"Twenty million is hardly enough to buy a spacious single-floor luxury flat in the prosperous parts of Kangyang District, unless it's an apartment, and even then it won't exceed one hundred and fifty square meters. If you want to house your team members, it's too small and not respectable enough."
Fu Qingyang pondered for a few seconds before saying slowly, "Here is my advice: the cheapest villa in Fujia Bay is around eighty million. The organization just awarded you ten million, and you can sell a few items you rarely use—you can sell them yourself, or let me help you. Add to that the twenty million I promised you, pool together whatever you can manage, and I'll lend you the rest."
*Why is Fu Qingyang being so enthusiastic? The Money Prince actually cares about small matters like this...*
The moment Zhang Yuanqing heard this, he began calculating in his mind: *A Transcendent-stage item of decent quality can sell for over ten million apiece. The Transcendent item I put in the faction warehouse really isn't of much use anymore. Selling one or two wouldn't hurt, but even so, scraping together eighty million is going to be tough. Sigh, property really is the most expensive thing in the world...*
Without hesitation, Zhang Yuanqing brought out the fiery-red fingerless gloves and the large-caliber handgun, set them on the desk, and said, "These two items can be sold!"
Both the Thug Gloves and the Explosive Pistol were offensive items. They posed no threat to Saint-stage enemies and were practically useless against Transcendent-stage foes, not to mention the negative effect of "reckless impulsiveness" made them poor value for money.
Actually, the Bloodthirsty Blade could have been sold as well, but it was currently Zhang Yuanqing's only melee weapon, and having something was better than nothing.
Fu Qingyang looked down at the items, picked up the Thug Gloves to inspect its information, and appraised it after a few seconds: "The gloves are worth thirteen million; the pistol, ten million."
The latter had been awarded to Yuanshi through his hands, so he knew its value well.
*Twenty-three million...* Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "No problem!"
The prices of both items were well within reasonable bounds—in fact, slightly above market price. The Money Prince, who always won people over with virtue, was consistently beyond reproach when it came to money. Lowballing and haggling simply never happened with him.
"Good. I will have my assistant handle the transfer procedures later," Fu Qingyang said.
Only then did Zhang Yuanqing remember that Fujia Bay was a property of the Fu family, and the property management company was also under the Fu family's name. Fu Qingyang didn't even need to lend him cash and could still end up with Zhang Yuanqing owing him thirty million.
Still, the villas in Fujia Bay were in the commercial center of Kangyang District—a prime location. Buying a house here was a win no matter how one looked at it.
With the matter of the office resolved, Fu Qingyang retrieved a wooden music box from his inventory. It was coated in red lacquer and painted with curled-up, peacefully sleeping infants.
"Hypnosis Box. Opening the lid plays a hypnotic tune. Those who hear the music will fall into a peaceful slumber. Among Transcendent-stage walkers, aside from classes like Musician, Illusionist, and Night Walker who can barely resist it for a brief moment, all other classes will immediately fall into deep sleep. Even Saint-stage experts will be affected, becoming drowsy with their cognitive agility diminished. The lullaby lasts for five minutes; once the melody ends, the hypnotic effect dissipates."
Fu Qingyang introduced the item's attributes:
"The negative effect is that each time you use this item, you must undergo a twelve-hour sleep within twenty-four hours. Whether in terms of function or cost, it is a blessing for insomniacs."
"A powerful tool for crowd control—just what I needed," Zhang Yuanqing commented with a nod.
Star Officials lacked crowd-control or area-of-effect skills, so this item made up for that deficiency.
Fu Qingyang took out the second item, a silver necklace, and said, "Lucky Necklace. As the name suggests, it boosts the wearer's luck value. For example, picking up money when stepping outside, attracting the favor of high-quality members of the opposite sex, or seeing things you want to do always go your way.
"Naturally, there are limits to the luck boost. It can let you pick up a hundred yuan whenever you go out, but not ten million. It can get you a table at an influencer restaurant that's packed every day, but it won't let you win the first prize in the lottery."
"Because the lottery is a tax on the poor, and hitting the jackpot is practically a zero-probability event?" Zhang Yuanqing quipped.
"Don't always make comments that lack political awareness!" Fu Qingyang scolded, before continuing to introduce the item's attributes: "Its negative effect isn't severe. The wearer easily develops the delusion that they are a 'child of destiny,' becoming conceited and vain. Most importantly, with it, you can gain a degree of immunity against a Witch Doctor's Fortune Diminishment and reduce the potency of curses."
Just then, a bunny girl gently knocked and opened the study door. Standing gracefully at the entrance, she said, "Young Master, Mr. Bill is here to see you!"
Fu Qingyang paused in thought, then replied, "Please show him to the reception room. I will be right there."
Once the bunny girl closed the door and left, Fu Qingyang retrieved the remaining items, laid them out on the desk, and said, "Have a look for yourself!
"Now that you have these items, use fewer of those things from dubious origins in the future."
With that, under Zhang Yuanqing's abruptly changing expression, he rose leisurely and left the study along the red carpet.
*Use fewer things from dubious origins...*
Zhang Yuanqing stood frozen for a long while. Taking a deep breath, he regained his calm expression and gaze, returning his attention to the items. Aside from the Hypnosis Box and the Lucky Necklace, there were three more items:
A wooden bracelet; a flexible steel sword; and a breastplate mirror.
He first picked up the wooden bracelet to inspect its attributes:
[Name: Beast Tongue]
[Type: Accessory]
[Function: Beast Tongue, Beast Taming]
[Description: An item capable of communicating with beasts and gaining their goodwill.]
[Remarks: Do you still remember whether human speech goes "Woof, woof, woof" or "Meow, meow, meow"?]
*A support-type item. Its functions overlap with my Mountain God Staff, and the cost is language confusion?* Zhang Yuanqing set the bracelet down. This item could be stored in the faction warehouse for members or given to teammates as a perk.
Next, he picked up the flexible steel sword. About a meter long, with a bowl-shaped guard, it was a Western weapon commonly seen in Western television dramas, where aristocrats would draw such a slender sword for duels.
It was the type frequently used as a weapon in fencing.
[Name: Swordsmanship Master]
[Type: Weapon]
[Function: Swordsmanship]
[Description: It was once the favored weapon of a Western swordsman who was obsessed with the Chinese legends of sword immortals and firmly believed in the existence of sword spirits. To create a legendary sword spirit, he cleansed his sword with mental power day in and day out. Years later, this weapon truly birthed a consciousness of its own.]
[Remarks: You can tell me how to do things, but never teach me swordsmanship.]
Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment, summoned the Ghost Bride, and instructed her to control the books on the shelves to attack him.
The Ghost Bride immediately made book after book float up and hurl themselves toward her husband.
At that moment, the rapier in Zhang Yuanqing's hand raised its tip of its own accord. Parrying, thrusting, sweeping, or cleaving, it struck down every incoming book one by one. The entire process was outside Zhang Yuanqing's control; the sword was fending off the attacks entirely on its own.
"A sword that can fight on its own, just like the Decurion's cane. The user is merely a tool; the sword is the real master..."
Zhang Yuanqing completely grasped the item's traits, finding himself both delighted and speechless. He was pleased because such an experienced, self-sufficient item was rare, possessing superb swordsmanship; even a total combat novice wielding it would instantly turn into a swordmaster.
Moreover, because it was a Scout class item, it could predict the trajectories of enemy attacks on its own, making its defense virtually impenetrable.
The drawback was that it had far too much of a mind of its own. You couldn't control it. If you insisted on steering it, a tug-of-war would ensue between user and blade, which could prove fatal in battle.
In other words, he couldn't have his own ideas during combat; he couldn't think of turning invisible to ambush an enemy, as that would clash with the Swordsmanship Master.
"When encountering an opponent exceptionally strong in melee combat or when ambushed, it can serve as an emergency fallback. Or I can give it to that girl Xie Lingxi. Musicians aren't good at combat, so it's perfect for self-defense. She'd definitely be overjoyed, chirping, 'Thank you, Big Brother...'"
The final item:
[Name: Breastplate of the Unyielding]
[Type: Armor]
[Function: Defense]
[Description: A defensive item forged and polished by a powerful Mountain God. It enhances the wearer's endurance and defense. Mating while wearing it grants an increase in experience points. Legend has it that a supreme being bedded three thousand maidens and ascended to immortality in broad daylight.]
[Remarks: An excellent item should never make its master pay a price.]
As Zhang Yuanqing stared at the item's attributes, a string of question marks and exclamation points flooded his mind.
The exclamation was because, apart from consumables, he had never seen an item that carried zero negative side effects; this breastplate was the very first.
What a truly "gentle" item.
As for the question marks: what on earth was this "mating grants an increase in experience points"?
Could there really be something this good in the world? Was this truly an Earth Monster item? Was this still an item belonging to the "honest man" class?
His head was filled with doubts.
*Bedded three thousand maidens and ascended in broad daylight... Central Court... earth in the Five Elements...* Zhang Yuanqing fell into deep thought. This item description reminded him of a legendary figure.
As everyone knew, an item's information often contained important clues woven into it.
*The old crone said that the myths handed down since ancient times are another form of history for the Spirit Realm walkers... Among the five elements, the Yellow Emperor corresponds to earth and presides over the Central Court, which perfectly matches the Earth Monster class. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Fire Gang claims to inherit the legacy of the Flame Emperor and reveres minotaurs, and the Flame Emperor corresponds to fire in the five elements...*
Zhang Yuanqing suddenly realized that the names and class habits within the Five Elements Alliance all carried deeper meanings behind them.
*It's a good time to look over the characteristics of all the domestic classes, mapping them against mythologies...*
Zhang Yuanqing pulled out his phone and sent Guan Ya a message: "Sister Guan Ya, come to the study for a moment. Bring your laptop."
He couldn't log into Fu Qingyang's computer.
A few minutes later, Guan Ya, dressed in a white shirt and a knee-length skirt suit, walked into the study carrying a laptop.
—The Fujia Bay villa was now the patrol team's headquarters.
Zhang Yuanqing sat behind the desk, booted up the computer, and logged into the official database.
At the same time, he pulled Guan Ya toward him, having her sit on his lap.
"You sit in Fu Qingyang's seat and flirt with his cousin—aren't you afraid he'll hit you with a move where skill borders on the Dao?" Guan Ya retorted, half-amused, half-annoyed.
Zhang Yuanqing knew when to be prudent. Deciding she had a point, he pulled Guan Ya over to sit on the reception sofa instead.
Yielding with mock reluctance, Guan Ya rested her shapely bottom on Zhang Yuanqing's thighs and changed the subject: "What do you want to look up?"
"I want to learn about the various domestic classes, their skills from Transcendent to Saint, so I don't get ambushed while on patrol." Zhang Yuanqing breathed in the faint fragrance emanating from the mixed-race older beauty, savoring the soft, supple firmness of her hips.
Hearing this, Guan Ya held up the laptop. "Let me find it for you. I bookmarked a class summary thread before."
As she spoke, she logged out of the "Yuanshi Tianzun" account, logged into her own ID, and opened a bookmarked post titled "Class Introductions for Orthodox and Evil Factions."
[Orthodox Faction:
[Scout: Active skills: Sharp Eyes, Sharp Heart, Insight. Passive skills: Scout Body, Intimidation, Master of Deduction.]
[Swordsman: Active skills: Sword Qi, Sword Telekinesis, Burning the Boats. Passive skills: Swordsmanship Mastery, Steel Will, Armor Piercing, Evil Quelling.]
[Skill Descriptions:
Sharp Eyes: Enhances vision and motion capture capabilities.
Sharp Heart: Enhances powers of observation, detecting details ordinary people overlook.
Insight: A unified mind-and-eye skill capable of reading hearts and sensing the auras of nearby Spirit Realm walkers.
Scout Body: Enhances agility, strength, reaction speed, and endurance; skilled in tracking and combat.
Intimidation: Deters targets with a gaze; those weak of will choose submission.
Master of Deduction: Grants formidable logical and deductive reasoning abilities.]
[Sword Qi: Imbues weapons with sword qi, granting ordinary steel the sharpness to cut gold and cleave jade. Power scales with level; at higher levels, sword qi can be projected outward.
Sword Telekinesis: Controls weapons to fly beyond ten meters; weapon quantity and operational distance increase with level.
Burning the Boats: The heavier the injuries sustained, the sharper the sword qi becomes.
Swordsmanship Mastery: Grants exceptional swordsmanship talent.
Steel Will: Resists illusions and boosts resistance to mental-type attacks.
Armor Piercing: Specifically designed to shatter defensive skills and items.
Evil Quelling: Deters wraiths and evil spirits.]
*Insight and Master of Deduction can detect whether a husband is cheating, and Swordsmanship Mastery lets her slice up the scumbag once she finds out...*
Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help stealing a glance at Guan Ya and said, "Sister Guan Ya, I promise to always remain devoted to you alone in the future."
Guan Ya cast him a sidelong glance and scoffed twice.
[Fire Specialist: Active skills: Fire Manipulation, Explosion, Fire Traverse, Flame Armament. Passive skills: Fierce as Fire, Will of Fire.]
[Fire Demon: Active skills: Rage. Passive skills: Molten Body.]
A Fire Specialist's skills were remarkably straightforward. Based on the skill descriptions, it could be summed up in two words: "playing with fire." Flame itself was among the most terrifying elements in the world; high temperatures and explosions were the bane of all carbon-based lifeforms and combustible materials.
Hence, it required no flashy gimmicks.
Fierce as Fire passively granted Fire Specialists peerless agility, while Will of Fire was the source of their reckless impulsiveness. Molten Body provided fire resistance, a passive that allowed Ragers to take a dip in a volcanic crater.
The active skill, however, was quite interesting. A Rager had only this single active skill: at Level 4, it doubled combat power; at Level 5, it tripled combat power; and at Level 6, it quadrupled combat power.
Simple yet terrifying. Consequently, in the Saint stage, Ragers held the title of "Lesser Invincibles."
[Wood Demon: Active skills: Child of the Forest, Climber, Self-Healing, Gardener. Passive skills: Resurgence, Monstrous Strength, Plant Spirit (different plants have different habits, predominantly centered on reproduction).]
[Beast King: Active skills: Beast Taming, Beast Tongue, King of Beasts. Passive skills: Resurrection.]
[Water Ghost: Active skills: Water Manipulation, Water Purifier, Water Traverse Dragon King. Passive skills: Water Spirit Body, Pliability.]
[Plague God: Active skills: Disease, Transmission, Plague God, Moisture Deprivation. Passive skills: Hundred-Disease Immunity.]
[Earth Monster: Active skills: Armor, Child of the Leylines. Passive skills: Endurance, Honest Man.]
[Mountain God: Active skills: Spirit of the Leylines, Earth Escape, Mountain God. Passive skills: Will of the Mountain God, Dual Cultivation.]
It was worth noting that the Spirit of the Leylines allowed one to absorb earth-vein energy in exchange for inexhaustible stamina while boosting combat power. Meanwhile, the Mountain God skill refined a region, turning the user into its ruler, capable of mutating plants and controlling mountain spirits and monsters.
"What kind of demonic art is Dual Cultivation?" Zhang Yuanqing looked toward Guan Ya.
"A demonic art for boosting experience points," Guan Ya answered concisely, before cautioning him, "Dual Cultivation is a skill Mountain Gods take pride in. You must never slander Dual Cultivation in front of them. Otherwise, it would be just like shouting 'Minotaurs must die' in front of a Fire Specialist—you'll draw universal wrath."
Zhang Yuanqing finally understood why the Mountain God Scepter, which rightfully belonged to the Earth Monster class, stimulated reproductive desires just like a Wood Demon item.
"The orthodox classes are getting more sinister one after another," Zhang Yuanqing sighed.
Guan Ya rolled her eyes at him. "The harmonization of yin and yang, the union of man and woman—this has been the Great Dao since antiquity, the righteous path by which mankind procreates and flourishes. Who told you it was a demonic art? In human existence, marriage and reproduction have always reigned supreme. It's the same today: working hard to earn money—isn't it all to marry a wife, have children, and raise the next generation?
"The mainstream dogma that blindly represses reproductive nature and denounces it as vulgar trash is the real perversion. Those who claim to have transcended basic worldly desires are either hypocrites or heretics."
"Then how about we harmonize our yin and yang too?" Zhang Yuanqing's hand incessantly stroked Guan Ya's slender waist.
"Read the data and stop blabbering..."
[Musician: Active skills: Soothe, Inspire, Hypnosis. Passive skills: Graceful Voice, Musical Talent.]
[Red Phoenix Star Official: Active skills: Charm, Threads of Passion, Nurture. Passive skills: Graceful Posture, Seduction.]
Zhang Yuanqing was stunned. "Musicians are even more f*cking wicked! And... and isn't this just the Eastern version of the Desire class?"
He knew Musicians enjoyed charm bonuses—the "Cute Hairpin" back then was proof—but now that he had read all the skill descriptions for Red Phoenix Star Official, Zhang Yuanqing discovered it bore an uncanny resemblance to the Desire class.
For instance, a Red Phoenix Star Official could tie red threads: whichever woman (or man) caught their eye, connecting the red threads between them could forge a match. Of course, tying red threads had a time limit and was not permanent.
At the same time, a Red Phoenix Star Official could also sever red threads to destroy a match, which was terrifying in its own right.
"Besides, Musician and Red Phoenix Star Official don't even feel related," he remarked.
True to her prominent family background, Guan Ya patiently lectured him, "They are related. Soothe plus Hypnosis can be interpreted another way: a lullaby! And who sings a lullaby? A mother. Meanwhile, one of the core skills of a Red Phoenix Star Official is Nurture. How could they not be connected?
"The Dominator-stage title for a Musician is 'Arbiter of Fate,' and the Arbiter of Fate governs life and birth. Lullabies, red-thread matches, nurture, life... The core of the Musician class is gestation and birth, whereas the core of the Desire class is lust and desire."
Zhang Yuanqing thought it over and found himself at a loss for words, so he could only continue reading.
[Scholar: Active skills: None! Passive skills: Memory, Learning, Research, Spirit of Academia.]
[Fangshi: Active skills: Alchemy (pharmacological knowledge), Medicine, Divination, Formations. Passive skills: Hundred-Poison Immunity, Item Affinity.]
The only class in the Transcendent stage with zero active skills, total combat weaklings.
Yet upon reaching the Saint stage, they were practically polymath masters; apart from being inept at melee combat, their other skills were maxed out.
Not being good at melee didn't mean they couldn't fight.
Next was the evil faction. Having already read the information on Demonic Seductress, Zhang Yuanqing looked straight to Witch Doctor and Illusionist.
[Witch Doctor: Active skills: Gu Art (cultivating gu toxins and gu beasts), Gu Control, Gu Metamorphosis. Passive skills: Gu Body, Cold-Blooded.]
[Spirit Medium: Active skills: Fortune Blessing, Fortune Diminishment, Curse. Passive skills: Spiritual Perception.]
The three active skills of a Witch Doctor were things Zhang Yuanqing had witnessed multiple times, but he hadn't known much about the passive skills. Gu Body was the foundation for a Witch Doctor's immunity to gu poisons and for Gu Metamorphosis.
Cold-Blooded diminished the Witch Doctor's humanity and extinguished emotions, transforming them into callous, ruthless killers and mitigating the effects of emotions like fear and pity.
Once a Witch Doctor underwent Gu Metamorphosis, bestial nature surpassed humanity.
As for Spirit Medium, according to the skill description, the "spirit communion" did not refer to communicating with wraiths, but communicating with supreme beings in the unseen realms.
The higher the Spiritual Perception, the stronger the effects of Fortune Blessing, Fortune Diminishment, and Curse when setting up an altar and performing rituals.
Witch Doctors deployed poisons and gu insects, treacherous and venomous; Spirit Mediums were even more sinister and eerie, remaining hidden behind the scenes to kill from thousands of miles away.
[Illusionist: Active skills: Illusion, Transformation, Telepathy, Mental Strike. Passive skills: Resonance, Emotional Guidance.]
[Dream Master: Active skills: Dream Ingress, Dream Devour, Dream Leap, Dream Weaver, Dream Sovereign. Passive skills: Mental Resistance.]
Except for being weak in melee combat, this class was both uncanny and elusive.
Just looking at the skills of Illusionists and Dream Masters showed what an exceptionally troublesome class it was. Dream Masters in particular practically killed without a trace—taking lives within dreams without leaving any clues, while moving freely through the dreamscapes, completely impossible to pin down.
"Looking at the big picture, aside from the Demonic Seductress being relatively headstrong, the other two evil classes excel at staying hidden and are terribly hard to catch," Zhang Yuanqing remarked.
Guan Ya closed the laptop and said, "Finished reading? Now let's go check out that new villa you bought. If the environment is nice, I might consider claiming a room to stay in now and then. Hmm, I'll need to ask Fu Qingyang for a set of keys.
"By the way, as for housekeeping, he can assign two bunny girls to handle it. The villa is right next door anyway."
Zhang Yuanqing froze, listening in utter bewilderment. "I literally just decided on this—why does it sound like you planned it all along?"
Guan Ya cast him a knowing glance. "Why do you think Fu Qingyang brought up the office location on his own initiative? He was steering you to buy that eighty-million villa next door, and I was the one who asked him to do it.
"Hmph, Queen has been clamoring to come to Songhai. When I invited her a few days ago, she acted all coy and wouldn't agree—she just wants to stick by your side! I'm a Scout; I can see right through her little scheme even through a screen.
"And that Xie Lingxi, all green tea and pretentious—I don't trust her around you either. So, rather than let you pick an office location somewhere outside, it's better to set it here in Fujia Bay. That way, your every move is right under Fu Qingyang's Insight, and I can rest easy.
"And you—I saw right through your little schemes long ago. What, did Lord Tianzun want to rule over a bevy of beauties and walk around surrounded by gorgeous girls?"
Zhang Yuanqing clutched his chest, feeling as though his sincere feelings had been duped and human trust ruthlessly trampled underfoot. His heart ached so much he could hardly breathe:
"The two of you cousins are bullying an honest man like this—doesn't your conscience hurt?!"
Chapter 314