Lu Qingshan was not joking, nor was he merely trying to disgust Treasure Pavilion for the sake of it. His main purpose was still to make money.
He had already made a move against Treasure Pavilion, and this would certainly not be the last time. Even if Treasure Pavilion’s stock could briefly defend its price, it would soon plummet again.
He not only wanted to seize Treasure Pavilion’s goods in the real world; he also wanted to make another profit from Treasure Pavilion in the Virtual Universe stock market.
After Yang left, Lu Qingshan contacted Qingqing, his customer-service representative at the Universe Star River Bank.
When he rose to three-star user status, the bank had assigned her to him as his exclusive representative, and she could also be used as a financial consultant.
“Dear Mr. Lu Qingshan, how may I assist you?”
In the Virtual Universe, Qingqing’s form was that of a graceful young woman. Her face resembled Lu Qingshan’s in several ways and completely matched his aesthetic preferences. Lu Qingshan did not know whether the bank had arranged it that way deliberately.
“I want to invest. Help me short Treasure Pavilion’s stock in the Qianwu Universe Kingdom stock market. The stock code is... I want to short twenty Hunyuan units, and then apply fivefold leverage for me!”
Lu Qingshan’s total assets were currently about thirty-five Hunyuan units. Twenty Hunyuan units was already more than half of his savings.
With fivefold leverage, these assets would become one hundred Hunyuan units of principal, allowing him to earn more. Of course, if Treasure Pavilion’s stock rose by more than twenty percent, he would face liquidation and lose everything.
“Mr. Lu Qingshan, this is your first stock operation, so a risk assessment is required. In addition, according to the system’s analysis, this operation is very risky... As your exclusive customer-service representative, I feel it necessary to advise you to calm down...”
Qingqing’s voice was very pleasant; even when she turned someone down, it was not annoying.
Lu Qingshan smiled and said, “There is no rule saying a risk assessment is mandatory, is there? As for the risk, you are my exclusive customer-service representative. You only need to follow my instructions.”
“All right, Mr. Lu... Since Qingqing cannot persuade you, we will proceed as you have arranged. I hope Mr. Lu makes a great fortune in the stock market...”
“I’ll take that as a good omen!”
Lu Qingshan did not keep arguing with the little customer-service representative. He urged her to hurry up with the operation. Before long, he received a notice that the stock operation had been completed.
It was exactly as Lu Qingshan had requested. A short order for twenty Hunyuan units had been placed, with fivefold leverage applied.
He observed Treasure Pavilion’s stock trend chart and found that Kunshaluo did indeed have some business acumen.
In just a few tens of thousands of years, Treasure Pavilion had grown from a market value of one thousand Hunyuan units at its listing to nearly twenty thousand Hunyuan units now, a full twentyfold increase.
Yet after this scandal, Treasure Pavilion’s stock had not declined. Instead, it had risen slightly against the trend, by a few tenths of a percent.
Unlike the stock market on Earth, the cosmic stock market had lower investment risk, and stock prices were relatively stable. After all, many people held a stock for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years. When the timeline was stretched out, daily fluctuations were naturally minuscule...
...
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, more than half a year went by.
At the Wind Thunder Island passage.
Lu Qingshan and Yang rode the passage together and left the Qianwu Secret Realm.
“Brother Qingshan, when we go to Qianwu City this time, we must not separate. Even if Kunshaluo wants to attack you in secret, with me beside you he will certainly have scruples and will not dare to make a move!”
It was true that Undying Deities were powerful, but neither Lu Qingshan nor Yang was an ordinary World Master.
In Yang’s view, if they were outside and Kunshaluo attacked desperately, he and Lu Qingshan would certainly not be able to escape.
But in Qianwu City... Kunshaluo would not dare to act openly. Even if he resorted to some secret tricks, with the two of them together, those tricks would be useless.
“Thank you, Brother Yang. Actually, the reason I came out is to collect a treasure sent by the Universe Star River Bank. It won’t take long...”
Lu Qingshan did not refuse when Yang wanted to accompany him. He was quite grateful to this older brother.
No matter what the man had been thinking when he first started calling Lu Qingshan brother, over the years, Yang had treated Lu Qingshan every bit like a brother.
Take his attitude toward Treasure Pavilion, for example...
Even at the risk of offending Kunshaluo, Yang had still insisted on leaving the secret realm with Lu Qingshan to collect the goods.
“Brother Qingshan, you don’t know, but Treasure Pavilion had another merchant ship attacked not long ago. Twice in a row. Kunshaluo is probably fuming with anger right now. I really fear this fellow will do something desperate once he’s cornered, disregard the rules of Qianwu City, and secretly attack you...”
The one who had made the move that time was, of course, still Lu Qingshan’s Ghost King avatar.
It was only that the location had changed to a medium Cosmic Nation relatively far from Qianwu Continent. In that attack, Lu Qingshan had once again obtained goods worth sixteen Hunyuan units.
Lu Qingshan returned to his manor at Qianwu Dojo. Before long, the bank’s delivery team arrived, and the signing and handover went very smoothly. Doing business with the bank meant reassurance and convenience.
What he had purchased this time was a treasure to help the Star-Eating Grass evolve. It cost ten Hunyuan units, nearly exhausting Lu Qingshan’s assets.
This treasure was very important. It could increase the chance of evolution during the Star-Eating Grass’s breakthrough.
The Star-Eating Grass now had only seventy-two vines. If it still had only this many vines after reaching World Master, it would be considered a malnourished variety.
Lu Qingshan could not guarantee whether the Star-Eating Grass could break through.
It depended on luck. If he wanted a one hundred percent chance of advancement, the Hunyuan units required would have to be in the tens of thousands.
Because the Star-Eating Grass had few vines, its breakthrough difficulty was lower. Almost all of the two batches of Luoke God Water Lu Qingshan had received through cashback had been given to it. Added to that were the Black Obsidian Mother Stone worth one hundred Hunyuan units and this auxiliary treasure. All he could say was that it had one hope of charging into World Master!
“I hope it works!”
Even though Lu Qingshan was no longer who he had once been, he still felt that cultivating a plant life form was too expensive.
He had given it his full support and exhausted his entire fortune, and even robbed Treasure Pavilion of a large sum, yet he had only managed to gather enough resources for one evolution. If it failed, he would have to continue accumulating next time.
However, since he had cultivated it to this point, Lu Qingshan would certainly not give up. The sunk cost was too high. Moreover, he had personally saved this Star-Eating Grass, and it had guarded his cultivation chamber for so many years. Lu Qingshan still had some feelings for it.
“I can only do my best. I hope you live up to it too!”
After receiving the goods from the bank, Lu Qingshan did not leave immediately. At dusk, he quietly went to a hidden location.
“Shang Jie, did you bring the things?”
“Yes, Master... Everything is in the ring.”
“Good. You did well. Leave here and keep following my avatar. You are of great help to me.”
“Yes, Master. It is Shang Jie’s honor to work for you.”
That night, Lu Qingshan and Yang left Qianwu Dojo together. There was no movement from Treasure Pavilion. Lu Qingshan did not know whether it was because they had recently been overwhelmed by affairs or because Yang was beside him and they had scruples.
In any case, for Lu Qingshan, this was very good news!
If he needed anything else in the future, he could have Yang buy it on his behalf. Rashly leaving the Qianwu Secret Realm still carried some risk.
This time there had been no choice. The things in Shang Jie’s hands had to be collected by Lu Qingshan personally!
Back at the villa, Lu Qingshan entered the World Ring.
With a wave of his hand, a mountain of Black Obsidian Mother Stone filled the entire pond, and a golden fruit, like a star, floated in the air.
“Star-Eating Grass, I have done my best. Now it’s up to you!”
Chapter 75