Chapter Forty-Four: Gently Boiling Jane in Warm Water

What I had given was only enough for Qin Jing to “restore his spiritual power”!

Janie felt her cheeks flush even deeper. She had always carried herself with the airs of a lady, accustomed to living lavishly and never once imagined she could be considered stingy. Yet now, confronted with this realization, she found herself at a loss.

When Qin Jing mentioned the “Six Strategies,” Janie blushed even more furiously. She had deliberately withheld the fact that the technique she provided was only a single volume of the complete work. Now, seeing Qin Jing’s oblivious expression, Janie felt not the slightest relief at having concealed the truth, but rather a growing sense of guilt.

Drawing a deep breath, Janie decided she could not treat a friend so shabbily. She began to explain in detail, “The ‘Six Strategies’ are, as the name suggests, divided into six volumes: Civil, Martial, Dragon, Tiger, Leopard, and Shadow.”

“The Civil volume acts almost as a general preface, containing the foundational elements. For you, cultivating this is certainly not wrong. But at the extraordinary level, you must also train with the ‘Dragon Strategy.’ That is the purest method for nurturing one’s energy, which expands on the Civil volume’s concepts and also equips you with a few defensive techniques. These two are critical for you.”

“Rest assured, I promise to get the ‘Dragon Strategy’ for you in the near future. As for the remaining four, I’ll have my people seek out information about them. Consider it a debt I owe you.”

“It’s alright, I trust you. You’re so beautiful—someone like you could never deceive me.”

What connection did beauty have with integrity? Yet this illogical praise was music to Janie’s ears. Smiling, she replied, “I know what I’ve given you isn’t exactly precious, but those snacks—I eat them myself all the time. They’re great for improving cultivation aptitude. Be careful when you eat them, though. Your level is still quite low.”

Even when she had traded for the alchemical golem, Janie Tio had not displayed this kind of pride. Hearing her now, Qin Jing’s heart stirred, and he glanced at the items laid out before the mirror.

In addition to the neatly arranged magic stones and spirit grains, there was a small pouch on the floor containing several smaller pouches.

Each pouch was only the size of a child’s palm, but in the mirror, information about them appeared with extravagant clarity.

Violet-Gold Ice-Silk Magic Pouch:
Material: Rare celestial silkworm silk, violet-gold thread
General function: Maintains the stored item’s state indefinitely
Appraised value: 20 magic stones
Seeking buyer (10g)

There were five pouches, each worth 20 magic stones. Even if the snacks inside had no value at all, these pouches alone were already a treasure!

Unable to wait any longer, Qin Jing used his last opportunity to try out an item. One by one, the items manifested before him in a shimmer of crystalline light.

He did not inspect them immediately. Instead, a mischievous grin appeared on his face as he spoke softly, “Janie, my spiritual power is running low. Before I go, may I give you a parting gift?”

Qin Jing may not have had the boldest “hardcore” confidence with women, but when it came to tender words, he was a natural. Otherwise, Chen Hua would never have spent a whole year by his side. She might have been a “fake heiress,” but at Lenghai Art School, she was still a goddess among beauties. Just listen—he made it sound as if giving a gift required her permission, and “even though” his spiritual power was about to run out, he still wanted to “waste” it on a gift. What touching sentiment!

“Thank you, Qin Jing. If you’re really too exhausted, save it for next time,” Janie replied apologetically, secretly resolving to get him a gift herself as soon as next month’s allowance arrived.

Then—

Qin Jing snapped his fingers. In the next moment, Janie felt a cool sensation sweep over her body.

Another wardrobe change?

Her instincts detected nothing amiss, but then she saw her own reflection in the mirror—a figure of captivating allure revealed before her.

Long, slender legs, a flat but graceful stomach—every detail spoke of a woman exceptionally blessed in every way. But what struck her most was the bikini she now wore, pure white and adorned with feathered wings.

Qin Jing’s gift turned out to be an intimate set of lingerie! And without her consent, he had dressed her in it directly.

Janie, though a socialite in the mythic world, lived in a society that, due to an early spiritual awakening, remained far more conservative—akin to early 20th-century Western Europe, about a century behind Earth’s mores. She had never before received such a daring gift. More importantly, this particular gift—

“So beautiful.”

Staring at her reflection, Janie’s first thought was simply that she looked lovely. A woman’s appearance, after all, is always her chief concern.

As her second thought began to form, Qin Jing’s gentle voice sounded at her ear: “I think this set of lingerie suits you perfectly. You seemed dispirited at the banquet tonight, so I thought you deserved a gift that would lift your spirits. There are even more exciting things on Earth, but I think this suits you best for now. Beautiful Janie, I look forward to our next meeting.”

With that, Qin Jing decisively severed their psychic connection.

A man who isn’t a little bad is rarely loved by women. If you only ever grovel, perhaps you’ll “get everything in the end,” but Qin Jing wasn’t about to mistreat himself that way. He saw that Janie was feeling empty inside and took the opportunity to leave a light, memorable impression. That was enough.

There were some things Qin Jing would never say aloud: “Once you get used to this level of excitement, we can move on to more. There are plenty of fun and thrilling things on Earth.”

He glanced at his g-points. The remaining 10g had been completely spent after transferring the last “high-quality Victoria’s Secret imitation.” This round of “individual sale strategy” had used up all his points.

But the harvest was more than worth it.

Even setting aside the potential impact on his relationship with Janie, the spoils of this trade alone made Qin Jing deeply satisfied.

Besides magic stones, spirit grains, springwater, and the violet-gold ice-silk pouches, he retrieved three of Janie’s snacks from the bags.

Magical Matcha Cookie 30g: Slightly increases spiritual power. Appraised value: 30 magic stones.
Magical Mille-Feuille 30g: Slightly increases physical constitution. Appraised value: 30 magic stones.
Magical Fish Maw 10g: Improves cultivation aptitude. Appraised value: 50 magic stones.

Janie wasn’t exaggerating. Each snack was worth more than even the violet-gold ice-silk pouches. What surprised Qin Jing most was that each snack’s appraisal displayed an extra note:

Effects only apply to mythic-level cultivators. Ordinary extraordinary beings, please use with caution.

“Use with caution” didn’t mean he couldn’t use them.

Qin Jing considered for a moment, then sat cross-legged and took out a small piece of magical fish maw. The 10g portion contained just two pieces; he cut off a tenth, about 1g.

He placed it in his mouth—the fish maw melted instantly…

—
Thanks to Beicang Yaoyao and Nine Cups of Wine for their generous support.