Chapter Twenty-Two: Lights Flickering On

The bronze recycling chest didn’t reveal any peculiar features for now, so Qin Jing set it aside and began experimenting with the “Recycle Space” subskill.

He quickly discovered that any item he had appraised using his skills could be transferred directly into the recycle space with a touch of his hand. Each item occupied a single slot, and the space currently offered only ten slots. However, these slots had no specific spatial limits—much like a game’s inventory, identical items could stack together; for example, magic stones.

An entire hundred magic stones filled only one slot, with an “x100” notation at the end.

“With this, I won’t have to worry about bulky items during future recycling trips. After collecting them, I can simply store them in the recycle space.”

Having figured out how to use the recycle space, Qin Jing considered whether to activate another skill from the recycling branch: the Recycle Map.

From the name, it sounded like a map, perhaps capable of detecting valuable items nearby. Qin Jing made this preliminary guess but decided to hold off for now. With 700g points remaining, he unlocked two major subskills under Sales Mastery: Client List and Sales Arrangement.

As the Client List was activated, a notebook-like icon appeared beside his avatar. Opening it revealed a row of profile pictures, each with a brief description underneath.

There were names like Zheng Qiuyin, Zheng Qiuying, Chen Hua, Wei Heping, and even Wang Keng, Hu Chaoyang, Jessica-Tio, and Jenny-Tio.

Beneath their portraits were short information summaries.

The two women from the Tio family in the Mythic World had very simple profiles, lacking much detail. In contrast, Zheng Qiuyin and the others contained more hidden information:

Zheng Qiuyin:
Client Level: D (Potential Peak: A)
Relationship: Acquaintance
Primary Need: Magic Stones
Investigate Client Information (5g)
Sales Arrangement (10g): The client will arrive at the specified time and place.

(Using Sales Arrangement carries a chance of failure, influenced by the chosen time, location, and your relationship with the client.)

“So that’s what Sales Arrangement means. But what exactly does Investigate Client Information do, for it to be listed alongside Sales Arrangement?”

Though g points were precious, Qin Jing’s curiosity about his new skills got the better of him, and he selected “Investigate Client Information.”

Instantly, the view before him shifted, and Zheng Qiuyin’s figure appeared.

It was past ten at night. Zheng Qiuyin was still neatly dressed in an apricot-colored business suit, standing before a floor-to-ceiling window, speaking:

“Will the authorities just keep tolerating the Phoenix Society?”

Qin Jing realized this function provided full surveillance. With a thought, the perspective shifted behind Zheng Qiuyin, revealing a middle-aged man standing respectfully behind her.

He replied, “The Phoenix Society is the largest extraordinary organization in Lenghai. Their leader, Haisuwei-Lina, is an exchange student from Europe with considerable influence. As long as they don’t go too far, the authorities will turn a blind eye.”

“Not too far?” Zheng Qiuyin sneered. “I exposed Wang Keng as an undercover agent, and the very next day, the Phoenix Society took him away! You call that not going too far?”

The man smiled wryly. “On the surface, Wang Keng is a wealthy businessman in Lenghai. Since we planned to deal with him through official channels, we must face the Phoenix Society’s powerful interference.”

He hesitated, then added, “Miss Zheng, according to our intelligence, Wang Keng still intends to target that young man from Erdaozi Alley. Should we inform Qin Jing?”

“That’s unnecessary. Qin Jing is just an ordinary man. Even if Wang Keng acts, the authorities’ stance will prevent him from killing. He’ll just give Qin Jing some trouble. We can seize the opportunity to intervene, save Qin Jing, do him a favor, and then buy the last bottle of beauty elixir from him.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Time passed quietly. The middle-aged man soon left, and only Zheng Qiuyin remained. To Qin Jing’s surprise, she opened the window and leapt out. The view followed her like a film scene—she used the walls and glass as footholds, descending the building with effortless ease, and then darted across rooftops in the night.

Half an hour later, Zheng Qiuyin returned to her villa.

“Ying’er, have you finished refining the Substitution Paper Doll?” she asked Zheng Qiuying, who was watching a soap opera on the sofa.

Zheng Qiuying’s expression changed. She hurried over and clung to Zheng Qiuyin, pouting, “Sis, I was just taking a break. Cultivating is so dull! I have to compress a hundred thousand pounds of paper—it’s terrifying!”

Zheng Qiuyin’s face immediately hardened as she began a stern lecture.

At first, Qin Jing wasn’t interested in her admonishments, but soon he listened with growing attention. She was explaining the importance of the first extraordinary level to Zheng Qiuying.

According to Zheng Qiuyin, both sisters, like the Phoenix Society, practiced the path of the witch. Even among magical systems, the witch’s path was especially mysterious because at the first extraordinary level, witches condensed their life-bound magical dolls. Depending on the depth of their innate magical power, the abilities they could develop varied greatly. Zheng Qiuying’s life-bound magical doll was the Substitution Paper Doll, and if she succeeded in refining it, it would be formidable—just relying on the doll would give her the combat strength of an ordinary extraordinary.

This alone was interesting, but more crucially, Zheng Qiuyin went on to discuss cultivation at the first extraordinary level. She emphasized the importance of building a strong foundation: the more magical power one could move with their spirit at this stage, the greater their future potential. She also shared techniques and common knowledge about gathering magic.

Qin Jing, having already obtained “The Six Strategies: Civil Arts Chapter” and intending to begin cultivation, listened with utmost seriousness.

Zheng Qiuyin lectured for over an hour. Though Zheng Qiuying remained inattentive, after another stern scolding, she was finally allowed to leave.

Qin Jing then watched Zheng Qiuying return to her bedroom and enter the bathroom…

In a flash, her outerwear slipped off, revealing slender, fair legs.

Qin Jing’s eyes went wide. He couldn’t help but mutter, “See no evil,” but he didn’t blink or look away…

Half an hour later, as Zheng Qiuyin finally fell asleep, the image in the mirror gradually faded and disappeared.

This function was quite different from the sales skill, which only revealed a brief snippet of information about a client. This surveillance lasted a full two hours.

The session provided Qin Jing with a wealth of information.

“So Wang Keng’s been released. According to Zheng Qiuyin, even the Lenghai authorities are helpless against the Phoenix Society backing him, and now he wants to come after me!”

“Zheng Qiuyin is attractive, but her mind is vicious—she’s not only refusing to help me, she’s plotting with Wang Keng against me!”

“Luckily, I’ve already acquired the Maze Lock and have three alchemical golems at my disposal. Maybe I should strike first and eliminate the threat at the root!”