The three Zhao brothers, Zhao Huanian and Zhao Qingshan, are currently in the ancestral hall. Direct descendants of the Zhao family are allowed to enter, but those of other surnames are not permitted.

"Qingshan, is what you said true?" Zhao Huayong, the second brother, asked seriously.

This is truly a huge county!

Zhao Qingshan truthfully said, "Second Uncle, Zhang Guodong is probably a cultivator, and his cultivation level is much higher than mine, but I can't say exactly how high. By the time I got to the battleground, the fight was already over, but according to the onlookers who came earlier, Zhang Guodong took down more than a dozen of Zhu Lifu's bodyguards in less than thirty seconds. There's no doubt about that!"

In less than thirty seconds, he had taken down thirteen bodyguards! The three Zhao brothers were also astonished.

With their skills, they could probably handle thirteen people, though not with the same ease.

Who exactly is Zhang Guodong? What level of cultivator is he?

“Qingshan blended into the crowd to wait for rescue, so what he saw should be true! However, since the other party is also a cultivator, and has a higher cultivation level than Qingshan, Qingshan’s identity has naturally been exposed!” The eldest brother, Zhao Huanian, walked a few steps with his hands behind his back and said.

"Brother, there are other cultivators present besides our Qingshan. What difference does it make if we're exposed?" the third brother, Zhao Huahe, said nonchalantly. "Now we're seeing if that Zhang kid harbors any ill will towards Qingshan. High cultivation? I wonder how high it is? I'll go meet him and see who he really is! Hmph!"

"Third brother, you mustn't act impulsively. If you don't change your temper, you'll suffer greatly in the future! What if Zhang Guodong's cultivation is higher than ours?" The second brother, Zhao Huayong, frowned and scolded.

The third son is impatient and impulsive.

However, the fact that the owner of the plot of sand next to the one Qingshan contracted is a cultivator with considerable skill is indeed a worrying issue. Even if they encountered the other three small cultivator families in Western Qin, they wouldn't need to worry so much, but the appearance of an unfamiliar expert requires caution because they don't know anything about them.

With a sigh, to ordinary people, the three brothers' cultivation levels of seven or eight were astonishing. But in the eyes of cultivators, they were cannon fodder; any cultivator could threaten their lives.

"Qingshan, if you encounter this person again, either avoid him or treat him with courtesy. Before our Zhao family grows up, we must keep a low profile. If you give our Zhao family another ten years, ten years!" Zhao Huanian stopped and solemnly said to his son Zhao Qingshan.

"Yes, Dad, I understand," Zhao Qingshan said earnestly. He was a very cautious person!

"Yes," Zhao Huanian nodded, quite confident in his son's steadiness. "The Ancestor will be leaving seclusion in the next couple of days to go to the Southwest Market. He will take two people with him. Huayong, you and Qingshan will go with the Ancestor!"

"The Ancestor is coming out of seclusion?" Zhao Huayong and Zhao Huahe were both excited. Zhao Qingshan beside them also looked excited. In the Zhao family, the Ancestor's status and power were something they worshipped to the extreme, like a god.

"Big brother, I want to go too! I've heard the Southwest Market is bustling!" the third brother, Zhao Huahe, said excitedly. He had long wanted to see more cultivators, especially the experts.

According to the ancestor, in the southwestern market, there are quite a few people with cultivation levels similar to his own; that's truly the world of cultivators. There are also many powerful magical artifacts, pills that increase lifespan by one cultivation level, and talismans that are difficult to guard against, among other treasures.

These things are incredibly luxurious for them now. Occasionally, the ancestor will bestow upon them a single low-level pill. As for magical artifacts, the family only has two low-level ones, and they won't be able to get any more until they reach level ten or so. They don't have a single talisman.

In fact, it wasn't just the Zhao family; the other three families in Western Qin were in the same boat. Elixirs, magical artifacts, and talismans were practically nonexistent—they were all objects of their fervent legends.

“Third brother, you and I will guard the manor. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future!” Zhao Huanian said. “The importance of the manor is no less than anything else.”

His elder brother's words were orders, so Zhao Huahe could only reluctantly agree.

Outside the ancestral cave, a piece of land has been secretly cleared out. The three direct descendants of the second generation of the Zhao family are cultivating "crystal rice" there, which is the foundation for the Zhao family's future!

At the same time, the other three minor monk families received the same news.

To the surprise of all the family members, the patriarch was also about to emerge from seclusion.

This seems to be a signal.

"In Fangfeng, Southwest China, someone has cultivated medicinal herbs that are two hundred years old!"

Wanxian Restaurant, five floors.

With Zhang Guodong's return, Xiaohu and Wei Yanru found their pillar of support.

Xiao Hu, the second-in-command, immediately reported the restaurant's business situation to Zhang Guodong and handed over a large amount of crystals. His purple storage bag was already overflowing, so Xiao Hu reluctantly placed the excess crystals on the fifth floor, forbidding anyone from going up there. He guarded the stairs every day with trepidation, pretending it was unintentional.

However, the security situation in the southwestern city is currently very good. There haven't been any thefts. It's just that the third manager's little girl, Li Jing, is restless and has tried to go up to the fifth floor many times, but she has been stopped by Xiao Hu and Wei Yan. Even when she sneaks up a few times, she is discovered. Xiao Hu sleeps at the bottom of the stairs on the fifth floor.

I never realized that this little devil Xiao Hu was actually the nemesis of little girl Li Jing.

"Brother Zhang, business has declined significantly in the month or so you've been gone, but we had nowhere to put the crystals, so I put them on the fifth floor and I'm personally guarding them!" Xiao Hu had lost a lot of weight, probably from the ordeal of the past month. Crystals, so many crystals piled up on the fifth floor, he was constantly worried about them being stolen, and he had to be on guard all the time, so he couldn't even get proper rest.

Even Wei Yan was the same.

It's clear that the two of them put in a lot of effort, which made Zhang Guodong very satisfied.

Wei Yan was in charge of the accounts, and Xiao Hu was in charge of the crystals. The crystal revenue of Wanxian Restaurant in the past month or so had indeed startled Zhang Guodong. Although it wasn't as much as the month during the trade fair, it was still about 30% of that month's revenue! That was an extremely considerable figure.

In just over a month, 50,000 low-grade crystals!

On the fifth floor, the crystal shimmered, initially surprising Zhang Guodong. This restaurant was truly exorbitantly profitable!

Zhang Guodong glanced at the ledger and put the crystal away.

"Not bad, thank you for your hard work, Wei Yan. This is your bonus!" After putting away all the crystals, Zhang Guodong took out another three hundred low-grade crystals.

"Brother Zhang, that's too much! I can't accept it!" Little Tiger's eyes lit up, but he immediately refused. The public crystals were a significant income. Although it was nothing compared to the 50,000 crystals, it was a reward for himself.

Not greedy! This is also what Zhang Guodong is satisfied with about the kid. Now, after some training, Tiger has the air of a second manager.

"Put it away quickly, I have something else to say!" Zhang Guodong frowned and said unhappily.

But I was secretly laughing.

After Xiao Hu put away the crystals, his complexion noticeably improved. After all, those were crystals that truly belonged to him. With these crystals, his cultivation could be accelerated considerably.

"While I was away, there must have been a shortage of vegetables and seafood. How did you manage?" Zhang Guodong brought up the important matter. The vegetables and seafood they had left behind wouldn't be enough to last a month and a half. But the restaurant business hadn't closed, which made him very curious.

"Hey, Brother Zhang, the food and drinks served at the restaurant have been reduced now!" Xiao Hu said.

"Reduce the quantity? That won't do!"

"Brother Zhang, listen to me," Little Tiger chuckled. "Many people who come to the restaurant end up wasting a lot of food, except for the drinks. Sister Yan came up with an idea: cut the vegetables into smaller, finer pieces and mix them with other ingredients. The variety has increased, but the quantity doesn't seem to decrease. It's just that we've secretly saved a lot of 'secondary spirit-level' ingredients. But we're almost out of them now. Luckily, Brother Zhang, you came!"

"Oh?" Zhang Guodong's expression relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face.

Cut the ingredients into smaller pieces, add a little garnish, and while it looks like a lot, it actually looks like less. That's one way to do it.

During that month-long trade fair, most of the cultivators did finish the wine, but a lot of food was wasted. This was a solution, indirectly generating more profit for the Wanxian Restaurant.

Wei Yan, however, was a skillful and clever girl, despite coming from modern society. She quickly adapted to the world of cultivators, even managing to boost the profits of the Wanxian Restaurant.

Overjoyed, Zhang Guodong rewarded Wei Yan with 300 crystal stones, ten low-level "Qi-Boosting Pills," and five low-level "Water Spear Talismans." This made many people envious.

"Thank you, boss!" Wei Yan happily put the things away.

"You deserve this. Little Tiger told me the truth. From now on, anyone who contributes to the restaurant will be richly rewarded!" Zhang Guodong announced loudly.

"I was away for quite a while this time, but the business wasn't affected, which is also related to you menial workers, so you should be rewarded. Keep up the good work in your cultivation!"

"Great! Thank you, sir!" The servants below were delighted. Ten low-grade crystals as a reward weren't much, but they were still a considerable sum for them.

"But let me make this clear: if you don't perform well, and I hear about it, you'll be fired immediately!" Zhang Guodong's face hardened, and his voice turned cold. "There must be many people who want to work at Wanxian Restaurant!"

critical!

The past two months of work have indeed made some people complacent. This is not a good sign. Zhang Guodong felt that it was necessary to take preventative measures.

"Where is the third manager?"

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Xiao Hu then stepped forward and said, "Master, the Third Manager said three days ago that he had something to attend to, so he's not here."

"Oh? She doesn't usually manage the restaurant?" Zhang Guodong frowned. This Li Jing was too carefree. She had the restaurant's crystals, yet she lived a leisurely life, not caring about anything.

That is indeed the case.

Li Jing has lost interest in the restaurant these days, especially since Zhang Guodong isn't around; she can't enjoy it on her own.

"Master, what about the bonus for the third manager?" Xiao Hu said.

Zhang Guodong gave the kid an approving look, then snorted coldly, "No reward for her!"

"Alright, everyone disperse and get back to work!"

After the servants left, only Xiao Hu remained.

"Little Tiger, what has happened in the Southwest City over the past month?"

The Wanxian Restaurant is a place where all sorts of people mingle; any kind of news can spread here. Xiao Hu thought for a moment and said, "After you left, the Cultivator Guild became very lively. It's said that many ancient ruins have been discovered, and some people have even obtained 'Ascension Tokens.' Everyone's going crazy for them right now!"

"An Ascension Token?"

Zhang Guodong was startled.

Has anyone actually obtained this thing? However, some ancient cultivators left behind their legacies, so finding one isn't unusual. As for the Ascension Token, one is enough.

"Anything else?"

"There's one more thing. A rogue cultivator has become a high-level alchemist. He can refine high-level pills! But his condition is that he won't refine pills without medicinal herbs that are at least a hundred years old, and he has to leave half of the pills as a reward."

"Oh? What's this person's name? What level of cultivator is he?" Zhang Guodong asked curiously.

Advanced alchemists are absolute big shots. Even top experts have to curry favor with them. Everyone has their own expertise; while top experts have very high cultivation levels, refining mid-level pills is their limit. To refine advanced pills, one needs exceptional talent.

Therefore, advanced alchemists are extremely rare in the plant cultivation world, and they hold a very high status.

"This person is level thirty-eight, and calls himself the Medicine Daoist. However, it's said that after refining a high-grade pill, his cultivation broke through to level forty! Everyone says he's a future great master!" Little Tiger said with an admiring tone. "Moreover, he's a rogue cultivator!"

I heard all of this from the restaurant.

Being able to refine high-grade pills is a completely different concept from being able to refine mid-grade pills. It's like heaven and earth! Only one high-grade alchemist is born out of ten thousand mid-grade alchemists.

Furthermore, high-grade pills are incredibly powerful. There are pills that enhance cultivation, pills that extend lifespan, and even pills that can defy fate and change one's destiny. In short, high-grade pills are extremely precious, and even the greatest experts would covet them.

"The Medicine Master?"

Zhang Guodong had never heard of it, so he let it go after thinking about it.

"Is there anything else?"

"That's all. Oh, right, there's one more thing. The abandoned person cultivated a batch of century-old medicinal herbs in just one month, which caused quite a stir! However, this person was recruited by the Southwest Imitation Market."

"Hmm, this guy is quite talented!"

It's truly remarkable that they can cultivate medicinal herbs that are a century old in such a short time. Everything else is scarce, but century-old medicinal herbs are extremely rare.

"By the way, Brother Zhang, there's another rumor. Apparently, someone discovered a magical space filled with countless magical artifacts, medicinal herbs, and elixirs. But one must undergo many trials to enter. The rewards for success are extremely generous, allowing one to level up ten times and receive a high-level magical artifact. However, only cultivators below level fifty can participate. This hasn't been verified, so we don't know if it's true or not." Suddenly, a mysterious thought occurred to him.

Compared to the first three things, this last one is very attractive, but it is just hearsay and its authenticity is unknown.

As Zhang Guodong listened, a thought suddenly struck him.

The cold-blooded woman Xuan Qingban mentioned something about a space in the message, which seemed to be similar to what Xiao Hu said. Could it be the same thing? However, Xiao Hu was a little more specific. Anyone who passed the test would be rewarded with a level 10 registration, which was a very tempting offer.

In the outside world, it would take decades to advance from level 30 to level 40.

Moreover, there's also a high-level magical artifact!

"Okay, you can go and get back to work. I need to be alone for a while, so don't bother me unless it's absolutely necessary."

After Xiao Hu left, Zhang Guodong calmed down.

"The city of Fang is indeed the place where the most news is concentrated. In just over a month, so many big things have happened! High-grade pills, even I yearn for them. However, after providing the materials, half of them are taken away. The price is not cheap. The production of high-grade pills is very small. The higher the grade of the pill, the more essence is condensed into a single pill."

"It is indeed amazing that a century-old medicinal herb can be cultivated in a short period of time, but a century-old medicinal herb can only be used to refine intermediate-grade pills. Advanced-grade pills require medicinal herbs that are at least three hundred years old."

"That alternate dimension, could it be a small plane created by some powerful being?"

As for the Ascension Token, it is extremely important to great masters.

But for Zhang Guodong, that became the least important thing. He already had an Ascension Token.

Besides serving as a "guiding" tool, the Ascension Token has only one other function: cultivating crops. Could it be that the person who cultivated the century-old medicinal herbs used the Ascension Token for this purpose?

Zhang Guodong's heart stirred, and he pondered for a moment. He cleared his mind of distractions and sat down cross-legged.

"Right now, the most important thing is to focus on studying and setting up the formation!"

The Explosion of Thirty Intermediate Talismans in Chapter One

Outside the large illusion array of the southwestern city, five disheveled figures rushed over.

"Finally back!" one of them exclaimed. Looking at everyone's clothes and expressions, it was as if they had been reborn. However, some of them looked unwell, as if they had been injured.

"Senior Sister Liu, this trip was really tough, but everyone is back safely!" Du Qingyuan from Baiyu Temple glanced at the illusory forest. Once inside, they were in the southwestern city.

A month-long mission, but they only managed half a month to harvest the "Purple-Blue Fruit." They even encountered a deep-sea monster, and after several failed attempts, they finally succeeded—it was no easy feat.

"Array Master. Wu Xing's cultivation was the weakest, and he almost didn't make it back. His senior brother, Chi Xiao, had extremely high cultivation and revealed astonishing strength, rescuing Wu Xing from the clutches of the demon."

But this time, the real leader was Liu Meigui.

This woman is very shrewd and has leadership skills; half the credit for the successful completion of the task should belong to her.

However, Liu Meigui showed no smile when she heard Du Qingyuan's name.

"The mission is over, and we've already lost four low-grade crystals. Our actual income is only one crystal, and each of us gets one crystal!" Liu Meigui said indifferently.

The missing four low-grade crystals were the penalty for not keeping them; the deposit of those four low-grade crystals from the Cultivator Guild was gone.

“If you ask me, whoever has contributed the most should get more,” Bai Yin, the effeminate man, said from the side. “Equal distribution is inherently unfair.”

The voice was both effeminate and seductive, giving one goosebumps. Especially when he spoke, he would make those delicate, orchid-like gestures with his fingers.

Du Qingyuan and the others blushed, but remained silent. None of them were willing to give up their crystals, even though the distribution should be done as Bai Yin had suggested.

If we're talking about who deserves the most credit, everyone knows that Willow Rose deserves the most credit. Not only did she plan everything perfectly, but she also obtained a top-tier beginner-level magic artifact, which is why the demon was injured.

"Senior brother, don't mention that! The responsibility for this period lies with me. It's fair to divide the low-grade crystals equally!" Liu Meigui said.

"Let's go, it's time to hand in the mission."

After completing the task, everyone received a low-grade crystal and then went their separate ways.

After more than a month of hardship, the only reward was a single low-grade crystal, which was already considered quite good for Liu Meigui and her group. Otherwise, where would they get crystals in the outside world?

As they passed Wanxian Restaurant, Liu Meigui and Bai Yin stopped. Liu Meigui sent a message to Zhang Guodong, but received no reply for a long time.

"Rose, I heard that the Wanxian Restaurant sells very expensive things. I think we shouldn't go in." Bai Yin, standing to the side, was quite jealous.

Upon arriving here, he remembered who owned the restaurant.

Bai Yin, that effeminate man, harbored deep resentment towards Zhang Guodong. Zhang Guodong had caused him to lose face and left a very bad impression on him.

“Senior brother, you need to change your attitude. Zhang Guodong is a big shot in the Southwest Market now, his status is different. Offending him won't do us any good. Besides, you don't have any major grudges between you.” Liu Meigui sighed and said.

"But," Baiyin tried to explain.

"Unless you don't go to restaurants, there's still only one restaurant in the Southwest City. We risked our lives and went through all that trouble to get a little over a hundred low-grade crystals, which isn't even worth half a day's income for others!"

Liu Meigui knew that Wanxian Restaurant was making a fortune, which is why she said that. But what she didn't know was that Wanxian Restaurant made many times more money than that. The vegetables and seafood were basically sold at cost; the profits were mostly pure profit.

Although Bai Yin was unwilling, she fell silent after her expression changed.

Restaurants are common in the plant cultivation industry, but they are difficult to open outside of it these days. The main reason is the lack of high-quality ingredients. If it's just wine and food, then it's not very interesting.

"Hey, there are quite a few more counterfeit wines here."

Right next to Wanxian Restaurant, several liquor stores have opened up, specializing in selling liquor.

However, Liu Meigui noticed that after arriving at Wanxian Restaurant, very few customers went to the smaller wine shops; most went into Wanxian Restaurant itself.

The owners of those counterfeit liquor stores looked at Wanxian Restaurant with envy and jealousy.

"Rose, how about we buy some wine here?" Bai Yin said, her eyes darting around.

How could Liu Meigui not guess his thoughts? She said, "Senior brother, I think you should go rent a place first. I'll go visit Zhang Guodong. We might need his help in the future."

She had invited Zhang Guodong to do a mission last time, but unfortunately he couldn't go. However, her intuition and reality told Liu Meigui that she had to befriend Zhang Guodong.

Sometimes, financial resources are power. Many cultivators probably want to befriend Zhang Guodong, but they lack the means and excuse to do so.

It would be such a waste to give up like this!

"Junior sister, you—" Bai Yin's expression changed, turning somewhat unpleasant. She hadn't expected her junior sister, who had always been so accommodating, to actually hit her? All for the sake of seeing Zhang Guodong!

"Senior brother!" Liu Meigui frowned.

"Okay, I'll go rent a place right away!" Bai Yin's expression changed, she stomped her foot and turned to leave.

Bai Yin hated Zhang Guodong even more now. This man was narrow-minded; he had feelings for his junior sister Liu Meigui, and seeing Liu Meigui with Zhang Guodong, a man, made him even more resentful.

Bai Yin, standing behind, flashed a venomous glint in her eyes and snorted, "Zhang Guodong, we won't end like this!"

Being targeted is not a good thing, but Zhang Guodong is currently on the fifth floor and hasn't come down for many days.

After entering the restaurant, Liu Meigui introduced herself and asked Zhang Guodong for a visit.

She was greeted by Wei Yan, who said with difficulty, "Miss, our master is currently in seclusion and hasn't come down for more than ten days. He instructed that we should not disturb him unless it is important! Why don't you come another day?"

The restaurant was busy at the moment, so Wei Yan didn't have much time to spend with Liu Meigui.

Liu Meigui smiled slightly, found a table and sat down: "The food at Wanxian Restaurant is delicious, sister, bring me a few dishes and a pot of wine too! I'll wait for your boss here!"

"All right!"

Since he was a friend of the host, Wei Yan didn't dare to be negligent. Two of Xiao Hu's specialties were served, one meat and one vegetable. A pot of plum wine was also brought out.

Liu Meigui picked up her chopsticks, touched the food, and smacked her lips. It did indeed taste good.

For the past month or so, everyone has endured a lot of hardship. To say that you could eat such high-quality food and drink such fine wine is simply impossible.

When the food and wine were served, she was actually quite hungry.

They began to eat and drink elegantly!

Liu Meigui was a beautiful and alluring woman. As soon as she entered the restaurant, she started drinking. This caused a stir among the male cultivators around her, who began glancing at her more frequently.

"This woman looks incredibly sexy, I wonder what she's like in bed, hehe!"

"Brother Lu, you have a good eye, but this woman is definitely a rose with thorns. It's best if we don't mess with her."

Such words continued, and although the voices were soft, Liu Meigui could still hear them, and couldn't help but snort coldly.

"Gentlemen, please have some self-respect. This is Wanxian Restaurant. If you provoke any other guests, don't blame Wanxian Restaurant for being ruthless!" Just then, Xiao Hu, the second manager, arrived on the first floor. Upon hearing these words and seeing Liu Meigui, he immediately spoke coldly to those people.

The woman was Brother Zhang's friend, so he naturally remembered her.

Now that Brother Zhang is back, his courage has grown. The Wanxian Restaurant even supplies food to the five Youlan Mansions, maintaining a good relationship with these five powerful figures. Anyone who dares to cause trouble here won't even need the five powerful figures to intervene; even the stewards will make them regret it.

"Hey, you little cultivator who's not even level 15 yet, you dare threaten us? Heh heh!" Someone immediately stood up and chuckled maliciously.

"That's right, the owner of Wanxian Restaurant is only a level 19 cultivator, how dare he be so arrogant in front of us?"

Xiao Hu panicked for a moment. The cultivation levels of these diners were far higher than his, and the oppressive aura they exuded made his face turn pale.

But I've been exercising well lately and calmed down quickly.

"If you dare cause trouble, the deacons won't let you off!" Little Tiger threatened.

The expressions of these people changed when the topic of the city's deacons and disciples was brought up.

However, there were no butlers present, and besides, we couldn't afford to lose face like that, could we? How could we back down just because a little kid threatened us?

"Hey everyone, let's smash up this restaurant! I think they don't want to stay open anymore!" Someone started the commotion, and soon the first floor was in an uproar.

Smash it!

The crackling sound startled Xiao Hu and the others.

Upon seeing this, Liu Meigui immediately decided to take action.

"Who dares to cause trouble here?!" A furious shout rang out as a figure emerged from the second-floor stairwell. With a wave of his hand, a transparent protective shield enveloped Xiao Hu and the others. Then, with a cold snort, thirty beams of light shot from his hand towards the cultivators who were smashing tables and chairs, leaving them no chance to dodge.

"Ah, the boss is coming down!"

"Oh no, it's a mid-grade talisman, the 'Rainstorm Talisman.'"

"Get out of here!"

"Boom!"

But at such close range, it's difficult to dodge if you're not prepared.

Thirty "Rainstorm Talismans" exploded in the confined space, doubling their power and creating a truly awe-inspiring effect.

Those closest to the door were provoked by the "Rainstorm Talisman," their expressions changed drastically, and they rushed towards the door.

"Trying to leave? Come back here!" Zhang Guodong was faster than the others, intercepting them almost instantly. With a few thuds, the men failed to escape and were thrown back into the chaotic fray.

Explosions and screams continued.

Zhang Guodong instantly returned to the counter. The explosive power of those hundreds of intermediate-level talismans didn't even shake the protective shield in the slightest.

At the Wanxian Restaurant, all the cultivators stopped in their tracks. The enormous explosion could be heard far and wide.

"What happened? What's wrong at Wanxian Restaurant?"

"Not good! Everyone, follow me!" The enforcement disciple sensed the voice coming from the direction of the Wanxian Restaurant. He immediately sped off in that direction. The Wanxian Restaurant was the designated supplier by the five patriarchs; it absolutely could not be allowed to be damaged.

Wang: That's all for today. Please subscribe to support me. I'm struggling to keep going. First, I'm exhausted and have no drafts saved up; I always write and upload as I go. Second, subscriptions have dropped significantly, so I urgently need everyone's continued support.

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