Volume 1, Chapter 57: Xia Yaoyao: Junior Brother Looks So Handsome When Paying!

Wang Mu smiled and turned back, his expression half-mocking, half-earnest. "What is it, Senior Sister Yaoyao?"

Xia Yaoyao asked with a hint of uncertainty, "Just now you said... how many pieces?"

"A little over a million, I suppose. This is just the first batch, and there will definitely be more to follow..." Wang Mu said, then suddenly remembering something, he waved his hand. "Ah, well, since the Artifact Refining Pavilion isn't interested, I can just take this business to someone else!"

"Wait!"

With a flash, Xia Yaoyao appeared at the doorway, blocking Wang Mu's path. A trace of panic flickered across her pretty face. "Look, are you actually paying for this order?"

Wang Mu replied, "Senior Sister, what kind of talk is that? I am here representing the Langya Chamber of Commerce to do business with you all, of course we will pay!"

A look of temptation flickered across Xia Yaoyao's face.

Although the Holy Land possessed a profound heritage, the consumption by disciples of every branch each year was still an astronomical figure.

Especially the Artifact Refining Pavilion and the Elixir Alchemy Pavilion.

They could truly be called behemoths that burned through money.

Even though the annual allocation given to them by the Holy Lord was already the highest among the thirty-six pavilions of the Beiming Holy Land, spiritual stones were never enough.

This was partly because the Langya Chamber of Commerce had a deep relationship with the Beiming Holy Land, allowing them to enjoy significant discounts when purchasing supplies from Langya in the name of the Holy Land.

Otherwise, they would be even more short of money.

Moreover, these two pavilions had always been proud and aloof. Compared to taking on massive orders to earn spiritual stones, they preferred to devote most of their energy to researching new elixir formulas, developing new artifact runes, and studying forging techniques.

As everyone knew, conducting research was a bottomless pit.

Things had been better in previous years.

The Holy Land was thriving and self-sufficient; although they lacked money, they had already grown used to it. Even if Wang Mu had come knocking with a massive order, they might not have lowered their pride to take it.

However, over the past two years, due to various overt and covert targeting of the Beiming Holy Land by forces like the Primordial Holy Land, the development of the Holy Land had fallen into a slump, and their income had suffered a severe blow.

The Artifact Refining Pavilion, which was already tight on funds, had grown so poor that they were nearly unable to pay their disciples' monthly stipends.

Because of this, the moment Xia Yaoyao heard Wang Mu mention a massive order reaching a scale of one million, her reaction changed instantly.

If Wang Mu wasn't playing with her, securing this order would greatly alleviate the Artifact Refining Pavilion's financial woes.

"Are you keeping your word?" Xia Yaoyao bit her lower lip, looking at Wang Mu's expression with lingering distrust.

"When has this young master ever lied to you?" Wang Mu asked quite casually.

"Hah, you tell me?" Xia Yaoyao sneered in response.

"...Farewell!"

Wang Mu let out a huff and turned around as if to leave.

"Hey, don't go!"

Xia Yaoyao hurriedly chased after him, grabbing Wang Mu's arm. "No, you haven't lied! Never, not even once!"

"Better forget it then. Such low-standard, unskillful, and cheap things—giving them to your Artifact Refining Pavilion to make really feels a bit insulting to you all!"

"How could that be? The simpler something is, the more extraordinary it can be! It's the absolute best way for us young disciples to polish our foundational skills..."

"But if I do this, won't it look like I'm showing off my wealth? Might that not be so good?"

"Not at all!"

Xia Yaoyao said with absolute certainty, "Does Young Master Wang even need to show off your wealth? Who in the entire Northern Domain doesn't know that the Wang family young master possesses boundless wealth? Anyone who accuses you of showing off is simply jealous of you!"

Wang Mu looked at Xia Yaoyao with a beaming smile. "Senior Sister, you truly have the potential to become the Master of the Artifact Refining Pavilion—you really know how to bend and stretch!"

Xia Yaoyao: "..."

She naturally caught the sarcasm hidden in Wang Mu's words.

Her cheeks burned slightly.

"Alright then, I'll leave the blueprints here! Here is the deposit!"

Wang Mu grabbed Xia Yaoyao's warm, soft little hand and placed a spatial ring right into her palm.

With a sweep of her divine sense, Xia Yaoyao saw the mountain of spiritual stones piled inside, and her heart couldn't help but flutter.

In all her life, she had never seen so many spiritual stones at once.

*This filthy rich bastard is so wealthy, yet every time before he never paid a dime. He really is a detestable arch-capitalist!* Xia Yaoyao muttered to herself through gritted teeth.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing at all!" Xia Yaoyao tightly clutched the spatial ring, shoved it directly between her plump breasts, pressed down on it firmly, and put on a radiant smile. "I said, the way you just slid that spatial ring into my hand was truly handsome!"

"..."

Wang Mu was left laughing in spite of himself.

Money really could make ghosts push grindstones.

It could instantly transform a temperamental genius girl into a sycophant.

Yet, this also reflected from another angle that during this period... times had indeed become rather difficult for the Beiming Holy Land.

Had it been in the past, even if he had taken out such a massive sum of money, it would have at best earned him a few fewer rolling eyes from them.

"When can the work be finished?"

Wang Mu brushed aside idle thoughts and turned back to the main matter.

Xia Yaoyao glanced over the blueprints and pondered, "This kind of craftsmanship isn't difficult. It doesn't necessarily have to be forged on the God-Casting Island; even a newly entered disciple of the Artifact Refining Pavilion can manage it without any problems after practicing a few times. Working at full blast, about half a month should be enough!"

Wang Mu nodded in satisfaction. "Then I shall await your good news!"

With that, he turned around and left.

...

"This guy... doesn't seem quite as hateful anymore?" Xia Yaoyao muttered to herself as she watched Wang Mu's departing figure.

She wondered if it was just an illusion brought on by having just received a massive fortune from him.

She somehow felt that Wang Mu had changed quite a bit overall.

"No time to dwell on that, I need to tell Master the good news first!"

The Master of the Artifact Refining Pavilion was also one of the thirty-six grand elders of the Beiming Holy Land, Elder Tian-gong.

He was utterly obsessed with the Dao of Artifact Refining.

Ever since he took Xia Yaoyao as his disciple, he had handed almost all trivial administrative affairs over to her, while he himself immersed heart and soul into the craft, spending all day locked inside theHeavenly Grade No. 1 Forging Chamber to research artifact refining.

If Xia Yaoyao didn't go looking for him, it was entirely normal for him not to emerge for half a year at a time.

...

Before a tightly sealed stone door, Xia Yaoyao pulled a small bell hanging by the entrance.

She rang it once.

There was no response.

Xia Yaoyao rang it three more times in succession.

As the crisp chime slowly echoed through the cavern, the stone door ground open, and an unkempt elderly figure with hair as messy as a beehive walked out.

"What is it?" Elder Tian-gong frowned. "Why are you calling me out in such a rush?"

Xia Yaoyao bowed respectfully, her expression full of excitement. "Master, Wang Mu was just here!"

Elder Tian-gong's frown deepened even further. "What is that jinxed brat here for again? What did he snatch away this time?"

Xia Yaoyao shook her head. "No, this time he came to do business with us! He put down a sum of money and commissioned us to make a batch of communication talismans!"

"What kind of nonsense? Communication talismans?"

Elder Tian-gong's eyebrows shot straight up. "This little fellow is simply going too far! What does he take my Artifact Refining Pavilion for? Some third-rate forging workshop outside?"

He glared at Xia Yaoyao. "And you agreed?"

Xia Yaoyao bit her lip. "Mm."

Elder Tian-gong flew into a rage, looking thoroughly disappointed in her lack of backbone. "Foolish, truly foolish! How does this Master usually teach you? As an artifact refiner, one must have backbone and integrity; you must never abandon your dignity as an artisan for some petty gains..."

"Quickly, return the money to that brat!"

"Even if the disciples of my Artifact Refining Pavilion starve to death, we won't spend a single spirit stone from that fellow!"

Xia Yaoyao bit her lower lip, looking somewhat aggrieved. "But... the amount he gave this time is really huge..."

"No amount is acceptable! This is a matter of principle, do you understand principle?!"

"The deposit alone was a full fifty million spirit stones!"

"Fifty million—"

Mid-sentence, Elder Tian-gong suddenly froze, his furious expression instantly stiffening.