novelraw Chapter 1068: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (76): Sorry, But Money Really Can Do Whatever It Wants
Chapter 1068: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (76): Sorry, But Money Really Can Do Whatever It Wants
Three were directly ahead, five to the left, two on the right, and six behind them.
Su Zijun abruptly came to a halt… but she couldn’t afford to stop for long—Gaia had already surrounded them.
“Master?” Jessica tensed up.
Su Zijun frowned slightly—Jessica noticed something unusual happening to her master’s body.
Heat.
The temperature around her surged dramatically. The air around Su Zijun shimmered like the heatwaves above sunbaked asphalt at noon.
Just being close made Jessica’s throat dry up, as if she were standing next to a furnace in a sauna. Every breath burned like fire.
She hurriedly stepped back, startled to see that the soil around Su Zijun had turned into scorched earth without her noticing. Even the moisture in the air seemed completely evaporated.
But the intense heat vanished in a flash. Su Zijun’s expression remained tense, but the scorching aura faded as quickly as it had come.
“Taken care of?” Su Zijun muttered with a strange expression.Jessica, still confused, opened her mouth to speak—only to follow Su Zijun’s gaze into the forest shadows.
From the darkness, a figure slowly emerged—a young man with a carefree, roguish air. He walked out while munching on a fruit that looked like a persimmon.
“Oh, it’s fine. I took care of those Gaia,” the young man said casually.
Su Zijun asked, “And you are?”
With a smile, he replied, “Name’s Da Zhe. Boss sent me to help you.”
...
When Su Zijun and Jessica followed Da Zhe to where Luo Qiu was, the centuries-old girl had a flicker of relief in her eyes… though her expression remained odd.
She’d once bought a so-called “Blood of Cain” from this Boss—it had healed her instantly.
Unlike Long Xiruo, Su Zijun didn’t mind dealing with the Club. What surprised her was how quickly she encountered this Boss again—under these circumstances.
Jessica, too, seemed mildly uneasy… or rather, surprised.
Su Zijun, noticing Jessica’s reaction, leaned in and whispered, “You know them?”
Jessica replied calmly, “No… I’m just wondering who these people really are.”
Su Zijun responded, “A merchant who claims to sell anything… but as for their real origins, even I don’t know. Not many in Divine Land do. Try not to speak unless necessary—just follow me.”
Jessica nodded solemnly.
“Boss, mission complete.” Da Zhe casually greeted Luo Qiu.
Unlike You Ye’s perfectionism or Tai Yinzi’s two-faced style, Da Zhe always had this laid-back vibe—relaxed, but reliable.
“Good work,” Luo Qiu nodded, then added, “Daoist Baijie and Mr. Wang Hu should be arriving soon. Go meet them.”
“No problem.” Da Zhe nodded and leapt into a nearby tree, disappearing into the woods again.
Qin Chuyu was still unconscious, but the area was rich in spiritual energy, and it was surging into her body.
Su Zijun glanced at the new clothes on Qin Chuyu and paused slightly—her expression became even more awkward. She suddenly didn’t know how to start this conversation with the Boss.
Maybe something like thank you?
“It’s an honor to see you again, Miss Su Zijun,” Luo Qiu greeted first.
After a brief silence, Su Zijun finally spoke—but her first words were: “Do I have to pay for this? I didn’t ask for it.”
Now it was Luo Qiu’s turn to be caught off guard.
He couldn’t help but feel like he was being labeled as some kind of shady salesman.
“Miss Su Zijun seems to have misunderstood me,” Luo Qiu said, shaking his head. “This wasn’t a free service, but the payment comes from someone else.”
“A good person, huh!”
Su Zijun blinked, intrigued. “Which sucker is so generous? Let me think… It’s not just me, but also this Qin Chuyu. I don’t even know her. No connection at all… So can I assume your target for rescue was everyone here?”
“It’s enough for Miss Su Zijun to know that you were included,” Luo Qiu replied with a slight smile. “I’ll send you out soon… or if you wish, you can leave now.”
He waved his hand, and a man-sized, twisted rift appeared beside him. “This is the way out.”
That simple?
Staring at the warped space, Su Zijun fell speechless. It felt like this: while a group of players were still struggling to clear the first stage, this guy had already beaten the final boss, unlocked all the Easter eggs, and was now sitting inside the boss’s castle watching the newbies struggle from afar…
The exit being right there was a huge temptation. Jessica looked toward Su Zijun, waiting for her decision.
But Su Zijun suddenly asked, “Is this mandatory?”
Luo Qiu shook his head. “No, it’s optional.”
Su Zijun nodded thoughtfully. “So this ‘good guy’ doesn’t have enough to cover extra charges.”
Luo Qiu didn’t reply—he just smiled and calmly dealt with the prickly centuries-old girl.
“So if it’s optional, that means I have a choice,” Su Zijun said coolly. “You’re not just helping us… which means I still have the right to leave at any time before the last person is gone, correct?”
“That’s a fair interpretation,” Luo Qiu nodded. “But you’d best decide soon—I won’t stay here forever.”
“A deadline?”
Luo Qiu gave no answer.
Su Zijun clicked her tongue. Clearly, trying to pry any real info from this guy—especially about the mysterious “good guy’s” deal—would be nearly impossible. Unless she herself wanted to buy the intel.
Not knowing when Luo Qiu would leave meant that missing this chance could mean losing her only exit. Not knowing who else he was helping meant if she wasn’t near the last rescued person, she could also miss out.
This Boss clearly wouldn’t come back to open another path for her.
So Su Zijun quickly considered her options:
Leave now.
Stick close to the Boss and choose when to leave—within his time limit.
Go her own way but track someone else being rescued. When they find Luo Qiu, she could leave with them. But if she couldn’t find or picked the wrong person, she’d be on her own…
Su Zijun walked up to the twisted portal. Just as she was about to step in, she suddenly stopped.
Turning back to Luo Qiu, she said, “I want to speak with you in private.”
Luo Qiu nodded. He whispered something to You Ye, then walked off to the side.
Miss Maid didn’t follow. Su Zijun glanced back, then signaled to Jessica before following Luo Qiu into the grove.
…
The two quickly disappeared from sight.
Jessica started to feel a bit uneasy—because the club’s Miss Maid was walking straight toward her.
“Miss Jessica?”
To Jessica’s surprise, it was Miss Maid who spoke first. After a brief pause, Jessica nodded. “Is there something you need?”
You Ye didn’t speak right away. She simply smiled and moved closer to Jessica. Then, under Jessica’s startled gaze, she took hold of her wrist.
Jessica was alarmed, but she kept her composure—her instincts told her that the maid had no ill intent. The arm being held was the one previously injured when she touched the Green Lotus Sword Song out of curiosity, getting cut by its sword aura.
Miss Maid’s fingers gently traced along the long wound—and the injury actually began to heal!
Jessica’s body did have regenerative capabilities, though not as powerful as Su Zijun’s. The wound had already been treated with Qin Chuyu’s medicine and had stopped bleeding early on. However, due to the sword aura’s power, it would have taken several days to fully heal.
But now…
“All done. It shouldn’t be a problem anymore.” You Ye let go of her arm. “Check if there’s any lingering discomfort.”
In just a few seconds, it was completely healed.
Jessica moved her arm and frowned slightly. “Why…”
“My master’s orders,” You Ye said softly. “A complimentary service.”
…
…
“Is this place okay?”
Luo Qiu looked around. Towering ancient trees surrounded them like a natural barrier, creating a peaceful, quiet atmosphere. Su Zijun nodded.
“Miss Zijun, how may I assist you?”
Su Zijun thought for a moment, then said, “Those evil spirits from last time—are you still collecting them?”
“Of course,” Luo Qiu nodded.
Back before their first transaction, Luo Qiu’s finances were just about balanced. But after a single deal with Su Zijun, his funds grew significantly… That trade gave Boss Luo the capital to start splurging a little.
“I still have some sealed evil spirits on hand.”
Su Zijun got straight to the point. “But like last time, I’ll need to retrieve them. Don’t worry, I won’t go back on my word. Can I run a tab? The locations are Shennongjia, Lesser Khingan Mountains, and Heavenly Lake of Tianshan. Let’s start with these three.”
Luo Qiu nodded. “No problem. I trust that Miss Su Zijun won’t default… I hereby authorize the use of a credit tab for your transactions.”
Because she’s rich.
Su Zijun is really rich.
As a princess of the Xuanyuan royal family and the only one capable of unlocking the ancient seals of evil spirits, she had unimaginable wealth.
“You ask, I answer. When I want to stop, I’ll say so.” Su Zijun nodded. “Let’s start with the Heavenly Lake of Tianshan.”
Luo Qiu closed his eyes briefly, then said, “The total number of evil spirits there is 14,796… correct?”
Su Zijun gave him a strange look… It felt like he had a clearer grasp of her wealth than she did.
Annoying, isn’t it?!
“Close enough,” she replied casually.
Luo Qiu blinked, curiously asking, “Miss Zijun… don’t you know exactly how many evil spirits are sealed at the Heavenly Lake of Tianshan?”
“None of your business!!” Su Zijun snapped, full of bite.
“Let’s begin the consultation,” Luo Qiu smiled.
Su Zijun rolled her eyes, then after a moment of thought, asked, “First question. Is this place Penglai? Last time you said opening Penglai required a huge number of evil spirits?”
“Consultation fee: 10 evil spirits,” Luo Qiu replied. “This is not Penglai. This is the Penglai Treasure Vault.”
“What’s the difference?” Su Zijun was startled.
“Consultation fee: 5,000 evil spirits.”
“Bloodsucker!! The first question and the second one cost 50 times as much?!” Su Zijun was practically shouting.
“Actually, Miss Zijun, it’s 500 times,” Luo Qiu calmly corrected her.
“……Shut up! You're so noisy!” she snapped, baring her sharp little tiger teeth. “Keep talking! Did I say stop?!”
“Penglai does exist, and it is the same Penglai you’ve heard of. There were immortals, and it grants wishes to those who reach it,” Luo Qiu explained. “This ‘Penglai Treasure Vault,’ on the other hand, is a man-made replica. It imitates the original Penglai. The biggest difference is that the Treasure Vault has far fewer options available.”
“Be more specific!” Su Zijun frowned.
“No rush,” Luo Qiu smiled. “Let me give you an analogy—you’ll understand. The Penglai Treasure Vault lets you buy only tangible things. Penglai lets you gain both tangible and intangible things. The Vault is built on a kind of technology that can replicate over 99% of all known material substances—but it cannot provide anything abstract. For example: luck. That can’t be bought in the Vault, nor will it appear on any purchase list. Still… for most people, the Vault already offers more than enough.”
Su Zijun’s expression turned odd. “Hey, forget the Vault for a second—why does this Penglai thing sound so off to me?”
“What do you mean, Miss Zijun?” Luo Qiu said calmly.
Su Zijun clenched her teeth. “Penglai… you guys?”
Luo Qiu looked at her steadily. The stare made Su Zijun feel unexpectedly guilty. This former princess of the Xuanyuan family frowned and gave in. “Fine, just tell me how many evil spirits this one will cost!”
“None.”
Unexpectedly, Luo Qiu shook his head and said seriously, “Because this is something that needs clarification… Penglai isn’t us. But we are connected. Think of Penglai as… an unofficial franchise of ours.”
(End of Chapter)