Springtime for Underachievers
The reputation of the "Eastern Secret Medicine" shop spread like wildfire throughout Academy Town and the surrounding mercenary community. Now, every day when the shop opens, there are always several mercenary guild members or lone adventurers lining up outside to pick up their goods.
Finn Leaver, the former magic failure and now the chief (and sole) COO of "Eastern Elixir," experiences both pain and joy.
The pain stemmed from his utter exhaustion. Even with the simple "fatigue-relieving talismans" provided by Ling Yao plastered all over his body like bandages, it couldn't withstand the relentless work from morning till night. Purchasing, supervising, brewing medicine, bookkeeping, dealing with customers... he felt like he was split into eight people, and he even dreamed about memorizing the price list of medicinal herbs.
But the happiness was real. Looking at the glittering coins and gleaming magic cores in the money box, and seeing those usually arrogant mercenary brothers politely address him as "Brother Liver," an unprecedented sense of accomplishment welled up within him. He even secretly used the money he earned to buy himself a new wand (though he still mainly used it to stir potions), and he felt more confident walking around.
More importantly, he discovered that he seemed to have unlocked a hidden talent—salesmanship.
At first, he simply sold "Ling's No. 1" stamina potions honestly. Later, some mercenaries complained that there were too many mosquitoes in the swamp, and ordinary insect repellents were not effective. Finn had a sudden inspiration and remembered that Ling Yao had casually drawn a few basic rune structures with weak "cleansing" and "repelling" effects. Although they weren't very useful, maybe they could scare away some insects?
With a try-it-and-see attitude, he simplified the runes again and again, engraved them on a wooden plaque, and named it "Oriental Insect Repellent Plaque," priced inexpensive. Unexpectedly, the effect was surprisingly good! Although it didn't completely repel insects, it greatly reduced mosquito nuisance, and it immediately became a hot commodity.
Adventurers who needed to travel at night complained that magic lamps consumed too much magic and torches weren't bright enough. Finn then pondered the glowing rune structures drawn by Ling Yao and created a "fluorite rune" that could glow continuously for several hours when infused with a small amount of magic. Although the light was weak, only illuminating a small area underfoot, it was durable and cheap, and sold quite well.
He even started proactively asking Ling Yao for advice based on customers' needs: "Miss Ling, do you have any talismans that can... stop bleeding from wounds quickly?" "Miss Ling, do you have any talismans that make climbing mountains less tiring?"
Ling Yao would usually just glance at him, then casually draw a basic, low-level rune structure to dismiss him. To her, these were commonplace applications in the cultivation world, not even worthy of being called spells.
But these "common" basics, in Finn's hands, after his half-baked, imaginative modifications and repackaging, have all been transformed into "practical Eastern gadgets" that are quite popular among mercenaries and adventurers!
Finn's sales pitch became increasingly polished: "Take a look! Authentic Eastern secret techniques, powerful effects, affordable price! Everyone who's used it raves about it!"
"This guy looks like he's a seasoned forest dweller. How about a bug repellent? Even the swamp mosquitoes won't dare come near him!"
"Miss, are you going into the underground cave? Having a few fluorite talismans on hand is definitely the right thing to do! They're safer than torches and easier than magic lamps!"
He was sweet-talking, quick-witted, and offered fair prices. Coupled with the excellent reputation of "Ling's No. 1," his business flourished. Even Ling Yao would occasionally look at him with a slightly surprised expression, as if discovering for the first time that this boisterous, brown-haired boy actually had some business acumen.
However, business success could not fully satisfy Finn. As a magic apprentice, he yearned for Ling Yao's unpredictable and mysterious abilities as if a cat were scratching at his heart.
Especially when he saw Ling Yao casually draw those runes containing wondrous power, or make the medicinal properties perfectly blend with a touch from a distance, or even make a thief spin in circles all night... he was so envious that his eyes turned red.
This is real skill! It's a million times cooler than those boring incantations and complicated theories taught in school!
He tried to study it on his own, but the seemingly simple rune structures were actually incredibly profound. He could never quite grasp the essence of them, either drawing them incorrectly or failing to guide the energy, resulting in nothing but explosions. He realized that without guidance from a master, he would probably never even get close to the basics.
So, one evening after finishing his work, Finn brought a cup of his carefully prepared "special drink" (which was actually just a mixture of several fruit juices) to Ling Yao, his face full of a fawning smile.
"Miss Ling, you must be tired after a long day. Try this, my newly invented 'Multi-Element Vitality Drink'!"
Ling Yao glanced at the strangely colored liquid with suspicious bubbles, then pushed it away expressionlessly.
Undeterred, Finn continued his efforts: "Miss Ling, you see... I'm practically the backbone of our shop now, aren't I? Everything, inside and out, depends on me..."
Ling Yao nodded, admitting it. Without this kid, she'd probably still be eating black bread every day.
Seeing an opening, Finn immediately seized the opportunity: "Well... as a core member of our store, shouldn't I... improve my business skills? Look at me now, I keep getting exploded even when I draw the simplest talisman, which really affects our store's image and production capacity, right?"
He stared at Ling Yao with longing in his eyes: "Miss Ling, could you... just give me a little guidance? Just a little bit of the basics? Like... how can I channel energy without a wand like you? Or how can I draw runes accurately and effectively?"
Looking at Finn's expectant, even pitiful eyes, and thinking about how this kid had indeed worked hard without complaint during this time, he could barely be considered a qualified tool... uh, an employee.
She hesitated for a moment. Teach him the real cultivation techniques? That was absolutely impossible. Not to mention whether the rules of this world allowed it, her own cultivation method had extremely high requirements, and it was simply not something this person could practice.
However, some of the most basic breathing techniques for building a foundation and calming the mind, or the most basic methods of drawing qi into the body, can be taught to him to try. Even if he doesn't develop any profound skills, at least it will make his hand more steady when drawing talismans, reducing the number of times he explodes and saving on material costs.
Having made up her mind, Ling Yao beckoned Finn with her finger, signaling him to sit down.
Finn was overjoyed and immediately sat up straight, his expression as serious as if he were about to receive a blessing from a goddess.
Ling Yao extended a finger and gently touched her lower abdomen, dantian, then slowly guided it with an extremely slow and deep breath. With each breath, the active elemental energy in the surrounding air seemed to be subtly drawn towards her fingertip, slowly and gently converging before dissipating with her exhale.
She repeated the action several times, her gaze fixed on Finn.
Finn stared intently, trying to mimic Ling Yao's breathing rhythm, but he couldn't feel the flow of energy at all; he only felt suffocated.
Ling Yao frowned. It seemed that directly guiding the energy of this realm was too difficult for him. She changed her approach, simply teaching him the breathing rhythm and the method of concentration. As for what he could perceive, that was entirely up to his own fate. In the cultivation world, this method was worse than kindergarten, at best a basic calisthenics.
She gestured for Finn to do the same.
Although Finn didn't understand, he still tried to imitate it seriously, trying to adjust his breathing and clear his mind.
At first, he felt awkward and bored, his mind preoccupied with checking today's accounts and figuring out how much stock to order tomorrow. But slowly, as his breathing calmed, a strange sense of peace enveloped him. The fatigue and anxiety of the past few days seemed to be soothed little by little, and his mind became focused and clear.
He became so engrossed in it that he lost track of time.
When he opened his eyes again, he found that it was completely dark outside the window, and the magic lamps in the shop had been turned on at some point. Ling Yao was no longer opposite him; she was sitting behind the counter, slowly and methodically counting the day's magic core earnings.
Finn felt refreshed, as if he had had a good sleep, and his mind was clearer than ever before. Even his perception of magic seemed to be a little sharper.
"This...this is Eastern meditation? It's amazing!" Finn jumped up excitedly. "I feel like I can draw ten talismans in one go right now!"
He immediately took out his charcoal pencil and parchment and tried to draw the "spirit-gathering talisman" that he had been failing at.
This time, he wrote with unusual composure, and the lines were much smoother. Although he ultimately failed to inject the magic due to insufficient control, the explosion was significantly less powerful, at least it didn't overturn the table.
"I've improved! I've really improved!" Finn was overjoyed instead of angry, clutching the half-burnt parchment as if it were a treasure. "Miss Ling! This breathing technique is amazing! I'll practice some more! I'm sure I can succeed!"
From then on, Finn had another daily task—meditation. Every morning and evening, without fail, he would sit there practicing "Eastern meditation." Although he would often fall asleep while practicing, he always woke up refreshed. His skill in drawing runes did indeed improve at a visible rate, and the frequency of explosions decreased significantly.
He even began to try teaching this "meditation method" to the junior apprentice in charge of chores, euphemistically calling it "improving the employee's professional skills," which left the junior apprentice completely bewildered.
Ling Yao watched Finn's excited enthusiasm as he practiced calisthenics like it was some kind of ultimate martial art, and didn't bother to correct him. Anyway, it wouldn't do any harm; as long as it kept him quiet and prevented him from blowing up the shop a few more times, that was fine.
However, Finn's (self-perceived) improvement in his skills brought another change: he became more confident in his sales pitches.
Now, when he introduces products to customers, he can't help but add, "This is the crystallization of ancient Eastern wisdom! It uses a unique energy guiding technology!" The mercenaries are stunned. Although they don't understand it, they feel it's very impressive, and their desire to buy increases greatly.
He also took it upon himself to give "Ling's No. 1" medicine a new package—a cardboard box with simple "preservation" runes drawn on it. Although the effect was minimal, it looked much more upscale, and he managed to raise the price by half a percent.
Ling Yao neither confirmed nor denied this. Earning more money to buy magic cores was always a good thing.
She vaguely sensed that as Finn spent more time practicing that rudimentary method and accumulated wealth from the shop's business, the subtle, almost imperceptible, spying from the shadows seemed to become more frequent and focused.
A storm is brewing.
But Ling Yao didn't care. She'd deal with whatever came her way. Her immediate priority was to accumulate more energy and recover her strength as quickly as possible. With enough strength, no trouble would be insurmountable.
She weighed the newly arrived batch of high-quality magic cores in her hand and decided to work overtime tonight to absorb as many as possible.
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