Chapter 49: Going Out on Vacation (Second Update! Seeking Support!)

  Managed to squeeze in the second update before 1 am~ Due to internet speed issues, the third update originally scheduled for around 8 pm was delayed until around 9 pm. Had to sneakily use free Wi-Fi, which really got on my nerves. My old card is so outdated... Anyway, let's get straight to the point and move on~

  "Oh dear! Young master! Is it already time for your vacation? Look at my memory, I recall that the previous young masters were all cancelled their vacations due to misconduct. It seems our young master is a very well-behaved person. Haven't eaten yet, come come come, let me personally serve you some small dishes and warm up a pot of old wine. My culinary skills, even the old master couldn't help but praise them back in the day..."

  Lao Shan stared at Zong Yin in surprise as he suddenly appeared, completely disregarding his reaction, and dragged him away with a flurry of chatter.

  "Never mind, Shan Bo. Just give me the profits from the grocery store and I'll be fine. I'm on vacation, after all. I want to take a stroll around Gutaicheng and get familiar with the surroundings."

  Zong's face twitched violently as he hastily interrupted the old man, not wanting to waste his precious vacation time chatting with him. His main purpose for coming this time was to withdraw some money from the general store, having spent a total of 40 gold coins in the past three months, which was almost half of his startup capital. All his gold coins had been spent on food, and if he didn't think of a way to get more money, he would probably starve to death before even becoming a Soul Master.

  "Alright! Young master, wait a moment, I'll get Xiao Luo to fetch the money. Mu Zongguan took away the previous profits last time he came, but in three months, we've made quite a bit, enough for you to splurge. By the way, young master, if you're going, go to Liu Ying Ge in the south of the city, their goods are top-notch! Just like back then..."

  Lao Shan's eyebrows immediately rose, and a hint of red appeared on his face as he walked towards the grocery store, excitedly saying.

  Just as before, Zong Yin still felt normal, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was off! Liu Ying Ge? This name sounds like a legendary brothel!

  Before long, Xiao Luo from the grocery store came over with an account book and a pouch.

  "Young master, this is the account book for the past three months. This is the profit amount after deducting my and Old Shan's wages and the store's circulating funds."

  Xiao Luo looked very honest and respectfully handed over the account book and pouch to Zong Yin.

  Zong Yin didn't even bother to go and collect the account book, he had no experience in financial management. He took the money bag from Xiao Luo's hand, was about to say a few words and leave, but felt the weight of it in his hand and froze.

  "I'm going to report you! How much does it cost here? You're not embezzling the money, are you?"

  Quickly opening the purse in his hand, there were only about twenty gold coins and thirty or so silver bars inside. The difference between this and Zong Yin's imagined four or five hundred gold coins was quite large, and he couldn't help but think of the previous dog-blood drama, where Xiao Luo, who was in charge of the money, had embezzled some of it.

  "Master, it's unjust! I've been working here for three years, every single account has been recorded and there's never been a mistake! My younger sister and mother at home rely on my monthly salary to survive, Master, please don't fire me!"

  Xiao Luo was suddenly killed by Zong Yin, and he immediately knelt down on the ground, shouting that it was a miscarriage of justice. In his desperation, he even reported his own family's situation.

  "Young master, you're really wronging Xiao Luo this time. Every single transaction, both income and expenses, I've been keeping an eye on them all along. Although my eyesight is getting blurry with age, Xiao Luo has always been very responsible in managing our grocery store, and I've seen it all."

  Lao Shan also put away his previous gentle expression, looking at Zong Yin with a serious gaze, and in his eyes, Zong Yin had become the landlord who oppressed peasant workers.

  "Hmm, okay, what kind of stuff does our store sell? How come we only make less than 10 gold coins on average per month?"

  Zong Yinhui realized the situation and immediately became aware that he might have wrongly accused Xiao Luo. He took big strides towards the grocery store, after all, he still didn't know what kind of goods were sold inside. Making a rash judgment was indeed a bit hasty.

  "I'm dizzy! Rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea! It's really a grocery store! This can make money? No way!"

  It wasn't until he walked into the grocery store that he almost got himself killed at the entrance, where they sold some daily necessities that were basically worthless and couldn't make any money, just enough to keep the store from going bankrupt.

  Zong Yinyin thought to himself, doing other industries is risky and competitive, and it's not guaranteed to make money. Only by doing this industry with low profits and low risks can he earn a stable income without losing money. Originally, the monthly earnings of the store were enough for Zong Yinyin's living expenses at Soul Academy and his monthly vacation expenses. However, nowadays, Zong Yinyin spends around one gold coin on food every day, and the store's money is clearly not enough.

  "Alright! I'll just have to think of something myself. Consider these silver coins as extra wages for you, and use them to buy some good wine for Old Shan too."

  He helplessly let out a sigh, took out the thirty or so silver coins from his money bag and handed them over to Xiao Luo's hands, considering it as an apology for his irrational behavior earlier. After giving some instructions, he headed towards the bustling district.

  Gǔ Tài Chéng, as the capital of Xuán Líng Guó, is naturally prosperous to an extent that needs no explanation. One of the reasons for this prosperity is the massive underground ruins beneath it. The complex network of underground ruins has yet to be fully explored by anyone, with legends stating that there are nine layers in total. Currently, only three layers have been discovered, and the entrances leading to deeper levels remain unknown.

  Every year, thousands of artifacts are unearthed from the underground ruins, but most of them are fakes and junk. The large number of unearthed items has also created a unique profession that is not found elsewhere - appraisers!

  They often have rich knowledge and a certain understanding of the history and culture of underground relics. What's even more enviable is that their income is staggering, and once the items they identify are considered genuine, a substantial reward is naturally unavoidable.

  At this time, Zong Yin appeared on the cultural relics street closest to the underground ruins entrance. He didn't plan to be an appraiser, he just wanted to pick out some genuine items from among the many fakes and resell them to earn enough money for himself to eat.

  Among many counterfeit goods, identifying genuine products is exceptionally simple for Zong Yin, and the aura stone can play a decisive role at this time.

  On both sides of the street, there are many shops opened by people, but more are vendors on the ground with a dusty and tired look, and regardless of whether they have genuine goods in their hands, just that outfit is already very similar, it looks like they just came out of an underground relic.

  Zong Yinhai had just entered the cultural relics street, and a stall at the entrance of the street caught his eye. All seven people were surrounding it, as if there was something good.

  At this moment, Zong Yuen squeezed in and saw a richly dressed man haggling with the stall owner.

  Zong Yinhao raised an eyebrow and directly activated the Qi Bo Shi, his gaze sweeping over the large pile of artifacts on the stall, which were covered in mud and bloodstains. He couldn't help but purse his lips, as every item had a very light flow of energy, making it obvious that they weren't good stuff. There were even several fake items among them. He let out a cold snort, disdainfully pursing his lips. Although this person was a swindler, he didn't have any relation to Zong Yinhao, and the fact that he could deceive people also showed the stall owner's skills. He didn't plan on exposing him, so he prepared to turn around and leave.

  "Hey! I'm talking to you, little brother! What's with that expression? Are you looking down on me? Do you think everything I have is fake? If you don't make things clear today, don't even think about leaving!"

  Perhaps it was the cold hum of Zong Yin's unintentional voice that was too loud, and before he could turn around and leave, the boss's sharp eyes caught sight of Zong Yin's expression. He took a step forward, grabbed Zong Yin's arm, and a green soul technique pattern appeared, with a fierce look on his face.

  "Yonghun Master? Hmph, I didn't want to bother you originally. Since you're looking for death yourself, I'll grant your wish!"

  Zong Yin was taken aback for a moment, then his eyebrows rose and his eyes turned cold. He had never intended to expose him, but since this guy had come looking for trouble, he couldn't be blamed for being ruthless! With a tight fist, Zong Yin's arm muscles directly shook off the vendor's hand that was grabbing him. This vendor may have had the Green Star soul technique, but his actual strength was at most only Soul Apprentice level three. Zong Yin didn't take him seriously at all.

  "What do you want to do?! I'm not a minor character in this generation!"

  The stall owner saw Zong Yin's casual kick and immediately realized he had kicked an iron plate, his strength was not enough, so he quickly brought out his own power to threaten Zong Yin.

  "Cheating San? Indeed, a name that suits you! At least half of the things on your stall are fake, and the rest are low-quality goods! Let's start with this knife that looks like it's from ancient times!"

  Zong Yin let out a cold snort, he was usually low-key, but what he feared the least was others coming to stir up trouble. Ignoring Pi San's changed expression, he directly picked up the large knife that exuded an air of grandeur and majesty from the middle of the stall, and with a swift motion, snapped it into two segments.

  "Look! The steel inside is still new, although I don't know how you managed to make the outside look so real, but the inside can't be faked!"

  Zong Yin raised his broken sword and showed it off in the direction of the crowd, then casually tossed it to the ground like he was throwing away trash.

  "Take a look at this vase in his hand, it's the same, it looks real on the outside, but the material inside is new, it's also fake. How about that? Do I need to say more?"

  He took another glance at the rich merchant, whose face had turned somewhat strange, and snatched the flower vase with mud on it from his hand. With a slash of his sword, he slowly shaved the vase into thin slices, revealing its brand new material inside.

  The crowd surrounding them suddenly stared at Pian San and Zong Yin with extremely strange eyes. Although Zong Yin was somewhat puzzled by these people's expressions, before he could speak, Pian San had already started to rage.

  "You're looking for trouble! I'm..."

  Seeing the expressions of the people around him, Sanpi knew that this business was ruined and subconsciously prepared to scold Zong Yin severely.

  "What the...! Who's looking for trouble with who?! You're coming to find me on my first day here?! I didn't blame you, yet you come to blame me?! Don't provoke me! Will I block your way to making money?!"

  Just as the third brother's scolding had just begun, Zong Yin suddenly erupted like a volcano, spewing out countless curses. Zong Yin himself was a belly full of fire, he was just innocently passing by to grab some soy sauce, and inexplicably got dragged into this, if he didn't expose him, he'd be haunted!

  "I'm gonna take you down!"