"Father-in-law," Ye Yin began, his tone respectful but firm, "I know you want me to be the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but there's no way I can accept that. I'm not a person of great virtue or ability; I can't possibly handle such a heavy responsibility."
Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin just stared, completely baffled.
Ning Fengzhi shot a confused look at Chen Xin, a silent question passing between them. Did I just offer to make this kid the Sect Master?
Chen Xin's subtle shake of the head was his clear answer. No, when did you say that? You only invited him to join the sect. Now he's just assuming he'll be the Sect Master?
[Resentment from Ning Fengzhi +50!]
[Resentment from Chen Xin +50!]
They knew Ye Yin was cunning, but they never expected him to jump straight to demanding the position of Sect Master. His words put them in an awkward position. Should they agree or not? If they agreed, it would be absurd. How could they let someone become Sect Master so casually? Even Ning Rongrong, the designated heir, wasn't qualified to take over yet. But if they didn't agree, would it look like they were refusing to let Ye Yin join their sect?
"Well…" Ning Fengzhi cleared his throat, trying to regain control of the conversation. "Let's not talk about that for now. I am very interested in your Upgraded Zhuge Divine Crossbow. I wonder if you would be willing to sell us the manufacturing method for this hidden weapon? You can name any price, and I promise I won't bargain."
Ye Yin waved his hand dismissively. "Father-in-law, what are you saying? Talking about money between us would only hurt our relationship, don't you think?"
Without another word, he took out the detailed blueprint for the Upgraded Zhuge Divine Crossbow. "How about we consider this my betrothal gift for Rongrong?"
Ning Fengzhi's eyes instantly lit up. He had been bracing himself for an outrageous demand, but he never expected Ye Yin to be so generous. He hadn't even thought about asking Ye Yin for a betrothal gift. After all, Ning Fengzhi was famously wealthy; he never cared how much money his friends had because he always had more. What kind of gift could a young man like Ye Yin possibly offer? Other than his strange surströmming, soul cleansing fruits, and black garlic, what else did he have? Those things couldn't be worth much…
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Ning Fengzhi paused. The surströmming was actually becoming very popular, selling for fifty gold coins a can. The soul cleansing fruit, which could improve a Spirit's quality, was a priceless treasure worth millions, and Rongrong had eaten several of them. He himself had barely managed to evolve his Spirit to Eight Treasures, while his daughter was on the verge of reaching Ten Treasures. And finally, the black garlic was just as unbelievably effective.
Looking at it that way, it seemed Ye Yin didn't have much money, but at the same time, he was incredibly rich. And now, he was offering the blueprint for the Upgraded Zhuge Divine Crossbow—an item so valuable it could change the entire power balance of the Spirit Master world. Its worth was impossible to calculate.
"Good!" Ning Fengzhi agreed with a decisive clap, smiling as he accepted the blueprint. It was incredibly detailed, showing every single component and explaining the complex assembly and disassembly process.
At first, Ning Fengzhi had found it a bit annoying when Ye Yin called him "Father-in-law," but there wasn't much he could do about it. Now, however, the title sounded more and more pleasant to his ears. Where else could he find such an amazing son-in-law?
"I have to say one thing first," Ye Yin added. "If you can't build it according to the blueprint, you can't blame me. It just means your blacksmiths aren't skilled enough."
Ning Fengzhi waved his hand casually. "Don't worry, we would never blame you for that. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has its own master craftsmen. Our forging capabilities are no worse than the Strength Clan's."
Ye Yin nodded. As long as he had made that clear, he was covered. He had given them the real blueprint; if they failed to produce the crossbows, it wasn't his problem.
"About the crossbows that Rongrong demonstrated," Ning Fengzhi continued, "I want to order five hundred of them. How about five thousand gold coins per piece?"
"Alright," Ye Yin agreed instantly. Tai Tan had quoted him a price of one hundred gold coins each, meaning he would make a profit of four thousand nine hundred gold coins on every single one.
"Finally, about the surströmming you promised—one for everyone. Don't forget about that," Ning Fengzhi reminded him. "Give me a thousand cans. I'll pay you the market price of fifty gold coins each. How does that sound?"
"Good!" Ye Yin agreed again without hesitation. A thousand cans of surströmming would cost him thirty thousand resentment points, which seemed like a lot. But he knew he would earn it all back in no time.
Ye Yin purchased a large quantity of surströmming from his system store, adding trace amounts of marrow cleansing and soul cleansing fruit ingredients into the batch. When he brought them out, Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin were shocked by the sheer volume. They grew even more curious about where Ye Yin got all these strange and wonderful things. But Ning Fengzhi didn't ask; he knew Ye Yin wouldn't tell him anyway. He simply stored the items in his spirit tool.
Getting the blueprint had been his main objective, and he had succeeded. It was a shame he couldn't convince Ye Yin to join the sect, but there would be plenty of time for that in the future.
After the deal was done, Ning Fengzhi gave Ye Yin a golden spirit coin card and quietly departed from Shrek Academy.
With Ning Fengzhi gone, Ye Yin enjoyed a brief period of peace. He didn't have to do much of anything. The surströmming being sold by Flender throughout Heaven Dou City was generating a steady stream of resentment points for him.
After accumulating a large amount of points, he decided it was time to use the lottery system again. He first used a lucky die to boost his chances, then turned to the system.
"System, give me ten consecutive draws!"
At his command, the lottery panel began to spin rapidly.
[Congratulations! You received 8 Lucky Dice!]
[Congratulations! You received 2 Bursting Stinky Tofu!]
Eight lucky dice in one go!
[Bursting Stinky Tofu and Lucky Dice have been added to the special shop.]
"These lucky dice really work," Ye Yin exclaimed to himself. The effect was simply incredible. He glanced at his system panel.
╭─────── Resentment Value System ───────╮
Lottery: Draws items not available in the store. The more you draw, the better the prizes.
1 Draw: 100 Resentment Points
10 Draws: 1000 Resentment Points
Special Shop:
Surströmming: 10 Resentment Points
Marrow Cleansing Fruit: 50 Resentment Points
Black Garlic: 30 Resentment Points
Soul Cleansing Fruit: 50 Resentment Points
Bursting Stinky Tofu: 10 Resentment Points
Lucky Dice: 100 Resentment Points
╰────────────────────────────────╯
"Another ten consecutive draws!" he commanded.
[Congratulations! You won! Reward: One bottle of Netherworld Essential Oil!]
[Netherworld Essential Oil: Massage into the body to improve constitution and spirit power cultivation speed. The longer the massage, the greater the effect.]
[Congratulations! You won! Reward: One bottle of Netherworld Essential Oil!]
[Congratulations! You won! Reward: One bottle of Netherworld Essential Oil!]
...
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