The Immortal Wine Shop was in its final days. Business suddenly surged. Zhang Guodong was overjoyed. Seeing the extra crystals, he beamed with happiness as he met everyone. Even the shop's servants and disciples benefited, giving away three or five low-grade crystals as tips.
The young man was the second-in-command, and he'd been incredibly busy for almost a month. Zhang Guodong was very satisfied and rewarded him with a black storage bag.
Why not give more rewards? You see, this kid was forcibly conscripted by Zhang Guodong under duress. Furthermore, the plant cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world. The strong are respected, and there's a hierarchy between servants and masters. Spoiling him too much isn't a good way to manage people.
Give them a small reward each time, but not too big, otherwise what will happen in the future?
The little devil was overjoyed to receive his first black storage bag in all these years. Although the space inside was only one-tenth of a cubic meter, it was now his own. His gaze towards Zhang Guodong was filled with awe and gratitude.
Wei Yan was the head of the female cultivators' miscellaneous tasks. Her performance this time was also commendable. Most importantly, this woman from the modern world was very hardworking, and Zhang Guodong was generous this time, giving her twenty low-grade crystals as a reward.
This is much lower than the reward level for the little devil, but Wei Yan has never handled so many crystals before, so she is already satisfied.
After the two received their rewards, it was time for the menial disciples to get theirs, which usually amounted to three or five coins. They all happily threw themselves into their work.
I almost forgot a minor character here: Li Jing, now the third manager of Wanxian Restaurant.
This girl made a deal with Zhang Guodong and became the sinecure third manager. She spends her days wandering around the first to fourth floors, occasionally giving random instructions to the servants, acting all high and mighty. Xiao Gui and Wei Yan find it exasperating. Zhang Guodong turns a blind eye, treating it as just keeping a third manager around.
But as soon as these people received their rewards, the girl immediately ran up to the fifth floor, stretched out her tender hands, and refused to accept them: "Brother Boss, everyone else got a reward, why didn't I? I want one too!"
Zhang Guodong was fiddling with the crystals, experimenting with the incomplete "Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs Array" provided by Li Jing. He had already used quite a few rune-patterned jade stones on the ground. According to the instructions for the "Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs Array," without the necessary array tools, there was only one rudimentary method: to carve all the runes onto the jade stones and use them to represent each corner of the array. Through experimentation, Zhang Guodong completed the creation of dozens of rune-patterned jade stones. However, this was only a very small part; this part could only form a small illusion array, less than one-thousandth of the entire array's description. Zhang Guodong could only conduct this preliminary research.
All that gold and jade piled up in Peach Blossom Spring has now come in handy.
“This formation is incomplete, missing at least two-thirds, and it’s extremely complex. It’s not easy to find a clue!” Zhang Guodong was concentrating on his thoughts, placing the talisman jade and crystal in his hand, but in the end, he found that he didn’t know how to arrange one of them.
Suddenly, a strange, sarcastic voice rang out, and Zhang Guodong's hand trembled, causing the crystal in his hand to fall. This crystal landed in an unexpected spot, and suddenly...
Change!
"Ah?" Two exclamations came from Zhang Guodong and Li Jing.
The exclamation vanished as soon as it was uttered, as if blocked by the illusion that appeared before them.
Zhang Guodong was stunned for a moment, then cheered loudly: "Haha, it actually worked! It worked!"
A seemingly real desert had been created. Zhang Guodong's calves were buried in the sand ridges, and he could actually feel a slight burning sensation, as if he were actually there.
Ordinary illusion arrays can only mimic appearances, but it's difficult to achieve a highly accurate imitation of even things like temperature. Zhang Guodong's unintentional attempt, startled by Li Jing's sweet voice, inadvertently landed in the right spot, and this most basic part of the illusion array was successfully completed on the first try.
On the other side, Li Jing, who was right in front of Zhang Guodong but couldn't see him, was quite frightened. As the one who set up the formation, Zhang Guodong could see through everything within it.
"Zhang Guodong, you bastard, release me right now!"
Upon hearing the cursing, Zhang Guodong's face darkened instantly. Damn it, is this still the third manager? He actually dares to curse the boss to his face?
Knowing this girl was no pushover and might have some powerful connections, she'd slipped up again. The way she was cursing was rather arrogant.
"Hey girl, how dare you insult your boss! Half of your annual salary will be deducted. If you insult him again, it will be completely deducted!" Zhang Guodong's voice pierced through the formation and reached Li Jing's ears, yet it was very clear.
"Ah, where are you?" Li Jing covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes darting around, unable to pinpoint Zhang Guodong's location. "Ugh. It's so hot."
Li Jing dared not curse aloud, fearing that Zhang Guodong would really withhold the crystals. But in her heart, she muttered, "Hmph, how dare he set up an illusion array to tease me! If I weren't afraid of my grandmother finding out, I would have broken it!"
Li Jing possessed quite a few treasures. Breaking one of Zhang Guodong's basic illusion arrays wouldn't require much effort.
Although the array formations made with talismanic jade cloth are simple, they cannot compare to specially crafted array props.
There are many ways to break it, such as brute force, finding the key point of the illusion array, or even using the array against itself. However, Zhang Guodong, being a beginner, accidentally learned a basic illusion array, and he was so happy that every cell in his body was throbbing with excitement.
Seeing that the girl being punished was getting impatient, Zhang Guodong dispelled the illusion. Looking at the crystals again, he saw dozens of crystals...
This illusion array is incredibly expensive. In just a short while, Zhang Guodong was shocked and heartbroken.
No wonder Zhang Guodong was so distressed. If this formation were to be used to extract so much money in the future, how many crystals would it take? But the reality was quite different.
The Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs Formation is so complex; once completed, its power will undoubtedly be immense. However, the illusionary formation Zhang Guodong created is only a basic one, and many of its power components are missing. If completed, it could essentially absorb spiritual energy and circulate on its own.
After thinking it over, Zhang Guodong decided to consult someone knowledgeable in formations to see if crafting a special formation artifact could compensate for this deficiency.
Li Jing glared at Zhang Guodong with a look of dissatisfaction. Her mouth was practically dripping with scorn.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Feeling uneasy under her gaze, Zhang Guodong snapped out of his daze and asked in surprise. "By the way, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Li Jing rolled her eyes and said, "Little Tiger and Sister Yan both got rewards, what about mine? I'm the third manager, I can't be shortchanged, or I'll go on strike!"
"Strike? Reward?" Zhang Guodong was speechless.
Zhang Guodong was very reluctant to give Li Jing a reward. This little girl did nothing but wander around inside and out. She didn't understand anything and yet gave orders blindly; it was already good enough that she didn't make things worse. Giving her a reward made Zhang Guodong somewhat hesitant.
Go ahead and strike! You're welcome! If you strike, you'll save on your annual salary.
"Of course!" Li Jing was unaware of Zhang Guodong's despicable intentions. He was actually withholding child labor!
“There was no reward for you originally. But as the third manager, it wouldn’t be right not to give you a reward. Xiao Hu’s reward is a black storage bag, and you…” Zhang Guodong said.
Upon hearing the name "black storage bag," Zhang Guodong noticed the disdain on Li Jing's lips. "Damn, she actually looks down on a small storage bag. She must come from a wealthy family."
It's possible that Li Jing has a purple storage bag on her. A quick glance revealed only her not-so-well-developed chest; it was unclear whether anything was underneath her clothes.
"Forget about the storage pouch, I like crystals the most. Let's just convert it to crystals. Three hundred crystals for a black storage pouch, three hundred crystals will do!"
The girl waved her hand dismissively and said it casually.
"That's the treatment for the second manager. Besides, Xiao Hu has been very busy for the past month, and his contributions are not enough to warrant a reward. You are only the third manager, and you should have received fifty crystal stones, but you were just fined half of your salary. As the third manager, your annual salary is 'sixty low-grade crystal stones,' so the remaining amount is only twenty low-grade crystal stones!"
Zhang Guodong gestured with his fingers, calculating that the reward was only twenty-five low-grade crystals, roughly the same as Wei Yan's reward.
Li Jing stared at Zhang Guodong in disbelief and shouted, "That's not fair!"
Zhang Guodong chuckled, patted his storage bag, and took out twenty low-grade crystals, saying, "It's up to you whether you want them or not. If you don't, I'll take them back!"
"I want it!" Li Jing snatched back the twenty crystals in one swift motion. She forced out the words through gritted teeth.
"Thump thump thump!" Little Tiger ran up at this moment.
"Zhang Da, boss, we have a distinguished guest who has placed a reservation. This business is long-term, so it's up to you to decide!" Xiao Hu was about to call him "Brother Zhang," but seeing Li Jing sulking, he immediately changed his address to "boss."
"Oh? Ordering food?"
This is something we need to pay attention to. Once the trade fair ends, business will slow down. It won't be as booming as it is now. To make money, we need to find other avenues. Long-term catering orders are a good channel.
Zhang Guodong glanced at Li Jing, inwardly chuckling. Although he felt guilty for bullying the little girl, he was certain that Li Jing's identity was far from simple. He truly didn't believe she was only after his few crystals. Therefore, he didn't have many reservations about withholding them.
As Xiao Hu and Xiao Hu went downstairs, Li Jing suddenly snatched the crystal from behind, and it vanished without a trace. She really did have a storage bag.
"Hmph, how dare they treat me like this! I'll definitely ruin this business, hehe!"
She hurriedly followed him down to see what was going on.
Upon reaching the first floor, a woman stood before the counter, radiating an icy aura that deterred anyone from approaching. The cross-shaped insignia on her clothing, a symbol of status even higher than that of a deacon or disciple, further impressed her.
"Which distinguished guest is making a long-term reservation? I am Zhang Guodong, the owner of Wanxian Restaurant. I apologize for not greeting you sooner!" As soon as Zhang Guodong arrived on the first floor, he immediately clasped his hands in a fist and smiled at the woman whose back was turned.
Notice: First update is here. The weather here is absolutely sweltering, and it's unbearable for me, which has affected my writing. I'll have to work through the night. The second update will be at midnight. For those who can't wait, check back tomorrow.
Here, I would like to thank Little Pocket for your generous donation and support. This book has finally gained its first elder-level fan. Thank you! Thank you so much!
The Heavenly Dao is also rather vain; having an elder or higher-ranking member makes it very happy, as it fulfills one of its wishes. Hehe.
Tiandao has two more wishes: first, that the number of recommendation votes reaches 100,000 by the end of the book; and second, that the subscription support from all the big readers will allow the book to continue smoothly!
I wonder if these two wishes will come true?
Ziyan and Zhang Guodong met in this setting; what will happen? Hehe! Vote and subscribe!
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