Chapter 88

Ning Xu looked at the young artifact cultivator in front of her and asked, “What’s your name?”

The young artifact cultivator replied without any emotion, “Among all the orphans, I was ranked 167th. Before… they all called me 167.”

The Melon-Eating System reacted, 【Damn! That old man actually took in so many homeless orphans.】

【He’s casting a wide net!】

【With so many fish gathered, some were bound to stand out.】

【Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk.】

As it turned out, there really were some talented individuals among those orphans. Unfortunately, their talents had only been used to benefit others.

After clicking its tongue a few times, the Melon-Eating System asked sneakily, 【Host, do you want to know what happened to that artifact cultivator who stole someone else’s credit?】

That artifact cultivator wasn’t very powerful. When the first wave of attacks from the demon clan hit, he was unprepared and was very likely injured.

Ning Xu speculated, “I guess he either died outright or ended up half-dead.”

The Melon-Eating System laughed twice, 【That’s right! He’s half-dead!】

【But here’s the thing—those people thought that the spirit artifact capable of helping someone overcome tribulation was crafted by him.】

【So when the second wave of attacks came, they protected him like he was their most precious treasure, making sure he remained completely unharmed.】

【Tsk, tsk, he really got off easy.】

Ning Xu’s tone remained calm. “The fact that he’s a thief will be exposed sooner or later.”

Now that 167 had been saved by her, more spirit artifacts would appear in the future.

Smart people would eventually realize that someone else was behind the crafting of those artifacts.

—

When Ning Xu and her group returned to the Wu family in Star Peach City, Wu Lüchen eagerly came out to greet them as soon as they reached the entrance.

“Captain!”

Qingjiu Immortal, Qin Riluo, the Wu family patriarch, and others followed closely behind, all stepping forward to welcome her.

Unexpectedly, Ning Xu noticed an unfamiliar face among them. The person was overly enthusiastic and also called her “Captain.”

She was slightly puzzled. “And you are?”

“Captain, I’m Qi Er!”

【He’s Qi Er!】

Qi Er and the Melon-Eating System responded at almost the same time.

Seeing this completely unfamiliar face, Ning Xu couldn’t help but ask, “Did you… actually take the Beautifying Pill?” The face in front of her bore no resemblance to the Qi Er she remembered.

Qi Er scratched his head somewhat sheepishly. “Yeah.”

Previously, the Melon-Eating System had commented that his original appearance was unlucky—not only bringing misfortune to his future spouse but also causing financial loss. The spouse issue wasn’t important for now, since he wasn’t looking for a Dao companion… but being called financially unlucky? That was something he absolutely couldn’t accept.

After much hesitation, he finally decided to take the Beautifying Pill.

The Melon-Eating System was laughing hysterically, eagerly exposing Qi Er’s secrets to Ning Xu.

【Host, Qi Er spent all his lifelong savings just to buy this high-grade beauty-enhancing pill!】

【He’s completely broke now—his pockets are emptier than ever.】

【And his family’s auction house still doesn’t have a new owner.】

【Hmph! He must have come to you hoping you’d take over. He’d better be smart about it and hand over the auction house willingly! Otherwise, we’re not wasting a single extra spirit stone on it!】

Just as the Melon-Eating System finished speaking, Qi Er eagerly said, “Captain! To thank you for saving my life in the Tianya Secret Realm, I’ve decided to give you my family’s auction house!”

Ning Xu was momentarily stunned. Just as she was about to say something, Qi Er continued, “But I have one condition!”

As she walked into the Wu residence, following the Wu family patriarch’s gesture, Ning Xu glanced at Qi Er and said, “What condition? Speak.”

Qi Er looked at her with bright eyes, full of determination. “I want to follow you! My family has years of experience running an auction house, and I’m no newcomer in this field. I can be a manager and help take care of things for you. My salary can follow market rates—Captain, what do you think?”

Ning Xu smiled slightly. A manager delivered straight to her? Why not?

She responded directly, “I think that’s a good idea.”

Ning Xu wasn’t well-versed in business management, but the Wu family patriarch was.

With the help and witness of the Wu Family Head, Ning Xu and Qi Er signed several contracts.

The moment she pressed her fingerprint onto the last contract, Ning Xu officially became the new owner of the auction house.

Her teammates all sent their congratulations.

“Congratulations, Captain!”

“Best wishes, Captain!”

The Melon-Eating System’s arrogant laughter echoed in everyone’s ears.

【Hahahaha, my host is finally embarking on the road to immense wealth!】

【The Li Family is done for! We are the real rising stars of tomorrow!】

【The Purple Star! The next richest person in the cultivation world!】

Ning Xu: “…”

She cleared her throat and introduced Yi Liuqi to her teammates.

The young artifact cultivator wasn’t very sociable. On the contrary, she was quite reserved and had barely spoken a word since arriving at the Wu Family residence.

Ning Xu took the initiative to say, “I’ll sign a contract with Yi Liuqi as well. Even among close brothers, accounts should be settled properly. Everything will be done fairly.”

Naturally, whatever she said went.

In the end, the Wu Family Head drafted the contract according to Ning Xu’s requirements.

Once it was signed, Ning Xu could finally breathe a temporary sigh of relief.

The Melon-Eating System chimed in, 【It’s time to bring out the top talent.】

【The Wenxin Sect is great, but it’s not the right place for him.】

【At the auction house, he can be put to much better use!】

Ning Xu had also been keeping this top talent in mind.

She told the Melon-Eating System, “I’ll bring it up with Elder Wu later.”

It was just one person—given everything she had done for the Wenxin Sect, there was no way the sect would refuse such a small request.

At this, Ning Xu couldn’t help but ask, “The techniques I submitted to the sect before, have they started using them?”

The Melon-Eating System didn’t hesitate, replying immediately, 【Of course they have! Without us, they would never have even touched or used such great things in their lifetime. The moment you submitted them, they immediately replaced the entry-level disciples’ cultivation techniques with ours.】

The Melon-Eating System laughed gleefully, 【The sect’s overall strength has improved quite a bit!】

Ning Xu felt relieved. Strengthening the sect was a good thing. When she had the chance, she would submit even higher-level techniques.

After finishing discussions about the auction house, Ning Xu finally brought up the matter of Star Island with the Wu Family Head.

The Wu Family Head sighed emotionally, “Daoist Ning, it was all thanks to your warning back then. Otherwise, our family…” By the end of his sentence, the elderly man’s eyes had turned red.

In the end, Li Shan had invited wolves into his home, harming both others and himself.

The once-glorious Li Family would likely fade into obscurity because of this.

After finishing his words, the Wu Family Head took out two storage pouches and said, “Daoist Ning, as a token of our gratitude for your warning about Star Island, these are our gifts of thanks to you.”

“One is from me, and the other is from the Goddess.”

“The Li Family suffered a huge disaster, so she stayed behind on Star Island to help with the aftermath. Since she couldn’t personally deliver the gift, she asked me to pass it on for her.”

“This time, the only thing the Li Family can be thankful for is that their family head survived. As long as he is still there, they have a chance to rise again.”

The Melon-Eating System added its own commentary.

【At a crucial moment, none of the Li Family’s direct descendants were as reliable as their granddaughter.】

【When the first wave of attacks hit, if the Goddess hadn’t shielded the Li Family Head from a critical strike, who knows if that old man would still be alive? The Goddess risked everything to save her grandfather, while the direct descendants only cared about saving themselves!】

【But Host! We just used up our treasures, and now they’re sending us more replacements right away!】

【Not bad, not bad!】

【Both the Wu Family and the Goddess know what’s up.】

【At least our help wasn’t wasted on them!】

【If there are future benefits, we can consider throwing them a bone too.】

Hearing this, the Wu Family Head smiled with satisfaction. It seemed this mysterious presence wasn’t completely detached from worldly affairs—there was still a bit of warmth there.

After chatting with Ning Xu for a while longer, he left to give them space.

This old man, whose household was in chaos, didn’t want to linger here being a nuisance! He still had to rush back and deal with the matter of his two concubines. Who would have thought that the young concubine he recently married turned out to be a man?! And that man was actually the childhood sweetheart of his other concubine?!

Did they take his household for some kind of joke?!

As soon as the Wu Family Head left, Qin Riluo and the others gathered around.

“Captain, we’ve been away from the sect for almost a month now. When are we going back?”

“Yeah, Captain, I think our home leave is almost up.”

Ning Xu asked, “Did the elders send word urging us to return?”

Qin Riluo scratched his head. “Not exactly.”

It was just that the sect felt like home, and being away for too long made them miss it.

After thinking for a moment, Ning Xu said, “I’m planning to go to the Endless Sea for training, so I probably won’t be returning to the sect anytime soon.”

Everyone was stunned.

What?!

The Captain was going to the Endless Sea?!

The Endless Sea was infamous for its dangers—countless cultivators had perished there. Given Ning Xu’s current cultivation level, wouldn’t it be too risky for her to go there?

Ning Xu’s decision to head to the Endless Sea was something she had just recently discussed with the Melon-Eating System.

According to the Melon-Eating System, the third fragment of the demon core was located in the Endless Sea. Once Pig Brother finished digesting the second fragment of the demon god’s essence, she would likely be able to form her core.

The cultivation gained from Pig Brother was ultimately unstable. She needed continuous real-life combat experience to fully solidify her strength.

Moreover, the Endless Sea was full of valuable treasures.

The Melon-Eating System had mentioned treasure hunting there more than once.

She planned to first train in the outskirts of the Endless Sea. Once she formed her core, she would go treasure hunting!

The Melon-Eating System howled in excitement, 【Awooo—my dear treasures, here we come!!!】