had earned them a total of 98,400 Sacred Stones for their fifteen days of work at Qi Manor—eight days as outer guards and seven as inner guards—plus the reward for slaying the thousand-year-old demonic tree spirit. Split evenly, each of them received 16,400 Sacred Stones, equivalent to 16,400,000 Spirit Stones.
They had also acquired the method for crafting Spirit Mountain Veil fabric and various other materials—quite a fruitful haul.
Though the money hadn’t arrived yet (the Qingling Mountain money transport was still en route), Wen Shuangbai couldn’t help but brainstorm how to maximize the use of this windfall.
Her goal had always been simple: achieve financial freedom so she’d never have to worry about money again.
When she first transmigrated into this world, she thought a few thousand Spirit Stones was a fortune. But now, with over ten million in her hands, it still didn’t feel like enough.
The cost of living on the Xuantian Continent was exorbitant. Ten million couldn’t even buy a handful of rare treasures.
Over breakfast, Lu Jiayao had gossiped about a top-tier artifact recently auctioned in the imperial capital for ten million.
Considering how long cultivators lived on the Xuantian Continent, Wen Shuangbai realized that if she wanted true financial freedom, she needed to make her money work for her.
As Warren Buffett once said: If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.
Wen Shuangbai had no intention of spending her life grinding for coins. What she wanted was passive income.
The Mystic Heaven Mirror on her desk buzzed incessantly—her artifact refining orders had exploded.
The Sacred Tower competition had brought her a flood of clients, and now, she couldn’t keep up with demand alone.
This was the perfect moment to expand her business.
Just as she was drafting her business plan, Elder Cao Xing knocked on her door.
Cao Xing: "Why are you the only one here? Where are the others?"
"No idea." Wen Shuangbai shook her head. She was too busy figuring out how to multiply her wealth to care about the others’ whereabouts.
But really, those guys were always up to the same old things.
Li Zhuohua, Shen Hefeng, and Lu Jiayao were restless souls—it was normal for them to be out and about. But the other two should’ve been around.
"Is my senior brother and Xie Ziyin not here either?"
"..." Though Elder Cao’s face remained stoic, Wen Shuangbai could practically see the unspoken curses in his eyes. "Oh, those two don’t count as people in my book."
Wen Shuangbai: "..."
Just what had her senior brother and fellow transmigrator done to Elder Cao during her month-long seclusion?
"Never mind." Cao Xing waved it off. "Since you’re here, that’s enough. The disciples from Jade Rhinoceros Valley are visiting. Go entertain them, and call Lu Jiayao back while you’re at it."
According to Lu Jiayao, if not for Jade Rhinoceros Valley’s collaboration with Qingling Mountain, their sect wouldn’t have scraped together enough Spirit Stones to pay them so quickly.
With that in mind, Wen Shuangbai nodded. "Fine. But should I call Senior Sister and Shen Hefeng too?"
Cao Xing: "Oh, those two don’t count as people either."
Over the past month, the little spirits from Jade Rhinoceros Valley had visited frequently.
Elder Qianlai had specifically instructed Cao Xing to treat these money-bringing sprites well.
But the sprites only came to see their Qingling Mountain friends—not old-timers like Elder Cao.
The problem was, none of Qingling Mountain’s disciples were normal!
When Li Zhuohua entertained guests, she’d shoo them away after two sentences—"Hurry up and leave, I need to practice my swordplay."
When Shen Hefeng hosted, he’d ask the little turtle spirit—"When you die, can I have your shell? How long do you have left? Want me to calculate your lifespan?" The poor turtle burst into tears and never returned.
Cao Xing sighed, tilting his head back at a forty-five-degree angle as he trudged away from the Endless House, weighed down by the absurdity of it all.
Wen Shuangbai figured she shouldn’t go alone, so she headed to Xie Ziyin’s place first.
A wooden plaque hung on his door, its flamboyant calligraphy declaring: Knock and lose your fortune.
Wen Shuangbai: "..."
Clenching her fists, she turned and went to her senior brother’s quarters.
Another wooden plaque greeted her, the handwriting lazily scrawled: Leave food at the door. Don’t knock. Won’t open. Thanks~
Wen Shuangbai: "..."
Giving up, she left the Endless House and sent a message in the Today’s a Good Day to Get Rich group chat as she walked toward the main hall.
[Artificer Wen: Where is everyone? Jade Rhinoceros Valley guests are in the main hall. Report ASAP.]
Li Zhuohua and Lu Jiayao replied instantly.
[Lu Jiayao: Can’t! Busy with something super important! Shuangbai, you handle it!]
[Li Zhuohua: Not coming back yet! Found a great way to pick fights!]
[Lu Jiayao: What way?]
[Li Zhuohua: I’m offering 10,000 Spirit Stones to anyone who can beat me. But so far, no one can!]
[Artificer Wen: Impressive.]
[Shen Hefeng: Any turtle shells coming?]
Wen Shuangbai scanned the main hall as she stepped inside. [Nope.]
[Shen Hefeng: Boring. Not coming.]
[No Money: Busy. Not coming.]
[Yin Xuan: Don’t feel like it.]
"..." She was the only reliable one here. No wonder Elder Cao had been radiating an aura of despair lately.
"Shuangbai!" Yu Xiaoli’s fox eyes lit up when she saw her. "You’re finally awake! We were so worried."
"I’m fine." Wen Shuangbai sat down, glancing at the dejected Yu Qianli beside her. "What’s wrong with him?"
"A few days ago, someone stole Qianli’s Moonlight Gem," Yu Xiaoli explained, her white fox ears twitching as she shook her head. "You should be careful too. With the Xuantian Grand Competition underway, the imperial capital’s packed—and so are the thieves. Lots of people have had things stolen."
"That brazen?" Wen Shuangbai raised an eyebrow. "Were the thieves caught?"
"Nope." Yu Xiaoli swung her legs, her ears swaying. "They’re masters of movement—ghostly fast, impossible to catch."
"Exactly." Yu Qianli clutched his chest. "They could’ve taken any other gem, but they had to take this one. I even posted on the Mystic Heaven Mirror—return it, and I’ll pay triple with no consequences. But they still won’t give it back!"
Wen Shuangbai’s lips twitched. "Why offer triple? Just buy another one if you’ve got the money."
"No, no, no, it's not the same. This Moonlight Gem has been with me the longest—I have an emotional attachment to it. It's not about the money..." Wen Shuangbai shook her head, silently lamenting how discussing feelings always seemed to cost her financially.
As she listened to the little spirits chatting away, her eyes remained fixed on the Mystic Heaven Mirror.
[Lu Jiayao: Seriously, aren’t you guys curious about what super important thing I’m doing right now?]
[Shen Hefeng: What ‘important thing’ could you possibly be up to? Probably just obsessing over Elder Cao’s cultivation progress again.]
[Lu Jiayao: More important than Elder Cao’s cultivation!]
No one responded.
Until a cup of tea later.
[Lu Jiayao: It’s here, it’s here!]
[Lu Jiayao: Everyone, the Qingling Mountain Spirit Transport Ship has arrived!!]
[Lu Jiayao: It’s landing in the back mountain—come quick!]
Wen Shuangbai: "?!"
What? The armored truck carrying their salaries had arrived?!
[Artificer Wen: On my way!]
[Li Zhuohua: Coming!]
[Shen Hefeng: Wait for me, old man’s on his way!!]
[No Money: .]
[Silver Sleepy: .]
Wen Shuangbai abruptly stood up.
The five spirits of Jade Rhinoceros Valley were startled, instinctively looking up at her.
With an apologetic smile, Wen Shuangbai said, "Sorry, but I have urgent business to attend to. Let’s meet again at the Sacred Tower."
---
Elder Cao Xing tossed six storage rings, each pre-loaded with 16.4 million spirit stones, to the group. With a wry smile, he remarked, "This is the only time you all are ever this enthusiastic."
Xie Ziyin pocketed his ring and watched Wen Shuangbai, who was practically glowing with joy beside him, as she addressed Cao Xing, "Elder Cao, we have something to discuss with you and Pavilion Master Xu."
The matter of the Spirit Veil Paper technique had been settled during last night’s group chat.
As long as Qingling Mountain didn’t withhold their pay this time, they had agreed to hand over the technique to the sect.
This was the conclusion Wen Shuangbai had reached while crafting Xie Ziyin’s alchemy furnace.
The Spirit Veil Paper technique originally belonged to the Spirit Mountain Sect five centuries ago. Since the sect had since merged into Qingling Mountain, passing it on would benefit Qingling Mountain’s disciples—a result that predecessors Tian Sang and Ye Qingrong would surely have approved of.
That said, the six weren’t saints. If Qingling Mountain commercialized the Spirit Veil Paper, they wanted half the profits.
---
In Xu Jingshu’s quarters, the Pavilion Master set down her novel, looking mildly surprised after hearing Wen Shuangbai’s proposal. "We assumed you wouldn’t share it."
Naturally, the sect’s elders had been monitoring their disciples’ actions in the Sacred Tower. When the scroll had flown into Wen Shuangbai’s spiritual sea, they’d guessed what it was.
The Spirit Veil Paper technique was invaluable—with it, these disciples could have even founded their own sect.
While the elders hoped they’d contribute the technique, they wouldn’t force the matter. Qingling Mountain, established for five centuries, had its own principles.
Wen Shuangbai replied, "We also never expected the sect to exchange Sacred Stones for us."
Moreover, since her awakening, neither Xu Jingshu nor Cao Xing had ever pressed her about the scroll.
Respect went both ways.
Xu Jingshu smiled. "Understood. I’ll report this to the Sect Leader, but rest assured—they’ll be pleased."
---
Handing over the Spirit Veil Paper technique in exchange for shares and dividends was Wen Shuangbai’s first step toward financial growth—a long-term equity investment.
Her second step? Becoming her own boss.
Gathering the other five in her room, Wen Shuangbai presented her nearly finished business proposal. "Interested in starting a shop with me?"
She planned to launch an online store, using her Mystic Heaven Mirror handle, "Artificer Wen," as the flagship account.
Orders had long since overwhelmed her capacity.
And since Xie Ziyin’s account didn’t accept messages, people had been flooding her inbox to ask if he sold things like the Hair Growth Pills or Lu Jiayao’s "All-Void Pills."
A massive business opportunity.
But since they were currently in the Imperial Prefecture, a physical store wasn’t practical. An online shop was the most cost-effective solution.
To scale, she’d need to produce more Mystic Heaven Mirrors, hire customer service staff for orders and support, and find affordable space for a workshop staffed by freelance cultivators.
Startups burned cash fast. Wen Shuangbai suspected her 16.4 million might not be enough. She needed partners—and who better than her eccentric, unreliable teammates?
"You can say no. I can’t guarantee profits—it might lose money," she cautioned.
Xie Ziyin set down the proposal and was the first to commit. "I’ll invest 15 million."
Yin Xuan gave him a slow, disdainful glance before handing his entire storage ring to Wen Shuangbai. "Junior Sister, I’m in for 16.4 million."
He’d already sent the first 220,000 to his younger martial sister Wen Xin, who’d messaged him that morning about having too much leftover and told him to stop sending money.
Might as well go all in. He trusted Second Sister’s ventures never failed.
Xie Ziyin, sensing the silent roast: "…?"
Wen Shuangbai blinked. "Senior Brother, you’re not keeping any for yourself?"
Yin Xuan shook his head. "I don’t like carrying money."
Besides, with Cao Xing covering all living expenses, he had no use for it.
Li Zhuohua declared, "I’ll invest 15 million." Then, sternly added, "The rest goes to Sect Leader Li." Her mother, despite being Qingling Mountain’s leader, had poured all her resources into the sect and was now poorer than she was.
"Same, 15 million!" Lu Jiayao grinned at Li Zhuohua. "Senior Sister, what a coincidence! I’m also sending money to my mom."
"Tsk, such filial piety." Shen Hefeng popped a Hair Growth Pill like candy—hence his rapidly recovering mane this past month. He needed reserves. Tossing his ring, he said, "15 million."
Lu Jiayao, who’d never run a business before, was buzzing with curiosity. "Shuangbai, what’s our first move?"
Pocketing the rings, Wen Shuangbai answered, "Recruitment."
"Tonight, I’ll post a hiring notice on a new Mystic Heaven Mirror account." Her tone was methodical. "Once we have enough applicants, we’ll interview them together."
