In short, these are all things that are entirely beneficial and without any drawbacks.
Xiao Xiyou nodded in agreement, as he also wanted to set up a place specifically for the idle sons of wealthy and powerful families to have fun.
This way, he could learn about their current situation in detail and glean a lot of inside information from their conversations.
In order to get to that position, he had to win over many people.
Zhou Zhizhi turned around and smiled at Xiao Xiyou.
“Then it’s settled. You will continue to help me cultivate the Northern Darkness Divine Art for three months. I will make this shop a success and hand it over to you. During this period, you will not interfere.” Zhou Zhizhi told Xiao Xiyou his conditions.
“Okay.” Xiao Xiyou nodded, then looked at Zhou Zhizhi and asked, “Do you need me to continue guiding your Qi and blood today?”
“No need today. I’ll go back to the Imperial Preceptor’s residence later and practice my internal energy and meditation to learn the moves from the book. I’ll come find you when I encounter a bottleneck,” Zhou Zhizhi told Xiao Xiyou, explaining her plan.
[Elimination countdown: 20 days.] The system's mechanical voice echoed in Zhou Zhizhi's mind.
Zhou Zhizhi's expression changed slightly, and she quickly said to Xiao Xiyou, "Now that things are done, it's getting late, so I'll head back home first."
These past few days, Zhou Zhizhi has been enjoying a leisurely time and has become somewhat lax in her cultivation of the Northern Darkness Divine Art, having broken through the biggest bottleneck in her training.
"Okay." Xiao Xiyou nodded and watched Zhou Zhizhi leave with Wu Er.
"It's time to take stock of the businesses I own," he thought to himself.
"Grand Preceptor, Wu Er, you're back. How did things go?"
When Wu Da saw Zhou Zhizhi and Wu Er return to the mansion, he immediately asked them about their trip to rent a shop that day. Steward Jia was also watching from the side, clearly wanting to know if the matter had been resolved.
"It's all done! We've successfully rented a shop!" Wu Er happily told Wu Da.
At this moment, Zhou Zhizhi, due to the system's reminder, had no interest in explaining the shop to Wu Da.
Zhou Zhizhi let Wu Er excitedly tell Wu Da and Steward Jia about his day's events.
He went straight back to his room and began to study the "Northern Darkness Divine Art" and learn its moves.
Zhou Zhizhi sat quietly at her desk, holding the "Northern Darkness Divine Art" in her hands, studying it carefully.
Time slipped by quietly, and the sun slowly set.
Xiaoyue came into the room and lit the candles for Zhou Zhizhi.
Seeing her master working so diligently, she spoke softly, "Grand Preceptor, the kitchen has prepared dinner. Please check it after you finish eating."
The moves in "The Northern Darkness Divine Art" are numerous and the techniques are wonderful. Zhou Zhizhi was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even feel hungry for a while.
She looked up from her book. "I didn't realize it was so late. Your reminder has made me feel a little hungry. Let's go have some food."
Zhou Zhizhi followed Xiaoyue to the main hall, thinking about how to practice the moves of the "Northern Darkness Divine Art" the whole way. The table in the main hall was already full of all kinds of sumptuous dishes, which still made Zhou Zhizhi's eyes light up.
The servants didn't know when Zhou Zhizhi would come to eat, so the hot dishes on the table were slowly simmering on a small stove. They were steaming hot and smelled delicious, which immediately whetted Zhou Zhizhi's appetite.
Zhou Zhizhi temporarily put aside her worries, walked quickly to the table, sat down gracefully, looked at the sumptuous dishes in front of her, picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of braised pork. The pork was delicious, tender and juicy, and melted in her mouth. It was no worse than what a modern five-star chef could make.
Next to the pork belly was a plate of pan-fried sea bass, one of her favorite dishes. Zhou Zhizhi happily picked it up and took a bite. The fish skin was crispy, and the inside was tender. It had both the salty and savory flavor of the seasonings and the sweetness of the fish, making it very appealing to the taste buds.
After the meal, Xiaoyue poured Zhou Zhizhi a cup of herbal tea that she had prepared beforehand. Zhou Zhizhi took a sip of the hot tea, and the aroma lingered on her tongue, making her feel refreshed.
"What a delicious meal!" Zhou Zhizhi praised with satisfaction. "Our chef is quite good. Give him a raise and tell him to work hard. I want to see him in person next month."
Zhou Zhizhi gave instructions to Xiaoyue beside her.
"Yes, Imperial Preceptor." Xiaoyue replied and then withdrew, informing Steward Jia of the matter and requesting its implementation.
After eating and drinking her fill, Zhou Zhizhi did not return to the study to read. Instead, she went to the backyard.
Because the moves in the book "Northern Darkness Divine Skill" require a wide open space for practice, Zhou Zhizhi had already memorized the moves she had seen in the study that afternoon. She walked towards the backyard with firm and light steps, knowing that she would definitely succeed!
Arriving in the backyard, a cool breeze rustled the leaves. Zhou Zhizhi carefully felt the key points of each move and began to circulate her internal energy, allowing her blood and qi to flow together.
Zhou Zhizhi slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath of fresh air, calmed her mind, and began to circulate the qi and blood in her body.
As her Qi and blood circulated through her meridians, she felt a surge of heat rising from her Dantian and flowing throughout her body.
She recalled the moves from the book, raised her arm, turned her body, and channeled her inner strength into her fingertips.
Zhou Zhizhi unfolded her body and moved nimbly, using the moves from the book smoothly and effortlessly. At this moment, Zhou Zhizhi felt her body and the surrounding environment begin to merge into one. She could feel the flow of every inch of air and the trembling of every blade of grass.
Zhou Zhizhi dared not slack off and immediately exerted her strength. Her hands moved through the air like sharp arrows, making a hissing sound.
Suddenly, a powerful burst of energy erupted from Zhou Zhizhi's body. She swung her arms violently, and an invisible wave of energy surged outwards, causing the leaves around her to fall one after another.
Zhou Zhizhi stopped what she was doing. She stood there, her chest heaving, her face filled with joy. She felt the internal energy in her body becoming more and more abundant, and she knew that this was the reward for her hard work.
[Congratulations, host! You are almost ready to master the Northern Darkness Divine Art!] The system's congratulatory voice echoed in Zhou Zhizhi's mind, along with the sound of fireworks exploding.
"Thank you so much, I don't know who made me work so hard." Zhou Zhizhi was too exhausted to complain.
[Dear user, this system has just applied to the higher-ups. After you master the Northern Darkness Divine Art, you will receive some rewards.]
This broken system has finally become somewhat useful, but Zhou Zhizhi still doesn't readily believe it.
If the reward is something useless like increasing her beauty stat, it will drive her crazy.
She wants to live! What she wants most right now is to stay alive!
"What reward?" Zhou Zhizhi asked expressionlessly.
[Health Points! This time the reward is health points!] The system proudly announced. [I'm amazing, aren't I? I went through a lot of trouble to apply for this from above.]
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