Shady Business

Teemao was taken aback, redness invaded his face, his eyes fixated on the portrait threatened to spring out. Majid couldn't help but laugh, yup, that's what I'm talking about. This brought him back in time, and made him reminisce about the first time he saw something like this, a guy took a worn-out magazine page from his wallet. He smirked, as the guy back then looked cool for having something unavailable and having the audacity to keep it close. Even now there are no such playboy magazines let alone back then in the late nineties.

Well, it looks like there is no difference between men here or there, the curse is the same, great.

"Yo, Teemao, what do you think,"

Teemao broke out from his daze, and his eyes escaped to the side, the redness intensified in his face.

"So, do you want it,"

"Eh,"

"Forget it," Majid rolled the paper when a powerful hand caught his.

"What now!" a laugh was hung on the corner of Majid's mouth, threatening to erupt, as he looked at Teemao, "What-"

"I want it."

Majid couldn't help but erupt laughing making the blood burn on Teemao's ears, Majid struggled hard to stop himself, "ok buddy, but I can't give it for free, what can you gave me in return."

"Come on, we're brothers, what's this about paying now," Teemao couldn't understand, Maoji never demanded a price from him, even when he shared his techniques. Was he making fun of me now, "forget it," he looked away.

"Okey," Majid resumed rolling the paper when an even stronger hand caught him.

"What do you want, I already used up all the herbs I gathered," Teemao mouth dropped, wronged.

"You can't use the spirit stones for 3 days, we have to cut our consumption."

"Come on now, how am I supposed to cultivate then."

"It's up to you, take it or leave it," Majid's face was rigid.

"Ok, I'm done with staying holed up here anyway, I'm gonna gather some herbs," Teemao grudgingly accepted.

"Are you sure..." he leaned his head a bit before his cheeks blew "I'm just kidding, take it you pervert, haha," Majid enjoyed the awkward look on Teemao for a while before his eyes focused again, now he made sure his product was salable, all that's left was marketing, how should he go about it.

Inwardly though, Majid was ashamed of himself, out of all the modern knowledge, and with the help of the system, yet all he could come up with was this shameless idea. But he really can't think of any easier way in the short term, a lot of the technologies he knew, either some of their material or process is missing in his memories, others are based on other technologies he took for granted, but were no were to be found in this world. Starting from the raw materials that were mixed and unrecognizable in nature, to electrical or mechanical supporting tools. He thought he knows a lot as he wasted his time looking up everything, from a nuclear reactor to the meaning behind a pee color, but in the end, he kept nothing of that knowledge together. The thing he feels like he remembers needed a lot of research and experiment to be feasible, and even more work before it could be marketable.

So he can't help it, he would work on another plan for latter but now he needs to finance his own cultivation as soon as possible. He can't afford to waste his prime years of cultivation on other things, worse anyone with power could take over his blood, sweat, and tears effortlessly.

Only art satisfy his needs, decent gain with less effort, after all, he doesn't need inspiration, he has a big repertoire of data from the earth. But not any art could work, even if it's been years since he died his art might not be appreciated, this wasn't earth, after all, only the power of sexuality, coupled with scarcity would do the job.

Well, art is about nudity, and women isn't it.

Between the loneliness of the 4 walls of his room, he picked up many in the house hobbies from the internet, but never stuck with one till the end. One of them was drawing, he already has the basics, human proportion, shading, vanishing points, some color theories... Even though he has many holes in his memories, it was easily filled with experiments, he spent this last week honing his skills, It didn't take him much time to reach a satisfactory level. With the powerful mind he has now, he learned faster and could easily visualize his memories and imagination.

But man, for me to introduce this, it didn't sit well with him, it was ingrained in his moral compass, these things were sinful in his culture, he couldn't help but be bothered. It was different from simply him do it, he feared the butterfly effect, he would bear the burden of generations to come if they followed in his steps.

I bet no one is making sexual education here, this big brother would help you learn. I'm gonna help you deal with this problem, so you won't be distracted from your cultivation. Wait, isn't this a good marketing argument. His gears already rolled, piece after piece fill in place forming his marketing strategy.

"Know that I think about it, I can't give it for free," Majid looked at him smirking.

"Are you kidding me," Teemao hugged the scroll to the side.

"Well it's not a big deal, I need you to spread the word."

"What, no way, I can't do that," his recovering face turned red again.

"If you can draw instead, I will do it," one of Majid's brows rose.

"Who's gonna buy something so shameless."

"We have one right here, weren't you the one who was compromising his cultivation for it."

Teemao's face reddened some more as he was a lab rat, his shoulders dropped, along with his head.

"Came, came here and look it's nothing really hard, let me explain our plan."

The more Teemao listened the more his head nodded, this business was good that he felt ashamed of his alchemy. There were no expenses other than paper and time and the price was up to them to make as the only provider. They can't ask for something outrageous though. Most importantly, they won't have to risk leaving the school, and all he needs to do was to invite a few disciples, and Maoji would take care of everything. He said they don't have to sell a lot and make a commotion, all they needed was to afford for their daily cultivation necessities.

"We will ask for the ingredients of Viscira Pill as the price, do you think you can make it."

"I need the recipe first, I'm confident though."

"Great," Majid brows flashed, "wait, the book I brought you didn't have it."

"No, it has some advanced alchemy compared to mine, but no Earth Grade Recipe."

"Oh boy, it must be on the second floor, o my 100 contribution points," his heart ached, he barely gathered about 100 points from the cultivation pagoda during this 3 weeks, as he kept his expenditure to the minimum. He spent about 60 points between two visits to the Wisdom Pagoda's first floor, and keeping the books, each book cost one point per day to keep. But now, his points would be blown like dust.

"Wait, it's a low earth grade right, tell me it's right,"

Teemao grinned but hid it fast "nope, it's a… High-Grade Recipe," his left eye was blinking.

"Ok, I got it," Majid let out a deep breath, he can't afford any higher than that. He smiled smugly looking at Teemao, you're still 100 years younger to tease me, boy.

--------------------------

A robust boy, of about 16 with tanned skin, was waiting outside of a dormitory gate. From his big head, his eyes shone looking at the distance, 3 girls were coming, wearing the same black uniform as his. As the girls noticed him they laughed behind their hands and looked at one of them, the latter was cold beauty, her face distorted as she looked at the boy. She said something to her friends before she strode toward the boy.

"What are you doing again, didn't I told you already to stop bothering me."

The boy smile didn't waver, as he brought something behind his back and present it before the girl, "I hunted a few beasts with my friend, and I thought of you, I bought this Qi condensation pill."

"I will accept it, but be careful the next time."

The boy smile didn't waver, instead, it grows even bigger as the girl snatched the pill and walked away.

"Why are you smiling for," out of nowhere the voice came startling the bighead.

The big head looked at the boy smiling in front of him up and down, a slim body with vigorous black eyes under his small brows, wearing a dull gray robe, "what a servant has to do with my business!" the big head shouted.

"I'm not a servant, I'm with a friend, from the Headmaster faction," Teemao was calm with his smile.

The boy, on the other hand, was shaken when he heard the last part, he was just a normal disciple, after all, he can't afford to offend sects' disciples. Nevertheless, he wasn't about to chicken out he jerked his robe and turned to step away.

"Do you like that girl," the bighead stopped, "in that case came here we have something helpful."

Teemao left after handing him a small piece of paper, the boy was bewildered, but he still looked at the paper.

"Came by noon otherwise it would be too late."

The boy decided to ignore this nonsense, by noon though, he found himself in front of the Main Hall, he didn't stop there though, he continued further, behind the hall about a 100 meter ahead, the quarter of the headmaster's faction disciples came to view. He followed the instruction until he found the house, from a distance, 4 other boys were in front of the house.

"You're late," waved Teemao at him, "now that everyone is here, came in honored guests."

The boys looked at each other skeptically, but in the end, they followed him. Inside they found another boy looking at them with his hand behind his back, giving off a strong impression.

"Isn't that Maoji the crippled guy," a shy boy muttered from behind, but everyone heard it.

Before anyone could react though, "yup, that's me," he looked at them in the eyes one by one with a slight smile. "Since you're already here fellow disciples, came inside," Majid bowed a bit before he led the way inside.

"The fuck if I knew it was that cripple, I wouldn't bother coming," the bighead erupted.

"Well this has nothing to do with cultivation," a chubby boy not looking at them, followed Majid inside.

The others looked at each other before they followed as well. Majid was standing at the end of the lounge, he invited them to sit before he sat as well.

"Ok, guys I assume that you all like a girl and that's why you're here right."

One of the guys blushed, one grinned, another scratched his head...

"Let me deliver the bad news first, none of the girls like you back," well just looking at them without Teemao report he could tell they don't have a chance, the poor guys, they were all in the bottom of the food chain in their own way, a chubby, a shy, or frog-like... and they were all normal with their low 4th level.

"The heck, is this way you brought us here, what a joke" the big head boy stood angrily.

"Well I won't hold you back if you don't need to know the reason," Majid smiled shrugging his shoulders.

The big head finally sat after struggling with himself.

"Do you think by giving them gifts they would like you... instead you gave them yet another reason to look down on you," the smile on Majid's face disappeared.

The look on the boys relayed they weren't convinced many of them started to look at the door, ready to leave at any moment they hear another bullshit.

"Let me give you an example, imagine someone asked to buy your sword, but you refused. The guy started offering you small amounts of money and helped you around without asking for anything. Overtime those amounts added up to the double or triple of the price of the sword, would you hand him the sword then, or would you think look at this pathetic moron, you weren't putting your sword for sale in the first place, so no matter what he did, it was all for nothing."

"That's different," the big head furrowed his brows.

"How is that different, your case is even worse, let's be honest here, we're already lacking when there are young masters and great talents around why would the girl look at us, as for your gifts that make things even worse…"

"You already said that," the big head face darkened but he was indignant.

"Other than looking stupid and desperate, your gifts help their cultivation and slow down yours, I bet the girls' cultivation is better than yours...." he goes wide and long about the cons of the gifts. He must look out for his clients from now on, he can't let their money goes elsewhere, those girls were his direct competitors now.

"Tell me now do you think those girls like you?"

"Have they ever looked for you first?"

"Have they ever smiled when they saw you? maybe for your gifts"

Each question was like thunder shaking their beliefs, their faces got darker and darker, even Teemao was no exception.

"If they did then go, this has nothing to do with you, heck did they even thank you sincerely for your care?"

The place grow silent as his voice died down, only agitated breaths could be heard.

"Worry not fellow disciples, I didn't call you here just to crush your hopes, I have some good news as well," Majid smiled widely looking at his feature clients.

The boys raised their heads and looked at him with expectation glittering in their eyes.