SFS Chapter 22 Gold and Porcelain
Chapter 22 Gold and Porcelain
Zhou Qiuyuan wouldn't feel bad about spending 70,000 to 80,000 coins in his future dream, but this 1,000 coins is real money.
The income from ordinary jobs in Black Swamp City is not high. Shen Wan only earns three hundred coins a month. The money he casually throws away is equivalent to three and a half months' income for his mother.
This is all for the sake of spending a fortune to buy horse bones.
Only by offering substantial rewards can you get people to work for you.
Once things go according to plan, making back the initial investment will be a breeze.
Once my power base is established smoothly, the day when I can buy a house so my parents can enjoy their retirement is not far off.
Zhou Qiuyuan once thought of using the future dream to endlessly exploit Gong Lei's labor for primitive capital accumulation, but he was ultimately not that kind of person.
In addition, there is another crucial issue.
Intelligence is only valid for the day it is received. He has to spend a lot of time in his future dreams every morning recruiting people and rebuilding trust. He also has to deal with the problem of inaccurate intelligence and only being able to get half a day's worth of information.
How can that compare to how, over time, the intelligence personnel in the Dark Night have become increasingly professional, establishing stable and reliable sources of information?
This is far more valuable than a thousand coins.
……
Zhou Qiuyuan spent another three thousand coins to buy a Wild Bull Bone Strengthening Pill, which increased his strength by nearly 20%.
After his diet was improved and he took the Bone Strengthening Pill twice, Zhou Qiuyuan grew rapidly and his height was already similar to Luo Tong's.
Progress in the Benlei Breathing Method is slow and steady, with little change in terms of wealth.
Gong Lei had little free time at Tianxiang Tower, and was somewhat rusty at first when gathering intelligence. The intelligence he provided on the first day was fragmented and of little value.
Zhou Qiuyuan reiterated that any information obtained today should ideally be related to unexpected windfall, and the time, location, and corresponding source of income must be accurate and detailed.
One intelligence officer is too few; the area they can cover is limited, and they'll miss out on countless opportunities to make money.
Zhou Qiuyuan wanted to recruit a second intelligence agent, but after glancing at the copper coins in his purse that had shrunk to just over two thousand, he suppressed the idea.
He didn't have the money to buy the Bull Bone Strengthening Pill, and his Breath Protection Pill was almost used up. These were essential pills for daily cultivation, and he couldn't reduce the amount he used each day.
Moreover, Zhou Qiuyuan wanted to keep some extra money for unforeseen circumstances, so that when Gong Lei provided information on how to make money, he wouldn't be short of funds to buy the "opportunity."
Zhou Qiuyuan looked at his nearly empty money pouch; he had almost spent all of his initial capital of ten thousand coins.
……
Zhou Qiuyuan didn't have the money to book the entire Future Dreamland, so as usual he searched around West Street Market, but unfortunately, he found nothing.
He took a deep breath, arrived at the back door of Tianxiang Tower, and his body sank into the darkness.
A short while later, Gong Lei cautiously emerged from the back door, looking around for something.
"Any intelligence today?"
Gong Lei, slightly agitated, said, "Yes! I don't know if the information is true or false; it's up to you, sir, to make your own judgment."
"I overheard them eating and talking at Tianxiang Restaurant, so I went up and offered a few compliments, and while serving them tea and water, I managed to glean quite a bit of information."
"This is a group of idle thugs who like to make money by staging accidents, specifically targeting powerless and vulnerable ordinary people. Once they make a lot of money, they go to restaurants and brothels to live a life of luxury."
"At 11:00 AM, they bought an antique vase from the West Market and used it to stage an accident. As usual, they had someone smash the vase and then demanded a huge sum of money."
"The unlucky person did break the vase, but this time it's different. Someone must have hidden a gold ingot at the bottom of the vase while it was being fired. It's said to be worth ten taels of gold."
Zhou Qiuyuan listened quietly, his eyes suddenly lighting up.
Next, we need to verify whether the information is true or false.
Ten taels of gold are equivalent to 100,000 coins. Once he obtains such a huge amount of wealth, he will definitely be able to solve his urgent need for money, and he will not be short of money for a while.
Zhou Qiuyuan inquired carefully about the appearance of the vase, whether there was any information about the stall, and information about the location where they were trying to stage an accident.
Gong Lei lacked experience and failed to obtain information about the stall or the appearance of the vase. However, he did manage to get a fairly good idea of the location where they were trying to stage an accident.
This is a bit troublesome!
Zhou Qiuyuan didn't want to deal with thugs trying to extort money, and without spiritual tools, he couldn't utilize the advantages of a body cultivator. He just wanted to buy the antique vase from the stall in advance and take the benefits without any real-world risks.
The difficulty of intercepting antique vases beforehand is greatly increased because their appearance is unknown.
You can't possibly buy all the antique vases on the stall, can you?
Antique vendors are known for not making any business for three years, but once they do, they live off it for three years. If they find a sucker, they'll fleece them mercilessly.
Zhou Qiuyuan's meager resources were not enough for them to make exorbitant demands.
Do you know the identities or addresses of these people?
Zhou Qiuyuan didn't want to miss this opportunity to make a fortune. Now that the future dream was still ongoing, he wanted to go and inquire about information.
Adventures in dreams are always better than taking real risks in reality.
Gong Lei laughed and said, "One of them is Liu Laowu, the Liu Laowu who lives in the same courtyard as you."
Zhou Qiuyuan's smile froze; he hadn't expected his identity to be exposed.
I was clearly very good at pretending...
"When did you discover my identity?" Zhou Qiuyuan simply stopped pretending and removed the black cloth covering his face.
"Yuan Ge's eyes are very impressive. At first, I was just suspicious and didn't dare to be sure."
"Today, after hearing Liu Laowu and the local thugs advising against faking an accident to extort your brother-in-law, I learned that you are a lightning-type body cultivator, which further reinforced my suspicions."
"Brother Yuan, thank you so much. You still think of your brothers even after you've become rich!"
He was visibly emotional, his eyes brimming with tears.
Who cares about the life or death of a servant?
The bleak life seemed endless, and living was nothing but suffering. I thought this kind of life would continue until one day I died under the shopkeeper's whip.
Zhou Qiuyuan's recruitment was like a ray of hope, illuminating his life once again.
"I am just a member of the Dark Night, and my family has no money to awaken my spirit. It wasn't until I made contributions to the alliance and received a reward that I learned I possessed a lightning spirit."
"As long as you make contributions, I will recommend you to the higher-ups and help you become a Body Refiner."
After Zhou Qiuyuan's identity was exposed, he simply "transformed" into one of the members of the night.
"Brother Yuan, since you intend to keep it a secret, I will absolutely not let a second person know your identity."
……
Zhou Qiuyuan obtained satisfactory information and rushed home without stopping. He changed into a set of night clothes and headed straight for Liu Laowu's house.
Liu Laowu can be considered his own lucky star; the mutated egg was the one that intercepted his opportunity in advance.
This guy has been incredibly lucky lately, but unfortunately, good fortune can't compare to a future dream.
The opportunity you can't handle, I'll gladly accept it for you!
It was already late, and only a few lights were on in the courtyard; the vast majority of families had already gone to bed.
Zhou Qiuyuan knocked on the door without a care in the world.
"Who is it! Why are you disturbing my sleep in the middle of the night? Do you want to die?!" Old Liu came out cursing, wearing his clothes and carrying a burning iron rod in his hand.
Once he saw who it was, he quickly suppressed his hostility and put on a fawning smile: "Ah Yuan, what brings you here? Is there something you need from your brother?"
He had offended Zhou Qiuyuan quite a bit in the past, and now that this guy had become a body cultivator, he wanted to come and get revenge.
Zhou Qiuyuan didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the point: "I heard you made quite a bit of money from faking accidents today?"
Liu Laowu never expected it to be related to the staged accident scam. His eyes darted around, and he suspected that the person who staged the accident was connected to Zhou Qiuyuan, which was why they had come after him.
"I didn't know he had anything to do with... you."
"I will go to their place tomorrow with a few brothers to apologize."
If a nobody wants to live a long life, they need to know who they can mess with and who they can't.
Liu Laowu used to dare to point his finger at Zhou Qiuyuan and Zhou Chengwu and make sarcastic remarks, and the two dared not speak out against him.
Things are different now. Zhou Qiuyuan has become a body cultivator and even took another body cultivator as his master. How could Liu Laowu dare to provoke him now?
Liu Laowu misunderstood Zhou Qiuyuan's intentions in coming to his door, but Zhou Qiuyuan had no intention of explaining.
"I won't hold this against you. I also want to make some unexpected money. Just tell me which stall the vase with the gold coins came from."