Chapter Ninety-Three: Resolving the Problem

Watching Qin Jing’s departing figure, Lian Weili smiled at Wang Shouren and asked, “Are you quite familiar with that man, Brother Wang? Does he deal in antiques as well?”

Wang Shouren, suspecting nothing, gave a brief account of Qin Jing’s background. Lian Weili appeared thoughtful, while the female streamer beside him had already crouched down to examine some trinkets. Suddenly, she let out a shriek, sprang to her feet, and shouted warily at the space behind her, “Who’s there? Who touched me? Get out here!”

Seeing his companion harassed, Lian Weili’s expression immediately darkened.

When Qin Jing returned to the shop, he found Yuan Na and Susan standing together, chatting and laughing. Yuan Na, being a designer, had much less to do now that the initial work was done. Susan’s workload had also lightened. Upon seeing Qin Jing enter, the two women naturally greeted him with more jokes and laughter.

“How’s business lately?” Qin Jing asked casually.

“Boss Wan brought in another batch of goods today. We gave him the membership price, but by now he’s already taken in goods worth eight million,” Susan replied, a trace of worry flickering across her face as she mentioned Wan Anxian.

Qin Jing immediately understood the look: Susan was concerned that Wan Anxian was acquiring too many goods, exceeding the cost of construction, making the transaction increasingly imbalanced.

He chuckled, patted Susan on the shoulder, and said gently, “Susan, don’t forget what business we’re in. Wan Anxian is just an ordinary man—he wouldn’t dare try any tricks with us.”

Susan smiled, glancing at Yuan Na beside her. There was much she wanted to say, but with Yuan Na present, she held her tongue.

Yuan Na caught the look, shot Susan a glare, and said with mock annoyance, “Alright, I won’t interrupt your little lovers’ rendezvous. I’ll go take a walk.”

Once the third wheel had left, Susan drew close to Qin Jing, her eyes bright with joy. “Am I really about to embark on the path to transcendence?”

On the phone earlier, Qin Jing had promised to fulfill his word. After his own cultivation, he had three remaining vials of Nether Soul Essence and intended to let Susan try one. While the essence wouldn’t directly raise her cultivation, it could strengthen her spiritual foundation, paving the way for her future progress. Now that Qin Jing possessed the “Dragon Strategies,” he had discovered new insights when examining Susan.

Susan’s constitution was the common “Body of Many Leaks”—the overwhelming majority of people had this trait. Spiritual energy could enter her body freely but would dissipate just as naturally, making it impossible to retain and cultivate any of it.

“Dragon Strategies” described such bodies: people with this constitution could take an auxiliary path, such as artifact refinement or alchemy. These professions required channeling spiritual energy into extraordinary materials, and over time, practitioners would be influenced by these materials. Even if they could never store spiritual energy, their physical qualities and vitality would be transformed, eventually enabling them to attain transcendence. However, even after such an ascension, they would have no spiritual cloud and would be classified as body cultivators.

In Eastern mysticism, there were two primary branches: spiritual cultivators and body cultivators. The former were the classic practitioners of immortality, while the latter followed a martial path, entering the Dao through physical strength. It was an unconventional route—with limited prospects even for those who succeeded—but was still far superior to the fate of ordinary mortals.

Qin Jing saw no need to explain all this to Susan. His goal was to guide her entry into cultivation, and enhancing her spiritual foundation was the first step. He was curious to see whether a stronger soul would accelerate a body cultivator’s progress.

With delight, Susan consumed a vial of Nether Soul Essence. A flash of blue light passed over her, and she opened her eyes.

“How do you feel?” Qin Jing asked with a smile.

“I feel… cared for by you,” Susan replied, blushing, before adding more seriously, “Truly, the moment I opened my eyes, I clearly felt your concern for me. I love you, Qin Jing!”

With that, Susan boldly pressed a fragrant kiss to his lips.

Reflecting on this sensation, Qin Jing wasn’t surprised. Enhancing one’s soul seemed to amplify such instincts; other effects would likely take time to manifest. Still, it proved the Nether Soul Essence worked for Susan.

“Once a day—after three doses, I’ll guide you into true cultivation.”

As their lips parted, Qin Jing’s words were a real mood-killer, earning him several eye-rolls from Susan. The girl wished she could merge herself completely into his embrace; she was so deeply in love with Qin Jing she was willing to do anything for him.

Just then, Yuan Na suddenly returned, trailed by a familiar face. She was cursing loudly over her shoulder, “Damned pervert! If I ever catch you, you’ll be sorry! What a rotten place—no security at all!”

The familiar face turned out to be Yuan Shen, along with her boyfriend, Lian Weili.

“We meet again, Mr. Qin,” Lian Weili greeted Qin Jing, while Yuan Shen fumed beside him. Yuan Na explained that Yuan Shen had been harassed outside but couldn’t find the culprit.

As they spoke, Yuan Shen suddenly screamed. In the next moment, her face erupted in a mass of red blotches. Qin Jing was taken aback, then fell into contemplation—this was clearly the result of supernatural means.

Lian Weili seemed to realize something as well. He rose to his feet and shouted angrily, “Who’s there? Stop skulking about—show yourself if you dare!”

A mocking laugh echoed. “Young Master Lian, that’s hardly fair. The woman you brought has such a foul mouth—why shouldn’t someone teach her a lesson?”

As the words faded, a middle-aged man strode in from outside.

From the tone, it sounded like they knew each other and had some old grudge.

Qin Jing frowned and interjected coolly, “If you have grievances, take them outside. This is my shop.”

His sudden intervention as a supposed outsider caught both Lian Weili and the middle-aged man off guard. The man fixed Qin Jing with a long, searching look, smiling coldly. “I didn’t expect the proprietor here to be out of the ordinary as well. Very well, I’ll give you this courtesy. Young Master Lian, shall we continue this outside?”

He turned and left. Lian Weili followed close behind. Yuan Shen stayed, the red blotches on her face growing larger, swiftly transforming a beauty into a ghastly sight. Qin Jing frowned deeply.

“Brother Qin… can you help? Could you take Shen Shen to the hospital?” Yuan Na looked at Qin Jing with pleading eyes.

Qin Jing sighed inwardly. He was already involved—if nothing else, Yuan Na was Susan’s best friend, and that alone left him no choice.

“Let me take a look.”

He stepped in front of Yuan Shen, phone in hand, intending to consult the Magic Mirror about her condition. The device’s basic function was like an encyclopedia, and though more advanced features required payment in g-points, it could still provide a diagnosis.

But to Qin Jing’s surprise, when he pointed the camera at Yuan Shen’s face, he made an unexpected discovery.