Chapter Eight: "Recycling" Upgrade

Qin Jing was filled with regret, knowing he had undersold himself. He felt that, although his deal with Jessica had opened the door to an entirely new world, his ignorance of the so-called spiritual energy resurgence had led to this “mistake.” Simply put, he lacked sufficient information. Qin Jing pondered this inwardly, but he also understood that this problem had to be solved step by step. If he were to rashly ask Zheng Qiuying about the extraordinary or about the revival of spiritual energy, he would instantly expose himself and invite unnecessary danger.

Qin Jing lived on Erdaozi Alley, and at the entrance of the street stood a branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank. As soon as they entered, Zheng Qiuying beckoned to the lobby manager, produced a card, and said, “I’d like to withdraw one million. I don’t have an appointment, could you help with this?”

What followed was Qin Jing’s firsthand experience of the legendary ultra-VIP treatment. The lobby manager, upon seeing Zheng Qiuying’s card, beamed and ushered them into the VIP lounge. Soon, a person who appeared to be a higher-up joined them and greeted Zheng Qiuying with a wide smile, “Miss Zheng, would you like the money in cash, or shall we transfer it for you?”

Zheng Qiuying looked over at Qin Jing.

Qin Jing immediately replied, “Five hundred thousand in cash, and five hundred thousand by transfer—here’s the account…” He produced his bank card, though his hand trembled slightly; after all, this was a million. When he had just closed that two-hundred-thousand deal, he thought it was already the pinnacle of his achievements, never expecting that record to be shattered within mere minutes.

Look at yourself, he thought. With a system like yours, can’t you be a bit more composed? Qin Jing mentally tried to bolster his confidence.

While the bank processed their transaction, Qin Jing cautiously ventured, “This is the first time I’ve sold this kind of potion. It’s not an ordinary item. If you want more in the future, it won’t be at this price.”

He had five bottles of beauty potion in total. Reasonably, one shouldn’t put all their eggs in one basket, nor should they shear the same sheep endlessly. But Qin Jing now had only a single thought: fortune favors the bold. Even if it meant taking some risks, if it could bring him a return of five million, he’d be a small-time tycoon—at the very least, able to buy a modest sixty-square-meter apartment in Lenghai.

He’d had the magic mirror for quite some time and always saw it as a cheat for turning his life around, but only today did he realize his worldview had been completely upended.

So Qin Jing was still plotting: save fifty thousand as capital, use the other fifty thousand to restock, at most spend twenty thousand on a decent car. If he managed to sell all the beauty potions, he could then consider buying a house, though property in Lenghai was so expensive that a rash purchase would make his heart ache…

While Qin Jing was lost in thought, Zheng Qiuying’s eyes suddenly lit up, as if they were shining, and she stared at him in delight. “You have more?”

Qin Jing gritted his teeth and nodded.

Zheng Qiuying immediately said, “One million two hundred thousand! I’ll add two hundred thousand more!”

He really had undersold. Hearing the socialite’s offer, the thought flashed through Qin Jing’s mind, but he comforted himself: items of the extraordinary are only recognized by people like Zheng Qiuying. For ordinary folks, they might not even sell at all.

Zheng Qiuying seemed to realize her “mistake” and quickly explained, “This potion is useful to me. It contains something called spiritual energy, which allows me to become the person I see in my selfies—do you understand?”

“There are very few people who recognize this potion. It’s only because you met me that you could sell it so easily. You should thank me… Its high price is mainly due to its rarity; truthfully, its actual material cost is only about five hundred thousand.”

So, in this world of spiritual energy awakening, beauty potions did exist, but there were few who could make them, and the cost was likely higher than in the mythical world. Moreover, this clever young woman was now starting to negotiate—her words couldn’t be entirely trusted, as rarity drives up value, and for such extraordinary items, the price might well be beyond imagination.

Qin Jing analyzed this inwardly, but by now, his mindset had shifted. He felt he’d made a killing—no matter how valuable the potions might be, he had to sell them first. And now…

A small suitcase was placed before Qin Jing, neatly packed with fifty stacks of cash! Five hundred thousand—in cash alone—was a staggering sight for many, especially for Qin Jing, who found it visually overwhelming.

But that wasn’t all. Soon after, his phone chimed. He checked it:

“Industrial and Commercial Bank: 500,000 yuan credited. Current balance…”

A million, just like that.

Qin Jing took a deep breath and looked at Zheng Qiuying. “I only have one last bottle left—one million five hundred thousand.”

“Deal!” Zheng Qiuying agreed without hesitation. “But I’ll need some time to gather this sum. Hold onto it for me, and I’ll come for it tomorrow.”

Qin Jing readily agreed.

Five minutes later, Qin Jing returned alone to his rented room. Sitting in front of the mirror, he placed the suitcase before him, reached out, and began counting the crisp bills one by one.

He hadn’t dared count it in the bank—after all, it was all in bundled stacks, and five hundred thousand in cash would take some time to tally.

But on the way home, Qin Jing began to worry: the bank probably wouldn’t make a mistake, but what if a teller had slipped out a bill? What if there were counterfeits?

Once home, though, his concerns faded. The money was in hand; if he was short a bill or two, so be it. There was no way he’d go back to the bank over a hundred or two. He was, after all, a man with a million to his name now.

After spending half an hour carefully counting his cash, he found not a single note missing. Only then did he set his mind at ease. Then he glanced at the magic mirror; in one corner, his GDP points had already climbed back up to 120g!

In just half a day, the g-points he’d spent leveling up his skills had been fully restored—and then some!

Without hesitation, Qin Jing chose to upgrade his recycling skill.

Just like with the selling skill, after upgrading, the recycling skill now had the word “Master” appended. Qin Jing wanted to test his “Master Recycler” power on some second-hand item, but when he looked at the magic mirror, he was stunned.

The mirror reflected the open suitcase:

RMB: Second-hand paper money can be recycled at a rate of 10,000:1 into g-points.

Damn, he thought. There’s such a function?

Qin Jing was dumbfounded. Even when he had been desperate for money, he had hungered for g-points more than RMB. Accumulating just over a hundred g-points had taken him a whole year, and now—this thing could directly convert cash into g-points!

What was even more outrageous was that this five hundred thousand RMB had come from selling his beauty potion. In other words, it had already earned him 50 g-points. But now, if he exchanged it again at a rate of one ten-thousandth, wouldn’t he get another 50 g-points?

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Another chapter will come tonight. Please remember to bookmark and recommend the novel!