Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 285 - 24: Wealth Scattered, Yet Returns Again

January 14, 2018

Late at night, once the Li Family had wrapped up a full day of their sales and promotions tour, the two guides from the Shen Family were finally able to celebrate the day's victory.

"Three hundred thousand spirit stones, Junior Brother, you're something else."

Shen Rong had calmed down by now and sincerely congratulated her junior brother on his achievement.

Shen Fang felt a bit embarrassed: "Just got lucky, who would've thought the Li Family had such a weak point to exploit."

"Luck is part of strength too, isn't it? As cultivation progresses, who doesn't need a bit of luck?" Shen Rong continued, "What did the Deputy City Lord say?"

"Seems like he's quite pleased." Shen Fang was a bit troubled, "I can't say for sure though, the Deputy City Lord seldom gives clear praise. I really don't know if there's room for improvement somewhere."

"It's already good enough, three hundred thousand spirit stones is no small amount. I wonder what kind of chaos will ensue among the Li Family once people find out about Li Xinyu's affair!"

——

Meanwhile, at the Li Family residence.

"It's all a misunderstanding, really a misunderstanding! Stop hitting me, you've got it wrong!"

In the small courtyard of the Li Family delegation at the Shen Family's Lingshan Immortal Cultivation Resort, Li Xinyu's wails echoed through the night, sounding particularly miserable.

"Alright, alright, hit me if you must, just please don't break anything, these things are precious and fragile..."

Mixed with the cries was the muffled thudding of fists meeting flesh, and the sound of a girl's angry voice seething through gritted teeth.

"Three hundred thousand spirit stones... three hundred thousand! You mortgaged your inheritance rights for a loan of three hundred thousand spirit stones for this indecent stuff!? No matter how hard I've worked all these years, Father and Mother still cherished you more, your heir status has never wavered, and this is how you repay them!?"

Li Chaolu, using her fists as the Hundred Flowers Sword, beat Li Xinyu until he was rolling all over the ground, while feeling more pained in her heart than the one being beaten.

At this moment, the girl's heart was filled with indescribable bitterness. Such family scandals she would not have wanted to discuss in public, but this fat fool's outrageous actions tested her patience too much.

Li Xinyu, while being beaten, desperately struggled to explain: "I'm telling you it's a misunderstanding, things aren't what you think... I was making this move with longer-term considerations in mind."

Li Chaolu, hearing the fat fool dare to talk back, grew even more furious: "Still defending yourself!? Longer-term considerations? Are you trying to say that unaddressed unhealthy desires can lead to psychological distortion over time, so you're nipping it in the bud!?"

Li Xinyu was stunned: "You, how did you know that..."

Li Chaolu erupted in anger, slapping Li Xinyu's head to a 180-degree twist: "Do you take me for an idiot!?"

Beside them, Shen Qingming involuntarily shook her head, as if stimulated by something.

Li Xinyu turned his head back into place, hurriedly pleading: "That's just a small part of it, I have other long-term plans, this three hundred thousand wasn't for squandering, it was an investment! A long-term investment with a promising return!"

"Bullshit!" Li Chaolu couldn't even maintain her composure, her anger was at its peak, and even with the Hundred Flowers Jade Dew Heart Method channeling her Divine Sense, she couldn't suppress this rage, "Long-term investment? Those two guides from the Shen Family sweet-talked all day, using every trick, all under the guise of investment to swindle us out of money! Even Shen Qingming doesn't buy this crap from them, and yet you try to pull it on me!?"

Shen Qingming listened nearby, feeling quite uncomfortable but still taking on the role of an audience, not participating.

Li Xinyu argued: "No, no, no, you misunderstood, I don't mean that kind of investment..." Pausing a bit, the chubby one softly said, "I want to start a rental business."

"... What?" Li Chaolu was taken aback, her raised fist freezing mid-air.

Li Xinyu explained: "I want to run a shared female warrior prisoner service."

"... What?" Li Chaolu repeated her question.

Seeing that his sister finally didn't continue to beat him and seemed to have calmed down, Li Xinyu quickly sat up, earnestly stating: "Simply put, I would lease out the Shen Family's Battle Array Map to single young men in large numbers, fulfilling their mental and physiological needs."

Li Chaolu furrowed her brow, still a bit unclear on the situation.

Behind her, Li Wanqing applauded excitedly: "Nice idea, fatty."

Li Chaolu turned his head back, somewhat puzzled.

Li Wanqing succinctly explained, "He wants to open a brothel."

Li Chaolu immediately widened his eyes in shock.

Li Wanqing waved her hand dismissively, "It's not a big deal; what city doesn't have brothels? Even someone like me who sees all men as dirt must acknowledge this high demand. And compared to the shady physical brothels, this fat guy's virtual brothel is much cleaner."

Li Chaolu was on the verge of bursting a vein, "You're actually defending that fat bastard?!"

"No, I'm not. Didn't you see I kept quiet even when you hit him? I'm just stating the facts. No matter how sleazy this fat guy's actions are, having such a flexible mindset isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's certainly better than squandering 300,000 Spirit Stones just for personal indulgence."

Having said this, Li Wanqing turned to ask Li Xinyu, "But are you sure this is feasible?"

Li Xinyu, as if a drought-stricken land meets a downpour, looked at Li Wanqing with glowing eyes, "Of course! When I bought this Battle Array Map, I secretly estimated its market potential. The rental business is absolutely doable! This Battle Array Map can accommodate up to a thousand people entering the battlefield simultaneously and simulate the battle situation. As long as the materials to maintain its operation are continuously supplied, it can run indefinitely. So, I can serve a thousand customers all at once! I've previously spent a fortune to draw a large number of character packs. Although the high-end character packs are limited, there are nearly a thousand regular ones! This Battle Array Map is designed for cultivators. All character packs are from the Immortal Family, or at worst, Mountain Spirits and Wild Beasts causing havoc, with the top characters even being Great Cultivators like Cyan Yang True Master. Therefore, positioning it as a high-end market to attract wealthy clients is entirely possible."

Li Wanqing stroked her chin and asked, "This Shen Family Battle Array Map is combat-oriented, requiring users to defeat virtual characters to enjoy the victor's privileges. But many cultivators with strong cultivation might disdain playing such virtual scenarios. Meanwhile, those who'd like to enjoy it might not be able to defeat the virtual characters."

The fat guy continued with shining eyes, "So I can provide a large number of additional services, like official proxy battles, or temporarily renting out Immortal Treasures and Immortal Talismans. The Shen Family's Battle Array Map grants the manager the highest authority, so I can recall Immortal Weapons in the array with virtually no cost. But if customers want to rent them, it'll cost at least tens or hundreds of Spirit Stones."

Pausing for a moment, the fat guy added, "When it comes to regular virtual combat, no one might want to spend a lot on a virtual Immortal Weapon. But if it's for winning the favor of a desired beauty, people are willing to pay ten times more. The market demand in this area is certainly robust, so there's nothing to worry about."

Hearing this, Li Wanqing shook her head with a laugh, "I can't find a point to refute."

Li Xinyu, full of confidence, said, "I really thought this through thoroughly before taking such a great risk to do it!"

Li Chaolu listened to this, left speechless, but still unconvinced, "If you have such a mindset, it'd be better if you focused on more serious matters..."

"Sister's words are a lesson to me." Li Xinyu immediately transformed from a confident young talent into a fawning deadweight, "I will definitely put more energy into cultivation in the future and not let sister down."

"No one expects anything from you!" Li Chaolu raised her eyebrows, "Moreover, speaking of this, aren't you afraid of tarnishing the Li Family's reputation with such sleazy business?"

Li Xinyu said, "Of course, it won't operate under the Li Family's name publicly; I'll just find some business association to run it on behalf of us. And the design and production of the Battle Array Map, including the preparation of character packs, were all done by the Shen Family; it has nothing to do with the Li Family."

"..."

Li Xinyu continued, "I actually think the Qian Family should be interested in this Battle Array Map, so I am considering partnering with them to leverage their operational capabilities to expand and strengthen this business. After the Cyan Cloud Competition, the Qian Family has also run into cash flow issues, so they should be quite interested in this fast-money rental business."

Li Xinyu's far-sighted planning was so mind-breaking that Shen Qingming continually rubbed her eyes, trying to find the hidden villain within that fat exterior!

But before anyone could speak, Wang Jiu suddenly started talking.

"If you want to partner with the Qian Family, Qian Yue has shown great interest."

"Huh?" Li Xinyu exclaimed in surprise, "Qian Yue?"

Wang Jiu said, "It just so happened she reached out for our usual chat earlier, so I mentioned your idea to her. She said the Qian Family is very interested in this rental business, willing to co-manage it, and to show sincerity, they're even willing to provide a few operational strategies for free."

Li Xinyu blinked, "I'm all ears."

"Qian Yue suggested that since this rental business is inherently long-term, they propose implementing a VIP membership system. Someone can pay a large fee at once to get a membership card, enjoying VIP discounts for single services. This way, we can quickly accumulate funds and use them for investment, essentially making money with other people's money."

"Brilliant!" Li Xinyu listened with admiration, "As expected of the Qian Family, their ideas are indeed expansive!"

"Qian Yue also mentioned, if the functionalities of the Battle Array Map support it, they recommend collecting and analyzing user data to understand their consumption habits and implement more targeted operational activities. Meanwhile, these data, documenting users' special interests, could prove significant in various fields."

"Got it, got it, truly grateful!"

While Li Xinyu was singing praises for the Qian Family's business acumen, Li Chaolu and Shen Qingming focused on another matter.

"Qian Yue... usual chat? Ah Jiu, do you have daily conversations with Qian Yue?"